5 Tips For Switching To A Plant-Based Diet

Jennifer McNeill• 27 November, 2016

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Take yourself to class
Ask any vegan why they first made the change and they'll probably tell you it was from watching a documentary or from having an enlightened conversation with someone else. Check out our list of top vegan documentaries to get started and there's also some good books out there. Knowledge is power!
Keep it simple
You don't need to go from never having heard of seitan to suddenly becoming a world class seitan master chef. Think to the things you already love that are vegan (french fries anyone?) and stick to the meals you regularly eat - and just 'veganise' them. If you love fajitas, omit the meat and cheese and load up on extra veggies and guacamole instead. Grill a portobello mushroom instead of a burger or whip up some curried chickpeas instead of curried chicken. Google and Veggiebuzz are your best friends here! 😉
Get creative
This third tip seems to directly contradict with the second one but hear us out. While you're busy googling or #veggiebuzzing how to subtly 'veganise' your favorite meals, you will no doubt come across a few new things you like the sound of. Once you feel comfortable, its time to get creative! Switching your diet to a plant-based diet can be daunting because you'll assume you're about to drastically limit your food options but in fact, the opposite is true as you're about to try more food than ever before! Ever made cheese sauce out of cashews? Ever heard of nutritional yeast? Ever eaten a smashed chickpea sandwich? Do you even know how many things you can make a veggie burger out of? The possibilities are endless.
Think like a nutritionist
If you're thinking of basing your vegan food pyramid on onion rings and potato wedges then you need to get serious about your health. You're going to have to entirely relearn what you thought you knew about nutrition. No, you don't need meat for protein and no, you don't need milk for calcium - but you do need to make sure you're getting your protein and your calcium from somewhere. And don't forget about the all important vitamin B12 and Vitamin D!
Be gentle with yourself
Don't beat yourself up if you realize that you accidentally ate something with egg in it or you had a total moment of weakness and devoured a cheesy slice of pizza in the first few days. Veganism isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle and it will take some adjusting to. It doesn't make you a bad person to slip up. Just remember to keep the bigger picture in mind and every day is a brand new day.