Beginner Tips For Going Vegan

If you plan to take on the challenge of going vegan, or plant-based, you may be wondering where to start. Especially if being vegan is a new concept to you.

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It can seem very daunting to ditch all the animal products, especially meat! I remember when i first took on the challenge to become fully plant-based. All i could think was what on earth do you have as the main part of your dinner? I was never a big meat eater but most meals were centred around some kind of meat. What started as a challenge for me, 3 years later and i’m still loving the vegan lifestyle.

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To help you on your journey to be totally plant-based, here are some of our simple tips. From creating these delicious homemade vegan chocolate chip cupcakes, to where you can find the best vegan snacks and treats. Following a vegan lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to miss out on delicious meals!

Get Planning

The best way to help yourself, especially at the beginning, is to work out what you are going to eat ahead of time. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to decide what to have when you’re tired or hungry. Planning ahead means you’re more likely to make better choices.

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One way you can make sure you eat a healthy vegan diet is to make everything yourself. Perhaps on a Sunday you could spend the day meal planning and prepping. This way you have a fridge and freezer filled with plant-based meals and treats. Ready for you to eat and snack on throughout the day. It’s also likely you’ll save a lot of money doing it this way as well.

Stock The Pantry

The next best thing you can do to make your life simple during is to make sure your cupboards are stocked full of plant-based products.

This might seem like a difficult task, however it’s actually easier than you might think. Things such as…

• Tinned chickpeas and lentils
• Tinned chopped tomatoes
• Tomato puree
• Coconut cream and coconut milk
• Vegetable stock cubes
• Pasta (check to make sure it’s vegan)
• Alternatives to milk – oat, soya, almond…etc
• Nut butters – peanut, cashew and almond
• Light Tahini
• Alternatives to honey – Agave nectar, Coconut nectar
• Porridge oats
• Soy sauce
• Tamari sauce
• Vegan chocolate
• Vegan snack bars – The Nakd bars are a great little vegan snack for on the go.

If you have these essentials in your cupboards, you won’t find making meals that difficult at all. However, if you do find it all a bit overwhelming, simply think fresh fruits and veggies. Perhaps with some kind of pasta, rice, or a jacket potato.

Use A Tracking App

Using a tracking app such as My Fitness Pal will be a great help when you first start out to make sure you are getting all the vitamins you need in your diet. Whenever you drastically change your diet – such as going vegan, you need to make sure you’re still getting all the minerals and vitamins your body needs.

Vitamin B12 is one of the most common deficiencies for a vegan. As well as Vitamin D, Iron, Zinc and Omega-3. You can either replace these with different foods, or with a vitamin spray or tablets. Personally i use the vitamin B12 spray as it’s just easier than taking a tablet.

However, by using a tracking app, you will clearly be able to see which, if any, you might be lacking in from your change of diet. Don’t be alarmed by this however. Once you get more used to your new diet, you’ll know what foods contain which vitamins and minerals. You’ll also likely start to widen your choice of foods, meaning you’ll get more of the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Stick To Fresh Where Possible

Just because it says on the packet it’s vegan, this does NOT mean it’s a healthy option for you. Many people seem to have the wrong idea about being vegan. That by not eating animal products, it automatically makes you healthier. It many cases, this can be true. However, there are also many unhealthy vegan options as well.

For example, being vegan means you can’t eat proper cheese, so there are many vegan alternatives. This is the kind of thing you should try to stay away from as a lot of the time these alternatives are actually worse for you! Instead, if you want something that tastes like cheese, try this vegan macaroni cheese recipe which is full of goodness and tastes amazing.

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Research Vegan Restaurants

Depending on where you live, you might have to look in to the types of meals at your local restaurants. For example, i live in the heart of the Cotswolds, which is known for being a very meat based area, with very few vegan options. However, in places such as London, you shouldn’t have any problems finding plant-based options on the menu.

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However, don’t let this stop you from going out. All you need to do is plan ahead a little more than normal and make sure where you plan to go has an option for you. You can also ring ahead of booking, as they may be able to put something together for you if they know in advance.

Read Food Labels

OK, this one is a bit of a pain, but if you stick to mainly fresh fruits and veggies, it shouldn’t be too bad.

A lot of companies sneakily put in ingredients that aren’t vegan into a dish that, at a glance looks as though it should be vegan. Perhaps it’s a preservative they use, or the type of fat is from an animal. Make sure you always read the labels on foods, even if it looks as though it should be vegan.

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Following a plant-based diet isn’t about being perfect though. It’s about learning something new, doing your bit to help the environment, or just trying to eat a little more healthily.

If you do find you’ve eaten something that contains animal products, that’s OK, just don’t give up. Learn from what you did to make better choices next time.

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It’s also important to note that not all wine or alcohol are vegan, believe it or not! make sure you check the labels before having any. Also, things like honey isn’t vegan as it’s made by Bees. However, the alternatives we gave you above work just as well as honey – and taste great!

On the other hand, did you know that these are all vegan…

• Oreos
• Twiglets
• Marmite
• Biscoff Spread
• Jus Rol Pastry
• Party Rings
• Skips
• Skittles
• Jelly Tots
• Turkish Delight
• Sunbite crisps
• Walkers – salt & vinegar, ready salted, prawn cocktail and worcester sauce
• Pringles – original, BBQ, paprika and smokey bacon
• Hula Hoops – original, salt & vinegar
• Doritos – lightly salted, heatwave
• Jammie Dodgers
• Maryland Cookies
• Mr Kipling – apple & blackcurrant pies, treacle tart
• Ritz Crackers
• Ryvita Thins
• Trek Bars
• Pot Noodles
• Bird’s Traditional Custard Powder

Just keep in mind, they may be vegan or plant-based, but this does NOT mean they are healthy or good for you!

Check Out The Veganuary Special Deals

To help boost sales throughout Veganuary, many businesses have special deals on many of their vegan products. It’s a great time to sample foods you may not have tried before, at a discounted price.

Keep an eye on their social media pages, and sign up to any newsletters of vegan brands you like so you don’t miss out on anything.

Check Your Skincare Labels

Don’t forget to check your skincare products!

These days there are more and more skincare brands offering vegan products and products not tested on animals which should make it much easier for you. However, make sure you check the labels of your skincare and cosmetics products just to make sure. Somewhere on them it should have a vegan symbol and will clearly state its not been tested on animals.

Just make sure you avoid products with any of the following on the ingredients list – tallow, lanolin and beeswax and honey.

Hopefully these tips will help you stay healthy and on track to becoming fully vegan. Good luck!