If you’re thinking of becoming plant-based, you might be wondering how to make the transition. To start, pick a date at which you’ll begin to change your diet. Then prepare by planning on what to eat for a few days in advance and stocking your kitchen with healthy and filling staples like fresh fruits and vegetables. After that, try dishes from a variety of cuisines—and be ready for slip ups!
Choose a start date to begin transitioning.
Choose a start date to begin transitioning.
Choosing the right time to begin your transition is important. It’s best to choose a date that works for you and allows you enough time to focus on the transition. Take some time before deciding on a date so that you can make sure that all of your questions are answered and all of your concerns are addressed. Make sure that there are no major events in the near future (like holidays) that would make this process harder due to increased stress or lack of support from others around you.
Prepare by planning on what to eat for a few days in advance.
Planning ahead is key to staying on track with a plant-based diet. If you’re not prepared to make your own meals, you may find yourself running out of healthy options and resorting to less-than-ideal snacks or meals at restaurants.
If you’ve been eating meat and dairy for most of your life, try to plan a few days’ worth of meals that can be easily made from scratch. Take into account any dietary restrictions—for example, if someone in your family is gluten-free or lactose intolerant—and plan accordingly by including plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your meal plan.
Be flexible about what to eat in the initial stages.
Now, I’m not saying it’s okay to eat meat or animal products this week. I don’t believe in that. But if you’re starting out on a plant-based diet and find yourself eating something non-plant based, don’t beat yourself up over it. You will come across people who will try to push their own agenda on your new lifestyle—maybe they’ll try to tell you that vegans are all starving themselves or ask why you care about animals when there are bigger problems in the world like poverty and war. They’re not wrong about these things, but let’s be clear: no one needs another reason for fighting against war and poverty other than those reasons alone (and if we have time after all of our work fighting against those issues is done… yeah).
So remember: firstly: eat what makes YOU happy; secondly: do not get too hard on yourself if others aren’t following suit with your choices; thirdly: do not get too hard on other people who DON’T follow suit with YOUR choices! We’re all trying our best here!
Stock your kitchen with healthy and filling staples.
- Stock up on nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and other legumes. These are great sources of protein.
- Buy a variety of fruits and vegetables to fit your tastes and preferences. This is important because having access to different types of foods will help prevent you from getting bored with your diet or feeling deprived during the transition period when you’re not eating as much meat as usual.
- Buy whole grains as often as possible when shopping for breads, pastas and cereals — these can also be found in health food stores if you don’t have access to them at mainstream grocery stores (or if you just prefer their taste).
Try dishes from a variety of cuisines.
If you’re trying to eat more plant-based foods, it’s a good idea to try dishes from different cultures and cuisines. Eating a variety of foods will help you get the nutrients you need and stay satisfied.
For example, if you’re an American who wants to eat more plants, try eating Indian or Thai food at least once per week. If you’re an Italian who wants to eat more plants, try Ethiopian food one day per week or Vietnamese food two days per month (or whatever works best for your schedule).
You may also want to consider eating seasonally or regionally—for example: In summertime when tomatoes are abundant in California (where I live), try making gazpacho out of them; in fall when apples are available at farmers markets around the country (and they taste better than store-bought apples), make apple crisp with locally grown apples and spices from the Pacific Northwest where many people can pick up their bags of cardamom pods without leaving home; and during winter months when citrus fruits like oranges are harvested outdoors near me here in Florida (where I grew up), start making recipes that include orange juice because it feels like almost everyone has oranges growing on trees nearby!
Be ready for slip ups.
There will be days when you feel like giving up, and there will be times when you slip up. That’s normal! Don’t beat yourself up if that happens; just remember that it’s a process, and learning is an ongoing process. You can learn from your mistakes and move on.
One bad meal doesn’t have to ruin your day or turn you off of the lifestyle completely—it’s just one meal! It’s not worth feeling bad about making a mistake (and we all do it).
You can become plant-based quickly or slowly depending on what is best for your body and health.
You can become plant-based quickly or slowly depending on what is best for your body and health. Making the change overnight may be overwhelming, but it is also possible to go plant-based overnight if you are ready. Either way, being prepared will help make the transition easier.
- Plant-based diets are healthy for people of all ages
- Plant-based diets are good for weight loss
- Plant-based diets can help with blood pressure and cholesterol
Conclusion
We hope this post helped you learn about the basics of a plant-based diet. We know that there are many ways to eat vegan and we encourage you to find what works for you. The most important thing is that you make your body feel good, so if you aren’t ready for all the changes outlined here (or even if), do what feels best for yourself!
Photo by Ella Olsson