2 ways to approach the transition...
Start with Just One Meal
Start with Just One Animal
Start with Just One Animal
Start with just one meal. Often, people pick breakfast. Master this one meal before moving on to lunch or dinner.
For the meal you select, veganize it! Take the animal products out and replace them with plant-based options. For example, if you have cereal with cow's milk, replace it with oat milk. If you have an egg on toast, remove the egg and have avocado toast or simply just toast with peanut butter. See the road map below.
Start with Just One Animal
Start with Just One Animal
Start with Just One Animal
Start by replacing one animal-based food with a plant-based option. You could stop consuming dairy products or eggs, or you could eliminate land animals (chicken, beef, pork) or aquatic animals (fish, shellfish). In their place, you could try oat milk, coconut-based yogurt, cashew-based cheese, bean burgers, veggie sushi, or any number of other options.
You could do this one or two days each week, and increase the number of days as weeks go by. Every little bit helps!
Road Map: One Meal at a Time
Start with Breakfast
Swap out your Dinners
Start with Breakfast
If you have been eating eggs and bacon (which is known to cause cancer) for the past decade, it is time to make the switch to oatmeal with berries and nuts, avocado toast, smoothies, or cereal with a plant-based milk.
Move on to Snacks
Swap out your Dinners
Start with Breakfast
No more beef jerky or cheese sticks. It's time to ramp up nutrient-dense fruits; they are packed with anti-oxidants and perfect for a quick snack.
If you need more calories, add nuts and seeds, trail mixes, and dried fruit to your snack list.
Swap out your Dinners
Swap out your Dinners
Swap out your Dinners
Dinners can seem intimidating, but start by making bowls; one-dish meals are much easier to manage. Pick a legume (black beans), add a grain (rice, corn), and veggies (sauteed bell peppers and onions), then top with a vegan dressing (salsa); we just made a tex-mex bowl! Soups and stews are one-dish meals that are easy for a plant-based lifestyle: minestrone, chili, and many more.
Transition your Lunch
Transition your Lunch
Swap out your Dinners
At this point, you should have breakfast, snacks, and dinners under your belt (which may be getting loose). Leftovers from dinner can be a great lunch. But now you also have a better framework for how to construct a plant-based meal, so eating out should be easier as well. In a pinch, a PB&J and sliced apples will do the trick. Keep it simple for success.
Dining Out
Transition your Lunch
Dining Out
When you first make the transition to plant-based meals, dining out can be frustrating. More establishments are catering to vegans, and HAPPY COW is an app you can use to find restaurants that have vegan options. In a pinch, you can always order a few sides and turn them into a meal (ex., potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms).
Timeline
Transition your Lunch
Dining Out
How long should this take? There is no right answer. The key is to stay on the path. Change takes different lengths of time for everyone depending on circumstances, social support, and so much more, but it gets easier as old habits are broken and new habits are established. Having a partner to accompany you on the journey can be extremely helpful, or finding a community online or nearby will help you reach your goals.
Swaps: Upgrading to Plant-Based Options
2 Choices
Substitution Foods: If you want to eliminate animal products, but struggle to embrace an entirely new way of eating, using "substitutes" can be extremely helpful. And, they may help you get through a transition on your way to unprocessed, whole plant foods.
Examples of "substitutions" include:
gardein chick'n strips, beyond burgers, daiya shredded cheddar cheese, oat milk, coconut yogurt, field roast vegan sausage, and many more (the number of vegan products available is growing daily)
Whole Plant Foods: Once you become comfortable with whole plant foods, you will discover the wide variety of colors, flavors, and textures they have to offer. Lentils pulsed in a food processor, seasoned with chili powder and cumin, make a delicious, healthy alternative to ground beef. Portabello mushrooms make a significant nutritional upgrade to the traditional burger. Black beans and corn elevate the nutritional status of tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas when you eliminate the chicken and beef.
