Do you want to reduce your consumption of animal-based products? Things to know before changing to the vegan lifestyle.

Before getting into details I would like to give you a quick definition of veganism: It’s a way of living that excludes any products that have animal origin or required any kind of animal cruelty. This applies to all domains of life.

vegan months – November & Veganuary

“New year new me” quote that everyone has said at least once. This message is what the Veganuary is about. It’s to inspire people to change their lifestyle as a new year resolution. It gives the boost, ideas & motivation to change your lifestyle, and become a more plant-based person.

There’s a high probability that you have heard about Veganuary but did you know that November is Vegan Month? 1st of November is the World Wide Vegan Day & to prolongate this inspiring time the whole month has become a vegan celebration. It’s the perfect time to try a plant-based diet, the occasion for experimenting with new recipes, especially baking recipes. You always have one more month for little setbacks, before committing fully to your new year resolution (& Veganuary).

reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle

There are 3 main reasons people are turning into vegans: the first is selfish (in a good way) — you want to be healthier or lose weight, the second, comes from empathy for animals and the third one is for the environment.

What is your reason? Make it motivate you.

things to know before going vegan

nutrition

As you’re changing your diet it’s really important that you’ll do it without harming your health. Educate yourself. Learn what nutrition you need, in which food groups you can find them & what needs supplementation. This will be the key to a healthy lifestyle change.

mistakes to avoid

Here’s a little personal touch: these 5 mistakes made my plant-based journey a lot harder, so learn from what I’ve experienced.

don’t be harsh on yourself

It was obvious to me that refusing to eat meat will be harder in social situations, but I wasn’t thinking realistically and I had many nights spent blaming myself. Instead of finding motivation, I was killing my enthusiasm with negative thoughts.

lack of reflex

Sometimes you can simply forget about what you are eating. But I had also a situation when fully aware I ate jelly candy which contains gelatin, I knew it wasn’t the ingredient that I wanted to consume but at that moment I simply forgot about the ingredients.

thinking about the opinions of others

Another mistake connected with social situations. At the beginning of my journey to reducing meat I was afraid of what would others think, not only did I forget that I was doing this for myself but also I was thinking only about hateful comments & not about the support of my friends (which mostly I received). The fear of being judged was growing in my head & it went away only after I shared my thoughts with my close ones & received mentioned support.

only cutting

The mistake, that had the biggest effect on my health, was to only cut meat. I was doing this gradually for about five years. Firstly cutting red meat, then reducing white meat and lastly giving up fish. The problem was that besides this I haven’t changed my diet. Only after 4 years, have I started eating more beans & seeds (& overall needed nutrition).

good practices of a vegan lifestyle

go step-by-step

Quitting cold turkey isn’t for everyone, you should choose the method that will be easy to sustain in the long run. It’s better to go slowly than to run out of motivation & give up.

find a few go-to meals

It’s easy to maintain new habits when you have time & motivation, but as soon as one of these things is lacking it’s easier to fail. Find some easy go-to meals that you’ll be able to cook when there’s no inspiration, strength or time.

create habits

Lifestyle changes are an accumulation of new choices & practices, the best way to adopt a new lifestyle is to create habits that will automatize your choice-making process. Practising this will make plant-based decisions natural for you.

define your way of plant-based

Think of your values. Would you rather eat something that’s not vegan or through it out to waste? Are animal-based fabrics problematic for you, so you won’t buy leather from second-hand or do you have nothing against reusing these materials but won’t be supporting the animal industry & buy newly made products? Take your time and define your way of veganism so that you know what’s behind your actions.

get excited

A new vegan lifestyle comes with new inspiration & motivation boost. Use it to find out what you like, go to new places, try new recipes, and maybe invite some friends to do it with you.

Start with small steps & keep it going.

5 habits that will inspire you to be more sustainable.

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