You’ve heard good things about a vegan diet. That it’s healthier and better for maintaining weight. And you’d like to try it but you’re not sure where to start.
There’s an absolute abundance of information about vegan food. Book shops have a vegan cookbook section. The internet has no shortage of blogs sharing plant-based recipes of all kinds. Your Instagram feed makes you hungry.
But when it comes down to applying it how do you make a start with a vegan diet?
Keep it simple
The more complicated you make switching to a new way of eating the more challenging it’ll be for you to stay with it. So cooking a complicated dish might not be the best start!
Instead, look at what you usually eat and start replacing items. So swap your butter or margarine for a dairy-free spread. Explore different plant-based mylks and see which ones work best for you. And remember you can use different varieties for cooking, cereal and cups of tea.
Next, move onto substitutions in meals. There are so many meat alternatives now available that it’s easy to replace burgers, sausages and bacon. Swap these in for your regular meat-based versions and you’ll be able to enjoy the same dishes as usual. Bear in mind that vegan alternatives are usually pre-cooked so need less cooking than the meat versions. Don’t overcook or let them dry out.
Once, you’re feeling more confident then pull out those vegan cookbooks and follow up on all those dishes that inspired you on social media. As you begin to explore the healthier aspects of a vegan diet you’ll notice how your tastes start to change.
If you’re not certain that a vegan diet is for you then experiment. Try going vegan for a couple of days each week or swapping out dairy products for a few weeks.
How are you going to get started exploring a vegan diet?