Veganism is one way to support your health, the environment, and the animals you share it with. However, getting started can be intimidating. Before you make a serious change to your diet, it’s a good idea to speak with your doctor or a nutritionist first to get started on the right foot.
Here are a few words of advice from those who have chosen a vegan lifestyle:
Vegan food will get tastier
Your palette changes over time. Your favourite food today is (probably) not your favourite food when you were 7 years old. The foods you enjoy are influenced by the foods you eat regularly. Once you eliminate non-vegan foods from your diet, your taste buds will adjust. You’ll start to appreciate the flavours of the food you do eat even more.
You should take it slow
Changing your entire diet overnight is overwhelming, so don’t do it that way. You can take things slow and ease yourself into a vegan diet. Make small changes over time. Many people go vegan in their homes first and continue to eat non-vegan when they go out until they’re ready to commit to the lifestyle full time.
“May Contain” is still vegan
The bane of many new vegans’ lives is seeing “may contain” on the back of a package. You found a tasty vegan treat, and all the ingredients are vegan, but then on the back, it says it “may contain” or “may contain traces of” milk or eggs. Is your whole treat ruined?
No! Most vegans do not consider potential contamination at a factory level to make something non-vegan. Those warnings exist for people who may be severely allergic to an ingredient. Someone with a severe egg allergy, for example, could get sick eating something that was just made in the same factory even if they didn’t share equipment.
The general rule of thumb for most vegans is that accidental contamination doesn’t promote the consumption of animal products.
You won’t have to think about it every day
The biggest thing that many vegans wish they knew before they started is that eventually, you won’t even think about it day to day. All the effort will vanish. You’ll have your regular meals, you’ll have the brands you trust, and you’ll just put it out of your mind. Once you’re used to it, it’s just as easy as cooking and shopping before!
