I love eating a plant-based diet for so many reasons, and recently there have been friends and family of mine that have wanted to dip their toes in the vegan pool. The only problem is that it can be kind of overwhelming to make that transition from a Big Mac to a tofu salad, so I have a few tips and items that might make your transition or even just your experimentation period much smoother and tastier.
1. Read The Kind Diet, By Alicia Silverstone. Yes she is a nut job who feeds her kid like a wackadoodle, but she knows her stuff. Plus, that book has some amazing recipes! Her apricot chocolate coins are my favorite treat ever!
2. Switch out your butter and milk for vegan alternatives. Earth Balance Original costs me four bucks and I only buy it every six weeks. It is way better then butter and won't stick to your booty. Then make the switch to coconut milk. My husband drinks the chocolate coconut milk for breakfast and loves it. You will be surprised at how yummy it is and how cheap. I buy these cartons for under two bucks and we go through it every week. Make sure you do the unsweetened or sugar free so that you only get the natural sugars from the fruit and not the other crap that will stick to your booty.
3. Cut out red meats. All meat would be amazing, but red meat is terribly hard on your digestive system and is expensive. I tell my buddies who say being vegan is expensive that no, actually it's not. My food bill is the exact same and maybe even cheaper. When you don't buy a 4 dollar organic chicken breast per person or a 5 dollar log of beef you can do the four dollar butter and even make the steps to the vegan mayo called Veganaise.
4. Eat out less. I know that's hard; we all got crazy lives, I get it. So what I do is make bulk Sunday and Mondays so that I have food that lasts till Friday, then Saturday we shop and then the cycle repeats. You honestly need to just get organized if dinnertime is crazy. Plan a few days ahead and maybe just cut your veggies up that night and eat an apple while you are doing crap.
5. Cut the crap. Go through your cabinets and pantry and throw away everything you know will cause a heart attack. I mean those Twinkies and Tastykakes are not doing you any good. I suggest giving the food to a shelter or food pantry so it's not wasted, but get it out of your house. Then DON'T BUY IT! It's easier to walk by it at the store then to walk away from it at home. It is hard, but after awhile the word "no" becomes your friend.
6. Snack healthy. Potato chips may fill that craving, but they make you feel like crap about yourself after. So if you are like my dad and I and need to be snacking, choose better snacks. I eat almonds like they're crack. Almonds and apples are my go-to snack, but any nut and fruit mixture will do. Then choose a crunchy veggie like carrots or snap peas while you're watching TV that will give you the satisfaction of eating and the crunch without the nasty chips. Then again my kale chips are amazing and I eat them just as much as the almonds.
7. Make goals. If you are not accountable to yourself you won't do it. If you are like, thanks but being vegan is not my thing, then at least you really tried it. I first set a goal to cut out all dairy (easier than I thought); then there was eggs (a little trickier), then all meat. If you slowly make steps to your end goal you will be better off than quitting cold turkey. Most times when someone just quits they mess up and eat a Big Mac or down a pint of ice cream. So make goals.
There are so many more tips I would give you but it's late and this blog is long enough! Haha! I hope everyone has a great Memorial day! Have a great week everyone!
-Megan
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