How to Go From a Vegetarian to Vegan Diet

If you have been on a vegetarian diet for a while, the next step up might be to go to a vegan diet. A vegan diet is one where you consume only plant-based foods, not including anything that comes from an animal, whether it is dairy, eggs, or even honey. Take a look at some of these tips for making the transition to a vegan diet.

Switch to a Full Vegetarian Diet First

Gradually moving from a meatless diet to a vegan diet takes time. You might not be someone who can do it overnight, so don’t worry about taking small steps. For example, if you currently are a lacto-ovo vegetarian, you still eat eggs and dairy. You can start by first removing the dairy and cheese products, which makes you an ovo vegetarian. Once you are used to that, you can then stop having your eggs. You will then begin removing other animal products, such as honey, since bees work for it and it is not considered vegan-friendly. These small changes make it a lot easier to make the switch.

Find Vegan Substitutions

While you may eventually follow a plant-based diet with mostly fresh and whole foods, it is not easy to do right from the start. An easy way to make the transition is to find vegan substitutions for the dairy and eggs you no longer consume. There are vegan versions of just about everything, from flax eggs to vegan cheese and mayonnaise. Milk is easy since there are lots of options, like soy milk, almond milk, and rice milk. You can also try coconut milk.

Grab Some Interesting Recipes

One of the challenges with a vegan lifestyle is that you feel like all you will be eating is plants that are bland and boring for every meal. This is completely not true, as there is a lot you can do with all plant-based food. Start collecting recipes online, in vegan magazines, and with vegan cookbooks. You will actually find tons of great ideas that will inspire you, encourage you to cook more, and make it a lot easier to stick to a vegan lifestyle. Go for the more interesting and exotic ones, especially when ingredients you have never heard of are used, such as jack fruit.

