Going vegan doesn’t have to be an overnight achievement. You have a lifetime of eating habits to change, and it can be overwhelming to try to do it all at once. If you want to make a lasting lifestyle change, or just tweak down the consumption of animal products in your life, try these ten vegan tips for beginners. Going vegan doesn’t have to lead to a life of austerity!
1. Plant Milk in Your Coffee
It doesn’t get much easier than substituting the milk in your morning cup of joe. Plant milk is more and more common in coffee shops these days, so you should be able to get a vegan option anywhere you go. Experiment! If you want a hint, though, the creaminess and mild flavor of oat milk make it a favorite for people who don’t appreciate the nutty richness of almond milk.
This is a tiny tweak, but it cuts out a large amount of dairy consumption for the average adult! Some people find they don’t even need to buy cow’s milk in the store anymore. If you do regularly use milk in cooking, you may find plant-based milk that can do double duty in your coffee and your casserole.
Soy milk froths well and makes a great latte.
2. Vegan Buttery Spread over Butter
You might already be using a vegan buttery spread without realizing it! Many brands of margarine and artificial butter are already vegan. Even if you do keep a stick or two of dairy butter around, a vegan buttery spread could still be an easy shift.
Everything you can do with butter, you can do with buttery spread. Freeze it to use in baking, sprinkle it on your popcorn, or melt a few spoons into your mashed potatoes.
3. Purchasing Vegan Clothes
This tweak takes a little more effort than some of the others, but it pays off because you only have to think about it very occasionally. Veganism extends beyond the food you eat. It’s in the materials you use and the clothes you wear.
A lot of modern clothes are already vegan, but you can make sure before you add them to your cart. Steer clear of wool, silk, leather, and other animal fibers like mohair and angora. Pleather and silk alternatives like bamboo fibers are making inroads into the market. Whatever you want to buy, a vegan version of it already exists.
Once you own the clothes, you’re never going to think about what they’re made of again. Putting in a little extra effort at checkout when you buy clothes means you can dress every day in a vegan outfit without thinking about it at all.
4. Overnight Oats over Eggs
Eggs are a convenient breakfast food that doesn’t take much time to cook on a busy morning. It’s tough to turn away from convenience, but what if you could have a tasty morning meal that took absolutely no prep time in the morning?
Overnight oat recipes adorn the internet, and by tweaking ingredients like chia seeds and fruit, you can get a nutritious meal you can just pluck out of the fridge and eat on your way out the door–no prep time needed!
Overnight oats with berries, chia seeds, and chocolate chips.
5. Honey-Free Bread
Many brands of commercially produced bread are already vegan. Eggs and milk are expensive, so companies cut often them out. Pick up your favorite sliced bread and you have even odds on it being egg- and milk-free, but there’s one more thing to avoid: honey.
Honey is an easy sweetener that’s often added to otherwise vegan bread. Take a moment to check the ingredients, find your brand, and enjoy your bread. You won’t even notice the honey is gone.
6. Vegan Chicken Patties for Easy Meals
Chicken patties are the king of the quick food scene. You can dress them up for a meal or bolt them with a condiment as a hot and filling snack. As more and more people get air fryers in their homes, the chicken patty reigns supreme.
There are many different brands of vegan chicken patties, and cooking them takes no more effort than cooking a patty made from animals. Pop them in the microwave, the air fryer, or the oven to enjoy a hot snack or meal in under ten minutes, just like you did before.
7. Embrace World Cuisines That Just So Happen to be Vegan
Many cultures don’t eat as many animal products as the western world does today. Avoid FOMO around animal products by embracing meals that never made use of them. Enjoy a stir fry with tofu! Bask in beans and rice–a worldwide staple for centuries! Try a classic veggie soup, and you won’t even notice the lack of animal products… because there never were any!
Simple rice and kidney bean pilaf.
8. Prioritize Getting Your Fruits and Veggies in First
One classic way to cut down on animal products is to make sure that you have enough fruit and vegetables in your diet already. You’re less likely to crave calorie-rich foods like meat and eggs when you have enough fiber in your diet. Block out the room for non-vegan items and improve your health and nutrition at the same time! After reducing their consumption of animal products, many people find they no longer crave them like they used to.
9. Pack Your Snacks
Instead of picking up whatever a vending machine has to tide you over until lunch, take a snack with you to work. Make sure your car has a vegan granola bar in the glove box for those dinner-time traffic jams. By always having food on hand, you reduce the temptation to pick up something non-vegan just to stop your stomach from rumbling.
10. Opt for Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is better for your heart, and delicious to boot! While not all dark chocolate is vegan (so you’ll need to check the back to be sure), most of it is! This tip could not be easier or tastier.
Most dark chocolate is vegan but be sure to double check.
These vegan tips show you just how easy it is to go vegan one cup of coffee and dark chocolate bar at a time. Whether you intend to be fully vegan someday or you just want to reduce your animal product consumption, these small changes will make a big impact when you add them together.
