Making the safe transition to veganism

Nelida Insua-Coelho/Staff Writer

If there’s one major thing that happens when transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, it’s witnessing how people react when you say the word vegan. The word itself has managed to ingrain negatively into some people’s minds to such an extent that they become defensive, and the chaos begins: questions are asked, arbitrary comments are said, most of them completely unnecessary and will most likely hit a nerve.

I’ve been vegan for almost five years, and to this day I still have crazy stories to tell at the end of a long day of minding my business as a vegan.

See, here’s the thing: most of us vegans don’t praise the word nor the movement and especially do not spend our days talking only about veganism. There’s more to activism than veganism, during the transition to a plant based diet it’s important to realize that veganism goes beyond what you decide to feed your body three times a day. There are human rights and environmental rights issues that fit right in with veganism, and it’s important to get informed on all aspects of the movement.

Education is key when transitioning. From the moment you make the connection and decide to eat more vegetables and grains, there’s an overload of information and it does get overwhelming. If you feel this way, remind yourself to take a deep breath and go step by step.

The most popular defense people use to say why they won’t go vegan is that it’s too expensive. Saving money while in university is life changing and believe it or not, a plant based lifestyle is easy on the wallet.

A plant based lifestyle also breaks down barriers of how many food choices and recipes to try for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The options are endless. Since going vegan I’ve rarely repeated recipes due to the different ways I can prepare any staple dish that can be veganized.

Getting informed on what nutrients are important for our bodies is critical to staying vegan. You have to be aware of what your body needs. For instance, knowing what foods contain more protein, or the vitamin B12, so it’s easier to consume an adequate amount since some may forget to take supplements. It all helps in staying true to the plant based lifestyle long-term.

If a moment comes when you “cheat” on veganism, ask yourself why you ate a non-vegan ingredient in the first place and find a solution to the problem. After a while the body stops getting used to animal based ingredients, and ingesting anything from cow milk to chicken meat affects how our bodies feel. My advice for you there is what I told myself when I used to find myself in that situation: forgive yourself, move on and don’t do it again. If it does happen, try again. Nobody is perfect and vegans are not perfect either.

There is no such thing as a vegan world. In the United States alone there’s approximately six percent of the population that identify as vegan. We have a long way to go but it’s finally gaining attention.

Remember that it’s your transition, your choice and your life. Anyone else that has a contradictory opinion simply doesn’t know your whole story or reason as to why you decided to join the vegan movement and that’s ok. Take it step by step, connect with nature, love yourself and put yourself first. Feed yourself with plant based deliciousness. The animals and environment thank you.   

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash.