Going vegan cold tofurky is never a good idea. As a matter of opinion, it will just about land you in the ‘FAIL’ zone every time. As life sometimes dictates we must take things in moderation, so too must be the journey to veganism.
I found my way slowly, and never with any real intention of being a vegan in the first place. What I mean is, I had no hopes of becoming vegan in the whole process..it just came about. My only hope was that I could cut back the world’s dependency on mass-produced meat by my refusal to eat all things meat-based. But, like many people, I still had my guilty pleasures – cheese, sour cream and butter.
Being originally raised in the South, I found it extremely difficult to skip on butter, cheese and sour cream. I would put these ingredients on everything I eat. These are the foundation to many Southern dishes. It has been an 8 year process to rid them from my diet. My recommendation to anyone wanting to hit the vegan eating habits at full throttle is to reconsider. Don’t underestimate the human body and what it wants. A quick cut-off of my favorite foods was never in the cards, as I know the mental breakdown that would quickly ensue if I did.
A great routine for starting out this diet (mirroring my own transition):
Phase 1: Cut out meats – that would be chicken, beef, lamb, pork, and anything else that walks or slithers. During this time, look at various vegan meat substitutes at the grocery store (or check the link below) and find recipes to make at home for bean burgers, meatballs, mushroom and cauliflower steaks.
Phase 2: Cut out fish. Make sure you are prepared by substituting the nutrients you will lose with more fruits, vegetables, or legumes that have omega-3 fatty acids – a vital nutrient.
Phase 3: Lose the Dairy. Start with milk, replacing it with soy, almond, or coconut milks. Then the cheeses, the sour cream, and the yogurts. In my case, I began by cutting these items on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; calling these my ‘vegan days’.
These ‘phases’ can last as long or as short as you want. If one has set their mind to it, it could be as short as two weeks to get to the next step. It took me five years to go from phase 1 to phase 2. It took me another 2 years to get to phase 3. I wasn’t trying to fool myself, I wasn’t ready, and I knew it. So I took it slow.
Dealing with cravings
Cravings create a bit of a mental challenge, I find. And when one is having inner conflict, it never works out well when one position of your conflict is ‘you can never eat that [insert non-vegan craving of choice here] again’ and the other position is ‘this is all I want to eat right now’. It is a much easier task to say ‘you cannot eat that [non-vegan food of choice] today, but if you choose to do so tomorrow, it is ok’…essentially I am saying take baby steps. My attitude in this life is never sell yourself short. If your body craves something, it could be lacking specific nutrients that particular food used to provide. Listen to your body, determine what is missing and fulfill that need with vitamins. The cravings will slowly subside.
Why I keep doing the vegan diet
Belief that I am helping my health and prolonging my lifespan help me to stay on this vegan diet. As years pass, I am more heavily involved in the causes of vegans, such as opposing animal cruelty, animal testing, or eating processed foods consumers have no knowledge of their origins. This was never a starting point but it has become a happy side affect.