How to Stay Vegan

A lot of people ask me how I am able to stay vegan when it comes to my diet. They wonder if I ever get off track, have cravings, etc.

The honest answer is no to both of those questions.

I thought maybe it would be helpful to some if I shared some of my tips on how to stay vegan. No, it’s not always easy. It will come much easier to some than others. I think it is important to remember that eating plant-based/vegan is a moral choice. Not a diet, not a fad. It’s not meant to be restrictive. It is simply choosing to eliminate foods that are connected to animal suffering.

#1: Educate yourself on ingredients and where they derive from. It can seem daunting when you initially go vegan, so I believe it is important from the start to really do your research before diving in. After you familiarize yourself with ingredients, you’ll definitely be one step closer to feeling more comfortable with eating vegan.

#2: Watch food documentaries. The documentaries can be upsetting and graphic (some, not all!) but sometimes that is what it takes to make it stick. That was the case with me. If you feel like you need a reminder, I promise that watching one of those docs will do ya. My favorites are listed here.

#3: Seek out new vegan products. It gets better and better every single year. New vegan products are out all the time. Treat yourself! If you really miss sausage, find a vegan sausage brand you like (or a few!) There is a substitute for everything. Google what you are missing and see what comes up.

#4: Find veganized recipes for your favorite dishes and comfort foods. This was an important thing for me. I didn’t want to feel like I had to give anything up, so I used good ‘ol Google to search for veganized versions of recipes I love. That and get creative in the kitchen. Once you have your favorites down, you won’t feel like you are constricting yourself. Because you aren’t! It’s just a new way of thinking and creating.

#5: Define the reason why you are eating plant-based/vegan. Going back to my point in the beginning of this post… it is so important to define the main reason why you are choosing to eat vegan/plant-based. If you answer with “to lose weight,” then this probably is not going to stick. Because once you lose the weight, you may start to cheat here and there. If you are looking to make an impact on animal welfare, climate change, etc… always keep these motives in the back of your mind. Remind yourself of the change. Rewatch the documentaries you have already watched. Fuel your desire to do better. Once I made up my mind on why I am vegan, it became who I am and what I stand for. It’s no longer a diet… it’s just who I am. And being who you are isn’t hard to do.

I hope that some of these made sense. The last point is very personal. Who you are and what you choose to do isn’t right or wrong. It isn’t about that. It is about what you truly feel in your heart… and honestly, it is very hard to put into words! But I tried.

If you need this sort of inspiration to keep going, I hope you found it here. Vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, pescatarian… whatever the case may be. I hope that you do what you feel is right for your mind and body.

Thanks for being here. xx bianca