How to Go Plant-Based: 7 Tips to Make It Easy
FOOD & HOME
How to Go Plant-Based: 7 Tips to Make It Easy
By: Tanya Flink
The plant-based diet is rapidly growing in popularity. There’s no doubt this lifestyle is beneficial for your health, the environment, and the animals, but it can be intimidating at first. Many people who have already made the switch live by all-or-nothing attitudes, but what they fail to communicate is that very few go vegan overnight. Lasting health is built over time, and we all have the power to make daily decisions that will bring us closer to a more nourishing, wholesome way of eating. Here are seven ways to incorporate plant-based habits for immediate and long-term health.
1. Ditch dairy
Vegetarian to vegan is a common trajectory, and it tends to work, but there is another way to gradually ease into a cleaner, plant-based diet. Before removing meat from your meals, try eliminating dairy and dairy products. Because this food group is so inflammatory and leads to a number of gut issues, you could feel better within just a few days. Pay attention to how you feel—has your skin cleared up? Do you feel less mucus-y during workouts? Are you experiencing less bloat? All of these are signs that dairy hasn’t been doing your body any favors. To start, swap the dairy products you typically enjoy for plant-based alternatives—try oat or soy milk, dairy-free cheese, and creamy oat-based yogurts. Once you feel confident as a dairy-free eater, then start to remove other animal products such as eggs and meat.
2. Meatless Monday (and Tuesday…)
Anyone can find pleasure in a meatless meal one day of the week. Keep the momentum going and turn Meatless Monday into Meatless Tuesday or Meatless Thursday. Add just one meatless meal at a time and soon enough, you’ll be fully plant-based without making a jarring transition. For recipe ideas that don’t require much effort, head to our recipe page for tempting options such as “Chorizo” Egg Muffins and Rosemary Chick’n Sundried Tomato Paninis.
3. Tune in to how you feel
When you feel energized and healthy, you tend to continue the habits that lead to these feelings. Take a moment after each meal and a few times throughout the day to assess how you feel. How is your energy level in the afternoon—do you notice a boost? How do you feel after meals—do you feel heavy or lighter than you normally do? Are you experiencing less bloat or gas, has your digestion become more regular? Can you breathe better during exercise? A plant-based diet can bring any one of these benefits. Once you start feeling better, you won’t want to give that up and go back to eating animal products.
4. Cook different cuisines
Most people cook the same five to seven dishes eighty percent of the time. It can get boring. Allow the plant-based diet to guide you to cuisines outside of your comfort zone. Go out to an Ethiopian restaurant or simmer an Indian curry at home. Buy a new plant-based cookbook or seek out a food blog that focuses on a specific cultural cuisine, and commit to making at least one recipe a week from it. From craveworthy injera with shiro (Ethiopian flatbread with chickpea stew) to soul-warming soondubu jjigae (Korean tofu soup), you may discover your new favorite food.
5. Play with new Ingredients
When you begin to craft meals from different cultural cuisines at home, trying new ingredients is part of the experience. For example, if you’re cooking a plant-based Japanese dish, you may discover the tasty benefits of dashi—a flavorful broth made from kelp. If you’re cooking Korean, spicy gochujang and kimchi will surely become part of your refrigerator arsenal. However, new ingredients don’t have to come from abroad. Simply cook with shiitake mushrooms instead of white button, or try tempeh or hearty lentils in place of meat. New doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Once you find a recipe you’re satisfied with, incorporating this exciting and nourishing new ingredient will quickly become routine.
6. Choose tasty alternatives
The most important thing to keep in mind when going plant-based is that you don’t have to sacrifice any food you love. There are plenty of high-quality and accessible plant-based alternatives to any food you may crave. Of course, we highly recommend our Abbot’s Butcher plant-based meats for a one-to-one swap for beef, chicken, and chorizo in any of your go-to recipes. However, when the craving for ice cream, baked goods, or melty cheese strikes, we guarantee there is an equally mouthwatering vegan option at the store. Some omnivore companies—such as Annie’s, Boursin, and Chobani—now offer plant-based versions of their best-selling products, so you can continue to buy from a brand you trust. Plant-based options are also more available than ever before at many locally-owned and chain restaurants. Chipotle, for example, now offers a plant-based chorizo, so you can still visit your regular eateries and find familiarity while adhering to a plant-based diet!
7. Buddy Up
Given the abundance and quality of plant-based foods, it’s not as challenging to adopt this way of eating as one may think. However, your success is exponentially increased when you enlist a buddy. Be it your significant other, friend, co-worker, or family member, sharing an experience with another offers an invaluable level of support. Not only does it keep you accountable, a buddy provides a social outlet to talk about exciting new recipes you’ve tried or navigate any hurdles you may face. Even if someone will commit half-way—for example, your family joining you on Meatless Monday—find some social support. If you’re going it alone, immerse yourself in digital friends. Follow us @abbotsbutcher and seek out other support systems such as Veganuary and local vegan Facebook groups.
Remember, you don’t have to commit to all of these tactics to ease into a plant-based diet—any one of them will help!
For recipe inspiration and other lifestyle tips, check out the other posts in Our Journal.