12 Tips to get you going

Take step after step into your new life with this easy to follow advice and see amazing results in no time.

Tip 1 – What’s your motivation?

What is important to you? Maybe you want to get rid of some kind of disease or just long for an increased amount of energy and mental clarity – it doesn’t matter. Write it down on a sheet of paper for this will keep up your focus and motivation in times of doubt.

Tip 2 – Eat a lot of food

This is something you will have to get accustomed to. You really have to up your quantities when switching over to a plant-based diet, since it’s less caloric ally dense. This is true especially when you focus on whole foods. So, load up on baked potatoes, quinoa, beans, salad, and fresh fruit! Eat to your heart’s content and never deprive yourself. This isn’t about ‘everything in moderation’, it’s about living abundantly off the good stuff. Over time, your body will get used to these kinds of volumes. Aim for at least 2000 calories a day. A wonderful tool to track your nutritional intake down to the macros, minerals, and vitamins, is cronometer.

Tip 3 – Surround yourself with plenty of healthy foods

Browse your kitchen in search of any food that isn’t beneficial to you and either toss it or give it away. Don’t keep it just because you’ve already bought the food and think it’d be a waste not to use it. Help yourself change your ways by always buying heaps of fruits and vegetables, potatoes and rice, beans, or nuts, so you’ll always have them on hand in case you’re getting cravings for unhealthy food. Starches like whole grains and potatoes, pumpkin and legumes are your number one source of energy, so make sure you always have plenty of those within reach. They have a pretty long shelf life which makes them very convenient.

Tip 4- Prepare for being on the go

When you’re on the move, there are most likely going to be stimulants and temptations in the form of animal-based and processed foods around you. In this case, it’s really crucial to be prepared by either having a full stomach or some kind of snacks on hand. Bring along your favorite fruits, nuts, bars, and energy balls for a snack. Bring rice salads, wraps, and whole-wheat sandwiches for a proper meal. But there’s surely nothing easier than carrying along a few bananas or apples. They are literally nature’s fast food and will nourish you in an instant as soon as you feel a little enfeebled and in need of some fresh energy. Luckily, most places offer decent plant-based versions, too!

Tip 5 – Make Food Swaps

Slowly but steadily add more plant-based foods into your diet. Don’t restrict, replace! Swap some of your favorite junk for a healthy alternative. For instance, you could use avocado instead of butter, tofu instead of chicken, and black bean burgers instead of beef. In order to make healthier plant-based choices, have dates instead of white sugar, make whole grain instead of white flour spaghetti and have fruit as a snack etc. Increase the amount of healthy vegan ingredients in your meals until you’ve crowded out the bad stuff.

Tip 6 – Start with a plant-based breakfast

It is super important to start the day with something healthy, energizing and uplifting. Breakfasts are also the easiest meals to veganize. Some great ideas are pancakes, a large bowl of fruit, chia pudding, a delicious smoothie, some oatmeal topped with fruit, granola bars or savory options such as tofu scrambles with potatoes or avocado toast. There are a lot more vegan breakfasts out there! These types of plant-based foods will inspire you to move on to a healthy vegan lunch, which is the next meal you can tackle. Once you feel confident in your fully plant-based breakfast and lunch options, move on to dinner. Continue until you have all meals and snacks transformed into plant-based ones.

Tip 7 – Educate yourself

The media, advertisements, and self-proclaimed specialists are doing a great job in confusing people and leading you away from the simple truth: eating whole plant-based foods is the kindest, healthiest and overall best thing you can do for yourself, other and the whole world. Prepare yourself with knowledge so you don’t have to question your new lifestyle time and again! Buy or rent books like Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease, The Starch Solution or Whole. There are also amazing documentaries like Forks over Knives, Food Inc. or Hungry for Change. This will also motivate you and makes you remember why you’re doing this.

Tip 8 – Find like minded people

It’s always easier when having some company to share your struggles and success stories with. You can even inspire and help each other out, maybe facing similar challenges or having the same goals. Search in internet forums and facebook groups for people who are on the same journey as you and connect with them.

Tip 9 – Equip your kitchen

There lots of gadgets out there to simplify your kitchen-concerns in the plant-based food world. The absolute basics are a solid and not too small cutting board, a good quality knife, a nonstick pan and pot as well as some type of blender. If you’re fully dedicated and want to indulge in this way of living, a few more tools might come in handy. A non-stick pan is something we use almost daily, on top of other pots, and our rice cooker. Some other helpful utensils are a food processor and a pressure cooker or slow cooker.

Tip 10 – Gently creating new habits

If you haven’t reached your goals yet or feel like you’re not doing things perfectly, don’t beat yourself up. Keep your dreams and visions in mind and work towards them, but accept where you are right now and take it step by step. Your thoughts have a bigger impact on your perception and reality as you might think. It all just comes down to creating new habits so this feels like second nature to you. Putting yourself down or under pressure brings along a spiral of negative beliefs and events, so don’t forget about the big scheme of things and adjust your expectations according to your own pace. When you become your biggest fan and supporter, your possibilities will be endless.

Tip 11 – Keep things fun & exciting

Once you have dabbled in vegan waters and tried to make plant-based versions of your favorite meals, you can take it one step further. Nobody wants to stick to a diet which only consists of 4 different meals! There are probably quite a few plant-based meals you’ve never even heard of or foods you haven’t tried. During your next visit to the supermarket, pay attention to all the types of fruits, veggies, beans, lentils, grains, nuts and seeds and choose one or a few that look interesting and which you have never eaten before. Browse the internet for ideas on what and how to cook amazing dishes that you can implement as a weekly dinner option. And if you’re more of a snacky convenient type of person: so many packaged food options these days are plant-based.

Tip 12 – Make a solid commitment

Now that you have created a solid foundation for your plant-based lifestyle, it’s time to make a commitment. Choose a few weeks or a month during which you’ll try to put everything into action and really follow through. Clean out your kitchen or kitchen space, have all kinds of plant-based staples on hand, keep your list with you favorite plant-based meals and snacks around, and enjoy every single bite! Maybe watching some fellow vegans on YouTube could get you some additional inspiration and help you feel less alone.

Jumping into the cold water and going 100% whole food plant-based overnight may work for some, but it takes a lot of willpower to stay on track. The change can be so overwhelming that many fall off the wagon after a couple of days and head back to animal products and junk food. Of course, this is highly dependent on where you come from. The change won’t be so bad if you are already on a diet that is rich in fruits, veggies, grains, and legumes.

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