re: change is a long journey
I was reading Megan's post change is a long journey and wanted to jump in with my own specific tips, in case anyone needs it. I think Megan's post is great and I fully agree with it, and I wanted to show how I applied these sentiments in 2019 when I went vegan.
So, first things first: She is right, you will have to become naturally curious about it beforehand. You looking up more recipes even if you don't intend to cook them yet, looking at the alternatives in the supermarket while walking past, searching for videos on YouTube, and so on. The easiest transition into veganism is one you opt into and control yourself, with curiosity.
Megan says:
Finding a why that is meaningful (or better, exciting), and finding a way to regularly remind myself of that why (like very regularly, weekly or daily).
So important. Whether it is for environmental reasons, animal rights reasons, for health reasons, for increasing your cooking skills or wanting to go on a culinary journey and trying out new things, it's all good.
Defining what success is. Success can be a quantifiable outcome (e.g., end up living caffeine to 3 cups of coffee per day), or can be a process outcome not tied to a particular metric (e.g., instead of a weight goal, the goal is to drink water before every meal, eat away from screens, and eat nutrient-dense, whole-food meals for 2 meals each day)
I initially had set myself the following rule: vegan at home, outside of the home everything is allowed. I did that because I was still unsure and inexperienced how well supported vegan options were in public around me, how to ask, and how to be prepared. This takes time. In the end, doing it at home made it easier to keep at it elsewhere instead. Despite having in the back of my mind that I could eat anything, I saw it as a challenge not to fall back on it. Having the option, but not taking it, felt easier and more of a choice than forbidding myself anything.
Try to accept that change will take a long time. For example, for me to decrease my coffee consumption from five cups to three cups will take at least a few weeks, and then the real work will begin: maintaining this once the novelty of a new habit has worn off, and through weeks that are really hard and triggering.
Unlike coffee addiction and other similar things, veganism is graceful with trial periods. There is Veganuary each year, giving you a chance to try it out for a month. You'll have the opportunity to plan ahead and collect enough for 31 days and then just go through with it. Online, you'll have great access in January for recipes, nutritional advice, and more on that website and all kinds of vegan online spaces. Depending where you live, your supermarkets might also advertise it, stock more vegan options and discounts them (mine do). You can always ask your work or school cafeteria to consider it as a yearly thing, too. And you can be flexible in your approach; after the month is up, maybe you'll renew it for another. And another. And another, as it gets easier and normal to you.
Proactively develop alternatives to rely on when triggered, and learn more about what triggers you: decaf coffee, tea, a short walk, a glass of water.
The worst time to stick to veganism as a beginner is when you are hungry. Eat enough before you go somewhere, plan ahead, look up what's vegan in the restaurants where you'll be around. Pack your own snacks if you are unsure if you will be accommodated and don't bank on the fact that there will be something or that you won't get that hungry - you probably will be. Especially in the beginning, you might be hungrier than usual because you will likely consume less calories in fat, sugar, carbs etc. than before, depending on what changes in your diet. This will balance itself when you get a feel for your new diet, your body adjusts to the new amount of food, feeding times, and calories (and possibly loses weight).
Track progress to see progress: We've all heard it by now: what gets measured gets managed. I think another very important benefit to tracking metrics is that it feels great to log an action you took in line with your goal.
If you want to track your vegan days and what amounts of water and lives and CO2 pollution you saved, you can track this with apps like Livvie. If you are vigilant about tracking your nutritional intake and food journey, consider the Cronometer app.
Other recommendations I have are:
- Check vegetarian and vegan restaurants with the HappyCow app/website or the vanilla bean app.
- Get a vegan scanner app if you hate reading ingredients and manually searching for E-codes.
Finally, if you want or need a severe push - watch Dominion. I watched the full two hours - maybe try and make it an hour in? Warning: All animals were harmed in the making of that movie.
Published 27 Dec, 2024