Hello there! If you are new on my website or you don’t know much about the vegan lifestyle start here or read the guides I wrote before. But if you feel motivated and you are ready to go vegan, let me share with you 12 things I wish I knew before I went vegan. So this way you can make the right decision. 🙂
1. You can’t go vegan overnight
Well, I heard about people who did, but honestly, no one expects from you to go fully vegan immediately. I first went vegetarian and it took me more than 6 months to become completely vegan (at least in eating)…
It is not that easy, and I don’t want you to feel the pressure. Because I did feel it, and it wasn’t good or helpful at all. So don’t be hard on yourself, the transition takes a lot of time and research, and rather do it slowly than wrong, which leads to loss of interest in veganism.
My advice is that you should do it step by step, first cut out just one thing from your diet and replace it properly. (I will write an article about how to go vegan and vegan replacements.) Start with to one you find the easiest to leave. It could be meat, dairy products or maybe eggs. It is up to you. 🙂
At first, you can celebrate every success with some treat like eating in a vegan restaurant or having vegan chocolate. If you do it this way, it will be quite easy.
2. Being vegan doesn’t mean that you will lose weight automatically
Yep, that’s true. And I made this mistake too, believing that I will be skinny just because I am vegan. That is just not how it works.
And why? Who is a vegan? What do vegans eat? You can eat really badly on a vegan diet, and being vegan doesn’t mean that you are completely healthy too.
This is one of the things I wish I knew before I went vegan because some people even said that I gained weight since I was vegan, and it felt really bad… I thought I did my best, but honestly, I didn’t. I was eating a lot of sugar, white flour, chocolate and oil. Of course, these are vegan, but not the healthiest foods in the world. And if you continue eating them, you won’t see the results that you desire.
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Since I moved to England, I started to lose weight, and not because I eat less, but because I eat differently. I had to start from the beginning, I mean I had to build a completely new household. So I didn’t buy any sugar or sweetener and I mostly eat fruits if I am craving for something sweet (ok, I eat dark chocolate sometimes). I stopped buying flour (not just white, but any kind of flour, but if you are not gluten intolerant, you can eat whole grain flour), I use chickpea flour occasionally to make omelettes. I also use less salt and oil. And it works, I can see it in the mirror. 🙂
3. It will change your life completely
At least, it did change mine. I feel so much better, I
I think every life counts, not just human lives. Since then I appreciate life more and I am so much more grateful to be alive. It may sound cheesy, but that’s the truth. Going vegan will change your mindset, you probably will be kinder, more accepting and you will respect every living being.
First I went vegan because of my health, but then I realised that is good for all of us, the animals and nature as well. I wish we could stop the killing and hurting each other, that is just so wrong…
I wonder how it will affect your life/or how it did if you are vegan for some time. Tell me in the comments below! 🙂
4. Others will might judge you
Be prepared for this. (Oh, it reminds me of a song from the Lion King 😀 ) So, you have to be patient and kind to others, even if they judge you for being vegan. Even they are your own family. This is one thing I wish I knew before I went vegan. I could have
A lot of people will say the things I wrote about in my article 9 most common myths about the vegan diet. Or simply they just say that you are crazy, you acting extraordinarily, you are out of your mind and stuff like this.
The most surprising argument against veganism
Some said to me that veganism is a sect, and I am acting like it was my religion because I believe in it and I can’t accept anything else to be true. Well, that’s not entirely right. I believe (in God of course) in the science behind veganism or better said the whole food plant-based diet I mentioned earlier. Scientists have many years of proof that it works. Of course, you can question that as you can question so many things that scientists have already proven and you can find out on your own. But I don’t have the time for that, do you?
What can you do about the mockers? The simplest answer is: just ignore them, they will stop. Don’t be around people who hurt you all the time. But if it is your family, you don’t really have this opportunity. They want the best for you and they are worried. Tell them that if they love you, let you experiment with this new diet/lifestyle. Tell them that if you feel worse you will stop. But if they see that you are happy and healthy, they have no reason to mock…
If you want to go in details, and answer the sceptical questions, read Earthling Ed’s book. I think he answered everything very well.
5. It will cost a lot at first
Even if I said it can be cheap to be vegan. At first, you have to get rid of all the animal products you have in your pantry or fridge. If your transition takes time, you can eat these and meanwhile stop buying new ones.
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Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Keep in mind that I only recommend products because I love them and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. You will buy the product(s) on the same price, and the decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
So, you won’t eat meat, dairy and eggs, but what will you eat then? Don’t be afraid, I got you covered. Read my article here. If you don’t have these things at home, you should buy them. And if you buy them in bulk it is much cheaper. Rice, flour, canned fruits and veggies can last even for ages. The best way to store dry ingredients looks like this:
You’ll need to invest in some equipment too if you don’t have it already. The blender will be your best friend, it can be used for making so many good stuff! 😉 Like hummus, tahini, cream soups or even vegan nutella. 🙂
I dream about this amazing blender that I really should invest in! Just watch the video, it is pretty convincing. And the best thing is that you can buy it
Now I use this one by Bosch (which is so much cheaper than the previous one) to make my own sauces or tahini or sometimes peanut butter. It is okay, but I need a bigger and more powerful blender, I think I will purchase the Ninja blender now.
6. It takes a lot of research to eat properly
Oh, this is just another thing I wish I knew before I went vegan! No matter if you are vegan or not, you are a human being and you need vitamins, minerals and other essentials to stay alive. I heard about people, who were really fat and they ate all day and even so, they starved to death… How is that possible? Because they ate junk, and junk doesn’t have fibre or vitamins in it. So you need REAL FOOD to stay alive, and by real
One of the reasons why I created this blog, to share my own research (and source of knowledge) with you guys. As I write these articles, I read books and watch videos/documentaries on the topic. It may seem hard and time-consuming, but it is fun for me. 🙂 And you only need to read my articles and other articles or videos I link for you. You don’t have to read science books and studies unless you want to.
But you should know some things before you switch to a vegan diet. Like you will need some supplements (B12 or D3 Vitamins) or how can you get enough protein, iron, calcium and other essentials. I will share these with you in the upcoming articles, stay with me. 🙂
7. You will spend a lot of time in stores looking at food labels
At least, this is what I do! Fortunately, there are more and more products that say they are vegan with a vegan label, but be careful, sometimes they are tricky and the vegetarian mark looks similar to the vegan mark.
If it is not shown on the product, it might be still vegan, at least in its ingredients, but it was most likely produced in an environment where they use animals or it may contain animal products such as milk or egg.
What you should look for in the ingredients list – it can’t contain the following:
- all form of milk and dairy (Skimmed Milk Powder, Lactose and Protein from Whey (from Milk), Whey Powder (from Milk), Milk Fat, Cheese, Yoghurt, Butter etc.)
- egg (Pasteurised Whole Egg, Egg White, Egg Yolk, etc.)
- any kind of meat including fish and caviar
- gelatine (gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water, it is usually obtained from cows or pigs)
- honey (it is actually “bee vomit“)
- carmine (it is used to give a red colour to many food products, the pigment is produced from some scale insects)
- E901 (beeswax) and E904 (shellac)
Read this list for more. But I think these are the main ingredients you should avoid, try to find products with a few components. Or what is even better, try to make your own! And it can be cheaper too! 🙂
These are the things I wish I knew before I went vegan. I could have save a lot of time. 🙂
8. You will be focusing on what to eat next
Actually, it wasn’t really something I wish I knew before, because I was already spending my days thinking about food and what to eat next. Ok, you’ve got me, I love food, but is it a crime? 🙂 I think as long as I am not gluttonous it is fine to love what you eat. And you should love it or at least like it to enjoy all the benefits of a meal.
Anyway, the real problem here is that you will have a hard time finding out what to eat, where to buy the ingredients or which restaurant can you go to… But don’t worry, I am here to help you and it is not just me! There a lot of vegan bloggers on the internet, and plenty of good recipes. Just don’t spend hours watching YouTube videos, as I do sometimes… 😀
If you didn’t like cooking so far, it’s okay, you can still eat as a vegan, you don’t have to do fancy things you see on I
I like recipes that are simple, you only need a few ingredients (which you can buy any store) to make it and they are ready in a sec.
For example pasta with hummus or pasta sauce (go for the tomato ones, they are usually vegan), stir-fried veggies with rice, pizza made from puff pastry and so on. Do you want me to write a collection of quick and easy recipes? 🙂 Let me know in the comments, I am more than happy to do it. 🙂
9. Distention will be worse than you thought
This is something I wish I knew before I went vegan! I would have done it differently. So, the truth is that because you will eat more fibre and legumes, you will be gassier and feel discomfort in your stomach…
This is something you must prepare for. But in time, it gets better. They say, don’t eat too much food that causes distention and try to do it slowly, start with a small amount and then increase it.
Well, I jumped into the ocean of beans and chickpeas, I ate tons of them, so no wonder why I felt so gassy… 😀 Don’t follow my example, be smarter. 😉
10. You can still eat out
Being vegan doesn’t mean that you can’t go to a restaurant anymore or you always have to carry your packed meal with you wherever you go. In fact, eating out as a vegan is much easier than you would think!
This is an important thing I wish I knew before I went vegan! Because first I was devastated that I can’t go to restaurants anymore, but I love to eat out… Then I realised that there are tons of vegan restaurants in the world and also where I live. 🙂
And I had a really good experience in my workplace too. We had a canteen, but I never thought that I can eat there as a vegan because they only had vegetarian options. But one day I took my chance and asked if they can make me something vegan. And the answer was yes! The chef was really kind and said that I should tell him what I usually eat or what is my favourite meal and he will make it for me. And he did, it was so nice of him. 🙂
Another time I was in a local restaurant with my family, who are not vegan at all, but of course, I wanted to eat something vegan. I asked for grilled veggies and fries. So simple, but it was really delicious! 🙂
Good advice: even if it is not a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, where you are with your fam/friends, you can still eat something, just ask the waitress if they can make something for you. Usually, they are happy to do so. 🙂
11. You will eat more type of foods
If there is something I wish I knew before I went vegan, it would be this! I remember how hard it was for me to figure out what to eat on F
Like others, I also thought if I leave out meat or dairy, I can’t eat much. I ate them every day and more than once. First, it was so hard to find something to eat as a vegan. But the truth is, you can eat more type of foods than you used to eat before.
Being vegan is like an experiment, you will find yourself eating food that you have never eaten before. A new door opens, and you can experience so much more this way. 🙂 Actually, it is pretty good. Don’t be afraid to try out new things!
12. It will be more fun than misery
Maybe you think now that is even worth it? My answer is yes, it really does! Going vegan was the best choice I have ever made, and I feel so much better now. I still love food, I found my purpose in life and I met some wonderful people, who are vegan too! 🙂 So it was definitely a win!
I wish I knew these things before I went vegan, but the only thing I regret is that I didn’t become vegan earlier. What I recommend you is to start your vegan journey as soon as possible, but better late than never. 🙂
I truly wish the best for you guys and I hope I can contribute to making your lives better and easier. Remember, I am always here to help or if you just need someone to talk to. I felt misunderstood when I became vegan because I didn’t know anyone else, my family judged me and my boyfriend wasn’t ready to be vegan yet. At that time I was desperate to speak with someone, who understands the situation and what was I going through. So I was really glad when I found some people online, who I could talk to. 🙂
Just don’t be afraid to ask and reach out for help! Good luck on your journey!
Love,
Suzie
Hello, I am Suzie the face behind Suzinpsire. I am here to share my passion for gastronomy, vegan lifestyle and travel. I believe that if you want something in life you should give something first. This is why I blog. 🙂
