How to Stay Vegan

You're vegan! Congratulations! Now comes the hard part, staying vegan. This article will offer some tips on how to maintain your animal-free lifestyle.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Eyes
• Brain
• Will-power
• Friends
• Lots of veggies
• Google

1. Read labels. This is the key to stay vegan. Under the nutritional facts on the back of prepared food is the ingredient list. Look for the obvious things like milk, egg etc. There are lots of things hidden in scientific slang that also aren't vegan: whey, guanine, gelatin, lactic acid etc. See Additional Resources (below) for more info.

2. Cook. Preparing your own meals can be one of the most rewarding experiences and it allows you to know that there are no animal products in your meal (if you read the labels). There are many great vegan cookbooks and the many great recipes with a simple search. See Additional Resources (below) for a link to vegan cookbooks.

3. Call ahead. If you are planning on eating at a restaurant that you are unfamiliar with call the manager or chef before you go and tell them you're vegan. If it is a large chain restaurant they will have ingredient lists for everything on their menu, and in a smaller restaurant there will usually be someone who is familiar with the food to help. If they have no idea what you're talking about or can't help, it's probably best to find another restaurant.

4. Make vegan friends. Maintaining your veganism will be much easier if there are like-minded people surrounding you. And they won't think you're crazy when you pull Textured Vegetable Protein out of your pantry.

5. Fight the cravings. Unfortunately you WILL have some cravings for animal products. Before you cross the line and indulge take a step back and really think about where the food comes from. Visualize a cow or chicken in your head and ask yourself "can I really eat that?", your answer will probably be no. Pat yourself on the back for staying vegan and walk away.

6. Read. Arming yourself with knowledge will help you fend off the prying non-vegans and ease your family's worries at Thanksgiving dinner. Have a clear understanding of why you're vegan. Be able to explain it to others and be ready to deal with the wacky questions they will throw at you.

7. Know your audience. As vegans we know how great what we do is. We know what a better place the world would be if everyone saw things as we do. Unfortunately not everyone wants to hear about abuse on factory farmed chickens or methane reduction, so pick your preaching carefully. There is no sense in trying to convert your Uncle Stu during Christmas dinner, but when there is an opportunity for you to speak up and do something - DO IT!

8. See Additional Resources below for more tips and advice.

Tips & Warnings

• Staying vegan is a life-long process and it will get easier over time. Cravings will subside, reading labels becomes automatic and you'll become a great cook!
• As with any diet change, consult a health care professional first.

Resources

• Stay Vegan - a blog for new vegans
• Vegan Cookbooks
• Animal Ingredients

[theempire]

on 3/5/2009 @tundranut - Every toe counts!! I was omnivore until a few years ago. It's a step in the right direction!

[tundranut]

on 3/5/2009 Even though I'm not actually a vegan, I'd like to be. But I'm an omnivore...not evolved yet. Great article though. I cook a lot of vegan foods like putting a toe in the water. 5*

[waiting4rain]

on 2/25/2009 Yes! This is all so true about being Vegan. I don't try to convert anyone but it's amazing how many times I've had to endure meat eaters taunting me with flesh and making fun of me. Weird but true. 5*