Have you been toying with the idea of becoming a vegan? While it’s challenging to accurately state exactly how many people in the US and around the globe follow a plant-based diet, most agree that the number is small: around 2% or less. Even in countries with growing interest, the overall population typically isn’t keen to give up meat entirely.
But that’s not you. You’re a groundbreaker! You want to live a cleaner, healthier life and give up animal products for good. Here are some tips to find success.
Take It One Day at a Time
While “meatless Monday” may be a thing, when one is adopting a plant-based diet, that one day a week away from animal products isn’t sufficient to call yourself vegan. However, there’s no need to go cold turkey either.
If becoming a vegan is your goal, you don’t have to do it all at once. Give yourself some grace and know that you can take baby steps during your transition. For me, when I changed my diet, I gave myself a cheat day once a week until I didn’t need it anymore.
Just as with any change in your life, it’s all about building a habit. On average, it takes more than two months to create a habit. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, has studied the science behind habits and says it takes 66 days to ingrain a lasting change. That means you need to stick with it, but it’s okay to find some flexibility in the process.
Consider This a Lifestyle Change
For many people, “diet” is practically a four-letter word! Instead of thinking of eating a plant-based diet, consider that you are embracing a plant-based lifestyle. Studies have shown that the term you use makes a difference in how effective your approach is. After all, mindset is one of the most important components of achieving a new habit.
You probably have a reason for wanting to change your life through what you eat. Perhaps it’s about your health or losing weight. Maybe it’s about the environment and being kinder to animals and our planet. No matter the reason, the most effective habits happen when you tie them to something meaningful. You are changing your lifestyle for a reason—and when you look at it like that, you’re much more likely to succeed.
For the Best Plant-based Diet, Eat Great!
If you’ve never eaten vegan, you probably aren’t aware that the food you can eat is amazing! Stop thinking about it as giving up something and start thinking about it as trying a whole new way of eating. When the food you’re eating tastes great, you’re going to be excited about mealtime. And when you’re having fun and building good feelings around your food, you’re more likely to make a long-lasting lifestyle change.
At Vegan Taste, we make great food! Whether you have been vegan for years or are on your journey to embrace a plant-based diet, you can rest assured that you will be eating well when Vegan Taste is delivering your meals each week. We have flexible plans that will enable you to experience a variety of delicious foods so you can be successful in your commitment.
Check out our weekly menu to learn more.