3 years ago today, coincidentally on World Vegan Day, I decided to quit dairy and go vegan. I was a vegetarian my whole life and the decision to switch was not made without solid reasons and plenty of information.
I just replaced milk with almond milk and gave up all other dairy products. But soon, I was delighted to discover a variety of vegan products on supermarket shelves like dairy-free flavored yogurt, cheese, ice cream, cheesecake, and butter. So every time people asked me how I could possibly give up all dairy products, I would cheerfully reply, “Well, I haven’t really!”.
At first, my friends questioned and debated with me about my choice and I didn’t do a very good job explaining it. That’s not what I’m going to do here. Going vegan is a choice for you to make and there is plenty of information out there on this topic.
A lot of people have considered going vegan but don’t know how they can quit cold turkey (pun intended). They don’t want to give up the dishes they’ve grown up eating. I remember someone telling me that they would definitely go vegan if they didn’t love steak so much. If that’s what’s stopping you, this article is for you.
Here’s my advice. Don’t go vegan. Don’t give up your favorite dishes if you feel you can’t. But can you substitute some other animal products with their plant-based version? Here are some ideas:
- Switch to plant-based milks: Maybe you don’t want to give up your morning eggs for breakfast, but couldn’t care less about what milk you put in your coffee. So, try oat milk or soy milk or any of the other non-dairy milks available today.
- Try out some mock meats: Replace chicken nuggets with vegan ones or burger patties with mock meat patties. There are imitation meats for almost all animal products these days. Try some and if you like any, make the switch. If you don’t, try something else.
- Help yourself to non-dairy desserts and candies: Replace milk chocolate with dark chocolate. Try vegan cupcakes, ice cream, marshmallows, cheesecakes and pastries at your local vegan restaurants next time you crave something sweet. Trust me; I’m still salivating over the birthday cake my friends got me last year from a local cafe and the cupcakes my vegan friend baked this year.
- Commit to a plant-based diet for a day: Can you commit to Meatless Mondays? Look up some simple plant-based recipes. Indian, Thai, Mediterranean, and Mexican cuisines have an enormous variety of delicious vegan dishes that are not salad. How about replacing turkey with Tofurkey this Thanksgiving?
- Stop buying other animal products: Avoid buying leather, fur, wool, silk, and cosmetics with ingredients derived from animal or tested on animals. Do you take vitamin supplements? Ask your vegan friends what plant-based supplements you can take as a substitute or search for them online.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Whatever incremental change you can make would be better for your health, the planet, and the lives of animals and other humans! So get creative and take one baby step!
Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.
References on the studies proving this can be found on https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts.
Photo by Victoria Shes on Unsplash
Human Nature 