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Today we're going to do a deep dive on mistakes that new vegans often make, how to avoid them, and what to do better. I've been vegan for four and a half years and sharing vegan content for almost as long, so I get a lot of messages from people who are overwhelmed or confused on how to go vegan and stay vegan. So today we're going to break down some of these mistakes, including a few I've made myself, and talk through strategies on how to make the transition to veganism easy, doable, and rewarding. A lot of people have this perception that in order to go vegan and be vegan, you have to be this paragon of health. You have to eat a salad every day, and you have to cut out gluten, and oil, and sugar, and processed foods, and alcohol, just all of the things. And that is certainly one way to do veganism that works for a small group of people, but for most of us, it's not really realistic, especially over the long run. And for me personally, it's really no fun. And veganism can and should be fun. You get to recreate your favorite comfort foods, but in a better-for-you way. You get to explore new styles of cooking, new ingredients, new cookbooks, new recipes, and there's just such a wide variety of plant-based foods and vegan-friendly cuisines that you get to experiment with. So if you go vegan, you're definitely not going to feel restricted or bored, as long as one, you don't restrict yourself more than you need to, two, you're willing to get a little creative, and three, you invest in your cooking skills. For instance, it wasn't until I went vegan that this whole other world of food and style of cooking opened up to me. I didn't know that lentils could be creamy and indulgent, as well as meaty and hearty. I didn't know that mac and cheese made with butternut squash and cashews could be even better than the original, and I didn't know that mushrooms could taste like exquisite food for the gods. So if you're doing veganism right, you're learning how to make cooking fun and exploring all the wonderful foods you can eat, not thinking about or obsessing over what you can't have. And these days there are so many resources geared towards new vegans, which is great, but many of them feature a lot of the same foods stereotypically associated with veganism in the West. So your smoothie bowls, your oatmeal, your kale salads, avocado toast, your grain bowls, which, nothing wrong with these foods, I eat many of them all the time, but focusing on these foods exclusively or primarily when you go vegan, honestly you're going to be messing out on some of the most interesting vegan foods, which come from different countries and cultures around the world. There are so many cultures that have a deep and long history with plant-based food, even if not strict veganism, from India and China to Ethiopia and Greece and indigenous communities where meat hasn't been at the center of the table for a variety of reasons, and as a result over generations, years, centuries, they have developed some really incredible meals that should be part of anyone's plant-based diet, and even if sometimes these recipes aren't fully vegan, they're often really easy to veganize. So I encourage you to expand your culinary world a little bit and seek out these ethnic vegan recipes, especially from people who are from these cultures and communities. I've linked a few of my favorite bloggers who share incredible vegan recipes from around the world here, as well as in the description box below. I really hope you'll check some of them out. Oh, and don't forget to visit your local ethnic grocery store, whether it's an Indian one, a Korean one, or a Mexican one. You're going to find all of the spices, herbs, condiments, and vegetables that you might need for a particular recipe at a fraction of the price than if you were to go to a traditional grocery store. Alright, now you know you can go vegan even if you don't like kale salads or want to drink a smoothie every day for breakfast. The next question though is, are you eating enough food? I get a lot of messages from people who are like, how do you stay full on a vegan diet? I am always hungry. And while I am not a nutritionist, the answer is often quite simple. You're just not eating enough calories or protein or fat or some combination thereof. And that can leave you hungry, but also deplete your energy levels. Most plant-based foods are more nutrient dense than animal-based foods, but also naturally lower in calories. Beans and lentils, for instance, are usually less calorie dense than meat and cheese. Vegetables have a ton of nutrients, but not that many calories. So you might need to eat a bigger volume of food to get enough calories, depending of course on the exact foods you're eating, as well as your body's needs and activity level. If you're getting hungry an hour or two after eating a meal, you might not be eating enough healthy fats with your meal. So I see a lot of people order vegan salads with the dressing on the side for lunch thinking it's a healthy choice. And it certainly has a lot of healthy components in there, but it's probably just too low in calories and not enough healthy fats in order to sustain you for very long. So if you're going to order a salad, bulk it up with a handful of seeds or nuts, half an avocado, a spoon of tahini or a scoop of hummus, a handful of olives, and or an olive oil-based dressing. These healthy fats are going to help you stay full for much longer. And when you feel those hunger pains at 3 p.m., go for a snack that's actually going to sustain you for a few hours until it's dinner time. So a piece of fruit, while very good for you, is usually not enough to curb true hunger. So pair that apple or pear with some almond butter or peanut butter for healthy fats and protein. Or pair some nuts with dark chocolate for healthy fats as well as some iron and calcium. Alright, these next two tips are super handy for new vegans, but also for old vegans like myself. When you first go vegan, it's going to be so much easier for you to stick with it if you do some planning. You're going to plan out when you're going to go to the grocery store, what you're going to buy there, what you're going to meal prep that week, what meals you're going to cook, and what treats and snacks you're going to have on hand when those cravings arise. Because they will arise. And yes, making a grocery list makes a huge difference. This is because we as humans are more likely to stick to new habits and achieve our goals when we map out a plan as to when, where, and how we're going to execute on our goals. When we don't plan out how to stick to our new habits, it's so much easier for us to just rely on our default behaviors. If you want to get out of the default habit of, say, getting a turkey sandwich at the cafeteria for lunch, then you need to put a plan in place. Maybe that is making your lunch the night before or the morning before you go to work or school. Or maybe that's researching what vegan options there are for lunch in your area. One thing I recommend for planning ahead is keeping healthy vegan snacks on hand because we all get peckish or hangry from time to time. For me, it's 4pm, so here are a few vegan snacks I really like to keep on hand. I love making my own trail mix. It couldn't be easier. All you need are some roasted or raw nuts and seeds, lightly salted and roasted is my preference, maybe some toasted coconut flakes, some dried fruit like cranberries, dates, apricots, blueberries, or cherries, and if you want, some vegan chocolate chips. Then you can store the trail mix in single-serve portions in jars or reusable bags. Another option are these oatmeal cookies. I make these for breakfast, but they're also great for snacks and they're made with wholesome ingredients like oats, nuts, almond butter, and maple syrup. If you want to do minimal work but still get your veggies in, just pair some pre-cut veggies with hummus or some other kind of creamy dip. Contrary to a lot of stereotypes, vegan cooking can actually be very simple. While I do love whipping up fancier meals when I have time, when I'm busy, I really rely on what I call building blocks. These are flavor boosters, condiments, sauces, grain bases, protein sources that I can make ahead, batch cook, store in my fridge or freezer or pantry, and they can really bring a whole meal together that is fresh and flavorful but still quick. I always recommend having at least one all-purpose condiment or sauce in the fridge. That's going to help flavor and jazz up any meal, even something as basic as rice and beans. One of my favorite all-purpose condiments is cashew cream, and I have a whole video on this topic with a bunch of different flavor variations that you can use with pasta or tacos, spring rolls, lots of different things. Another favorite of mine is vegan pesto. Yes, I have a whole video on that too. And I always have a variety of different grains in my pantry that I can either batch cook or whip up easily and quickly on a weeknight. You can use those to bulk up salads or even soups and stews. You can turn them into grain bowls. You can turn them into grain salads. You can stuff them into a variety of different vegetables or just store them plain in your fridge for several days. I also recommend batch cooking at least one protein source so that you can spread it across various meals in different ways. That could be a big pot of lentils or beans in your Instant Pot or on the stove or a couple of batches of baked tofu to add to salads, curries, and stews. I also like to keep some flavor boosters on hand, whether store-bought or homemade like this savory crunch or cashew parmesan or za'atar or dukkah or vegan furikake. And these are really going to add something special to your savory meals without that much work. And you can often make them in bigger quantities so that you have them for several weeks or even months. I could talk on and on about this stuff, so if you're interested in this style of cooking, vegan building blocks, whatever you want to call it, please let me know in the comments below. And if you want to stick with veganism in the long run and make it a sustainable life choice for yourself, you have to stop treating veganism like any other diet. The reason I've been able to stick with veganism for almost five years versus like two weeks for any diet I've ever tried is that I have really strong personal, ethical, and moral motivations for going and staying vegan that are way stronger than any desire for me to fit into my skinny jeans. So if losing weight is your primary and sole motivation for going vegan, you're probably not going to have long-term success. Most of us fall off our diets, we gain the weight back, we develop worse eating habits, and honestly dieting makes us cranky, miserable people. Luckily, there are so many important and wonderful reasons to go vegan that can motivate you to stick with it. Like not wanting to be part of the factory farming industry that abuses and slaughters billions of animals per year. Or wanting to do your part to reduce your impact on the planet and live a low-carbon footprint lifestyle. Or maybe there's a certain health risk that runs in your family, and adapting a plant-based diet is the best way to prevent it. Or perhaps you have a chronic health condition and you want to heal yourself naturally. Having a strong personal reason for going vegan shifts your perspective from diet to lifestyle. It helps you connect your decision to a part of your identity and solidifies your decision into a life choice. For instance, for me, I like to think of myself as a compassionate person, someone who cares about giving a voice to those who don't have one. So going vegan felt very natural and intuitive to my identity, which made it a lot easier to stick to. And yes, I do cringe when I hear the phrase, veganism is a lifestyle, because it kind of sounds like you're getting into an Herbalife pyramid scheme, but veganism kind of is a lifestyle. It's just a good one, where you don't have to like pay a membership fee and then sell a bajillion bottles of protein powder to your aunt. So veganism is a lifestyle, not a diet. If you're familiar with my channel, you know that most of my recipes are made primarily with whole foods, and I don't rely too heavily on meat substitutes and dairy substitutes. That said, we're all busy from time to time and can really benefit from certain convenience foods like this. And also, when you first go vegan, you're probably still going to crave meat and or dairy. All of our cravings go away at different times. And it's not because you want to eat animal flesh or animal byproducts, but because humans naturally crave those salty, umami, kind of smoky flavors and textures. And with any new diet, it takes a little while for your cravings to go away. And vegan meat substitutes, dairy substitutes, whatever they might be, can be really helpful crutches as you transition to veganism, especially in the beginning when your cravings tend to be the strongest. You don't need to be embarrassed that you can't make everything from scratch on your own. Feel free to experiment with vegan replacements for your favorite foods. So if you're craving chicken or sausage, familiarize yourself with the common chicken and sausage substitutes. Same thing with cheese and with ice cream. It's 2021 and there have never been more vegan options than there are right now. And of course, these foods should not be the bulk of your diet. You should definitely be eating a lot more whole foods like legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Speaking of vegetables, whenever I hear someone say, but vegetables just aren't very good, there's usually two reasons for that. One, you might not be cooking or preparing that particular vegetable in the most optimal way. And two, you might not be getting the best version of that particular vegetable. You might be getting a vegetable or fruit that's out of season or that's been sitting in a refrigerated truck for a week while it's being transported across the country and then sitting again in a very cold grocery store shelf. So one thing you can do that's going to guarantee that all of your plant-based meals taste better is shop at your local farmer's market when you can. Farmer's markets sell produce that is one, locally grown, so it's never going to come from more than a few hundred miles away. And two, they sell produce that is in season. Vegetables and fruits that are grown in season and locally are not only more nutritious, but they're also going to taste fresher, better, and even more flavorful. That is why I can take this farmer's market tomato and eat it like an apple. And when you go vegan, you're almost certainly going to be eating more vegetables than you were before, so it is important to maximize the flavor in those vegetables. Plus, you'll also be supporting small farmers in your area, which is always a good thing both for the farmers as well as for your local economy. This next point is really, really important, so please do not forget to have compassion for yourself. The reason I went vegan in the first place is because I wanted to do my best to live a compassionate lifestyle. But my best is not perfect, and it never will be perfect, because there is no such thing as a perfect vegan. So if you're going into this thinking that you can be perfect, just don't. Just don't think that, because there are animal products hiding in everything. And there's a lot of cruelty both to animals and humans in the production of lots of kinds of foods, clothing, beauty products, household products, medicine, all this stuff. And so unless you're truly living off the land and growing everything you eat and consume, it's impossible to be a perfect vegan. And you will make mistakes. You will occasionally eat non-vegan food from time to time, whether intentionally or unintentionally, because restaurants make mistakes. You make mistakes. Food labels are confusing and hard to read. Just give yourself a little love and compassion, and try not to be too hard on yourself. You will slip up. Everyone does it. Like that time a few years ago, I did a grocery haul video, and I shared crackers in them that had butter, and I didn't even know it until after. So if you need to feel that momentary regret, but then move on, forgive yourself, because it is not the end of the world. And just like you need to find compassion for yourself, you also need to find support. Because when you go through a big lifestyle change, whether it's starting your own business or getting out of a toxic relationship, you know how important it is to have your family and friends support you. And going vegan should not be any different. As soon as you decide to make the change to go vegan, tell your family and friends. Let them know why you're doing it, why it's important to you, and ask for their support. A lot of people have stereotypes and misunderstandings about what it means to be vegan and why people go vegan. So let yourself explain it to them before they can act on those assumptions. This preempts their ability to give you a hard time or make fun of you. And it can also preempt those awkward conversations your parents or grandparents might have with you about how they think you no longer love them or rejecting their culture when you don't eat their food. Then if someone in your life gives you a hard time still, and they choose not to support you or make fun of you, then you know it's their problem. People's own individual food choices can sometimes make other people feel uncomfortable. And that's because food is really intimate. And so if you're insecure or uncomfortable with your relationship with food or your diet, and you see someone else making really different choices than you, can kind of feel like a judgment on your own food choices or on your own diet. So if there's someone in your life who you've told that you've gone vegan, and you've told them why, and they're still not ready to support you, just know that that's probably something related to their own headspace. And when they're ready, when you're ready, try to have an open, honest, frank conversation about why you'd like their support and how it makes you feel when they don't support you. And if you feel like you need more support beyond your family and friends circle, there are lots of online vegan communities you can join. There might even be some local chapters or groups in your area that you can get together with and connect with. A plant-based diet is often the healthiest diet you can adopt, and one that's associated with the least amount of chronic illness, which is great. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do some basic nutrition research when you first go vegan. A vegan diet provides a ton of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but there are a few things you should keep in mind. For instance, it's really hard to get adequate vitamin D and B12 on a vegan diet, so consider taking a supplement for those. Since most standard Western diets revolve around meat as the source of protein and iron and dairy for calcium, it's important to learn what some common plant-based sources of those are. And if you have certain health conditions or other dietary restrictions, you probably should consult with a nutritionist and at a minimum familiarize yourself with some basics. You might also want to schedule a blood test with your doctor when you first go vegan as well as a few months later so that you can make sure everything is on track. As I alluded to earlier in the video, one of the best parts of going vegan is learning a new style of cooking, experimenting with new recipes, and just having fun in the kitchen. While it's helpful to master a few basic recipes that you can whip up on any random weeknight, especially in the beginning when you're still getting used to a plant-based diet, don't fall into a rut of making the same thing over and over again. It's gonna get boring. Unless you're one of those creatures of habit who loves to eat the same thing every day, then you do you. Experiment with different spices and herbs, which are a great way to add more flavor and interest to your food in a healthy way. Experiment with different vegan substitutes for milk, yogurt, cheese, and see which ones you like best and how they work in different recipes. If you don't like tempeh or tofu the first time you try it, don't give up. Maybe you just need to try the right recipe. Use Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and cookbooks to explore different vegan recipes, and then commit to trying at least one new recipe a week. Get a family member or friend involved to make it even more fun. Variety is the spice of life, and it's gonna get you excited about getting into the kitchen and cooking at home. Speaking of having fun in the kitchen, we take that very seriously here at Rainbow Plant Life, so if you're looking for flavorful, exciting recipes that are still accessible, whether they're for yourself or your family, stay tuned because I've got a few recipes I think you'll love right here.