5 Tips for a vegan diet for beginners (not as difficult as you think!)

The vegan diet is known to have various kinds of goodness, even many people decide to do this diet for ethical reasons because it respects animal rights and the environment and health reasons. For those of you who are just starting to become vegan but still confused about how to do it right, note the various vegan diet tips below.

Vegan diet tips for beginners

Before going any further, you should make sure and don't get confused between a vegan diet and a vegetarian diet. The reason is, these are two different things. Vegan is one of many types of vegetarian diets.

Vegan diets generally avoid consumption all animal products, including processed products from animals such as milk, cheese, eggs, gelatin, honey, and so on. While vegetarian diets avoid meat and animal products, some still consume milk, eggs, and honey.

Unlike people imagine, you can actually live a vegan diet without feeling miserable because you can't eat animal food products. So what are some vegan diet tips for people who are just starting out?

1. Don't procrastinate

According to dr. Michael Klapper, a doctor as well as a plant-based dietitian, don't delay starting the vegan diet. Some people are still doubtful and not confident, so they only continue to talk about starting this diet. In fact, procrastinating more will not make you more determined to start.

So, you better practice this diet right away by challenging yourself gradually. For example, starting with just one day, then three days, one week, to one month. Over time, your body will adjust to these dietary changes and you can become completely vegan.

2.Create a meal plan (meal plan)

After you have made up your mind to stick to this diet, the next, no less important step is to create an eating plan (meal plan). It aims to prevent you from consuming non-vegan food unconsciously or consciously.

You can set the meal menu from breakfast, snacks, to dinner. Try not to eat foods that are not on the menu that you have designed. You do have to be disciplined, but it will be easier for you to live this diet.

3. Start with simple meals

The next vegan diet tip you can do is start with light foods. Because, there are various kinds of interesting plant-based foods to try. However, to avoid confusion in determining which vegan foods to eat, you should start with vegan foods that are light and easy to make at home.

You may often see very tantalizing vegan recipes on the internet, but this could backfire. Especially if you are not very good at cooking. You will actually feel overwhelmed because you have to bother cooking and hunting for certain vegan ingredients. In fact, vegans are not as fussy as you might think.

So, start with foods that are simple, easy to process, and easy to get. For example breakfast with peanut butter bread and soy milk. For a snack, prepare fresh fruit or juice. You can have lunch with a hodgepodge without eggs. If you want to snack again, you can try nuts or tofu with vegetables. As for dinner, you can eat sauteed vegetables and mushrooms with brown rice.

Don't forget to make sure your diet is not only delicious, but also rich in carbohydrates, protein and fiber to support your activities.

4. Increase the portion if still hungry

When you begin to transition to a vegan diet, you may become hungry easily. This is normal because although plant foods are rich in various nutrients, their calorie content is still lower than animal food products. The solution, you can add portions at every meal.

However, you don't need to worry. Since plant-based foods are generally low in fat and calories, increasing portions of food does not necessarily make you fat.

5. Join the vegan community

Last but not least, joining forces and hanging out with other vegan people can keep you motivated. This is because the social environment plays an important role in supporting your daily activities and lifestyle. Apart from that, you can also share vegan diet tips or interesting recipes with community members.