Hi Reader,

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So you made the decision to transition to a vegan or plant based diet and lifestyle CONGRATULATIONS… but now you don’t know what the hell to do next? Am I right?

You, my friend, are in need of a plan. Why is having a transition plan so important anyway, why don’t just wing it and see how it goes?

Becoming vegan is more than a diet, it’s a complete lifestyle and an ethical choice which goal is to exclude all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.

It is however completely ok to just begin with dietary changes and then overtime you may begin to incorporate more sustainability into your lifestyle. That’s pretty much how I approached my transition.
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Having a plan in place for your transition is like having a road map to guide you on a trip. ​
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Of course you set the pace on how fast or slow you want to take that trip, but you still have a map letting you know you’re headed in the right direction.

If you ever find yourself veering off course, you have your plan in place to guide you back.
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First things first:

Why are you going vegan in the first place? Is it for the animals, the environment, your health, or are you just looking for a challenge to keep things interesting? Knowing your “why” is paramount and will keep you more focused on your goal.

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Second things second:

I believe one of the easiest things you can do here is instead of just cutting everything out and going cold turkey- as the saying goes- is to simply just add things in.

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What does that mean?

You have been used to eating a certain way for a long time. That didn’t start overnight. You were slowly introduced to new foods and over time made decisions about what you liked or didn’t like. It’s the same concept with transitioning.
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• Keep eating what you’re used to because it’s familiar and comfortable to you, but ADD something new on your plate.
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• For example, if you grew up with pork chops and mashed potatoes and peas, keep it all, but perhaps add in some sauteed garlic kale or spinach, or perhaps some grilled seasoned mushroom or a cauliflower steak. This will get your mind and palate to begin accepting new things more easily. As things become familiar it becomes easier to accept, you’ll notice that you’ll begin to crowd out what you don’t want and you won’t feel like you’re missing out or depriving yourself of anything.

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• *Now keep in mind, I’m not saying you HAVE TO keep eating animal products, you can decide to take the leap all in vegan and that’s great! But if you want to do a slower transition (because I'm speaking about transitioning) then this is the approach I would recommend.

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• There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re missing out on something good. No matter how hard you try to ignore it it hits you like a brick. So don’t ignore it. Just give yourself ANOTHER option instead. Who doesn’t like options?

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Here’s a simple plan: (don't worry, it's condensed for you at the end)

Week 1- Pick one day out of the week and eat vegan that day. OR what I did when I was transitioning, was eat only vegan breakfast Mon to Fri.

Breakfast is relatively easy (avocado toast/ cereal with plant milk/ old fashioned oatmeal or overnight oats/ veggie potato hash/ granola and plant yogurt or a smoothie.

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I just gave you a 5 day vegan breakfast meal plan you can use to get started. It’s simple, no weird things you’ve never heard of, and mostly whole foods that are better for you and filling.

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Week 2- Continue with the breakfast plan and now add 2 days or more with vegan lunches. You’ll reinforce the behavior of only vegan breakfast, and by limiting your days with vegan lunches you won’t feel restricted. If you want to keep your lunch dates with your co-workers and have your usual, that’s fine.
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I bet if you take the gradual approach you’ll be encouraged to add a full week of vegan lunches in no time.

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I gave you a breakfast meal plan, so I’ll do the same for lunch, why not?

Your 5 day vegan lunch plan (chopped and loaded salad with vinaigrette/ minestrone soup/ falafel and hummus wrap/ mediterranean pasta salad/ vegetable sushi rolls)

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Week 3- By now you should be comfortable with a full week of vegan breakfast, and possibly you are nearing a full week of vegan lunches. At this point just attempt to stay consistent and maybe add in some vegan snacks. Yeah, more food!
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I’m not going to leave you hanging now. I’m gonna give you some snack ideas as well.

Vegan snack ideas (granola bars/ smoothies/ chia pudding/ dark chocolate/ roasted nuts or seeds/ popcorn/ chocolate dipped frozen banana/ fresh fruit/ hummus dip with raw veggies/ popsicles)

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The list is endless. You can also take a look at some vegan snack subscription boxes and get a variety of snacks sent to you. There are also gluten free options.

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Week 4- Ok grasshopper. I think by now you have solid footing. You are probably ready to start adding 1 full vegan day to your rotation and that means dinner. Perhaps you want 2 full vegan days, whatever you decide, remember, this is at YOUR pace. Just stay consistent.

So far, we’ve just been concentrating on Mon-Fri and haven’t mentioned the weekend. I figure you'll leave that for now and begin to incorporate it when you get more settled and consistent with your routine.

Speaking of routine, make sure you have set in place some go to meals. Meals so easy to throw together that it’s not a bother to you. Make enough for leftovers if you can. That’s another timesaver right there.

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I feel I owe you some dinner ideas and I don’t want to disappoint you.

Vegan dinner meal plan (grilled portobello mushroom steak with sides/ stuffed peppers or stuffed eggplant/ grilled veggie kabobs with quinoa or couscous/ pasta with marinara and roasted veggies/ restaurant style lettuce wraps/ black bean and avocado tacos)​
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And Third things third:

Remember, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon so go at your own pace and run your own race. Invest in yourself, check out resources available to you and continue to educate yourself as you transition. Keep your “why” at the top of mind.

You’ve made this decision to transition as a means to better yourself and in turn the world around you will benefit. Good for you!

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To sum up:

1. Keep your “why” at top of mind
2. Meal Plan and slowly add in new foods to your routine
3. Get support from resources around you. (Food blogs and vegan sites like PETA and VegNews/ Documentaries/Podcasts/ Facebook Meta Groups)
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Simple Meal Plan:

Breakfast: avocado toast/ cereal with plant milk/ old fashioned oatmeal or overnight oats/ veggie potato hash/ granola and plant yogurt or a smoothie.

Lunch: chopped and loaded salad with vinaigrette/ minestrone soup/ falafel and hummus wrap/ mediterranean pasta salad/ vegetable sushi rolls.

Dinner: grilled portobello mushroom steak with sides/ stuffed peppers or stuffed eggplant/ grilled veggie kabobs with quinoa or couscous/ pasta with marinara and roasted veggies/ restaurant style lettuce wraps/ black bean and avocado tacos

Snacks: granola bars/ smoothies/ chia pudding/ dark chocolate/ roasted nuts or seeds/ popcorn/ chocolate dipped frozen banana/ fresh fruit/ hummus dip with raw veggies/ popsicles
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Well, I hope this email was informative and inspirational to you. I would love to hear if you have been able to incorporate some of these suggestions and techniques into your transition plan.

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Until next time!

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Thanks again,

Hugs and chocolate kisses! Kadae

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