I’ve been a vegan for about a year now, and it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made. But I didn’t make the changes on my own, I was able to find a lot of help and support along the way. So here are some tips I have, if you yourself are considering becoming vegan!
1. Education For The Nation
Educate yourself. This can be through a variety of ways, the most common and popular choices is through watching documentaries on veganism and animal agriculture:
- Cowspiracy- made by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. This is an inspiring documentary available on Netflix that sheds light on the devastating impact animal agricultural has one our earth.
- What The Health- Once again, Anderson and Kuhn pull us in with yet another amazing informative documentary. This time, the film attempts to uncover the multitude of secrets to preventing and, in even some cases, reversing diseases. The investigations lead to the questioning of major health organisations and what they don’t want us to know.
- Earthlings- A personal fave of mine, made in 2005 this film focuses on how society has developed a complete dependency on animals for economic purposes. For me, it was the most hard-hitting of the three I’ve named but all the more powerful because of it: “If I could make everyone in the world see one film, I’d make them see EARTHLINGS.”- Peter Singer, author Animal Liberation.
Along with all these documentaries and films, there is a wide range of books for you to read and revise, here are some that I’ve read and recommend:
2. Social Media- Making Connections
Weirdly enough, it wasn’t just books and films which helped me on this change. I actually found so many amazing, inspiring individuals on YouTube and Instagram that actually are the main motivators for my change:
- Ellen Fisher: Quite possibly the COOLEST woman alive. She lives in Hawaii and is a vegan mother of three amazing, beautiful, vegan children. Her and her husband, Andrew, have had me in the awe with the way they live their vegan, low-waste lives. She is so selfless, caring and wholesome. She also shares amazing and creative vegan recipes in her videos and e-book, family and mothering tips. Plus her photography and videography skills are unparalleled.Ellens Instagram/Ellens Website
- Earthling Ed: The coolest activist, like I struggle to find words that describe this human being. I found him on YouTube, where he frequently posts conversations and debates he has with non-vegans, usually during protests on the streets. Ed’s passion for veganism and animals is transcendent, his videos and discussions provide you with sufficient argument and reasoning for why being vegan is a fantastic and positive thing. You can find more of Ed here and here
- James Aspey: When I found this man, the one word I used to sum him up would be passion. His own personal struggles are inspiring, as he frequently remembers his past of drugs, cancer and bulimia. Now, James fills his life with veganism, mediation and surfing and sets his sights on saving animals and inspiring and educating others. Even taking a vow of silence for 365 days to raise awareness for animals. Here is his Instagram if you fancy giving him a look: jamesaspey
I’ll include some other links for some Instagram accounts I follow which both provide me with vegan motivation, foods, recipes and facts:
3. Finding your food alternatives!
I know many of vegans who have either slowly transitioned or cut out animal products altogether and you should do whatever is best for you! For me, I found it was extremely easy to cut dairy out of my life after not consuming a lot of dairy products anyway, the most difficult part was probably finding what milk alternative was my favourite and the best substitute. Heres some you can have a little look for:
- Oat (A.K.A The King of the list- Oatly Barist is the best for your coffee)
- Cashew
- Rice
- Soy (My fave for tea)
- Hazelnut
- Almond
- Coconut (Perfect for my smoothies)
- Hemp
But it really is finding what works for you. There is actually a really handy website called ‘Vegan Womble’ which has listed nearly all vegan products that are available within most of the supermarkets within the U.K. You can find the link here! That is really handy in learning that just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the basics like Garlic Bread, Oreos, Chocolate and Ice Cream! With that being said, one of the things I really noticed about becoming Vegan was how I’ve been forced to think about what I’m eating and it pushes me to experiment and try new foods and ingredients.
And for when you get really adventurous? You should start buying some plant-based cookbooks! Here are my favourites which are absolutely amazing and I cannot rate higher:
BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants. by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby
Feed Me Vegan by Lucy Watson
The Hungry Student Vegan Cookbook by Spruce
I hope this helps you, being a rookie to the vegan scene there is only so much I can share for now! But really, my biggest tip? Go Vegan for a reason that is right for you. I am vegan for the animals, I cannot just justify why a sentient being should lose its life in order for me to eat when there are so many alternatives out there. I love all animals, not just pets. I know so many who are vegan for the environment, the dairy and meat industries create more greenhouse gases than all the world’s cars, planes, trains and boats combined. You find your reason, you see the light and your journey starts there. Just do it when you’re ready, this is a marathon, not a sprint- because you’ll be amazed at the support.
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