These are more common than you think.

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Starting a new diet or a big lifestyle change is never easy. We are all beings of habit and comfort, and once that is altered or changed we tend to have a hard time adjusting. Now let’s talk about one of the biggest lifestyle changes people all over the world are slowly leaning into, becoming vegan.

Although it may seem as simple as just not eating meat or animal products, many starting this big lifestyle change are struggling and have no idea where to begin, thus leading to making big mistakes that can affect their health, mentality, and how much they are going to like this overall lifestyle change itself.

1. Starting too strict, or ‘cold turkey”

It’s exciting to start a new journey and a change of pace in your everyday life especially when it comes to your diet. Many become vegan looking for a healthier lifestyle and want to see results and get where they want fast. But it isn’t necessary to rush the process.

Starting off your vegan diet cold turkey can work for some but isn’t for everyone. Many who start cold turkey become easily discouraged and uninterested quickly and begin to doubt their initial reason as to why they had even started the diet.

Take it slow. Everyone is different and everyone’s body works differently.

Maybe start by cutting out the most harmful meats and go on from there, then cut off dairy, eggs, etc. Until you feel comfortable and well adjusted to your new diet.

Don’t be so tough on yourself.

2. Not knowing enough information about veganism

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Many start this journey with too little information, to begin with. They go in blind. Veganism is becoming a huge trend around the world and millions are intrigued and interested in this particular lifestyle, yet they don’t even know what it means to be vegan.

There are many different terms; vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, flexitarian, and so on so forth.

Being vegan means nothing at all that is derived from an animal. NO meat, NO dairy, NO eggs, NO fur, etc.

Be sure to do some research about becoming vegan before venturing into the unknown, really think about why you would like to make this lifestyle change and learn about its pros and cons.

Like I had said before, everyone is different and everyone makes this lifestyle change for different reasons. What’s yours?

3. Eating processed “vegan” Substitutes

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This is what I would consider one of the biggest problems with becoming vegan in today’s modern world. All of the processed food.

Yes it is a great time to be vegan, to experiment with different tastes and substitutes, but usually those substitutes is what everyone goes after the minute they become vegan and want to try out the vegan lifestyle and yes although technically these products are animal-free and vegan, they are not healthy and its not exactly what the vegan diet promotes.

Eating a fully vegan diet involves eating whole foods, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, etc, those are the substances you need to sustain a healthy overall vegan diet.

Many complain they are gaining weight or feel week and unhealthy with their new vegan lifestyle and most of the time its because they are simply not getting the nutrients they need because they are constantly eating overly processed foods and drinks that are not as healthy as you might think and are as harmful as any regular processed food is, vegan or not.

4. Not knowing how to cook

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If you haven’t really been a fan of being in the kitchen and making your meals or simply don’t know how to cook much besides a cup of ramen, then you need to consider changing that up a bit.

When it comes to vegan food and an overall healthy diet, YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO COOK. No, you don’t have to be a famous Gordon Ramsey but you need to know at the very least the basics.

What are the basics?

Cooking your beans

Making rice

Different sauces or salsas

Investing in good cooking equipment

Blender / Vitamix

Crockpot

Ceramic pots and pans

Food processor

I recommend checking out a couple of youtube videos, looking up some recipes on Pinterest or joining a couple of vegan support and recipe groups to get you started.

Here is a great support group!

Cooking can be a great hobby, and once you get the hang of it you might just fall in love with it.

Its fun and doesn’t need to be too complex, enjoy making a meal with family and friends, and if you are on a time crunch, look up weekly vegan meal preps, and prep something up for the whole week.

5. Being obsessed with your protein intake

The number one question vegans get is;

“Where do you get your protein?”

As tired as most vegans are of hearing this even a person that starts their vegan diet and lifestyle, suddenly become obsessed with whether they are getting the right amount of protein or not. If you are eating a well balanced and whole diet you should not have to worry about this so much. Protein can be found in many different vegetables and grains.

Here are some of the top plant-based proteins that you can add to your daily diet:

The point, in general, more or less is that if you do eat a well balanced and natural diet daily, you can live a very healthy lifestyle on a vegan diet.

One simply should not indulge so much in the overly processed foods and junk food and focus on an all-natural diet mainly based on fruits and vegetables.

Also, don’t let others discourage you and don’t be so tough on yourself either. Have fun with the experience, experiment and try new foods and flavors, and be confident in yourself and the decision you are making. It isn’t always easy but in the long run, it will be worth the challenge.

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