How do i start?

Veganism doesn’t have to be all or nothing. By creating your own roadmap and being realistic about what you want to achieve, you’ll be more satisfied with making the change.

A few tips

Feel ready to make the change? To ease your transition, Soble offers a few suggestions:

• Talk to your partner first. Explain your reasons for making the change. Your partner may decide to make the journey with you, or you may have to go it alone. If you do choose to eat differently, discuss how that will work in terms of shopping, meal preparation and dining out.
• Take notes. Write down which vegan foods you’ve enjoyed in the past and where to get them. This can include prepared meals from your local grocer, your preferred brand of soy yogurt or tasty entrées at nearby restaurants. This handy list will help with last-minute meal planning, and help take the stress out of shopping and dining.
• Understand your own expectations. Will you ensure that every item you eat has no animal products by reading ingredient labels? Or will you take a different approach and have a little ice cream at birthday parties? Veganism doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Take a close look at your goals and objectives and do what works best for you. “By creating your own roadmap and being realistic about what you want to achieve, you’ll be more satisfied with making the change,” Soble says.
• Remove hurdles. Can’t go vegan because there’s no Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s nearby? These days, you don’t need a gourmet or organic grocery store to shop vegan, Soble says. “In Chicago, more chain stores are opening in underserved communities and offering not only fresh produce but soy products as well,” he says. Farmer’s markets are also more plentiful. And, you don’t need to have organic foods or even fresh produce to be a vegan. Frozen vegetables and fruits can also be part of a vegan diet