Six Things To Consider Before Going Vegan

Contents

Hello friends. It’s your friendly neighborhood “Caligurl” and I have some “fun facts” to share with you, pertaining to my experiences with my Plant-based lifestyle. Yes, I am a whole food plant-based eater and I realize that this is, most certainly, the lifestyle for me. It did not come easy, and even though I hit a few obstacles along the way I am happy about my choice. I am coming up on my one-year anniversary of being a fully plant-based eater, so I wanted to share a few things that I have learned, in the event that you may be where I was just under a year ago.

So far, I am enjoying this lifestyle transformation and getting better with it each day. There are a few reasons why I chose to change my lifestyle. I want to age backward, achieve better health, and see improvements in the look of my skin and body. I also want to execute a sustainable day-to-day lifestyle that helps me improve the world around me. With that said, I am happy to say that a few extra chickens and fish will live freely because I no longer require their services. Yes! (LOL)

I hope you enjoy my sense of humor and take everything that I say with a “grain of salt”. I also hope you can use my story to stimulate your thinking on constructing your journey.

I am not a doctor, a pharmacist, a nutritionist, a scientist, nor any other “ist” that requires certification.

I am just a simple little “social-medialite” who is not afraid to step out and try new things, in an effort to improve the quality of my life. Also, I feel very confident in this decision that I made, to eat animal-free each day of my life. Please do your due diligence and research, research, OH, and don’t forget to research. Research to find what will be the most efficient way for you to embark on this journey. No two people are exactly alike so you should build your lifestyle in a way that is sustainable for you. Now, without further ado, let’s get into six things that, I think, you should consider before transitioning to a “Vegan” lifestyle. Are you with me? Good.

What is your Why

Why are you thinking about transitioning to a vegan lifestyle?

Is it for health reasons? Religious reasons? Do you want to save the animals? Are you just curious because it’s trending on social media? It is important to know your “Why” before proceeding so you can make the best, educated decision on how to navigate through this transition most effectively. A complete lifestyle change is not easy. However, I can’t stress enough how important it is to establish your “Why”. I believe it’s necessary, so you can decide if this is something that you want to do temporarily or if it’s a lifestyle change that is permanently sustainable for you. Take a few moments and pinpoint your “Why”.

do you want to be

What kind of vegan

Who would have ever thought that there were several differences to consider when deciding to change to a vegan diet? But think about the “Standard American Diet”, and how many ways there are to eat. Hundreds? thousands? Millions? I mean, how many ways have you structured your carnivore diet over the years? Well, veganism is no different. Let’s first start by defining, what it is to be a vegan according to the Vegan Society,

(Source https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism)

I read that there are four basic categories of veganism: ethical vegans, environmental vegans, dietary vegans, and religious vegans. As you can see, veganism goes much deeper than what you eat, so for this book, let’s just focus on dietary vegan lifestyles.

“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose…”

As a Carnivore, I evolved into a pretty particular eater over the years. I always tried to choose the organic, grass-fed, free-range, minimal chemical route, when shopping for my meat, dairy, and produce. I considered myself to be a “clean” eater, for the most part. Naturally, when I decided that I wanted to eat only animal-free foods, I was pretty sure that I wanted to remain just as “clean” as a vegan too. So, I researched, and in my learnings, I put “Raw Vegan” on my radar as my go-to lifestyle goal.

Enough about me, check out my short list of dietary vegan lifestyles.

• Raw vegans are one of the strictest of the vegan diets and typically only eat raw or minimally heated plant foods. This group stands on the idea that heating food above a certain temperature, kills the enzymes and nutrients in plant foods so the focus is on eating only raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and herbs

• Whole food plant-based refrain from animal products as well as most refined foods such as sugars, white bread, pre-packaged frozen foods, fried foods, etc. This group mainly eats fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

• Fruitarians typically only eat fruits, nuts, and seeds. Their belief is that these foods are the most natural and healthy sustenance for human consumption.

• Freegans typically only eat food that has been discarded or donated. It’s this group’s belief that the reduction of food waste is more beneficial to society and provides a path to live more sustainably while still consuming animal-free foods.

• Junk food Vegans is a group that also eats a vegan diet but includes processed and refined food consumption. This particular diet is considered less healthy compared to the previously mentioned vegan dieters, but it’s animal-free, nonetheless.

(Sources: https://nutriciously.com/different-vegan-diets https://www.veggievisa.com/types-of-vegans/)

This list continues on but these previously mentioned items are enough to get my point across and intrigue your interest to look more deeply into what kind of “vegan” you want to become. So yeah, “going vegan” is deeper than some may initially understand. I dove into research to gather the information that I needed to make me feel confident in my decision to shake the carnivore life for good. have since come to call myself a whole food plant-based eater, and I am still on the uphill road to being a fully raw vegan. Baby steps my friends. (LOL)

Social life changes

If you are anything like me, the social life outings seem to revolve around brunches, bars, and barbeques.

The people close to you and even strangers may not understand or sit well with your decision to go vegan. I conclude that it gives off the notion that you are stepping away from the fun and isolating yourself from what is “normal” or “standard”. That can feel intimidating to ignorant or insecure people. They may jokingly give you a hard time and even offer up unsolicited input, but a true “hater”, will try to sabotage your efforts to discourage you from stepping away from the “social norms.” The upside is, you can eliminate deadweight disguised as friends, from your life instantaneously. Deuces haters! (LOL).

But back to social life changes, when deciding to go vegan. I would be lying if I said that I saw no social life changes because I absolutely did. I felt like most of the changes were for the better. It cut out a lot of unnecessary spending because now, I only opt for some instead of all dining invitations.

As a single person, the decision was pretty simple because I was able to decide to change without really affecting anyone directly. But what about those who have a spouse, or children, or live with others who may not want to partner with you for this lifestyle change? How will you implement the change for yourself, while maintaining the lifestyle and support of the household as it currently functions? The short answer is, it’s still very possible but the long answer is, you really should take some time to create a game plan on how to make it work for everyone.

Please don’t be that person who condemns everyone for killing themselves because they continue to eat meat.

I see those annoying kinds of lifestylers in some of these social groups that I am a member of, and they really need to calm down! Just because you have found your truth, doesn’t mean others should adopt it as their truth. The best persuasion is to just do your thing, with a loving heart, and respect others’ dietary choices in the same way you need them to respect yours. “If you build it, they will come!”

(LOL) Okay? Okay!

dining options

Availability of vegan

It can be challenging to find vegan food options when you’re dining out or traveling, especially when you are new to the game. I often find that if there are vegan options available, they aren’t always tagged and labeled for easy selection. You have to really do your homework and know what types of questions to ask to make sure you’re not getting foods that are riddled with animal products.

Although there may not be meat listed in the dish, there are still substances that can render the dish non-vegan. I always like to ask, “Are there any animal products in the preparation of this dish”?

Then I will name off a few things like eggs, milk, butter, cheese, lard, etc. Not every server or restaurant worker is hip to the fundamentals of being vegan. As a result, they may not understand that one or more of these ingredients will change a menu item from vegan to non-vegan when they are recommending it to you. Many times, it sends them running to the back to confirm with the chef or restaurantmanager. Sorry, but not sorry. (LOL)

I felt that it was tough initially because I transitioned by eating 100 percent of my meals at home and preparing all of my own food. The problems arose the first time I decided to travel for more than a day. I have to say, it gets easier with time but I think preparing all of my own food gave me a leg up on knowing what I should and shouldn’t be consuming and helped me to navigate the restaurant menus a little more effectively. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t frustrating at first because it definitely was, as it altered the frequency of my social life outings for a few months. The upside is I saved a lot of money and clearly saw who my fair-weather friends were. (LOL) Yes!

Nutritional deficiencies

Long before going fully plant-based, I was a firm believer that no matter what dietary lifestyle a person chooses, there are still nutritional gaps.

Therefore, I have always been a fan of supplementation. The vegan lifestyle is no different, in my opinion. However, it is important to do your research and learn and understand your nutritional needs and how to attain them through the foods that you consume. I think that it is very possible to develop nutritional deficiencies on a vegan diet as much as it is on any other diet. I started with researching what nutrients the meat and animal products were providing me with, and what plant-based foods can provide those same nutrients. Then I took time to understand why I need or don’t need those nutrients and how it will affect my body if I go without them. When I read that I would likely be missing nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, and zinc, by being a vegan, I felt like going without them was not an option for me. I actually found several “Vegan” multiple-vitamin options and tried a few of them, to see which one felt right for me.

This lifestyle change is no joke people, so you should definitely place high priority on keeping your body in a nice healthy state so you don’t bring any unwanted deficiencies, your way. But don’t let this subject scare you completely. I felt the scare tactic was way too “extra” coming from pharmaceutically funded professionals, but in turn, it was not that difficult for me to address what I learned about the deficiencies, and put a plan in place to offset them. So, research for yourself, and you’ll be fine. “Ain’t nothing to it but to do it!”

Cost

Last but not least, let’s talk about cost. “Mo money, mo money, and mo money” (LOL) yes. But seriously, I saw a huge increase in cost on my grocery bill receipts. I was always into buying lots of whole food but ALL whole food felt next-level costly. As I stated earlier, I have always tried to eat “clean” so the organic, natural, and unprocessed food options always felt more costly than the other options. Sadly, buying whole foods vs. packaged foods tends to run a grocery bill a bit higher. That’s messed up, right? And don’t even think that vegan processed foods will be cheap like regular processed foods. There must be a rule to add an upcharge, for companies having to type the word “vegan” on the front of the package. (LOL). I’m just kidding but it does seem that way.

Although I see higher numbers on my grocery bill receipts, I see lower numbers on my credit card statements. So coupled with fewer outings and frivolous spending on dining and door dashing, I save quite a few extra pennies each month.

It’s just strange how we leverage the stress of cost for things that are good for us but are more willing to “make it rain” on the bartender at social venues. It is possible to eat a healthy vegan diet on a budget if you cook at home and focus on whole, unprocessed foods. It also helps to get more seasoned in your vegan life to gauge how much of these foods to buy at one time. I found that I was buying way too many things because I would end up throwing food away due to spoilage. Remember, most unprocessed whole foods come without preservatives so the food perishes more quickly.

I also have to say that my appetite is not quite as big as it used to be so I have been pushing myself to the “less is better” state of mind and breaking up my shopping into multiple days in the week as opposed to once at the my week. But have fun with this change and allow yourself a few months for some trial and error. If you are serious about sustaining this lifestyle going forward, you won’t end up focusing so much on cost and you’ll likely be more focused on all of the wonderful changes and growth you will achieve as each day progresses.

In conclusion

I hope I was able to provide you with some ideas and inspiration from my experiences because I want you to win!

A complete lifestyle change is not usually overnight, so cut yourself some slack and trust the process.

If you fall off of the wagon today, guess what, tomorrow’s a new day so get your derriere back up on that wagon and keep pushing. Remember the Caligurl motto “It Ain’t Easy but It’s Possible” so stay encouraged my friends.

Shouts out to you for making major changes in your life. Change is scary but don’t be scared of change because there is a valuable education on the other side of the finish line. Let’s live long and prosper people!

“Plant-based for Life!

Deuces, Caligurl_Lyfe