What You Need To Know About Going Vegan

So, you’re thinking of going vegan? Huzzah - good on you, Leonardo Dicaprio and Lucy Watson would be proud. But whether it’s to rule out dietary intolerances, to protect your furry friends with faces or because you watched a Netflix documentary - *cough What The Health COUGH* - there are many reasons why people choose to go vegan.

Are these period myths fact or fiction? Watch and find out...

And even though cutting out whole food groups can be hard (goodbye cheese as we know it), it totally is doable. Here's some things you should probably know first...

Follow vegan instagram accounts for food inspo

For the first week or so you’re bound to completely exhaust all vegan recipe options. Sure, avocado on rye bread with homemade beans is great… but for breakfast, lunch and dinner? You’re bound to get bored. Fast.

Luckily for y’all – there are loads of vegan instagram accounts you can follow for recipe inspo. A few of our faves include VeganBowls, VeganFoodVideos and LetsCookVegan.

BREAD AND PASTA ARE A-OKAY

Alright, alright, so you might know this already but SPOILER ALERT – we didn’t. Fresh egg pasta is clearly a no-go, but the dried stuff? Yup, that’s most often vegan friendly (just make sure you check the label at the supermarket). As are most breads, although brioche and challah – aka some of the fancier breads - aren’t. 

But in general carbs are your friends. Stock up. WOO. 

As are Linda McCartney sausages 

If you’re already a veggie, you might be aware of Linda McCartney, aka your veggie Goddess. Available in most supermarket frozen aisles, her vegetarian sausages are a thing of beauty… and HEY, they’re vegan friendly too. Happy Christmas.

Get clued up on all the great Vegan restaurants

Eating out might seem like quite a tricky business when you first turn vegan. But to help, loads of chain restaurants are now adding way more vegan options to their menus.

Check out Wagamama, Nando's, The Diner, Pizza Hut, Giraffe, Leon and Yo! Sushi for starters… and when you’ve exhausted them, start over again. 

You might wanna take Vitamin B12 as a supplement

So - fun fact alert – we humans physically can’t get Vitamin B12 from a vegan diet (unless we take it as some form of supplement or foods that have been enriched with B12.) Low B12 intakes can cause anemia and problems with the nervous system, so it’s important to make sure you get yours another way.

The good news is, Engevita Yeast Flakes B12, £3.29 (ignore the gross name) actually tastes GREAT. Sprinkle on top of pasta, salads, soups or stews to a) get your vitamin intake and b) enhance the flavour of your meals.

You also need to make sure you’re getting enough protein

Vegan stereotype klaxon alert, “but how do you eat enough protein?” Well, vegan cynic out there, it’s 100% possible to get enough protein in your diet – you’ve just got to be more mindful of it.

Try and incorporate a protein into each of your meals. Beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu and quinoa are all great sources of protein, and easily added into most meal recipes. 

Get freaky with freekeh

Yep, you heard us. Freekeh is your new best friend. The carby, nutty almost cheesy tasting grain is honestly one of the best things you’ll ever discover.

Use as an alternative to pasta or rice and you’ll get more protein and less carbs. 

You can join the A-List Vegan Club* 

*which isn’t officially a real thing – but it will give you a mutual topic of conversation if you ever bump into one of them in Wholefoods…

A-List Vegan Club members include: Ellen DeGeneres, Lea Michele, Olivia Wilde, Tobey Maguire (YES SPIDERMAN IS A VEGAN PEOPLE), Ellen Page, Ariana Grande, Alicia Silverstone, Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth and Brad Pitt.