How to go vegan for beginner’s in 2024
Learn how to transition to a vegan diet while on a budget and as a newbie!
(Learn how I went vegan overnight and am still vegan two years later!)
I never thought I would be vegan (like ever)…
Hi everyone, I’m Vivica.
I started out in your shoes, feeling the way you feel, thinking the way you think, curious in the way that you might be curious.
I never thought I would be vegan but a documentary on YouTube (called Dominion) spurred it all. After watching that movie on YouTube, I decided I would transition to a vegan diet overnight and two years later here I am, still vegan and happy with the decision and lifestyle that I now live.
Deciding to go vegan was one thing but knowing HOW TO GO VEGAN was an entirely different thing.
I had no idea where to start. I didn’t know anyone personally that was vegan and I didn’t know of any resources to assist me in the process. So, I dove in cold turkey and somehow I was successful.
I had several questions:
1. What am I going to eat now that I’m vegan?
Up until the point that I went vegan I ate takeout pizza, Wingstop, scrambled eggs, cheese, cow butter, fish, shrimp, chicken and the like. It was all that I knew. Although I no longer wanted to eat animals or their byproducts, I also didn’t want to sustain myself on bland or boring foods. I figured out the BEST vegan food brands, delicious recipes, and how to find AMAZING vegan restaurants near me and it made all the difference.
2. Am I going to be able to do this diet long term?
Because I was so new to even the concept of a vegan diet and didn’t have any resources that I knew of at my immediate disposal, I was ambivalent about whether I would be successful. I will admit it was a rocky road at first. However, after a little trial and error I figured out what worked. I found apps that were free (some paid) that had recipes for beginners, I learned the best (and WORST) vegan foods and brands, where to shop, how to save money while on a vegan diet and it became easier and easier as my available resources and knowledge continued to grow.
3. How do I replace the non-vegan food items in my kitchen?
This was one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind because prior to watching the Dominion documentary I had no intention whatsoever of becoming vegan. I find the easiest way to adopt and live a vegan lifestyle is to “veganize” what you already eat. There is a vegan version of any and everything you could possibly want to eat. For example, while sorting through my pantry I replaced the Vigo yellow rice (which contains dehydrated chicken) with Zatarain’s rice which is coincidentally vegan (at the time of this writing). I repeated this process until my entire pantry was full of yummy vegan alternatives. Once I figured out how to fully veganize my kitchen and knew where to find or adapt the recipes I was totally comfortable in the kitchen.
4. How much is vegan food going to cost?
This answer is not a simple one, it really depends. The type of vegan diet that you ascribe to is going to determine how much you are going to be paying in cost for food. Going the whole foods route for living will be cheaper. Beans, pasta, and rice are still some of the most affordable foods that you can eat. If you go the junk food vegan diet way, you will pay more because processed vegan food is still viewed as a luxury. However, if you balance some “junk food” with whole foods, it’s still very affordable and average cost of what nonvegans pay for food. This is what I did when I first transitioned to this lifestyle. Additionally, when you talk about cost, are we discussing only a financial cost or should physical, mental, and spiritual costs be discussed as well? When you look at it from all sides and this perspective, going vegan doesn’t cost very much at all.
Throughout the past two years I have compiled information that if I was going vegan today, would no doubt make the transition easier and less daunting.
I charted my own path and am now helping you to create your own path too on takesbyvivica.com (formerly Vivica Tries Food). Additionally I created The Ultimate Beginner’s Vegan Food Guide.
The Ultimate Beginner’s Vegan Food Guide ™ is an e-book and guide (also available for print on Amazon.com) designed to help you transition to a vegan diet by providing you insight, tips, tools, and resources to help you navigate the process easier and be successful long term in a vegan or plant-based lifestyle.
Does this sound like you?
1. You want to embark on a vegan diet but have no idea where to start.
Maybe you watched a documentary (like me) that shifted your worldview and opened your eyes to the truth of animal agriculture.
Maybe for health reasons, you want to incorporate or fully adapt a vegan or plant-based life that DOESN’T compromise on flavor, variety, or happiness.
Maybe you’re in it for the animals, you want to save the animals by doing your part to decrease the demand for them and their byproducts.
Maybe for spiritual reasons, you align more with a plant-based lifestyle but don’t have the tools needed to fully immerse yourself into it just yet.
2. You’ve tried vegan foods before and were very disappointed.
I know you’ve seen those videos online of people showing you “vegan recipes” that looked horrendous. Maybe you gave it the benefit of the doubt and tried the recipes anyway only to be disappointed.
The recipes in this eBook and guide are sure to please your appetite (and budget).
Maybe you were out with a friend and decided to get the vegan option of tofu and tempeh only to find it was flavorless and cost more!
All vegan foods are not good. There I said it. All animal products are not good either. Both of these can and are true. Food tasting good is not exclusive to a meat free or meat filled diet. There’s a little bit of a learning curve when figuring out what tastes good, how to order, and what vegan food brands you should actually buy. In this beginner’s vegan food guide, I can show you the best vegan food brands, how to find amazing vegan food recipes, and how to restock your kitchen so you are empowered in the kitchen to make yummy meals.
3. You’re concerned about being healthy on a vegan diet (getting all your needed vitamins and minerals)
One of the biggest myths about being vegan is that vegans are protein deficient. Fun fact: all protein originates in plants. When you eat meat (as your source of protein) it is actually as a byproduct from the animal who consumed protein in their feed or plants they ate. You can obtain all nutrients you need to be healthy on a vegan diet. Inside the ebook I share with you vegan sources of vitamin A, B, C, D, E, F, and K as well as vegan sources of B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, and protein.
Imagine this
1. For the first time, you’ve tried and been successful at adopting a vegan diet or lifestyle because you have ACTUAL resources, guides, and information that assisted you in the process.
2. You are in the best shape of your life. You’ve reversed chronic diseases, been taken off of medications, have more energy and vitality for life.
Introducing
THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER’S VEGAN FOOD GUIDE
(eBook with the Ultimate Pantry restock and Vegan Recipes Guide)
Designed to help you transition to a vegan diet by providing you insight, tips, tools, and resources
– the easiest way to go vegan in 2022
What’s included?
- 70+ breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas (with additional tips on how to personalize your meals for your palette)
- 12 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
- Information on vegan sources of vitamin A, B, C, D, E, F, and K and vegan sources of B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, and protein.
- A list of the best vegan alternatives to everyday foods like beef, sandwich bread, breakfast sausage, butter, cheese, chicken, chocolate chips, cookies, cream cheese, egg, fish, gum, ice cream, mayo, milk, pancake mix, pork, salad dressing, sausage, sour cream, tortillas, pizza dough, whipped cream, and wonton wrappers
- A list of the best vegan food brands to look out for when grocery shopping
- 30+ common non-vegan food items on labels
- The easiest way to find vegan food near you + apps that help with that process
- Tips on how to find vegan food recipes
- Tips on where to shop for vegan food
- Tips on how to transition to a fully vegan or plant based diet
- Additional resources including books, lectures and movies for you to watch to learn more about veganism
- Benefits and drawback to a vegan diet and how to enhance or overcome it
- Information on how to establish you why – as it concerns a vegan diet
- Affirmations to assist you in staying positive and on course for the journey of veganism
- Information a vegan diet vs vegan lifestyle
- Information on various types of vegans – whole foods plant based (WFPB) vegan, ketogenic vegan, high carb low fat vegan, raw vegan, junk food vegan
Within the eBook, you will receive the Ultimate Vegan Kitchen Restock where I share what you need for your kitchen, pantry, and freezer including:
- Baking materials
- Dressings, Sauces, Spreads
- Spices
- Snacks
- Condiments
- Drinks
- Veggies
- Fruits
- Meat Substitutes
- Sweeteners
You will receive a list of the best vegan meat, cheese, and dairy-free alternatives by BRAND.
In addition to that, you will also receive 70+ breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas to get you started. Further, three video presentations are included where I go more in-depth on EACH food idea such as how I prepare the dish, where I purchase the ingredients, what additions I put with it.
Finally you will also receive for FREE an accompanying recipe guide of 12 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.