Verging on Vegan?

A great tip (taken from a dieting friend that applies to this situation also) is to stick copies of your list in places that you will see them. A great idea is to stick one to the front of your fridge, and perhaps others in your room, and on different doors (particularly those that lead to the outside world, or to the kitchen!) Carrying around a copy, perhaps in your pocket, or your purse, is also a great way to remind yourself of why exactly you wish to take up such a lifestyle: if you have the list burning a hole in your pocket when you’re wandering around the local supermarket, you’re far less likely to go and pick up animal products. For the first few (and hardest) months, it is definitely a good idea to keep reminding yourself of why you wish to be a vegan. When you’re about to take that bite of chocolate, therefore, you need only remember that some poor, helpless animal may have suffered just for the tiny bit of pleasure you would derive from the candy, or that there are far more calories than you are interested in consuming in such a treat.

The next step that I personally would recommend you take would be to remove temptation. There are many easy ways to do this, but the first part of the cleansing scheme must take place at your place of residence, where you are most likely to give up, since nobody will be around to see you fail. A carefully orchestrated clear out of all non-vegan-friendly products is the best way of doing this. Grabbing plastic bags, and filling them with all of the things you can no longer eat is the long and the short of this plan. Leather clothes and shoes can be donated to charity, and foods that you don’t wish to waste can be given away to the next door neighbours, who would most likely be only too happy to help with your quest to be rid of the ‘bad’ foods.

Temptation isn’t only in the home, however. When out and about, it would be recommendable to always have with you some vegan-friendly snacks, so that if you get a little peckish, you have ‘good’ food handy. This leaves you with no justifiable reason to ‘just go and have that one little chocolate bar.’ The same tactic is recommendable in terms of drink as well; try carrying around a bottle of water, since this will help to keep you healthy, hydrate you, and lend itself to part of your eight glasses a day!

Stepping stone number three is probably my personal favourite, though reactions to this may vary, because number three is to tell everyone. Yes, everyone! Friends, family, neighbours, the person at the local supermarket checkout (perhaps especially them), and anybody else that comes to mind! The theory behind this is quite simple, and once again also lends itself to dieters of the world. It seems that you are far less likely to give up doing something if you have told everyone you know that you are doing it. This is probably because you do not wish to face the embarrassment of failing in front of them. Also, telling people about your new choice of lifestyle is a great way of opening a conversation that details veganism, and the benefits; so maybe you can convert them too!

And finally, the last piece of advice that I can offer any aspiring vegan is this: find other vegans! You may not know it yet, but they’re everywhere! Perhaps you have a close friend or relative that has taken up the mantel? Or maybe a college at work? Even if you don’t, there’s always the internet, just typing the word ‘vegan’ into a search engine will bring up hundreds of websites written by vegans, for vegans. Websites that are of special interest are ‘forums’ where you can chat to others and gain support, advice, and sometimes even trade recipes for yummy vegan treats!

So go on, and get started!