What they don't tell you about going vegan

when i went vegan over five years ago i knew my life would never be the same i was giving up meat and cheese two food groups that were integral to my diet but there were so many other surprising ways in which my life changed that no one really told me about so today i'm sharing 15 things i wish i'd known when i went vegan something that will surprise you when you decide to go vegan that has nothing to do with what you're eating is the reactions you'll get from other people when i first went vegan i knew i would get some questions but i was not prepared for the amount and frequency of questions i got why would you go vegan are you gonna just eat salad where would you get your protein at first when people would ask me why would you go vegan i basically just rambled animals are friends factory farms are bad the earth is dying but once i scripted out some stock responses to these common questions i was getting it got so much easier for one i started to sound more convincing which got a lot of people to take me more seriously and two it also reduced the amount of personal emotional and mental energy i had to spend to explain my lifestyle to other people for each person these stock answers will obviously be different but if you can take 15-20 minutes to write down your stock answers read them aloud and commit them to memory your life will get a lot easier i promise and it'll make you better at having difficult conversations in addition to all the questions you're gonna get you're also gonna get some jokes a lot more jokes than you're expecting people really love to joke about how vegans only eat kale my advice is just because you've given up eating animals and animal products you don't have to lose your sense of humor of course there is a big difference between making a joke and intentionally being offensive so if someone makes a joke about how they like to murder animals i will not be laughing and i'll probably punch them in the balls but if someone makes a joke about how you can tell when someone's vegan because they won't stop talking about how they're vegan i'm gonna laugh because it's funny and it's true look at me i'm vegan and that's literally all i talk about on this channel vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan when i first went vegan i tried to tell everyone that they should also go vegan i thought that by sharing important information and raising awareness it would easily change their minds i was wrong most people just ended up feeling judged only later did i learn that psychologists have studied this exact phenomenon what they found essentially is that when meat eaters feel like they're being judged by vegans they go into ego protection mode what that means is that not only do they not change their behavior or stop eating meat but they also start to think less of vegans it was only when i changed my approach that i started to see success instead of telling people hey you should go vegan too i started showing them how delicious how rewarding how satisfying a vegan lifestyle could be i started to get so many responses from omnivores who would say things like wow if vegan food can be this delicious i can definitely go vegan and it's through this same approach that i've convinced hundreds of thousands of people to reduce their animal consumption of course if you're talking to someone who's already interested in the why behind veganism definitely have those conversations they're very important but trying to shame someone into changing their lifestyle is almost certainly going to backfire they're not going to go vegan and you might actually harden their current views when i decided to go vegan i thought my diet was about to get a lot more boring i figured it'd be worth it though because i'd be doing better for the animals and the planet to my surprise and my delight i discovered that i can eat way better than ever before before going vegan honestly most my meals weren't that interesting think grilled chicken with a salad and some pasta not very creative without the mentality of i have to have a piece of meat on my plate and then build everything around it i found that i had so much more flexibility and creativity around the meals i cooked and as a result i learned entirely new ways of cooking and of building flavors nowadays i can take a cauliflower and turn it into the most delicious crispy spicy cauliflower tacos or a bunch of mushrooms into the creamiest dreamiest pasta dish i can grab some chickpeas and cashews and make epic quesadillas that everyone will love or use lentils to make an amazing vegan ground meat now that i've been vegan for five years i can say with 100 honesty that my diet is a way more interesting than ever before even more surprising is that going vegan does not mean you have to give up your favorite comfort foods for example when thanksgiving rolls around i'm still making mashed potatoes cornbread and mac and cheese and when it's date night i still make a mean mushroom risotto and when summer is here you better believe i'm making an incredible peach cobbler there's a free pdf guide that goes with this video that has links to some of my favorite vegan comfort food recipes along with resources for all of the other tips in this video you can find it linked in the description box below but you don't have to just stick with the american classics for me personally going vegan actually brought me closer to my indian culture and strengthened my relationship with my parents in a way that i never would have imagined it's inspired me to learn about the best ways to bring out indian flavors as well as how to replicate the creamy curries and masalas that are typically made with dairy everything from malai kofta to the makhani to palak paneer i even had the opportunity to show my mom how to make vegan naan which was pretty cool because usually she is the one showing me how to make delicious indian food and i'm definitely not the only person doing this in the vegan space so whether you're looking to veganize mexican food japanese food or afghani food there is someone out there who can show you the ropes and in that free pdf guide i mentioned i've listed a few of my favorite creators before going vegan i didn't give my pantry too much thought or really even use it very often sure there was rice and quinoa there to round out your standard omnivore meal some basic condiments like hot sauce and ketchup but the pantry didn't get a lot of love for me since going vegan though my pantry has become a godsend i've learned to take basic pantry staples like beans lentils canned tomatoes nuts and make them the star of my dinner plate i'm not talking about like simple rice and beans i'm talking gourmet meals like my red lentil curry chana masala lentil bolognese and chili as well as amazing side dishes like homemade hummus and even desserts like these world-class brownies they're so good i also started taking advantage of pantry ingredients that were new to me miso paste and dried mushrooms to replace the umami found in meat tahini and nuts to replicate the creamy textures we love about dairy all kinds of seaweed for that ocean flavor and of course nutritional yeast for those cheesy vibes i even rely on my pantry to bulk up my meals so i hear from a lot of new vegans that they're always hungry probably not getting enough calories but with a stash of nuts and seeds coconut milk tahini nut butters and olives i always have something in my pantry that will make my meals more satisfying and once you master pantry cooking the benefit is that you can almost always whip up a tasty meal even if you're short on time or you haven't grocery shopped in a week or there's a global pandemic and all the fresh food is sold out i assumed that when i went vegan i would be hungry all the time but to my surprise the opposite is actually true once i started making meals that were big on legumes whole grains nuts seeds and vegetables i realized that all the extra fiber i was eating was helping me to stay full for a longer period of time and as a bonus it helped me kick my cereal snacking habit which was a pretty serious one i found that as long as i add a decent amount of healthy fats protein and carbs to each meal i have no issues staying full on a very closely related note one thing that might surprise you is how regular you'll become when you go vegan once you start to eat all those plants all those beans and lentils you will probably not have any trouble being constipated i could talk about this topic for hours but my producer has told me that this may be off-putting for some people and that i should move on so i will another thing i've been surprised by since going vegan is how much of a planner i've become especially when i leave the house for instance if i'm going to a restaurant i will always look up the menu online before going and if nothing is labeled vegan on the menu i'll go to the restaurant's yelp page and if the results aren't reassuring then i will call the restaurant to ask yes i could just call the restaurant to begin with but i try to avoid phone calls at all possible cost sorry mom and if the restaurant says no we cannot accommodate you we have zero vegan options but it's an event i can't get out of say my cousin's baby shower at a steakhouse weird venue choice priya by the way then i'll just eat a meal beforehand and maybe order a cocktail at the restaurant it's really not a big deal if i'm going to a get-together or a party at someone else's house i will always call the host ahead of time to see if anyone else coming is plant-based if they're bringing a dish and if i can bring one and when it comes to getting on a flight you best believe i've packed my snacks because airport food is overpriced garbage some of my go-to vegan snacks for traveling are trail mix bananas and nut butter packs my breakfast cookies and roasted chickpeas and as a last resort these bars also get the job done and when i'm traveling to different cities or even countries i rely heavily on apps and websites to tell me where i can feed myself and by planning ahead when you travel you're gonna save money which is something i found to be generally true on a plant-based diet of course this will vary for each individual and where you live so if for instance you live in an area where fresh food and groceries are a lot more expensive than say fast food and junk food or if life circumstances or disabilities make it difficult for you to cook going vegan may not be accessible or affordable but for many of us including myself switching to a plant-based diet can actually save you a lot of money which surprised me at first but if you think about it it makes total sense your standard plant-based proteins beans lentils tofu are ridiculously cheap in comparison to meat fish and eggs which often come at a premium especially the organic wild caught grass-fed varieties of course if your diet features a lot of artisanal vegan cheeses and meats probably not gonna save a lot of money but if you stick to mostly whole foods you can actually eat really well on a budget in fact last year i challenged myself to eat well on just five dollars a day for a whole week and i was so surprised by how delicious the meals were so i hope that video is a helpful resource for you which brings me to my next point when i first went vegan i did everything on my own i read every label of every product at the grocery store at the pharmacy i looked at every single ingredient i didn't understand to check if it was vegan it was a lot of work and it was exhausting but luckily i soon realized that there were so many online resources that made the transition easier for instance if i'm in a new city instead of looking at every restaurant's menu in a 10 mile radius i will just open the happy cow app where i can find vegan restaurants and vegan options that are near me and then narrow down from there and there are entire blogs youtube channels and instagram accounts devoted to helping you find vegan junk food vegan grocery finds vegan beauty clothing shoes you name it and if you still can't find an answer to your question you can always hit up reddit where there are tons of very active vegan forums and of course if you're in need of cooking inspiration you can find so many recipes on my channel and my website and there are also tons of other plant-based bloggers sharing amazing recipes and in that free pdf guide i've shared some of my go-to vegan resources in the decade before i went vegan i had almost daily stomach aches but i just thought that was normal and that's how everyone felt and when i started working in an office that 3 pm slump i just assumed that was part of being an adult going vegan was a game changer for my physical health now when i get stomachaches i'm like how did this happen and the amount of energy i have honestly it's probably annoying for some people to be around me but personally it's been great i never fall victim to that 3pm slump and i'm never tired except at bedtime oh and after years of having high cholesterol and low iron both of those levels are now totally normal but it's the changes to my mental well-being that have been even more surprising i like to think of myself as a principled person who stands against oppression and violence and so once i stopped eating animals and animal products i felt so much more aligned with myself and my values like i was living with more intention and purpose and most surprising of all going vegan actually healed my relationship with food in my teens i had an eating disorder and then through most of my 20s i restricted myself from eating certain bad foods only to inevitably eat those foods and then feel guilty about it since going vegan i've developed the ability to appreciate and respect all plant-based food to understand the power of food to nourish but also to comfort and to just really enjoy good food without any unnecessary labels like clean or dirty my relationship with food and with myself has never been healthier or happier and for that i am so grateful in the relatively short time that i've been vegan five and a half years vegan substitutes for meat and dairy have gotten so much better for almost any product you can think of there is a decent or excellent plant-based substitute out there so for instance if you crave meat when you first go vegan you can't go wrong with beyond meat or impossible burger they're designed to taste just like meat but they're so much better for the environment and obviously better for the animals i particularly love the beyond meat hot italian sausage it's so good in this 15 minute sausage and greens pasta as well as this super easy gnocchi sheet pan dinner i've made both for non-vegan friends and they love it the impossible burger is great in any recipe where you want that ground beef texture and taste but if you're looking for something a little less meaty the field roast italian vegan sausage is also really good and when it comes to dairy honestly there's an overwhelming amount of variety out there and in that free pdf guide i've included a list of recommended dairy substitutes but for now a few favorites oatly full-fat oat milk this is my ride-or-die go-to milk for almost everything for cheese my actual favorite is my vegan queso recipe it is so easy and addictive it's great in quesadillas and burritos tacos or as a dip for chips but if you're looking for something store-bought you can't go wrong with these ciao creamery slices we actually have a whole video on vegan cheeses in case you want to check it out after this one for yogurt kulina coconut yogurt is phenomenal in both sweet and savory applications and for ice cream my personal favorite is van lewin's but not a moo is also a wonderful choice for eggs i actually have a bangin tofu scramble that is super eggy but for store-bought options just egg is also really amazing and every year there are more and more vegan substitutes coming out and the quality is only going to get better and better oh and one other thing that really surprised me a little bonus i finally learned how to meal prep in a way that actually works you can find out how i do that in this video right here

Channel: Rainbow Plant Life

Views: 250,442

Keywords: vegan beginners guide, vegan beginner, go vegan, what happens when you go vegan, rainbow plant life, rainbowplantlife

Id: znZtZMLFphA

Length: 13min 50sec (830 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 29 2022