How to Go Vegan in 2022: 10 Tips for Vegan Beginners (and Families)

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You ate bacon yesterday. 

But you want to go vegan today. 

There’s cheese in your fridge, beef jerky in your lunch box, and honey in your pantry.

And if you trash those, you’re not sure what to eat instead.

You have shoes with leather, pillows with feathers, and beauty products with beeswax.

And lack the funds to replace all of those.

Stop. 

Take a breath.

Going vegan is a life change. It takes time.

And while it seems daunting, overwhelming and maybe even impossible at first, it can be done. 

But we gotta break it down. Take one step at a time. And quell the flurry of anxious thoughts and questions flying around inside our heads. 

I’ve been there. My husband’s been there. My kids have been there. And we made it through. We love what’s on the other side and want to share how we got here.

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How to Go Vegan: From One Family of Newbies to Another

You’ll find 10 tips for transitioning to a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle below. They don’t have to be done in order, but this is the general order we followed.

But before we continue, let’s be clear about something:

This post is not intended to be used as medical advice. This is based on our family’s experience. Please see my terms of use and disclaimer for more info.

Ready to dive in? Let’s do this!

1. Commit to Being a Lifelong Learner.

Once we go vegan, we don’t magically know all there is to know about being vegan. My family is coming up on our third Veganniversary and we’re still learning. 

Find captivating sources you can trust. Check out documentaries like Forks Over Knives, YouTubes like NutritionFacts.org, and organizations like Veganuary, PETA, and Vegan Society. Also look for cookbooks, blogs (like this one 😘), and info from medical professionals (like Dr. Greger’s book, How Not to Diet).

Starting a vegan diet means being a lifelong learner. As research on plant-based eating and veganism continues, it’s safe to expect a steady stream of information in the future.

2. Courageously Sample New Foods.

Initially, most of us all assume transitioning to a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle means being deprived of all the sweet and savory treats we grew up with. So let’s add foods before we subtract others.

Replace dairy milk with coconut, nut, or my personal favorite, Oatly oat milk. Incorporate more legumes, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet. If you miss foods like burgers, pizzas, sausages, and cheeses, try plant-based replacements in moderation.

My family has tried a lot of substitutes, like Beyond Burgers. They’re great. But our goal is to eat more whole-food, plant-based meals. Here are 7 vegan family dinners we ate for the first few months after going vegan.

3. Steer Clear of These Foods and Ingredients.

Now let’s talk about what to remove from our plate and products. Most vegan beginners know to avoid meat, fish and shellfish, dairy (yogurt, butter, cheese, ice cream, milk), and eggs.

But we can’t forget about honey, gelatin, mayonnaise, whey, lactose, shellac, confectioner’s glaze, and some types of omega-3s and vitamin D3. When looking at clothing and household and personal care products, some things to avoid include leather, wool, cashmere, silk, feathers, lanolin, and beeswax.

Long story short: Read labels! If you don’t know what something is, Google it. Look for cruelty-free and vegan logos or verbiage. (For example, the toothpaste we buy clearly states both.) Cruelty-free means it wasn’t tested on animals. Vegan means it doesn’t include animal products.

4. Meet with Your Doctor—But Be Strategic.

Nervous about what your doctor thinks about transitioning to a plant-based diet? 

While this is nerve-wracking, don’t skip this step. I repeat: Talk with your doctor about this.

Do your research. Share that you know how to go vegan, but would love their professional opinion. Ask questions (think supplements like D3 and B12, Omega-3s, etc). If your doctor doesn’t have answers, ask to speak with someone who may. (We requested a nutritionist.) Ask for blood work if you’re concerned. (We did). If your doctor isn’t on board, consider your options. A nutritionist? Another doctor? 

All the people you got your information from (including me) may know their stuff, but do not know your body. Talk with someone who does. It’ll give you peace of mind.

 5. Devise a Plan: Slow and Steady or Cold Turkey Tofu?

You’re ready, you’re inspired, but how do you actually start? Develop a plan.

If you want to go slow, go vegetarian first. Or try a few plant-based meals a week. If you rewant to go all-in, chances are, it’ll be more challenging. When you realize all the stuff you own and consume that contains animal products, ditching it all in one day—or even one year—may seem wasteful, impractical, or financially irresponsible. 

Here’s our plan: We focused on food first, going plant-based almost overnight. Once we got the hang of that, we moved on to personal care and household products. Clothing and linens are last. These are the most expensive and we don’t go through them as often. We still have down pillows and comforters, for example. But in our opinion, until those kick the bucket, it’s wasteful and financially unrealistic to replace them when they are still usable.

6. Map out Your Food in Advance.

It’s dinnertime, you’re starved, and you don’t know what to make. You’re at a restaurant and don’t know what to order. We can avoid pitfalls like this that leave us feeling deprived by planning ahead. 

Research and practice new recipes. Scope out grocery stores to find the items you need. Look at menus online so you know what to order ahead of time. 

This takes planning upfront, but it saves us from succumbing to our old ways later. If you need inspiration, the grocery list and meal plan below is great for vegan beginners. Sign up for my email list and you’ll get everything sent to your inbox, plus weekly resources for vegan and mindful living!

7. Compassionately Confide in Your Peeps (and Your Kids).

When people hear we’re vegan, they often feel we’re either judging them or pressuring them to change. Remember we weren’t always vegan. These are people who we love and care about. We’re not better than them. We don’t need to make them go vegan with us.

Be thoughtful and sensitive when sharing the news that you’re going vegan with family and friends. Avoid judgment. Remain calm, answer questions, alleviate fears surrounding family traditions, like Thanksgiving, for example.

If you have children who live at home with you, your first priority will likely be to talk to your kids about transitioning to a plant-based, vegan diet. Since their life is affected by this decision, it’s important to introduce veganism, answer questions, and share feelings about the change.

8. Assemble a Solid Support Group of Vegan Beginners and Vets.

We feel more confident when we have others cheering on our wins and guiding us after our failures. 

Find colleagues, friends, and family members who are vegan or plant-based if possible. But the majority of your inspiration will likely be people you meet online, local restaurants, and organizations. There are Facebook groups to help vegan beginners. YouTubers like the Ghetto Vegans who share their stories. Bloggers like myself share info like what a vegan family eats in a day to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And if you’re a parent, I strongly suggest signing up for a PETA mommy mentor. 

When my husband asked if I’d go plant-based with him, he said he knew he could be successful if we did it together. All of us. Him. Me. The kids. And he was right. The five of us make a solid support group.

9. Thoughtfully Reflect on Why You Want to Be Vegan.

Why go vegan? Everyone asks us why we did this. Is it for the animals? Health? Mother Earth? It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the details when you’re learning how to go vegan. Sometimes we lose sight of why we made this choice in the first place. 

Keep your “why” in mind as you stumble through this new, strange land you’ve never navigated before. You’ve purchased items with animal products for decades. And probably didn’t blink an eye. But now, you’re aware. 

Use that knowledge when you feel uncertain. Use it to do better. Use it to grow. Keep that fire in your heart and head as you make decisions moving forward.

10. Put Purpose and Progress Over Perfection.

Look, we aren’t perfect. We’re human. We’re going to make mistakes. Perhaps even knowingly. And what will happen to us if we slip up? Will the vegan police come and call us out? Nope. 

When we mess up, we learn to do better next time if we own it. Acknowledge it. Move on. There have been times when my husband or I found out we ate something we thought was plant-based and it turned out not to be. We do our best with the information we have available to us.

When you make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t let others judge you. You have a purpose for this choice. And you’re making progress towards accomplishing it.

Can You Go Vegan?

It seems impossible, right? 

Locating all the items in our house with animal products. Getting rid of them. Researching what to buy and use instead. Purchasing mountains of new stuff. Changing out all of our meals for new ones. Reading labels. Staying up on the latest research and information.

But it’s not impossible. 

And it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. 

If you’re seriously considering starting a vegan diet and lifestyle, do this one step at a time. At your pace. 

If a busy, anxious mom of three, with a bacon and egg breakfast obsession, and a husband who added cheese to every meal, can do this, so can you. 

You got this!
~Chelsea

P.S. This post about how to go vegan is part of a series of posts in honor of Veganuary, a nonprofit organization that encourages and educates others on how to go vegan for the month of January. Here are the rest of the posts in the series:

• Why Go Vegan? Our Family Tells All.
• How to Mindfully Talk About Veganism to Family and Friends
• 5 Resources You Need Before Going Vegan (or Plant-Based)
• 10 Supportive Steps to Help Parents Gently Transition Kids to a Plant-Based Diet