15 Tips For Being Vegan In 2023

Food writer Mark Bittman may have published "VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good" in 2013, but the sentiments of the book remain true 10 years later. Bittman suggests that folks adopt a plant-based diet only before 6 pm. Once the clock strikes six, you can eat any food, animal-based or not. This dietary structure, Bittman argues, has more flexibility than requiring that folks adhere to a vegan diet all the time. It also allows eaters to enjoy steak dinners with the family or indulge in pre-dinner cheese.

If you're unfamiliar with eating vegan breakfast and lunch, you may have to get creative. Swapping eggs with a tofu scramble seasoned with nutritional yeast and spices is one way to ensure you're getting enough protein while also not missing out on the experience of a classic American breakfast. You can also substitute dairy-based yogurt with almond, oat, or coconut milk yogurt with a sprinkle of honey-free granola.

If you frequent the gym, you may wonder how you'll be able to live without your post-workout protein shake. The good news is, you won't have to.

One simple swap you can make is to use plant-based protein powder instead of whey protein powder. Some of the most widespread options on the market for powders include hemp protein, pea protein, brown rice protein, and soy protein. Commercial plant-based protein powder mixes are usually a combination of these powders (via Healthline) — this helps ensure that the plant-based protein contains all of the necessary amino acids needed to form proteins. The protein content in whey and plant-based powders is around 20 to 30 grams per serving, meaning that you won't miss out on a satisfying post-workout recovery.

Both whey and plant-based protein can be substituted with a 1-to-1 ratio. You can add protein powder to your oatmeal or include the powder in your favorite mug cake recipe.

Summer might feel like a long way from January, but you can always enjoy a vegan protein alternative at your next summer barbecue. The options for vegan burgers and brats are endless in the modern vegan world and can include popular brands like Beyond Meat or Impossible. These burgers are designed to taste and "bleed" like a traditional beef burger. Some people do not like the texture of these burgers — after all, if you're trying to go vegan, you probably don't want anything resembling blood. Instead, you can eat a mixed vegetable to quinoa burger. Many of these veggie burgers are made with flavorful ingredients like beans, edamame, mushrooms, peas, and the like.

If you're a hot dog or sausage person over a burger, you should know that you have numerous vegan substitutes to choose from, such as Meatless Farm and Field Roast. You won't have to worry about sacrificing flavor or meat-like texture with vegan sausage, especially when you can add your own vegan condiments on top.

Structure is the key to sustaining your goals and lifestyle. One way to help guide your newfound dietary choice is to utilize a meal planning structure for your grocery store trips, which will help you branch off into new recipes. One of the most common mistakes people make with meal planning is to stick with batch cooking; this is when someone makes a big serving of a meal to eat at regular intervals throughout the week. Although this can create dietary fatigue, you can remedy this by making batches of single ingredients like pasta, roasted veggies, or grains and peppering them into dishes throughout the week. This cuts down on your cooking time but will keep meals interesting through different sauces and applications. You should also consider what kinds of meals you can freeze or refrigerate for easy meals on the go; some foods, like cooked spinach or roasted asparagus, do not keep as well as others.

You can set a list of vegan meals you feel comfortable cooking and rotate the list throughout the week to start. To keep things simple at first, aim to make at least one new recipe a week.

Vegan baking doesn't require that much creativity — it just requires a bit more flexibility in ingredients. You can purchase plant-based butter that behaves similarly to traditional dairy butter sticks. A great option is Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, an ingredient that replaces the same binding function as eggs. In turn, you won't have to fuss with chia seeds, bananas, or applesauce in a recipe — all of which may disrupt the texture of whatever you're trying to make.

One important replacement you'll need to know about when you bake vegan treats is to replace granulated cane sugar with organic sugar, beet sugar, or coconut sugar. In the United States, some granulated sugar is processed with bone char to make it appear more white. Brown sugar, which is granulated sugar with added molasses, can be processed with bone char too. Organic sugar cannot be processed with bone char, so this is an easy way to avoid the question of "bone char or not" entirely.

There is a very important difference between eating vegan for a month versus for the foreseeable future. Switching to a vegan diet without making major considerations for your favorite steak dinner or egg dish may leave you craving certain foods — and, unfortunately, likely to cave and stop eating vegan altogether. If you want to make a more sustainable dietary transition, we recommend taking time to allow yourself to eat your favorite foods. You may make exceptions for special occasions like holidays or your monthly family lasagna night — or allow yourself to eat one vegan meal each day. The amount of flexibility you have is up to you.

If you go from eating an almost entirely meat-based diet to only eating tofu, you will likely struggle more to make the transition. You can build your palate by eating more vegan ingredients like whole grains, tofu, and beans, so you have options once you make the transition.

If you want to see more vegan food in your community, letting restaurant owners know that there is a demand is critical. According to Animal Outlook, approaching smaller, family-owned restaurants tend to have more upward mobility than multinational corporations. Consider bringing information about the demand for vegan restaurants in your community, as well as sample products or recipes to help illustrate that vegan recipes can be practical for the scale of the business. You should also plan to discuss the benefits of offering plant-based fare to other dietary observations in the community, such as folks who are allergic to eggs or lactose intolerant.

Adding a negative online review of a restaurant simply because they don't offer niche dietary options is not conducive to creating change; it just brews animosity and often results in the business just taking the review down and going on with their day. You should remember to keep your meeting with the owner cordial, honest — and short.

If you're going to make it through the other end of your vegan journey alive, you'll have to stock up on snacks. Some conventional snacks you probably didn't know were vegan include classic Chex Mix, Lays Barbecue potato chips, Doritos Sweet Spicy Chili, and Ritz crackers are just four savory snack ideas — most of which you won't have to pay extra for (via PETA). If you're feeling like something sweet, pass through the candy aisle and pick up some Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids watermelon chews, and Smarties (via VegNews).

If you like to finish your day with desserts, you can try Marie Callendar's frozen apple pies. We recommend topping your pie with a scoop of vegan ice cream; you can find numerous plant-based ice creams made with almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk bases in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store.