Transitioning to a plant-based diet can be a difficult lifestyle switch for some people. But regardless of where you are currently at, this article will give you some tips and tricks to make your transition to a plant-based diet easier.
Let’s begin.
What is a Plant-Based Diet?
A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods. It means that the majority or all of your foods come from fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This means limiting our consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs.
Why Go Plant-Based?
Understanding why you’re choosing to go plant-based or simply include more plants and fewer animal products in your diet is helpful when making that transition. So let’s discuss some of the common reasons people make this change.
Health
One of the main reasons why people choose to eat a plant-based diet (or simply incorporate more plants into their diet) is because they know the health benefits. While I could reference a million studies, I’ll keep it short. As research suggests, “higher animal protein intake [is] positively, whereas plant protein [is] inversely associated with mortality, especially among individuals with at least one lifestyle risk factors.” As this research highlights, the more plant foods you can include in your diet, the healthier you will be. If you haven’t read my article on why you should eat a plant-based diet for optimal health, I recommend you check that out as it is very informative and you’ll definitely learn some new stuff!
Environment
Reducing your intake of animal products is the number one thing you can do as an individual to help the environment. Here’s a couple statistics:
- Animal agriculture alone is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation vehicles combined, including cars, planes, boats, etc.
- It takes roughly 2,000 gallons of water to make 1 pound of beef, which is the equivalent of taking around 40 baths.
- Animal Agriculture is responsible for over 80% of the world’s deforestation. It takes roughly 20x less land to feed someone on a plant-based diet.
Ethics
There are no nutrients in animals that we cannot get from plants, so if we can avoid the suffering and death of animals, wouldn’t that make sense?
In general, having an understanding of what is driving you to eat a plant-based diet is important in creating a foundation for this lifestyle change.
Know Your Reason Why
So now think about yourself. Why do you want to go plant-based or simply start eating more plant-based foods?
Any sort of lifestyle change can be a difficult process, so understanding why you are choosing to eat a plant-based diet will help you when times are tough and you’re feeling less motivated.
Here’s a short list of some reasons why you might go plant-based:
- Get more energy
- Lose weight
- Lower your blood pressure
- Lower your cholesterol
- Reverse diabetes
- Reduce chances of developing cancer
- Live a long, healthy life
- Continue doing the active things you love doing as you get older
- Prevent disease
- Keep up with your (future) kids and grandkids
- Help the environment
- Reduce animal suffering
- And many more reasons
While there are many reasons to go plant-based, finding which one resonates with you and really understanding your motivation behind it will help you have a smoother transition.
Educate Yourself
Depending on where you are currently at in your journey, it might be helpful to educate yourself more on reasons to go plant-based. At the end of the day, the more information you have, the more you’ll be “bought in” and can stick to this lifestyle. And even if you don’t want to go 100% vegan, consuming information will help guide you throughout the process.
Here’s a list of documentaries you might want to check out
For Health:
- What The Health
- Gamechangers
- Forks Over Knives
For the Environment:
- Cowspiracy
- Seaspiracy
For Animal Ethics:
- Earthlings
- Dominion
Here’s a list of books on various health related topics:
- How Not To Die (disease prevention) – Michael Greger
- How Not To Diet (sustainable weight loss) – Michael Greger
- Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome – Will Bulsiewicz
- The China Study (diet, weight loss, long term health) – Colin Campbell
- Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition – Colin Campbell
- Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure – Caldwell Esselstyn
Step 1: Replace Cows Milk/Creamer
All right – let’s dive into this!
I was going to add this to the section below, but I chose to make it it’s own section because it truly is so simple nowadays to switch from cows milk to a plant-based milk. With so many different options to choose from, here’s a few: Soy, oat, almond, rice, coconut. While they don’t taste exactly like cows milk, after drinking them/using them on cereal (or whatever) for 1-2 weeks, you’ll never notice a difference. Additionally, there’s plenty of non-dairy creamers, such as the brand Silk to put in your coffee.
Boom – that takes care of milk/creamer.
Step 2: Start With Breakfast
While I personally enjoy lunch and dinner more, for many people, I believe starting your transition to a plant-based diet by focusing on breakfast is one of the easiest places to start.
After all, many of the foods we already eat for breakfast are plant-based and it tends to be a pretty simple meal so it’s a great place to start. Some common foods include overnight oats, oatmeal, cold cereal, tofu scramble, smoothie, smoothie bowl, avocado toast, toast w/ nutritional yeast, fruit.
I recommend finding a few plant-based breakfasts you like and try to incorporate them into your diet, cycling them on a daily basis if necessary. If you need a slower approach, aim to increase the number of plant-based breakfasts you have each week by 1, meaning in 7 weeks, they will all be plant-based. In the gran scheme of things, that’s still pretty fast, so if you aren’t ready for that big of a transition, then simply take a slower approach.
Here’s 3 recipes to start you off:
Overnight Oats
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup non-dairy(oat, almond, soy, etc.)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- ½-1 tbsp chia seeds (optional, but recommended)
- Fruit (smashed banana, strawberries, blueberries)
- Optional: peanut butter, chocolate chips, granola, protein powder, anything!
Instructions:
- Add desired ingredients into a mason jar (or something with a lid/seal) and stir to combine.
- Cover the jar/bowl with a lid/seal and place it in the refrigerator overnight (or 5+ hours).
- The batch of overnight oats will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator, but it’s most fresh within the first 12-24 hours.
Tofu Scrambled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 16-ounce package tofu (use firm tofu if you want more protein), well drained
- Your preferred vegetables (red pepper, kale, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.)
Spices:
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chili powder
Instructions:
- In a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until onions are soft.
- Crumble tofu into the pan, along with the vegetables, and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring regularly and breaking up the tofu chunks.
- Mix in the spices and cook for another 3 minutes or so.
- Remove from the heat and serve hot! Top with parsley and salsa if you want.
Smoothie
- 1-2 ripe bananas (frozen or not)
- 1 cup of mixed frozen berries (or whatever fruit you have)
- 1 cup water or plant based milk (oat, almond, soy, etc.)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp ground flax seeds (can be whole if you have a high powered blender like a vitamix)
Optional: 2 dates, 1-2 cups chopped greens, 1 Tbsp nut butter, Protein powder
Step 3: Find a Few Plant-Based Dinners
What about lunch? I know that’s probably what you’re thinking, but realistically, it’s easier to go to dinner and then work backwards to lunch. I’ll explain why in a minute.
If you currently eat meat for every dinner and you’re not looking to stop cold turkey, find 3 plant-based dinners you can make and incorporate them throughout your week. Maybe you’re only ready to eat one plant-based dinner per week, and if that’s where you’re at, that’s totally fine.
While this will look different for each person, maybe each week you try to add one extra plant-based dinner. It’s entirely up to you as to how you go about this, but you get the point: find a few staples and fit them into your diet, slowly increasing the number of plant-based dinners you eat over time.
Think about it. If you were to just add 1 more plant-based dinner into your routine each week, you’d you’d be eating all plant-based dinners in just 7 weeks! That is my challenge to you. And if you’re not ready for that commitment and you need to have one or two dinners per week moving forward that are not plant-based, that’s totally fine. Progress over perfection.
Need help finding a few recipes?
These 3 recipes are extremely delicious and nutritious and will taste amazing regardless of whether or not you’re used to eating plant-based.
- Lentil cauliflower tacos: https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-cauliflower-and-lentil-tacos/
- Lasagna: https://cookieandkate.com/best-vegan-lasagna-recipe/
- Bean chili: https://cookieandkate.com/vegetarian-chili-recipe/#tasty-recipes-23997-jump-target
Step 4: Lunch
Now that breakfast and dinner are covered, let’s move back to lunch. The reason why I mention lunch last is because it tends to be a bit less structured for the average person.
That said, I would take one of three approaches when it comes to what you have for lunch:
- Eat leftovers from the previous dinner. This is a great option for those who want to simply make a bit extra dinner to have for lunch the following day.
- Meal prep Buddha bowls or a big pot of stir fry, lentil/bean soup, etc. This is a great option for someone who is fine eating the same food for lunch for a few days in a row. If you’re looking for exactly how to structure a Buddha bowl meal prep, check out this article I wrote here as it covers step by step what you need to do!
- Make a “typical” lunch. Peanut butter and banana sandwich, avocado toast, “tuna” chickpea sandwich, tempeh “BLT,” etc.
At this point, you should have a much better idea as to how you can start transitioning to a plant-based diet.
Many people will tell you to approach going plant-based by starting by eliminating meat, then dairy, then eggs, etc. I, personally, think you’ll have an easier time thinking about the meals you are eating. For example, thinking about breakfast, then dinner, and then lunch.
This way, you can systematically approach each meal by adding in plant-based recipes into your routine.
And I know you still probably have a lot of questions going through your head, which is why I wrote 10 tips to help you make the transition easier.
10 Tips to Help Make the Transition Easier
1. Abundance vs scarcity mindset
How we view eating a plant-based diet and our mindset behind it will play an important role in our ability to make an effective transition.
When it comes to eating plant-based, it is much more enjoyable and helpful to think about all of the new foods you can incorporate into your diet to replace animal products as opposed to the mindset of “I have to give up this and that.”
But even before that, there are now so many meat alternatives that can help make your transition to a plant-based diet much easier. Some examples include many different meats, cheeses, eggs, yogurt, milks, ice cream, etc. These foods tend to be more processed, so for that reason, I don’t center my diet around them, but they’re great to have every once in a while, especially when beginning your journey.
A couple of my favorites include Beyond Meat burgers/sausages and meatless meatballs from Trader Joes.
So instead of thinking about all the foods you can’t have, think about all the new foods you can eat that will nourish your body in ways that have never before.
2. Adapt your favorite recipes
This is extremely important. I’ve heard plenty of people say things like “I love my lasagna and now I can never have it anymore.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. While it might take a 3 minute extra Google search, any of your favorite foods can be made plant-based. For example, if you love lasagna, try out the plant-based lasagna I linked to earlier in the article. I promise you that you will love it.
There’s no need to eat boring meals the rest of your life. Plant-based meals can taste just as good, yet they are more nutritious – it’s just about finding the right recipes that you enjoy.
For example, do you love pancakes but worried about eggs? I share a banana pancake recipe later in the article – they’re so good!
3. Design your meals around the following foods
When it comes making your meals, it’s really important to include the following food groups for a balanced, substantive, healthy diet.
- Grains: This could be quinoa, rice, or your favorite grain (kamut/quinoa are highest in protein if your goal is to gain some muscle!)
- Legumes: This could be any kind of beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc. (There’s a full list later in the article)
- “Protein:” This could be tempeh, tofu, seitan, mock meats (you don’t need this for every meal, but is good for increasing protein intake)
- Vegetables: This is obvious – veggies are healthy.
- Sauce: If you’re making a stir fry or something that you can add a sauce to, this will enhance the flavor of the food. Two examples include a tahini based dressing or a cashew based “cheese sauce.”
4. Utilize mock meats
When you are trying to transition to more of a plant-based diet, utilizing mock meats can be a really helpful tool as a way to replace meat.
For example, if you are craving a hamburger, making a Beyond Meat burger is a great option.
If you usually have meatballs with your pasta, try meatless meatballs.
Because mock meats tend to be fairly processed, I wouldn’t recommend having them be a staple of your diet, but if it’s going to help you transition away from meat and towards eating more plant-based, then they can be super helpful!
5. Plan your week/meal prep
This cannot be overstated. In order to have success with your nutrition, regardless of whether or not you are eating plant-based, it is extremely important to plan your meals ahead of time. If you start each week with no idea what you will be eating that week, you’re not setting yourself up for success. And I know this because it’s happened to me!
If you’re looking for exactly how to meal prep on a plant-based diet, check out my article here.
6. Stocking the pantry
Having a well-stocked pantry of all the foods you tend to eat during a typical week will make shopping much easier and allow you to create healthy and delicious meals even when you’re busy.
I’ll make an entire article on this topic in the future, but for now I’ll cover some basics to keep in the pantry:
- Legumes
Having different types of legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils) available to you at ease is crucial for quick, healthy meals. Legumes are extremely nutritious, cheap, high in fiber, and are on of the best foods you can eat to boost your health.
I keep a variety of canned and dried beans in my pantry because canned beans can be really useful when you’re looking for a quick option.
Here’s a list of some legumes:
Legumes
- Black Beans
- Cannellini/Navy Beans
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo)
- Kidney Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Lentils (green, red, black, brown etc.)
- Green split peas
- Yellow split peas
- Grains
Grains are a great source of complex carbohydrates, in addition to fiber as well. My favorites are quinoa, rice, and oats.
Here’s a list of some grains:
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Barley
- Buckwheat
- Kamut
- Millet
- Oats
- Steel cut oats
- Wheat
- Nuts/Seeds
Nuts and seeds are a great option for snacking, but can also be used in recipes or as toppings. They are a great source of healthy fats and will help keep you full.
Here’s a list of some nuts/seeds:
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
- Peanuts (technically a legume!)
- Pecans
- Pine nuts
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Flax seeds
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
7. Cheese
Moving away from cheese is probably the hardest thing to let go of when switching to a plant-based diet. One reason is because many of the plant-based cheeses are not as tasty as real cheese, although they are improving as time goes on. If you’re looking for my top recommendations for a vegan cheese, I’d go with Chao, Daiya, or Earth Balance.
If you’re looking to make your own cheese sauce, here’s a good option:
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1⁄2 cup plain plant milk
• 1⁄2 cup nutritional yeast • 1⁄2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1⁄4 tsp sea salt
• Dash of black pepper
Instructions: In a small pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil, turn burner off, add cashews, and let soak for 15 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a high-powered blender, add the rest of the ingredients, and blend.
I’d also like to note that when you find good tasting, healthy, plant-based meals, you forget about cheese and it doesn’t become much of an issue. So instead of worrying too much about replacing cheese with an exact alternative, just find meals that don’t have cheese that taste amazing!
8. Eggs
Most people struggle when it comes to refraining from using eggs when baking. This is because almost all classic baking recipes contain eggs. But the fact is, it’s super easy to avoid eggs when baking by simply looking up recipes that don’t involve eggs.
For example, here’s a delicious banana pancake recipe that doesn’t involve eggs.
- 1 small banana
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup plant-milk
- 1 cup flour (of your choice)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Just add the banana to a bowl, mash it, and then add all other ingredients to the bowl in the order listed and stir!
All it takes is a quick Google search and you can find your favorite recipes with no eggs!
9. Understand it might take some time
While it’s great to think big and want to be fully plant-based, how fast you transition depends on many different factors. While some people prefer to switch cold turkey, understand that it’s totally fine to take your time.
Like I mentioned earlier, if you want to simply try out 1 more plant-based dinner each week, in several short weeks, you’ll be eating mostly plant-based dinners.
If you just want to start by having a smoothie for breakfast each day, that’s a great start.
It can be a big lifestyle switch for some people and it’s totally fine for you to take your time.
10. Progress over perfection
Going off the point made above, you don’t need to be perfect. As long as you are trying to include more plant-based foods into your diet, that is all that matters.
It’s going to take time and that’s totally expected. At the end of the day, you are changing part of your life that has been ingrained in your for many years.
So don’t beat yourself up if the transition isn’t perfectly smooth sailing.
If you fall back into an old way of eating, there’s no harm. Simply find a few plant-based meals you enjoy, and get back on track.
Conclusion
While switching to a plant-based diet can seem like a daunting task, with the steps outlined in this article, you’re going to be a pro in no time.
Just take it step by step and slowly add in more plant-based recipes into your diet.
Start with breakfast, then find some dinner recipes you like, and then focus on lunch. Once you have a few staple recipes, you’ll be right on your way to drastically increasing the number of plant-based foods you include in your diet. And more importantly, your health will thank you down the line.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/devin.mcnamara.77.
Online Fitness and Nutrition Coaching
So if you are looking for a coach to help keep you accountable and create a plan specifically for you, I recently opened up a few spots for my online fitness and nutrition coaching. Here’s what it includes:
- Customized workout routine that fits within your schedule/available equipment.
- Tailored plant-based nutrition coaching so you can reach your goals while optimizing your health.
- Integrated support system that allows you to be held accountable throughout your journey.
I specialize in helping people get fit on a plant-based diet; however, even if you aren’t sure you’re ready to make that change, we can still chat to see how I can help you reach your fitness and nutrition goals. So if you’re interested in working with me, I’d love to talk about how I can help you! Find out more here!