Welcome to vegan online academy podcasts, providing food for body and mind. My name is Carrie Harrison and I am an educator with a Masters in Education, a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, and a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell University. Today I am going to discuss the five major mistakes nearly every new vegan makes and show you how to avoid them
5 Mistakes Every New Vegan Makes And How To Avoid Them
1. Making recipes that are way too complicated
Newbie vegans spend way too much time in the kitchen, not because vegan food is difficult to make, but because they make it difficult. “Why have a five ingredient recipe when you can have 15,” they say!? “I want to use as many obscure ingredients as possible, mess up every dish and pan available, and follow a 30 step recipe that will take me hours to complete!” they add. Only to discover that the final product tastes mediocre at best!
How do I know this? When I first went vegan I found myself knee deep in a ‘from scratch’ gnocchi recipe and even guilty of trying to make my own seitan!! And if you don’t know what on earth I am talking about, then good – keep it that way!
Don’t be that person.
In the beginning vegan cooking should be all about veganising those favorite meals that you have always eaten. If you are used to pasta with tomato sauce and sausages, then grill up some veggie sausages and slice them in instead. Used to Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner? Use mock meat grounds from the grocery store freezer aisle instead of real beef. Grab a veggie burger instead of a hamburger. You get the idea! Once you’ve mastered the art of substitution you can then branch out to try a few, simple!, new recipes.
2. Spending too much money at the supermarket
This links in to mistake number 1, above. Newbie vegans get easily caught up with the thrill of buying products just because they are plant based. They have researched various recipes online and feel that they need to buy everything all at once. They wheel their cart around the aisles, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, and can get lost in the store for hours picking up all sorts of weird and wonderful new items. Nutritional yeast, chia seeds, ground flax, mock meats, tofu, coconut milk, dairy free yogurts. My goodness, they see it and it is in their basket in case they never see it again! And that’s before I even mention the fruits and vegetables that they buy. Oh my goodness! The amount of fresh fruit and vegetables piled into that cart would feed an army. They will never get through all of them before they turn in the fridge and go mouldy. They would have to be eating constantly from the moment they got home in order to get through everything.
Don’t be that person.
Before going to the supermarket make a list. This is old-school advice, but it works. Plan out what you are going to eat for every meal for the next week, including snacks for work etc. Think about how many carrots, potatoes and so on you will actually need to cook everything. Go to the store with that list and buy only what is on that list. Well done, you have avoided bankrupting yourself at the checkout!
3. Not taking enough food to work with them
Oh my goodness how newbie vegans suffer in their first few weeks at work when eating a plant-based diet. Little do they realize that meals made from plants have far fewer calories in them than meals made from animal parts. This is one of the many reasons that they are healthier, of course. However, it also means that you need to eat more in order to get the amount of calories that your body needs, often a lot more! Which is great news if you like to eat food like I do. Hey, who doesn’t? Oftentimes, newbie vegans get so hungry that they feel weak and ill. Other times, they snap at 3pm and stuff their face full of three donuts from the staff treats trolley. Then they feel terrible for being so useless and weak-willed!
Don’t be that person.
Realize from the outset that you are going to have to have good quality snacks with you on standby at work until you figure out how much you actually need to eat. Things like an extra sandwich, some bananas, a decent supplies of nuts and trail mix, and vegan protein bars are going to be essential.
4. Falling out with a friend or family member
When newbie vegans realize what is happening to the animals in our farming industry, and how much devastation is being reeked on the planet in the name of raising animals for food, it can all be a bit overwhelming. So much so that there is an almost insatiable desire to share all of this new information with their nearest and dearest. After all, if they only knew then they too would go vegan! Then the whole world would go vegan and the suffering would end! Amen. They get so wrapped up in this that when their friends and family object to their new found wisdom they get defensive and it all ends in a nasty shouting match.
Don’t be that person.
Unfortunately, we cannot change anyone’s minds simply by presenting them with the facts. It would be wonderful if we could, but there are many complicated psychological processes going on. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say anything at all about being vegan, but there are a couple of times when you definitely shouldn’t go down that road. One is on social media – do not get drawn into arguments via messenger or online with your nearest and dearest. Talk to them about it face to face. And secondly always try to talk to people one-to-one if they seem interested. Don’t try and lecture your whole family during Christmas dinner – you won’t win.
5. Not educating themselves
This is the biggie. And the reason why Vegan Online Academy exists. Too many newbie vegans watch one documentary like What the Health and then think, “That’s it. I’m all good. I am going to be vegan for life now”. Sometimes that can happen, but mostly that initial reasoning and enthusiasm is washed away over time. And even disturbing images of animal cruelty can eventually be pushed to the back of the mind once more. Things begin to slip and dairy creeps back in, the odd cookie here and there can’t hurt. Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without the turkey… And before they know it they are back to being an unhealthy omnivore once more.
Don’t be that person.
In order to remain as a successful, healthy, and happy vegan for life you really do need to educate yourself around what I have termed the Three Pillars of Veganism. Health, Planet, and Animals. Once you completely understand all of the facts around these Pillars the chances are extremely high that you will find being vegan a very natural and normal way to live your life. You will want to live this way forever. Vegan 101 is your fun, interesting and enjoyable guide to becoming fully aware of these Pillars. It will help you to avoid all of the pitfalls described here and many more besides.
If you want to learn more about how to easily transition to a plant-based diet, sign up for Vegan Online Academy’s Vegan 101 course today. For only $25 you will have access to everything you need in order to make this transition to a new, healthy lifestyle easily and with complete success.
Meet the Author
Carrie Harrison is an educator, with an M.Ed and a BSc. Psych, who has worked with children and adults for almost 20 years. A vegetarian since her early teenage years, she discovered veganism in her 30s along with the many physical and emotional benefits of following a plant-based lifestyle. Now in her early 40s, she coaches others to transition to this positive way of living through her school, Vegan Online Academy. Details about the various courses that Carrie runs can be found at https://veganonlineacademy.com
