I’m glad that you’ve decided to become a vegan, it is by far one of the most satisfying and fulfilling things that I have ever done in my life and when all things are said and done, it is something I highly recommend to everyone. However if you have been researching veganism or how to become one, I’m sure one way or another you must have stumbled on negative feedback or information, that can’t be avoided as there may be a lack of information for a lot of people who want to turn to the healthy lifestyle. And I am happy to share with everyone today the things not to do when going vegan in order to make sure that we can spread the choice of having this lifestyle to a lot more people, after all this clean eating habit is something we want more and more people to join in on.

Don’t be ready to sing the praises just yet – While I know you want to share your experience as a vegan right away, don’t go preaching just yet. You just turned to the path of clean eating and a healthy lifestyle, there could be more downs than ups. A lot of people fall off the vegan wagon as soon as they get on, and if a lot of people start chiding you, it could get discouraging. So that’s why on things not to do when going vegan, this is maybe one of the more important tips. Choosing to become vegan is easier for some while it is difficult for others, you want as much support as possible when making this amazing life choice.

Don’t be rude when declining meals – A lot of people are resistant to change, some more so than others, when you decided to go with the healthy lifestyle sometimes you can have some heavy naysayers around you and you don’t want to give them reason to dissuade you. It’s especially strange for them should you turn your nose up at a meat that you were eating up until a week ago. Be polite and gently decline, saying that while the meal looks great and it makes it all the more difficult to choose the clean eating choice, you will have to respectfully refuse the tasty plate. Again you want a lot of people, especially people you are around often to be on your corner when you are choosing the healthy lifestyle, don’t spurn them by becoming a snob. That is definitely one of the things not to do when going vegan.

While it is inevitable that you get invited non-vegan meals like in family gatherings or parties, never be rude in declining it. Say it politely and don’t rub in your new clean eating habit on other people.

Don’t stop the food adventure – Whatever you do, on your list of things not to do when going vegan, make sure you don’t get complacent and stick with a salad every, single time. The clean eating habit has so much more to offer and there are a ton of great recipes out there that are just simply delicious. Explore, venture and try, try and try some more! The healthy lifestyle is not a crutch as a lot of people seem to think so when they hear the whole vegan lifestyle and even the vegetarian life, it’s a choice and a great decision at that. Keep your delectable adventures going by finding foods that agree with your new healthy lifestyle.

Don’t stop cooking – Unless you are going the extreme raw vegan diet, which even I will admit is definitely not for everyone, some people tend to think that just because you become vegan, you no longer need to cook. Again the salad is a great meal altogether, but the culinary adventures of a vegan doesn’t end at just that. As a long time vegan, I can tell you I have a ton of recipes that are just scrumptious and there are loads more, the sky is the limit here.

Don’t leave the house without a vegan friendly snack – When you’re hungry you tend to make poor snack choices and this can be the crack in the armor that just shatters your vegan goals. The clean eating habit is a little tough to do at the beginning, it’s a great adjustment for some while a small one for others, however until you can find places that cater to your new dietary needs, it is ideal to always be armed with healthy lifestyle snacks whenever hunger strikes. In fact if you can, leave the house with prepared meals to make it easier for you to transition until you have the hang of things. Going out with the new clean eating habit without anything, one of the things not to do when going vegan. 

Don’t forget to research – Changing diets is a big problem for those who have not done enough research. You need to find new sources of protein, vitamins and much more however daunting as that may sound, if you have armed yourself before hand and went about researching the healthy lifestyle then you shouldn’t be too worried. Before making this amazing life choice, it is always best to keep all the information on hand available to you. Going into it blind and suddenly are among the top things not to do when going vegan, that is just a recipe for failure.

Continuously research on vegan recipes and try to experiment on them. Do not just settle on food that you already know. Who knows, you might be whipping up a new vegan dish that would be a huge hit to people and encourage them to switch to this lifestyle too?

Don’t assume whatever vegan food you see is always healthy for you – Just because it is vegan, doesn’t mean it’s always healthy. That is a common misconception for quite a few people and you really don’t want that on your list. Technically a vegan can live off French fries cooked in olive oil, but doesn’t necessarily mean that it is healthy for you. After all there are quite a bit of tasty treats that are considered clean eating but over eating and over indulgence can tend to blow the health ramifications out of the water. It is best to go with various vegetables and other vegan options and keep cycling through them, don’t get complacent with just whatever you have everyday, I already told you, the culinary adventures of a vegan are sky high, you just need to look up.

Don’t be overly hard on yourself – As things not to do when going vegan goes, this is also quite important. While you are indeed making a great transition in your life, this healthy lifestyle does not come without challenges and these challenges often breeds anger at yourself and that is a generally bad idea. You are choosing this clean eating habit in order to improve your life, no use in stressing yourself out at minor setbacks that you may experience at the start, that’s just asking for more trouble than you actually need. Take it easy and enjoy the trip down the path of becoming vegan, you’ll be thankful that you did.

There you have it, as far as list of things not to do when going vegan, I’m pretty sure these are some major don’ts that you’d like to avoid. Remember that becoming a vegan is an active choice and you deserve as much help making the healthy lifestyle change as you can. In fact for this clean eating lifestyle make sure to give yourself plenty of room for mistakes, be ready to accept it but what’s most important is what you do after you made these mistakes, standing back up. Stay healthy!