For many, implementing a lifestyle is not something you can just “do.” As in, jumping in feet first will always lead them down a path of failure. If you are the type of person who can throw out or donate all the food in your kitchen, refill it, and start your new eating lifestyle full-force tomorrow, then you are more likely to succeed.
But, not everyone is like that.
For those who are not like that, here is something you can do: go through your kitchen and take stock of everything that is not going to be kosher for a vegan eating lifestyle. All meats, refined sugars, snacks, and animal byproducts need to be written down on this list, and then you need to put this list somewhere where you will be able to see it everyday.
Now, every time you go grocery shopping, cross two items off that list that you will not purchase and refill your kitchen with and, instead, replace it with something for your new plant-based diet that you will incorporate regularly into your kitchen. For example, if you are ditching the chips and salsa, then opt in for something crunchy, like carrots, and then purchase all the ingredients needed to make your own salsa!
Another tip is to eat before you go shopping. If you go into a grocery store hungry, it is going to be much harder sticking with your vegan shopping list if you are constantly passing by the junk food and candy aisles. It is also going to behoove you, at least for the first few trips, to write out your grocery list and take it with you. Whether you jot it down in your phone or whether you write it out physically on a piece of paper, having that accountability right in front of you is going to help you stay on track.
Making these small changes in your diet is going to help you instill the diet for the long haul, resulting in long term health advances that will not only help you lose weight, but will help advance the efficiency of your body as well as heal your organs and immune system. It takes time to adapt to a diet change such as this one, so make sure you take it in stride. Understand that 70% of this process is mental, and it is overcoming those mental barriers that will help you get to a point where a vegan eating lifestyle is not simply a “diet,” but a new way of life.
Some daily habits you can begin implementing are making up snacks prior to wanting them, meal-planning your week, designating one day a week to grocery shopping, and to always keep trying new foods and learning. Making your snacks prior to wanting them will help keep you from jeopardizing your new way of eating by grabbing something more convenient, and meal-planning your week will help keep you from falling prey to the convenience of take-out.
Not only that, but designating one day a week to grocery shop will help your wallet because you will be able to use all the fresh products you purchased before it wilts and goes bad. A vegan diet, in the long run, is actually easier on your wallet if you can minimize food waste by shopping every week instead of every paycheck.
Feed Your Mind Daily
But, the most important thing is to always keep learning. Purchase a book every so often on the vegan diet and read through it to see if there is any new information. Do research on exotic fruits and vegetables you can try at that new restaurant that has opened up downtown. Research and listen to other vegan athletes and prominent vegan individuals to see what works for them.
Just like any other way of eating, veganism and the vegan diet is not a static entity. Eating the same things day in and day out without ever trying new things or implementing new tactics is going to get boring.
Not only that, it can create massive nutritional holes in your diet.
Stick to these steps and habits necessary for implementing a vegan diet and you are well on your way to improving your long term health, losing weight, aiding the environment, and even tapping into a store of strength and energy you did not realize you could have.
Vegan Hacks For Lifestyle Changes
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