The 7 Biggest Mistakes Most People Make When They Go First Vegan

“Veganism is not about giving anything up or losing anything; it is about gaining the peace within yourself that comes from embracing nonviolence and refusing to participate in the exploitation of the vulnerable.”
― Gary L Francione

Welcome to Veganism! The bad news is that if you’ve just gone vegan, or you’re currently in the stages of considering giving it a go, you have a bit of a learning curve ahead of you, my friend. The good news, however, is that the longer you do this for, the easier it gets!

And fear not, because — as a well-season vegan, and someone who’s been doing this whole plant-based eating thing for over half a decade — I have some tips, tricks, and insights that are guaranteed to help you navigate the beginning of this beautiful journey…

Here Are the 7 Biggest Mistakes Most People Make When They First Go Vegan, And How To Avoid Them:

Not sticking to the same meals you know and love

When you first make the decision to go vegan, it’s very tempting to visualize a complete overhaul of your current diet as you switch to a kinder, healthier, and more sustainable way of living. What’s important not to forget, however, is that no matter how sustainable veganism is for the planet, you’re going to want to ensure that it’s first and foremost sustainable for you!

In order to do this, you want to make sure that you’re that not completely changing your diet around in the span of a few days. My advice is to choose 4 or 5 of your “go-to” non-vegan meals and figure out creative and tasty ways to adapt them to your new vegan lifestyle.

By swapping the meat for beans or tofu on Taco Tuesday, or subbing vegan yoghurt and almond milk in your everyday breakfast bowls, you’re getting all the convenience of truly satisfying food, alongside the stability that comes with sticking to the routine you already have in place.

Veganize your basics and your favourites first, and go from there!

2. Believing that all vegan substitutes are created equal

Here’s the thing: vegan substitutes are not like other foods.

If you once tried a particular brand of gorgonzola cheese and hated it, it’s probably fair to say that you’re not going to like a different brand either. Why? Because all gorgonzola cheese is made using the same process. The same applies for salami, or sourdough, or any of the thousands of other foods out there.

Vegan substitutes, however, are the exception. Because the goal of vegan substitutes is to mimic the taste and texture of other foods, each company is going to have their own approach.

If you try one brand of vegan sausages and it tastes like cardboard, don’t go throwing the whole sausage baby out with the bathwater! It takes a great deal of time to sufficiently discover which particular products you enjoy the most, and trust me when I say that you’ll be doing yourself a disservice by swearing off all substitutes based on a single poor experience.

I would estimate that around 65% of all the vegan substitutes I’ve tried are not my jam. The ones I do like, however, I love. It’s worth taking your time with these and never saying no to a taste-test.

3. Increasing your fiber intake too dramatically

Eating vegan food has a lot of beneficial consequences for the health of your digestive system and gut microbiome. One explanation for why this is exactly, is due to the increased level of fibre consumption that naturally accompanies the transition to a more plant dense diet.

Fibre is exclusively found in plants, meaning it can’t be obtained by eating animals products. Research shows that a higher fibre intake is associated with a strengthening of the immune system, a lowering of cholesterol, and a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, obesity, various cancers, and the prevention of diabetes and colon cancer — and overall a wonderful thing to be getting more of (1).

With that being said, however, there are a few issues that can arise when an individual trades the zero-fibre animal foods, for high-fibre fruits and vegetables, all too quickly for their system to cope.

If you’ve ever heard of someone claiming that veganism made them gassy, constipated, bloated — or anything in between — its likely the result of them adding too much fibre too rapidly into their meal planning (or lack thereof).

While Americans following a Western diet only eat, on average, around 15g of fibre per day, their vegan counterparts easily consume upwards of 47g on a regular basis (2). In order to avoid the unpleasant side-effects of a sudden switch to a high-fibre diet, try increasing your fibre intake by 5–7g per day at a steady pace, so as to not overwhelm your body.

4. Not knowing how to make vegetables — or tofu — taste delicious

I once read somewhere that tofu is to meat, as flour is to cake. In other words, if you’re looking at that plain block of fermented soy and expecting it to hit same spot as your favourite Chinese sweet and sour chicken, you’re going to be gravely disappointed — and probably still hungry, too!

Truth be told, I think tofu is completely amazing! But, if you had asked me 3 years ago, I would have told you how much I despised the stuff. The only difference is that, now, I actually know how to cook it properly.

The real beauty of tofu, alongside other foods like eggplant, jackfruit, chickpeas, and cauliflower, is that they’re extremely good at taking on the flavour of whatever you marinate them in. Eggplant becomes chicken parmesan, jackfruit becomes spicy BBQ pulled pork, chickpeas become tune salad, and don’t even get me started on the deliciousness of friend cauliflower hot wings.

So, just like you wouldn’t eat a piece of plain, unseasoned, and uncooked chicken breast, don’t expect your veggies to taste so great unless you’re giving them the proper time and attention to flavour that they deserve! Learn to cook and don’t ever settle for a bowl of boring steamed vegetables — you and your tastebuds deserve better.

5. Eating too many of the wrong carbs

All too often new vegans make the mistake of subtracting the meat and cheese from their meals and filling in the extra room on their plates with things like bread, rice, pasta, and potato chips. Now, it’s not that these foods can’t be a part of a healthy plant-based diet, but just that they ought to be incorporated in moderate amounts.

Instead of upping your intake of white and processed carbs — something that’s bound to cause a dramatic spike in blood sugar, proceeded shortly thereafter by a crash — aim to eat more nutritious sources of carbohydrates in the form of a variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes.

The natural sugars present in fruit will have a modulating influence on your blood sugars throughout the day, and the vegetables and legumes will contribute to feelings of satiety, by providing you with a positive ratio of protein to carbs.

A good rule of thumb to follow is that half of your plate should be vegetables, a quarter should be comprised of whole grains, and another quarter should be a healthy protein.

6. Not eating frequently enough or getting the right amount of calories

It’s not uncommon for people to view veganism as a healthy way to lose weight. A decrease in the consumption of high-calorie animal foods such as meat, dairy, and eggs, means that, on average, individuals trasitioning to a plant-based diet will need to increase the quantity of plant-foods they are eating, in order to match their caloric intake from before.

What many people don’t realize upon first making the choice to go vegan, is that the human body processes plant foods in a way that’s very different to how it processes animal products. Thus, it’s not uncommon to find people who have tried veganism for a period of time, only to feel like they are constantly hungry, and never fully satisfied, and to return to eating meat.

In reality, eating a exclusively plant-based diet means that you might be required to adjust your portion size, caloric intake, as well as number of meals and snacks consumed throughout the day, in order to make up for the difference.

Don’t be surprised if you’re feeling hungry every 3–4 hours on a vegan diet — surprise: it’s totally normal! Focus on eating intuitively and making sure you’re getting all the right nutrients and intake of energy to support a healthy lifestyle.

7. Not preparing for outings/parties/events

If you’re lucky enough to live in a big city, or somewhere fairly progressive with a high population of vegans and vegetarians, then you’re probably not going to have to give eating out at restaurants a second thought. However, if you’re someone like me who first went vegan in a place like hunting’, fishin,’ shootin,’ Alabama, then you might be to be a little proactive.

There’s absolutely nothing worse than joining friends or family for a spontaneous meal outside of the house, only to be forced to choose between a sad cucumber salad and some over-salted french fries as your meal of ‘choice.’

Understand that although some restaurants are ahead of the curb, and will have no problem customizing the items on their menu to accommodate your vegan diet, there are also going to be some places that have absolutely no idea what the term, “vegan,” even means.

“There is something about veganism that is not easy, but the difficulty is not inherent in veganism, but in our culture.” ― Will Tuttle

So as to avoid the criticism that will inevitably arise when the particularly judgmental members of your family spot you across the table munching on a bowl of lettuce at a steakhouse, make a habit of scoping out restaurant menus, speaking to the host of dinner parties and events in advance, and — worst case scenario — grabbing a bite to eat before you head out the door.

And last but not least, remember all the wonderful reasons you made the decision to go vegan in the first place!

Alexandra Walker-Jones — January 2021

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