We asked the #HappyCowmunity to tell us about their journey to veganism. More specifically, we asked people to share their top 3 steps to go vegan, and tell us what made it easier, fun, or more meaningful. The responses were honest, open, and very truthful. We love that!
What’s good to remember is that each one is on their own unique journey, which means we might sometimes take different routes to arrive at a common destination. Keeping that in mind, here’s a mixed bag of tips from 16 different people!
“Take your time to adjust, enjoy your own journey!
Do your own research: watch documentaries, read articles, read research articles.
Download vegan ingredient apps, vegan food finding apps, surround your social media with vegan news/friends/influencers/brands. SURROUND YOURSELF AND LEARN.” 🌱📝
“Being educated about the meat and dairy industry.
Learning about how to make veganism accessible to everyone.
Don’t enforce my beliefs, and instead, be an example to lead by.”
“Focus on what I CAN have versus what I CAN’T have.
Don’t worry there is vegan junk food, mock meats/cheeses, french fries, Oreos, etc. At first, before you know how to (or care to) cook vegan meals, that’s how you do it!
Remind your non-vegan family and friends that you love them very much, but that you’ll still do you anyway.”
“PETA Dairy/veal video.
Undercover hog factory farm video.
Seeing cows in transport trucks on the way to their death.”
“Give yourself plenty of time. I spent about a year transitioning slowly… eliminating one animal product at a time by initially replacing it with something vegan. Every little bit helps.
YouTube was my best friend and inspiration because I didn’t know anyone else who was vegan, let alone vegetarian.
When you do find that one other person at work or social event you become instant friends (in my experience) 😊 Oh and, take your B12!”
“Reading through Wikipedia pages like “The Environmental Impact of Meat Production” and “Intensive Animal Farming”
Looking into my own cognitive bias and conflicting viewpoints between environment and wellbeing of nonhuman animals.
Reading Peter Singer and watching videos from Earthling Ed and Cosmic Skeptic.”
“Focusing on the victims.
Taking time to learn new recipes.
Learning about nutrition.”
“My original reasons were selfish- to aid my remission. I learned a lot about eating plant based is proven to be the best for health @alter.health.
Then I learned about the cruelty of animal farming, the suffering they endure at the hand of man. Once you know, you can’t un-know.
I took a wonderful class thru @forksoverknives to learn how to get creative with my vegan cooking.”
“Buying some vegan cookbooks.
Over the course of a month as I ran out of my non-vegan products I replaced them with vegan products (so I didn’t just trash a bunch of food and switch overnight.)
I found vegan resources (books, local shops and restaurants, HappyCow, social media accounts etc). In particular, The Joyful Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a must read for new/aspiring vegans!!”
“Viewing abattoir footage for the first time.
Realising that animals are suffering for my meals.
Instantly stopping all use of animal products or animal entertainment in my life. 🌱Easy really.” 🐟🐬🐓🐣🐁🐷🐮🐒🐪🐏🐓💚
“Watch documentaries about food/animal industry.
Purchasing vegan cookbooks!
Creating a strong mindset for stupid comments people may say about being vegan!!”
“Cut cold-turkey.
Research brands or talk to experienced vegans.
Research nutrition to find out how to get essential protein, vitamins & nutrients.”
“Realizing I did not want to hurt living things anymore.
Going vegetarian.
Realizing and researching the first thought again -> I went vegan!”
“Seeing our cook kill one of our chickens and being shocked to discover at 10 years of age that the food being served at my mealtimes was actually other animals that I loved. End of eating other animals and beginning of navigating with my parents and others about what else I could eat.
Visiting a dairy farm and coming to understand the price the cows and calves paid. No more dairy products for me, and I became vegan. Wondering again what I was going to eat.
Discovering and being in a masters program at the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) and finding all the information, sources, and connections I needed. Now living in integrity with my beliefs and loving my life, and truly loving all animals.” ❤️❤️❤️
“Recruiting family on the journey.
Building your pantry: I already was a good cook, just needed to learn new ways.
Getting a couple of plant based recipe books/apps to help along the way!! I recommend: @deliciouslyella cookbook and app. Also, Plant Strong: follow them on insta and sign up for access to recipes. Also @thehappypear cookbook and community.”
“Forgive yourself for slip ups
Always think about the animals.
Eat all the vegan cheese!“
We thank each one of you for your motivating words of encouragement!
And if you are a new or aspiring vegan reading this, we’re sure it helps a lot to receive these tips. Now, how about a deeper dive? We recently asked the HappyCowmunity how going vegan changed their lives and the responses, just like these, are very moving and meaningful. Find the full article here.
Let’s continue this thread of inspiration! Feel free to post a comment below about YOUR top 3 steps to go vegan.
To join this wonderful, ever-growing community of vegans and to discover great food near you, download the free HappyCow App and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and Pinterest.
