How To Adopt a Vegan Lifestyle
An easy, step-by-step guide to a more compassionate way of life.
Understand what veganism is.
As we’ve discussed in many posts, veganism is a lifestyle and not solely a diet. Veganism extends to your wardrobe, cosmetics, and even entertainment. To learn more about what veganism is, read “What is Veganism?”
Understand your motivation and reasoning.
Everyone has their reasons, but the true reason behind veganism is the ethics and morals behind the lifestyle. Those who ‘go vegan’ for health reasons are often the first to give up or quit. Veganism is not about what it can do for you; it is about what it can do for the world. The health benefits that result from this lifestyle are a wonderful bonus, but they shouldn’t be the reason behind your shift in lifestyle. Again, veganism isn’t a diet; it’s a lifestyle and moral philosophy that applies to all aspects of your existence. You may not feel particularly strongly about ending animal suffering, but perhaps you are concerned with how slaughterhouse workers are treated or how women in the animal agriculture industry are harassed. Any reason that stems from the heart is a good reason to go vegan.
Do your research.
Maybe you suffer from allergies or have a pre-existing condition that makes some foods harder to digest or extract nutrients from. Perhaps you have a sensitivity to certain ingredients in cosmetics. Make sure you are aware of what your body is comfortable with before diving head-first into a whole new world. The last thing I would want any of my readers to do is suffer from an allergic reaction or health issue by jumping in too fast.
Learn the vegan stamps of approval to make reading ingredient lists easier, learn what cruelty-free means, and more. To cover all of your bases, check out the Veganism 101 page to never miss a beat.
Start slow.
The easiest way to go vegan is to replace your current products with vegan and cruelty-free alternatives (allergies in mind). For example, the next time you run out of shampoo, look up your current shampoo and see if it’s already vegan and cruelty-free. If not, opt for a new shampoo that checks your new boxes. The next time you run out of sugar in the pantry, grab the bag of cane sugar at the store next time, rather than the granulated sugar. Many accessible stores will have exactly what you need and more. Aldi has their own veg line of products (make sure to get the vegan products, not the vegetarian ones), and Walmart carries many junk food vegan staples like vegan mayo, beyond burgers, vegan cheese, vegan candy, and more!
Vegan Outreach has a wonderful Ten Weeks to Vegan program that I highly recommend when getting started! Go slow; remember that any reduction in animal suffering is a promotion for animal liberation.
Stay informed.
Once you’ve made the switch to veganism, all that remains is to stay vegan. You may be faced with backlash from family, friends, and random strangers, so it’s important to remind yourself why you chose this moral lifestyle. Watch documentaries as they come out and rewatch the existing ones. Attend vegan festivals like VeganDale and VegFest (if they are accessible to you). Follow animal rights activists and vegan influencers on social media to stay up to date with exciting new products and progress in the fight against animal exploitation. Read the current books on animal rights and veganism and anticipate the new ones as they launch.
Get active.
Activism does not have to include joining the ALF; it can be as simple as sharing a post on social media or talking with the people you love about animal abuse. Anything that starts or continues the conversation against animal exploitation is a form of animal rights activism.
To get involved with animal rights organizations, use the following organization’s websites to find demonstrations near you.
Masked video demonstrations of slaughterhouse footage.
Slaughterhouse vigils.
Leafletting, VR demonstrations, and table-side conversations.
Leafletting, table-side conversations, die-ins, marches, and general protests.
Leafletting, table-side conversations, die-ins, marches, and general protests.
Leafletting, table-side conversations, die-ins, marches, and general protests.
Leafletting, table-side conversations, die-ins, marches, and general protests.
Leafletting, table-side conversations, die-ins, marches, and general protests.
*When going vegan, do not discard your non-vegan items. Throwing an animal’s life or secretions in the garbage is no better than consuming them (from an ethical standpoint). Finish what you have, then make the switch. If you’re no longer comfortable using or consuming animal products but still have them in your possession, consider donating whatever you can and giving open-package items (like opened deli meat) to neighbors or other close people in your community.
