Calm, gradual, and built to last.
There is no single right way to go vegan, but there are predictable mistakes. This guide assumes you have decided to try, have an ordinary kitchen and budget, and want to do it in a way that survives the first holiday, the first illness, and the first sceptical relative.
Before changing your fridge, write one sentence about why you are doing this. Animals, climate, health, religion, all of them — any honest reason works, but having it written down doubles your odds of still being vegan in a year. When you wobble, you will read this sentence, not a recipe.
Don't try to learn new recipes immediately. Replace each animal product in your current meals with the closest plant version: soy or oat milk for dairy milk, vegan spread for butter, lentils or beans for ground meat, tofu or tempeh for chicken in stir-fries, scrambled silken tofu or chickpea-flour omelette for eggs. Eat what you already eat, in vegan form, for two weeks. Recipes come later.
Pick five meals you genuinely love and learn them by heart: a stew, a curry, a pasta, a grain bowl, and a breakfast. These five will carry you through 80% of the week. Worry about variety in month three, not week one.
"If you eat something animal-derived by accident or by weakness, the next meal is vegan. That is the entire recovery."
Take a B12 supplement — 2,000 µg cyanocobalamin once weekly is cheap, safe, and sufficient. Eat a daily handful of nuts or seeds. Eat dark leafy greens most days for calcium and folate. If you avoid sun, add 1,000–2,000 IU of vitamin D in winter. Algae-based DHA/EPA (250–500 mg/day) replaces fish oil. That is the whole list.
Most awkwardness comes from announcements, not from eating. Don't make a speech. When asked, say 'I'm trying it for a while.' Bring a generous dish to gatherings. Ignore the same five jokes you will hear forever. After three months, the people closest to you will simply update their model of you.
If you eat something animal-derived by accident or by weakness, the next meal is vegan. That is the entire recovery. People who quit veganism almost never quit because of one slip; they quit because they treat one slip as proof they 'aren't vegan enough.'
Brown rice, oats, dried lentils, tinned chickpeas, dried pasta, wholemeal bread, peanut butter.
Onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, cabbage or kale, tomatoes, bananas, apples, frozen mixed berries.
Firm tofu, tempeh, soya mince or red lentils, hummus.
Soya or oat milk, vegan spread, silken tofu (for scrambles), nutritional yeast.
Soy sauce, miso, smoked paprika, cumin, ginger, lemons, vinegar.
Most people do best with a clean break — one shopping cycle. Gradual reduction works for some but tends to drag on for months. Pick whichever you'll actually finish.
Cravings for cheese and meat are usually about fat, salt and umami, not the animal. Nutritional yeast, miso, smoked paprika, mushrooms and roasted nuts cover most of it.
No. Lentils, tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, oats, peanut butter and whole grains cover protein easily on any reasonable diet.
Usually under-eating, not under-nourishing. Plant foods are less calorie-dense than meat and cheese, so you need bigger portions. Check iron and B12 if fatigue persists.
Tell the people you'll share meals with. Don't announce it on social media unless that helps your accountability. Most people find quiet works better than loud.
Our seven-day starter gives you a day-by-day meal plan, a shopping list adapted to your region, and what to do if today goes sideways.