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.
A vegan pantry runs on about fifteen ingredients: dried beans (black, chickpea, lentil), brown rice, oats, pasta, canned tomatoes, peanut butter, tahini, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic, onions, frozen spinach, frozen berries. With those on hand, you can make ninety percent of weeknight meals from memory. Specialty items — mock meats, cashew cheese, oat cream — are luxuries, not necessities.
Every cuisine has at least one easy vegan default. Indian: chana masala, sambar. Italian: marinara, arrabbiata, bruschetta, many pizzas without cheese. Mexican: bean burritos, guacamole. Ethiopian: almost the entire fasting menu is vegan. Chinese: tofu and vegetable stir-fries. Thai: most curries with tofu and no fish sauce. Memorise one default per cuisine; you'll never be stuck.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, Eid, Diwali — the family meal is where many vegans quietly cave. The fix is preparation, not willpower: tell the host two weeks ahead, bring a generous shareable dish, eat something filling beforehand, focus on the people rather than the menu. After one or two events, your family will know what to expect.
Patterns from coach surveys at Challenge 22 and Veganuary.
Glycogen stores adjust. Eat more, especially starches; this passes within 5–10 days.
Sugar and salt thresholds drop; fruit tastes sweeter and processed food tastes saltier than before.
Social fatigue peaks. The vegans who join one community in this window have triple the retention.
You have 6–10 default meals you don't think about. Grocery bills usually drop here.
Most people stop saying "I'm trying to be vegan" and start saying "I'm vegan." Retention after this point is over 90%.
A simple test for B12, iron, vitamin D and ferritin catches anything you've drifted on. Adjust and continue.
The most reliable global directory of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants. Indispensable when travelling.
Same day, same playlist, batch-cook two staples. Removes 80% of midweek decisions.
Cheap, safe, non-negotiable. 2,000 mcg once a week or 250 mcg daily. Don't skip this.
Pick one — Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Bryant Terry, Bosh!, Rachel Ama — and cook from it weekly until the pages stain.
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.
No, if you eat enough protein and enough calories. Most active adults need 1.2–1.6 g protein per kg body weight, easily reached with tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, beans, and soy or pea protein shakes.
Plant iron (non-heme) is absorbed better when paired with vitamin C — squeeze lemon on your lentils, drink orange juice with breakfast. Avoid tea or coffee within the hour after an iron-rich meal.
Only if you're under-eating. Plant foods are less calorie-dense, so you may need to eat a larger volume. Add nuts, seeds, avocado, tahini, olive oil — calorie-dense plant fats fill the gap quickly.
Usually not. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics confirms well-planned vegan diets are appropriate for all life stages. See one if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or want personal guidance.
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.