Transitioning To Vegan Slowly

by Elizabeth Hernandez
(NYC)

Question: I just purchased The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone because I'm thinking of going vegan. However, even the "Flirting" chapter appears to be extreme for me. How can I transition to vegan slowly? What is your opinion about this book? I enjoyed reading it.

Answer: I have only flipped through The Kind Diet, but it looks awesome. I totally understand what you mean. I personally don't love the idea of defining everything so strictly. Even though it's a cool concept, it pigeon-holes people and makes it feel like a "diet" more than a lifestyle change. While some people are able to drop all meat or all dairy at once, others struggle with the confines of a diet like that.

The very best thing you can is take everything at your own pace. I know quite a few people who start by just having a "Meatless Monday," or even just by cutting meat out of one meal a week. If that is what you are comfortable with, you can certainly do that. Once you feel comfortable making that one meal vegetarian (or vegan), you can graduate to making two meals a week or two days a week meatless.

You also have to give yourself a little leeway while transitioning to any new diet. If you "mess up" and eat something you shouldn't have one day, don't worry about it. You can just make up for it another day. I find that being forgiving on yourself is the quickest way to get to veganism. Our dog trainer told us once that "going slow goes faster," and I believe that to be true with food as well.

That being said, you might want to check out my ebook on going vegan called A Fresh New Vegan You. I try to maintain the same "trust yourself and forgive yourself" attitude and I hope it provides good details on the whys behind going vegan, which I find very helpful. Once you know the truth about the food industry, it's hard to turn your back on it and keep eating that way.