Making the transition fun and enjoyable

Now that all the scary stuff has been established, we can get to the fun and enjoyable part of transitioning into your vegan lifestyle. Is necessary to understand that you have trained your body and your mind over many years to eat in a certain way. Going cold turkey, excuse the pun, from your omnivore habits can be likened to going through rehab. Since there is not at 12-step process or regular meat-lovers support groups that you can partake in, it is important to create a system for yourself that will work. It is also imperative to give yourself the okay to fail ever so often. Remember this is a lifestyle change that you are undergoing. It is not like buying a new pair of pants or shirt. It is something that will take due diligence and a bit of intestinal fortitude.

You can look at the process like a spring cleaning or rearranging your furniture. You are taking parts of your routine thinking and moving them aside. Just as you might not want to throw away some of your favorite clothes, you know that if you put them in the back of the closet, you can make room for newer items. So it is with the vegan switch. It is ok to hold on to your love of bacon. Maybe it is the last meat item you decide to give up. You can set it aside, in the back of the closet, and bring it out when the urge becomes too much. The good thing about this way of looking at it is that when you get ready to eat it the next time, you will be surprised at how your body feels when smelling or ingesting it. Your palate will begin to appreciate the taste and texture of healthier food. When that greasy bacon hits your tongue, you might think, ‘Yuck, did I really like this before?’