Helpful Hints + Tricks

Make things a little easier on yourself

• Be kind to yourself!

A common misconception when transitioning to a plant-based diet is believeing that we have to start feeding ourselves foods that we hate or that we have to starve ourselves to exhaustion. While I can't stop you from doing these things, I can say that these methods are NOT necessary. Make things easier anytime you can and do little check-ins with yourself to ensure you aren't putting too much stress on yourself to preform. A healthy body helps a healthy mind and vice versa!

• Schedule "No Meat" weeks

Take baby steps when you are first starting. You don't have to jump into a vegetarian diet feet first. Giving yourself a week or two to try things out allows you to give the whole plant-based diet life a try with no strings attatched. If you decide you like the way you feel or that it wasn't nearly as hard as you thought you can try upping the time-frame to a month with no meat.

• Relax

Many times we set ourselves up for failure by surrounding the idea of vegetarianism with a ton of stress. Some days we slip up and eat a hoagie at lunch because it is just too irresistable. That's okay! I can't stress enough how many times I have sent my self down a spiral of self-doubt simply from over thinking one chicken fajita. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you are worth the effort you decided to put into eating a cleaner diet. Have faith in yourself and don't be afraid to be your own cheerleader. Being mentally prepared is just as important as being physically prepared.

• Meal planning!

There are hundreds of great ways to plan your nightly dinner plans. If you still haven't found a method that works for you click here to see how The Veggie Manual preps and plans for all the tasty meals you see on the site.