One of the biggest reasons why people avoid going vegan is that they are worried that the change of lifestyle will be difficult to maintain. Is that you? Have you got concerns about whether you can maintain a vegan lifestyle? Perhaps you work full time, have a family, or have lots of social activities. Perhaps you don’t live in a big city or only do a food shop once a week in a mainstream supermarket. Perhaps you are living on a budget and worry about how difficult vegan shopping may be.
The good news is… it has never been easier to go vegan and stay vegan. Vegan living doesn’t have to be difficult, costly or time heavy. You can easily become a vegan and maintain a vegan lifestyle no matter what your personal circumstances. Why? Because veganism is now more mainstream than it ever has been. There are so many resources out there to support you, with everything from vegan shopping to vegan cooking.
To prove how easy veganism can be for busy people, we have compiled the following seven tips:
Subscribe to vegan updates for inspiration
There are some great resources out there for free that come direct to your inbox. When you subscribe to websites like Vegetology, you will be sent links to the latest blog posts, free guides and resources as well as offers for our vegan supplements.
The Vegan Society also offers a paid annual subscription, which includes a quarterly magazine packed full of vegan content with everything from recipes to discount vouchers. You will also be supporting their advocacy and awareness work with your subscription. There is a members area where you can access information from other vegans and helpful tips to make veganism easier.
Buy a vegan cookbook or subscribe to a magazine
Becoming vegan can seem a bit boring if you don’t have inspiration at mealtimes. Rather than having to spend hours trawling through the internet to find the recipes or tips you need, buying a good vegan cookbook or two, or subscribing to a magazine like Vegan Living, can give you the information you need at your fingertips.
Stock up your store cupboard with vegan essentials
A big tip for busy vegans is to stock up with vegan essentials that can last for a long time. On your vegan shopping list, consider including:
Grains like brown and white rice, quinoa, spelt, bulgar wheat and farro. They can add texture, bulk and flavour to vegan meals and are a good budget option.
Nuts like almonds, cashews and pistachios can be a great snack and can also be a great addition to vegan recipes.
Dried fruits - again a great budget snack and a welcome addition for flavour to mealtimes.
Tinned beans - chickpeas, lentils and other beans are great to have on hand for vegan mealtimes.
Tomatoes - tinned and in a paste, tomatoes add flavour and nutrition to vegan mealtimes.
Vegetable stock - be aware of the salt content in premade stock.
Coconut oil and vegetable oil - having a choice can help to mix up mealtimes.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. You may want to add on vegan snacks and crackers. The choices in the supermarket are getting wider all the time for vegans, depending on your budget and preferences. But having some staple essentials will help on those busy weeks when you’ve not had time to get to the supermarket.
Batch cook your meals in advance
This is an increasingly popular way of living for not just vegans, but pretty much anyone wanting to make mealtimes more efficient during a busy work week. By batch cooking and refrigerating or freezing your meals, you can spend a fraction of the time on meal prep but still get the goodness you need. It stops you reaching for the vegan junk food and also means you won’t find vegan living overwhelming or time-consuming. Batch cooking is great for those of us on a budget and for those of us with families, it can also be the perfect Sunday afternoon activity to teach the next generation sound nutrition and cooking skills!
Look for the vegan trademark when shopping
Who remembers the popular game show from the 90’s Supermarket Sweep, where contestants were given the chance to do a supermarket shop in a couple of minutes to make the most money? For a lot of us, that’s how supermarket shopping is! We run in, perhaps just after work, and try to get in and out as quickly as possible. So the idea of spending time reading packaging to find out what’s vegan or not can be disheartening.
The good news is that there is a super quick way to find the vegan products - they carry the Vegan Society trademark. This is a symbol designed by the Vegan Society. What does it mean? Any product carrying this symbol has had not only its ingredients analysed but also the process of making the product. In short, you can trust that products carrying this logo are 100% vegan friendly! And for an idea of how much it’s used, there are over 63,000 products carrying the Vegan Society logo, including our Vegetology supplements. We are proud that every product we produce has been ratified by the Vegan Society.
Take vegan supplements
Whilst it is a misconception that a vegan diet isn’t healthy, it is true that you need a balanced vegan diet to get all of the nutrients you need, and even then you could be lacking in certain nutrients because they aren’t present in plants. That’s why a lot of vegans take plant-based supplements. Vegan multivitamins and supplements are a great way for busy vegans to make sure they are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need at the right levels. This isn’t a substitute for healthy living but a catch-all to supplement your healthy vegan diet.
Vegans need to consider Vitamin B12and Vitamin D3 at a minimum, as they are not present in a plant-based diet and are essential for a healthy body function. A multivitamin, like MultiVit from Vegetology, contains these two vitamins and 24 other vitamins and minerals for general health. It is certified by the Vegan Society and contains the world’s first vegan Vitamin D3.
Use vegan apps to make your life easier
Most of us now carry a smartphone and use it to make our lives easier in lots of ways, from organising our calendar to keeping in touch with friends and family. You can also get some great apps for making your vegan living easier too!
Yelp is a review site that enables searches for vegan restaurants and cafes in your area, and tells you which is the best based on customer reviews. This is great if you travel for work or family.
Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen- this app is a great way of making sure your vegan diet is balanced and you are getting enough of the nutrients you need. It tracks your progress and suggests changes. It does the work for you so great for busy people!
Happy Cow - this is a way to find vegan food anywhere in the world and has been used by vegans for years
VegGuide - created by the Vegan Society, it gives you content direct to your mobile about your choice to go vegan
Food Monster - this has over 8000 recipes for vegan living
Veganism can be easy for busy people!
Going vegan has never been easier, no matter how busy your lifestyle and no matter what your budget. You can easily and quickly plan your meals and vegan diet, to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need. For the nutritional gaps in your diet, consider taking a supplement like MultiVit, a vegan multivitamin that has 26 vitamins and minerals for supporting a vegan diet. You can find out more and shop here.
