You can start with simple ways to make eating plant-based foods easy and noninvasive to your existing diet. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started today:
Replace one to three meals a week with plant-based ones. Use some new recipes that appeal to your palate.
Include healthy meat alternatives, such as beans, legumes, nuts, and fermented soy, in place of meat in your meals.
Choose healthy alternatives to dairy, such as rice milk, almond milk, and hempseed milk, or try avocado and cashews in place of cheese.
Explore new vegetables. Go beyond your usual suspects and experiment with new colors and different green leafy vegetables.
Have a smoothie for breakfast. Swap out bacon and eggs for a nutritious blended fruit smoothie to get you going in the morning.
Swap out butter for coconut oil. This can be spread on toast, used in baking, and substituted anywhere else butter or margarine is used.
Pack power snacks. Don’t lurk around the vending machines, which are filled with non-plant-based ingredients. Bring trail mix (nuts, seeds, and dried fruit) to work or keep a small container of it handy at all times.
Make a simple veggie dinner at least one night a week. If you’re just getting started, change up at least one of your meat-centered meals to something plant-based yet familiar, like a vegetable stir-fry, hearty soup, or pasta.