In starting the transition to a vegan diet, there are a few different strategies.

Some people shift into a vegan diet slowly, starting with vegan analogues plant-based foods whose taste resembles animal products. Some peoplesimply take out the animal products from their diet and replace them with plant foods with which they are already familiar with. While others concentrate on experimenting with entirely new vegan foods, often from international cuisines. Thankfully, there is no shortage of vegan foods to help make the transition. In fact, most of the food we eat is vegan, without us knowing it![/rescue_column]

An even better option is to grow your own food! If you have a porch that can hold large plant containers or a front or back yard with just a little space, start a garden of your own. Growing your own food is a healthy and cheaper way to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Go to your nearest library or bookstore and find out what grows best in your neck of the woods and get planting!

With a little time and practice, you will develop a new routine for planning meals and cooking. We recommend getting a good cookbook and experimenting, as well as checking out the amazing recipes from the Post Punk Kitchen and Healthy Happy Life. You could also visit our Recipe Archive and try out some vegan recipes.

In the meantime, here are some simple and healthy meal ideas to start with

Most grocery stores carry a great variety of vegan products and many have a Natural or Health Food section. Soy, rice, coconut, hemp, almond and oat milks are also available at many grocery stores, and work in most recipes calling for cows milk. Each has a different flavor, experiment to see which best suits you.

Soy margarines (that do not contain the dairy product whey) and soy yogurts are also available at most stores. The single analogue that has had the most trouble pleasing vegans is soy cheese. Several brands are available, but dont expect it to taste exactly like your favorite cheese. Daiya is a new and popular vegan cheese that is known for its cheese-like consistency and melting properties. There are several awesome cream cheese substitutes and no vegan refrigerator is complete without the mayonnaise substituteVeganaise.You also may want to try out some of the recipes from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.There are several brands of soy, rice, and coconut frozen desserts, while most supermarkets carry at least one brand.

The most important thing is to keep trying different things try not to let one type of yogurt you dislike keep you from trying the others. Many meat and dairy alternatives taste so different from each other.

Amys Lentil Soup Annies Goddess Dressing Daiya Cheese Earth Balance Margarine Field Roast Sausages Galaxy Foods Vegan Gluten Free Parmesan Grated Topping Gardein Chickn Strips Liz Lovely Cookies OrganicVille BBQ Sauce Pirate Brands Veggie Booty Primal Strips Meatless Jerky

Red Star Nutritional Yeast So Delicious Ice Cream Soyatoo! Extra Creamy Whip Suzannes Ricemellow Creme Sweet & Sara Marshmallows The Vegg Tofurky Meatless Deli Slices Tofutti Cream Cheese Veganaise WholeSoy Soy Yogurt

There are vegan options at many restaurants, including Italian, Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Ethiopian. If youre on a fast food schedule, some pizza places, Taco Bell, Burger Kings and Subways have vegan options. Check out vegguide.org for a vegan restaurant near you!

Follow this link:

Eat | Vegan Action