Tips for being vegan in 2023

The number of people embracing vegan or vegan-adjacent diets continues to grow. Whether you are participating in Veganuary, are moving toward being vegan, or just want to eat more plant-based meals, Tasting Table has an article that might interest you. They have assembled their top 15 tips for being vegan, and these tips go beyond merely substituting tofu for meat.

That said, some of the “tips” are pretty basic, such as using vegan cheese instead of dairy cheese. However, there are some gems here, such as trying out the “vegan before 6” diet, which makes moving toward veganism easier. Another good idea is to stick with ingredients you are familiar with instead of running out to buy a lot of items you may not like and certainly are not comfortable using. It’s tough to make a big dietary transition if you’re stressing out not knowing how to use TVP or seitan. You can branch out once you build up a few tried-and-true dishes to use as a starting point.

While I was not surprised by the idea of following vegan creators on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, I hadn’t really considered their other tip about using people already in your network as a source of information. You probably already have a few friends who have dipped their toes into the vegan waters or maybe have made the plunge altogether. Learn from them about what worked – and perhaps more importantly, what didn’t.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something that Tasting Table didn’t consider: using the EYB Library to find vegan recipes that appeal to you. There are currently more than 50,000 online vegan recipes in the Library! To no one’s surprise, Ottolenghi recipes top the list of most-commented vegan dishes, but there’s plenty more available (see what I did there…). One that’s not an Ottolenghi recipe but which has received great reviews is Tomato and coconut cassoulet by Anna Jones, pictured above.

If you would like to read more about being vegan, Amazon has the following titles on Kindle for great prices:

• How to Be Vegan: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Cruelty-Free Eating, Living, Dating, Travel, Decorating, and More
• Food52: Vegan
• Eat for the Planet
• Vegan Starter Kit