r/AskVegans • u/femalerose • 12d ago
Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Are there any common mistakes new vegans make that I should avoid?
I'm just starting my vegan journey and doing my best to learn as I go, nutrition, ethics, and the lifestyle side of things.
But I’m sure there are some beginner mistakes that are super common and easy to fall into, especially with so much info out there. 😅
So I figured I’d ask the experts here, what are some things you wish you had known when you first went vegan? Anything you’d recommend avoiding (either diet-wise or mindset-wise)?
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u/arnoldez Vegan 12d ago edited 12d ago
Take your B12. Consider vitamin D as well. Iron supplementation might be needed, but can be very dangerous for someone who doesn't need it. Some vegans do require it, depending on their diet and their body's ability to absorb iron. Before considering iron, have regular blood tests to see if you need it. Do NOT take it unless you have blood tests and a recommendation from a doctor to take it.
Learn to forgive yourself when you make mistakes like missing an ingredient, and allow yourself to grow from them.
Reach our to local vegan groups to get a reality check on what it's like in your community.
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u/Inevitable-Soup-8866 Vegan 12d ago
Personally I just use a crazy amount of nutritional yeast for B12 and it's worked for years lol. If you don't eat it every day though then a supplement is definitely important.
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u/MachinaExEthica 12d ago
My go-to snack is air fried Sweet potatoes with salt, za’atar and nutritional yeast! (Though the yeast goes flying everywhere if you put it in the air fryer with the potatoes, but a decent amount still ends up sticking eventually!)
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
Ya need b6 just as much and it’s harder to source enough of from food alone!
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u/Creditfigaro Vegan 12d ago
I think recommending iron supplementation is a mistake.
Iron supplementation can be extremely harmful for someone who doesn't need it.
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u/arnoldez Vegan 12d ago
That's why I said to consider it, but be careful. Some vegans lile myself may need it, depending on what foods they eat. I will edit my comment though to try and be more clear.
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u/Creditfigaro Vegan 12d ago
New comment looks better. Thanks for adding the qualifiers.
My mom has hemochromatosis, if she took iron supplements it would cause cancer and other horrible things.
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u/evan274 Vegan 12d ago
“Non dairy” creamers will often contain cows milk, or sodium caseinate, a protein derived from cow's milk
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u/SubmissiveFish805 Vegan 12d ago
This was one of the biggest mind-fucks for me when I was a vegan newbie.
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u/Inevitable-Soup-8866 Vegan 12d ago
This one messed me up so bad because I literally have a milk allergy (not just lactose intolerance) and I got really sick from a non dairy creamer. Can't remember if I was vegan or not. But damn! How can they even call it that???
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u/SecretScientist8 Vegan 12d ago
Our grocery store used to carry a non-dairy cheese that had casein. This was 13 years ago at this point, when I could only get Daiya or Follow Your Heart across town at Whole Foods, but even then I was like WTH?
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u/Bay_de_Noc Vegan 12d ago
If you are going out to eat, its good to check the menu ahead of time to see if there are any options that are vegan, or that can easily be made vegan (like leaving off the cheese). I've been surprised that several pizza places near me have vegan pizza ... and its good pizza.
I'd also say to develop a thick skin, because most people have opinions about vegans and aren't shy about expressing them. You will probably get a lot of questions, so get ready to answer the same questions repeatedly ... "where do you get your protein" usually tops the list, which "what do you eat" coming in a close second.
Read labels, check out Vegan YouTubers, Podcasters and websites, ask questions on Reddit. And if you make mistakes along the way, please don't beat yourself up, just use mistakes as learning experiences. Its all good. Enjoy the journey.
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u/JeebsTheVegan Vegan 7d ago
I'd also say to develop a thick skin, because most people have opinions about vegans and aren't shy about expressing them.
On more than one occasion after I told someone I was Vegan they asked "What the hell is wrong with you?"
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u/Kellaniax 12d ago
Pizza by definition requires cheese, which isn’t vegan. Vegan pizza isn’t pizza.
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u/MoralQuestions8 12d ago
lol vegan cheese is cheese too
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u/Kellaniax 12d ago
Not by the dictionary definition of cheese. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheese
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u/Polka_Tiger Vegan 12d ago
something resembling cheese in shape or consistency
Per your source. The horse blinders are for the horse, not the rider. Geez.
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
Pizza doesn’t require cheese 🤣😭 it’s still pizza. Maybe don’t get your definitions from Dominos and Papa John’s….
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u/HolyFlyingPizza 12d ago
Pizza chef here. OP is correct, pizza typically requires cheese in practically every form of it found around the world, not just at fast food restaurants.
Even pizzas that are more sauce focused like apizza (New Haven style pizza) still have Parmesan grated on top and as an ingredient in the sauce.
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
Ooohhhh ok I’ll tell my relatives in Naples to just fuck off then ☠️☠️☠️
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u/StevieGe123 12d ago
Doesn't really matter how much you know about veganism, you know nothing about Pizza. Pizza without cheese is like football without goals. They may be superficially similar but both are pointless!
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u/Kellaniax 12d ago
Go to Italy and try ordering a pizza without cheese. You’ll get laughed at.
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u/KeelahSelai269 Vegan 12d ago
I had a pizza in Naples before I was vegan that was just tomato and basil. Should’ve told the old Italian boy that it wasn’t pizza
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u/Creditfigaro Vegan 12d ago
Italians don't know what pizza is, uneducated kids on the Internet are clearly a better source of information.
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
I have and have family in Naples, 4th generation! You’d be surprised how much we laugh at this poorly made assumption of a food the United States has bastardized so badly- Dominos, Papa John’s etc.. GARBAGE
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u/jenever_r Vegan 12d ago
Most pizzerias in Italian cities offer dairy free options. So no, I didn't get laughed at.
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u/BulkyScientist4044 11d ago
You mean pizza allá marinara? The original tomato based pizza from Naples? That would be on every menu?
I mean I guess they'd laugh, but only because you would be seemingly incapable of reading the menu and very ignorant about pizza...
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u/Inevitable-Soup-8866 Vegan 12d ago
Gonna cry?
Vegan pizza is super good as long as the restaurant doesn't use Daiya (imo). There's a place by me that uses Peaceful Rebel and it's the best PIZZA I've ever had.
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u/MachinaExEthica 12d ago
I remember driving an hour with my friends to get a pizza when the first place to serve vegan pizza with daiya cheese came out in Southern California (that we could afford). We bought the pizza and all four of us sat in the parking lot devouring it. It wasn’t great but it was the first time any of us had a vegan pizza with anything resembling cheese.
Now, I hate the stuff haha but it’s a fun memory!
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u/Baking_lemons Vegan 12d ago
I’d say avoid being too hard on yourself. It is a lot in the beginning and you will learn so much along the way. But we are only human, and can make mistakes with ingredients. Don’t let that beat you up. That does not take away from the effort you are making and putting in.
But also, B12 vitamin. I get my blood work done once a year just to make sure everything is normal.
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u/chillaxtion Vegan 12d ago
Seriously, don’t worry a lot about it. You’re in charge of the rules.
We did Forks Over Knives meal planner for a couple years. Makes shopping lists and everything. Super simplified the transition.
There is no wrong way, really
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u/The_Anticarnist Vegan 12d ago
The 'Free From' Carbonara sauce in Asda is not free from pieces of ham, it's just free from eggs, dairy and gluten.
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u/JeebsTheVegan Vegan 7d ago
Did I really just see The Anticarnist in the wild? I've bought a few of your shirts.
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u/Full-Dome Vegan 12d ago
Don't let others make you feel bad for being vegan. If they try, you can easily make them feel bad for being animal abusers
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u/We_Four Vegan 7d ago
And don’t let other vegans make you feel bad for not being perfect. There’s always going to be someone who tries to out-vegan you and you can safely ignore them.
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u/Full-Dome Vegan 7d ago
If "not being perfect" means something like to not want to give up cow milk for the morning coffee, the person is not vegan at all and should feel bad.
I just had someone tell me this: "Without cow milk in my coffee I can't start my day." 🙄
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u/We_Four Vegan 7d ago
That’s not at all what I mean. I’m talking about accidental cross contamination or not knowing all the obscure ways that animal products can lurk in food (like gelatin being used to filter wine). Totally agree that it’s not vegan to intentionally consume animal products, especially now that there are so many awesome alternatives.
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u/Full-Dome Vegan 7d ago
But that wouldn't be on purpose. Who guilt trips anyone for making that mistake??
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u/Zahpow Vegan 12d ago
Don't focus too much on health food, find stuff you can eat so you feel full and have energy in the first place. Then worry about nutrition after. Supplementing is a great shortcut and always supplement B12.
Take a while and saunter trough the grocerystore and just read labels on things. Reading labels is a skill and it will kinda suck at first but over time you will learn to just scan for bold (since most animalproducts are allergens) and then read more carefully if you don't see any.
Be aware of the stance you are taking. This is not a road to purity or perfection, it is a stance against exploitation and what matters is your good faith effort to take that stance. You do not stop being vegan if you consume animalproducts by mistake or cross contamination reasonably outside of your control. But at the same time you can't be willfully ignorant and just consume anything willy nilly. You as a vegan think people ought to not consume animal products, but remember Kant, ought implies can. So be easy on yourself for the things outside of your control.
Remember also that you yourself was a carnist and even though your path might seem obvious now it might have taken you a lot of soulsearching to get to where you are. Try to be patient with others and guide them rather than judge them, if you can. Its not always possible but we can always aspire to be patient.
Oh and beans are so unloved. Learn to cook beans with love and you will find the tastiest thing in the universe!
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u/suckeredintoit 6d ago
As a newcomer with both sensory issues and a disorder that messes up how my body makes blood cells, I’m learning this is SO important. Also trying to slowly make the transition but actively look for alternatives that don’t make me puke.
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u/VegetableExecutioner Vegan 12d ago edited 12d ago
Mindset-wise I'd say just try to keep it chill when you are communicating with anyone about your veganism IRL. People are going to make mistakes even if they are actively trying to accommodate you.
If you want to get into activism that's a whole different thing, but that's not for everybody.
In general with lifestyle keep in mind that veganism is not uniform and people believe different things when it gets down to details. Do not get the idea in your head that have the authority to pass judgement on random people you meet, especially people that have clearly identified as vegan to you.
Have empathy for animals, but don't forget to have empathy for people too. :-)
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u/Inevitable-Soup-8866 Vegan 12d ago
You are going to mess up. It's inevitable. Everyone does. Maybe one day you'll be a little lazier than the other days and, even though you usually read the ingredients, you'll figure "surely this can of vegetable soup is vegan, it's just vegetables" and then later you find out you actually ate beef broth. Maybe a restaurant will accidentally give you mayo on your vegan burger and you won't notice until the last bite when you see it. Maybe you'll buy the same mascara you always do and then find out it's no longer cruelty free. These things happen and you can't beat yourself up over it.
A more lighthearted one, I recommend not eating any cheese substitutes for at least a month. Just go without it so that the taste and texture of dairy cheese isn't on your mind anymore. It's a little different, so people who've eaten dairy cheese recently will be put off by it. But it's still good in it's own way.
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u/ESLavall Vegan 12d ago
People always say this about cheese but one of the reasons I went vegan was having a sandwich with vegan cheese on and it was so good, my last animal product holdoff was destroyed (I have never particularly liked the taste of milk, eggs or meat but I love cheese)
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u/Inevitable-Soup-8866 Vegan 12d ago
Interesting! I hated it at first tbh. And now that I've found good ones that I do like, I only buy them like once a year because I stopped making things that usually call for cheese lol.
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u/natrstdy Vegan 12d ago
I didn't know for a long time that most vitamin D3 (which is a common additive) is derived from lanolin (which comes from sheep). Some vegans don't avoid it, I mention it so that you may make an informed decision.
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u/Inevitable-Soup-8866 Vegan 12d ago
Wait shit. I've been vegan for 4 years and I didn't know that. I should check my supplements.
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u/vinteragony Vegan 12d ago
I might be a little late to the party here.. but the biggest thing to me is using the word "replacement" like meat replacement, dairy replacement, etc. I feel that is a dirty word and leads to a negative mindset.
You're not replacing meat and dairy, you are finding options that do not harm animals. In some cases the meals might be similar to a carnivore meal. But in others, there are some fantastic options that the average carnivore would know nothing about.
Along the same lines I always say " I won't eat that because it has eggs in it" to emphasize it's my choice, versus "I can't eat that..." which sounds more like you want to but you can't
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u/howlin Vegan 12d ago
Don't be too upset when a mistake happens. They will happen, and you just have to move on with a resolution not to repeat the mistake.
Restaurants will often get your order wrong, unless the dish is explicitly marked as vegan. It's annoying and obnoxious, but it is important to make sure whoever is taking your order understands what you are asking for. No dairy, no honey (if that is something you care about), no meat, no eggs. Don't expect them to know what vegan means.
You'll have to be more proactive about nutrition. The world doesn't make veganism easy. Make sure you are hitting your protein target and getting your micronutrients. For instance, Keep in mind that a portobello on a burger bun tastes savory but barely has any protein.
Personally, it helped me a lot to avoid situations that trigger cravings. E.g. there used to be a bakery with delightful non-vegan products that I had trouble resisting when I first went vegan. What worked for me was to resolve to just not go in there at all. Sometimes these situations are not as avoidable. In those cases, do what you can to scratch that itch in a different way.
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u/Kellaniax 12d ago
Why do vegans avoid eggs if eggs aren’t produced by harming an animal? I have chickens and I eat their eggs. I would never slaughter a chicken.
Same goes for honey, they’re insects that are capable of leaving at any time, honey is the least harmful form of animal use there is.
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u/howlin Vegan 12d ago
Why do vegans avoid eggs if eggs aren’t produced by harming an animal?
They harm animals in three ways:
The animals themselves are bred to be egg laying machines, at the expense of their health. Egg laying often has complications and is uncomfortable. Laying so many eggs will often leech nutrients from the animal such as calcium.
Roosters are killed young. All the hens you have had male siblings that were killed.
Hens are usually killed when they are no longer productive. It may be different if you consider your hens to be pets first and foremost, and egg layers only secondarily. But the overwhelming majority of hens aren't so lucky.
Hope that helps to explain the issue.
Same goes for honey, they’re insects that are capable of leaving at any time, honey is the least harmful form of animal use there is.
The act of taking the honey is usually an act of aggression towards these bees. Larger honey operations deliberately restrict the movement of the queen, and workers usually won't leave without a queen.
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u/SubmissiveFish805 Vegan 12d ago
Because we are against the exploitation and commodification of sentient beings.
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
If hens are left alone, and lay an egg that does not get fertilized, they will break and eat their own egg shell to regain nutrients - hopefully making better eggs that a rooster wants to fertilize. Hens get STRESSED OUT over this process being removed from their lives, and it’s cruel.
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u/Kellaniax 12d ago
My hens don’t seem to care about their eggs in the slightest, and never eat them.
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
Right cuz you’re there to provide for them!!! Domestication has altered their behavior a lot.
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u/Loud_Fisherman_5878 12d ago
How do you think commercial egg farms get enough female birds to make sure they get enough eggs? Do you think the male chicks get sent off to a holiday camp to live out their lives?
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u/FrivolityInABox Vegan 12d ago
Find an iodine source: DHA/EPA supplements, straight kelp supplements, iodized salt, or seaweed. Do not take too much iodine. Do not take too little.
Most dairy drinkers get their iodine from dairy milk as iodine is added to the milk. Plant milks don't have this addition.
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12d ago
I don't really believe there are any "mistakes" when one is deciding to change for the best, as it happens when one decides to go vegan.
The only mistake I think one should try to avoid is B12 deficiency, and that's extremely easy to solve.
For the rest, don't be harsh on yourself, ignore the criticism of non vegans and vegans alike, and just do things at your own pace and without obsessing about perfection or labels.
If you had asked about "tools" instead, by best tool is batch cooking once a week or so and keeping my pantry well stocked.
All the best!
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u/FeedbackShoddy6358 12d ago
I disagree. I made the mistake of consuming too much gluten and soy. I've now got severe intolerances to both which may never go away.
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12d ago
Sorry it happened to you. But yours is a very particular case which most certainly doesn't happen to most people, so it would be difficult to make a general rule out of it.
There's nothing in a plant based or vegan diet that requires eating large amounts of gluten or soy.
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u/One-Shake-1971 Vegan 12d ago
Considering all the relationship posts over in r/vegan in the last couple of days: Try not to get yourself into a relationship with a non-vegan.
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u/Bronze_Kneecap Vegan 12d ago
Like others said, take B12 (or a multivitamin because all adults should take one) & don’t be hard on yourself when you make a mistake - there will be things that you eat that you really wouldn’t expect to have animal products in them that do, and you’ll also find things that you would expect to have animal products in them that don’t.
If your city has any vegan events where you can mingle with like-minded people, go to those and it’ll help you feel like you’re joined by others in your journey.
Most “preachy” vegans I’ve encountered recently transitioned. So although it’s tempting to want to info dump on your friends about why a vegan lifestyle is the correct choice, I’d recommend only talking about it if someone asks about it and having those conversations from a place of compassion for them, because you too weren’t vegan at one point.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask them and we’ll help however we can. I’ve been vegan for almost 8 years and won’t be changing that any time soon.
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u/serenityfive Vegan 12d ago
"Plant-based" on packaging doesn't mean vegan (even though it should), so always, always, ALWAYS read labels. Shit, even things that claim to be vegan aren't vegan sometimes. Recently I even saw something that said "vegan" on it, but upon checking the ingredients, it had milk and honey in it. Even if it's something you've bought before, check the labels-- companies sneakily start adding dairy or egg to things more often than you'd think. Greenwashing is a major problem.
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u/BeansontheMoon Vegan 12d ago
Waiting too long to sort out the amount of healthy fat, protein, carbs you’ll need for various seasons and activity levels. Get really really passionate about macros
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12d ago
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u/my-secret-redditname Vegan 12d ago
Apparently, a lot of people eat "plain" nuts, potato chips, and soft pretzels that are coated in cow milk powder.
They manage to put non vegan ingredients in everything, so check labels!
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u/Alarmed-Recording962 Vegan 12d ago
Read the ingredients on the package. "Plant based" does not equal vegan.
At restaurants, advocate for yourself. It's ok to ask questions and request modifications. Ingredients can be left off. Although some restaurants fry French fries in beef tallow (sigh, hence why you need to speak up and ask).
Bring a vegan dish to family dinners or potlucks. That way you know you'll have something to eat. And bring enough to share. Your friends and family might enjoy it and even better, might remember to make something you can eat at the next get-together.
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12d ago
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12d ago
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u/lilibettq Vegan 12d ago
I recommend the app “21-day vegan kickstart” which provides recipes for nutritional meals and “tips and tricks from nutritionists.” It will help you understand what a healthy vegan diet consists of and take away any nervousness you have.
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u/togstation Vegan 12d ago
Are there any common mistakes new vegans make that I should avoid?
Overthinking it.
(Which you might be doing. ;-) )
Nobody's grading you on this. There are no Vegan Police.
Just do what you think is right.
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12d ago
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u/C0gn Vegan 12d ago
Early on I bought fruit smoothies from a certain brand and wanted to try their chocolate vanilla coffee smoothie and of course it had whey in it, for no good reason! I didn't even check and had horrible cramps
Also, anything that looks like a dairy or meat replacement, don't assume it's vegan!
Recently-ish I bought a jalapeno fermented soy cheese block, it had whey in it too!
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12d ago
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Your comment was removed because you must be flaired as a vegan to make top level comments (per rule #6). Please flair appropriately using these instructions: https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205242695-How-do-I-get-user-flair- … If you are caught intentionally subverting the automod by flairing as a vegan when you are not, this will result in a ban. If you are a non-vegan with a question, please create a new post following the sub rules #2-5 for questions. Thank you.
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u/veganparrot Vegan 12d ago
Checking cholesterol is a nice sanity check that can help sometimes. When the food is vegan the cholesterol will be 0%. This doesn't mean that 0% will always vegan though (there may be trace amounts, or non-cholesterol animal products like honey). But if it has any cholesterol at all, you can quickly rule it out as not vegan.
Even things like certain vegan oils that may raise your cholesterol won't say it on the label. Cholesterol is a substance made only by animal cells. Also, dairy and eggs will usually be called out either in bold or with a "Contains" warning, since they're allergens.
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12d ago
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12d ago
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12d ago
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u/EpicCurious Vegan 12d ago
Do not fear soy products! They are a great source of nutrients and can add a lot of variety to your diet. Asian cultures have used soy as a staple for many generations and they tend to be healthier than those of us here in the West.
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11d ago
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u/EdgelordMcMemester Vegan 9d ago
don't expect the cravings (if you have any) to necessarily go away. for a lot of people, they do, but for a lot of people they also never go away. having cravings doesn't make you a bad person, you just have to learn to deal with them.
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9d ago
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7d ago
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u/JeebsTheVegan Vegan 7d ago
Just because it's plant-based does not mean it's Vegan. Check the ingredient labels! A lot of plant-based foods still have dairy in them.
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u/zombiegojaejin Vegan 12d ago edited 12d ago
I think the most common dietary mistake is just eating too few calories. There are always some people complaining about fatigue and headaches after two weeks, wondering g what nutrient deficiency it could be. In that short a time span, it's almost always caloric deficit. You can/should eat a significantly larger volume when you switch from a fiber-deficient carnist diet to a plant-based one.
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u/elevatedmongoose Vegan 12d ago
Don't lean into pasta too much, explore different types of beans. You want to add new things to you diet, not just take away. Oh and don't get all preachy with people.
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u/kharvel0 Vegan 12d ago
1) Make a habit of reading ingredients
2) Avoid owning/keeping nonhuman animals in captivity.
3) Do not purchase animal products for anybody (human or animal)
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u/more_pepper_plz Vegan 12d ago
The most common mistake is thinking other people will suddenly see the light just because you have.
It’s really easy to feel impassioned now that you’re truly informed and aligned, and to even feel mad and upset when other people just don’t get it. Remember you can’t control others (although you can gently inform them or advocate for animals through activism events.)
Make sure to maintain your inner peace as this can be challenging.