“No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew” ~ Albert Einstein

Going veg is the number one way to reduce the pain and suffering of animals, but to be successful you need to make the switch as painless for us as well?

1. Kicking The Meat Habit: Some people kick the meat habit cold tofurkey, but others find it easier to take it one step at a time. There’s no right or wrong way to do it—the most important thing is to find what works for you. Here’s some ways to get started:

Start with one animal, and take them out of your diet (try starting with chickens, or pigs—some of the most abused animals raised for meat). Substitute with veg alternatives such as tofu, or mock meats. Mock meats are processed so once you get the hang of the change in food you should reduce or eliminate them. They are great in the transition phase though. Keep removing different animals until you have an entirely animal-free diet. Pick two days a week to eat only veg meals. Increase the number of meat-free days each week over time.

Start with your favourite dish, and adjust the recipe to make it vegetarian. With many meat-free substitutes available, this should be a breeze! Work through your favorite recipes until all your meals are plant-based.

Make the switch with a friend! Not only will you have double the impact, but it’s fun and you will have someone to share recipes with.
Dont Stress: Being vegetarian or vegan is about helping animals, environment and making healthier decisions about your food—not about being ‘perfect’ Each meal is an important choice between cruelty and kindness, health and environment,  it’s important not to throw in the towel if you cave in to a craving! Most of us ate meat at some stage, but it’s the healthy choices we make today which determine how many lives will be saved tomorrow. If you don’t eat meat for a week, you’ll save two animals’ lives. The next week it will be four. In a year, 100—and over a lifetime, thousands! Eating meat is also one of the biggest contributors to environmental impacts and poor health.

For the animals’ sake, it’s vitally important not to spit the dummy if you discover that the satay sauce in the vegetarian meal you ordered had traces of an animal by-product! In reality, small amounts of animal products are impossible to avoid; they’re in our cars, in our computers, even paints! By not eating meat you will break the killing cycle which underpins these by-products. Fussing over micro-ingredients makes being vegetarian look very difficult and complicated to meat-eaters and that can cost lives if it turns people off thinking about going veg for themselves. So, chillax, know that you’re helping animals, your health and the environment so feel free to relax and take it easy! The further your go the more you grow and the easier it will get. You will know what are good foods and what are not in no time. With all new things it takes practice.

2. Make it Easy: We know that being veg is easy, and you know how simple it is to find and create delicious meat-free meals, but does your family? Catering for a new diet in the family can be a headache for even the most accomplished cook, but you can make it easy! Offer to help with the shopping, and load up the trolley with cruelty-free goodies including mock-meats—which can be used in all the same meaty recipes your family will be used to. But don’t stop there.  Get your hands dirty in the kitchen and help prepare some delicious cruelty-free meals for the whole family to enjoy. They will be glad for the help, and will learn first-hand how tasty meat-free meals can be!

3. Stay Healthy: Ditching meat, dairy and eggs can do wonders for your health. But as with any diet, if you don’t eat well, you’ll get sick. So be smart and make sure you’re getting all the fuel your body needs to stay in tip top shape. Click here for same basic tips on nutrition. After all, we owe it to the animals to be lean mean veggie machines, so that we can show others how great cruelty-free living can be.

4. What To Eat: I suggest getting your self a simple cook book or try my favorite web site and branching out from there, Check out recipe sites and put your own spin on recipes, have fun with it. Order your Starter Kit or Join an online cooking class through SPORK Foods an easy online and fun way to learn about how to adopt your new plant-based way of living. If you’re not ready to give it all up for plant-based living that;s ok too, the point here is to have everyone reduce and live responsibly, do what you can.

“Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny”  ~T Edwards