Tips for going vegetarian or vegan in 2019

TIPS FOR GOING VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN

It’s the time of year for New Years resolutions and plans for the new year.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about going vegetarian, vegan, eat more sustainable, lead a cleaner, healthier life, loose some weight, feel lighter, gain more energy, be earth friendly or any other reason for going vegetarian or vegan.

No matter why you are thinking about making the switch, these Tips For Going Vegan are sure to help you on your way!

As a vegetarian since early age, (these days i’m not strictly vegetarian but serve mostly vegetarian food at home ), mom of four, chef and vegetarian chef with special intrest in vegan and vegetarian food and diets, founder of the veggie cantina and cooking classes at the Steinerschool at Nordstrand, Oslo, Norway and blogger for more than a decade I will share with you what helped me most on my journey!

Transitioning to a vegetarian or vegan diet is easier than you might think.

Whether you want to make the transition gradually, or overnight, the biggest hurdle probably revolves around the question “But what do I eat now?” Or “will I feel full and get all the nutrients needed?”

Since making food and finding recipes is my area of expertise, that’s what this post will focus on.

For years, I practiced my vegetaran cooking and baking, making recipes from other blogs and cookbooks. As Im highly creative and love innovation and improvising and to create new recepies I’ve made a lot of trial and errors and made vegetarian dishes every day and that way sorted out what is favourites and what works well in my family, for children in general and what is all time favourites.

I love simple, tasty recepies and I’m definately a big fan of everyday recepies that are affordable and simple to make.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a nutritionist or a physician. I am simply a vegetarian/ vegan cook and mom who enjoys food and sharing my recipes. What you see on this blog is not intended to replace your physician’s advice and is not intended to cure, treat or prevent any disease. Please talk to your doctor about what is right for you.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Don’t overthink. Just go for it. A good approach is telling your friends and family you still eat and like all kinds of food, just not meat and fish (or all foods from animals if you’re vegan)

Go to a vegetable store and enjoy “the view “, look at all the beautiful vegetables, go trough the shelves with tons of different beans, lentils and peas. Look in the freezer at the Asian market and find dumpling skin, spring roll pancakes, all kinds of mushrooms and fun things to try out and bring home things you’ll like to try. Remember vegetarian and vegan food is super affordable when made from scratch.

There are lots and lots of fancy recipes out there. Try them some times but for everyday use make simple, fast dishes like soups, casseroles, oven baked veggies, wok, pasta with veggies or whatever you prefer.

MAKE FAMILIAR FOODS YOU ALREADY ENJOY.

Think about the foods you are familiar with, and adapt them to be vegan. Do you like Spaghetti? Bean burritos? Lasagna? Pizza? Taco on Saturday ?Soup or Chili? Great! Then make delicious vegan versions of them. It’s easy. Just change it up and use vegetables, beans, lentils, seeds and nuts instead of meat.

This doesn’t mean you need to go for the pre made, processed food or meat-lookalikes in the freezer at the supermarket. The world is full of tasty, healthy, nourishing vegetables. You just need to do some research, be brave and adventurous , try something new and be prepared to be amazed.

Being a vegan or vegetarian often means to make more food from scratch, something I find as a win win situation. If you enjoy cooking that’s great, if you are a beginner, fine!! You’ll learn as you go. This is good for your health and good for your bank account. 😉

DEVELOP A ROUTINE.

Routines make everything easier. Every weekend, make a plan for what you want to cook and eat the next week. Make a shopping list, and shop for the whole week. This will save you money, time and so much mental energy!

I have 4 week plans for vegetarian weeks here at my blog. So go get inspired!

Make enough food at dinner so you have leftovers for lunch the next day. Vegetarian food stays well in the fridge and tastes good when you bring it in your lunch box too.

TRY OUT SOME NEW RECIPES TO FIND WHAT YOU LIKE.

Once you have a few familiar recipes you enjoy, branch out and try something new! If you have picky kids, maybe try a new recipe once a week and see how the family likes it. You just might be surprised and find something new to eat that everyone loves!

Remember it takes practice and patience and consistency. You often need to serve a dish several times before it becomes a favourite.

Try making a couple of different dishes at the same meal so your family can try different things. Besides it’s fun it also feels a bit luxurious and almost like a tapas or a buffet. Make the changes fun and exiting.

Please feel free to search my blog or Pinterest for a lot more ideas and recipes !

http://www.gudruns.blog/?s=Grønn+uke

CONSIDER NEW APPLIANCES TO MAKE THE TRANSITION EASIER AND MORE ENJOYABLE.

You don’t need anything special to cook and eat vegetarian or vegan, but there are some tools that make it easier and a whole lot more enjoyable!

By far the #1 kitchen appliance I recommend is a high powered blender, It is pricey, but SO worth it! They last for years and years, and you will use this thing often – maybe even every day. It’s essential for making purée, pesto or dressing, herb paste, smooth, creamy sauces, cheeses and soups Not to mention if you are a fan of green smoothies and fruit based ice cream, I even make oat flour and sesame- , oat- or nut- milk in it alongside nut butter.

DON’T TRY TO LIVE ON VEGETABLES ALONE. EATING VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN IS SATISFYING, FILLING AND ENJOYABLE.

Some people have this idea about vegetarians and vegans, that the only thing they eat is vegetables.

A lot of people believe they don’t get full or don’t get all the nourishment they need from vegetarian and vegan food. Nothing could be further from the truth! But, especially as a vegan you need to read and learn and make sure you put your weekly and daily meals together in a way that will give you all the nutritional ingredients you need to stay healthy.

Remember; you need amino acids and protein and to make sure you get the best protein sources you need to combine lentils, beans and seeds. If you’re just vegetarian, not vegan, make sure you eat eggs and products made of milk like yoghurt, cheese, sour cream and so on.

Now, I absolutely love vegetables and salads, but I can’t live on them alone. Even when I have a large salad, I top it with about a cup of beans, sometimes 1/2 an avocado and often a nuts or seeds. It’s filling and satisfying to the max!

If you go vegan, eat your vegetables, but also make sure you are eating potatoes, brown rice, pasta, bread, nuts, nut butters, seeds, fruit, beans, oatmeal, tofu, tempeh, haloumi etc.