How To Smash Veganuary: A 5 step Guide

By now, I'm sure we've all heard the word 'veganuary' from a friend doing it or on a celebrities social media and truth is, the thought of giving up your favourite foods can sound intimidating, but we're here to help.

At PRESS, we believe it is all about making small steps to big changes so if you're thinking about going plant-based, we've put together 5 easy steps to help you get started and stick with it! 

1. START WITH SMALL SWAPS 

Just because we are all about 100% plant-based eating doesn’t mean you have to be too! We have 0% judgement and meat eaters are always welcome to our PRESS squad too. A great way to ease into eating more plant-based is starting by swapping dairy with an alternative such as oat m*lk, almond, soy or coconut. Then you could try swapping 1 meal a day to plant-based like having vegan breakfasts for a week, then add vegan lunches in the second week, and so on! Meat-free Mondays are a fantastic way to begin because it gives you the opportunity to try it for a day only. This way it doesn’t seem so overwhelming and you can start experimenting which replacements you like. 

2. STOCK AND STORE IT

There is nothing worse than finding a great recipe and missing the key ingredient so make a list of all the vegan essentials you need and stocking up on them. Beans and pulses are a simple place to start and you can replace your usual protein source in a meal with chickpeas or lentils. However, ease yourself into this slowly because for a lot of people, these types of food can cause bloating. Start with small portions to begin with. 

Here's a list of vegan essential ingredients:

• Beans
• Grains: Rice, Oats, Quinoa
• Tempeh/ Tofu
• Nuts and Dried fruits
• Vegetable stock
• Nutritional yeast
• Maple syrup 
• Spices 

3. PLAN AND PREP

Planning meals for the week ahead is a huge time saving hack! Each Sunday plan what meals you'd like to eat and this will help you stay on track so you don't have to worry about what to eat after a long day of work (there's nothing worse than having a fridge full of food you can't eat when you're hungry!). 

Batch cooking is another great way to save time. Making double the portion size when cooking dinner will leave enough spare for the next day or give you the option of freezing it if you run out of meal ideas later in the month. 

4. PACK YOUR PLATE WITH GOODNESS 

Make sure your plate has a mix of all the macronutrients (protein, such as tofu; fat, such as avocado; and carbs, such as quinoa) and you’re hitting your vitamin and mineral intake. Not only will it help your plate taste better, but you’ll feel better for it too.

Look at increasing your vegetable intake, because you want to make sure that you’re getting all the nutrients in. That doesn’t mean buying loads and loads of fresh produce. Frozen vegetables are just as good or sometimes even more nutritious than fresh vegetables. 

While on your shopping trip, don’t be afraid to explore. Most supermarkets stock vegan meat alternatives, so if you think you’ll struggle without the flavour or texture of your favourite food then add these. We shouldn’t eat them for every meal of the month due to their highly processed nature and, often, high salt or oil contents. Instead of specific meat alternatives, try something like tofu or tempeh which you can marinade in the same style as meat. 

5. REMEMBER YOUR WHY

Understand why you actually want to go vegan. If it’s simply because you want a challenge, that’s fine. But going back to your reason will help you stick with it. Journalling or keeping a diary when you start is a great way to reflect on your plant-based journey and monitor how you feel. It's also a great way to track recipes as you go so you can come back to your favourites! 

If you are struggling through your vegan journey, it’s OK to step back and reevaluate your diet. Even if you go all in in January and after you decide to incorporate other foods into your diet after, that's also OK. At PRESS, we believe it's all about making small changes in your day to day to help you and the planet be healthier. 

To check out our 100% plant-based products visit https://press-london.com/collections/drinks