Thinking of going vegan? Start with these 9 beginner steps

When I decided to go vegan at 35, I made every mistake in the book.

I threw out half my pantry in a burst of enthusiasm, then stood in the grocery store three days later, overwhelmed and hungry, with no idea what to buy. I wish someone had told me then what I'm telling you now: this doesn't have to be complicated.

The best vegan journey is the one you'll actually stick with. That means starting with practical steps that fit your life, not someone else's ideal. Here are nine beginner steps that will help you build a sustainable vegan practice, one choice at a time.

1. Learn what you're already eating

Before changing anything, spend a week noticing what's already on your plate. I was surprised to discover that my morning oatmeal, my favorite pasta dish, and those roasted vegetables I made every Sunday were already vegan.

Starting from a place of abundance rather than restriction changed everything for me.

Make a list of meals you currently enjoy that are either vegan or could easily become vegan with simple swaps. This becomes your foundation, the familiar ground you can return to when you're tired or stressed.

What meals do you already love that don't center around animal products?

2. Add before you subtract

My finance brain loves this approach: focus on adding new foods before removing old ones.

Spend a few weeks exploring vegetables you've never tried, experimenting with legumes, discovering how satisfying a well-seasoned tofu scramble can be. This builds your repertoire and your confidence.

I started bringing home one unfamiliar ingredient each week. Purple sweet potatoes. Nutritional yeast. Tahini. Each one expanded my cooking vocabulary without the pressure of giving anything up yet.

When your plate is full of foods you genuinely enjoy, you'll find yourself naturally reaching for animal products less often. The transition happens through attraction, not deprivation.

3. Find your why and write it down

On day twelve of my vegan journey, I stood in front of a cheese display having an existential crisis.

What saved me wasn't willpower. It was the note I'd written to myself after watching that factory farming documentary, the one that made me sob in my living room at midnight.

Your why doesn't have to be dramatic or perfectly articulated. Maybe it's about health, or the environment, or you can't stop thinking about what you learned about animal agriculture. Whatever it is, write it down somewhere you can revisit when motivation wavers.

What matters enough to you that you're willing to change your daily habits for it?

4. Master three reliable meals

Forget trying to become a gourmet vegan chef overnight. Instead, get really good at three simple meals you can make without thinking. For me, it was a big pot of lentil soup, a sheet pan of roasted vegetables with quinoa, and a basic stir-fry formula I could adapt endlessly.

These become your anchor meals, the ones you turn to when you're tired or stressed or just don't want to think. They're the difference between ordering takeout and staying on track.

Practice these until they're second nature. Your future self, standing exhausted in the kitchen at 7 PM on a Wednesday, will thank you.

5. Stock a practical pantry

You don't need every specialty ingredient or superfood. You need basics that work hard: canned beans, rice, pasta, oats, peanut butter, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, and whatever spices you actually use.

I wasted money on expensive items I thought I should have before I learned to focus on what I'd actually cook with.

Add fresh vegetables, fruits, and some frozen options for backup. A well-stocked freezer saved me countless times when I was too tired to shop but needed something nutritious.

Start simple and build from there as you discover what you reach for most often.

6. Plan for your vulnerable moments

I'm most likely to make choices I'll regret when I'm hungry, tired, or stressed.

Sound familiar? The key is planning for these moments before they happen. I keep protein bars in my car, pack snacks when I travel, and always have something quick in the freezer for those nights when cooking feels impossible.

Think about when you're most vulnerable to falling back on old habits. What's your pattern? Late night snacking? Rushed mornings? Social pressure at work lunches?

Create specific strategies for your specific challenges. Generic advice won't help you at 4 PM when your blood sugar crashes and someone brings donuts to the office.

7. Connect with other vegans

I'm naturally independent, so I initially resisted this step. That was a mistake. Finding even one other person who understood what I was navigating made everything easier.

They knew which local restaurants had good options, could commiserate about awkward family dinners, and celebrated my small wins.

This doesn't mean you need to join every vegan group or attend meetups if that's not your style. Even following a few relatable vegans online or having one friend you can text with questions helps.

Who in your life might support this change, even if they're not vegan themselves?

8. Practice the 80/20 approach

Perfectionism nearly derailed my vegan journey in the first month. I spent 20 minutes in a pharmacy reading ingredient labels on vitamins, stressed about whether my sugar was bone char filtered, and felt guilty about the leather shoes I already owned. It was exhausting.

Focus your energy on the choices that matter most: what you eat daily, what you buy regularly. Let go of obsessing over trace ingredients or beating yourself up over past purchases. Progress matters more than perfection.

This approach is sustainable. Rigid perfectionism usually isn't, at least not for most of us living real lives with real constraints.

9. Give yourself time to adjust

My taste buds took about six weeks to fully recalibrate. Foods I initially found bland started tasting complex and satisfying. That craving for cheese that felt overwhelming in week two had mostly disappeared by month three. Your body and brain need time to adapt.

I gave myself three months before making any final judgments about whether this lifestyle worked for me. That removed the daily pressure of deciding whether to continue and let me focus on learning and experimenting instead.

What would it feel like to commit to trying this for a specific timeframe, knowing you can reassess later without judgment?

Final thoughts

Five years into this journey, I barely recognize the overwhelmed person I was in that grocery store, paralyzed by choices.

The transition that felt so daunting then is now simply how I live. But I got here through small, practical steps, not through perfection or dramatic overnight changes.

Your path will look different from mine, and that's exactly how it should be. Start with one step that feels manageable today. Maybe it's trying one new recipe this week, or simply paying attention to what you're already eating. Trust that each small choice builds on the last.

The question isn't whether you can do this perfectly. It's whether you're willing to start where you are and keep learning as you go.