My Veganuary Experience: 3 Lessons I Learned Doing it Wrong

Tips to enjoy the challenge (and the food) to the fullest

Embarking on a vegan journey can be a life-changing decision. Still, like any significant lifestyle change, it requires thoughtful planning and consideration.

Thinking about my own first Veganuary experience, the first time I tried it, I realised that I made so many crucial mistakes that hindered my progress and overall enjoyment of the journey.

New year, new life, new diet

As 2023 approached, like many people on the planet, I began thinking about my resolutions:

“In January, I will go to the gym 24/7, always be nice with coworkers, even the worst ones, I will travel and read more”

And so on.

This time, I wanted to challenge myself and embrace a vegan lifestyle in January. While I loved eating vegan whenever I could, committing to an entire month without animal products sounded intimidating. Nevertheless, I was determined to try it and see how it would impact my life.

As January began, I was excited about embarking on this vegan journey. I gathered vegan cookbooks, scoured Instagram for plant-based recipes and vegan content creators (looove @fitgreenmind, @eatmoreplants and @littleveganwitch!), and even joined online vegan communities for support and inspiration.

I knew organisation would be crucial, especially considering my full-time job and limited time to dedicate to cooking.

Flavors Explored, Lessons Learned!

During the first week, I prepared some delicious and satisfying vegan meals. And I was proud of it! I tested different fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, discovering new flavours and textures along the way. However, as the days passed and my work schedule became more demanding, I found it increasingly challenging to keep up with the level of organisation required for vegan meal preparation.

The second week proved to be the most difficult. I needed more time and energy to plan balanced and nutritious vegan meals. I often opted for simple salads or repetitive dishes that didn’t excite my taste buds. My initial enthusiasm started to wane, and I wondered whether I could sustain this lifestyle for the entire month.

By the end of the second week, I decided to quit Veganuary. However, I didn’t consider it a total failure; instead, I saw it as an opportunity to learn valuable lessons.

Here are the lessons I learned from going vegan the wrong way.

The Cold Turkey Approach

One of my biggest mistakes was suddenly cutting out all animal products from my diet. While I was determined to make a positive change, I should have recognised that my taste buds and cravings would take time to adjust. I should have taken a more gradual approach, reducing certain animal products before eliminating them entirely. By doing so, I could have given myself time to explore plant-based alternatives and gradually develop a taste for them without feeling deprived of the foods I loved.

For instance, cheese was my weakness, and I still struggle to resist its allure. By gradually cutting out other animal products first and leaving cheese for last, I might have been more successful in finding satisfying dairy-free alternatives.

This way, I would have been better equipped to overcome the cravings and transition to a fully plant-based diet more smoothly.

Neglecting Meal Planning

Meal planning is essential when transitioning to a vegan diet, especially if you’re used to relying on animal-based ingredients for quick and easy meals. Unfortunately, I skipped this crucial step, assuming I could find plant-based alternatives for my go-to lazy meals on the fly.

However, I quickly discovered that without proper planning, finding convenient and satisfying plant-based options was challenging when I needed them the most.

In hindsight, I should have taken the time to research and experiment with vegan meal options that could have served as quick and effortless replacements for my previous non-vegan choices. By having a well-stocked pantry and a repertoire of simple vegan recipes, I would have been better prepared to handle those moments of temptation and avoid reverting to old eating habits.

Zero Tolerance for Mistakes

Another mistake I made during my Veganuary journey was being too hard on myself whenever I slipped up and consumed something non-plant-based. Instead of acknowledging that transitioning to a vegan lifestyle is a process, I adopted an all or nothing mindset. If I made a mistake and ate something non-vegan, I considered the entire day a failure and felt discouraged.

Looking back, I realise that this unforgiving approach only served to demotivate me. It’s essential to remember that mistakes are a natural part of any significant change, and it’s better to view them as learning opportunities rather than reasons to give up. By allowing myself more flexibility and understanding, I could have corrected my course day by day, reinforcing my commitment to a vegan lifestyle.

What I Learned about My First Veganuary Fail:

According to The Renaissaint, in The Benefits of Veganuary and Why It’s Okay to Fail, embracing Veganuary can have transformative effects on one’s life, even if the journey is not completed as initially intended. Veganuary offers numerous benefits, from promoting better health to reducing environmental impact and supporting animal welfare.

It encourages individuals to view any attempt at going vegan, even if it is a perceived failure, as a step in the right direction. That’s why planning and preparation are crucial for success, and that seeking support from like-minded individuals can make the transition to a vegan lifestyle more manageable.

By understanding that flexibility and progress are key, individuals can learn from their Veganuary experiences and make more informed choices towards a compassionate and sustainable lifestyle in their future endeavours.

Here’s how I’ve adjusted my shot during my adventure with veganism:

• I realised that you don’t become a vegan overnight. Come on, how is it possible to do that if you have a good appetite and are so used to enjoying consuming so many animal ingredients? Starting gradually is key, and yes, I can indulge in cheese until I gradually replace it with its plant-based variant! This does not mean not committing to my new diet; quite the opposite!
• Planning is everything. I’ve noticed that many vegan dishes need to juggle the stove more than omnivore dishes. For example, I’ve seen a difference in making grilled meat and savoury tofu, the latter of which needs marinating for hours in soy sauce and spices, and if you forget to do that, well, the tofu will turn out rather bland in flavour when cooking. As a result, I always have veggie burgers in the fridge to save my dinner, or if I’m cooking something like a legume soup or legume patties, I’ll either make more of those and freeze them.
  The freezer is everyone’s best friend in busy times!
• As mentioned in the first point, it’s not an all-or-nothing thing. If you need animal food in the early periods, indulge; it’s okay not to be perfect sometimes.

Consistency always makes the difference for many things in life, not perfection. Transitioning into veganism is one of those.

Going vegan the wrong way may lead to unnecessary challenges and frustrations, hindering the overall success of the journey.

This first Veganuary experience taught me the importance of patience and preparation when transitioning to a plant-based diet.

However, by gradually reducing animal products, investing time in meal planning, and allowing for mistakes along the way, everyone can increase their chances of enjoying a smooth and sustainable transition to a vegan diet (and lifestyle).

Remember, every step towards a more compassionate and sustainable world is worth celebrating, whether small or imperfect.