Easy Ways to Transition Into a Vegetarian Lifestyle

Traditionally, yoga and living a vegetarian lifestyle were inextricably linked. According to Yoga Journal, “… vegetarianism is very much in the spirit of the Indian tradition.” These days, there are many yogis who commit to the practice of yoga yet still eat meat, however, the mainstream popularity of living a vegetarian lifestyle has increased rapidly.

There may be a number of reasons you’re considering a vegetarian lifestyle, whether it’s for environmental reasons, animal rights or for your own health, making the transition can be difficult if you haven’t done your research.

We’ve put together some handy tips to make your transition easier:

Do your research

There are plenty of tropes about sick vegetarians and many will tell you it’s an unhealthy lifestyle. However, it doesn’t have to be. It’s important that you do your research and look at how to live a healthy diet filled with all of the vitamins, nutrients and protein that all humans need.

Thankfully, you can find stacks of information at the click of a finger! Goveg.com and Better Health have a few handy tips to get you started.

#meatfreemonday

#meatfreemonday, is a popular Instagram trend is adopted by people all around the world. If you’re struggling to quit meat altogether, why not make it a gradual progression? Start by introducing meat-free Mondays into your lifestyle, the next week add another day in and so on. If you’re looking for some meal inspo, take a look at the #meatfreemonday hashtag on Insta.

Be prepared

Most restaurants and cafes will cater for vegetarians these days, but there are the occasional few that don’t. It always pays to have a quick look at the menu before you head to a new place.

When you do have a positive dining experience with restaurants that are prepared to cater for you take note so you can return and share an online review so others can also have an enjoyable experience.

Are you in Sydney? Take a look at these tasty options.

If you are visiting a friend’s or a family member for dinner understand that they may not have catered for your new found vegetarianism. This may purely be because they don’t know what to cook or they may have forgotten. It’s best not to rely on other people to cater for you, make it easier on yourself and them, take your own meals with you when you suspect that there may not be any suitable options for you.

Add a replacement

It’s not enough to simply cut out meat; you need to replace your meat-based protein with a veggie friendly alternative. Most people think of tofu and beans as the only protein that vegetarians eat, but that’s not true! Both of these options can be super tasty, vegetarians now have a whole suite of options to choose from including tempeh, hempseed, chia, nuts, seitan, amaranth, some vegetables and more!

Health Line has put together a few great suggestions here.

Suss out your local health food shop

Your local health food shop may just become your best friend. They are typically hugely knowledgeable when it comes to living a vegetarian lifestyle. If you’ve got questions, are looking for a tasty new product to try we suggest you head on in and have a chat.

We hope that these tips help you in living a vegetarian lifestyle. Remember, everyone is different, take some time and be patient with yourself. Research and ask for advice along the way. You may also notice that as you transition you may lose weight, or experience changes in your body shape. This is perfectly normal. If you’d like to track your progress, why not consider using one of our Yunmai Smart Body Composition scales. These come complete with a handy app so you’ll be able to monitor your progress with ease.