Its Pig: Not Pork
By: Alisha Thapa
Tags: Veganism, Plant Based, Vegan, Plant Based Diets

If you made it this far into this blog and thinking this lifestyle is impossible as per your schedule, I think it’s my duty as a fellow vegan to simplify it so you and I can help lessen our carbon footprint and make this planet a better place to live for every living being.

Take baby steps

If you decide to cut out everything overnight and wake up Vegan, you are more likely to fail. So start small. Take baby steps. Try eating plant-based once a week, start less consumption of dairy, stop buying items made of silk, wool or leather and start experimenting with plant-based options. Go easy on yourself!

2. Be open-minded

You might think of the stench of butter chicken as soon as you hear Indian, but trust me Indian spices on tofu, mmmm perfecto! I mean most south Asian, Meditteranean and Ethiopian foods are vegan. So be open-minded and experiment with the recipes. Know your spices and see which one suits you the best. You will be surprised how wholesome most of these recipes are.

3. Find milk substitutes you like

The best milk for coffee. It's creamy like cow’s milk while being 100% animal-free.

Milk seems to be the biggest issue for most people so it's crucial to experiment with the wide variety and find the one you like. Soy, almond, hemp, macadamia, oat, hazelnut, coconut, rice and pea milk can be used for different purposes, and cater to people with allergies or intolerances. I mean come on, there is absolutely no reason why you should stick to cow’s milk that is meant for the calf.

4. Read Labels

Have you ever wondered if all pasta is vegan? Well, you are in for a ride as you will be surprised to learn how many foods aren’t vegan. When you are switching to a plant-based diet, our goal is to maximize the intake of B12, Vitamin C and iron as much as we can and reading the labels is a way to go. So while buying the packaged food, make sure to read the labels.

5. Stick to what you like

Eating plant-based doesn’t mean you will have to give up everything you like and start your food journey over. If you are a huge fan of cookies and ice cream, bake your vegan cookies which won’t give you salmonella as there is no raw egg in it if you decide to eat a little raw cookie dough and eat your warm fudgy cookie with soy/cashew/almond/oat milk icecream.

Jesus knew what he was doing

6. C-A-R-B-S are your best friend

Unlike popular belief, vegans and vegetarians don’t just eat leaves. You can enjoy your homemade chilli with bread, perfectly steamed rice with chickpea curry and overnight oats for breakfast. Carbs help you keep full for a long time so you don’t give in to your temptation of sneaking to McDonald's for a quick nuggets break.

7. Experiment with the recipe

I cannot stress this enough. Honestly, it's really easy to eat pizza and pasta on repeat or boil broccoli to be healthy. Buy some veggies, experiment with kale, add some colour with purple potatoes, beetroot and use all the spices under the sun to see what you like. Maybe the first few times, you will throw the food away but slowly you will see the change in your taste palette and be a pro at cooking.

8. When in doubt, make pizza and pasta

When nothing seems to be working, go with the classics. Make weekends, pizza or pasta night and make it at home with your family or friends. It's such a great way to spend some quality time and add as much cheese or mushroom as you like without getting frustrated over dominos employee. You can always add vegan sausage, plant-based bacon or plant-based mince to make it fancy.

9. Be patient and forgive yourself.

Throwing away all your wool, leather and silk clothing and opting for vegan options are neither sustainable fashion nor good for your wallet. So be patient and make changes slowly. It's okay to give in to the temptation of cheese or ice cream sometimes, doesn't mean you have to give up on your effort. Forgive yourself and go back to your diet. We are all humans.

Vegan Eatery Around Sydney

Sydney is an oasis for anyone considering a plant-based lifestyle with supermarket stacked with plant-based food to vegan cafe and restaurants. As a vegan we do tend to cook a lot as paying $17 for peas and bokchoy curry or $20 for a salad that has 3 avocados is ridiculous but thanks to 12.1% vegan Australians, we have seen a rise in several vegan eateries. Here are some of my favourite vegan places around Sydney to eat:

Soul Burger: The most amazing burger and loaded fries in the whole world. Gigi Pizzeria : I dream about their calzone and pizzas. San Churros: They sell amazing vegan churros and dip options. If you have never had their cookie butter obsessed bunuelos snack pack, you miss out on life’s pleasure. Lonely Mouth: I mean you will have to ask the waiter if they made a mistake because their ramen tastes better than the one with pig’s bone in it. The toppings, the flavour, the texture everything is perfect. Golden Lotus: If you thought giving up meat means giving up hearty Vietnamese pho broth, think again. They have an extensive menu with 9 vegan chicken dishes, 5 vegan fish dishes and many other amazing Vietnamese dishes and all of them are as authentic as they get. OhMyDays: I drove 1hour just to be able to eat croissant again. They serve the most amazing and extensive fully vegan breakfast menu and the star of the place are their amazing flaky croissants and bread. Their almond croissant is just heavenly!

I mean these are my favourite and I still have hundreds of other places to try. You can also go to any Thai, Indian and Chinese restaurants and customize the menu to be vegan.