Turning to a plant-based way of life feels really personal. It’s often quite rewarding too. Sometimes, though, it feels like walking into unknown places. You might encounter ingredients you’ve never seen before. Challenges can surely come as a surprise. This change is bigger than just the foods you eat. It affects how you cook your food and even how you shop and view food now.
Many folks who make this switch learn things the hard way. They encounter common problems that make the path much harder. It’s quite normal to hit a few bumps along the road. But knowing these potential pitfalls helps a lot. It’s the first step toward building lasting habits. Such habits make veganism truly enjoyable.
Drawing on her own life and love for plant-based eating, Nisha Vora wrote about common errors. She runs Rainbow Plant Life. Nisha identified twelve frequent errors people make when starting out as vegans. Her tips are very kind and useful. She thinks of animals and the planet first. Importantly, she also thinks of you learning. Let’s look at the first eight of her smart points. We’ll follow her thoughts on having a happy, lasting vegan life.
1. **Thinking about what you can’t have**: A big hurdle that new vegans often face is feeling deprived. People wrongly focus on the foods they can no longer eat. They forget about the huge array of choices now opening up. Instead, this mindset about limits feels like a sacrifice. It’s not seen as an exciting new food adventure.
Nisha Vora says that if veganism is embraced correctly, your cooking skills will increase. You’ll also feel more joy in the kitchen. Vora states, “If you’re doing veganism right, you’re learning how to make cooking fun.” This view changes the feeling from one of losing things to one of finding new ways to cook meals.
Rather than focusing on what’s not on your plate now, try something else. Instead, Vora wants you to shift your energy. Discover the fantastic world of plant-based foods. This could mean trying rich sauces made from cashews, using them for macaroni and cheese. Or you could find deep tastes in hearty lentil stews. Seeing veganism as more food choices helps you stay with it and enjoy this process genuinely.
2. **Only eating stereotypical vegan foods**: A common problem for new vegans is that they often eat the same things. They only eat foods labeled as ‘vegan’ in the usual Western way. Smoothie bowls and kale salads are fine foods, and simple grain bowls work okay too. But eating only these makes the diet feel very plain. It lacks variety and excitement after a while. This does not show how wide the range of plant foods really is.
Eating only a small number of dishes means missing out on so much. You miss out on a whole world of flavors and experiences. So much tradition lies in plant-based eating globally. The vegan diet actually offers so much variety. It draws on long cooking histories from many countries.
Vora strongly advises looking at global foods. Some have very old and active plant-based cooking traditions. Think of the amazing food in Indian cuisine. Ethiopian food has a lot to offer. Chinese or Greek food also demonstrates this. Look for recipes from people who were raised with these food traditions. This introduces you to new methods and ingredients. These add amazing taste and authenticity to your food. It makes eating plants much more thrilling.
Vegan Banana Bread
Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan Standard 9x5-inch
- 2 Medium Bowls One for wet, one for dry ingredients
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Rubber Spatula For folding ingredients
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Main
- Cooking spray
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 very ripe medium bananas mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup plain soy milk yogurt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom and two long sides of a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each long side, and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the bananas, sugar, yogurt, oil and vanilla together in another medium bowl. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until the batter just comes together (it's OK if there are lumps). Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes; tent the loaf with foil if it is browning too quickly. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then lift it from the pan by the parchment overhangs and cool completely on the rack. Store the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
3. **Not eating enough**: Feeling hungry constantly sometimes frustrates new vegans. They snack all the time or feel surprisingly very tired. This doesn’t mean veganism is bad for you. It usually means you just aren’t fueling your body properly.
Nisha Vora probably explains the reason clearly. She says, “You’re just not eating enough calories, or protein, or fat, or some combination thereof.” Foods from plants provide many nutrients. However, they have fewer calories for their size than meat. This means you may have to eat bigger portions or eat more calorie-dense plant foods to get enough energy.
To fix this issue, Vora tells you to add healthy fats to your meals on purpose. They have more calories and help you feel full longer. Foods like avocado or nuts work great. Seeds and tahini are good too. Olive oil is a nice addition. She also suggests making snacks substantial and filling. She likes fruit with nut butter. Or homemade trail mix can keep you full between mealtimes.
4. **Not planning ahead**: Changing how you eat, especially needing new recipes, takes some thought. Trying to just manage day-to-day makes you feel overwhelmed quickly. Not planning makes it easy to return to the foods you ate before.
Vora stresses that people who plan are more successful. They stick to their plant-based goals much better. This means spending a little time each week thinking about what meals you will make soon, what snacks you will keep ready for eating, and when you need to visit the grocery store.
One easy but powerful step that Vora mentions really helps. She says making a grocery list does this. As she notes, “Making a grocery list makes a huge difference.” Having your foods planned and bought means everything you need is at home. This makes cooking quick, healthy meals much simpler. You don’t grab less healthy, quick options when hunger hits all of a sudden.
Falafel
Equipment
- 1 Large Heavy Pot For deep frying
- 1 Food Processor With sharp blade
- 1 Deep-Fry Thermometer To monitor oil temperature
- 1 Cookie Scoop or Measuring Spoons For portioning
- 1 Spider or Slotted Spoon For removing falafel
Ingredients
Main
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 8 ounces dried chickpeas soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- Kosher salt
- Serving suggestions: pita bread lettuce, tomato, tahini, hot sauce and lemon wedges
Instructions
- Heat 3 inches oil in large heavy pot to 365 degrees F.
- Add the drained chickpeas to a food processor. Pulse until the chickpeas begin to break down, about 30 seconds. Add the parsley, baking powder and water, cumin, coriander, cayenne, garlic, onion and 2 teaspoons salt. Process continuously, stopping to scrape down the bowl once halfway through, until a homogenous paste forms, about 2 minutes.
- Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons, scoop the falafel mixture into balls and carefully drop one at a time into the hot oil in batches of nine. Fry until very deep golden brown all over, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the falafel to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture.
- Serve the warm falafel with pita bread, lettuce, tomato, tahini, hot sauce and lemon wedges.
Notes
5. **Not building a foundation with go-to foods**: Starting fresh for each meal takes a lot of your time. It also feels very scary. Without foods ready to use, making plant meals feels like a constant struggle. This makes you tired of it or makes you rely too much on already – made foods.
Nisha Vora suggests using important “vegan building blocks.” These parts are made ahead of time and then used in many dishes during the week. Making large amounts of grains works well. Quinoa or rice are good examples. Basic sauces like tomato or cashew cream are useful. Proteins cooked beforehand, like lentils or baked tofu, also help.
These building blocks do something important. They can be mixed easily to make different meals later. This adds flexibility and makes cooking faster. Vora describes them as “flavor boosters… that can bring a whole meal together.” Keeping some of these things ready in the fridge makes putting together tasty plant meals a lot quicker.
Go-To Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Muffin Tin Standard 12-cup or two 24-cup mini
- 1 Electric Mixer Handheld or stand mixer
- 2 Mixing Bowls One medium for dry, one for wet ingredients
- 1 Whisk For dry ingredients
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack For cooling baked cupcakes
Ingredients
Main
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- Your favorite frosting for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin or two 24-cup mini-muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the melted butter and then the vanilla.
- While mixing slowly, add half of the flour mixture. Then add all the milk, followed by the remaining flour mixture; take care not to overmix the batter. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, rotating the tin about halfway through baking time, 18 to 20 minutes for standard cupcakes or 10 to 12 minutes for minis. Cool the cupcakes in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on the rack completely. Frost and decorate as desired.
Notes
6. **Lacking strong motivation**: Seeing a plant – based diet as only a short – term eating plan is a problem. Maybe it’s just for losing weight or a quick health boost. Without deeper reasons, commitment often disappears. This happens when things get hard or when the newness fades away.
Vora says treating being plant – based like any diet that limits you is wrong. Her own choice to stay with it for years shows this. Her reasons are deeply rooted, about ethics and values. These core ideas provide a strong base for her. They go beyond just short – term goals.
Read more about: 10 Stupid Quirky Foods Nobody Wants to Eat (But We Secretly Do)
Growing a strong personal reason for becoming vegan matters most, Vora states. She clearly says, “Having a strong personal reason for going vegan shifts your perspective from diet to lifestyle.” Maybe caring for animals drives you. Or worries about the climate crisis are key. Perhaps a serious wish for personal health is the key. Connecting veganism to who you are helps it become a lasting way of living.
Related posts:
‘12 Mistakes New Vegans Make – And How To Combat Them’
Why You Should Avoid Sam’s Club Pre-Made Mac & Cheese
