5 Steps to Vegan
The purpose of being vegan is NOT to be perfect but be the best you can. The following guidelines are only here to assist you in determining what's vegan.
Step 1: Learn what ingredients are vegan-safe
So you may be asking yourself - what does "vegan" mean? Vegan simply means food that doesn't have any animal-based ingredients and is 100% made from plant sources. The good news is most food, excluding dairy and meat, is 75% or more made up of plants anyway. Also, ANYTHING you eat now has a vegan version.
Eating vegan means you should be adding a huge assortment of foods to your diet, instead of just taking a few away. Vegan food is also always healthier for one reason - it's cholesterol free since only animal ingredients contain it. So, if the nutrition label shows the food has cholesterol, then it's not vegan.
Animal ingredients include honey, gelatin, milk (and derivatives such as casein), meat, and animal fats and excretions and sometimes use names that can be confusing, and you may not be sure what the ingredient is. An example of this is shellac, which comes from bugs. One other thing to watch out for is natural flavors, certain vitamins and minerals, and mono- and di-glycerides because sometimes these can come from animals.
It's best to do a search on My Vegan City for any ingredients that are not obvious. If after doing a search you determine that the ingredient can be either plant or animal-based, then you can try doing a search for the product and the word "vegan" and see if any reliable sources, such as the manufacturer's website can confirm if the product is vegan or not.
**Note: Some vegan ingredients are processed with non-vegan ingredients (ex: sugar processed with bone char, wine processed with eggshells, spices processed with different ingredients) but it's best not to worry about it too much because it can get overwhelming and there may only be trace amounts of processing agents left in the product.
Step 2: Learn what to buy at the grocery store
We know this sounds like a lot of work, but the good news is sometimes researching ingredients on the package isn't necessary because the package will say "vegan" on it. This is becoming more common as veganism grows. However, if the package has a "V" on it, make sure the "V" stands for vegan and not vegetarian or if it says "plant-based" the product may still not be completely vegan because some "plant-based" products contain honey or milk. You can also look for the certified vegan seals from Vegan.org and The Vegan Society, and the certified plant-based seal from the Plant Based Foods Association. All of these seals indicate the food is vegan. Some stores also use the word "vegan" on their price tags, however, you should ALWAYS double check the product label though because sometimes wrong products get placed in front of the wrong shelf tag and mistakes can be made with data entry.
You probably already know that fruits and veggies are vegan for the most part, but did you know that a lot of other food you already eat is vegan too. Here's a list of common food you probably already eat: Captain Crunch cereal, most flavors of Oreos, Nutter Butter cookies, Pillsbury crescent rolls, Wheat Thins crackers, Kellog's Club crackers, unfrosted strawberry Pop-Tarts, Ritz crackers, Bisquick mix, La Croix sparkling water, Hershey's syrup, Life cereal, Red Bull drinks, Sour Patch Kids, Lays regular and BBQ chips, Thomas' plain, everything and blueberry bagels, Cracker Jacks, Airheads candy, Fritos, Fruit by the Foot, Ruffles original chips, Ore-Ida Tater Tots, Pringles Original Chips, Jell-O cook and serve vanilla pudding (use plant milk), Swedish Fish candy, original Twizzlers candy, SuperPretzel original soft pretzel, monster energy drinks, original SunChips, Kool-Aid, Dots candy, unfrosted mini wheats cereal, original Triscuit crackers, blueberry BelVita breakfast biscuits, Chocolate Teddy Grahams, Skittles, and so much more...
You can use our search tool to find out if a product is vegan or not. Click here
Ready to see how you can swap out some of your non-vegan foods? Click Here
Step 3: Learn how to order at restaurants
Ordering at chain restaurants requires a little research before you go. You can use our search tool to find what vegan options are available at your favorite fast-food place. Click Here
When ordering at a local restaurant that isn't fully vegan, you'll have to ask what vegan options are available. Some restaurants may have a menu that states what options are vegan on it.
Make sure to ask if the vegan options are cooked using the same equipment as the non-vegan options. You'll have to decide if cross-contamination is an issue or not.
Step 4: Learn what health & beauty items are vegan-safe
Food products aren't the only items that contain animal ingredients. Health and beauty items also contain them. These items include things like make-up and soap. You'll need to find products that say "vegan and cruelty-free". Cruelty-free means the product wasn't tested on animals and vegan means it doesn't contain animal ingredients. Make sure to buy only products that say both terms.
Some great brands include: Pacifica beauty care, Hello toothpaste, and Herbivore Botanicals. Some major brands (ex: Wet n' Wild and Elf) have certain products that may be both vegan and cruelty-free also.
Products that contain animal skin, silk, etc. should also be avoided.
Keep in mind there a lot of products in stores that contain animal ingredients (ex: tires, plastic, dental floss) but it's important to not drive yourself crazy with every detail.
Step 5: Help others learn about going vegan
Once you feel you have everything down, it's time to start talking to your family and friends about going vegan too! You could start by bringing a vegan meal to share during a movie night or to a work picnic. Also, talk about all the benefits of going vegan and what it has done for you.