How to Stay Vegan After the Species Unite 30-Day Challenge

EAT

Nov 4

As you take the next steps on your vegan journey, here are a few things to help you stay on track with your new, compassionate, and more sustainable lifestyle.

You did it! You completed 30 days of vegan living with Species Unite. Hopefully by now, you should have discovered many delicious plant-based recipes, stocked your wardrobe with the best in vegan fashion, and learnt a ton more about some of the incredible, emerging solutions that have the potential to move the world away from animal products.

So, now what? While we hope you’re feeling motivated and excited to continue your vegan journey, we know that sometimes it can be easy to slip back into old habits. To help you make the switch a permanent one, we’ve compiled a list of tips:

1. Remind yourself WHY you’re doing this

Whether they want to fight animal cruelty, minimize their impact on the environment, or improve their own health, most people go vegan because they’re motivated by something. There are endless resources out there to continue learning about why veganism is such a powerful way to make change in the world and now is the time to really delve into them to cement your resolve. We recommend documentaries, books and podcasts (you can subscribe to the Species Unite podcast here for weekly episodes).

2. Create a list of go-to meals

Before taking the vegan challenge we imagine you had your ‘go-to-meals’ that were easy to turn to during busy times. Over the last 30 days, you may have naturally discovered your plant-based go-to-meals, but if not, we definitely recommend finding some. Remember, these don’t have to be entirely new recipes, you can also veganize your usual foods by swapping out the meat, dairy or eggs with an animal-free alternative. P.S. make sure you keep some of your favorite vegan foods stocked in the freezer. That way, if you get a craving to order a non-vegan pizza, you’ll have something delicious to turn to instead.

3. Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake

It’s natural to occasionally slip up when you’re building new habits, so if you accidentally order cow’s milk in your coffee tomorrow or purposely binge on those cheese nachos once or twice, don’t completely throw in the towel on veganism. No one is perfect and we hear stories all the time from longtime vegans in the Species Unite community about how their own journey wasn’t completely linear. The most important thing is that you keep going and find what works for you.

4. Follow Instagram accounts for inspiration and motivation

This is a great way to learn new exciting things about the vegan lifestyle while keeping your motivation high. From vegan chefs and plant-based health experts, to animal and climate activists, here are a few of our favorites @michaelgregermd, @sweetpotatosoul, @genesisbutler_, @thesavemovement, @farmsanctuary, @plantbasedlogic, @iamtabithabrown.

5. Join a community

This is especially important if your family or friendship circles aren’t vegan - the last thing you want is to start feeling lonely. Species Unite has a private Facebook group for those who have taken part in our vegan challenge. This is a space to share anything about your journey (during and after the challenge) with others who are also discovering veganism. We encourage you to join and get involved with the discussions: share food snaps, your favorite documentary, your slip ups, photos from that animal sanctuary you visited, and more. If you’re unsure about anything (e.g. whether bread is vegan), Species Unite will also be on hand in the group to help answer questions.

6. Treat yourself

Don’t forget to reward yourself for each milestone. Many vegans ten years down the road still celebrate their ‘vegan anniversary’. Completed another week of vegan living? Treat yourself to those plant-based chocolate cookies you’ve wanted to try. How about a month? You deserve to have those vegan boots in your closet - after all, you are changing the world. Trying vegan restaurants is also a great way to celebrate living vegan, all while discovering new foods. Remember, when it comes to eating out Happy Cow is your best friend.

Interested in taking part in the vegan challenge too? Sign up here and share with your friends and family here.

We Have A Favor To Ask…

Species Unite amplifies well-researched solutions to some of the most abusive animal industries operating today.

At this crucial moment, with worldwide momentum for change building, it’s vital we share these animal-free solutions with the world - and we need your help.

We’re a nonprofit, and so to keep sharing these solutions, we’re relying on you - with your support, we can continue our essential work in growing a powerful community of animal advocates this year.

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