A new year is nearly upon us, which has many of us reflecting on our lives and the things we’d like to change going forward. If you’re like a growing number of folks, one of your goals is to give up animal products, and you’re wondering how long it takes to become a vegan. Conventional wisdom for decades has been that it only takes 21 days to change a habit. In reality, human beings have a much harder time adjusting to change.
One recent study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology examined how a group of people handled a specific change in behavior and the amount of time it took for them to become comfortable with the new habit. The average time was not 3 weeks as previously stated, but closer to 66 days. In fact, though there were those who made the transition fairly easily, becoming accustomed to a new habit in a matter of a couple of weeks, others needed up to 254 days to feel comfortable with the change.
In addition to the difficulty human beings have with a single change, going vegan is entails making a series of significant changes to the way you eat, the clothes you wear, the restaurants you patronize, etc.
How Long Does It Take to Become Vegan?
Making the transition
The underlying message here is that you need to go easy on yourself with regard to how long it takes you to go vegan. It’s not recommended that you adopt an all-or-nothing approach. Your best chance at succeeding in the transition to a fully vegan lifestyle is by going with a slower, step-by-step process that even includes cheat days in the beginning. Taking your time will help to avoid the feelings of deprivation that can occur.
And. speaking of deprivation, allowing yourself to become overly hungry can sabotage your efforts. Eating plenty of proteins will help you avoid the empty tummy feeling that leads to bad choices. Try eating a lot of beans which are packed with protein and fiber, both of which help you to feel full for longer.
The right way
Making the transition to becoming a vegan can be an incredibly positive change in your life. But big changes take time and thought, and going vegan cold turkey does not allow you the time to plan how you’re going to replace the foods you’re currently eating. It’s important to be deliberate in your substitutions so that you still get all of the essential nutrients on a meat and dairy-free diet. Even people who have been vegans for years and do a great job at planning meals and eating healthy foods, however, can find themselves in need of vitamin supplements.
Vegan Life Nutrition was created to provide 100% organic, plant-based, high-quality supplements that contain no animal by-products or other additives so that our customers can stay committed to eating clean even when it comes to taking their vitamins.
