Back-to-School Vegan: Tips from School Days to Ease Your Transition to Veganism

It’s September, so the back-to-school vibes are still in the air, right? Even when we have long been out of classroom mode, the school calendar year continues to be imprinted on our psyches. The excitement, the anxiety, the hopes, the butterflies in the stomach, and, yes, the existential dread. There are ways to improve your odds of having a good year at school without needing to go full Carrie White on anyone, though, and I think we can apply some of those same lessons to transitioning to veganism, whether it’s new for you or another try. I’ve put together a list of useful back-t0-school tips that are also relevant to a successful shift to veganism, plus one bonus suggestion to give you a great start. Fulbright scholars don’t happen overnight and neither does going from omnivore to vegan usually. Expect that there will be some bumps and mishaps, brush yourself off, and get back to it. Remember, no one is grading you, going to send you to the principal’s office or suspending you. Just do your best and remember, one day at a time.

Gather Your Supplies
What is back-to-school without a bunch of nice, sharp pencils, a pair of scissors, some glue sticks or whatever technologies have replaced them today? It’s the same with transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. Being prepared gives you a feeling of confidence, which can’t be beat. This is not to say that you need to spend a lot of money, either.

If you’d like to start the day with a nutrition-packed smoothie or overnight oats, make sure you have the items you need – for example, a blender, or the ingredients – so you are not left high and dry when you are in need. It’s common sense, yes, but too often people who are new at something are ill-prepared. I don’t know about you, but I make regrettable, impulsive choices when I feel desperate, and if I feel hunger pangs along with an empty kitchen, I start to feel desperate. Just like you wouldn’t show up the first day of school with an empty backpack, you need to make sure you have the things you need for positive outcomes for a vegan life. Think about what groceries, pantry items and frozen items you like to have on hand to make a quick, plant-based meal without much forethought. (I have a list to get you started.) Also, think about what simple kitchen tools or gadgets might make it easier for a vegan home and life. How can you slowly transition your wardrobe in a way that doesn’t break the bank? (Second hand, baby!) Non-tangible supplies, including apps, can also be very helpful.

Choose Your Crowd Wisely
Just like at school, don’t put yourself around people who delight in making you feel stupid, beneath them, like a failure. This is true of our vegan community as well, both in person and online. There is a certain personality that just loves to make those around them feel bad and you just don’t need that in your life as someone who is charting a new course. A successful transition to veganism is made that much easier by choosing supportive, helpful, kind and encouraging peers in the vegan world.


Does that mean dropping out or even just easing up on visiting that toxic vegan Facebook group full of confrontational and rude commenters? Maybe. Does it mean that you don’t need to like or even get along with every vegan? Definitely. The flip side of this is the value of finding people who bring out the best in you and encourage you as a newbie vegan. It’s easier said than done to find community, but, again, we’ve got ideas. Community can be one person – perhaps a mentor – and it can be a bunch of people. The main takeaway is to find yourself a vegan squad that brings out your best.

Don’t Give Bullies the Satisfaction
There will be people all over who may be seriously aggrieved about your burgeoning veganism, from family members to perfect strangers on the internet. What a bully needs more than anything is oxygen and it is your obligation when you are in their crosshairs to deprive them of it. Absolutely, if you want to throw out a zinger or two, I am not going to deny you this singular pleasure, but I will say that going back-and-forth with someone who is determined to get under your skin is a losing proposition. What they need in order to successfully bully you is your continued attention. Keep it moving, friend. They don’t deserve your precious time or peace.

Do Your Homework
Again, you don’t want to show up unprepared. Homework might have some old baggage for you, but basically this category means to be informed. For example, you might want to have a conversation with a well-informed medical professional you trust on any issues you might need to address as you’re transitioning to make sure your needs are covered. Doing your homework means finding some recipes you enjoy. Doing your homework might mean if you are going to an event, find out if they have a vegan option for you and, if not, make sure your needs are met. Doing your homework might mean if you are going to speak on a subject related to veganism or animal cruelty, you are comfortably knowledgeable on it.  

Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Work
This isn’t an admonishment against cheating as much as a reminder that you are not competing with anyone else’s experience in your vegan transition. If someone else seems to have had an easier time of it, maybe that is all they are showing you, but also, honestly, it doesn’t matter. What matters is your own transition. It’s not a competition, it’s also not a race. Aim to do a little better every day and you should get where you want to be with much less stress and self-doubt. Remember: Each meal and every day are another opportunity to live in alignment with your vegan goals.

Extra credit: Choose Your Teachers
If we could have chosen our own teachers in school, that would have been so nice, wouldn’t it? Just because we weren’t able to, it shouldn’t stop you from being choosy about your teachers now in the vegan world. Whether they be podcasters or authors, people you meet in person or on social media, you have an opportunity to find teachers who work the best with how you learn. Even being vegan for nearly 30 years, I continue to have many vegan teachers, just like I did at the beginning. As with choosing your crowd, find teachers who extend grace and compassion as you’re learning and help you to shine. Whether or not this is someone you meet in person is beside the point. The goal is that they help you to learn and thrive.

Okay, kids, clear your desks: Pop quiz time. Does soy contain estrogen?

Just kidding, there are no pop quizzes here. Just relax and you will shine.

PS - The correct answer is NO!