Lucy Watson's top tips on becoming vegan and actually sticking to it

The unstoppable rise of veganism is divisive, its move from maverick to mainstream leaving some meat-and-dairy lovers trembling with rage and vegans with excitement.

Made in Chelsea's Lucy Watson, author of ‘Feed me Vegan’, jumped happily on board the vegan training after watching the Netflix documentary Cowspiracy,

That's when "everything changed" and she switched out vegetarianism for veganism, she told indy100:

As soon as I found out how cruel the dairy and egg industries are, it made sense to stop eating these products.

Lucy - who has also started a vegan restaurant with her sister, Tiff, and dedicates her life to campaigning for animal rights and veganism- has fully embraced the diet, saying it has hugely benifitted her.

"Best decision ever!" she said, explaining how she has "much more energy, my nails are stronger and my immune system is much better" since making the change. She added:

It’s easy for people to try to tell me that I’m missing things from my diet, but you can get everything you need from plants. I know I’m now the healthiest I’ve ever been and will never look back.

Intent on spreading the feel-good flavour, Lucy has shared some top tips for becoming vegan and actually sticking to it.

1. Start your day plant-based

"If you start the day with a plant-based meal, it will make it much easier for you to follow the diet throughout the day. W.K.Kellogg cereals are delicious and super easy to have quickly before you dash out in the morning. Think of it as the first hurdle. Once you get over that, the rest comes easily."

2. Plant-based doesn’t mean boring

"Sometimes people assume plant-based foods are boring, but there is so much more choice out there now! There’s a constant stream of new, exciting plant-based products being created - it’s just a case of looking a little closer and seeing what’s out there on offer in supermarkets.

"Do your research, invest in some good vegan cook books - I have one called Feed Me Vegan that I wrote specifically to make it easier for people that are trying to make a change."

3. Get on social media to feel inspired

4. Embed yourself in the culture

"More and more plant-based restaurants and cafes are opening around the UK. Instead of going to your usual haunt and hoping they’ll be able to cater for you, look up a vegan or vegetarian restaurant in your area and give them a go.

"To make it easier - you can download an app called “Happy Cow” which tells you all the restaurants with vegan options nearby."

5. Enjoy it!

"After all, eating more plant-based foods is a positive thing, so enjoy the associated health benefits. You’ll learn a lot about just how much you can eat as vegan, as you introduce more meals into your diet. The first two weeks are always the hardest but before you know it, everything will become like second nature."

6. Don't hold back on the garlic.

"Garlic is my go-to ingredient; I love to mix it with anything I make. It just adds so much more flavour and is so delicious.

"Tofu was definitely my first vegan love – it’s really filling and a great source of protein, so I’m always marinating it and adding it to my dishes."

7. Remember that veganism can still be tasty!

"I think people have a conception that being vegan means missing all the tasty stuff – but this is absolutely not the case! Brands are catering for non-meat eaters more and more, adapting well-known products so they are suitable for vegans.

"I used to love snacking on cereals and when I first switched to a plant-based diet, I found it hard to find alternatives.

"Kellogg’s has actually just released a new range of fully plant-based cereals called W.K.Kellogg, which also has no added sugar, that I snack on to get my quick cereal fix."

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