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People adopt the vegan diet for a variety of reasons--whether it is because you are against the consumption of animal-derived products or you are on a quest to lose weight. The vegan diet is slowly yet steadily gaining popularity all around the world.

This is why it becomes extremely important to plan your vegan diet well in advance as you may get lost in the sea of information available online. If you are a vegan newbie, here is a list of 5 essential tips you must keep in mind before jumping on the vegan bandwagon.

1. The switch is not going to be easy
While some decide to go vegan overnight, for others it can be quite a complicated journey--especially if you are a non-vegetarian. This is why it is important to prepare yourself for the switch beforehand. Take it easy by eliminating one food group at a time. For example, if you are a vegetarian, try eliminating cottage cheese or milk from your diet first, instead of eliminating dairy products altogether.

2. Look for new plant-based food items
One of the most common mistakes that people make while starting with the vegan diet is focusing on what they cannot eat, instead of what they can. The simplest way to do is to search for new plant-based food items that you can add in your diet. You can go for kidney beans, chia seeds, flax seeds, fruits, and salads.

3. Prepare and stock your kitchen
If you are someone who reaches out for a cup of coffee or milk to get on with the day, it is important to have a replacement for milk ready in your fridge. Your transition to the vegan diet largely depends on the fact how stocked your kitchen is. For example, you can opt for coconut milk or almond milk as a good replacement for regular milk.

4. Don’t forget the B12
It is important to understand that there are very limited vitamin B12 sources in both vegetarian and vegan diets as it is largely found in animal-based food only. When you are making a switch to vegan, you must look for food items laden with vitamin B12. Soya milk fortified with vitamin B12 is one good option.

5. Familiarize yourself with vegan ingredients
While packaged food items can be easy to use, it is important to familiarize yourself with vegan ingredients so that you don’t accidentally consume animal-derived products. Some of these sneaky products are gelatin, whey protein isolate, carmine, casein, and shellac.