If you want to switch out a few dairy items, lower your meat intake, and make some swaps to a more plant-based lifestyle, then great news! It is now easier than ever to make vegan choices if you want to.

Restaurants

When you order a take-out, or you head out for a meal, you can change what you might typically have for a vegan version. When experienced chefs prepare it, you might be surprised just how good it tastes. Try vegan pizza, tofu dishes, meat-free burgers, and more. This is a great source of inspiration for the option you can make at home.

Milk

Milk might just be one of the easiest changes that you can make in your diet. Many years ago, the only milk alternative that was on the market was soy milk. And, it’s not always the most palatable for those who are trying to make easy changes.

Swapping regular cow’s milk for oat milk, rice milk, or coconut milk can give you a creamy and delicious alternative. It will take a few tries to get used to if you drink it plain, but you likely won’t notice the different in a smoothie. Though, out of the three, oat milk is the easiest to enjoy in hot drinks like coffee.

Eggs

Switching eggs can be one of the most difficult changes to make because we use eggs and egg whites in so many different recipes that it can be hard to adjust both your mindset of what will taste good and what can be substituted. However, if you just want to make smaller changes, then you can switch out things like mayonnaise (which contains eggs) for vegan mayonnaise.

Tofu scramble, when made well, is delicious and tastes great too. Make sure you season it! Think of it like egg whites, where you’ll need some flavor.

Luckily there are thousands of recipes that can help you find the right alternative for eggs in things like pancakes, waffles, cakes, and more. Pinterest is my go-to for these.

Yogurt

Next to milk, yogurt is one of the easiest swaps to make. You’ll get the creamy texture, plenty of calcium, and a lot of flavors but without it coming from an animal. Some types to look for are coconut, almond, cashew, oat, and soy yogurts. Pretty much, if you can find it in a non-dairy milk type, you can find it in a yogurt.

Honey

We don’t often consider honey when we are thinking about making vegan swaps, but honey can be seen as an animal by-product. Honey is great on baked oats, in warm tea, and even on toast, but a very simple switch to make is to have maple syrup instead.

Meat

Meat can be a tricky item to substitute because it has such a specific texture and taste. There are, however, many incredible meat alternatives on the market from big brands like Impossible, THIS, Linda McCartney, and Meatless Farm.

You don’t need to be meat-free; you could also be a bit more conscientious about where your meat comes from. Often one of the biggest barriers comes from imagining some of your favorite foods not tasting like the meat you know and love.

I want to mention that these meatless options aren’t necessarily healthier than meat. They tend to be high-calorie, so pay attention if that matters to you.

There are lots of reasons that you might be interested in trying a more plant-based diet; what is important is that you don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to get it right every time. You can take it easy and make small adjustments until you are happy.

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