Mistakes made by new vegans and how to avoid them

Going vegan seems simple: just remove animal products from your diet and you’re done. In practice, changing your diet affects your habits, health, lifestyle, and even your relationships with loved ones. Without understanding the basic principles, it’s easy to make typical mistakes of new vegans and quickly become disappointed with plant-based nutrition.

Many beginners focus only on the moral side of the issue and do not think about what they will replace their usual dishes with. This leads to weakness, digestive problems, hair loss and the conclusion: ‘veganism is not for me’. In reality, the reason is often not the diet itself, but a chaotic approach.

People often focus on colourful posts on social media, which show perfect bowls and green smoothies, but do not show the real difficulties. Beginners start copying the beautiful pictures, do not take their own needs into account, spending time on Non Gamstop casinos instead, and end up with deficiencies, breakdowns, and constant hunger.

In order for a plant-based lifestyle to bring energy rather than chronic fatigue, it is important to know the common mistakes of beginner vegans and understand in advance how to avoid them. Below, we will analyse the most common mistakes and provide practical recommendations to help you build a sustainable, delicious, and healthy diet without extremes or self-flagellation.

Mistake #1: A sudden transition without preparation

The rash decision to ‘become a vegan on Monday’ seems inspiring, but the body does not always have time to adapt to drastic changes. When a person eliminates meat, fish, dairy products and eggs in one day, the digestive system is put under serious strain. The amount of fibre, fat and protein changes, and the body reacts with bloating, diarrhoea or constipation.

A rash transition also affects emotions. Familiar dishes are often associated with a sense of security, family traditions and shared dinners. Abruptly giving up everything at once can cause irritability, anxiety and a feeling of loss. Then a plant-based diet begins to be associated not with freedom and ease, but with strict restrictions and constant stress.

Gradually introducing new foods helps to gently restructure your diet. First, add more vegetables, legumes, and whole grains to your menu, and only then, step by step, reduce the amount of animal products. This approach allows the digestive system to adapt to fibre and the brain to adapt to new tastes and habits.

It is helpful to think in advance about a list of simple plant-based dishes that can be prepared for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A weekly plan reduces the risk of giving in to random baked goods or fast food. A smooth transition allows you to explore foods, find convenient recipes, and understand how a vegan diet fits into your daily life rather than disrupting it.

How to gently transition to a plant-based diet

• Introduce one or two ‘completely plant-based’ days per week.
• Start by replacing just one meal — for example, make a vegan breakfast.
• Learn some basic dishes: vegetable soups, stewed legumes, porridge with additives.
• Keep track of how you feel, keep a food diary, and note your body’s reactions.

Mistake #2: Ignoring protein and key nutrients

Not paying enough attention to the composition of your plate is one of the main mistakes made by new vegans. After giving up animal products, people often fill their menu with bread, pasta, fruit, and snacks, forgetting about complete sources of protein. This results in weakness, slow recovery after exercise, brittle nails, and the feeling that a plant-based diet is ‘not filling.’

A variety of legumes — beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas — help to meet a significant portion of your amino acid needs. It is worth adding tofu, tempeh, soy ‘meat’, nuts, seeds, as well as whole grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, and oats. Combining different foods throughout the day provides a wide range of nutrients and maintains a consistently high energy level.

In addition to protein sources, it is important to monitor your intake of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. The body can obtain some of these substances from fortified plant-based drinks, supplements, algae, ground flax or chia seeds. Regular tests help to identify deficiencies in time and adjust your diet before the situation leads to serious health problems.

Consulting a nutritionist or doctor who understands the specifics of vegan diets often saves energy and nerves. A specialist can help you create a sample menu, select supplements, explain which foods are best to combine, and how to plan your portions. This approach allows you to feel confident, rather than guessing whether your body is getting the nutrients it needs.

What to look for in your tests

• Vitamin B12 and folic acid levels.
• Iron indicators: ferritin, haemoglobin.
• Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium.
• Lipid profile and total blood protein.

Mistake #3: ‘Junk veganism’ and excess sweets

The illusion that any food without animal origin is automatically healthy leads to another common mistake among new vegans. Chips, biscuits, sweet bars, fizzy drinks, and ‘vegan’ convenience foods may not contain meat or dairy additives, but they are still high in calories, low in nutrients, and loaded with sugar, trans fats, and salt.

When fast food is the basis of your diet, your body quickly responds with weight gain, constant fatigue, and glucose spikes. Your mood drops, your head feels foggy, and you lose all desire to cook a normal meal. Then you conclude that a plant-based diet makes you ‘chubby and sleepy,’ when the real reason is an excess of processed foods.

Shifting the focus from industrial snacks to whole ingredients gradually changes the situation. Vegetable stews, salads with legumes, baked root vegetables, homemade soups and porridges, hummus, and nut butters provide a lasting feeling of fullness, maintain blood sugar levels, and help control appetite throughout the day.

For those with a sweet tooth, it is appropriate to seek balance. Fruit, baked apples, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, homemade granola with dried fruit and nuts are enjoyable but do not overload the diet with empty calories. It is important that dessert is a pleasant addition to a balanced menu and does not take up half of the daily energy intake.

How to recognise ‘junk veganism’

• Most of the menu consists of packaged foods with long ingredient lists.
• Vegetables rarely appear in the diet and are served in small portions.
• Snacks with sugar replace normal meals.
• Skin condition deteriorates and mood swings occur.

Mistake #4: Blindly copying other people’s diets and bloggers

Following popular bloggers without considering your own characteristics is another typical mistake made by novice vegans. People see perfect bodies and beautiful plates on social media and try to replicate the menu exactly. At the same time, they ignore their height, weight, activity level, health status, and even the climate in which they live.

Someone else’s diet may contain too few calories for a man who does physical work, or, conversely, be too dense for a girl with a sedentary job. As a result, some people quickly lose weight to an unhealthy state, while others unexpectedly gain extra kilos, even though they strictly follow ‘other people’s advice’. Disappointment with a plant-based diet intensifies because expectations do not match reality.

An individual approach to the menu helps to avoid such extremes. It is important to focus on your own hunger, energy level, skin and hair condition, and emotional state. If you still feel very tired after a meal or feel hungry again an hour later, then you need to review your portions rather than endure discomfort for the sake of conforming to someone else’s image.

Professional recommendations from a dietitian or nutritionist allow you to use bloggers’ ideas as inspiration rather than a strict template. You can take recipes you like, but adapt them to your needs: increase the amount of legumes, change the grains, add healthy fats, or reduce the amount of nuts depending on your goals. This flexible approach makes veganism a comfortable way of eating rather than a strict diet for the sake of appearances.

How to adapt someone else’s menu to suit yourself

• Assess how long you feel full after eating.
• Look at the dynamics of your weight and well-being, not just the appearance of your plate.
• Consider your level of physical activity and sleep schedule.
• Don’t be afraid to adjust recipes to suit your goals and tastes.

Mistake #5: Social pressure and guilt

The social environment often becomes a more difficult challenge than the change in diet itself. Comments from relatives, jokes from colleagues, and persistent attempts to ‘feed you normally’ create tension and internal conflict. A new vegan may feel ashamed of their choice, try to justify themselves, and ultimately either hide their lifestyle or give up because of constant pressure.

Excessive perfectionism also hinders a sustainable transition. Any ‘mistake’ — an accidental yoghurt at a party or a piece of cake at a birthday — is perceived as a failure. The thought ‘I am weak, I will never succeed’ arises, and the person gives up on a plant-based diet instead of perceiving the situation as an experience. Such harshness towards oneself only increases anxiety.

Soft but clear boundaries in communication with loved ones help to reduce tension. Calm explanations of one’s own choices, pre-agreed meal options at family celebrations, and a willingness to bring food to gatherings all gradually reduce the number of conflicts. People get used to the new reality when they see that you are confident and not trying to convince anyone.

Dealing with guilt begins with accepting the fact that there are no perfect people. The overall trend is more important than individual moments. If your diet is generally based on plant-based products and rare deviations do not become a habit, the path remains ecological and conscious. Caring for yourself, a supportive environment (online communities, like-minded people), and, if necessary, the help of a psychologist make this process much more sustainable.

How to cope with peer pressure

• Prepare a couple of versatile dishes that are easy to take with you when visiting friends.
• Formulate a short, calm explanation of your choice without aggression.
• Look for vegan communities online or offline for support.
• Treat rare ‘slip-ups’ as experiences, not disasters.

How to avoid beginner vegan mistakes: a quick checklist

A well-thought-out plan of action helps make the transition to a plant-based diet calm and sustainable. Instead of rushing into extremes and then spending a long time recovering your health, it is better to make a short list of rules for yourself in advance and keep it handy during the first few months. Such a checklist reminds you of important details when emotions or fatigue interfere with making informed decisions.

A useful step would be to gradually give up animal products while learning about sources of protein and key nutrients. Regularly including legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats in your diet will form a solid foundation for your diet. In addition, it is worth monitoring your test results and, if necessary, taking vitamin supplements as recommended by your doctor.

Another guideline is to make a conscious choice between whole foods and industrial semi-finished products. The more simple ingredients on your plate, the easier it is to maintain a stable weight, good health and a clear head. Keep vegan sweets and fast food as an occasional treat, not the basis of your diet.