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From cookbooks to footwear, here’s our top products for embracing a plant-based lifestyle
Going vegan can be intimidating for a whole host of reasons. Maybe you love pre-prepared foods, or you’re terrified of having to find a new foundation. Or perhaps you’re worried it’s going to be more expensive than a non-plant-based lifestyle.
We’re not going to lie – it can be a challenge to make the switch. But it’s also a lot of fun. Finding ways to make more ethical choices that minimise your carbon footprint is incredibly rewarding, and with a little bit of initial work, you should find your concerns start to melt away. It’s also great to know that you’re doing your bit for the planet.
One of the most common reasons for people giving up on veganism is that they’re hard on themselves: it’s easy to think that for your efforts to be successful, you have to have a perfect record. But in reality, there are lots of ways to be vegan.
Some people ease into it with vegetarianism, then gradually filter out animal products as they get more confident at cooking for themselves. Many people are happy to wear clothes containing animal products, so long as they are bought second hand. Others see no problem with identifying as vegan while still finishing up beauty products they bought before making the switch. And some are super strict for 364 days of the year… but have fish and chips on their birthday.
That’s the beauty of a plant-based diet for environmental reasons: a 2019 study found that your diet is where you can make the biggest difference to the environment, and this means that any level of effort is worthwhile.
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So with that in mind, we’ve brought together a guide to some of our favourite vegan-friendly products that will help you start your new lifestyle with ease. Written by a mixture of vegans and non-vegans with an interest in ethical shopping, you’re sure to find something that fits your brand of going plant-based.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.