Following a vegan way of life means making some drastic changes. Whether you choose this to improve your health, help the environment or out of kindness to animals, it affects your choices daily. If you want to share this lifestyle with your family, here are three ways you can make it easier for them to do so.

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1. Gift Them With Books

When sharing information about veganism, it may be easiest to provide your family member with a book or two about the subject. Resources such as books about veganism allows them to read through the information at their own pace and reread sections that interest them the most. Pick a favorite section of the book and highlight the pages you find most important or that provide an excellent place to start. An article or book written by a well-known author also allows your family member to read the facts themselves and come to their own conclusions. Some good vegan cookbooks are also an essential resource for finding recipes to use.

2. Cook a Meal With Your Family

Sometimes it can be challenging to take what’s written in a book and use it in everyday life. Changing how one cooks, eats, and shops don’t happen right away because it can be overwhelming. An excellent way to introduce vegan food to your family is to cook a few of your favorite dishes with them. Author Gale Tobin suggests that vegan meals are much easier to prepare than traditional meat-filled recipes, so your family member may be impressed by seeing how simple it is to cook. Try making a popular recipe from a restaurant, but using a meat substitute, like this copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup or Thai Vegetable Curry with Tofu. Making a meal together also introduces your family to new flavors and ingredients that they may not necessarily purchase on their own. This time together may be motivation enough for them to make some changes to their weekly menu. 

3. Attend a Vegan Event Together

Making lifestyle changes doesn’t happen all in one day. Encouraging your family members to become vegan should be introduced in small steps. Once they understand what being vegan entails and have experienced some tasty meals, invite them to attend a vegan gathering. Going to trade shows and food fairs exposes them to a wide variety of vegan-made products, introduces them to new foods and meat alternatives, and shows them that this lifestyle is popular among many people. 

When you want to encourage your family to become vegan, start by giving them some interesting facts and information, sharing your food experience, and bringing them to an entertaining event. Each of these steps slowly makes veganism easy and enjoyable for them to follow.