Beginning any new lifestyle can be challenging. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to create complicated, gourmet vegan meals right from the start. Start by "vegging up" meals you already eat, like making curry with tofu and pasta with tomato sauce instead of meat, eating more soups and salads and replacing the meat in favourite recipes with beans, lentils, veggies or soya chunks.

Explore the many vegan convenience foods available. Check food stores for pre-made veggie bhaji mixes and easy-to-make Mexican and Italian veggie items. Many soup flavors that you're used to are probably already vegan, like tomato and vegetable. Flavoured rice can be made into a main course just by adding beans, chana, brinjal or potatoes. Experiment with different kinds of pasta. Order pizza without the cheese but loaded with vegetable toppings, like capsicums, mushrooms, corn and spinach. Vegetarian cookbooks are also a great source of inspiration just replace the cream and leave out the other dairy products.

• Tofu, made from soybeans, has a bland taste on its own but picks up all the flavours of the food you cook it with, especially Indian spices. You can use tofu in just about any dish. It's especially good cooked tandoor style and in South Indian curries. If you freeze it first, then defrost, it takes on a meaty texture.
  
  
• Soya chunks are available in many food stores. They have a texture like mutton and are ideal for slicing, baking and frying or putting in biryani.
  
  
• Many recipes call for eggs because of their binding and leavening properties. Don't worry—eliminating them is easy. Try substituting one heaping tablespoon of soya flour or cornstarch plus two tablespoons of water for each egg in a baked product. Or try using one ounce of mashed tofu to replace each egg in recipes.
  
  
• Watch out for hidden animal ingredients, like gelatine, which is made from bones, hooves, skin and other animal tissues. Click HERE for PETA's free guide "Animal Ingredients and Their Alternatives."

Nervous about travelling? Take plenty of vegan snacks such as veggie samosas, pakoras, cucumber, chutney and tomato sandwiches, and fruits to munch on during car trips. If you're travelling by air, airlines will provide you with a vegetarian or vegan option that puts meaty airline fare to shame. More than one air traveller has had a jealous carnivorous seatmate try to swap meals! Order your vegan meal 24 hours in advance through your travel agent or the airline's reservation line.

Remember that by going vegan, you've chosen a way of living that is good for your health, your wallet and your soul. Congratulations!