We witnessed actress Lisa Bonet practically grow up on the small screen, going from adolescence to adulthood on the ’80s sitcom The Cosby Show. But in Lisa Bonet’s house, a no-television rule has been strictly enforced ever since she became a mom, to daughter Zoë, who’s now an actress in her own right.
Appearing in only a few movies over the past decade, Lisa has instead focused on yoga, art and a second wave of motherhood. She and her boyfriend of two years, actor Jason Momoa, have two daughters, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf. Changing diapers in her 40s doesn’t faze her. “The number itself feels irrelevant to me,” she says. “I look in the mirror and I see in this face all the life that has occurred.”
As far as how she will raise her latest additions to the family, she hasn’t changed her game plan: each child will be raised in a vegan household. How does one prepare for a vegan lifestyle? We’ve compiled some of the best tips that even lovers of the Cosby Show’s “bacon burger dog” will love:
1. Take it slow
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Keep your end goal in mind, but go at your own pace. Some people manage to go vegan overnight and if that’s the right approach for you, fantastic. Yet don’t be concerned if you feel you’ll need more time. Like any other lifestyle change, going vegan not only takes getting used to, but it takes time to determine what will work best for you. It’s not a one size fits all experience and there are numerous approaches you can take.
Making small changes to what you normally eat every day is one of the easiest ways to increase the amount of plant-based foods in your diet. You could start by removing meat or cheese one day a week and go from there. Or you could try changing one meal at a time, having vegan breakfasts during your first week, adding a vegan lunch during week two and so on. You could even try changing one product at a time by swapping cow’s milk for almond or soya milk or butter for coconut oil or margarine.
2. Remember why
Keep reminding yourself of the reasons you’ve chosen a vegan lifestyle. You’ll probably find going vegan to be a lot easier than expected, but if you do have a bad day or feel this whole vegan thing is too much like hard work – take a deep breath and briefly reflect on your choices. Reading books or regularly watching informative and uplifting videos about veganism can help, as does keeping motivating visual reminders.
3. Leave Your Comfort Zone
Leaving your food comfort zone will take you on a voyage of discovery of new flavours, new spices and new cuisines. There are thousands of vegan recipes out there from every corner of the globe. Whatever your culinary preference, you’ll encounter amazing new dishes and interesting variations on your old favourites. Yet you don’t have to be an award-winning chef to achieve this.
