Hi, you're resident scientist here with a PSA... Practical advice for people wanting to switch to a more plant based diet. A mix of basic stuff to pro level.

(Colon cancer is strongly linked with poor diet, particularly with high amounts of red/processed meat and a lack of dietry fibre. Black folk are significantly more likely to get the disease but there is no genetic link. This is important.)

Meat sticks around in your body for days and that's what encourages cancer to form in the colon (happy to expand on this is anyone is interested). Meat should be an occasional treat if you love it.

That's being said, just dropping all meat, fish and dairy at once isn't going to be sustainable, slow your consumption slowly. Try to switch the animal product in meals you usually cook, you don't need to re-learn everything.

Eg. You regularly cook fried rice? Swap out the meat for tofu. You regularly cook curries? Swap out the meat for chickpeas and starchy veg like pumpkin (that's actually bomb). Don't buy a vegan recipe book that's nothing like you usually eat, that's gonna be expensive.

Some vital supplements to help on the road to a plant based diet: B12, iron (a multivitamin will do the job here). (Vegan) omega (you're looking for DHA AND EPA). If you're tired, you're deficient. Omega can be found in seeds and fortified foods,I only take mine ~weekly

You will need to eat more volume of food without animal products to get the same amount of calories. Don't freak out about the fact that you're hungry and eating more, just bulk on the cheap veg you can find.

On calories: you need to cook with fat (mix those oils up!) as a lot of the food won't have integral fat in it. I'd actually suggest tracking every now and again when you're starting if that's not going to be triggering. I use chronometer. You'll see why you're hungry.

But be aware of fat and protein. The protein panic is largely a myth but make sure there's some in every meal. Smoothies need protein powder (MyProtein are great), salads need beans/nuts/seeds/soy, think soy yogurt over coconut. Buy frozen edamame, it's cheap.

Beans and lentils. There's a wonderful world out there. Learn to cook and process them properly and you can live well for very little money. A dhal is your greatest weapon. They're also incredibly high in fiber!

Some YouTubers to watch: Rachel Ama (Black British stuff), Cheap Lazy Vegan (particularly her older stuff is very cheap and easy, Canadian East Asian), The Happy Pear (British but very varied recipes), Bosh on Instagram.

An easy fiber win: switch to whole grain rice/pasta/couscous. It's a tiny bit more expensive but really only a tiny bit and will fill you up more and for longer. White processed carbs have basically no nutiritional value and wholegrains genuinely taste better imo.

Seeds! They're half the price of nuts, less fatty and still full of protein. Sprinkle on literally everything. My faves are sunflower, chia and hemp. Consider chopping toasted seeds and adding to sauces. Always get seeded bread. Buy cheapest from Lidl or Aldi.

Don't feel bad about using meat substitutes, you'll rely on them less and less as you get used to using whole foods but they're easy, satisfying and better than eating the meat. Lidl often stocks frozen quorn products for ~£1.50. Tesco has an amazing range. Iceland rocks.

If you can't get/afford fresh veggies, frozen are wonderful, cheap and widely available. If you let them defrost before you use them, they're almost exactly the same as fresh. Frozen spinach is already wilted so doesn't like to you as soon as it hits heat. Same with kale.

That being said, if you can afford it, switch out cheap lettuce/ greens to romaine/kale (more iron), spinach, rocket ect. You've gotta try to get as much different stuff into your day. Also spinach contains less iron than you were taught. Take a supplement!

Consider veg (particularly tough greens) as needing the care of meat. Treat it with acids and salt to tenderise it so you don't feel like a rabbit.

Jackfruit is not a meat substitute and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. It doesn't contain a lot of protein and won't satisfy your hunger. It's a lie and I'm a bit mad about it.

Consider stocking several types of plant milk. Oat is delicious but low protein and high carb so not a great cows milk alternative. Soy is often overrepresented in the diet already but cheapppp. Nut milks may be expensive and have their own flavour. Switch it up, try them all!

Anyway, we're all trying our best and don't feel terrible if you have a steak every now and then but it's good for health, good for the animals and good for the planet

Please HMU with specific issues. I'm not a perfect vegan (still eat animal products a few times a month because it's delicious and life is short) but I think I have a good balance of reducing massively and still eating really well.