Tabitha Brown shares the tips that made going vegan easy and fun

Tabitha Brown shares the tips that made going vegan easy and fun

When Tabitha Brown pops up on your TikTok feed with her famous "Hello, there" greeting, you know you're in for a minute or two of positivity. The 43-year-old social media personality has attracted nearly 5 million followers on the app with words of wisdom, hilariously relatable food reviews, and of course, delicious-looking vegan recipes. No wonder she calls herself “America’s Favorite Mom.”

You'd never guess that Brown was initially hesitant to download TikTok because she "thought it was just a platform for kids," she tells Shape. After some convincing from her Gen Z daughter, 20-year-old Choyce Brown, she gave in and joined the platform. “I started creating content and became really passionate about sharing my plant-based journey with others,” she says. “I love interacting with my fans and sharing tips and tricks on how to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for anyone who wants to start this journey or for those who are just really interested in learning more about veganism.” (If you need a refresher, a vegan diet excludes meat, dairy, and all other animal products. "Plant-based" can describe any diet that contains primarily plants.)

However, Brown wasn't always vegan. The food influencer was motivated to try the diet for health reasons. “I had been struggling with chronic headaches and neck pain, anxiety and depression for a year and a half and I kind of dealt with it because I thought I would live like this for the rest of my life,” she says. After watching the documentary What the Health (available on Netflix), which takes an investigative look at the intersection of diet and disease in America, Brown decided to try a plant-based, vegan diet. "I tried this 30-day vegan challenge [about five years ago] and at the end my chronic headaches, pain and fatigue disappeared, and that's where my journey began," she explains.

While critics of the documentary argue that the film exaggerates the data to promote veganism, they admit that research has uncovered possible health benefits of the diet. For example, in a study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, nearly 300 people were divided into one of two groups: those who followed a vegan diet and those who continued to eat their standard American diet over the course of 18 weeks. According to the study, the vegan group's depression, anxiety, fatigue and emotional well-being "significantly improved," and they had better daily functioning and overall health compared to the control group.

While Brown personally noticed positive physical changes and felt encouraged by these effects, her journey into veganism was not easy at first, as she was the only one in her family following the diet at the time. She cooked two separate meals, one for herself and one for her family, which was "tiring," she says. Still, she loved the challenge of getting creative and coming up with meals that excluded animal products. “I went into it with an open mind and was pretty blown away by how delicious everything was,” she says. One of her favorite dishes was pulled pork nachos, which she made by chopping up jackfruit, a popular meat alternative. "I [also] add some of my homemade vegan cheese sauce, guacamole, salsa, salad, and I really can't say it's all plant-based." (Related: 12 Things No One Tells You About Going Vegan)

If you're interested in trying a plant-based, vegan diet but don't know where to start, try recreating your favorite non-vegan foods using only plant-based ingredients, recommends Brown. “Don’t be afraid to get creative in the kitchen,” she says. “There are a variety of plant-based options these days and so many easy and fun recipes you can find online to make in just 30 minutes with very few ingredients.”

And if you're worried about whether a vegan diet contains enough protein, rest assured that this lifestyle contains many foods that can help you get an adequate amount of the macronutrient. “You would be surprised at how much protein is found in plant-based ingredients, including chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, tofu and spinach,” says Brown. “The key is simply knowing how to mix everything to create delicious goodness.” (Related: 12 Protein-Rich Pastas That Will Keep You Satisfied for Hours)

Brown, for her part, likes to meet her daily protein needs - which, according to Harvard Medical School, is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight - with the help of protein-filled shakes from the orro brand. Brown recently teamed up with the brand to celebrate the launch of the plant-based mini meals. Available in vanilla and chocolate flavors, the shakes contain 16 grams of protein and 23 vitamins and minerals in each bottle, equivalent to one serving.

Almost five years into her vegan lifestyle, Brown continues to inspire others to try new things, including her family. “My father actually followed in my vegan footsteps a year after me, and then my daughter and my husband,” she says.

So if you've ever thought about trying the vegan diet or even want to start eating less meat in general (hello, Meatless Mondays), Brown's journey might be the confirmation you need that it's worth giving a try.