I’ve never been much for New Year’s Resolutions.

But I have always been a sucker for a clean slate and a fresh start. Based on circumstances, I usually go through a few mini-resolutions throughout each year. Boy breaks my heart? I get a new hair style and focus on a “better” me. Get a promotion? I start shopping at Ann Taylor and decide to jump into the young professional persona until it gets obnoxious.

But if you take the more logical approach and decide that January 1, 2010 is as good a time as any to better yourself, then hear me out.

Going vegan is the best thing you can do for your health, for the environment, and for animals. But we’re old pals by now, so you already know my logic behind that (and if you don’t, then click here). When I went vegan, I lost weight, had more energy, brighter skin, shinier hair, and even my fingernails got stronger. It is truly a total body transformation when you stop putting food in your mouth that’s tainted by chemicals and cruelty. My blood work has never looked better, and I know that I’m treating my body and the world around me with the respect it deserves (not to mention putting myself at a much lower risk for certain cancers and other diseases). However, going vegan isn’t always something that happens overnight. You’ve probably heard a lot about the benefits and know it’s a step you need to take for the New Year, but maybe you’re not sure how to get started? Maybe the task seems overwhelming?

If you’re looking to make going vegetarian or vegan your resolution for the year, here are the three big steps that I think will make your transition easy.

Step One: You made the decision to transform into a healthier and more compassionate person. Congratulations, you! This is a big step in the very right direction. If you’re not yet vegetarian, the first step in this process is to ditch the animal flesh from your diet. If this seems overwhelming, then try this: make a list of your favorite foods. Once your list is complete, go to vegcooking.com and browse for your favorite foods throughout their countless list of recipes. Once you see that you can still eat your favorite meals, just in a different way, the whole transition feels much more doable. Test out a few of these meals during the next couple weeks and click here for tips on how to browse thousands of new vegetarian and vegan recipes. You can also check out this site for tips on how to stay true to your new lifestyle while dining out and eating on the road. Now you’re covered from every angle!

A vegan's fridge.

Step Two: Now that you’ve tested out some recipes, it’s time to make the commitment to stop eating animal flesh. Sign up for PETA’s 30-Day Pledge to Be Veg here and you’ll get encouraging e-mails throughout your transition including reminders and countless tips and recipes to make the process easier. You can do anything for 30 days, so try this out, make the commitment, and tell yourself it’s just a trial period. After 30 days, it’ll be a habit and you’ll feel better than you ever have. Your trial period will most likely end up being a long term commitment, but this way, you can ease your mind into the idea a bit better.

Step Three: You’re a full fledged vegetarian now! You should be proud of yourself. A lot of people might want to stop here, but the dairy and egg industries are typically just as cruel as the meat industry (you can educate yourself here). Sometimes the process from vegetarian to vegan can be overnight, and sometimes it takes years, so this step may be more gradual for you, but that’s okay. While you’re toying with the idea, you can do plenty of other things to help animals, like getting active in your community, volunteering at a local animal shelter, ditching leather, fur, and other animal skins from your fashion repertoire, and keeping yourself educated about the cause. When I went from vegetarian to vegan, I found it worked best for me to go in steps. I started slowly, and first just stopped drinking milk and replaced it with soy milk. Then I stopped eating eggs a few months later (using egg substitutes instead). Then the cheese was next, and eventually I stopped eating sauces and dressings with animal products, until finally going completely vegan was no longer a far-away thought, it was just the next easy step in my transition.

Basically, the bottom line is that you can do it. There are no more excuses! Every time we sit down for a meal, we have a choice to make. Compassion or cruelty? Make 2010 your year to contribute to a cleaner more peaceful world … and look good doin’ it!