Help! I so badly want to go Vegan!

My story is that for the past year and a half I was vegetarian for about 8 months of that.  I went back to meat eating for various reasons, lack of support from friends and family.  I have been on veg*n websits, CC Boards etc for a while grappling with whether or not to go back to vegetarian.  I then decided for health/ethical reasons to just go vegan.  So last night was the last straw, after viewing a horrible video on a factory farm that supplied pork to Hormel.  Anyway, I so badly want to go Vegan!  I just need advice, support, tips etc.

If  anyone has a story of how they went vegan please share.  Or any other inspirational stories about Veganism, please share!

Hey, Ive been a vegetarian for about 7 months and ive recently started the switch to veganism.  Im pretty much there.  Its not always an easy lifestyle change especially when you try to go out to dinner with friends but it is a well worth while cause.  If lack of suport is an issue, you must first make sure that you are firm in your beliefs for going vegan, and you may need to try and talk to those who are givng you trouble.  I have difficulty since i am still living at home, when my mother goes grocery shopping she tends not to read the label, and sometimes dosnt relize that some tomato sauce has cheese or what not in it.  But I work around it.

I guess the best advice is to just take is slow, I would start by being a strict vegitarian for a while then begin to explore with vegan options. 

Good luck-

Thanks! Yes, I have explored my beleifs for the past several months, close to a year. And I am glad to say two of the people that did not support me, the worst offender, are not in my life anymore. My hubby is a meat eater, but does not mind my vegetarianism, but just does not want to discuss it. I guess as long has he has what he wants to eat he is happy.

On another not, I also want to begin incorporating more healthy, unprocessed foods into my childrens diet. I hope I don't see too much oposition on this one! Anyway, I think the best way to address veg*n with children, when one parent is meat eater and other is not, is to give them a choice.

I would like some advice on what an appropriate age would be to present them with the facts, etc to make thier own choice?

I know this is off topic, but I just have alot of questions. LOL!

Ok I got another question:

Just finished some crackers and hummus.  I read the ingredients on crackers and did not see anything remotely non-vegan.  But, the hummus was ok until I got to natural flavors.  What is this and could it be non vegan?  How do vegans get around this when choosing food items?

I typically avoid processed foods because it is hard to tell what the ingredients are and if they are vegan.  For example the previous poster mentioned cheese in tomato sauce - wtf?  Now I have to start looking for that. 

Anyway, it's easier, cheaper, better for the environment, and better for you to make things yourself rather than buying processed packaged foods.  For your hummus example, I always make it myself.  I can buy a can of garbanzo beans for $0.69 (or boil my own, at 6 cups worth for about a dollar) and whip up a batch of hummus in 2 minutes.  It tastes better, too.

Thanks for your input.  I have been thinking about making my own hummus!  Anyway, I appreciate all the responses.  I just have so many questions!

Well ask away! I went vegan about a month ago and I'm loving it - I don't miss ANYTHING at all, so if you need support let me know :)

Great! I really appreciate it!  Can you tell me about your basics meal consist of?  I'm worried about eating too much soy.  I have been contemplating trying Rice or Almond milk and Publix sells coconut milk yogurt.  Have you tried these?

Ok, one more for now, LOL! How about Veganiaise, is it good?

Lindsay

Veganaise is awesome.  My DH was addicted to mayo before we went veg and now he says he likes the Veganaise better than the real thing!  Although, it is really more like Miracle Whip than actual mayo.  I was always a mustard girl myself, tho.  :)

I use Almond milk - sparingly tho as I feel it is too processed.  I posted some of the foods that I eat in the pescetarian athlete thread.

Original Post by adolphs:

Veganaise is awesome.  My DH was addicted to mayo before we went veg and now he says he likes the Veganaise better than the real thing!  Although, it is really more like Miracle Whip than actual mayo.  I was always a mustard girl myself, tho.  :)

I use Almond milk - sparingly tho as I feel it is too processed.  I posted some of the foods that I eat in the pescetarian athlete thread.

 Ok, great I will give it a look!

I became vegan in 1996 for ethical reasons. I was at the ripe age of 12. Fast forward 13 years and here I am still vegan and very active in the animal rights community.

 

Almond Milk is actually one of the healthiest non dairy milks! feel free to enjoy it within your calorie limits.

 

Anyway if you have any other questions feel free to ask!

The best way to go healthy for your family is to cook all your own food.  There is so much processed junk in grocery store foods.  I make all my own stuff includng salad dressings.  My sister even makes her own baby food for her 10 month old! 

Check thepostpunkkitchen.com along with Ani Phyo's book on raw vegan foods. And you can sign up on Peta's website and they'll send you a vegetarian/vegan magazine with recipes.

Thanks! You guys are great support!  I am planning on doing some vegan shopping and cooking this weekend; I want to stock up for the next week.

Original Post by lsam31:

Great! I really appreciate it!  Can you tell me about your basics meal consist of?  I'm worried about eating too much soy.  I have been contemplating trying Rice or Almond milk and Publix sells coconut milk yogurt.  Have you tried these?

Ok, one more for now, LOL! How about Veganiaise, is it good?

Lindsay

Okay, well, today this is what I've got planned to eat...

Breakfast: Green smoothie with a handful of baby spinach leaves, some tinned peach & pineapple in natural juice, an organic banana and a heaped teaspoon of spirulina powder (it was SO yum!).

Snack: Mary's Gone Crackers (crackers made from rice, quinoa, flax and something else I can't remember) with homemade hummus.

Lunch: Spinach salad with red pepper, cucumber, strawberries, sweet corn and slivered almonds in raspberry vinegar.

Snack: Small handful of vegan tiny teddies :)

Dinner: Vegan shepard's pie made with lentils, TVP, baby peas and vegan mashed potato.

 

Don't freak out about soy, I mean too much of ANYTHING is not good. I always drink rice milk, in my opinion it tastes way better than soy anyway. Nut milk is amazing too. The only time I ever have soy is in yoghurt, tofu or tempeh :)

As for vegenaise, I haven't tried it because Praise makes a mayonnaise that's accidentally vegan and it's the one I've been eating my whole life! I don't know if it's available outside Australia, though.

Glad to be of help!

You should try making seitan its really good.  I like making BBQ seitan on the grill.  My son just turned 6 and has been a vegetarian for 2 years now.  He decided on his own.   I've been vegetarian for 10-12 years I really can't remember.  I never really talked to him about being vegetarian but I did make sure he knew what he was eating. If he was eating a hamburger I just explained that it came from a cow. I don't think kids really understand were meat comes from.  I nanny and I remember when the little boy I take care of tried telling my son that it just comes from the store.  He won't drink cow milk because he knows that its for baby cows. We were vegan but since he has been taken off gluten we did start eating cow cheese and local eggs again.  I'm hoping once I get use to baking and cooking without gluten we will be able to go vegan again.  I hate having to feed him eggs but nothing else works. 

Ground flax seed is a great egg substitute in baking!  1 Tbs flax seed + 1 Tbs hot water = 1 egg

 

I know that was my first choice when he was eating wheat flour but when I tried it with the gluten free flour mix it came out so heavy.  Gluten free bread is pretty dense with eggs but with the flax it came out like a gaint brick.  I'm hoping I'll find something that will work but he is having a hard time with the change that I'm just trying to make it taste as best I can.  I'm just glad I make the veggie burgers because I can't find any in the stores that doesn't have wheat in it or cost less then $6 for 4.

Good luck to everyone who wants to be vegan!!!!  You can absolutely do it! 

My advice: don't sweat the small stuff.  If you find out the margarine you're eating has a tiny bit of casseine in it, just eat it anyway, congratulate yourself on being 99% vegan, and try to find fully-vegan margarine the next time. It's about helping as many animals as possible -- not being "pure".

I was a vegetarian who had tried veganism and given up, until an awesome dude from the group Vegan Outreach asked me why I wasn't vegan.  I said "I like the taste of pizza."  He looked at me in horror.

He said "You're going to make some mother cow live in a farm, getting milked by a machine, and having her babies ripped away from her, because you like the taste of pizza??"

I knew he was right and I felt ashamed.  My taste preference was so inconsequential compared to the cow's suffering.

So I said, "No, I'm not.  I'll go vegan."  And I have been for a year now!

(PS, vegan pizza is great!)

Make sure to have your doctor closely monitor your B12 levels as the only good sources of it are from animal protein and it's common to be deficient when following a vegan diet for a period of time.

Fortunately some vegan foods are fortified with it. So you can just make sure to eat some of those fortified foods each day.

 

 

Original Post by cjcolsen:

Good luck to everyone who wants to be vegan!!!!  You can absolutely do it! 

My advice: don't sweat the small stuff.  If you find out the margarine you're eating has a tiny bit of casseine in it, just eat it anyway, congratulate yourself on being 99% vegan, and try to find fully-vegan margarine the next time. It's about helping as many animals as possible -- not being "pure".

I was a vegetarian who had tried veganism and given up, until an awesome dude from the group Vegan Outreach asked me why I wasn't vegan.  I said "I like the taste of pizza."  He looked at me in horror.

He said "You're going to make some mother cow live in a farm, getting milked by a machine, and having her babies ripped away from her, because you like the taste of pizza??"

I knew he was right and I felt ashamed.  My taste preference was so inconsequential compared to the cow's suffering.

So I said, "No, I'm not.  I'll go vegan."  And I have been for a year now!

(PS, vegan pizza is great!)

 I think that line was all i needed haha:)

I'm close to my one year anniversary of being a vegetarian, and I totally know what you mean...I went back to eating meat once (had a Big Mac) because my Dad kept pressuring me about how it's wrong to be a vegetarian and against our religion (it totally isn't, by the way, I checked it out before I even made the switch, but he still made me nervous. People should read into these things before they use them against you  ) I felt fine at first, was even thinking about going back to omnivore, but that very night I had nightmares about this big factory with animals of every kind being dumped alive into this huge tree-shredder meat grinder type of thing, and they put the paste that came out into little pudding cups to sell, THAT was my last straw, I took it as a sign that meat just wasn't intended for me to eat.

I decided to go vegan a while back, bought some egg and cheese substitutes, and was ready to go nuts until I read that every single egg substitute contained eggs, and every cheese substitute contained both milk and lactose. I couldn't find a single one in any store for miles that didn't. (Seriously, what's the point in that? Besides people watching their cholesterol with the eggs, the only people who would eat the vegetable protein cheese would be vegans and lactose intolerant people...)

So as of now I have no choice but to stay lacto-ovo (but I can try my best to avoid eggs and cheese...they're not that good for you, anyways.), but when I go away to college I'm sure I'll find stuff to eat. Unless anyone has any ideas...? (and I'm serious...does anybody have ideas? I keep picturing the baby chicken that never was every time I bite into an Egg Beaters omelette.)