Vegetarian to Vegan

stephanie_queen

I have been a vegitarian for about six months now and it has been going great. It has helped me lose about 10 pounds. Now I would like to become a vegan. Preferably a raw vegan. Would you recommend the transition or should I wait longer? I love vegetables and exercising and I personally thing it will be easy. Anyone want to share their vegan story? I would love to hear it

kshama2001

If you want to transition to veganism for ethical reasons, once you get your head straight it should be easy. If you're doing it for purely perceived health and weight loss reasons, it will be more challenging.

I used to live in vegetarian communities with lots of vegans. Many of them tried raw in the summer but gave it up when it got cold.

KourtneyChristine

I am a breastfeeding vegan mother! I went veg when I was 14 and then I went vegan when I was 17 and have been vegan now for 6 years! When I went vegan it was for ethical and health reasons. I was still an over weight veg and then I went vegan and added exercise to my diet I lost some more weight. I just quit dairy suddenly becaue I am lactose intolerant so it was easier for me to just give it up. Everyone is different. If you feel ready try it for a week! See how you feel and if you feel like you could do it forever then you are ready! I was vegan my entire pregnancy and now 8 months breastfeeding. For me being vegan is easy and I would not live any other way. Good luck!

FarewellBlues

I was vegetarian for four years and vegan for about 6 months. It didn't agree with me and I was tired all the time and getting sick a lot, despite educating myself and doing everything "right." Now I eat small quantities of meat and fish, but primarily from pasture-raised sources and from local farmers when I can. I still have a deep ethical issue with CAFOs and other factory farming processes.

SO, I don't say this to dissuade you from going vegan: try it and see if it works for you. But, ESPECIALLY if you're doing it primarily for health reasons, I suggest you read some articles by folks who think being vegan is unhealthy. Again, NOT to try to make you change your mind: they're just very good at pointing out the various nutrients that vegans commonly become deficient in, so it's really easy to figure out if you'll need to supplement or find alternative sources for these things. (I recall that a certain long-chain omega 3 fatty acid, I think DHA, is one of the most important and a little tricky to supplement). When I was making the transition, this information wasn't clearly laid out on vegan websites or books (though of course they'll tell you about protein and B vitamins and the like) -- I just thought it was much easier to sift through from the perspective of people who disagreed with the lifestyle.

melonaulait

If you're becoming a mostly raw vegan, I think you need to eat more calories than the weight loss calorie suggestions on MFP.

I'm sure you'll do great on your vegan journey!

siluridae

Go for it, there are so many vegan resources for all kinds of recipes including junk food these days.

vaguelyvegan

I was vegetarian for many years and switched to a vegan diet about a year and a half ago. I didn't do it for my health (and I don't do the raw vegan thing--too hard on the digestion), but one of the happy side effects is that at 46 years old, I feel better than ever. Tons of energy, and what I can only describe as a lightness, a physical lightness, that I've never experienced before.

If you're at all inclined toward a plant-based diet, I'd suggest that you incorporate as many vegan dishes as you can in your vegetarian diet and ease into the lifestyle gradually. Notice how you feel after eating certain foods, and experiment with vegan sources of protein. Try to stay away from junk food and eat the rainbow instead. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable and simple it can be.

Good luck!

kshama2001

FarewellBlues wrote: »

I was vegetarian for four years and vegan for about 6 months. It didn't agree with me and I was tired all the time and getting sick a lot, despite educating myself and doing everything "right." Now I eat small quantities of meat and fish, but primarily from pasture-raised sources and from local farmers when I can. I still have a deep ethical issue with CAFOs and other factory farming processes.

Ya, I have the soul of a vegan in the body of an omnivore, and the bolded above is how I resolve that conflict.

Traveler120

I'm not vegan but I eat vegan diet for the health benefits. I think a raw vegan diet would be unnecessarily limiting. My diet is heavy on starches like potatoes, beans, rice, flat bread, quinoa, oatmeal etc, all obviously cooked. I see no benefit in eliminating them. In fact, that would limit my overall nutrition if I cut them out. I eat plenty of salads and fruits but I think cooked food increases variety which makes food enjoyable overall, without losing any nutritional value.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

KourtneyChristine wrote: »

I am a breastfeeding vegan mother! I went veg when I was 14 and then I went vegan when I was 17 and have been vegan now for 6 years! When I went vegan it was for ethical and health reasons. I was still an over weight veg and then I went vegan and added exercise to my diet I lost some more weight. I just quit dairy suddenly becaue I am lactose intolerant so it was easier for me to just give it up. Everyone is different. If you feel ready try it for a week! See how you feel and if you feel like you could do it forever then you are ready! I was vegan my entire pregnancy and now 8 months breastfeeding. For me being vegan is easy and I would not live any other way. Good luck!

just a question. if you became vegan 6 years ago then why were you consuming dairy? I thought vegans did not eat any animal products? isnt dairy an animal product? again just a question

FarewellBlues

@CharlieBeansmomTracey: I think she means she abruptly quit dairy at 17 when she became a vegan -- not that she "just" did it recently.

UncaToddly

FarewellBlues wrote: »

@CharlieBeansmomTracey: I think she means she abruptly quit dairy at 17 when she became a vegan -- not that she "just" did it recently.

That was how I read it too. Much like me saying that I smoked for about 8-10 years in my 20s. I just quit smoking. I don't mean that at 47 I finally considered myself to have quit but that when I did, I just stopped doing so as opposed to back and forth until it stuck.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

maybe that is what she meant then.

katie_moreau

I have recently transitioned to a plant based diet... Honestly it was difficult the first week or so, mostly because I wasn't sure what to eat. It seemed like everything was on the "no" list. But since then, I have been researching meals and different ingredients/substitutions and so far so good. If you are doing it for ethical reasons it's not difficult to keep with it.

azulvioleta6

Raw vegan cooking is extremely time and labor intensive. I say that as someone who grows, preserves and cooks almost everything from scratch. It would be too much of a time investment for me.

The people I know that have done it do lose weight...and then they balloon up again as soon as they go back to a more traditional way of eating.

It's also extraordinarily difficult to get enough protein without too many carbs...so if you have any kind of carb sensitivity it isn't a great idea.

tristen_leigh

kshama2001 wrote: »

If you want to transition to veganism for ethical reasons, once you get your head straight it should be easy. If you're doing it for purely perceived health and weight loss reasons, it will be more challenging.

I used to live in vegetarian communities with lots of vegans. Many of them tried raw in the summer but gave it up when it got cold.

Yes to transitioning for ethical reasons. In my opinion, it's way more motivating to commit for other creatures than just myself. I would suggest vegan first, then raw vegan. One step at a time so you're not as overwhelmed.