Plant Based life style- anyone doing this?

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JJHudgens
JJHudgens Posts: 96 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My partner and I recently saw the film, "Forks over Knives." AmAzInG! It so has us thinking of trying to slowly transition to a more plant based (vegan) life style. We bought a few books today to help us learn more about this. I just thought I'd ask the MFP community if anyone is currently vegan/plant based? Any tips for us? Any info would surely help and be appreciated! Thanks! :smooched:

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  • derbyturner
    derbyturner Posts: 1
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    I am slowly transitioning to a more vegan lifestyle. I love The Kind Diet cookbook and website. I also like the Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder. Once you get past the initial detox/cravings that you go through as your body starts to change, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel.
  • jenny138
    jenny138 Posts: 46
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    I just watched this myself. It makes some very good points. I think I am going to try and start eating like this.
  • VeganChick66
    VeganChick66 Posts: 8
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    Hi, I've been vegan for almost 3 years. I have lost 116 lbs. though I recently gained back 6. I got off the dozen medications I was on.

    I would love to help anyone who is trying to eat a plant-based diet or adopt a vegan lifestyle. And I would just love to connect with other vegans.
  • vegangirl88
    vegangirl88 Posts: 104 Member
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    I found that when I went vegan, it helped to use vegan replacement foods to start with so I didn't feel "deprived", i.e. I loved mayo so I used a vegan version. There are vegan replacement foods for pretty much everything, so if that helps you to start with while you get used to it then use them!! After a while, I found that I didn't want the replacement foods anymore. I now use reduced fat hummus if I need a "sauce" on things, and spices to flavour my food.

    If you are planning on making this a life long change, then don't worry if you slip up a few times! There are animal products in so much stuff these days, so you really do have to check pre-packaged foods. This has encouraged me to eat more fresh fruit and veg though, as it saves me time checking labels! I don't need to look through 20+ ingredients to know that sweet potatoes and spinach are ok for me!!!

    I have a few recipes on this blog favouriteveganrecipes.blogspot.com which you are more than welcome to try out!

    Feel free to friend me or ask me anything, anytime : )
  • lfusfeld
    lfusfeld Posts: 6
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    I've been vegan for over 10 years and would be happy to help anyone who isn't yet vegan make the transition. My nonprofit has a program that helps people go vegan with a 30 day in-person program (for 2011, in Philly, Phoenixville (PA), Brooklyn, Salt Lake City, Chapel Hill, and Bend (Oregon)). So I have a lot of experience helping. If you message me and let me know where you're starting from and give me a little background, I'm happy to do what I can to help. PCRM also has a 21 day vegan kickstart program.
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
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    Vegan for 1 year, literally the best thing I've ever done with my life.
  • live2dream
    live2dream Posts: 614 Member
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    I found that when I went vegan, it helped to use vegan replacement foods to start with so I didn't feel "deprived", i.e. I loved mayo so I used a vegan version. There are vegan replacement foods for pretty much everything, so if that helps you to start with while you get used to it then use them!! After a while, I found that I didn't want the replacement foods anymore. I now use reduced fat hummus if I need a "sauce" on things, and spices to flavour my food.

    This ^^^ is sorta what I'm doing right now... I've been vegetarian since January and vegan for over a week now. The Kind Diet is a good read. I'm always looking for tips too.... It's true reading labels is difficult at times... and I'm dreading going out to eat anywhere... I was at Chipotle last week as I love the vegan bowls and burritos, but there was beef floating in the black beans and sour cream in the hot sauce... but you just have to do the best you can and make the choices that are right for you. :)
  • yogavegan
    yogavegan Posts: 116 Member
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    vegetarian 25 years, vegan for 6, feel free to add or ask questions...
  • KevDaniel
    KevDaniel Posts: 449 Member
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    I am a vegan and I would say try to ease into it. If you have the all or nothing approach it may be tough to stick to it. I would also recommend getting the book "The Kind Diet" really has some great advice and recipes. Feel free to add me if you want support or anything for the transition.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
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    i love how many vegetarians/vegans are popping up all over mfp! I've been vegetarian most of my life, and vegan for approximately 10 years (swing back and forth between vegan and veggie). It's a very important choice for our family :) i'm happy to talk about it (to people that want to listen, that is) till i'm blue in the face... so feel free to ask me any questions as well! my husband and two kids are also veggies, and i had two fabulous vegan pregnancies, and nursed both my kids for 2+ years as a vegan. :)
  • savethecat
    savethecat Posts: 290 Member
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    Forks Over Knives was a fantastic documentary. It definitely influenced my wife and I to go vegan after being vegetarian for 6 years. There is really a pretty great community of vegans on MFP. They have all been very helpful.

    Best of luck with your transition into a plant based diet!
  • VegGrrl
    VegGrrl Posts: 336 Member
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    Vegan for 9 (?) years now. (Was veg prior to that.) Great recipe source: www.fatfreevegan.com

    I was a junk food vegan for a long time - that's why I'm fat! Now I'm really working on cleaning up my diet and eating very little processed food. I feel better than ever! When I eat clean the weight comes off so much easier - the cravings are GONE and the appetite is small. But we all have to start somewhere, so if the vegan junk food helps you adapt to the lifestyle, then go for it. Once you have the vegan thing down, you can always work on eating more of a whole foods diet IMO.

    Congrats on making a decision that's good for your body, the planet, and, of course, our animal brethren!
  • tifftaffy
    tifftaffy Posts: 141 Member
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    Vegetarian- and would like to go to vegan (I was raised omni by omni parents but have been vegetarian for 3 years).
  • demitraknows
    demitraknows Posts: 82 Member
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    I did vegan for 4 weeks after I had my kid and I lost 40lbs. Unfortunately I gained it back over time but there are several vegan recipe sites that have delicious recipes to choose from and you would be surprised how close it tastes to the regular food you eat daily. Good luck I am going to try to start 10-24-11 to see how much of a difference there is between regular diet and working out and the vegan one.

    Take care,,,
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
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    Vegan for five years, here.

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