Advice for a Beginner Vegan?

cmhickey616

After researching it for awhile, I've decided I would like to become vegan for the health benefits of a plant based, whole foods diet. Are there any vegans out there who have advice, books to recommend, recipe websites, etc. for someone who is just starting out trying to change from an omnivore to a vegan? I don't really know where to begin...

katemateg

I think that is a very big jump from omnivore to vegan. Why don't you try being a vegetarian for a couple of months then progress. when I first went vege 22 years ago it took months for me to get the hang of what I couldn't eat. We have a vegan society in the Uk and I imagine there is one in the US too. A good vegan diet is great but do it wrong and you will be missing out on lots of stuff you need. Good luck though

sara709

I was flipped between vegetarian and vegan from the time I was 16 - 25. First starting out, I'd suggest making an appointment with a nutritionist to talk about your dietary needs. Read lots. Don't fill up on all those fake meats - all those preservatives are not healthy. Adventure with new and different kinds of food. Protein is a huge thing people will always ask you about. You will get enough from the foods you'll be eating, but if you're anything like me, you could pack on pounds because you're not getting enough to keep you full long enough.

AggieCass09

id start by doing a vegan "day" and adjusting gradually...its tough to get in all of the necessary nutrients if you start all at once...take it slow and you'll get used to it.

i'm a veggie (i eat eggs, cheese, and diary a LOT) but feel free to view my diary for ideas...i get most of my recipes from allrecipes.com

HoopFire5602

First of all, please see a doctor and make sure it is safe and okay for you to be on the diet. While my scenario is rare, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I was vegetarian for awhile and the increase in Vitamin K made my blood very thick. I already genetically have thick blood, so blood clots developed until I had them from my knee to my groin. I was in the hospital for a month and a week. Now I am on blood thinners for life and have lost my career in the Navy.
Please, please see a doc to make sure that the diet is right for you. I'm not trying to scare you; I'm just trying to make people realize that just because it is healthy doesn't mean it is for everyone.

MyCoachNYLA

There is a book I bought called Thrive that is a good read with good information. You might want to check it out at one of your bookstores before you buy to see if you like it, but I found some good info in there.

I unfortunately have had challenges with total vegan food plans but I really do like a lot of the recipes as well as I dabbled in raw foods too which is amazing but again, I can't go total raw - actually, they say to be gradual with it but I found that it was just a lot of carb and sugar loading more than protein support.

I would suggest you consider finding (also) a book or info on line about macronutrient recipes that help with getting whole forms of proteins through plant based foods so that your muscle integrity does not suffer.

Thanks for the post and good luck to you.

AdventureFreak

Start with vegetarian and include Greek Yogurt.

MyCoachNYLA

First of all, please see a doctor and make sure it is safe and okay for you to be on the diet. While my scenario is rare, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I was vegetarian for awhile and the increase in Vitamin K made my blood very thick. I already genetically have thick blood, so blood clots developed until I had them from my knee to my groin. I was in the hospital for a month and a week. Now I am on blood thinners for life and have lost my career in the Navy.
Please, please see a doc to make sure that the diet is right for you. I'm not trying to scare you; I'm just trying to make people realize that just because it is healthy doesn't mean it is for everyone.

that is such a great point and thanks for your post. I would also like to add that be sure what doctor you go to because most don't have a clue what to say since their education is really limited on nutritional advice giving. For myself I would consider starting with a doctor who is holistic and up on nutrition.

cmhickey616

Thanks! I just started reading Thrive

vegangirl88

Good books: The Kind Life, Skinny *****. If you google "vegan recipes" you will find an absolute MOUNTAIN of stuff. I went veggie before I went vegan and that worked for me, but I have never gone omni to vegan so maybe that's easy too?! One major tip - check the ingredients of EVERYTHING. You will be amazed how much stuff has animal produce in that you wouldn't have thought. However, if you're doing it for health then go all out and eat mainly fruits and veg, with rice/couscous/quinoa instead of processed vegan "fake" foods and use spices instead of salt or ketchup/mayo etc. Add me if you like : )

Hmm can I say Skinny B!tch??? Got censored lol xx

cmhickey616

I do realize it's a big jump, but I eat very, very little meat already, and, based on the research I've done ,(which has all been from medical professionals being in the medical field myself) I think there is a lot to be said for the health benefits of cutting out all animal protein, which is why it's important to me to try to go the vegan route...

sunryzer

I went from omni to veggie at 16 and veggie to vegan at 24. Each time I phased out products rather than going "cold turkey" (pun recognised but not intended!). Becoming veggie, first went meat, then gelatine, then rennents. As a vegan, I stopped dairy, then stopped purchasing egg based products whilst I allowed my Quorn-filled freezer to work down (Quorn contains eggs) and finally honey.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not adequately replacing the nutrition you lose by dropping entire food groups. For example, when I went veggie I ballooned in weight due to replacing meat products with a lot of cheese. Some fake meats are good for taste and texture, companies like Frys and Redwood Foods make particularly nice ones, but they are often as bad for you as the meat they are replacing (just not always for the same reasons). This doesn't mean they should be omitted from your diet, but jwhen insider this when meal planning.

Tofu is a fairly healthy meat substitute (but not silken - that has other uses in my opinion) and takes the flavour of its sauces. Soy mince (rather than most branded veggie minces) behaves similarly. For meals like chilli, I've removed meat altogether but increased the amount of beans in the recipe. Contrary to what you hear in school yards, beans do not lead to excessive flatulence if you chew your food properly

I can only comment on what's available in the UK but Pure and Vitalite are good vegan margarines (for Pure, go for the sunflower version rather than the others if you want taste over health benefits).

I strongly recommend getting hold of a whole egg replacer which you can use in recipes that require egg to bind them so that you can do a straight conversion from existing recipes. Use unsweetened soy milk rather than sweetened when cooking but remember you may need to adjust the recipe for sweetness. Sweetened usually uses apple juice as its sweetener which doesn't taste right in many recipes.

Most of my recipes are adapted from vegetarian and omnivorous cookbooks and family recipes. However, the one vegan cookbook I usually recommend is "Vegan with a Vengeance": http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Vengeance-Delicious-Animal-free-Recipes/dp/1904943667
Reading through some of the comments on Amazon, it appears the US version is better.

I hope that helps. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have

Good luck!

kaetra

Unless most of your friends/family/etc. are already vegan, remember that it's a big social change as well, don't forget to prepare for that part. Going to gatherings or even to a friend's house for dinner, let them know about your new lifestyle. Maybe bring your own dish to certain events so you have something to eat as lots of people are not sure what you can't have and won't want to offend you by asking and potentially making you feel uncomfortable. And if you have to question the host about every ingredient they put in the food they're serving it may make both you and the host uncomfortable.

Prepare for lots of questions from people about being vegan.

I have vegan friends and it's hard for me sometimes to know how to prepare things they, and hopefully non-vegans as well, can enjoy. I would be mortified if one of my treasured friends had nought but pita and hummus to eat at a gathering.

cmhickey616

Thank you so much for the helpful advice. It's definitely already apparent how big of a social change it would be...the good news is that it is something me, my mom, and my dad are doing together for health reasons so that should make it a little bit easier...