To Veg or Not to Veg

eme31386

Hey MFPs!

I am at a crossroads and the time has come to decide whether I'm going left or right. I have been reading, listening to and researching as much info as I can on becoming a vegan. I have watched videos that give an undercover peek at what our chicken, cows, turkey and pigs go through and I am absolutely disgusted and I feel called to do something. I want veganism to be my first step! The last thing I want to do is hear from actual vegans and I want to get as many pros and cons as possible. If you are out there, I want to hear why you chose to become a vegan, how long it has been and what has been the most difficult part of your journey! Thanks!

MrsJax11

I did vegetarian for a long while, about 2 years when I was younger, but I found that I missed certain things - like beef...
vegan is a whole other world -- no dairy, eggs, etc...much harder to do, and I am not brave enough to try. If you are considering the switch because of how the animals are raised, you can try eating local and organic meats from sources that you can verify are humane. Local Harvest is a great site for finding locally produced foods, which (IMO) is better for our local economy and environment than shopping in big chains. Bell and Evans is a great poultry company, too....while those foods are more expensive, you could just up your veggie and fruit intake, and supplement with organic, grass fed meats.
Good luck on your decision!

Htay88

I'm not vegan. But i made the mistake of going onto peta.com a couple years back and decided that i wanted to become one. I did a semi-vegan diet, sea food being the only meat that i would eat. I only lasted four months. It was incredibly hard. Everything had some sort of animal products in it.. I didn't acutally lose any weight at all either. What ended happening for me is i compensated for the meat with carbs. I think wanting to become vegan is and honarable thing and i'm sad that i failed so badly at it. If i were you i would pretend to be a vegan for a day. See what you actually have around your house that had no animal products in it, you will probably find its way less than you think. I wish you better luck than I had and if you discover any good tricks let me know!

PeaceLuvVeggies

Hi there, although I'm not a vegan, I'm a Vegetarian, but I rarely eat eggs, cheese, and don't drink milk. Also do not wear any type of animal, and I do not buy products that are tested on animals. Veganism is my next step and I'm slowly trying to ease myself in it, but because the vegan life is expensive [depending on where you live], it's taking me a while longer than I originally wanted to. Either way, I can tell you how great it is to live an animal-free life. The sense of guilt that you had is completely gone, you feel cleaner, your body reacts to it greatly, and of course, you lose weight because of it. I've been a Vegetarian for 3 years. Went cold turkey one day while working at McDonald's. Saw two videos the night before I decided to completely become a Vegetarian, though I had always done my research and had seen cruelty done to not only our companion animals but in the meat and dairy industry.

I know this didn't help much, but just wanted to say congratulations on choosing to make a humane choice

LemonSocks

I'm not a vegan, but I do have a small suggestion. If you're giving up animal products due to the mistreatment of animals but find it hard without eggs and milk (I personally would have a hard time without them), have you thought about going to a local farm to buy milk? I sometimes buy my eggs from a woman who lives near my mum. She keeps chickens in her backyard and they are well looked after, so I don't see any ethical problem with eating them.

Not to deter you from becoming a vegan if that's what you want to do, but if it's purely to do with mistreatment of animals and not because you have an objection to just eating produce from animals then I would recommend that.

Good luck though! There are some good diary alternatives in the supermarkets and health shops these days.

Victœria

Hi there. I'm going to tell you a short story about how i became "vegan/vegetarian"

Back in 2006 I read a book called "the easyway to stop smoking" .. The advice and deBrainwashing I recived for nicotine addiction helped me give up the evil drug Nictotine.

I started to gain my weight after I had stopped smoking "forever!"

I started to diet! (FOR 5 YEARS!!!)

I did .....
THE ATKINS
LOW FAT - WITH ALLI TABLETS
STARVATION
LIQUID DIET
MAPLE SYRUP DIET
3 MEALS - NO SNACKS
5 SMALL MEALS
GI DIET
CABBAGE SOUP DIET
RAW FOOF DIET

the only thing i experienced was failure, failure, failure failure.. I had tried for so hard for so long i started to become very depressed,angry and snappish.

I was in the book store and i saw a book written by my old "stop smoking the easyway" GURU had a DIET BOOK!!!!! ... I thought YIPPEE! .. I knew the sucess i had had with "the easyway to stop smoking" .. I bought his book ..

THE EASYWEIGH TO LOOSE WEIGHT! (avalible on iTunes!)
He once again debrainwashed me the lies about Milk,Meat and Chocolate and how humans are designed to eat fruits,vegetables,nuts and seeds.
It was so easy it seemed too good to be true! .. and voila I had turned Vegan.. I will admit to having the occasional piece of cheese or add egg into my recipe but I mostly my vegan cheese and only buy uncages hen eggs. Im sure you know all about caged hen's .. ITS A TERRIBLE LIFE FOR THEM

Allen Carr is the authors name I highly recommend him he has been a very inspirational part of my life

(i have also stopped drinking alcohol because i read his book.. THE EASYWAY TO CONTROL ALCOHOL) .. HAHAH ..

Like i said too good to be true ..and too easy not to try xxx

Victœria

Hi there. I'm going to tell you a short story about how i became "vegan/vegetarian"

Back in 2006 I read a book called "the easyway to stop smoking" .. The advice and deBrainwashing I recived for nicotine addiction helped me give up the evil drug Nictotine.

I started to gain my weight after I had stopped smoking "forever!"

I started to diet! (FOR 5 YEARS!!!)

I did .....
THE ATKINS

PS - I DIDNT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS MAKING THE TRANSSITION FROM CARNIVORE TO HERBIVORE lol .. it was VERY EASY X
LOW FAT - WITH ALLI TABLETS
STARVATION
LIQUID DIET
MAPLE SYRUP DIET
3 MEALS - NO SNACKS
5 SMALL MEALS
GI DIET
CABBAGE SOUP DIET
RAW FOOF DIET

the only thing i experienced was failure, failure, failure failure.. I had tried for so hard for so long i started to become very depressed,angry and snappish.

I was in the book store and i saw a book written by my old "stop smoking the easyway" GURU had a DIET BOOK!!!!! ... I thought YIPPEE! .. I knew the sucess i had had with "the easyway to stop smoking" .. I bought his book ..

THE EASYWEIGH TO LOOSE WEIGHT! (avalible on iTunes!)
He once again debrainwashed me the lies about Milk,Meat and Chocolate and how humans are designed to eat fruits,vegetables,nuts and seeds.
It was so easy it seemed too good to be true! .. and voila I had turned Vegan.. I will admit to having the occasional piece of cheese or add egg into my recipe but I mostly my vegan cheese and only buy uncages hen eggs. Im sure you know all about caged hen's .. ITS A TERRIBLE LIFE FOR THEM

Allen Carr is the authors name I highly recommend him he has been a very inspirational part of my life

(i have also stopped drinking alcohol because i read his book.. THE EASYWAY TO CONTROL ALCOHOL) .. HAHAH ..

Like i said too good to be true ..and too easy not to try xxx

Tonnina

Well I will just say that if you do go Vegan, you need to talk to a nutritionist and find out what supplements you'll be needing. You can only get certain vitamins from animal flesh.
You could also take up raising your own animals for slaughter, at least this way you know they were happy, healthy, and well cared for before death.
There's also the option of vegetarianism with buying milk from local non-abusive farms and eggs from your grandmother or someone who raises them.
Just know that if you start to feel ill when not eating meat you may not be getting enough nutrients. You need to be careful and worry about your health.
(I will be a pescatarian for a few more weeks, I did it as a new years resolution. It's been fun, but I miss Chicken and Bison and Beef and Pork. I will be trying my hardest to buy locally or from non-abusive farms. No Tyson chicken for me!!)

MrsODriscoll

I've been veggie for 20 years and working towards vegan for the past two. It is truly the best thing you can do for your own health, for the animals and for the environment. My tips would be:
Take it gently and don't worry if you can't give everything up all at once
Don't worry if you make 'mistakes' it happens to the best of us
Do your research and make sure you're eating enough nutrients etc
The internet is your friend - join the Happy Herbivores group on here and enjoy websites such as fatfreevegan.com and thekindlife.com
Eating out will be your hardest challenge - it's what always gets to me, especially as where I live it's hard enough to eat out as a veggie
Finally, good luck!!!

live2dream

I've been vegan for a couple months, vegetarian for 9 months before that. You might want to transition gradually. Some people can leap right from omnivore to vegan, but most I think have to transition by going vegetarian first.

Join our Happy Herbivores group! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
We are adding more resources, recipes, and advice daily! And lots of support for newbies...

You can read my story on my blog: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/live2dream/view/why-and-how-i-am-vegan-162872

Good luck! It's the best decision I've EVER made in my life!!

AlyInsane

I tried going vegan, but I couldn't really steer away from my dairy products like milk and stuff. But, I am a vegetarian. I've been a gradually growing vegetarian since I was about 4. I stopped eating pork chops after I found out what they were. Soon after, I stopped eating steak. Then, any cow or pig meat completely. Chicken was the hardest for me. Since my family likes to eat it a lot. But, I've learned to not eat it. Although, I must admit that during the holidays I cheat and have some turkey here and there or something. But it's never a lot. Living the vegetarian lifestyle is tough, but if it's what you really believe in then you can achieve your goal!

_GlaDOS_

I'm not a vegan, but I think this is a great (free) program for those looking to try it: www.21daykickstart.org.

I think being a vegan is incredibly easy now, and depending on where you live, there might be a lot of restaurants around you that are vegan-friendly and have some really good, healthy options.

cutezombiedoll

If your going to go vegan, just be forewarned that you'll have to get your essential amino acids other ways, so you have to make a huge effort to look for the nutritional information on all of your foods to make sure you get all the nutrients you would normally get from meat. Also, a well rounded vegan diet can be fairly expensive.

Most vegans I've seen haven't been that healthy (remember, skinny =/= healthy), though it is honorable to be concerned about the well being of animals. I've eaten vegan food in addition to a meat eater's diet, so it's not going to kill you, but it doesn't have to be the only option.

You can always look for free ranged, grass fed meat. Not only do you make sure that the animals are treated fairly, but you also will be healthier in the long run. Grass fed beef tends to have less fat and more fatty amino acids to help your heart, brain, and muscles. You can also cut back on animal products in general.

AnnaMaus

Unlike most people who've responded, I am vegan.
It was the best decision I've ever made for my own health and for the health of those around me.

You'll end up cooking at home a lot, which is cheaper and healthier in any case. People far and wide will want to satisfy their curiosity and taste whatever delish stuff you've got. You'll develop cooking skills and discover foods you never knew existed.

Of course, you--just like everyone else--should hedge your bets and take a daily multivitamin. That's just good sense.

Be prepared to deal patiently with a seemingly constant barrage of unsolicited bullcrap.

People will tell you a lot about their own diets and their thoughts about yours when you never asked, don't care and just want to eat your pilaf in peace. I had to learn to politely tell people that I'm willing to discuss my choices with them at another time, in order to prevent public mealtimes from being ruined.

Be prepared to be told a lot of hooey about how you need to eat animal products, how it's not so bad to eat like everyone else just for today, to fit in better. You should never feel pressured to apologize for doing the right thing for your health, or accommodate someone's ignorance about other animals. This is where the importance of being patient and polite can't be overemphasized. Your patience will be tested.

Be prepared to deal with total absurdities, for example, that it's not wrong to kill animals as long as it's done humanely, as if anything that ends in unnecessary killing can be called humane.

Get a couple of good cookbooks-- like Veganomicon-- and a selection of veg cookbooks based in different sorts of cuisine, like a vegetarian Thai cookbook and a South Indian cookbook. You'll have a lot of fun!

Don't forget to friend me-- I love to cook and I keep my diary open!

it_be_asin

If you are considering animal ethics, I would read Peter Singer's 'Animal Liberation' - I have a copy myself. Keep in mind that if your motivation to become vegetarian and vegan is to reduce animal suffering, you may be best cutting out dairy, poultry and egg products before you cut out lamb and other pasture raised meats, but most people cut out red meat before they cut out dairy, eggs and poultry out of their diet.

filmingghosts

I went vegetarian in August of this year after doing some research on how animals are treated and the pros and cons of eating meat, then I went vegan in September after reading Skinny B*tch (there's some really horrible stuff in that book about the meat/dairy industry!).

It honestly hasn't been that hard for me. I thought that cheese would be really hard for me to give up, but Daiya cheese is a total life saver! My mom (she went vegan with me) uses a combination of Daiya Pepperjack/Cheddar and rice milk to make baked mac and cheese, and it tastes just like the real stuff. Even my picky 5 year old nephew can't tell the difference.

Probably the hardest part of being vegan's going out to eat and family gatherings. If you can find a few solid restaurants around you with vegan offerings that the whole family agrees on though, you should be good. And for family gatherings, just be sure to eat beforehand or bring a dish or two that you can eat.

Oh, and also make sure that if you talk about being vegan with people, you know your facts. People will likely bug the crap out of you and try to explain to you why it's a bad idea, but you just have to know what you're talking about and stand your ground.

It's so worth it though. If you're a healthy vegan and you eat a ton of fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc., you'll feel so much better and have a lot more energy. Plus it's better for the environment, and it saves a ton of lives. Good luck!