Calling All Vegans

LrdTwitchyMcChin

How do you do it???

I used to be Pescatarian, but haven't been again for almost a year now. I chose to be Pescatarian because I wanted to cut out meat from my diet (due to heart disease in my family I especially wanted to cut out red meat, but since I'm not a huge poultry fan anyway I had cut that too), but I wanted to keep some sort of protein so I kept eggs, fish and seafood.

I recently have been thinking about going back to my old lifestyle, but this time I am thinking of cutting all animal products. I do a lot of reading and it horrifies me to think of some of the things I am ingesting by eating farmed animals. Not to mention the inhumane way these animals are slaughtered as well.

So for all of those Vegans out there....I need some suggestions on how to make this lifestyle work long term. What are some substitutions you use? What are some of your favorite brands? How do you stick to this lifestyle on a budget?

For those of you that don't agree with the Vegan lifestyle....good for you. Keep your judgements and preaching to yourself. There are other sources of protein and nutrients besides animals and their products (dairy and eggs).

Thank you.

veganbaum

Well, I'm one of those for whom it was easy so sometimes it can be hard to offer advice. One day a switch flipped and that was it. I thought giving up cheese would be hard - I loooved cheese - all cheese - stinky cheeses especially. But it was a mindset. That goes a long way towards success. If you are constantly thinking about how hard it is or how you "can't" eat things, it all becomes unnecessarily difficult.

I would start by reading Becoming Vegan or Vegan for Life (I think that's what it is, I've heard good things about it) for knowledge about nutrition. Then get yourself a good sublingual B12 supplement.

You might then want to look at happyherbivore.com and check out her cookbooks. A lot of her recipes are really simple and delicious. I think on the site you can even make a meal plan. It's good to start simple.

You can also start replacing favorites. Replace meat in your favorite dishes with beans - try different beans not just the typical ones. Make soups and stews, tacos and burritos, brown rice pasta with loads (I mean LOADS) of veggies and mix in some beans.

As for being on a budget - I'm in school, so definitely on a budget. Buy whole foods. Buy dried beans and grains in bulk and store them well. Some people can get cheaper produce at a Farmer's Market (for me the Farmer's Market is at least the same price as a grocery store so it doesn't save money but there are other reasons to do so).

Join the Happy Herbivore group here.

Good luck!

darkling_glory

Veganbaum speaks truth. Once you internalize your "whys" for becoming vegan, it becomes as easy as breathing. I'm not tempted at all and I find vegan living supremely easy.

I recommend the book "The 30-day Vegan Challenge" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to anyone interested in veganism. Plus, her podcasts called "Vegetarian Food for Thought."

Good luck.

_VoV

For solid nutritional advice, I like Ginny Messina's 'Vegan for Life.' The book is worth it just for page 88, which is a basic vegan food guide. If you follow her recommendations, your diet will be @1400 calories. Of course, with some tweaking you can go up or down from that calorie level.

For recipes, I like the following cookbooks: 'Appetite for Reduction' and 'Quick and Easy Low Calorie Vegan Comfort Food.' Neither are heavy on frozen vegan convenience foods that can be expensive.

Feel free to 'friend' me if you want ideas. My menus are in my note section on my food diary which is public.

MrsODriscoll

Loads of great advice here. Happy Herbivore is a great resource - I'm currently using her meal plans. The internet is your friend for sure there are so many sites and blogs, all for free. Lots of soups and stews using veggies and pulses can be really cheap and easy as well as tasty. Happy to be friends if I can help yuo with ideas :-)

peachyxoxoxo

Veganbaum speaks truth. Once you internalize your "whys" for becoming vegan, it becomes as easy as breathing. I'm not tempted at all and I find vegan living supremely easy.

Yep, this is exactly it. When I originally thought about going vegetarian, it was for health reasons, but as I researched I became more passionate about the ethical reasoning behind this lifestyle. Now that I've transitioned to veganism, it was very hard for me to give up things like yogurt, eggs, and cottage cheese. Those were some of the major vegetarian sources of protein I'd been relying on. So I did some more research and watched documentaries like "Forks Over Knives" and "Earthlings" to help confirm that veganism was truly something I wanted to commit to.

My personal favorite vegan cookbook is called Veganomicon. The author also has several other cookbook titles that might interest you. Good luck to you!

SpazzyMal

You have to want to do it, and be actively thinking of the positives and not the "negatives". If you want to be vegan, then don't focus on thinking things like "boy I'm going to miss *insert whatever here*" you've got to be going "wow, I'm interested in giving *insert whatever here* a shot!"

Try some new cookbooks (anything by Isa Moskowitz), read some new books (I loved "Eating Animals" a lot), and basically go into this as a learning experience, willing and EAGER to try new things.

Remember, if you think things are going to be hard... well, they will be. If you go into it actively knowing it will work, it probably will! I'm not saying there might not be some learning experiences, but you've got to go into it with the right attitude. You CAN do it, you just have to give it some time to all click. And once it does, everything will be second nature, and then first nature, and you wont even think about it at all.

TrinaCanDoThis

Bump

simplyeater

Veganbaum speaks truth. Once you internalize your "whys" for becoming vegan, it becomes as easy as breathing. I'm not tempted at all and I find vegan living supremely easy.

I recommend the book "The 30-day Vegan Challenge" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to anyone interested in veganism. Plus, her podcasts called "Vegetarian Food for Thought."

Good luck.

As usual, my friend here took the words out of my mouth. I was a "switch-flipped" vegan and have loved everyday since. I dove headfirst into cooking and make more varied and delicious meals now than I ever did before. I agree with others who say not to focus on what you can't eat but instead on all the wonderful things you haven't tried yet. There are so many vegan cooking resources available for free through blogs, apps etc. Have fun exploring!

veganbaum

I'm back, lol. Didn't have time to directly answer your question about brands and substitutions. My diet is primarily made up of whole foods, substitutions will kill your budget, and of course whole foods are healthier.

However, my diet isn't ALL whole foods. I do enjoy plant milk in coffee or tea. For that, you really just have to try different brands and types. There are so many - rice, almond, soy, hemp, hazelnut, oat, flax - you really just need to find out which ones you like best. You can make nut milks at home with water, a blender, and sweetener if you desire.

I tend to keep a tub of Earth Balance vegan butter on hand, but it takes me a while to go through it. I use the non-soy one. Vegenaise is a vegan mayo, and there are non-soy versions as well. It's perfectly good, I just never make it through a jar so I almost never buy it. Faux meats are kind of like plant milks - you have to try different ones to find out which you like best. I do love Field Roast products and they are soy-free and are minimally processed in comparison to a lot of faux foods, so I don't have any issues treating myself to those on occasion, and I have never heard of anyone who didn't like them - both veg*ns and omnis. I love the organic Sunshine burgers (but only the organic ones, the others are just okay) and they are made of only rice and veggies. I always have some in the freezer for emergency meals.

You may notice my suggestions are soy-free. I don't buy into the fear-mongering about soy in general, but I do try to avoid highly processed soy, just like I try to avoid eating *a lot* (whatever that is) of processed food in general. I eat (organic) tofu, tempeh, and miso regularly. If I'm out and about I will have soy milk or a soy burger. Soy is ubiquitous in processed foods in general (not just veg*n stuff) and I think I eat enough with the tofu, tempeh, and miso I eat so really my general avoidance is my desire to try and stay away from *too* much processed stuff and have a nicely varied diet. If I can find something without soy, I'll purchase it over something with soy, but I'm not going to not eat something just because it has soy.

Two more things - make big batches of stuff like soups, beans, grains, so it's easy to throw something together when you're hungry. And finally - when you refuse to eat something that someone offers you because it has animal products (for instance a slice of cake) - think to yourself "I CHOOSE not to eat this" and think about the reasons why you choose not to rather than "I can't eat this."

SpazzyMal

Substitutions/Brands I like:
Veganaise = mayo replacement (don't bother with things like Nasoya... it's pretty much universally described as yucky)
Earth Balance = butter replacement
Field Roast = sausage replacement
Gardein is the best all-around brand for good tasting mock meats of various types that I've found
The Boca vegan patty or Sunshine Burgers are good burgers, too, but I like the Gardein one best for taste
Daiya is my go to brand of vegan cheese

Any mock meat substitutions are bound to be a bit pricey. Splurge on them if you can afford it, but if you really want to live cheap, make do without it. You can make your own mock meats with wheat gluten for pretty cheap, look up recipes for seitan — it's very yummy.

daniel1hp

Just adding to the conversation about vegan protein sources...

I like going onto http://veganproteinpowders.net, picking out one I like, and taking about a scoop a day. It's a good way to keep healthy. I would recommend that all vegans like me get their protein in!

LrdTwitchyMcChin

Thank you everyone for being so helpful and supportive. I'm not used to having a post without criticism. Haha.

On the same general lines, I have read some books that promote vegetarianism or veganism and they have said that you don't need as much protein in your diet as many sources want you to believe. What is everyone's take on that? How much protein is needed each day (especially for a vegetarian)?

rose_mortem

I've never been vegan -- I love dairy and eggs too much -- but being vegetarian is super easy for me. Maybe you could start there before going vegan? :flowerforyou:

Edit: And as far as protein, it's not that difficult to get enough. For vegans, it might be harder, but I usually get plenty. I LOVE beans

BobbyDaniel

Not vegan, just started vegetarian but I am teetering the the previous...for me it was simply saying I'm going to cut out the meat and replace it with whole veggies & fruits. You will be surprised about how many macros you can find in a plant based diet, and the creativity you can use in preparation is well worth the effort.
I try not to use too many replacement foods, but I have found some faux meats that I enjoy. Right now a few dairy products and the occasional egg is really all that is really keeping me from crossing over.

darkling_glory

Thank you everyone for being so helpful and supportive. I'm not used to having a post without criticism. Haha.

On the same general lines, I have read some books that promote vegetarianism or veganism and they have said that you don't need as much protein in your diet as many sources want you to believe. What is everyone's take on that? How much protein is needed each day (especially for a vegetarian)?

Quick! Without looking, how many grams of protein do you get a day? No peeking! I bet you don't know. No one in an industrialized, first world country, will have problems getting enough protein.

Know why?

Because we get plenty. 10% is MORE then enough protein. Bump it up to 12% if you're super paranoid. Do some reading of the great vegan resources people have recommended you and you'll see.

On a daily basis I average 40grams of protein. I weigh 155 pounds and am 5 feet tall. Sometimes it is as much as 80 grams (WITHOUT trying). You won't suffer protein deficiency so long as you eat a varied diet.

LrdTwitchyMcChin

Thank you everyone for being so helpful and supportive. I'm not used to having a post without criticism. Haha.

On the same general lines, I have read some books that promote vegetarianism or veganism and they have said that you don't need as much protein in your diet as many sources want you to believe. What is everyone's take on that? How much protein is needed each day (especially for a vegetarian)?

Quick! Without looking, how many grams of protein do you get a day? No peeking! I bet you don't know. No one in an industrialized, first world country, will have problems getting enough protein.

Know why?

Because we get plenty. 10% is MORE then enough protein. Bump it up to 12% if you're super paranoid. Do some reading of the great vegan resources people have recommended you and you'll see.

On a daily basis I average 40grams of protein. I weigh 155 pounds and am 5 feet tall. Sometimes it is as much as 80 grams (WITHOUT trying). You won't suffer protein deficiency so long as you eat a varied diet.

Thank you so much!!! That is incredibly helpful. I know I don't get enough protein based on what MFP tells me to eat, but I don't feel like I'm losing out either. I will definitely look into all of the sources everyone has offered up. I'm having surgery next week and will need more reading material! I also need to bulk up on my protein for my recovery (per my surgeon). Any suggestions on some protein rich fruits and vegetables?

virtualbutterfly78

So without looking I take in 80gm protein a day and I am and have been a complete VEGAN for 2 years. I take in this much protein because I have spoken with my Doctor who recommended this to help me lose weight and it is suppose to keep you full longer. I just have to make sure I drink enough water (8 cups a day) to flush out my kidney's.
I have lost a good amount of weight and have no problem finding Vegan protein foods.

I found some great cook books at Barns & Noble. Scan through it, the best one's have recipies with-in a recipie.

Meat replacement = Bolgar Wheat
Cheese replacement = Polenta
Scrammbled Eggs= Scrammbled Tofu
Biscuits made with eggs = Biscuits no eggs
Gravy made from animal product = Gravy made with Cashews


If you would like any of mine please message me. I will gladly send mine out.

musicgirl99

Bumping for later. I'm looking to go vegan as well due to a medical condition.

curvyvegan

I have been vegetarian for a very long time (9 years I think?) and I've been mostly-vegan for the past 3-4 years. Like some others have stated, being firm in the "why's" really goes a long way. I've been listening to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's podcasts a lot lately and it's really hard to ignore the suffering that animals go through for us to use their products when you allow yourself to open your eyes to it. That is what really did it for me. If anyone hasn't discovered her work, check out Vegetarian Food for Thought on iTunes. All her episodes are totally free. And there are specific ones covering each issue...from ethical questions to practical advice. Love her!!

LrdTwitchyMcChin

So I'm thinking I'm going to start back as a vegetarian and try to lean towards vegan. My boyfriend (a meat eater and chef) is concerned about his culinary abilities to cater to a vegan. He told me last night that he will support whatever I choose (as long as it's healthy of course), but as I said, he's worried about being able to cook for me on a daily basis if I were a die hard vegan. Vegetarian I know I can do (plus I would cut dairy....I won't drink milk unless it's rice or almond already anyway). Vegan on the other hand is going to take me some more research and experimenting with foods. This is going to be a long road! I'm struggling with whether I should start this right away or wait til after I recover from surgery. My surgeon says I need a VERY protein rich diet during recovery, and I'm still not great with figuring out what has high levels of protein, but is still lean and won't kill me on my calorie intake. If anyone could help on that, I would most definitely appreciate it!

redraidergirl2009

Your bf should look at this as a challenge, not be worried. You make just about anything vegan. Peta even has a vegan cooking replacement list on their website on what you can use to sub eggs or milk in receipes.


As for subs...tofutti makes great faux cream cheese and sour creme
earth balance is good 'butter'
daiya and rice dream make good vegan cheese.

In many mexican receipes I replace meat with beans like pinto or black or both! Beans are high in protein! 2 cups of pinto beans gets 30g of protein! They are also a great source of fiber.

urbansmamma

I think there is no shame leaning towards vegan ism. That is what I've done and had great success. Im not perfect, but I do strive towards becoming more and more vegan. Another thing I would tell you is just because it's vegan does not mean that it is healthy, low fat or low calorie. You will have amazing succeess if you eliminate or drastically reduce:

Oil
Salt
Processed sugar (fruit is fine)
Processed food in general
Limit carbs
White flour

I plateaued after eating a mostly vegan diet and when I looked at what I was consuming I realized it was an issue with all of the above. I read all my food labels and don't but any products with ingredients I don't recognize, I don't buy earth balance anymore because it was a major trigger food not to mention has a ton of junk ingredients. I don't add sugar if a recipe does call for sugar I replace with dates instead of using other sweeteners. I am more militant during the week with my eating, but on weekends I do give myself more room for a bit more freedom in eating out. I think the main thing is making your own food and staying away from convenience food will tie you lots of success.

Here are some recipes that are my absolute favorites:

This is my favorite indian lentil recipe. Its a little work, but if you blend the spices in a coffee grinder it is AMAZING!! I top it with onions, avocado and instead of serving it on rice you can serve it on top of steamed cauliflower. We cook it at least 1 time per week and when company is coming over. It's an amazing source of protein. http://edenkitchen.com/red-lentil-dahl/

This is another AMAZING recipe packed with flavor and not calories. We made it for a BBQ and even meat eaters got seconds. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/colleens-chickpea-burgers-with-tahini-sauce.html

Here is the Dr. oz smoothie recipe I told you about. It can be a little chunky in texture, but it's sooooo good for you! http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-green-drink

This is the perfect hummus. It has no oil in it so it's much lower in calories. I love to add chipotle peppers to it for some serious punch. It's great for dipping veggies into or I use it as a dressing. I just thin it out with some red wine vinegar.
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/03/hummus-in-the-blender.html

I make a lot of soups packed with veggies we get from the farmers market. I like to put onions, carrots, fresh corn, zucchini, tomatoes, red bell pepper, cabbage. I cook it all in 20-ish minutes in water and low sodium veggie stock. Then I serve it up on brown rice or Latino style with cilantro, onions, oregano, lime squeeze, avocado and salsa. It's only 285 calories for 3 cups, which is A LOT!!

I make my own marinara sauce it's SUPER easy!! I use this sauce with veggies and top with chopped basil and nutritional yeast or you could add goat cheese or Parmesan. I also use this sauce to make my own veggie pizza and buy the dough at whole foods.

4 cloves minced garlic
1- 28 oz can crushed low or no sodium tomatoes
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano

On medium heat add 1/4 tsp of olive oil, add garlic cook till browned but not burned, then add tomatoes and seasoning. Cook for 10 mins add salt and pepper if needed.

Something rediculously easy but satisfying for dessert is fruit salad, which I never used to do, but there is something about sliced apples, strawberries, bananas or whatever else you have and top it with dried unsweetened coconut and raw walnuts. It's AMAZING!


I eat tons of salads and for dressings I use:
Hummus
Tahini & red wine vinegar
Chopped garlic, chopped ginger, chopped cilantro splash of soy sauce, splash of rice vinegar, splash of sesame oil
Salsa
Soup
Which reminds me of this article for ideas on how to eat salad when you don't feel like it http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/01/hidden-cashew-ranch-dressing-plus-tips-for-eating-salads-when-you-really-dont-want-to.html

BR3ANDA

Not vegan, but my best friends are, they use a service called Farm Fresh To You, you can get local, organic produce delivered right to your door, depending on where you live of course, they live in L.A., so lots available to them, we live in GA, the service isnt available in my area but I was able to find some local farms that have a "You Pick" day. You can pick whatever is available or in season for very low costs.

monstercakes

if you're a fan of 'real' foods, as people call it, and cooking, it's easy!

jillianlovesyarn

As far as brand name foods, like a few others here I've decided to cut waaaay back on processed foods. Before my husband moved in whole foods were a staple for me and it was easy to maintain my weight and budget but he really likes the processed stuff. I do, too, because a lot of it's tasty. But it's expensive, not as satiating as whole foods and, if you're not careful, can really contribute to weight gain. Right now we have the occasional Wildwood or Sunshine burger (very different types of veggie burgers), Daiya or Dr. Cow vegan "cheese" or coconut milk ice cream. The processed foods we do have regularly tend to be minimally processed like tofu, tempeh or nut butter and almond milk (Almond Breeze).

So I'm thinking I'm going to start back as a vegetarian and try to lean towards vegan. My boyfriend (a meat eater and chef) is concerned about his culinary abilities to cater to a vegan. He told me last night that he will support whatever I choose (as long as it's healthy of course), but as I said, he's worried about being able to cook for me on a daily basis if I were a die hard vegan. Vegetarian I know I can do (plus I would cut dairy....I won't drink milk unless it's rice or almond already anyway). Vegan on the other hand is going to take me some more research and experimenting with foods. This is going to be a long road! I'm struggling with whether I should start this right away or wait til after I recover from surgery. My surgeon says I need a VERY protein rich diet during recovery, and I'm still not great with figuring out what has high levels of protein, but is still lean and won't kill me on my calorie intake. If anyone could help on that, I would most definitely appreciate it!

As mentioned, beans are a great, lean protein source. So is quinoa. You might also want to check out seitan. I haven't had it in a very long time because I discovered I can't eat gluten but homemade seitan is almost always better than store-bought so it's worth checking out a few recipes. Tempeh and tofu are also excellent. Spinach is surprisingly high in protein (especially if you're eating a mound of cooked spinach)

I find your boyfriend's reaction kind of surprising. It's nice to have support. It can be a huge challenge to move from omni to vegan so a lot of people choose to transition to vegetarianism first. It's one thing if it's your choice to start with vegetarianism because you want to figure things out as you go, but I wouldn't let your boyfriend's concerns dissuade you from making the leap. Perhaps find a way to bring him on board and make him more comfortable, too. I don't know what level of cooking your boyfriend does or what sort of training he's had. There is a small and growing contingency of vegan fine dining restaurants and even Charlie Trotter got in on the action with a raw vegan cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Charlie-Trotter/dp/1580088341/ref=pd_sim_b_1). I'm kind of presuming your boyfriend is a bit of a foodie, so maybe also checking out a blog like this will make him more comfortable (I've got a baby in the house so it's mostly eye candy for me at the moment): http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/

BiggestL0s3r

For those of you that don't agree with the Vegan lifestyle....good for you. Keep your judgements and preaching to yourself. There are other sources of protein and nutrients besides animals and their products (dairy and eggs).

Thank you.

1. You are my hero for posting this, because I've only come accross narrow minded meat eaters on this site.
2. I'm vegan (with occasional slip-ups onchocolate), and I don't use any substitutes. Fruit, veggies, and grain. There are farmer's markets near my house, where fruit and veggies are pretty cheap, and if you have a store "Sunflower" or "Sprouts" located fairly close to you, it's definitely worth checking out. It's a very vegan-friendly store.

FearlessLissy13

I started being a vegetarian in July 2010, and last month I went vegan.
If you want to do it but you're not sure you can, you should read some books about it or watch some documentaries.
Sometimes people don't know all the cruelty that's going on in the world, and I think when you see videos or pictures of animals before/in a slaughterhouse, you don't even want it anymore. You just don't.
For me, watching a couple of documentaries such as Earlings and Forks Over Knives, and also the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer really changes my mindset and my view on the world. It was because of those that I finally took the last step and went vegan.
It can be hard in the beginning, especially when you find out that you can't eat some of your favorite foods anymore, but I promise you'll get used to it with time.
As soon as I started, it wasn't all that hard to stick to it. You just have to start, and if you're honest and sincere about it, nothing can go wrong. Maybe you could write down all the reasons why you wanna do it and put that list on the wall in your kitchen, or somewhere you see it every time you might wanna give up.

Good luck!!

smulokwa

I just watched Forks Over Knives which was immensely helpful. Some where along the line we started to believe the only source of protein came from animals. Not so. Plus the studies and research they highlight will really change your mind.

The best thing I've learned is to keep it simple and yummy. Feeling better is a nice plus as well! Good luck!

momtokgo

For those of you that don't agree with the Vegan lifestyle....good for you. Keep your judgements and preaching to yourself. There are other sources of protein and nutrients besides animals and their products (dairy and eggs).

Thank you.

1. You are my hero for posting this, because I've only come accross narrow minded meat eaters on this site.
2. I'm vegan (with occasional slip-ups onchocolate), and I don't use any substitutes. Fruit, veggies, and grain. There are farmer's markets near my house, where fruit and veggies are pretty cheap, and if you have a store "Sunflower" or "Sprouts" located fairly close to you, it's definitely worth checking out. It's a very vegan-friendly store.

This is what I do too, right down to the occasional slip up on chocolate lol. I also have Celiac so I am gluten free as well as vegan. The only substitution I use is Earth Balance, and I don't use it often. My little container of it will last at least a month, and usually if it gets used it during baking.

As for protein, I try to not even think about it too much and I definitly don't worry about it. I do have soy protein powder that I add to smoothies a couple times a week, it has 25g of protein and I never even know its there when I'm drinking.

Fit_is_fun

Hi there,

I see that someone else has recommended Colleen Patrick Goudreau's amazing and invaluable podcast, Vegetarian Food for Thought. I also want to recommend her new online program, http://www.30dayveganchallenge.com/.

The introductory price is $20, but it will be money well spent. I am on day 4 (the program just launched on August 1st but you can register anytime; it's a rolling program) and I kid you not, I am so excited to open my email each morning. So far, I've received a podcast, 2 videos, numerous PDFs and recipes, and very well written information on making the transition. I am a fairly new vegan who has done very well to date, but I am thoroughly enjoying the program so far and know from her podcast that I will learn a lot. Her philosophy is that people are often not able to stay vegan because they have not replaced their old habits and ways of thinking with new ones. She helps fill the void so you have a roadmap for the rest of your life.

One of the nice things about Colleen is that in addition to covering health and animal rights, she gives you the confidence and tools to navigate being vegan in all kinds of social situations without being preachy, judgmental, or apologetic about your lifestyle. I have her book, The Vegan's Daily Comapnion (which I highly recommend; the stories of animal rescues and vegan transformations alone are worth the price of the book) and she gives examples of how to gracefully answer questions that, as a new vegan, you may not be prepared for. It's easy to be vegan in the comfort of your own home, but can be more difficult in social situations or at family holidays, for example.

Reading the list of what to expect for each day of the challenge, I can tell you that the program is very thorough and will address questions you may not even know you have. The fact that it is presented in different mediums makes it engaging. I loved listening to the podcast on the way to work. I saved the video today for after work to give me something to look forward to.

Colleen will also be creating a new Facebook page this week specifically for those doing the Challenge so you'll get a lot of support.

Hope to see you there! Either way, best of luck!

P.S. I just reread your original post and tomorrow's Challenge topic is "Eating Healthfully Affordably". She also has a free podcast on the topic that you may want to check out. Just go to vegetarianfoodforthought.com and type "affordably" in the search box.