Your best advice for going Vegan

Tenaciousleee

Doing the vegan thing, just wanting any support/advice thanks

Tenaciousleee

anyone??

Tenaciousleee

bump...

stylistchik

From where are you starting?

xarge

I'm no vegan but this is how I would do: Explore and research your food options well. A vegan lifestyle is not hard as you can substitute most nutrients from animal sources with plant ones. Read the food labels carefully for any animal products. Watch your iron and B12 intake closely as without proper choices you may face a deficiency in long term.

Tenaciousleee

Recently don't like meat all that much, but after talking to a friend of mine who went paleo last year (she lost 55lbs and came off all medication) and watching a documentary with my husband (the meat lover) I am completely willing to give it my best shot. From what I understand eating a plant based diet can increase energy, lower weight and even cure illness. i compared paleo and vegetarian, paleo and vegan, but knowing what I know about processed foods and meats I believe it would be healthier to go full on vegan. I am two days in, and getting creative in the kitchen. I understand other people won't "agree" per say, but that isn't what I am asking. It is pretty daunting to just decide "hey, I am going to do this". I am pretty determined, so any advice from successful vegans is welcome.

Tenaciousleee

I'm no vegan but this is how I would do: Explore and research your food options well. A vegan lifestyle is not hard as you can substitute most nutrients from animal sources with plant ones. Read the food labels carefully for any animal products. Watch your iron and B12 intake closely as without proper choices you may face a deficiency in long term.

Thank you! Yes, I have been researching plant strong food lists and recipes . I will definitely look into a good B12 supplement. thanks!

SueGremlin

Learn to sprout lentils. They will provide you with complete protein.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Doing the vegan thing, just wanting any support/advice thanks

Research and get recipe ideas from other vegan websites. Please stick with whole foods and don't eat a lot of processed crap.

Yes, as others have stated you will have to supplement. Sprout grains, legumes and lentils as this is the only way they are going to be healthy for you.

Use coconut oil and olive oil for fats - you need those in moderate quantities.

Throw out any leather, wool or other animal owned clothing, belts, shoes or other accessories.

Vegan isn't just a way of eating, it is a whole lifestyle.

Tenaciousleee

Thanks, I really thought the "no cheese or dairy" would be the hard part. It really is the processed foods as everything is processed now-a-days. I am just hoping for lots of recipes and time in the kitchen coupled with determination. Thanks!

Lipstickcherry

There are vegan cheeses. They aren't the same but the trick is to put them with things (veggie American slice on top of a veggie burger). Cheese is normally full of fat and salt. If you study how much animal farms hurt the environment, you'll feel good about eating less or no meat. Dairy farms are not pleasant to research. That said, I myself eat meat maybe a couple times a month. I focus on eating a pound a day of both raw and cooked veggies, plus 4 fruits a day. I gained weight when I kept eating the vegan junk foods. Everyone's metabolism is different though. Right now, I am limiting my breads.

meredithashton

bump...will read later....I am very interested in going vegan too. My love of greek yogurt and cheese and eggs is a real killer.

ickybella

There's a group here for vegans and vegetarians. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores

Make sure you're getting enough iron; that's the problem I had when I went vegetarian. You will have to work to get enough protein, so you might look into protein powders and learn to love lentils if you don't already. There are some good vegan websites out there, as well, like post punk kitchen, ohsheglows.com, vegan stoner, etc... Also, you really need to mean it. I think it's more of a lifestyle than a diet and there are plenty of vegan cupcakes, cookies and other treats out there that will make it difficult to be healthy if you overindulge.

abbybean11

My best advice: just do it! lol
No but seriously, there are a lot of great resources out there. Try googling Alexandra Jamieson - her blog and her Vegan for Dummies books are GREAT and full of helpful information!
If you're a total omnivore, I would say start by cutting out meat and keep the dairy and eggs for a little while. Then once you feel comfortable with no meat, cut out the dairy and eggs. Or you can go cold turkey - it's up to you! Personally I did it gradually just to ease myself into it.
I live in NYC and we have a lot of vegan-friendly and purely vegan restaurants, so that makes it easy. But I cook at home mostly. Try thinking of your favorite foods and think about "veganizing" them. Like for me, I loved eating all kinds of curry - so instead of putting chicken and cheese cubes in the curry - I just put tofu, tempeh, lentils, and chickpeas in. SO GOOD. You can have all kinds of pasta that's vegan and have some soy sausage with it or tempeh.
I drink almond milk exclusively - I only put soy milk in my coffee if I'm out cause usually places don't have almond milk. I try not to have more than 2 servings of a soy product per day because it can screw up your hormones if you have too much. Also make sure to read the labels or do some research to make sure that your soy is non-GMO.
Hmmmm what else. Eat LOTS of spinach - it's a good source of iron and other nutrients and can be very filling. Eat lots of legumes to fill you up and get protein. And eat lots of fruit for fiber and other vitamins! Also consider taking a supplement that contains 100% of vitamin B12 and possibly some iron if you're a woman.
Good luck!

azbunnytracks

I am not vegan, but my daughter is. I make cheese sauce for her with cashews and nutritional yeast (sooooo good) and Daiya makes an excellent non-dairy cheese. Probably the only processed food she still can't kick is the Boca Spicy Chick'n patties, and I can't say I blame her. We use tofu, but only the sprouted kind. She cycles through almond, coconut and rice milk. She's good about her B12 drops, and nutritional yeast helps with that as well. I have a ton of vegan cookbooks. I would recommend anything by Isa Chandra Moskovich, and take a look at her website, www.theppk.com (or just google Post Punk Kitchen).

jhagerman

I've been vegan for 10 years, but I'm not necessarily a 'healthy' vegan. I try my best to pick healthy choices, but just like any diet, it's definitely possible to gain weight! I've never taken supplements and my blood work comes back normal at every doctor visit. I imagine supplements wouldn't hurt you, but I'm not very good about taking pills, so I try to get the right foods instead. If you're like me, just be sure you get regular checkups for the first few years to make sure you're not forgetting any nutrients and if needed, take a supplement then. When I went vegan, I found it easiest to start as a vegetarian and gradually remove animal products from my diet and replacing them with vegan versions. I didn't like everything at first, but after a while, I've forgotten what real milk and cheese taste like! Also, cut yourself some slack. Nobody can be 100% vegan 100% of the time. That's my advice! Good luck!

abbybean11

I know paleo says no beans or legumes - but I think that's because it can make you gassy and thus disrupt normal digestive functioning. To avoid that, buy dried beans and soak them for up to a day before cooking them. It helps get rid of all the bacteria that causes that gas so that they are much easier to digest. Google "soaking beans before cooking" and there will be plenty about it. Works for me!!

suziecue66

Go vegan for ethical reasons but I don't believe it's the healthiest way to eat. lots of work to get it right.

Tenaciousleee

My best advice: just do it! lol
No but seriously, there are a lot of great resources out there. Try googling Alexandra Jamieson - her blog and her Vegan for Dummies books are GREAT and full of helpful information!
If you're a total omnivore, I would say start by cutting out meat and keep the dairy and eggs for a little while. Then once you feel comfortable with no meat, cut out the dairy and eggs. Or you can go cold turkey - it's up to you! Personally I did it gradually just to ease myself into it.
I live in NYC and we have a lot of vegan-friendly and purely vegan restaurants, so that makes it easy. But I cook at home mostly. Try thinking of your favorite foods and think about "veganizing" them. Like for me, I loved eating all kinds of curry - so instead of putting chicken and cheese cubes in the curry - I just put tofu, tempeh, lentils, and chickpeas in. SO GOOD. You can have all kinds of pasta that's vegan and have some soy sausage with it or tempeh.
I drink almond milk exclusively - I only put soy milk in my coffee if I'm out cause usually places don't have almond milk. I try not to have more than 2 servings of a soy product per day because it can screw up your hormones if you have too much. Also make sure to read the labels or do some research to make sure that your soy is non-GMO.
Hmmmm what else. Eat LOTS of spinach - it's a good source of iron and other nutrients and can be very filling. Eat lots of legumes to fill you up and get protein. And eat lots of fruit for fiber and other vitamins! Also consider taking a supplement that contains 100% of vitamin B12 and possibly some iron if you're a woman.
Good luck!

Thank you! I am drinking coffee with soy milk as I write this, but I only got it because they were out of almond milk! Lots of good advice.

Tenaciousleee

There are vegan cheeses. They aren't the same but the trick is to put them with things (veggie American slice on top of a veggie burger). Cheese is normally full of fat and salt. If you study how much animal farms hurt the environment, you'll feel good about eating less or no meat. Dairy farms are not pleasant to research. That said, I myself eat meat maybe a couple times a month. I focus on eating a pound a day of both raw and cooked veggies, plus 4 fruits a day. I gained weight when I kept eating the vegan junk foods. Everyone's metabolism is different though. Right now, I am limiting my breads.

Yes, cutting out processed foods has been the hardest. I'm trying to go full on plant strong, i feel like it's very important for both health and ethical reasons. Since I am only on day 2 I know I am not fully aware of how difficult the lifestyle is to maintain, but first trip to the grocery store and I know my "junk" foods will be few. I am currently in love with corn tortillas, and those could make me gain I am sure.

sarahleeroy

I'm not vegan anymore, but here are some tips that helped me a lot:

1. Buy some cookbooks. Isa Moskowitz has some amazing ones that helped me get started. My first vegan recipe was the pumpkin casserole from Veganomicon....sooo good. My favorites cookbooks of hers are Veganomicon, Appetite for Reduction (this one is EXCELLENT and low cal), and Vegan Brunch. Note though that most vegan cookbooks are not low cal! Also, don't be intimidated by the strange sounding ingredients in these cookbooks. You'll find them in the store in places that you never had to look before, but they are there and easy to find for the most part.

2. Stock you fridge and pantry. I suggest earth balance butter, veganaisse, raw cashews (for cheesy sauces), nutritional yeast, miso, nut butters, tofu, seitan, beans etc. These will become your new staples. Don't bother with store bought vegan cheeses - they are gross and heavily processed and unhealthy. Daiya tastes pretty good but really upset my stomach which is a complaint I've heard from a lot of people.

3. Always research a restaurant before you go there. One of the biggest challenges about being vegan is eating out. I've had many meals consisting of salad and fries.

4. Try to mostly stay away from processed high sodium protein sources if you can help it. These include tofurkey slices and sausages, boca, etc. They are good for a quick fix, but shouldn't be the usual. Think fast food and how it plays into your life now - the exception and not the rule.

5. Learn to love beans and tofu - a lot.

6. Don't go overboard with wanting to try everything that's vegan! This got me into trouble lol. Just b/c the cupcake is vegan doesn't mean it has any less sugar or fat!