Calling all Vegans!

NaiLo

I have a few questions
1) Im curious about cost, this is something I am really seriously considering, but I am worried about my budget.
2) My husband still wants to eat meat, he is also concerned about dairy...is it possible or (realistic) to do this when your family isn't?
3) Do you find yourself extremely limited when it comes to eating out? are there any places that make it easy to eat Vegan but still go out?
4) are there any books you can recommend?

TIA!!!

stylistchik

I know Alicia Silverstone has a book on it called the 'kind diet' or something like that. I believe its much less expensive to eat vegan but I'm not sure about going out. good luck!! I'm not vegan but I don't eat much meat or dairy simply because I don't like it. So my diet involves a lot of organic soy and almond products as well as beans!

msarro

It honestly depends.
I'm not vegan, but I am vegetarian.
The processed foods can get extremely expensive. If you're willing to cook and make everything from basic foods, its actually very cheap. If you stick to the perimeter of the grocery store you'd be amazed how cheap it can be.

Chenoachem

I am not Vegan but I just spent the week with 3 vegans. I was really surprised by how many resteraunts can give you a vegan option if you ask. There are even completely vegan resteraunts. I don't where you live, but Trader Joe's has several inexpensive options including pasta with no egg.

It was not that hard to have a mix group of vegitarians, meat eaters and vegans so at home may just take some playing around but doable. It seems like it wasn't always cutting out what you used to eat but sometime changing how you cooked things. You can still have a family dinner of hamburger and fries, but bake the fries and cook yourself a vegan bean burger with spices. I had a really good southwestern burger at a vegan resteraunt that was Black bean burger with guacamole and pico de gallo.

Good Luck.

stylistchik

I was just looking through my cupboard and found the Skinny ***** and Skinny ***** in the Kitchen books my husband got me for christmas! (He wasn't being condescending I had asked for them) But they were MUCH different from what I had expected and are practically how-to-be-an-organic-vegan-and-lose-weight books!! I'd totally check them out!!

mattle

Hello! I have been vegan for 18 years.

1) I think if you prepare a lot of your own food, and not rely on packaged/pre-made vegan products that you can actually save money being vegan.

2) I have a daughter who isn't vegan by her own choice (I feel it's important for her to learn to make educated decisions for herself with my guidance) and no one else in my immediate family is vegan. They are all extremely supportive. That is key I think, it will be much easier on you if those around you respect your choice. The other side of that of course is for you to respect their choices.

3) Depending on where you live, this can vary, but I have never been unable to find a place to eat out, even when living in Puerto Rico or where I currently live in Spokane Washington. While it was much harder when I first went vegan, it's really much easier now.

4) I can't think of any books off the top of my head, but I did just discover the Thrive in 30 website which is a project by a vegan triathlete Brendan Brazier : http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/

He talks a lot about being a healthy and strong vegan, meeting your nutritional needs, and if you sign-up (free) he sends you video lessons about every 2 to 3 days which are accompanied by articles covering the topics in the videos. I really like what I've seen so far there.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

kalmf

It's actually not that complicated. My husband didn't become a vegetarian for several years after we were married. We ate the same stuff, he just had meat with his and i just left it out. I got my protein in snacks throughout the day. I eat out all the time. I usually get the menu off the internet so I know what to expect, and if it's not a great menu, I eat before I go and have a salad and then fruit for dessert.

We just never made it a big deal. Except when my dear father thought it was funny to mock us by having burial services for a carrot because, after all, plants have feelings too. Okay, I'm sorry, but then I did lose it and ruined an otherwise lovely family reunion:grumble:

Being a vegan or a vegetarian only becomes a problem if you're overly zealous about it, which you can control, or if someone is so defensive about their choices that they feel they have to challenge yours in order to feel okay, which you can't control - like my Dad. And his carrot funeral. I promise I won't use another smiley here. But I want to.

NaiLo

Thankyou so much! I truly appreciate all of your advice
I just read "the kind diet" by Alecia Silverstone, and I LOVED it...its a fantastic book and it really
made me realize how horrible my diet really is. Not only that, but I just cannot ignore the REAL issues anymore. We are destroying the planet and torturing animals for the massive consumption of big macs lol.
I was truly inspired by this book, Im going to continue to eat what is in my house already...as best as I can of course, so that I do not let anything go to waste..but from now on, my purchases will have a lot more thought behind them. thanks again!

TheMaidOfAstolat

There are thousands of sites and books out there to help you on the road to veganisim. I've been a vegetarian my entire life and was a vegan for 3 years (I still adhear to most of the vegan principles).
Check out...
vegweb.com
peta.org (they have some great lists of vegan friendly foods, cosmetics, companies)
vegansociety.com
veganchic.com (great site for shoes and bags)

Hope this helps.