Calling All Vegans

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.

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 :-)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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!

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.