Your best advice for going Vegan

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  • ChrisRN75495
    ChrisRN75495 Posts: 89
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    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.
    Reading your post motivates me to make the same move.

    I always expect weakness and temptation to be my most difficult hurdle. One Lent, I gave up eating anything with eyes (so I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian, which is not vegan, of course). As Easter morning approached, I looked forward to going to my favorite BBQ place (I'm in Texas--) but when I got there, I could not eat it.

    My point is, if you can stick with it for, oh, six weeks or so, with the passion of making a religious choice, you may find that it gets easier and easier and easier.

    Now, going vegan, you are going to have to make careful selections, because there are some amino acids and trace elements that we depend on animal sources to get, and we need them. Research to find out the best vegetable sources for proteins, some combinations (beans and corn, for example) may provide complete or near complete proteins. Dark green leafy vegetables may provide some iron. Spinach does--but don't drink milk with it as the downside is that it also has oxalic acid which binds calcium--you might as well have water instead of milk for all the good it's going to do your bones....

    The internet is a wealth of info. You can find what you need for free--or you can hire a nutritionist....

    Here is a site that looks credible and might be a good start....

    http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

    Good luck to you, and thank you for this thread.
  • ChrisRN75495
    ChrisRN75495 Posts: 89
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    And just to add, when me and my husband were vegan we didn't smell. I've also never noticed that any vegans I know have smelled any different. Maybe your friends didn't wash their clothes much? Or spent a lot of time in the garden or outside?
    Interestingly, even poo doesn't seem to smell as strongly when there is less meat. Milk products and eggs don't seem to have much of an effect. So much for garlic and onions being a source of odor!
  • graciousdove
    graciousdove Posts: 28 Member
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    Go to Amazon.com and get a couple of cheap vegan cookbooks. There is one cookbook that I love because it's so practical, supermarket vegan. Everything you need to make recipes in this cookbook can be find in a normal grocery store, so you don't have to try to find a specialty food store. Good Luck!
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Ok look, don't be intimidated by all of these people on here saying that just b/c you adopt a vegan diet that you have to be vegan in every aspect of your life. Not true. How you live your life is your decision, and doesn't have to be based on some kind of standard. The vegan community really doesn't care too much anymore if your shoes aren't 100% vegan, or if your face wash is tested on animals, they are just happy that you are doing something to help the animals. Every medication you take has been tested on animals, but does that mean that all vegans don't take medicine?? No way! So yeah, when someone would ask me if I was vegan, I would just tell them that I "mostly" was. Labels really don't matter.

    And just to add, when me and my husband were vegan we didn't smell. I've also never noticed that any vegans I know have smelled any different. Maybe your friends didn't wash their clothes much? Or spent a lot of time in the garden or outside?

    I agree, there will be lots of vegans you might meet that are 'holier than thou' in their attitude. If you just want to eat as a vegan that's perfectly fine! If you want to take it any steps further thats your choice.
  • curvyvegan
    curvyvegan Posts: 80 Member
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    I don't smell. :P

    Or you don't think you do :P hehe
    Its really hard to even explain, he showered a ton, but it was like an overly earthy smell..like walking in a rainforest. Same with his vegan friends. Maybe I have an overly sensitive nose

    Most name brand deodorants are tested on animals and not technically vegan. Living in Seattle I know a lot of earth-conscious people who use natural deodorants like Tom's of Maine, or they make their own...and let me say, it does have a very herbal smell and doesn't work nearly as strongly on B.O. Deodorant is my last non-vegan holdout, I swear by Dove, it smells great and works amazingly well, and as a dance instructor I feel like I need a deodorant that works throughout a lot of workout and sweating. So...could be less about the food, and more about the animal-friendly, earth-friendly deodorant he used. :p
  • sarahleeroy
    sarahleeroy Posts: 45
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    I don't smell. :P

    Or you don't think you do :P hehe
    Its really hard to even explain, he showered a ton, but it was like an overly earthy smell..like walking in a rainforest. Same with his vegan friends. Maybe I have an overly sensitive nose

    Most name brand deodorants are tested on animals and not technically vegan. Living in Seattle I know a lot of earth-conscious people who use natural deodorants like Tom's of Maine, or they make their own...and let me say, it does have a very herbal smell and doesn't work nearly as strongly on B.O. Deodorant is my last non-vegan holdout, I swear by Dove, it smells great and works amazingly well, and as a dance instructor I feel like I need a deodorant that works throughout a lot of workout and sweating. So...could be less about the food, and more about the animal-friendly, earth-friendly deodorant he used. :p

    I always heard that Mitchum deodorant was vegan, so that's why I always used. It is not by any means natural though. It's some strong stuff and worked really well.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    I don't smell. :P

    Or you don't think you do :P hehe
    Its really hard to even explain, he showered a ton, but it was like an overly earthy smell..like walking in a rainforest. Same with his vegan friends. Maybe I have an overly sensitive nose

    Most name brand deodorants are tested on animals and not technically vegan. Living in Seattle I know a lot of earth-conscious people who use natural deodorants like Tom's of Maine, or they make their own...and let me say, it does have a very herbal smell and doesn't work nearly as strongly on B.O. Deodorant is my last non-vegan holdout, I swear by Dove, it smells great and works amazingly well, and as a dance instructor I feel like I need a deodorant that works throughout a lot of workout and sweating. So...could be less about the food, and more about the animal-friendly, earth-friendly deodorant he used. :p

    I only eat vegan, though I do buy cruelty free when I can. Not switching my do anytime soon because I like this one
  • Tenaciousleee
    Tenaciousleee Posts: 22 Member
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    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.
    Reading your post motivates me to make the same move.

    I always expect weakness and temptation to be my most difficult hurdle. One Lent, I gave up eating anything with eyes (so I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian, which is not vegan, of course). As Easter morning approached, I looked forward to going to my favorite BBQ place (I'm in Texas--) but when I got there, I could not eat it.

    My point is, if you can stick with it for, oh, six weeks or so, with the passion of making a religious choice, you may find that it gets easier and easier and easier.

    Now, going vegan, you are going to have to make careful selections, because there are some amino acids and trace elements that we depend on animal sources to get, and we need them. Research to find out the best vegetable sources for proteins, some combinations (beans and corn, for example) may provide complete or near complete proteins. Dark green leafy vegetables may provide some iron. Spinach does--but don't drink milk with it as the downside is that it also has oxalic acid which binds calcium--you might as well have water instead of milk for all the good it's going to do your bones....

    The internet is a wealth of info. You can find what you need for free--or you can hire a nutritionist....

    Here is a site that looks credible and might be a good start....

    http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

    Good luck to you, and thank you for this thread.

    It means a lot that someone gets what I am saying and is even inspired by that. :)
  • Tenaciousleee
    Tenaciousleee Posts: 22 Member
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    Go to Amazon.com and get a couple of cheap vegan cookbooks. There is one cookbook that I love because it's so practical, supermarket vegan. Everything you need to make recipes in this cookbook can be find in a normal grocery store, so you don't have to try to find a specialty food store. Good Luck!

    Supermarket vegan! Sounds right up my alley!
  • jenwalton
    jenwalton Posts: 87 Member
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    Saving this post for later, lots of good advice!
  • noreen2012
    noreen2012 Posts: 39
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    bump - great post will definately read tomorrow on my day off to research the websites given - thanks everyone
  • ediths6
    ediths6 Posts: 72
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    Advice would be to ensure that you have reminders about why you want to do it around you to keep you motivated when it gets hard.

    and my second advice would be to only go vegan if you are willing to do all of the research and proper planing that you will need to ensure correct nutrition- if you cant commit to taking 100% care with that aspect of your diet for life it will likely be a mistake...
  • CupcakeHarpy
    CupcakeHarpy Posts: 100 Member
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