Thinking of going vegan

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  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    My experience of being vegan was that I started eating meat again.
  • wholelottarosa
    wholelottarosa Posts: 74
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    your mindset doesn't seem right because you say 'i want to go vegan...but i love meat too much!'...it doesn't make sense. I would say if you're serious about making the change than start slowly, maybe being a vegetarian first. I've been a vegetarian for almost 5 years and couldn't imagine going back to meat. The meat industry is completely disgusting and cruel and there's no way I could support it. I do intend on becoming a vegan, I guess financial and convenience reasons are holding me back right now but I do plan on being a vegan in the future.

    ^^This. Being a vegetarian can be hard enough. I still love seafood and some types of meat, so giving up on that was hard enough. (To all you skeptic carnivores: you don't have to dislike meat not to eat it. Plenty of other reasons.)

    I could never go vegan though. You have to draw a line somewhere and no way I'm giving up eggs and cheese.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    I was a vegan from 12 to 25, and I got pretty ill from it. I was sick all the time! Make sure you supplement your b vitamins and iron from the start because it's not a question of will you get a deficiency... it's a question of when. Tell your dr. about your diet and insist on getting blood work once a year. Also, be careful to get enough protein and fat or you will probably get low blood sugar problems. That being said, my Dr. loves my lipid panel, and my optometrist loves my blood vessles... and it's got to be from all those meat free years.

    If you are considering seafood only, that's a much more practical and healthy diet, look up pescatarian. The only issue there is watching your mercury, but you get a lot of the heart benefits of vegetarianism without the health risks of veganism.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    In...

    ...because this will likely get good before it gets nuked.
  • mamatafari
    mamatafari Posts: 34 Member
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    I don't know why people who aren't even veg are responding?

    I have been vegan for over 10 years now. I have had 3 children since then (who are also vegan), nursed etc. through it all..

    So what if you love the taste of dead animals? Do you love other beings equally? Do you have a dog? Cat? Could you see yourself eating them?

    Also, for the person who said that there are no health benefits more than eating dead animals, that's BS. There are a LOT of health benefits to cutting out animals out of your diet: diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

    You don't need to take any vitamins if you are eating right.
    p.s. Did you know that the north american population actually eats TOO much protein?
  • MisFitMom219
    MisFitMom219 Posts: 50 Member
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    Have you considered making the transition to vegetarian first? I'm fully supportive of a vegan lifestyle, however you say you like meat too much...this makes me think the jump straight into vegan might end up being a fail as it's far more restrictive.

    I've been a vegetarian for 8 years & can't imagine living any other way. The only reason I can't commit to being a vegan is my love for things like whey protein/egg whites --as my desire to gain muscle mass requires the extra protein...& I'm too lazy/cheap to purchase the vegan alternatives...& my love for goldfish crackers lol Other than that I have eliminated nearly all dairy products (almond/soy milk instead).

    When it comes to getting the proper nutrients, NEVER let anyone tell you these things cannot be obtained through a plant based diet! It i quite possible (:
  • mamatafari
    mamatafari Posts: 34 Member
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    Also, it's not hard being vegan? How hard can it be to eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans? A lot of the world's population eats like this on a daily basis.. It's called real food :)
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    So what if you love the taste of dead animals? Do you love other beings equally? Do you have a dog? Cat? Could you see yourself eating them?

    Because I enjoy my dogs companionship and can afford other meat sources
    But if it came down to it, I would eat them
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    I still haven't heard... why?
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
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    I think you might want to learn a bit more about veganism because by the statement of your friend eating no meat but still eating seafood being vegan, that shows you may not know ALL the different types of food people out there.

    Your friend eating seafood only but no other meat products is considered a pescetarian.
    Giving up just meat/seafood is vegetarian.
    Giving up meat, seafood, cheese, dairy, eggs, milk, ice cream etc. is vegan (and 90% of the time they also will not use any hair/body products that came from an animal- lotions with milk, or clothes made from animal stuff.)

    You answered your own question though when you said "I love meat too much to give it up". Don't then. Vegan is an ok lifestyle for some, but not right for all. High amounts of soy are about as bad for you as eating a steak every day. You don't HAVE to go vegan for a better life.

    There is no right "diet" or crash fix to getting healthy. You can eat meat, dairy, soy, whatever and still lose weight, you just have to be smart about it. If you love meat, eat meat. If you are an animal activist that doesn't want to see them have any harm done to them, go vegan.

    Also, from personal experience. I attempted Vegan for a month... it is not cheap. Another side note, there are fat Vegans. So going it isn't gurantee weight loss. You will only lose weight and get healthy from exercise and from proper nutrition and education on food.
  • Madholm
    Madholm Posts: 167
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    Eating meat is good for you. Unless you have some ethical or health reason for not eating meat then the question is WHY?

    I have a good friend who eats extremely healthy foods; local, organic and almostly entirely veagan. They do it for health reasons, but even he (and his wife) can't go pure veagan; they buy organic beef or eggs every now and then.
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    I don't know why people who aren't even veg are responding?

    The same reason that most Vegan's respond to the meat lover threads... we have nothing better to do.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    Do not listen to anyone who tells you that you don't need to take vitamins as a vegan. It is simply not true. There may be adequate levels of most nutrients in plant based foods, but they are not absorbed as well. And you must supplement the B vitamins. Unless you are under the supervision of a nutritionist, it's very unlikely that a vegan diet will give you adequatel nutrition. Don't mess with your health for the sake of eveggilsts when you can just take a few vitamins.
  • _Bob_
    _Bob_ Posts: 1,487 Member
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    I don't know why people who aren't even veg are responding?

    So what if you love the taste of dead animals? Do you love other beings equally? Do you have a dog? Cat? Could you see yourself eating them?

    p.s. Did you know that the north american population actually eats TOO much protein?

    Because

    I have a dog, and if it came down to survival I would eat her. after eating me neighbors cats of course.

    And you're last comment makes no sense. it's like saying there's such thing as too much bacon, or too much sex
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I don't know why people who aren't even veg are responding?

    I have been vegan for over 10 years now. I have had 3 children since then (who are also vegan), nursed etc. through it all..

    So what if you love the taste of dead animals? Do you love other beings equally? Do you have a dog? Cat? Could you see yourself eating them?

    Also, for the person who said that there are no health benefits more than eating dead animals, that's BS. There are a LOT of health benefits to cutting out animals out of your diet: diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

    You don't need to take any vitamins if you are eating right.
    p.s. Did you know that the north american population actually eats TOO much protein?

    You DO need to supplement B12. It took me almost 20 years on a veg diet to develop a deficiency, but it's not something you want to mess with.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    Vegan here. What are your motives for going vegan? It is definitely a lifestyle change, but for a lot of reasons - it's important to sit down and ask yourself why this is something you want to do (makes it easier to stick to, too).

    You might benefit from educating yourself on what exactly "vegan" means. Would you want to extend it to all parts of your life, including clothing, makeup and accessories? Do some research on what vegan means and what the lifestyle is like - it's not "hard", but it does, like any dietary change, require some planning in order to make sure that you're getting enough protein.

    Don't feel like you need to jump into it - take things slow. Cut out red meat, take up "Meatless Mondays", try some vegan recipes and see how you like them. Going vegan is a beautifully compassionate choice, but you don't want to rush into it that you give yourself a bad experience.

    Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have :)
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I'm a Level 5 Vegan. I don't eat anything that casts a shadow.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I want to know your experience of being a vegan. I'm thinking of being one, but I love meat too much. But it's a lifestyle commitment.

    What are your experiences? Do you have to take protein pills? My friend is one but she eats seafood, not sure if that counts as being a vegan.

    Why do you want to be a vegan? If it's for moral reasons, then do a lot of research and tailor your diet to meet your nutritional needs.

    If it's for health or to lose weight (or both), I wouldn't bother. You can be healthy eating meat and you can be unhealthy not eating it.

    I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian because I don't want to eat dead animals. I don't miss meat at all.
  • beverley_f
    beverley_f Posts: 31
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    I am pescetarian (I eat not meat, only fish) and have been for about 14 years. I went vegan for lent (and a couple of months more - 4 in total) last year, and although it was easy most of the time (the majority of the food I eat is vegan generally), the times when I wanted dairy, say, were really difficult. I didn't get enough fat in my diet, so I became depressed, and I had a protein powder after 1 month which actually made me gain weight! I don't advise becoming vegan YET, especially if you're a full blown omnivore, but maybe give up red meat, or become pescetarian like me and see how you feel. You CAN easily get all the vitamins you need by doing that, and the cravings won't be nearly as bad.
    Hope that helps! Message me if you have any questions :)
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    My yoga teacher explains this really well. She figured out after knee surgery that she was not physically meant to be a vegan. She's a vegetarian instead. Her blood was just too thin with vegan. Also, careful with the processed soy. Too much processed soy is really a no-no for folks like myself with breast cancer in the family.

    My favorite vegetarian recipe site: (many recipes are vegan): www.dailygarnish.com
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