Vegan anyone?

Saving for tomorrow, avoiding sleep on cell.

Hi! I'm vegan, and indulge in the occasional dairy and fish. My acne has completely disappeared, my digestion is great and I wake up feeling a lot happier and lighter. I've been vegan for exactly a year now, since Dec 2012. It can be hard in the beginning, but by doing some research, pinning some yummy recipes on pinterest and even finding your own community for support (I like the Kind Life website, as well as Kris Carr's website for inspiration and recipes) it can make the transition a lot easier. I'd suggest reading Kris Carr's book, Crazy Sexy Diet, for a complete understanding though. The protein deficiency thing is a complete myth, and Kris really makes it all easy to understand. I know it can be difficult to keep an open mind when it comes to the vegan lifestyle, but it really is worth it. I initially just wanted to try it for a month (I loooooooved my steak!) purely for weight loss and yet here I am, a year later

Hi! I'm vegan, and indulge in the occasional dairy and fish.

No this would make you a Lacto Pescetarian.

I recommend you try this group-http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/62-happy-herbivores

Hi! I'm vegan, and indulge in the occasional dairy and fish. My acne has completely disappeared, my digestion is great and I wake up feeling a lot happier and lighter. I've been vegan for exactly a year now, since Dec 2012. It can be hard in the beginning, but by doing some research, pinning some yummy recipes on pinterest and even finding your own community for support (I like the Kind Life website, as well as Kris Carr's website for inspiration and recipes) it can make the transition a lot easier. I'd suggest reading Kris Carr's book, Crazy Sexy Diet, for a complete understanding though. The protein deficiency thing is a complete myth, and Kris really makes it all easy to understand. I know it can be difficult to keep an open mind when it comes to the vegan lifestyle, but it really is worth it. I initially just wanted to try it for a month (I loooooooved my steak!) purely for weight loss and yet here I am, a year later

Ahhh.... You might want to look at the definition of vegan. It doesn't include occasionally having dairy and fish. Seriously. You are pescatarian. You are not, and cannot count yourself as vegan eating the way you do.

You can't wear a PETA tshirt and eat a fillet o fish at the same time.

nvm

I'm a recovering alcoholic, 2 years sober, but I still get smashed about 3 times a week. hehehehe.

I am not Vegan, though I try to eat Vegan food as much as I can. For me it's the health benefits mainly - Dr. Dean Ornish was the first doctor to design a diet that stopped and even reversed heart disease, and it is *almost* vegan. I have read much medical literature on plant-based diets and am convinced that it is the healthiest in the world.

The healthiest sources of protein in the world are Vegan - you can read many medical studies on that topic referred to in John Robbin's Diet for a New America and Dr. Dean Ornish's Spectrum or other books.

I would say the main problem with Veganism is when you go to other people's houses or restaurants, it can be a real b*tch to find anything decent to eat. The number of times I have had to eat "pasta primavera" I could barf.

Get some GREAT cookbooks - I have one vegan one that is asian/world fusion and it keeps things interesting every day. A great cookbook and great recipe websites are a MUST for anyone starting on a vegetarian or vegan diet, to give you great tasty ideas and inspiration and re-teach you how to cook and eat.

I used to eat 100% vegan because of the ethics, however today actually I feel better about eating MEAT than EGGS, because if you eat meat, at least the cow dies and the pain is over. Eggs, for the most part, ensure life-long torture for the animal. Meat-eaters always say "but lettuce has feelings too - you are killing that lettuce!" as a joke, but actually, I am very spiritual and I do revere the soul/spirit in plants as well as in animals, and I always apologize to my herbs when I cut some rosemary, and I thank the plant. I have come to feel that there is not so much difference between the two. I feel bad eating BOTH, but I know I must eat something. THAT is why I am not 100% vegan anymore - I don't see a difference between plants and animals, so I don't see a reason to be 100% Vegan, when 95% veg seems good enough for my health (the Dean Ornish diet). There are several books - scientific ones written by proper biologists and spiritual ones also - which talk about the sentient nature of plants and their consciousness and their ability to feel pain. I would reference them here, but I am sure everyone already thinks I am a nut for having said this, so I won't bother. Either you "feel" that this is true, or you don't; I don't think any book is going to convince anyone that a plant has a soul or consciousness, until you actually sense that for yourself.

My crazy 2 cents' worth.

I'm pretty sure everyone eats "vegan foods".

I'm pretty sure everyone eats "vegan foods".

Sure do! I enjoyed some oreos this past weekend, in fact.

I have learned so much from this thread. Off to buy my PETA shirt and a filet-o-fish sandwich and........oreos!!!!!!

I plan to be a 5% vegan and also to apologize to all my dead tea leaves before dousing them in hot water too.

I just KNOW I'm gonna wake up a lot happier.

Disclaimer: I won't wake up lighter than I already do because a recent thread has shined the light on I wake up lighter than I go to bed,....in fact everyone does.

I would have thought that even if someone was wanting to go partially vegetarian, or partially vegan, that the animals saved in that step, and the health benefits to the person, would be something worth cheering for.

I think we should encourage people who are making any percentage of transition toward a plant-based diet. Otherwise, we don't really care about the individual animals that would indeed be saved, but rather our status as "perfect vegan" compared to the other person.

"Do it 100% or you suck" is going to lead to somebody deciding to... NOT go Vegan, in any form. Eating even ONE less animal product in a day saves an animal - and THAT is worthwhile. Anybody becoming conscious of this and having the nerve to try, even a little bit, should be congratulated and encouraged - then they might go even farther.

Remember why you became vegan in the first place, and see that the animals are more important than your idea of what a perfect vegan should be. Being a vegan doesn't make you special or perfect. But a heart opening to the idea of kindness toward animals should be encouraged, not made fun of.

Congrats to anybody moving toward a more plant-based diet, regardless of the percentage.

Why did you choose that lifestyle? - I have dietary complications, I had no choice.

Does it help you have more energy? - Yes definitely, but then I had digestive issues which were being triggered by certain foods before

Physically feel better? - See above answer

What are the pros and cons for you personally? - Pro's are that I feel better, I can train harder and my pain levels are greatly reduced. Cons are that I personally struggle without cheese, I was a veggie for 20 years before turning vegan 6 years ago so I don't miss meat, but there are occasions I would LOVE to bury my face in a really cheesey pizza!

My advice would be not to turn vegan unless you have a very strong motivation to do it. It takes either a serious health complaint or very strong ethic beliefs to make it a rewarding and sustainable diet.

I receive this question often, so I'm going to paste an answer that I provided for another user:

I've always had really high cholesterol, even when I was at a healthy weight and getting a lot of exercise. High cholesterol doesn't run in my family, so it was very strange. Then as I got older and I put on some weight, my cholesterol got even higher. I tried to avoid animal products but didn't really consider going vegan until I read the book Skinny B!tch. Have you read it? The title sounds silly, but the authors made it that way on purpose to catch your attention. It's written by two women who are fitness and nutrition specialists (and former models), and is full of tons of great information (and pretty amusing to read in general - I was laughing out loud at a lot of it!).

Although the book is very pro-vegan, it doesn't explicitly try to push a vegetarian or vegan agenda - it just gives you the straight facts. It talks about how Americans eat WAY more protein than is actually necessary, how certain foods can affect the body negatively while others do wonders for you, and even has a grocery shopping list at the end of the book with great vegetarian/vegan options. Aside from information on vegan/vegetarian diets, it has other chapters on things like sodium, alcohol, medications, chemicals in your food, and even how your poop should look (lol).

Cheese was the hardest thing for me to give up. I'm sure that's part of the reason I became overweight and have such high cholesterol! I could eat cheese all day. After some shopping around, though, I found some pretty great vegan cheese alternatives that taste just as good on sandwiches or in food (although, I do have to admit they are nowhere near as good as real cheese on their own). My fridge is stocked with vegan cheese slices, vegan cream cheese, vegan shredded cheddar cheese, vegan Parmesan cheese... you name it! I'm a huge fan of veggie burgers (Morning Star is wonderful - they do burgers, bacon, sausage, etc.) and even found some really good vegan "chick'n cutlets." I also discovered that I love almond milk. Honestly, once I figured out what products I liked, it didn't seem like I was really giving anything up - just finding yummy and healthier alternatives.

I notice that I eat a LOT more vegetables and fruits now, and my energy is much better. When I started the vegan diet, I lost a good amount of weight pretty quickly. Now the weight loss is much slower, but it's still coming off. I've also started eating healthier snacks just because it makes me feel better - a lot of potato chips are cholesterol-free, but now I'm more satisfied with carrots and hummus or kale chips.

I still eat some "junk" food every now and then, but I think that's pretty normal and keeps me from binging on something that is worse for me. I'm more than happy to recommend different products and brands, so send me a PM or friend me if you want to talk about it. I think I've tried every cheese alternative possible, so I know the good ones And Skinny ***** has pages upon pages of recommendations, divided by type of food and what you're looking to replace. (Like, "if you like melted cheese on nachos, try this cheese alternative because it melts well and has great flavor" or "if you love hamburgers on the grill, this veggie burger tastes the most authentic").

I did the vegan thing years ago in college and after only a month my cholesterol was down 60 points. I ended up stopping it because it got pretty expensive (I had to go to health food stores to find what I needed). But now tons of mainstream stores (I go to Stop n Shop) have entire health food sections at reasonable prices, so it's much easier. Plus I'm no longer a poor college student haha.

It's been a great lifestyle change for me, and once you get the hang of it and figure out what you enjoy eating, it's not a chore at all. I should mention, though - it's easy for me because I live alone and can stock my kitchen with only the items I want there. Living with other people or a family can make it more difficult, but it really is worth it. Another member recommended that I read The China Study, so that could also be a good book for you to check out.

Thanks so much to everyone who belittled me with their picking apart my statements when I was merely trying to give some non-judgemental (look it up) advice to someone who asked for it. Not really sure where you got your god complex from, but it's also none of my business, in the same way that I VERY occasionally consume dairy or fish is none of your business. What I was merely trying to illustrate was that it can be difficult sometimes, and the occasional slip up is nothing to feel bad about. Undoing a lifetime of habits won't happen overnight. So yeah, I'm pretty much vegan. I don't need your permission, nor do I want to be part of any exclusive club.

I gave my opinion with a kind, open heart, and all I received back was your crap. Hope you're proud of yourselves, I'm sure you're an absolute joy to everyone in your life...