April 4, 2011 Vegan Kickstart Group...

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1234lbsgone
1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Are you curious what a Vegan diet is like? Do you want to renew your relationship with food?

Sign up for PCRM's 21-day Vegan Kickstart program. Just 21 days, thats it. If you want to continue after that, go for it, if it's not for you, at least you gave something new a try.

I did this last year and have been Vegan ever since. I love it. The Kickstart is designed to ease you into eating *real*, plant-based foods The grocery list is emailed to you as well as menus and recipes. You will get phone calls from Vegan celebs to encourage you, inspiring emails, access to videos and cooking demos.... It makes the 21 days so easy.

Go to http://www.21daykickstart.org/ to sign up and we can support and encourage each other here.

I sign up for each kickstart, which is 4 times per year. So this is my 6th time. The recipes are delish.

Hope to see you join!

Replies

  • nextrightthing
    nextrightthing Posts: 408 Member
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    Actually I am looking for a little advise. I have been eating mostly vegetarian with some days of vegan for a little over a year. I have been trying to eat more alkaline and have really been drinking lots of delicious green smoothies. Okay so I was feeling a little over the top with all my healthy eating and so proud of myself. I went for my physical a couple of weeks ago and found that my hemoglobin has absolutely plummeted. The graph showed me a year and half ago at the top of the chart for my hemoglobin and now a year and half later at the absolute bottom of the graph. My Dr. said have you drastically changed your diet.......I was a little less than truthful about that because he is so conservative. I indicated that I was drinking lots of green smoothies and the rest of my blood work was excellent, really good.......and I am 59 and overweight so I think that is very positive. I am a little concerned about the iron though. I am now having to take iron supplements and have it checked in 3 more months. The iron supplements upset my stomach and are making me have a problem I never have........constipation. Any insights into a more natural way to try and boost my iron levels would be appreciated.......I do take a multi, fish oil and so forth already.
  • 1234lbsgone
    1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
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    Leafy green veggies are a good source of iron, so are beans and legumes, avacados, quinoa, millet, beets, potatoes (with skin), nuts, sunflower seeds....

    I also use a good cast iron skillet for cooking. Plus I take a multi.

    Maybe following the kickstart plan will help you even things out a bit. At the very least, you will get tons of nutrition info that should answer alot of questions. Check out the link I posted and browse through the site. There is a little drop down box on all of the PCRM sites that will take you directly to the other sites they run. Nutrition, The Cancer Project, etc....

    Hope that helps a little.
    Good luck:flowerforyou:
  • nextrightthing
    nextrightthing Posts: 408 Member
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    Thanks, I am already doing all of the things that you mention including cooking in iron pans.....always have. I think I will try to up my beet intake. I am eating dried figs and I think I will add some black strap molasses.

    I'll take a look at the site.
  • 1234lbsgone
    1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
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    Any takers?
  • roberbro
    roberbro Posts: 13 Member
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    I'm not really interested in signing up for the vegan kickstart.org, but I am currently transitioning to a vegan diet. I have been gradually giving up stuff (sodas, sugar, refined flour) and the goal is to be finished with meat and dairy by this time next week. I would have made the switch this week but still had a weeks supply of expensive salmon,etc. :)

    I'm not sure about your motivations to go vegan ( not that it matters to me), but my motivating factor has been health benefits I've read about in books and the results that President Clinton has achieved with his diet. I suppose one could say that my reasons are 95 percent for health and 5 percent political and ideological. I do realize the horrors of the meat industry but can't say that I'm an activist who will change everything he wears or purchases in order to make a stance, and I don't have an issue with eating honey as some vegans do.

    Anyway, it would be cool to add you as a friend, if you're interested. I would love someone to chat with about the struggles and successes of veganism.
  • 1234lbsgone
    1234lbsgone Posts: 296 Member
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    Good for you for making these changes!!! It will get so easy as you go on. I did it for health reasons too, but I also found my voice along the way. I think it is inevitable. When you are taking a stance for your health and you see what is going on around you, it's hard not to get involved. It is amazing how other peoples action affect you. I don't go around preaching Veganism, but I do find myself writing senators and congressmen about food and nutrition laws. I'm not an animal lover, but lately I'm seeing a huge shift in my veiws about animals and the people who keep them. It's weird how I changed. I always thought of myself as compassionate, but I am now extremely compassionate.

    Good luck to you!
  • Bette872
    Bette872 Posts: 2 Member
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    I am a vegan and have been for several years now. I do the 21 day kick start program regularly. I am still trying to find the right foods for me to eat as I have gained weight on a vegan diet. But I am not giving up. I am testing foods to see what causes me to gain weight easily and am making changes that are helping. I have 40 lbs to lose now and plan to have it gone by next May 2016.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Bette872 wrote: »
    I am a vegan and have been for several years now. I do the 21 day kick start program regularly. I am still trying to find the right foods for me to eat as I have gained weight on a vegan diet. But I am not giving up. I am testing foods to see what causes me to gain weight easily and am making changes that are helping. I have 40 lbs to lose now and plan to have it gone by next May 2016.

    Vegans don't gain weight from specific foods, we gain weight for the same reason a non-vegan would -- eating more calories than we're burning. Instead of testing your foods, you may want to try logging your food and hitting a specific calorie goal.

    Also, this thread is four years old -- I don't know if the users above are active any more.

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