Any Vegans Here?

Okay, so...I should mention I'm not a vega. >_< But from the many friends I have who are vegetarian or vegan, successful and failed, this is my advice.

1. Go slow by introducing more vegan dishes into the regular meal plan, and slowly wean off the animal product ones. That way, when you do try going fully vegan, you'll have a list of recipes you know you LIKE. This would be probably more important for your fiancé's success than yours, but it's advice from a nutritionist for me when I had to change my diet significantly for medical reasons.

2. Pay attention to nutrients. Just make sure to look out for potential issues with protein or certain nutrient sources that might change, like iron.

3. Pay attention to how each of you feel. And this one? A biggie, because the sad fact is that some people quite literally cannot be a vegan and stay healthy. Just one example of this: most vegan sources of calcium are from foods that have higher levels of oxalates. These interfere with the absorption of calcium rather significantly. Fortunately, there is a gut bacteria that preferentially eats oxalates, which means that the oxalates are used up, and the calcium can be absorbed well from the vegan sources.

However, some people don't have high levels of this gut bacteria, especially if they haven't been eating the type of food to support this (it's not one you can get through pre-made probiotics, at the moment, although one company is working on it). Some may not even have it at all, if they don't have a healthy gut. For these folks, they literally cannot get enough calcium without animal sources because the oxalates interfere too much (recent studies have shown that calcium from these sources is much less than previously thought, due to this issue). These folks can't safely be vegans.

There are some folks who don't seem to absorb other nutrients as well if it's not from animal sources, like iron, although the best I've heard is that their iron levels keep dropping, even if the doctors can't see why it would happen. I've seen no research on it, to date, just individual experiences.

So you want to make sure to pay attention to how you're both feeling, that you're feeling healthy and well and good on the diet, you know? Both now, and in the future if it's going well and might suddenly have trouble.

Otherwise...I would recommend checking out cashew cream, if you haven't, as this is particularly awesome. Cashew cream based cheesecake and cream of mushroom soup - really tasty.

I wouldn't do it.

I'm vegan, for over a year now. I used to take iron pills, because I had horrible blood results after feeling really crappy and going to the doctor. My latest bloodwork shows no more lack of iron, even though I stopped taking the iron pills for months. I feel really good, but take a A-Z vitamin (no iron included) pill every morning (Habit I built over the years). Make sure you eat lot's of "green" veggies and beans to get your protein, calcium and iron. I will probably have a big bowl of steamed Broccoli with Tofu tonight to get my protein dose and reach calcium levels

I am vegan and so is my husband (after I went vegan he followed a few weeks later). Check out websites like happy herbivore and post punk kitchen for great recipes. It is so easy to be vegan now. Almond Breeze milks, coconut yogurts, Chao vegan cheese by Field Roast, So Delicious Almond Milk ice creams, Tofutti Better than Sour Cream, tempeh, coconut bacon, tofu, grains, beans, lentils and not to mention good old fruits and veggies are all awesome! My only regret is not going vegan sooner.

I listed the processed foods to make it easier to help her and her fiance transition. Most people in the USA eat meat and cheese at each meal and they usually want to retain those flavors and textures at first. Over time those foods make nice treats for my family, but we usually make our own meals with vegetables, grains, beans, fruits, and spices. I live near many vegan restaurants (including raw vegan restaurants) which is nice if we want to go out. I know I feel healthier and have not been sick once since going vegan- the only supplement I take is B12. My husband travels for his job around the world and has no problem eating vegan no matter where he ends up on the globe, even the airlines offer vegan meals now.

I'm now a vegetarian, but I was vegan for about a year, and I'm trying to transition back to mostly vegan. I ate all meat except for pork, and then I decided to go cold turkey vegetarian, then 1 month later I went full vegan. Honestly, going cold turkey was the easiest for me. I tried to transition slowly back to vegan last year, but it was much harder for me.

Finding great vegan products makes things a lot easier! I love Follow Your Heart mozzarella, along with Gardein's fake meat products. Sweet Earth also makes amazing veggie burgers, if you can find their products near you. I got Chef Chloe Coscarelli's book "Chloe's Kitchen", and the recipes in there are amazing and fairly easy. My mom went vegan with me, and we cooked a lot from that book. Soups are great and easy to whip up in batches, and we would take leftovers for lunch a lot. Rice and quinoa are also easy to cook in bulk and store in the fridge, and you can just reheat and add whatever you like.

likehlikeo wrote: »

I will probably have a big bowl of steamed Broccoli with Tofu tonight to get my protein dose and reach calcium levels

I have steamed broccoli and baked tofu all the time! So glad to see fellow vegans on MFP!

I've been vegan for about a year and it's just been so difficult for me i feel terrible lol. I guess it all depends on your body and what vegan foods you decide to eat. If you just eat vegan donuts and cakes it's not going to go well lol.

I went total vegetarian about 3 months ago. Was a nutritional decision, not ethical, so really not a "vegan". Diet is the same though... Also mostly avoiding anything processed (except for Sriracha). No transition, went cold veggie.

I love The Vegan Zombie on Youtube, and if you don't mind some colorful language my favorite cookbook so far is Thug Kitchen. Well a lot of colorful language... Have fun with it!