Vegan Journey Begins

Some random advice:

1.) Don't rely on processed foodstuffs (I'm looking at you random soy-meat-replacements) to oomph your protein intake. I learned the hard way that you can develop some pretty wacky food intolerances if you over consume anything that is a potential allergen. Variety is a must!

That being said, adding soyrizo to soup, beans, anything really is amazingballs and I wish I could eat it everyday.

2.) Look into possibly joining a CSA. You buy a farm share, they give you a box of food on a subscription basis (weekly, bi-weekly, whatever). This is a great motivation to try locally sourced fun veg that you wouldn't normally try. Most CSA's offer insight on recipes and preparation instructions for the fresh happy things they bring you.

I found there are farms around my area that also let you volunteer for 3-4 hours and will just give you a share for free in exchange for the exercise I would have already done had I not volunteered.

3.) Learn to love the bulk aisle. Raw nuts are a staple snacky time treat for me. I soak them in water overnight as I heard that it makes the healthy bits more digestible when rehydrated. Also really good added into veggie stir fry or even simple rice dishes.

4.) I love the nooch. Nutritional yeast is kind of cheesy and a great sprinkle on popcorn, toast, whatever really.

5.) My crockpot is my savior. Again, hang out in the bulk aisle, grab some beans/peas, and make yourself some awesomeness. I freeze leftovers in pre-portioned packages for easy lunch packing each day.

Ok, I'm done :-P

Heh... I'm pretty sure she doesn't think that, but I know what you mean - they ARE offensive sometimes.
By solid I mean "Robust"... kind of in-your-face... I watch their videos mostly for entertainment purposes... it's all part of the diverse vegan world that I let wash over me...

I certainly didn't mean to imply that simply going vegan will instantly make someone healthier. Oreo cookies are vegan and I don't think you would do well eating them 24/7. So if I offended anyone by saying that, let me clarify.
After witnessing a relative go from about 9 prescriptions to 1 after three months on a PLANT-BASED DIET that included no meat or dairy, I decided to give it a whirl. I was of normal height and weight, was relatively healthy, but was sluggish, had little energy, participated in little or no sports, played little or none with my children, and just felt "blah" most of the time. By bloodwork right before I switched my eating habits showed that my cholesterol was high and my blood sugar was mid-high to high.
After switching to a diet devoid of all meat and dairy, and replacing those items with large quanitites of fresh organic green vegetables, beans, legumes, grains, quinoa, etc... my health improved DRAMATICALLY. In short time my bloodwork when retested improved a ton and now is outstanding.
Do I attribute all of that to my diet, well, that's tricky. My diet gave me the energy to begin running instead of just occassionaly walking the dog. And then running more. And running faster. And excercising. And tracking all of my eating closely (thanks MFP).
So.... all of those things.... my change in diet, my attention to nutrition, my increased excersice... all of those things have contributed to my greatly improved health. The launching pad though was my change to a vegan diet.