Vegan lifestyle beginner

jessaleigh2110
jessaleigh2110 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been looking into the vegan diet lifestyle and I'm trying to figure out of its best to just jump in or to slowly transition? I would eventually want to go fully raw. Anyone out there have any tips for me? I'm mostly concerned about getting enough to eat and also how its going to affect my digestion,s stomach, etc. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    You'll most likely have better luck here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores

    It's the most active vegan group on MFP.
  • roz112
    roz112 Posts: 77 Member
    I actually recently started being full vegan ( I was not a vegetarian before) and for me it was personally easier to just get right to as oppose to slowly transitioning. For the first few weeks I did notice that I was feeling constantly bloated due to the large abundance of beans but after a while I guess my body started getting use to it. For me the biggest struggle has been hitting my protein targets and my carbs have gone up a lot more. I'm still exploring places I can eat and things that I can make easily. The good news is that I feel a lot fuller than I did when I ate meat even at the same calorie goal, my guess is the increase in fiber. :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Veganism isn't just about food either. You would have to sell any leather or wool products you have.

    My I ask why you are looking at going vegan?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    erickirb wrote: »
    Veganism isn't just about food either. You would have to sell any leather or wool products you have.

    My I ask why you are looking at going vegan?

    New vegans aren't required to sell their leather and wool -- only refrain from purchasing new leather and wool. Many vegans do use up and wear out their pre-vegan purchases -- it's a perfectly acceptable practice within the vegan community.

    Are you vegan, by the way? Or are you vegan policing from the outside?
  • jessaleigh2110
    jessaleigh2110 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the responses!
    I do know its not just about food.. I have done a lot of research on moral aspects as well as the health benifits. I'm wanting to do this because i don't want to be apart of the cruelty, not just to the animals but the earth also. This is something I've been looking into for quite a while now. Plus i have some problems with my stomach, eggs, milk and some meats make me sick anyway along with a gluten intolerance.
  • jessypug
    jessypug Posts: 142 Member
    I did a transition month where I had the odd bit of cheese but I eventually realised I wasn't digesting it well (always got really bloated after it), I didn't miss meat in the slightest. :)
  • Hreut001
    Hreut001 Posts: 28 Member
    Hi! Just starting out here so I haven't had much progress yet!
    I followed a plant based diet for most of last year (vegetarian but ate dairy/gelatine products once of a fortnight or so), but since the beginning of this year have been 100% vegan :) I follow a high carb, low fat and don't stress about protein at all. I aim to eat at least 2000 calories a day because I want long term results :)
    Feel free to add me! Have an open diary xx
  • MizJoy
    MizJoy Posts: 12 Member
    Hi. It is so nice to meet you. I also ate mostly plant based foods last year and decide to go vegan this year as well. I eat both cooked and raw vegan, but I try to mostly stick to raw vegan. I will send a request.
  • TylorsmummyKira
    TylorsmummyKira Posts: 6 Member
    What's is a raw vegan please
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    I made the switch to a whole food plant base lifestyle a month ago, I jumped right in. After educating myself some more I now call myself a vegan. Yes I have a leather couch I got years ago and my winter boots I have that are two years old have leather and I don't plan on getting rid of my couch (unless someone wants to buy me a new one) and it's winter here in Muskoka ON Canada so I still need those boots. I am not a raw vegan but we do try to have some raw meals though out the week. I am still learning, but we are loving it, my whole family made the switch. We are loving all the foods, I am loving that I get to eat more (I love food) and in the one month we have been doing this, I have lost another 14 lbs and my hubs has lost 10 lbs, a nice side effect to this lifestyle. We also keep track of the many more nutritionist our body needs on another site. If you want the link to that just message me. I stay here for my calories, congrats on making the switch.
    TylorsmummyKira wrote: »
    What's is a raw vegan please
    TylorsmummyKira wrote: »
    What's is a raw vegan please
    A raw vegan is someone who does not cook their food, everything is in it's raw state. This does not mean that all they eat is veggies and fruit. There are some amazing raw food recipes out there. I suggest you google it and see :) same with cooked vegan food, so awesome, colorful, tasty and filling.
  • jessaleigh2110
    jessaleigh2110 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks to you all for replying to my post, i really appreciate it and it's giving me some support and insight. Right now I'm trying to have 2 meals a day where i have a smoothie of fruit and water and then for the rest of my day I'm trying to cut back on meat and cheese. I don't eat eggs, milk, yogurt or any other dairy (besides cheese) and i don't eat red meats, like pork, beef. I no longer am eating fish either. I still have some chicken or turkey but i do plan on grocery shopping soon and am going to opt for more vegan based meals. I've been looking into recipes for both cooked and raw meals that i might enjoy.
  • bespatter
    bespatter Posts: 73 Member
    I used up all my non-vegan food as I moved into a vegan diet. I also cooked a lot more once I went vegan. There are a LOT of great vegan blogs and forums like the Post Punk Kitchen that have good recipes and hints. I went raw vegan for awhile, but was hospitalized for Salmonella so now I'm adverse to that idea for the most part (except for your regular meals, like fruit and salads and stuff). I was vegan for five years and then I started having dreams about eating shrimp so I went back to regular vegetarian, but I still try to make very conscious decisions about my food. I still use soaps, shampoos, etc. that aren't animal tested and refuse to buy leather, silk, or wool. That was just my journey, yours will be different. :)
  • adtwin33
    adtwin33 Posts: 34 Member
    Suggest you go vegetarian 1st and slowly transition to strict vegan. Im a vegetarian and i feel really good. Maybe you could go veganish which u allow a little meat in diet but eat 80% from fruits and vegtables.
  • redd_87
    redd_87 Posts: 53 Member
    I was a vegetarian for a while before I decided to become vegan. I started having issues with dairy a bit into my vegetarian quest so I had cut it out prior to switching and I feel like it made my transition relatively seamless. Still some bumps, like learning the "hidden" ingredients and realizing what's not actually vegan that you'd think would be, but for the most part I found it pretty easy. I was already avoiding leather, wool, silk, etc, even before being a vegetarian so the "lifestyle" aspect of it wasn't too difficult for me either. That being said, there's always a learning curve! (And still learn new stuff everyday) Everybody's different though, so do what you think will work best for you.
  • adtwin33
    adtwin33 Posts: 34 Member
    redd_87 wrote: »
    I was a vegetarian for a while before I decided to become vegan. I started having issues with dairy a bit into my vegetarian quest so I had cut it out prior to switching and I feel like it made my transition relatively seamless. Still some bumps, like learning the "hidden" ingredients and realizing what's not actually vegan that you'd think would be, but for the most part I found it pretty easy. I was already avoiding leather, wool, silk, etc, even before being a vegetarian so the "lifestyle" aspect of it wasn't too difficult for me either. That being said, there's always a learning curve! (And still learn new stuff everyday) Everybody's different though, so do what you think will work best for you.

    Thats true hidden ingredients appear in some foods. Always read the labels.
  • adtwin33
    adtwin33 Posts: 34 Member
    bespatter wrote: »
    I used up all my non-vegan food as I moved into a vegan diet. I also cooked a lot more once I went vegan. There are a LOT of great vegan blogs and forums like the Post Punk Kitchen that have good recipes and hints. I went raw vegan for awhile, but was hospitalized for Salmonella so now I'm adverse to that idea for the most part (except for your regular meals, like fruit and salads and stuff). I was vegan for five years and then I started having dreams about eating shrimp so I went back to regular vegetarian, but I still try to make very conscious decisions about my food. I still use soaps, shampoos, etc. that aren't animal tested and refuse to buy leather, silk, or wool. That was just my journey, yours will be different. :)

    Was wondering what dressing do u put on ur salad?
  • withoutasaddle
    withoutasaddle Posts: 191 Member
    I was a vegetarian for years with the intention of going fully raw as well! My suggestion is just do it. I decided to start transitioning to vegan in January but found it was just too easy to cheat. "Oh, I'm just a "transitioning" vegan, I can still go out to eat an have xxx. I'm not a vegan -yet-," and such. I went raw vegan for lent though, and I know that it hasn't been long, but it's actually been so much easier than going vegan, as strange as that may sound. I'm so much more motivated doing raw than regular vegan (I guess since I'm not as into the vegan philosophy as I thought, but I LOVE raw), and plan to continue it after easter as well. There's more to raw veganism than fruit smoothies with water though. Find some recipies for cakes and bars and wraps too. It's just as much work to change an omnivores platter to vegan food as it is to change it to raw food, and it's going to be just as big of a change when you go from regular vegan to raw. Honestly, I'd say just go for it and fall back into regular veganism if cold-turkey is too much for you.
  • redd_87
    redd_87 Posts: 53 Member
    adtwin33 wrote: »
    redd_87 wrote: »
    I was a vegetarian for a while before I decided to become vegan. I started having issues with dairy a bit into my vegetarian quest so I had cut it out prior to switching and I feel like it made my transition relatively seamless. Still some bumps, like learning the "hidden" ingredients and realizing what's not actually vegan that you'd think would be, but for the most part I found it pretty easy. I was already avoiding leather, wool, silk, etc, even before being a vegetarian so the "lifestyle" aspect of it wasn't too difficult for me either. That being said, there's always a learning curve! (And still learn new stuff everyday) Everybody's different though, so do what you think will work best for you.

    Thats true hidden ingredients appear in some foods. Always read the labels.

    Exactly! It's kind of a bummer sometimes. And if I don't know for sure, I just won't eat it.
  • babybellyfat
    babybellyfat Posts: 1,102 Member
    erickirb wrote: »
    Veganism isn't just about food either. You would have to sell any leather or wool products you have.

    My I ask why you are looking at going vegan?


    I'm vegetarian I don't eat any fish or meal but u do eat dairy! I have gotten an expensive jacket Canada goose from my brother before I was a vegetarian and I wear it till I warned it out. It's not a vegan one. I still where my clothes and once they are not good I buy my Mac and nac vegan stuff!
  • lovebirdxx
    lovebirdxx Posts: 2 Member
    Hello, I jumped straight into veganism after doing research and my ONLY issue was not eating enough calories as I was currently doing RawTill4. Now I don't have a single issue! I would start swapping things like milk etc first, and make sure you can make at least 5 good filling vegan meals then you're good to go! And keep doing your research! Whether you are doing it for your health or the animals or the environment, just keep researching and learning. Good luck!
  • babybird2016
    babybird2016 Posts: 7 Member
    The terminology is confusing. Vegan, vegetarian...? I am going to follow Dr Dean Ornish plan for Reversing Heart Disease. I am going to have to slowly transition since there seems a lot to learn. I need to lose 40 pounds. Heart disease runs very strong on both sides of my family. Everyone has died young from a heart problem.
  • redd_87
    redd_87 Posts: 53 Member
    babybird2016 wrote: »
    The terminology is confusing. Vegan, vegetarian...? I am going to follow Dr Dean Ornish plan for Reversing Heart Disease. I am going to have to slowly transition since there seems a lot to learn. I need to lose 40 pounds. Heart disease runs very strong on both sides of my family. Everyone has died young from a heart problem.

    Vegetarian is no meat. Vegan is no meat or animal byproducts; dairy, eggs, leather, silk, etc. Vegan is a lifestyle, as it's not just food intake but the products bought as well.

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