VEGANS!!

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xAmeenahx
xAmeenahx Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Any advice for someone considering turning toward becoming a vegan? Things I should know before jumping in? Thank you!

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  • tludvik
    tludvik Posts: 5 Member
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    I am vegan and find that I enjoy my food SO much better. I recommend the blog and cookbook Oh She Glows and Crazy Sexy Cancer Diet.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I don't say I'm vegan, because I don't like what people say afterwards, people have a bad idea about one of the healthiest ways to eat, that happens to also be much more ethical. Instead I say plant based.

    Most importantly, don't be smug about being vegan. It gives vegans a bad name.

    Variety is key to a healthy vegan diet.

    You will need a plan, so that you stick with it for the long term, it will make it easier and help you out in the beginning. So just one plan out there is: the 21 day vegan kickstart

    Do your research, starting out with a plant based diet is tricky until you get it under your belt. There are some deficiencies in a vegan diet, but with some supplements, it is easy to over come, and alot of times omnivores have the same deficiency.
    Check out this website for a good primer on what supplements a vegan will need: Recommended Supplements for Vegans

    Also, join a group on MFP or other places that practice responsible eating, and don't believe all the vegan "myths" out there.

    It doesn't have to be expensive to be vegan, I usually don't buy organic unless dealing with the "dirty dozen" (high Pesticide foods) http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214
    and
    Grocery Hacks: 6 Money-Saving Tricks for the Vegetarian Athlete on a Budget

    Some good vegan sites are (I don't nessassery believe in all there views on nutrition and believe a small amount of what they say is wrong, still they have good plans and ideas): Forks over knives; Dr. McDougall's Health
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Start slowly.
    I'm trying to cut out red meat. It's a lot harder than you think.
    Do it for health reasons, not because it's cool.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    MelaniaTrump wrote: »
    Start slowly.
    I'm trying to cut out red meat. It's a lot harder than you think.
    Do it for health reasons, not because it's cool.

    One might adopt a plant-based diet for health reasons (although the science is far from clear on this), but veganism is an ethical position that goes beyond diet.
  • Christinec8
    Christinec8 Posts: 2 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    MelaniaTrump wrote: »
    Start slowly.
    I'm trying to cut out red meat. It's a lot harder than you think.
    Do it for health reasons, not because it's cool.

    One might adopt a plant-based diet for health reasons (although the science is far from clear on this), but veganism is an ethical position that goes beyond diet.

    I personally do it for health reasons. I hardly ever get IBS flare ups when vegan. Also, I heard it really helps with fibromyalgia pain.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Christinec8 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    MelaniaTrump wrote: »
    Start slowly.
    I'm trying to cut out red meat. It's a lot harder than you think.
    Do it for health reasons, not because it's cool.

    One might adopt a plant-based diet for health reasons (although the science is far from clear on this), but veganism is an ethical position that goes beyond diet.

    I personally do it for health reasons. I hardly ever get IBS flare ups when vegan. Also, I heard it really helps with fibromyalgia pain.

    I don't understand why one would avoid fur, beeswax candles, animal entertainment, or leather for health reasons. Vegans avoid these things due to not wanting to participate in unnecessary animal exploitation. Do you mean you adopted a plant-based diet for health reasons?
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Make sure you're eating enough protein:
    Nuts, beans, tofu etc
  • Marisolbarba
    Marisolbarba Posts: 5 Member
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    Always make sure you eat enough or else you will feel really fatigue. Don't stop just keep going and you will love this lifestyle. Also when people find out you are Vegan they will be very negative or may even support you, but you have to be strong and ignore all the negativity and know what you are doing is amazing.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    if you are not doing it for ethical reasons your not vegan... you are plant based wich that title can open up another can of worms.
  • strawberryswirl01
    strawberryswirl01 Posts: 31 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Don't go cold turkey. Slowly eliminate meat & dairy. It can be overwhelming at first and takes a while to get used to. It's so frustrating because the grotesque meat & dairy industry is so big & normalised that people will constantly question your choices. At first it seems there's little vegan choices. Explore different shops, there's more vegan food and products than you realise. A lot of food that happens to be vegan isn't labelled (probably because they don't want to deter non vegans from buying it). Best wishes and I'm super glad you're thinking about veganism! :)

    Im so glad I decided to go vegan, wish I'd done it sooner. A lot of people have tried & still try to talk me out of it but I'm proud that I've kept at it. I'm dairy intolerant any way but before veganism kept eating dairy even though it made me so ill. I couldn't stop eating it for my own sake but since I'm vegan for the sake of us and our planet, it's so much easier.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Read Vegan For Her. Great book, lots of simple ideas on meal planning and getting the nutrients your body needs. Very readable.
  • lizzynose
    lizzynose Posts: 24 Member
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    Minimalist baker website has some amazing recipes. I'm veggie but try and limit dairy and eggs as much as I can and regularly make stuff from there!
  • duke0825
    duke0825 Posts: 22 Member
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    Yes don't do it if not for ethical reasons. Please read the vegetarian myth
  • JTGJTG
    JTGJTG Posts: 52 Member
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    cee134 wrote: »
    Most importantly, don't be smug about being vegan. It gives vegans a bad name.

    This. And Millenial Vegans are the most smug of all.

    If you want to do this for ethical reasons, go for it. If you think it's healthy, do a little more research -- especially about veganism and hair loss.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Check out www.dailygarnish.com great vegan recipes on there.
  • bubble_wrap0428
    bubble_wrap0428 Posts: 88 Member
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    I'm a pescetarian (for now). I'm starting out slow, so far it's been 3 and a half months no land animal meat. I do eat fish, eggs and cheese but eventually I want to get rid of the fish overall then eggs and cheese. The longer I am adopting this lifestyle change, the more recipes and ideas I get. My suggestion is not to dive in full vegan. It has been incredibly easy for me to stop eating meat, but I think it's because I still allow shrimp/salmon or locally caught fish like twice a week. Slow and steady is working for me!

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