steps to becoming a vegan.

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  • Klmom123
    Klmom123 Posts: 91 Member
    My daughter (21) has been vegan for two years. She became vegetarian first at 16 then transitioned. Research is the key. Find healthy substitutes for your diet. She is very knowledgeable on all foods needed in her diet to replace what's she's taking out. She eats very clean and hardly eat processed food . So she has to be very creative with her cooking.
    Good luck to you!
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    edited April 2017
    I'm a vegetarian and eat a vegan diet 99 percent of the time. I chose this diet because of ethics issues and also to lower my high cholesterol, which is normal now.

    My advice would be to start with vegan sources of protein. Find one or two meals with that protein that you like to eat and expand from there.

    Example of my day:
    Breakfast: plain oatmeal with almonds, walnuts and an apple.
    Lunch: lentils with vegetables (sir-fried in olive oil, or simmered, or leafy greens like kale and collards)
    Dinner: a variation on lunch.
    I also like Amy's brand vegan soups, which are in most grocery stores here in the United States, and can also be ordered from Amazon.
    I also like Silk Protein Nutmilk.

    I'm not a cook and don't spend much time in the kitchen.
    I get plenty of protein and all my blood tests are good (I'm not deficient in anything).
    I take a multivitamin for B12 because that's hard to get in a vegan diet.
    I eat Vitamin D fortified food (cashew, almond, and other nutmilks are fortified just like dairy milk).
    You don't need to buy fake meat products -- you can get all your protein from legumes, beans, tofu, and other sources.
    Eating out -- I can always find something to eat in Asian and Mexican restaurants.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kavahni wrote: »
    If you are fond of meats and cheeses, I would recommend that you get three things onto your shelves: nutritional yeast, virgin coconut oil, and Daiya shredded "cheese." One of the most important nutritional aspects of being a vegetarian or a vegan, is getting enough of vitamin B 12. It is essential for your sense of well-being and is only found in animal products. Nutritional yeast is packed, and a very small amount each day will give you all the B 12 you need. If you've never eaten nutritional yeast, it can be off putting when you buy it. Some people think it smells like medicine. Put it on your next batch of popcorn. It is cheesy yummy. You will never eat popcorn without it again. You can also use it to make gravy – like foods that are very umami. I think nutritional yeast gravy tastes very much like chicken or pork gravy. You can also add it to things that you want to taste kind of meaty.
    Virgin coconut oil, besides just being massively fabulous, also lends a heartier flavor to many things. I use it when I make refried beans and it somewhat mimics the flavor of lard.
    Daiya is the only really good vegan cheese substitute out there. It melts, it stretches. It is good for making things like mac & cheese, or pizza, or enchiladas.
    You will also find that crimini mushrooms sautéed nicely, have a very hearty, meaty flavor and texture to them.
    As for cookbooks, I'm very old-school about this, and very much recommend "The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook." The Farm is an intentional hippie community that was started, oh geez, 40 years ago? Maybe more. In Tennessee. The cookbook is titled that it is vegetarian, but the recipes are vegan. At the other end of the spectrum, I really love "Vegan Brunch." Her vegan omelettes, and red flannel hash are freaking amazing.
    OK now for true confessions: I am not a vegan, but I was a serious vegetarian for about 10 years and discovered that my body simply does not do well without animal protein. But when my husband was getting cancer treatment a few years ago, he went vegan for a couple of years and it was easy for me to accommodate him because I knew a lot about strict vegetarianism.
    I wish you good luck with this! Listen to your body and see if it works for you.

    Note: if you are using nutritional yeast as a source for B12, please make sure that the yeast you're buying is fortified with it. Not all nutritional yeast has B12.
  • elyvegan
    elyvegan Posts: 19 Member
    Been fully vegan for almost 5 months. I feel great! Never been better. You can start by changing regular milk to soy, almond or coconut milk. Also you can do the same with regular cheese to vegan cheese, regular rice to brown rice, etc. You will not die from hunger (if you make ir right), you will feel with lot of energy and will lose weight. Some people will be rude and skeptical, but if you are making the change don try to be a Guru to others, just make this experience a life style. ;) feel free to add me and find some inspiration in my diary
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    elyvegan wrote: »
    Been fully vegan for almost 5 months. I feel great! Never been better. You can start by changing regular milk to soy, almond or coconut milk. Also you can do the same with regular cheese to vegan cheese, regular rice to brown rice, etc. You will not die from hunger (if you make ir right), you will feel with lot of energy and will lose weight. Some people will be rude and skeptical, but if you are making the change don try to be a Guru to others, just make this experience a life style. ;) feel free to add me and find some inspiration in my diary

    Regular (white) rice is vegan.
  • rileynelson13
    rileynelson13 Posts: 1 Member
    I've been vegan for 3 years and it's been amazing! There are so many health benefits and it's easy to lose weight on a "whole foods plant based" vegan diet that's heavy in vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

    Join the New Vegan Support Facebook group, it's a great community. Continue tracking your calories when you start just to be sure you're not overeating. Try to eat as little vegan dairy and meat substitutes as you can because they're tasty but not healthy. Just center your meals around whole plant foods and you'll see results!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    rileynelson13 wrote: »
    I've been vegan for 3 years and it's been amazing! There are so many health benefits and it's easy to lose weight on a "whole foods plant based" vegan diet that's heavy in vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

    Join the New Vegan Support Facebook group, it's a great community. Continue tracking your calories when you start just to be sure you're not overeating. Try to eat as little vegan dairy and meat substitutes as you can because they're tasty but not healthy. Just center your meals around whole plant foods and you'll see results!

    It's a huge generalization to say that dairy and meat substitutes aren't healthy. Soy milk, almond milk, and seitan are staples in my diet and I'm not sure how they aren't healthy.
  • Noreen2014
    Noreen2014 Posts: 33 Member
    This is a great thread.... in the process of making changes in my diet ... I am still researching info but will check out a lot of the advice I read here Thank you everyone
  • crazyycatlady1
    crazyycatlady1 Posts: 292 Member
    edited April 2017
    rileynelson13 wrote: »
    I've been vegan for 3 years and it's been amazing! There are so many health benefits and it's easy to lose weight on a "whole foods plant based" vegan diet that's heavy in vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

    Join the New Vegan Support Facebook group, it's a great community. Continue tracking your calories when you start just to be sure you're not overeating. Try to eat as little vegan dairy and meat substitutes as you can because they're tasty but not healthy. Just center your meals around whole plant foods and you'll see results!

    Would you mind sharing what health benefits you feel you've had since becoming a vegan? Thanks!

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