steps to becoming a vegan.

Being a healthy vegan is easier then most think. There are lots of amazing transition foods and recipes out there. Especially if you live near a Whole Foods Market. What helped me was dropping all red meat, dairy and eggs from my diet for two weeks while finding some good Whole Foods to replace them such as kidney beans, quinua, variety of veggies, non gmo organic soy products. Tofutukey has some great products! Then slowly cutting out on chicken and fish while increasing vegetable intake. As the weeks passed I felt amazing. Never bloated, full of energy, and digestion was off the charts. Message me if you have any questions.

PS I am a grown man who never lost ANY gains or strength while transitioning. Do not worry about protein consumption. If you eat clean and enough calories you will get enough protein.

I've been vegan for 3.5 years and I've never been healthier, even though I do indulge in vegan junk food. I just try to keep it within my calorie limit. It's true, it is easy to be vegan, but sometimes people find it hard to drop meat and cheese all at once, so maybe get some mock meat and vegan cheese to help you transition. You can also join this group and we'll help you with any questions you may have:

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

Good luck!

What health reasons are you referring to? I'm transitioning to a whole foods, pescetarian woe because I think it's a healthy, nutrient dense way to eat (and I'm really enjoying it), but everything I've researched on a complete animal free diet hasn't shown me that it would be better for my health. I've been doing a lot of reading on the 'Blue Zones', especially the one zone in the U.S. (the SDAs in Loma Linda, CA), and while the group studied had notable outcomes in terms of better health and longevity of life, those who included fish lived even longer. I'm working towards a diet that has a daily base of 800g-900g of vegetables and fruit, and then daily whole grains, fish 4-5 times a week, beans and nuts several times a week etc. Plus a small amount of dairy, (cheese and butter) and eggs. And then a smaller amount of things like coffee, diet soda, ice cream, beer and Fritos

If you're considering becoming a vegan for ethical reasons I totally respect that! But, I'm not convinced an animal/animal product free diet is any healthier than one that includes some animal products, especially fish.

edit: grammar and stuff

tapwaters wrote: »

Step 1. Stop eating animal products.

I've been vegan for twelve years, it's really that simple. You can friend me, I have an open diary for friends.

Your step one is accurate, but I would also add a step 2: stop using animal products (in things like health and beauty products, clothing, etc).

I stopped eating dairy and meat for a month to combat cholesterol issues. That was over 2 years ago! I said to myself that I could have fish and cheese once a month, but eventually just forgot to have them. It's actually much easier than you might expect. There are lots of great books and movies out there now. As for structuring your diet? I found "Vegan for Her" to be absolutely excellent. Can't remember who it's by and it's relevant for anyone, not just women. Also, How Not to Die is great. You have to do some planning beforehand, but really, that's not unique to switching to no animal products. I also didn't tell anyone I was going to do it - you might get a bunch of unhelpful comments/opinions which can be distracting. Just do your own thing. I don't regret it for one second and DH joined me a year ago. My cholesterol issues and his blood pressure issues were resolved in weeks.

dopeysmelly wrote: »

I stopped eating dairy and meat for a month to combat cholesterol issues. That was over 2 years ago! I said to myself that I could have fish and cheese once a month, but eventually just forgot to have them. It's actually much easier than you might expect. There are lots of great books and movies out there now. As for structuring your diet? I found "Vegan for Her" to be absolutely excellent. Can't remember who it's by and it's relevant for anyone, not just women. Also, How Not to Die is great. You have to do some planning beforehand, but really, that's not unique to switching to no animal products. I also didn't tell anyone I was going to do it - you might get a bunch of unhelpful comments/opinions which can be distracting. Just do your own thing. I don't regret it for one second and DH joined me a year ago. My cholesterol issues and his blood pressure issues were resolved in weeks.

Gina Messina is the author, I've read her books and think she's solid However, if I remember correctly I think she states at the beginning of Vegan for Her that a vegan diet isn't necessarily any healthier than one that includes animal products. Also from her website-
'The truth is way less dramatic. There is no body of evidence to suggest that you have to be vegan in order to be healthy. The evidence does not suggest that every disease in the world is reversible with a low-fat, whole foods plant-based diet. And, yes, it is possible to fall short of nutrients on a vegan diet if you aren’t paying attention to food choices.'
http://www.theveganrd.com/2017/04/science-matters-for-vegans-and-everyone-else.html

edit: grammar

janejellyroll wrote: »

dopeysmelly wrote: »

I stopped eating dairy and meat for a month to combat cholesterol issues. That was over 2 years ago! I said to myself that I could have fish and cheese once a month, but eventually just forgot to have them. It's actually much easier than you might expect. There are lots of great books and movies out there now. As for structuring your diet? I found "Vegan for Her" to be absolutely excellent. Can't remember who it's by and it's relevant for anyone, not just women. Also, How Not to Die is great. You have to do some planning beforehand, but really, that's not unique to switching to no animal products. I also didn't tell anyone I was going to do it - you might get a bunch of unhelpful comments/opinions which can be distracting. Just do your own thing. I don't regret it for one second and DH joined me a year ago. My cholesterol issues and his blood pressure issues were resolved in weeks.

"Vegan for Her" by Virginia Messina is an excellent resource. She also co-authored "Vegan for Life" with Jack Norris (another vegan RD), a more general guide to vegan nutrition that is fantastic.

It looks like she also has a new book coming out soon, need to add it to my Goodreads 'to read' list

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.

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!

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 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 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.

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!