To Veg or Not to Veg

I did vegetarian for a long while, about 2 years when I was younger, but I found that I missed certain things - like beef...
vegan is a whole other world -- no dairy, eggs, etc...much harder to do, and I am not brave enough to try. If you are considering the switch because of how the animals are raised, you can try eating local and organic meats from sources that you can verify are humane. Local Harvest is a great site for finding locally produced foods, which (IMO) is better for our local economy and environment than shopping in big chains. Bell and Evans is a great poultry company, too....while those foods are more expensive, you could just up your veggie and fruit intake, and supplement with organic, grass fed meats.
Good luck on your decision!

Hi there, although I'm not a vegan, I'm a Vegetarian, but I rarely eat eggs, cheese, and don't drink milk. Also do not wear any type of animal, and I do not buy products that are tested on animals. Veganism is my next step and I'm slowly trying to ease myself in it, but because the vegan life is expensive [depending on where you live], it's taking me a while longer than I originally wanted to. Either way, I can tell you how great it is to live an animal-free life. The sense of guilt that you had is completely gone, you feel cleaner, your body reacts to it greatly, and of course, you lose weight because of it. I've been a Vegetarian for 3 years. Went cold turkey one day while working at McDonald's. Saw two videos the night before I decided to completely become a Vegetarian, though I had always done my research and had seen cruelty done to not only our companion animals but in the meat and dairy industry.

I know this didn't help much, but just wanted to say congratulations on choosing to make a humane choice

Hi there. I'm going to tell you a short story about how i became "vegan/vegetarian"

Back in 2006 I read a book called "the easyway to stop smoking" .. The advice and deBrainwashing I recived for nicotine addiction helped me give up the evil drug Nictotine.

I started to gain my weight after I had stopped smoking "forever!"

I started to diet! (FOR 5 YEARS!!!)

I did .....
THE ATKINS
LOW FAT - WITH ALLI TABLETS
STARVATION
LIQUID DIET
MAPLE SYRUP DIET
3 MEALS - NO SNACKS
5 SMALL MEALS
GI DIET
CABBAGE SOUP DIET
RAW FOOF DIET

the only thing i experienced was failure, failure, failure failure.. I had tried for so hard for so long i started to become very depressed,angry and snappish.

I was in the book store and i saw a book written by my old "stop smoking the easyway" GURU had a DIET BOOK!!!!! ... I thought YIPPEE! .. I knew the sucess i had had with "the easyway to stop smoking" .. I bought his book ..

THE EASYWEIGH TO LOOSE WEIGHT! (avalible on iTunes!)
He once again debrainwashed me the lies about Milk,Meat and Chocolate and how humans are designed to eat fruits,vegetables,nuts and seeds.
It was so easy it seemed too good to be true! .. and voila I had turned Vegan.. I will admit to having the occasional piece of cheese or add egg into my recipe but I mostly my vegan cheese and only buy uncages hen eggs. Im sure you know all about caged hen's .. ITS A TERRIBLE LIFE FOR THEM

Allen Carr is the authors name I highly recommend him he has been a very inspirational part of my life

(i have also stopped drinking alcohol because i read his book.. THE EASYWAY TO CONTROL ALCOHOL) .. HAHAH ..

Like i said too good to be true ..and too easy not to try xxx

Well I will just say that if you do go Vegan, you need to talk to a nutritionist and find out what supplements you'll be needing. You can only get certain vitamins from animal flesh.
You could also take up raising your own animals for slaughter, at least this way you know they were happy, healthy, and well cared for before death.
There's also the option of vegetarianism with buying milk from local non-abusive farms and eggs from your grandmother or someone who raises them.
Just know that if you start to feel ill when not eating meat you may not be getting enough nutrients. You need to be careful and worry about your health.
(I will be a pescatarian for a few more weeks, I did it as a new years resolution. It's been fun, but I miss Chicken and Bison and Beef and Pork. I will be trying my hardest to buy locally or from non-abusive farms. No Tyson chicken for me!!)

I've been vegan for a couple months, vegetarian for 9 months before that. You might want to transition gradually. Some people can leap right from omnivore to vegan, but most I think have to transition by going vegetarian first.

Join our Happy Herbivores group! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
We are adding more resources, recipes, and advice daily! And lots of support for newbies...

You can read my story on my blog: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/live2dream/view/why-and-how-i-am-vegan-162872

Good luck! It's the best decision I've EVER made in my life!!

I'm not a vegan, but I think this is a great (free) program for those looking to try it: www.21daykickstart.org.

I think being a vegan is incredibly easy now, and depending on where you live, there might be a lot of restaurants around you that are vegan-friendly and have some really good, healthy options.

Unlike most people who've responded, I am vegan.
It was the best decision I've ever made for my own health and for the health of those around me.

You'll end up cooking at home a lot, which is cheaper and healthier in any case. People far and wide will want to satisfy their curiosity and taste whatever delish stuff you've got. You'll develop cooking skills and discover foods you never knew existed.

Of course, you--just like everyone else--should hedge your bets and take a daily multivitamin. That's just good sense.

Be prepared to deal patiently with a seemingly constant barrage of unsolicited bullcrap.

People will tell you a lot about their own diets and their thoughts about yours when you never asked, don't care and just want to eat your pilaf in peace. I had to learn to politely tell people that I'm willing to discuss my choices with them at another time, in order to prevent public mealtimes from being ruined.

Be prepared to be told a lot of hooey about how you need to eat animal products, how it's not so bad to eat like everyone else just for today, to fit in better. You should never feel pressured to apologize for doing the right thing for your health, or accommodate someone's ignorance about other animals. This is where the importance of being patient and polite can't be overemphasized. Your patience will be tested.

Be prepared to deal with total absurdities, for example, that it's not wrong to kill animals as long as it's done humanely, as if anything that ends in unnecessary killing can be called humane.

Get a couple of good cookbooks-- like Veganomicon-- and a selection of veg cookbooks based in different sorts of cuisine, like a vegetarian Thai cookbook and a South Indian cookbook. You'll have a lot of fun!

Don't forget to friend me-- I love to cook and I keep my diary open!

I went vegetarian in August of this year after doing some research on how animals are treated and the pros and cons of eating meat, then I went vegan in September after reading Skinny B*tch (there's some really horrible stuff in that book about the meat/dairy industry!).

It honestly hasn't been that hard for me. I thought that cheese would be really hard for me to give up, but Daiya cheese is a total life saver! My mom (she went vegan with me) uses a combination of Daiya Pepperjack/Cheddar and rice milk to make baked mac and cheese, and it tastes just like the real stuff. Even my picky 5 year old nephew can't tell the difference.

Probably the hardest part of being vegan's going out to eat and family gatherings. If you can find a few solid restaurants around you with vegan offerings that the whole family agrees on though, you should be good. And for family gatherings, just be sure to eat beforehand or bring a dish or two that you can eat.

Oh, and also make sure that if you talk about being vegan with people, you know your facts. People will likely bug the crap out of you and try to explain to you why it's a bad idea, but you just have to know what you're talking about and stand your ground.

It's so worth it though. If you're a healthy vegan and you eat a ton of fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc., you'll feel so much better and have a lot more energy. Plus it's better for the environment, and it saves a ton of lives. Good luck!