Calling all Vegans

MayGetsHealthy · December 2011

Hi there! I have some questions for all the vegans out there because 've been a pescetarian for about 6 months and I feel fantastic. I know it takes a lot of dedication to be a vegan but I think I might be able to make the full transformation.

So what inspired you to be a vegan? How old were you when you made the decision? Do you have to take many supplements? Is the vegan diet expensive? Thanks

hightopps · December 2011

Hello! I've been vegan for a little over four years now- was vegetarian for many years before that.

I went vegetarian because for me, I get grossed out by the idea of consuming flesh/muscle tissue. Just the very idea of it is enough to turn my stomach. It doesn't appeal to me. I don't know if it's because I've not eaten it for awhile, but it actually no longer registers to me as "food" anymore than my ipod does.

I went vegan, because my lactose intolerance became extremely severe. I loved, loved, loved ice cream, but when I had to give that up, I also gave up egg in my baked goods (I didn't eat eggs on their own, because the idea of them did not appeal to me) to sort of simplify things. In the process of going vegan, I began to feel much healthier and I lost over 100lbs in the process.

I stopped eating red meat when I was eight, went poultritarian (my mom insisted that I occasionally eat turkey for Thanksgiving) at 10, vegetarian at 18, and then vegan at 20. It's been one of the best choices I've made for my health.

I don't take any supplements, because my doctor says that I'm okay. Like everyone else, I go for blood work every year and there's been no need to supplement my diet at all (with the caveat that I still occasionally eat things I shouldn't [that are still vegan, but have very little to no nutritional value]).

I do not eat mock meats, which is typically the most expensive thing that vegans spend money on. That I can think of, I do not use any sort of imitation products. They have a lot of sodium and aren't that great for you, so I choose to do without. I spend around $20 or so a week on groceries, which mainly consist of fruits and vegetables!

Sorry this got so long, but it's something I'm really passionate about. If you want to know anything else, please feel free to ask!

shreddin_mama · December 2011

Great question! I'm am not a vegan but a vegetarian. I can see myself being a vegan in the future though and have been wondering the same things

sabyx_is · December 2011

bump

StephNE500 · December 2011

I grew up eating "the typical American diet" - consisting of meat and milk/cheese. Although I never experienced any major health consequences, I didn't really understand just how badly animal protein and processed foods affect one's body. It wasn't until I happened to read the book Skinny *****, at the age of 26, that I began to re-think what I put into my body for nutrition. As I've continued researching, I've been transforming my eating habits to vegan for three years now, and just this week I've decided to go gluten-free as well (due to experiencing symptoms of gluten intolerance/sensitivity for years that have become increasingly worse). My motivation for eating vegan is that I feel good about what I eat; I sleep better; and I'm not contributing to the promotion of factory farming that has been created due to a massive demand for meat/animal products.

I do take a vegan multivitamin, although you don't necessarily have to. However, you will want to read about vitamin B-12 and how important it is to get it from either fortified products, such as soy, rice, or coconut milk, or a supplement. It can also be found in some types of nutritional yeast, I believe.

I don't feel that it is any more expensive to eat vegan than it is to not eat vegan. However, the government does provide monetary support for animal food producers to be able to sell their meat, cheese, milk, eggs, etc. to the public at a "cheap" price; although, our tax dollars pay for it indirectly. Fruit and veggie farmers do not get near as much support. Any packaged products are generally more expensive than buying fresh foods/produce.

The bottom line is: A vegan diet is safe and healthy as long as you eat the nutritious foods your body requires--fruits, vegetables, whole grains (I suggest gluten-free ones), beans, legumes, and tree nuts! Also, read some books or information on the internet to learn everything you want to know about eating vegan. I love www.pcrm.org as a good place to start! The documentary Forks Over Knives is good if you don't like to read.

MayGetsHealthy · December 2011

Hello! I've been vegan for a little over four years now- was vegetarian for many years before that.

I went vegetarian because for me, I get grossed out by the idea of consuming flesh/muscle tissue. Just the very idea of it is enough to turn my stomach. It doesn't appeal to me. I don't know if it's because I've not eaten it for awhile, but it actually no longer registers to me as "food" anymore than my ipod does.

I went vegan, because my lactose intolerance became extremely severe. I loved, loved, loved ice cream, but when I had to give that up, I also gave up egg in my baked goods (I didn't eat eggs on their own, because the idea of them did not appeal to me) to sort of simplify things. In the process of going vegan, I began to feel much healthier and I lost over 100lbs in the process.

I stopped eating red meat when I was eight, went poultritarian (my mom insisted that I occasionally eat turkey for Thanksgiving) at 10, vegetarian at 18, and then vegan at 20. It's been one of the best choices I've made for my health.

I don't take any supplements, because my doctor says that I'm okay. Like everyone else, I go for blood work every year and there's been no need to supplement my diet at all (with the caveat that I still occasionally eat things I shouldn't [that are still vegan, but have very little to no nutritional value]).

I do not eat mock meats, which is typically the most expensive thing that vegans spend money on. That I can think of, I do not use any sort of imitation products. They have a lot of sodium and aren't that great for you, so I choose to do without. I spend around $20 or so a week on groceries, which mainly consist of fruits and vegetables!

Sorry this got so long, but it's something I'm really passionate about. If you want to know anything else, please feel free to ask!

Thanks so much for all the information and congrats on all that weight loss its really amazing! I stopped eating red meat when I was young too, I live by a slaughter house and occasionally I could hear cows dying, it was really terrible. Anyway, thanks again

MayGetsHealthy · December 2011

I grew up eating "the typical American diet" - consisting of meat and milk/cheese. Although I never experienced any major health consequences, I didn't really understand just how badly animal protein and processed foods affect one's body. It wasn't until I happened to read the book Skinny *****, at the age of 26, that I began to re-think what I put into my body for nutrition. As I've continued researching, I've been transforming my eating habits to vegan for three years now, and just this week I've decided to go gluten-free as well (due to experiencing symptoms of gluten intolerance/sensitivity for years that have become increasingly worse). My motivation for eating vegan is that I feel good about what I eat; I sleep better; and I'm not contributing to the promotion of factory farming that has been created due to a massive demand for meat/animal products.

I do take a vegan multivitamin, although you don't necessarily have to. However, you will want to read about vitamin B-12 and how important it is to get it from either fortified products, such as soy, rice, or coconut milk, or a supplement. It can also be found in some types of nutritional yeast, I believe.

I don't feel that it is any more expensive to eat vegan than it is to not eat vegan. However, the government does provide monetary support for animal food producers to be able to sell their meat, cheese, milk, eggs, etc. to the public at a "cheap" price; although, our tax dollars pay for it indirectly. Fruit and veggie farmers do not get near as much support. Any packaged products are generally more expensive than buying fresh foods/produce.

The bottom line is: A vegan diet is safe and healthy as long as you eat the nutritious foods your body requires--fruits, vegetables, whole grains (I suggest gluten-free ones), beans, legumes, and tree nuts! Also, read some books or information on the internet to learn everything you want to know about eating vegan. I love www.pcrm.org as a good place to start! The documentary Forks Over Knives is good if you don't like to read.

Thanks for the response

I've heard of that book and I really need to get around to reading it

MollyChicago · December 2011

I've been a vegeterian for nearly twelve years. I am a vegan at home because I have control over what I cook and use soy cheese, almond milk, etc. However, I live in a great city with hundreds of awesome resturants that I like to indulge in and they don't all have alternatives to diary on their menus, so that's why I consider myself a vegetarian instead of vegan.

The bulk of my grocery cart is mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, but I also like most of the "fake" meat products like Gardenburgers and Morningstar products.

The best tip I can give is to do as much as your shopping on the outer perimeter of the store; that's where all the freshness is. Products in the middle asile typically have more preservatives, added sodium, etc. My problem with that is the bakery is on the outside, and carbs are my biggest weakness. I'm new here (this is my first post), so now I'm finally holding myself accountable to all those carbs.

Good luck with your dietery plans.

kcmelia · December 2011

hello vegans!

i used to be vegan for a couple of years and then moved in with a boyfriend that was a carnivore and things got out of hand. I just started back up on my vegan diet again and am already feeling loads better! Don't know how I ever lost sight of this feeling. My problem is I am slightly a picky vegetable eater, but I really want to get off eating so much of the fake meat patties and stuff. It was great to help me start the vegan lifestyle back up, but was wondering if anyone had recipe suggestions or how they eat their fruits and veggies as main meals. Just raw? Cool yummy ways? Just curious about anything anyone has to offer. Thanks guys!

StephNE500 · December 2011

I eat my fruits raw. Usually have a small apple in the morning for breakfast and sometimes another small one at night for a snack (I love gala apples). I typically have a banana for an after lunch sweet snack or sometimes cut up with a granola cereal with coconut or almond milk. Also use frozen strawberries to make soy protein smoothies.

Lettuce, carrots, cucumbers I eat raw. Red, green, yellow, orange sweet peppers are good sauteed with onions, mushrooms, garlic... you can add some squash or zucchini in there too... as well as some cut up potatoes, etc. I don't have a lot of time/don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen making food on an every day occasion, so I stick to simple, filling meals. Examples are: piece of fruit and granola-type bar for breakfast (I like the Clif Kids Z-Bars); salad, or corn chips with refried beans and salsa for lunch; baked potato and steamed broccoli, or sauteed veggies with rice for dinner.

Some websites that might help you with finding some interesting recipes are:

madejustright.com
xgfx.org
vegetariantimes.com
yourdailyvegan.com

There are a lot of vegan food blogs on the internet, too, that you can find by doing a search. I've also found it helpful to read about how to make your favorite recipes vegan; like what vegan ingredients can be substituted to mimic the non-vegan ingredient you are used to (for example: nutritional yeast + crushed cashews can help make a "cheesy" dish).

I'm a pretty simple eater so I don't have any fancy recipes to share, but there are countless vegan cookbooks out there if you like to try new recipes and spend time in the kitchen.

speedy001 · December 2011

I became a vegetarian a couple of years ago and have been a vegan for the past year.
Initially became vegan because it didn't make sense to me to avoid meat for the animals sake but contribute to killing thousands of baby chicks in egg production and I did some reading about bobby calves. I guess once you open yourself up to care its hard to turn a blind eye to suffering again. As a mum I cant imagine having my children taken away within 24 hours and I don't think that we are the only species that wants to take care of their young.
Once I became vegan I was super surprised at the health benefits. It makes sense to me now that milk is designed to help a cow grow real fat real fast that it would do the same to me but when I gave it up I was astounded at how much milk had bloated me without me ever realising it.
I love the vegan lifestyle and it has been really good for me I feel great and I am happy.
I eat either toast or a smoothie for breakfast, a big salad or soup for lunch and I also avoid fake meats as I prefer to make my own so I know what I am eating and so that I can make it tasty. Meat is expensive but I dont think I save any money by going vegan as i now will buy mostly organic

Calling all Vegans

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