Help Me Turn Vegan, Please!!?

Question

Okay, so here is what I don't eat,

- all meat

- dairy

Oh and I don't wear

- leather

-wool

-down

-silk

Maybe some steps will help!

*rarely eat eggs

Answer 1

they make so many alternatives, and once you give honey and eggs up for a while, you'll get used to not having them. it always seems harder until you do it, being vegan was the best step I ever took in my life.

Answer 2

Replace honey with Agave Nectar. I think it tastes better.  Learn how to make scrambled tofu.  Google a recipe, their are a ton.  This is my favorite.

Every time you want to eat an egg, think about how terrible egg laying chickens are treated.  How the male chicks are ground up alive or left to starve to death on top of other dead chicks.  Also, eggs have too much cholesterol and are not healthy.  Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Keep the honey and eggs, if you like, just get them from local people where you know the bees and hens are well taken care of.

Answer 4

Just make sure you take Vitamin B and iron because if you ever try to get pregnant and you are deficient, you will throw up every day.

Answer 5

This site will help:

http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetrans...

Answer 6

There's plenty of meat and other animal product alternatives out there.(:

And when you go to restaraunts and stuff just don't even consider meat or dairy an option.

Answer 7

Learn to cook Indian food, and use many traditional bean dishes from Mediterranean and mid eastern countries.  Bake your own bread.  Most new style vegan cooking includes too many substitutes, and is not real food.  By respecting traditions you will learn the flavors and techniques that can still make eating pleasurable.

Answer 8

Here are some web sites with some great vegan/vegetarian food.

http://silksoymilk.com -chocolate and chai flavors are good

http://amys.com

http://organicfoodbar.com

http://gardenburger.com

http://yvesveggie.com

http://sunshineburger.com

http://rightfoods.com

http://veganstore.com -they have chocolate!

http://nakedjuice.com

http://www.cedarsfoods.com/

http://bolthouse.com

http://naturespath.com

http://turtlemountain.com

http://fruitabu.com

Here are some good recipes:

Stir fry- You need cut up tofu, soy sauce, olive oil, steamed veggies, and cooked rice

Get a frying pan and coat it with olive oil. The put the tofu in the pan and brown each side of it. Next, add the veggies. Add a little soy sauce and put in the rice. Mix everything up and then let it sit on the stove, occasionally stirring it to make sure it doesn't burn. After about a minute and a half of that put it in a bowl and enjoy!

Hummus- chick peas, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and any other spices/seasonings you like

Puree the chick peas. Then add a little lemon juice, paprika, pepper, and other spices. Then stir. Serve with a pita, with cucumbers, or on a veggie wrap.

Here are some snack and dinner suggestions:

Snacks:

Celery with peanut butter

Apples with peanut butter

Pita with hummus

Raisins

Amy's Apple Toaster Pops

All natural popsicles

Natural Valley bars

Fruit Leather

Silk Chocolate Soy Milk

Naked Juice

Apple chips

Dinners:

Tofu Stir Fry

Amy's Pizzas

Amy's entrees

Sandwiches made with Yves meatless deli slices

Tofu Scramble

Gardenburgers

Natural Oven's bagels

Dr. McDougall's Soups and Noodle Soups

Soy Cheese Quesedillas

Veggie Wraps

Whole foods is a great store for vegetarians/vegans, so I recommend grocery shopping there. You also can get a lot of the things I listed above there.

Answer 9

Oh! Help yourself.

Answer 10

How to Become a Vegan

For many people, being vegan is more than simply farewelling flesh products. For many vegans, this lifestyle includes adopting a particular mindset that is alert to animal welfare issues, health needs, personal respect for life and concern for the environment's capacity to feed all living beings. Most omnivores think becoming a vegan is impossible and can't even begin to imagine how they might be able to survive, let alone enjoy life without typical flavors they have been used to. But with a positive attitude, a desire to make a change in a healthy direction, and some creativity, it is possible to discover a whole new world and reap a multitude of physical, mental and emotional benefits, not to mention financial savings.

Steps

1.Be clear as to why you're becoming a vegan. This is a huge change in your lifestyle, not to be taken lightly as a trend. Having your reasons lined out will not only ensure that you don't waste your time and efforts doing something you're not really passionate about, but it'll also help you stick with it. If there's a particular essay, picture, or quote that reinforces your desire to become a vegan, print it out and put it in a place where you'll see it often, like your refrigerator.

2.Get a physical. Visit your doctor and make sure you are in decent physical shape. Tell your doctor your plans to become a vegan and ask if there are any considerations to take into account given your medical history. For example, those with anemia need to be particularly attentive to get enough iron in their vegan diet.

3.Investigate the science behind nutrition, food and health. You don't have to be a nutritionist or medical doctor to understand the background of healthful living, but it helps to add ammunition to your quest to be consistent in the face of possible discouragement and disappointment, which you will be confronted with often. The knowledge helps should you find yourself or your family disgusted with the results of your experimentation. There are plenty of easy-to-read materials regarding the subject. Learning as much as you can about nutrition, food and health will only do you good.

4.Ask questions from real people who are vegan or find a buddy to go along with you in your new adventure. Surf for communities online or look for a local club or group in your area. Better yet, invite a friend or family member to join you or experiment with you.

5.Ease into it. Make a plan to give up one kind of non-vegan food per week. Not only will this make for an easier lifestyle adjustment, but it will also help your body make the transition as smoothly as possible. Any sudden, drastic change in your diet would likely wreak havoc on your body, especially if you go from being an omnivore to being a vegan. Listen to your body and be easy on yourself. Don't force yourself to completely change everything at once without guidance. You need to know how to properly substitute for certain elements such as protein and fats before thinking that a head of lettuce is all you need for the rest of your life.

6.Know the difference between live foods and life-less products consumed as food. It's much trickier for vegans than for vegetarians. You already know that you can't eat cheese because cows are exploited in order to generate the milk to make cheese, but did you know that even most cheese alternatives contain casein, a milk protein? Do your homework and read ingredient labels to prevent accidental consumption of non-vegan food.

7.Learn to make a wise use of tofu (and soy products in general). It's a good source of both protein and calcium, and you can prepare it in a variety of ways but it's not as healthy as one might think. It takes a little getting used to, especially if you've never eaten much tofu before, but give it a chance. Tofu--along with milk and meat alternatives--can be your best friends in the vegan world or your worst enemy if you use it as a base of your diet.

8.Make time to cook. Most prepared foods are going to be off-limits, so whether you like it or not, you're going to have to learn to cook. It'll give you a greater connection with your food, as it can be exciting and very rewarding. Recognize that the taste and experience of your food is just as important as the practicality of implementing it into your lifestyle. Be creative and choose a variety of produce and products to avoid monotony and boredom. There are many vegan cookbooks and online recipe sites nowadays to provide you with inspiration. Investing of your best energies and mental capabilities to the daily task of cooking vegan meals can enhance your enjoyment and satisfaction of re-training your taste buds to savor new, even strange flavors.

9.Reward yourself. After learning how to cope with the extreme makeover in your kitchen, your budget, your past time, your health, and your appearance, make it a point to treat yourself to a new wardrobe, a vacation, or a new kitchen.

10.Share your delight. There is nothing more satisfying than being acknowledged for pleasing somebody else's tummy. Treat some family or friends to a gourmet meal that you yourself prepared with all the trimmings. Be a vegan evangelist through positive demonstration and help others discover how they too can make that transition from eating flesh to savoring fresh, whole foods.

Tips

Sampling a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, cereals, ethnic flavors, and endless brands dedicated to the wholefood experience will teach you what you can incorporate into your daily array of delicious meals.

Visit vegetarian restaurants and challenge yourself to learn their menus. If they will not share their secret recipes with you, try to imitate what you've enjoyed eating by looking for it or something similar to it in books or online.

Don't give up! Being persistent despite your failures, disgust, or the discouragement of others is the strength of your will to succeed and live up to what you already know to be the best for you. And don't hate yourself if you happen to fall and find yourself gobbling down a cheeseburger or two. Forgive yourself and indulge yourself regularly with a sinless dessert like luscious tofu cheesecake, trimmings and all!

Laugh at your mistakes and consider keeping a journal of your newfound love.

Warnings

Do not use veganism as a way of masking anorexia or other eating disorders. Like any diet, veganism may be abused. Learn what your body needs to be healthy, then provide yourself with that nutrition.

If you have existing special medical conditions, always consult your physician first before embarking on a drastic change in your diet and lifestyle. Proceed with caution, and listen to your body.

Be aware that most doctors receive astonishingly little instruction in nutrition during medical school. Furthermore, most doctors today received that education while veganism was largely ridiculed by mainstream Western societies. If your doctor opposes a vegan diet for apparently ideological reasons, then consult a registered dietitian, as RDs are typically trained in plant-based diets.

Being a vegan does not necessarily mean one is healthier; take care to study nutrition throughly from unbiased sources before proceeding.

Be wary of too much soy; research soy side effects, as recent studies have found that it can be harmful. If you base your diet on them, tofu and soy might quickly turn into your worst nutritional enemies.

Don't overdo the dessert and cake substitutes. Even if vegan, they can still render you overweight if you overindulge. Everything in moderation.

Since most plants are not a reliable source of B12, it may cause a deficiency. You may want to consider taking a B12 supplement. Deficiency in best cases can cause significant fatigue/debility. In worst cases, it can increase heart disease risk and anemia and may also cause severe irreversible damage to the nervous system.

Things You'll Need

Transitional foods (veggie burgers, pre-made veggie burritos, or other pre-made foods); if you decide to use them.

Vegan food, as fresh and unprocessed as possible (many vegans also advocate organic foods).

Plenty of water to hydrate and detoxify the body.

Patience and a willingness to continue learning.