From the article: How to Go Vegetarian or Vegan
How did you go vegetarian or vegan? Gradually? All at once? Share your tips for cutting out meat, eggs and dairy so that others can learn from your experience! Share your tips!
My tips for going vegan
- I adopted a vegan diet this August, after toying with the idea for about two years. I decided this after doing a lot of research, and training myself to cook-- first with all sorts of animal products, then with fewer and fewer. This was a great combination-- my research led me to understand that a vegan diet leaves a smaller environmental impact on the world, and is -potentially- healthier in many ways than a conventional diet. This last fact shows up in cooking and eating, a lot. Your vegan cake, for example, will have no cholesterol and less saturated fat than a conventional recipe. The soy base will also give a lot of protein without the fat content of milk. Cook vegan while researching veganism and you'll learn a lot about the pros and cons of the diet, and how to use the diet to your benefit. Also: be patient, allow for wiggle room. You will need it, living in this world where everything seems to be processed with animal products, and your diet is not mainstream.
- —Guest Zac
2nd day Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian!
- I know its only my second day, but this is going to be the easiest decision of my life! I am tired of being in PETA, the Humane society and always pushing for animals rights when I was sitting there eating a steak, or my favorite food, beef jerky. People would ask if I was a vegetarian and I was embarrassed that I ate meat. 2 days ago after I went to a petting zoo, I saw some baby beef cows and some baby chicks. I decided right then and there I coukdnt do this anymore and its time to stop being a hypocrite!!! :) Im so excited about this!
- —Guest Jenny
Veg tips
- Alright. I have to say there's two things that helped me the most when it came to going vegetarian. First up was patience in making the transition. I knew if I went cold turkey *pun intended ;)* I would have a hard time adjusting or maybe even give up, and I didn't want that. So, I went down the veg ladder slowly. Gave up red meat first and when I felt comfortable I gave up all land animals, then after a while I kicked out fish and gelatin and all the rest. Adjusting was much easier and I learned tips along the way. The second thing was learning how to cook. yup, you gotta do it, unless you plan on eating pizza and bean burritos for the rest of your life. Once you get into the culinary world, being a vegetarian can become much easier, and you'll have fun cooking up all the tasty and exotic meatless dishes there are out there. You will discover new favorite foods you may have never tried if you hadn't changed your diet.
- —danshibz
why i became a vegan
- hi I'm Jerry I'm 13 ears old and i became vegan because I was tired of having to watch animals die from animal cruelty
- —Guest jerry
If you want to go vegan, read this book.
- My main goal was to lose some weight so I started reading a book called "Skinny Bitch". I'm sure some of you have heard of it. It took me about 2 days to read the book and I haven't touched meat since I finished reading it. I try not to eat dairy, eggs, and other non-meat, non-vegan items but that's a little more difficult. It's hard to go to a restaurant and find something that doesn't have butter in it or cheese, etc. I lost about 30 lbs *in a healthy way*! That book turned my life around and I could not be happier with my decisions. Since I've stopped eating meat and animal products, I have truly never felt better. It's amazing. So if you need some help going vegetarian or vegan, read that book. It doesn't make you feel like an awful person for liking meat, it just tells you WHY you shouldn't eat it. It worked for me!
- —Guest Natalie
new vegan
- I was a pescetarian for a long time. I've always enjoyed eating meat. However, I decided to try living a healthier lifestyle. I've only been vegan for a week week and I've had a few slip ups already but I'm getting used to it and liking the idea more and more. Its easier to make healthier eating choices when certain fatty foods are already out of the running. I enjoy getting the question "why are you vegan! that's so hard!" well it's healthy, it's tasty, and it's fun. I can't wait to encourage my friends and family to give up meat as well.
- —Guest smith
Just doing something good
- No creature gives up it's life willingly-I opted out of the cycle of inhumane treatment of innocent slaughter animals-I reckoned if I stopped my own demand for fleshfood, then according to statistics, ultimately fewer animals would suffer unreasonable treatment in my lifetime. They just would not be bred for it. That was all I could do 40 years ago and I am still enjoying the health spin-off of choosing the vegetarian way. If you are considering a vegetarian way of life, my advice would be to start simply. Be aware of your daily dietry requirements. Enjoy your chosen lifestyle, you have taken an important step. Celebrate this with good eating and in the awareness that you are doing something good.
- —Guest nomad
Suddenly Vegan
- I took a health class around the same time I found a podcast about veganism. The two combined took about four months total to make me decide I want to be vegan. Once I did though it was cold turkey. I switched to spaghetti with pasta sauce for about a two months while I learned what was/wasn't vegan. I've been steadily dropping weight since becoming vegan. Best advice is to read a lot about going veg and then take the plunge!
- —solareclps
Lacto Ovo Vegetarian
- Yes I'm a Lacto Ovo Vegetarian but only farm eggs where I can see the conditions and milk where I know where it comes from. I was a Vegan in High School and after years of being made fun of by my family went back to meat until about 2 months ago. I get sick from red meat and pork. My body just can't handle it so I made the decision that I was going to do what I felt was right and go back to my vegetarian ways. I have never felt better and I love knowing that no animals were hurting in the making of my food!!!
- —Guest MsAutum
I'm an odd vegan I think
- I never liked any animal products, they always made me physically sick, and now my son is taking after me, cant have milk or anything. I had a hard time w people understanding why I dont eat meat. I am the odd one tho because I'm a vegan because I dont like anything about meat/animal products. I did it for health reasons. I only found about the Factory farms and stuff much later. I find the way animals are treated to be atrocious, but to be completely honest(i'm gonna be in trouble) Thats not the reason I went vegan. Im much healthier and have way more energy now.
- —Guest aoril
Start Vegetarians Young!
- My entire immediate family is made up of vegetarians. I have been a vegetarian since I was two, and it has become a large part of who I am. It works great to start the next generation of vegetarians at a young age!
- —Guest Ali
becoming veg
- Vegetarianism rocks...good for the environment, good for your health...check out http://www.vegetarianman.com/becoming_vegetarian great resource for dudes
- —Guest Becoming Veg
On a moments notice
- I was 16, and asked a friend why he was vegan. He said it was out of respect for life. That clicked, and suddenly, all meat represented death to me. Beef is dead cow, bacon dead pig, etc etc. I have never looked back and am approaching 14 yrs of being an ovo-lacto vegetarian, my mantra being "You don't have to kill a cow to get milk". Of course, I buy only veggie fed, hormone free, free roaming dairy products. I also do not buy leather or fur, or even silk (Do you know how they get silk? Its AWFUL!). I also refuse to eat gelatin, which comes from a dead animal, and any other death by product. Now in the yrs I've become only more compassionate, and realized it was hypocritical to kill insects, because they're alive too! So I have a catch and release program in my house, which is tricky when Boris the Spider shows up because they FREAK me out. So in summary, I think too much, and that's how I went vegetarian.
- —Guest Jazzy
Vegetarian and on my way to Vegan
- I grew up eating chicken and fish and learnt from an early age that our body cannot digest red meat and pork. For several years I have enjoyed fish only but earlier this year I got posioned from fresh fish and that did it for me. Now I eat veg, wild rice and beans or vegie burgers for protein. I still use a bit of brown sugar, no diary and no eggs and I feel great. In fact I lost 16 lbs in about 45 days. My skin looks great, my headaches are fewer and I am never turning back. Juicing is biggest challenge as I seem not to be able to get the right taste but I will get there. Living in the Caribbean it is difficult to get vegan food items such as margarine and cheese so I simply do with out them. My suggestion to those just starting out is to try increasing your daily veg intake, add more beans and drop the meat a few days weekly and you will be on your way.
- —Guest Mangolicious
My Health!
- I went vegetarian because of my health. I was on oxygen 24/7, I was so swollen and I couldn't walk without a walker and then I was falling. Since I became a vegetarian I have dropped 90lbs., no walker and no oxygen. I feel so much better and my doctor is amazed at how well I am. I also gave up salt and processed foods. I'm alive!!! Now if I could just get my husband to change his eating habits.
- —melanieblaine
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