Going vegan?!
Going vegan?
I am already a vegetarian and am currently looking at going vegan. I already eat some vegan foods and do not drink milk and for the most part do not eat any dairy (only occasionally.) (I mainly eat/ drink soy products)What all is involved in becoming vegan and how would I keep all the nutrients I need. I am not the type of person who likes to cook nor do I have time. Should I just stick to being the strict vegetarian I am?
Additional Details2 months ago
I currently live in Madison. Most of the restaurants I frequent have vegan options. We also have vegan food in the stores so I'm set there. This is a very vegetarian friendly city. I do travel a lot though. How hard is it to stay vegan while traveling?
Answers:
2 months ago
I currently live in Madison. Most of the restaurants I frequent have vegan options. We also have vegan food in the stores so I'm set there. This is a very vegetarian friendly city. I do travel a lot though. How hard is it to stay vegan while traveling?
If you decide you want to go vegan,you can still be healthy.You can probably eat 80% of your diet raw and be fine,I know there are vegan athletes who do that.It may be harder for you when you go out to eat.
Eat a variety of "whole foods," with plenty of beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid unhealthy foods like trans fats, which are usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Deep-fried foods often contain trans fats. Choose margarines that use nonhydrogenated oil, like Earth Balance or Smart Balance. Although a diet consisting of Coke and French fries is technically vegan, you can't be healthy if you eat nothing but junk food. Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, and some experts believe that vegetarians used to get plenty of this vitamin from bacteria in drinking water. Since drinking water is now treated with chemicals that kill the bacteria, it's important to make sure that you get enough vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like most brands of soy or rice milks, some breakfast cereals, and many brands of nutritional yeast,also eggs and milk) on a daily basis or by taking a sublingual B12 tablet of 10 mcg per day
Iron-beans, dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach),whole grain breads, Also eat something with vitamin c when you eat something with iron, it increases absorption
Calcium-dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, soymilk)
Protein-Isn't really hard to get, just eat a variety of foods, good sources are beans, brown rice, nuts, whole grain breads, soy foods
Omega-3 fatty acids-flax seeds/oil,walnuts,canola oil
Zinc-pumpkin seeds (best source), beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals
Selenium-Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium, so try to eat a couple every day. Eating a small bag of mixed unsalted nuts can be a convenient way to get your daily selenium intake, but make sure it contains Brazils. Bread and eggs also provide some selenium.
For some food ideas, check out the Publix Greenwise market. They have some good vegan options-youre probably familiar with them already though as they make some of the best veggie stuff.
Say goodbye to milk chocolate, but true dark choc is a-ok.
Chik-Fil-A is a good choice. They do not use animal fats or anything in their oil, so anything made there without animal products is actually vegan.
Good luck!
nutrients are not a problem if you cook your own meals. but when you are eating out it is hard to find well balanced foods.
in large cities it is much easier to find restaurants that cater to a veggie population. also a check out your natural foods store and make sure they have a large vegan pre-made meal section before attempting. most stores have soups, frozen burritos, fake meats, mac and chreese.
If you make vegan soup (or pate for sandwiches) on the weekend you can eat it during the week for lunch.
You should try it and If it is too much just call your self veggie and break the vegan rules once in a while.
why do you want to be vegan? its not wrong to drink some milk if the cows don't need it anyways. and if the farmers didn't milk them they would be in intense pain from the pressure. might as well make use to it. and with chicken eggs, as long as they are not fertilized they are just useless lumps , might as well eat them.
I am practically vegan--that is by inclination--but without dairy products I feel I would not get enough protein. For you as a woman this is probably not a problem--assuming you accept a high level of protein as a need, which some don't--but it is still an issue inasmuch as you probably have long term social aims of some sort which might include the opposite sex (includes almost 50% of all babies!).
However, I think it would be good, but when you say you don't like to cook my first impulse is to tell you to deal with that. There are cooking cultures and non-cooking cultures. The French, the Asians, and practically everyone else and then there is the non-cooking culture, the U.S. (with the British ocupying the anti-cooking culture slot.)
BUT, that is a little dated now. At least in the short run, you can get vegan food already prepared and eating in restaurants (which I never do) has a social aspect to it and portion control. You need to make an accurate analysis of the foods you would be eating, using a nutritional reference book and get an idea of whether this looks like it will be beneficial for you. Some places might have nutritional information but more likely you will have to estimate. If you don't like to cook and don't have time this may sound like a lot of bother too. However, it really isn't. Of course you probably know you should take b12. Also, iron and zinc is not very assimilable in vegetable form because of phytates but if you are aware of nutrition you can deal with any deficiencies that might come up.
All you really have to do is give it a try! Provided the vegan zealots don't have their way anytime soon, milk will still be available.