I went vegan 4 days after becoming vegetarian help please...?!
Answers: i turned vegan three weeks ago but can anyone give me more information on what foods i can eat , ive been eating mostly salads because i dont really know more foods i can eat that dont contain animal products and my moms getting worried because i dont eat as much as i used to(im 16 years old)..what do vegans mostly eat and what dont they eat? was it hard for you when you first started? any answers are helpful thanx..
It was a very easy, natural transition from vegetarian to vegan for me. I think the hardest part was explaining to others about why I decided to go completely vegan, however, it was only hard for me - I had somehow thought that people would react negatively or stigmatize me. My family was fairly accepting, and most people shrug it off and don't care.
It's hard to sit here and tell you exactly what to eat, I eat so many different things, and a wide variety of ethnic cuisine, as well as vegan versions of many typically non-vegan meals. I think you'll find it easiest to take out some books on vegans and vegan lifestyles and vegan cookbooks (I really reccomend that you study up on how to make sure you take in all the vitamins and minerals you need).
Also, since you are 16, you need to either come along with your parents when they go grocery shopping or sit down and talk with them regarding what food you need. Try to be considerate, it will be easiest if you show them research that you can eat a vegan diet and be healthy. I personally didn't become vegan until I no longer lived under the same roof as my parents for a multitude of reasons.
Let me share with you something important regarding the V&V forum, seeing as how you are just beginning to visit here. I had never encountered any rude, bullying people except for online. I guess it's easier to be rude when one is faceless and anonymous, you have no accountability, you don't get to see the person that you are bashing and hurting. You will find that there are bullies that frequent the V&V forum that have a very warped, self-important view of themselves. They have multiple accounts, and it gets really confusing sometimes.
They pose as vegans sometimes, other times as flexitarian vegans, other times they appear self-bashing almost, they have elaborate 'background' stories and try to appear intelligent and extremely professional (I believe only one of them on here ever says anything intelligent, this person does tend to be factual, though with obvious bias).
I just stopped answering those people and refuse to acknowledge them entirely and learned to laugh at them... they have so much time on their hands, I suppose. Must not have any hobbies other than making others miserable.
How are you vegan when you have no idea what it entails? Vegan is not a diet, it's a lifestyle; and it definitely doesn't include starvation.
http://www.goveg.com
http://www.govegan.com
http://www.fatfreevegan.com
http://www.veganoutreach.org
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/
http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/index....
http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/vegan/ve...
No, it wasn't hard because I knew what I was doing.
some just dont eat meat but still eat eggs and fish...and some just eggs..... tofu....! morningstar farms food.... bread veggies..fruit...
My favourite recipe site is vegweb.com - lots of recipes for vegans!
My personal favourites for cooking are curries or fried rice/noodles.
Curries are fairly easy to make - fry garam masala, chilies, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and onions (to your personal taste) in a pot. Chuck in tinned tomatoes, chickpeas or beans, paneer or tofu, and whatever veg you like. You can add coconut milk or a little dollop of yogurt, and cook until the veggies are done.
Or make a fried rice - just take leftover white or brown rice, crumble it in a very hot wok with a little oil, and some chopped veg like carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, cubed tofu, cubed seitan, a little ginger, some green onion, and a dash of soy sauce. Add chilies for spice if you like, and fry till the veggies are cooked. Do the same for noodles, using pre-cooked and packaged Udon noodles.
Hummus (chickpea spread) is good on sandwiches. Soymilk, tofu, beans, grains (esp oats, buckwheat flour,etc), nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits...I am not a vegan..it is not all that easy to do...
Congrat on going vegan! You might want to add some beans and fake meats to your diet. There's a list of good vegan fake meats (and dairy replacements) here: http://vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp
Meal ideas:
http://vegcooking.com/everydayliving.asp
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07menu
It takes some time in the beginning to adjust, but it really helps to find meat/dairy replacements that you like. Follow Your Heart soy cheese is amazing, they have it at most health food stores. Good luck!
good luck sweetie. i personally wouldve given my body more time to adjust. but thats just me. i turned vegan 2 days after learning what it was. but i had been vegetarian for 7 years before that. i became vegan over 1 year ago.
(and im 17 btw)
it wasnt too hard for me. i actually LOVE being vegan. the only problem i ever run into is at holiday parties, dining out, and with boyfriends. lol. my current one even researched vegenism to learn more about me. haha!
good luck!
Congratulation for becoming vegan. You are lucky to do this at 16 years old, I'm a bit jealous. I went vegan at 30 years old, its a quite "late".
Wen I started to be vegan, I was using Soy-meat product, soy-cheese, soy-cream, etc.... In fact I was eating the same as before, just the animals-meat was replaced by vegan-meat, etc... It was not the best, but it was helpfull. And I believe it can be helpfull for someone who is living with a non-vegan familly.
You can easely find any kind of food in a vegan excecution. Anything exist. It is not more expensive than meat and most of the time it is "organic certified".
But if you dont want use that kind of product, just do like I do actually. Eat all kind of fruits and vegetables you want. Eat them as much as possible raw (more vitamins there). If you like to do new things and interesting things, buy a small book about "how to sprouting seeds". This is very tasty, very easy, very cheap and amazing to do. You can have lot of fresh food everyday in your kitchen, just by buying organic seed and let them sprout with a little amout of water, air and warm. You will see the "magic" of life, in your kitchen and this food can really give you big power. But if you are interested, find a book first, in order to know how to proceed.
Last but not least, I believe that its healtier to be in agrement with what you think. Health is not only food (food is important for sure, but its not the only parameter). Mind is also important. And if you become vegan, it mean you are changing you life to feel probably more in agrement with yourself. In agrement with what you "feel" and "think". So explain your mother that, ask her to help you with that choice. Maybe try to read books (Animal Liberation for exemple) and ask your mother if she want to read it too. If she got more understanding about what you are doing and why, she will be less worried.
Good luck.
How can you be vegan if salads are the only things that you know fit into the vegan diet?
The answer is to make your own meals from products you know are plants. That way you know you will be in control.
http://drmcdougall.com/ will give you all the answers you need. Studying up on nutrition is something that will help you understand what foods to eat and why. This site is an excellent source.
There's a huge list of products found in regular grocery stores that are vegan:
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
There's more than 6,000 recipes at VegWeb.com
There's tons of cook books.
There's local vegan and vegetarian support groups through MeetUp.com and the vegan societies around the US and in the UK (and other parts of the world).
So many options.