Baby steps towards veganism?!
thanks and wish me luck.
Answers: i decided that i want to start cutting down on meat....how do i do this? i was thinking i would slowly start by only having 1 meal a day that includes direct meat (milk and egg not included). i dont mind getting soy milk but i think im slightly allergic to it. my throat feels a little irritated after i drink soy milk but it doesnt hurt...just a little annoying. after i feel completly comfortable getting use to only 1 meal with meat a day where should i go with my baby steps next? also i usually eat out.
thanks and wish me luck.
If you eat out mostly, veganism will be extremely difficult. So is going from meat-eater to vegan. What is a lot easier is try going from meat-eater to vegetarian. It's so much easier to eat out that way too. Going vegan is an awesome idea; however its a huge jump from being a meat-eater, even with baby steps. I recommend transitioning to vegetarian first, then baby steps to veganism once you have vegetarianism down. Also, start out by cutting out red meats (beef, pork, lamb, etc), then poultry (turkey, chicken, duck, etc), and fish last. It will be easy with all the meat substitutes out there now (veg bacon, tofurkey, meal starters, mock meats, tofu dogs, etc), so you may need to cut down on the eating out habit and prepare your meals at home. A good place for recipes and tips are: theppk.com and vegweb.com.
If you still want to eat out, stick to Asian foods. They have the most tofu substitute options out of any kind of restaurants, and they usually include alot of veggies, so you will get a full meal. My favorite is Thai [Pad Thai w/ tofu no egg]. Mediterranean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Ethiopian, and Indian are usually good choices too.
As for the soymilk, there are other alternatives to dairy milk such as almond milk and rice milk. Those too come in a variety of flavors. I buy them at Trader Joes and Henrys.
its very good idea
I don't really have any good tips for phasing animal foods out. I went vegetarian all at once, then vegan more or less the same way 20 years later.
As for the soymilk, though, if it bothers you try rice, oat, almond or hemp milk instead.
I'm really happy for your decision! :)
If you are allergic to soy- try almond milk, or rice milk- you may even like it more. If you eat out often- try going to Thai restaurants or even Mexican. Most have veggie options. You can probably go anywhere actually- I used to write up an allergy card with a list of foods I didn't eat. Most restaurants will cater to your needs with something you would like on the menu. you can also go to happycow.net to find veggie places in your area.
As for baby steps- try adding fake meats- I'm not a big fan- but I also like the taste of veggies more than meat anyway. There is also great pizza recipes you can try! That's always a fun way- to start going in the right direction-you can add some almond cheese too! Taste just like the real thing.It has a small amount of casein- but I think you should be okay with that-as you are not vegan yet.
As for getting off the egg- if you love the breakfast- i suggest learning to make a great tofu scramble- or going to the store and getting an Amy's frozen Tofu Scramble meal. Ahh- to die for. Sooo yummy. Taste just like a breakfast should. You wouldn't even miss the egg.
I love to cook- hope you do to, these are some great cookbooks!
Veganomicon- Vegan with a Vengence- Skinny B**ch in the Kitch
Well.. Good luck- and wish you the best!
Good for you. It sounds like you have a good plan... after getting used to only 1 meal with meat a day, you could have one day a week where you're completely vegetarian. Then once you're ok with that, increase it to 2 vegetarian days per week... and so on. You could gradually decrease the amount of eggs and dairy in your diet as you're going vegetarian, or wait until after you're comfortable being vegetarian. This site has a guide to transitioning to a veg diet; you might find it useful:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=06makin...
If you want to give up one type of meat at a time, I suggest giving up chicken and turkey first. It would take a very long time for you to eat an entire cow, whereas chickens are smaller animals so many more of them are slaughtered.
Since you eat out a lot, check out these restaurant guides:
Vegan fare at restaurant chains
http://www.vegcooking.com/ChainRestauran...
Vegan and vegetarian fast food
http://www.vegcooking.com/VegFastFood.as...
Good luck!
I slowly worked my way into a vegetarian (but mostly vegan) diet by eliminating one category of food at a time. Just make sure when you cut out one category you replace that food with completely vegetarian food, not other kinds of meat.
It helps to buy some vegan cookbooks or printing off promising vegan recipes online.
Here's the order I would suggest eliminating them, but feel free to mix it up to your liking:
1. "Red" meat (beef, lamb, ect) and pork
2. Poultry and other white meat
3. Slaughter by-products from food, such as gelatin and meat-based broths
4. Seafood
5. Eggs
6. Milk and dairy products
7. Processed foods that contain any animal-derived ingredients
Also, as for the soymilk problem. Try rice or almond milk. Almond Breeze Vanilla flavored almond milk is my favorite.
Good luck!
That's easy.
Just stop eating all meat except chicken (or fish if you prefer). Then after you do that. You stop eating chicken.
And then stop eating eggs and milk.
That's pretty much how I did it. I don't like pork or beef so I was already just eating chicken before I stopped eating meat.