Starting A Vegan Diet...Any Advice?!
I'm going vegan!.
It's something I've been thinking about for some time now, but I can first remember considering it when I learned of Daniel's challenge to the king to eat a vegan diet!. I recently thought of it again because of my renewed vigor for the spiritual, enlightenment, and harmony!.!.!.how could I live in harmony with the world when I ate the life in it, especially such tortured life that goes on in our slaughterhouses!? Certainly, I would be much more comfortable hunting my own meat, because I could at least ensure that the animal doesn't live a life of suffering, and that honor and thanks would be given for the life instead of just an electrical zap to the brain and into a vat of boiling water!.
What really pushed me over the edge is a book I bought dealing with the diet of people who have fibromyalgia (FM), a syndrome I developed in the Marine Corps!. It doesn't advocate vegetarianism specifically (it mentions fish and also has recipes with meat), but does speak of vegetarian, vegan, and raw diets tested on FM patients, with the greatest results coming from the vegan and raw diets!.
So that's the back story!. I have a few questions for you experienced vegans out there!.!.!.keep in mind that I will not only be on a vegan diet, but a natural diet, so pre-packaged, over-processed, additive-filled animal-free products are off-limits to me!.
1!. What are any tricks, tips, etc!. that you've learned/discovered!?
2!. Do you grow your own food!? Where do you live that you do this, and how hard is it!? I usually end up killing plants!.!.!.I don't have a green thumb!. I have heard of little communes where people come together and have a patch of garden, would this be advocated!?
3!. I come from a bodybuilding background!. It died with my diagnosis, but I like to maintain as much muscle as possible!. I have already made the switch to soy protein from whey for my post-workout protein shakes!. Are there any other ways to ensure that I am getting complete protein!? I do know that grain + legume = complete protein!.
4!. Do you take any supplements!? I hear that vitamin B12 is an animal-only supplement!. How do you ensure that your supplements are vegan!?
5!. What does your daily diet look like!?
6!. I am not specifically looking to lose weight, but especially considering my concern with muscle mass, how much weight am I anticipating to lose!? I exercise several times a week (cardio, weights, yoga)!.
Thank you in advance!. Namaste!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
It's something I've been thinking about for some time now, but I can first remember considering it when I learned of Daniel's challenge to the king to eat a vegan diet!. I recently thought of it again because of my renewed vigor for the spiritual, enlightenment, and harmony!.!.!.how could I live in harmony with the world when I ate the life in it, especially such tortured life that goes on in our slaughterhouses!? Certainly, I would be much more comfortable hunting my own meat, because I could at least ensure that the animal doesn't live a life of suffering, and that honor and thanks would be given for the life instead of just an electrical zap to the brain and into a vat of boiling water!.
What really pushed me over the edge is a book I bought dealing with the diet of people who have fibromyalgia (FM), a syndrome I developed in the Marine Corps!. It doesn't advocate vegetarianism specifically (it mentions fish and also has recipes with meat), but does speak of vegetarian, vegan, and raw diets tested on FM patients, with the greatest results coming from the vegan and raw diets!.
So that's the back story!. I have a few questions for you experienced vegans out there!.!.!.keep in mind that I will not only be on a vegan diet, but a natural diet, so pre-packaged, over-processed, additive-filled animal-free products are off-limits to me!.
1!. What are any tricks, tips, etc!. that you've learned/discovered!?
2!. Do you grow your own food!? Where do you live that you do this, and how hard is it!? I usually end up killing plants!.!.!.I don't have a green thumb!. I have heard of little communes where people come together and have a patch of garden, would this be advocated!?
3!. I come from a bodybuilding background!. It died with my diagnosis, but I like to maintain as much muscle as possible!. I have already made the switch to soy protein from whey for my post-workout protein shakes!. Are there any other ways to ensure that I am getting complete protein!? I do know that grain + legume = complete protein!.
4!. Do you take any supplements!? I hear that vitamin B12 is an animal-only supplement!. How do you ensure that your supplements are vegan!?
5!. What does your daily diet look like!?
6!. I am not specifically looking to lose weight, but especially considering my concern with muscle mass, how much weight am I anticipating to lose!? I exercise several times a week (cardio, weights, yoga)!.
Thank you in advance!. Namaste!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
1!. My vegan journey has been a process!. One of the biggest things I learned is to read labels carefully!. You never know where dairy/milk derivatives show up!. The next piece of advice I can give is to not to be discouraged when you first start out!. After being veg for so long and then eliminating cheese, I panicked!. I was like, "WHAT can I eat!?!" Invest in some good vegan cookbooks for ideas or even borrow them from the library!. That's always a good start!.
2!. I don't grow my own food!. (I can kill a cactus!) But I do buy it from a small fruit and vegetable mart that buys from local farmers (as opposed to buying from a big grocery chain)!. It's nice b/c the fruit and veggies don't have that "water bath" and there's still dirt on the produce!. I love that!.
3!. I'm a total gym rat and wanna-be meat head!. (LOL)!. I'm more muscular as a vegan than when I was as an omni!. Post-lifting, I drink about 2 soy protein shakes and I eat a high-protein diet during the day (beans, nuts, Clif Bars for snacks, etc!.)!. I've been told that soy protein will not get the same results as whey, but I'm rolling right along!. The proof is in the pudding!. :-) I have no problem building muscle!. As a matter of fact, I'm trying to lose some!.!.!.for you, maintaining should be no problem!.
4!. The only pills I take are two vitamin E pills daily!. I sometimes take a calcium pill but that's about all!. I drink rice milk and eat cereals that are fortified with B-12!. The human body only needs small traces of it to begin with and it would take our bodies years to become deficient in it!. Eating veg-friendly foods that have B-12 added should be okay!.
5!. I wake up at 5 am and grab a banana!. I drink some water and head to the gym!. I come home and eat steel cut oats/oatmeal/cold cereal or whathaveyou and sprinkle ground up flax seeds on top (good source of Omega-3 fatty acids)!. I have a snack around 10 - baby carrots, an apple, veggie slices and hummus, handful of raw cashews (or Mrs!. May's nut snacks!.!.!.vegan and SO good!)!. I eat lunch next and I usually have a large salad, veggie soup or leftovers and a piece of fruit!. I have another mid-afternoon snack along the same lines as what I listed above!. For dinner I might have black bean and brown rice burritos, spaghetti with tons of garlic, soup and salad, baked sweet potato with quinoa and sauteed veggies, stuffed green peppers, seitan loaf and mashed potatoes, etc!. etc!. I love food and I'll try anything at least once!.
6!. I have been a vegetarian for a few years, but didn't go vegan until this past January!. I had apparently been on a long plateau b/c once I turned vegan, I started losing weight again!. I think I've lost about 15-20 pounds!. I exercise 5-6 days a week - and like you, I do a variety of activities: cardio, weight lifting, yoga/pilates, etc!. In January I was probably a 7/8 and now I'm about from a 5/6!. It doesn't sound like much, but none of my clothes fit me!. It's a drastic contrast!. Everyone is different!.!.!.but I do think it's natural for a vegan to lose some weight!. The foods we eat are low-fat, low-cal, high fibre!. That is the perfect combination for keeping weight off!.
I hope that helps!Www@FoodAQ@Com
2!. I don't grow my own food!. (I can kill a cactus!) But I do buy it from a small fruit and vegetable mart that buys from local farmers (as opposed to buying from a big grocery chain)!. It's nice b/c the fruit and veggies don't have that "water bath" and there's still dirt on the produce!. I love that!.
3!. I'm a total gym rat and wanna-be meat head!. (LOL)!. I'm more muscular as a vegan than when I was as an omni!. Post-lifting, I drink about 2 soy protein shakes and I eat a high-protein diet during the day (beans, nuts, Clif Bars for snacks, etc!.)!. I've been told that soy protein will not get the same results as whey, but I'm rolling right along!. The proof is in the pudding!. :-) I have no problem building muscle!. As a matter of fact, I'm trying to lose some!.!.!.for you, maintaining should be no problem!.
4!. The only pills I take are two vitamin E pills daily!. I sometimes take a calcium pill but that's about all!. I drink rice milk and eat cereals that are fortified with B-12!. The human body only needs small traces of it to begin with and it would take our bodies years to become deficient in it!. Eating veg-friendly foods that have B-12 added should be okay!.
5!. I wake up at 5 am and grab a banana!. I drink some water and head to the gym!. I come home and eat steel cut oats/oatmeal/cold cereal or whathaveyou and sprinkle ground up flax seeds on top (good source of Omega-3 fatty acids)!. I have a snack around 10 - baby carrots, an apple, veggie slices and hummus, handful of raw cashews (or Mrs!. May's nut snacks!.!.!.vegan and SO good!)!. I eat lunch next and I usually have a large salad, veggie soup or leftovers and a piece of fruit!. I have another mid-afternoon snack along the same lines as what I listed above!. For dinner I might have black bean and brown rice burritos, spaghetti with tons of garlic, soup and salad, baked sweet potato with quinoa and sauteed veggies, stuffed green peppers, seitan loaf and mashed potatoes, etc!. etc!. I love food and I'll try anything at least once!.
6!. I have been a vegetarian for a few years, but didn't go vegan until this past January!. I had apparently been on a long plateau b/c once I turned vegan, I started losing weight again!. I think I've lost about 15-20 pounds!. I exercise 5-6 days a week - and like you, I do a variety of activities: cardio, weight lifting, yoga/pilates, etc!. In January I was probably a 7/8 and now I'm about from a 5/6!. It doesn't sound like much, but none of my clothes fit me!. It's a drastic contrast!. Everyone is different!.!.!.but I do think it's natural for a vegan to lose some weight!. The foods we eat are low-fat, low-cal, high fibre!. That is the perfect combination for keeping weight off!.
I hope that helps!Www@FoodAQ@Com
No meat!? No cheese!?NO MORE lenotre french chocolates!?
Obviously, you' d have to avoid things like your favourite turkey sandwich or sushi,but being a vegan is an adjustment but not an impossible one!.
you would like to try bagel and jam, vegan split-pea soup,tofu,artichoke ravioli salad,fruit smoothies, vegetable ratatouilles without cheese, peanut noodles or pitta bread!. good luck with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Www@FoodAQ@Com
Obviously, you' d have to avoid things like your favourite turkey sandwich or sushi,but being a vegan is an adjustment but not an impossible one!.
you would like to try bagel and jam, vegan split-pea soup,tofu,artichoke ravioli salad,fruit smoothies, vegetable ratatouilles without cheese, peanut noodles or pitta bread!. good luck with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Www@FoodAQ@Com
I'm not a vegan, but I've always been told to start slowly and work your way to a full vegan diet!.!.!.!.!. The reason why I'm not a vegan is that my doctor has told me NO!. So I obey my doctor :/Www@FoodAQ@Com
I know some people who are vegan!. I would recommend from many people telling me this to see a doctor so they can help you create a balanced diet!. It is very hard to do so yourself!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Cheap tricks!.!.!.always buy frozen veggies when they are on sale!. I know that frozen isn't as good as fresh, but sometimes when you have to spend $4 on a head of broccoli you really could get 3 bags for that much money!. Keep lots of beans on hand, especially garbanzos for a quick hummus dip (veggie wraps are great!!) Oh, and go to farmer's markets for cheap produce and if you have a local farm near you, during the summer you can get a "share", which means that you spend about $800 for a season, which seems like a lot but think about what you spend at the grocery store and it may not even be organic!.
I only grow my own tomatoes and herbs, sadly I live in an apartment building and have to grow everything in pots but I am going to try to start a building co-op garden next spring for my building because we do have a small back yard!.
I do take a supplement called Alive! and it's a whole food vitamin!. So, technically I could get all my vitamins from food but to be honest, I don't feel that I eat enough during a day that I would be getting all the nutrition that I would need!. I just don't get that hungry!.
I usually have oatmeal in the morning, maybe half a sandwich for lunch and depending on if I'm in the mood to cook, I'll have a salad or veggie dishes filled with a ton of different veggies and perhaps some tofu!. I also have the habit of eating a tablespoon of peanut butter every day!.!.!.just because I like it!. ;)
I wouldn't plan on losing that much weight!. It's going to vary from person to person!. I lost about 23 lbs when I became vegan but it was just because I wasn't eating a ton of processed foods anymore and I cut a lot of sugar out of my diet!.
Hope this helps and good luck!!Www@FoodAQ@Com
I only grow my own tomatoes and herbs, sadly I live in an apartment building and have to grow everything in pots but I am going to try to start a building co-op garden next spring for my building because we do have a small back yard!.
I do take a supplement called Alive! and it's a whole food vitamin!. So, technically I could get all my vitamins from food but to be honest, I don't feel that I eat enough during a day that I would be getting all the nutrition that I would need!. I just don't get that hungry!.
I usually have oatmeal in the morning, maybe half a sandwich for lunch and depending on if I'm in the mood to cook, I'll have a salad or veggie dishes filled with a ton of different veggies and perhaps some tofu!. I also have the habit of eating a tablespoon of peanut butter every day!.!.!.just because I like it!. ;)
I wouldn't plan on losing that much weight!. It's going to vary from person to person!. I lost about 23 lbs when I became vegan but it was just because I wasn't eating a ton of processed foods anymore and I cut a lot of sugar out of my diet!.
Hope this helps and good luck!!Www@FoodAQ@Com
dont listen to the other answer its wrong, ive been a vegan my whole life and i have never had to take vitamins or protein supplements!. you will get all the vitamins and minerals from raw fruits and vegetables!. the vegan diet is the healthiest and most natural, give it a try and see how much better you feel!.
if people say you need to take vitamins and protein supplements, say you dont see a gorilla takingg vitamins and supplements!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
if people say you need to take vitamins and protein supplements, say you dont see a gorilla takingg vitamins and supplements!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
I've been vegetarian (I sometimes eat cheese against my better judjement) keeping weight is only a problem if all you eat is salad, omega3+6 is important to supplement flaxseed oil (coldpressed is best)there are also lots of totally plant based powdered supplements that contain all the daily neutrients in superfood form!. It's important to vary your diet so your not eating the same thing everyday!. the veganomicon is by far the best vegan cookbook I've come across tons of great info very informative for beginners!. As far as growing veggies I live in a tiny loft apt with one window so growing is out for me!. There are usually organic markets set up by he farmers once or twice a week here!. I try to buy locally over organic as it is usually fresher and slightly better for the environment!.
As far as my life changed when I first made the choice!. I felt lighter in mind and spirit after about 3mo!. It definitely helps cultivate a connection with the natural world as smaller animals will fear you less and less!. We as humans without the advent of tools would have been gatherers as we have no claws or sharp teeth to kill with!. If you put a baby with a rabbit and an apple the baby would try and eat the apple and play with the rabbit not the other way around!.
And yoga is great very enlightening and good for releasing toxins and adhesions in the muscles and fascia!. Good luck!.
NamasteWww@FoodAQ@Com
As far as my life changed when I first made the choice!. I felt lighter in mind and spirit after about 3mo!. It definitely helps cultivate a connection with the natural world as smaller animals will fear you less and less!. We as humans without the advent of tools would have been gatherers as we have no claws or sharp teeth to kill with!. If you put a baby with a rabbit and an apple the baby would try and eat the apple and play with the rabbit not the other way around!.
And yoga is great very enlightening and good for releasing toxins and adhesions in the muscles and fascia!. Good luck!.
NamasteWww@FoodAQ@Com
Hi there, thank you very much for thinking about the animals!. My girlfriend and I have been vegan for over a year and are in perfect health, we haven't looked back and feel much better for living a cruelty-free lifestyle!. As I'm sure you're already aware, it is absolutely not necessary to cause suffering to other feeling, thinking beings and is to our detriment, as individuals and as a race!. What advice I can give you, I will!.!.!.
2!.I don't grow any of my own food, currently, apart from some herbs!. I'm planning on setting up some beans and seeds to sprout in the next week, and I'm moving with my girlfriend to the country with a large garden soon, big enough to grow lots of our own vegetables!. I'd love to be self-sufficient but it really isn't feasible in our society right now!. We're going to grow as much as we can, though!. Growing food is such a natural thing to do, and really appeals to the natural talents that all humans have innately within them!. It's a skill that just needs practising, and I think anyone could pick it up with a little help!. I would really recommend getting together with some people and starting an allotment or something!. My girlfriend had the idea of communal organic allotments, where the growers all grow different vegetables that they're best at, and then share their produce for everyone's benefit – perhaps this is something to think about!?
3!.I'm not so much into bodybuilding, but do work out every now and again!. I've never eaten enough protein, especially before I became vegan, but have been tucking into a range of legumes, beans and nuts lately and feel a lot better for it!. A much smaller amount of exercise results in a lot more muscle gain and tone than it did before!. I don't know too much about nutrition in regard to protein, but with the range of foods I eat, I do think I am eating a whole diet!.
4!.I don't take any supplements!. It's really not necessary!. B12 is obtainable in fortified products such as yeast spreads, cereals, soya milk and so on (though the latter you probably won't want)!. There used to be a lot of B12 on the soil, which would be absorbed by vegetables, especially the outer parts of root vegetables, but livestock farming has destroyed much of this nutrient in the soil now!.
5!.My daily diet is pretty varied, since I just try and use up what I've got!. I shop at the food co-operative and get an organic vegetable box delivered every week, and supplement the fridge with offers from the supermarket when we get low!. Most of the time I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and whole grains, with some rice milk, yeast extract and other extras and condoments, and occasionally get some tofu!. I don't eat any wheat, since rice is much better and bread is often very salty, so my staple is mostly rice, oats and potatoes!. It's hard to say exactly what I eat, so I'll tell you what I've had lately: A raw vegan carrot cake as a treat, full of energy and goodness; a fresh celery, cucumber, ginger, apple and carrot juice; rice and green lentils; stuffed squash with TVP, tomatoes and a medley of herbs and spices and some roast and boiled vegetables!. I snack on nuts and fresh veg and fruit sometimes as well!.
6!.I don't think you'll lose any weight as long as you monitor your diet and consciously eat the right amount of nutrients!. Losing weight is often associated with vegans and vegetarians who just cut the meat and animal products out of their diet without replacing them, and perhaps if they ate a lot of these before!. I haven't lost any weight since I went vegan, and I have been exercising more since I made the switch (taking full-advantage of the new vitality I have found!)
I hope that helps!. Best of luck!
Www@FoodAQ@Com
2!.I don't grow any of my own food, currently, apart from some herbs!. I'm planning on setting up some beans and seeds to sprout in the next week, and I'm moving with my girlfriend to the country with a large garden soon, big enough to grow lots of our own vegetables!. I'd love to be self-sufficient but it really isn't feasible in our society right now!. We're going to grow as much as we can, though!. Growing food is such a natural thing to do, and really appeals to the natural talents that all humans have innately within them!. It's a skill that just needs practising, and I think anyone could pick it up with a little help!. I would really recommend getting together with some people and starting an allotment or something!. My girlfriend had the idea of communal organic allotments, where the growers all grow different vegetables that they're best at, and then share their produce for everyone's benefit – perhaps this is something to think about!?
3!.I'm not so much into bodybuilding, but do work out every now and again!. I've never eaten enough protein, especially before I became vegan, but have been tucking into a range of legumes, beans and nuts lately and feel a lot better for it!. A much smaller amount of exercise results in a lot more muscle gain and tone than it did before!. I don't know too much about nutrition in regard to protein, but with the range of foods I eat, I do think I am eating a whole diet!.
4!.I don't take any supplements!. It's really not necessary!. B12 is obtainable in fortified products such as yeast spreads, cereals, soya milk and so on (though the latter you probably won't want)!. There used to be a lot of B12 on the soil, which would be absorbed by vegetables, especially the outer parts of root vegetables, but livestock farming has destroyed much of this nutrient in the soil now!.
5!.My daily diet is pretty varied, since I just try and use up what I've got!. I shop at the food co-operative and get an organic vegetable box delivered every week, and supplement the fridge with offers from the supermarket when we get low!. Most of the time I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and whole grains, with some rice milk, yeast extract and other extras and condoments, and occasionally get some tofu!. I don't eat any wheat, since rice is much better and bread is often very salty, so my staple is mostly rice, oats and potatoes!. It's hard to say exactly what I eat, so I'll tell you what I've had lately: A raw vegan carrot cake as a treat, full of energy and goodness; a fresh celery, cucumber, ginger, apple and carrot juice; rice and green lentils; stuffed squash with TVP, tomatoes and a medley of herbs and spices and some roast and boiled vegetables!. I snack on nuts and fresh veg and fruit sometimes as well!.
6!.I don't think you'll lose any weight as long as you monitor your diet and consciously eat the right amount of nutrients!. Losing weight is often associated with vegans and vegetarians who just cut the meat and animal products out of their diet without replacing them, and perhaps if they ate a lot of these before!. I haven't lost any weight since I went vegan, and I have been exercising more since I made the switch (taking full-advantage of the new vitality I have found!)
I hope that helps!. Best of luck!
Www@FoodAQ@Com
Good golly, you are a good writter! Balancing proteins is going to be your biggest challenge!. Indian fare is often well balanced due to the fact that they use nuts and legumes to complete protein structure!. I am neither a vegetarian or a vegan but I think both lifestyle choices can be extreamly healthy!. Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
I've been a vegan for nearly 14 years now (except for some years I went back to just vegetarianism)!. My advice is to take it slowly, stop eating meat first, once you get used to it get into teh habit of reading food labels and avoid animal products like gelatine, lard, etc!. Once you feel comfortable with the change stop eating fish and be a vegetarian for a while!. Cut off eggs and milk, while still eating foods who have them (like no fried eggs but still eating cakes)!. Then slowly cut on products with any kind of animal products, replacing them with vegan alternatives!.
There's a whole world of vegan foods out there, you won't get bored and discover loads of new tasty and healthy foods!.
Check out the Vegan Society website for advice!.
Edit: Hair loss!? Vegans don't get hair loss! Not due to being vegan anyway!
There's plenty of vegan sources of B12, organic veggies have B12 (it's actually a bacteria destroyed by modern processing) marmite, yeast extracts, fortified products are all good sources of B12!. As well as supplements of course!. They all use vegan B12, no need to worry about it!.
Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
There's a whole world of vegan foods out there, you won't get bored and discover loads of new tasty and healthy foods!.
Check out the Vegan Society website for advice!.
Edit: Hair loss!? Vegans don't get hair loss! Not due to being vegan anyway!
There's plenty of vegan sources of B12, organic veggies have B12 (it's actually a bacteria destroyed by modern processing) marmite, yeast extracts, fortified products are all good sources of B12!. As well as supplements of course!. They all use vegan B12, no need to worry about it!.
Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
vegeman1 is wrong in saying that you need no extra supplements on a vegan diet!. It is widely known that you must supplement vitamin B12, as plants cannot synesthize it, and it is necessary for human life!.
That's the only one!. Though vegans tend to have a bit of trouble with iron, but that can be fixed through diet usually!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
That's the only one!. Though vegans tend to have a bit of trouble with iron, but that can be fixed through diet usually!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
1!. a trick i've learned is to take everything one meal at a time!. if you started thinking, "i'm NEVER going to get to eat ____ again!" you'll crumble!. it's so much easier to say, "i'm just not going to eat ___ at lunch today!." one meal at a time helps it to not feel overwhelming when you start to get cravings!.
2!. i don't grow any of my own food!.!.!.!.i have a habit of turning thriving plants into dead plants pretty quickly!. what you've mentioned sounds great though!.!.!.!.it's certainly worth a shot and you can at least know that your food is grown organically!.
3!. i've read a lot of material lately saying that the "complete protein" thing is a myth that has been debunked for a decade or so!. not sure how true that is!.!.!.!.!.try visiting www!.veganbodybuilding!.com for tips!.
4!. i take a daily multivitamin, but no other supplements!. since you're already used to buying soymilk, why not buy a fortified one!? the soymilk i buy is fortified with B12, omega-3's, and calcium!. it's an easy switch that keeps you from having to pop a pill!. vegan multivitamins aren't too hard to find!.!.!.here is a good online source: http://store!.nexternal!.com/shared/StoreF!.!.!.
5!. well, here is what i'm eating today:
breakfast- organic whole grain bread with peanut butter and a banana
snack- soy yogurt
lunch- salad with vineagrette, walnuts, and dried cranberries
dinner- falafel in whole grain pitas with tahini sauce and veggies
6!. it's hard NOT to lose weight when you eliminate dairy, but just make sure that you don't reduce your caloric intake and you should be fine!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
2!. i don't grow any of my own food!.!.!.!.i have a habit of turning thriving plants into dead plants pretty quickly!. what you've mentioned sounds great though!.!.!.!.it's certainly worth a shot and you can at least know that your food is grown organically!.
3!. i've read a lot of material lately saying that the "complete protein" thing is a myth that has been debunked for a decade or so!. not sure how true that is!.!.!.!.!.try visiting www!.veganbodybuilding!.com for tips!.
4!. i take a daily multivitamin, but no other supplements!. since you're already used to buying soymilk, why not buy a fortified one!? the soymilk i buy is fortified with B12, omega-3's, and calcium!. it's an easy switch that keeps you from having to pop a pill!. vegan multivitamins aren't too hard to find!.!.!.here is a good online source: http://store!.nexternal!.com/shared/StoreF!.!.!.
5!. well, here is what i'm eating today:
breakfast- organic whole grain bread with peanut butter and a banana
snack- soy yogurt
lunch- salad with vineagrette, walnuts, and dried cranberries
dinner- falafel in whole grain pitas with tahini sauce and veggies
6!. it's hard NOT to lose weight when you eliminate dairy, but just make sure that you don't reduce your caloric intake and you should be fine!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
biggest thing you need to now to start a vegan diet is make sure you get protein and make sure you start a vitamin regiment,,,, when you change you diet so much you body will change such as weight loss , hair loss and loss of muscle toneWww@FoodAQ@Com