"Steps" to transitioning into a vegan?!
I just watched the doc. "Earthlings" and it really got to me and I really want to take the next step and become vegan already. I was planning on being a vegan by the time I went to college(I'm only a sophomore) because I would move to a bigger town with more vegan choices like a whole foods market, etc. I live in a really small town where the only grocery stores are Albertsons & Walmart. Are there a lot of vegan choices at these places? I've researched a lot and was surprised to see that a lot of "normal" foods are fact vegan!,, but are there a lot of vegan specialty products?
What I was planning on was getting soy milk instead of regular milk, and getting and trying different vegan products I know they sell there like their vegan cheeses and vegan ice cream. But I mean I still can't see myself cutting egg & milk out completely, so how can I transition to that? How did YOU transition to that?
By the way which do you think is harder to cut out, egg or milk?
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
My transition to a vegan from a meat eater happened overnight. Ever since i was young i disliked vegetables so much and i can tell you i never even eat at least 1 serving a day. All i ate was chicken meat, eggs and so animal products. It was until when i was 15 ,
I decided go on a vegan journey. The sudden transition was a tough road at the beginning, a simple thing like learning to appreciate and eat vegetables, dealing with friends and my grandma who wouldn't understand, learning to cook and bake on my own, learning lessons from occasional slip-ups when i thought certain food was vegan when they actually hidden 'secret' ingredients etc.
I'm happy for you for your decision to be a vegan. I believe you transition would be easier, trust me.
Moving to a bigger town will definitely means a wide variety of vegan choice. Do not worry about food choices. I do not live in the US, and my country here , with mostly 98% meat eaters, doesn't even sells vegan chocolate chips and vegan cheese in those grand supermarkets in town. With that given, i opted for more natural food like grains, beans and other special foods i can find from the organic store into my diet.
If you love cooking, you find cooking an amazing experience when you make any specialty foods like ice cream, candies and desserts on your own and share them with your friends and family.
If you need time to cut off eggs and milk completely here's some suggestion you can consider:
- try substituting egg in egg scramble with nutritional yeast and tofu. Add mushrooms and bell peppers for a more colorful taste.
- Limit your intake of milk to .. let's say once or twice a week. If you find soy milk boring, try rice milk. A highly versatile choice, you can make fruit smoothies, soups, pancakes etc out from it.
- If baking requires egg, you can substitute it with flax seed meal, vinegar, egg replacers and tofu.
- Here's a more amusing idea : never purposely walk over the the dairy and egg section whenever you're at the supermarket.
- If you are a organized person, you can plan your weekly meals and write out an ingredients list. Focus on what you need, pay at the cashier and go.
As you progress slowly, you will eventually forget and won't miss the taste of egg and milk. What you need is patience, determination and most of all, the HEART. Once a person has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.
Always remind yourself the purpose of doing all these, like ; to a be healthier person and make a difference to the animals.
So the answer to your last question: Nothing is difficult, but milk will be harder to quit if you have no other alternative choice product in where you live.
I hope my advice helped you. All the best and best of luck!
17year-old vegan
Well since your a vegetarian the hard part is gone. Maybe the first year cut out all items that have egg. Second year or third cut out all the stuff with milk. Always try to drink soy and get used to eat. Im going vegan but I am NOT cutting out ice cream or chocolate since Im 11. I think milk would be harder to cut out though...
my question!
Are you sure you want to? There are many risks associated with vegan diets, the least of which is that you're completely missing out on vitamin B12, a crucial nutrient.
Read the links that the vegetarians and vegans here don't want you to see:
http://chetday.com/vegandietdangers.htm
http://www.listen2yourgut.com/blog/dange…