Thinking About Becoming Vegan?

I don't know if this will help but my uncle is vegan and let me tell you, it is a very difficult lifestyle to follow. You just have to persevere and be 100% dedicated otherwise you'll give up.

 

Don't do it.

 

Read about nutrition and when you have it sorted out, dooooooooo it

---------- Post added 23rd Jul 2015 at 10:24 AM ----------

Vegans live longer than others, also, they have super powers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLpCZ8g5uK8

 

I am vegan and I have absolutely zero difficulty with it whatsoever ^_^


OP, I think it's a mature idea. I am vegan and couldn't be happier with my diet.

EDIT: It is also not a "lifestyle" for everyone... I get thoroughly annoyed when someone assumes that. For me it's just a diet.

 

I say research it, and go for it!

I've recently adopted a vegetarian diet, about 4 weeks ago, and feel much better. I still eat dairy and eggs, as well as clams. Yes, clams. (farm raised) I know that's odd, but it's the one meat I have here and again.

My main motivations are so as not to cause suffering to sentinet beings; for me, it's mainly personal/spiritual, and somewhat influneced by Buddhist and Jain teachings. The health part wasn't why I decided to make the change, but it does feel better.

 

You should definitely do it.

However my advice, and this is true for anyone making big shifts to their eating habits, is to do it gradually. Start by finding vegan recipes that you really like and enjoy eating. For things that you really like, and don't want to miss like ice cream and pizza look for vegan alternatives and experiment with them.

If you know how to cook, then being vegan can be very easy nowadays. However, if you don't know how to cook it'll be more difficult. Just remember to gradually incorporate more and more vegan meals into your diet, and gradually phase out the old non-vegan meals that you currently eat. The biggest mistake you can make when making a big shift like this is trying to do it all at once. If you do this it increases the likelihood that you'll fail, and fall back into your old eating patterns and habits.

You may even want to consider vegetarianism as an intermediary step toward veganism. It's a little less restrictive, allowing you to have things like dairy (milk and cheese for example) as well as things like eggs. So, if you are struggling with your transition (i.e. you absolutely need cheese, and you are not finding a suitable vegan substitute that you enjoy), then give yourself permission to enjoy cheese until you find that substitute.

 

First and foremost, from a consequentialist/utilitarian perspective on this, there's relatively little reason to worry about being perfectly vegan 24/7 - two people cutting their consumption of animal products in half make every bit as much difference as one person who avoids animal products entirely. Arguably, they even might make more of a difference, since (a) they would presumably influence a wider social network and (b) their example should seem easier to follow.

Lacto-vegetarianism is an option you can consider too, whether as a transitional measure or indefinitely. You can also choose not to BUY any animal products (i.e., not to give your direct economic support to the system), while still allowing yourself some flexibility in what you consume. "Vegan at home" is another possibility.

All that being said, it can be socially easier to go 100% vegan, since it's easier to explain, and you'll get more support from fellow vegans. Half-measures have an amazing tendency to annoy both meat-eaters AND vegans.

But you had practical questions!

1. Pizza: Your main options here are nutritional yeast (seems to be a love it or hate it thing, worth a try), commercially produced vegan 'cheese' (ask friends or the internet to find one that melts half decently), or straight sauce + veggies (takes getting used to, but not bad).

2. Ice cream: popsicles, sorbet, Tofutti/Rice Dream/Coconut Bliss/OatsCream products, frozen bananas - it depends on how much of an ice cream snob you are, really. Some of these options are healthier and or more 'natural' than others, too, of course.

3. Restaurants: Just call ahead. Find out what you can order BEFORE you go, and you'll be fine.

Otherwise, do your research. Eat a broad variety of foods. Try new veggies, legumes, and grains. Make sure you have a source of B12 (not a B12 analogue) in your diet (many commercial foods are fortified, but it's worth being sure). Listen to your body, notice cravings, consider what they could be telling you.

Good luck!

 

I don't know. That seems a bit extreme to just go to a vegan diet. I'd say not to go for it but it's up to you. I've heard that people who switched from eating meat as a lifestyle to going the vegan lifestyle were really depressed. I mean, I know it doesn't happen to everyone but don't just head rush into these things first, do it more slowly and build your way up.

 

Buddhist monks are vegans, they are some of the happiest people in the world

 

GO FOR IT!! Especially if you really do care about the ethics and morals of food. Animal products simply aren't sustainable, and no matter how well you treat them, at the end of the day you're still either killing the animals (meat) or killing their babies (eggs & dairy).

It's great that you are considering it and I'm really happy for you! If you need any help, or if you have questions about anything at all regarding veganism, feel free to ask me. I've been a vegan for about a year now. I've had a plant-based diet with occasional dairy and eggs for over 3 years; I didn't really care for animal welfare issues, and I had no vegan friends, which is why I kept "failing."

You can either do it gradually, or jump right into it. I eased into it, but there are those who've made the switch overnight. As long as you keep an eye out for iron and calcium, and you eat lots of different kinds of plants and a lot, you'll be fine.
Also, I'm crazy for sprouts. Learn to sprout! It reduces all the anti-nutrients that are found in many legumes and seeds and makes them easier to digest.

About your concerns:
There are several alternatives for cheese, depending on the context. There's vegan cheese for pizza for example, but cheese isn't even a necessary aspect of a delicious slice.

There is tons of ice cream that is made from rice milk, soy milk and the like. Sorbet is also delicious, especially lemon

You can look for vegetarian restaurants in your area! Here's a HappyCow search for all of Oklahoma Vegetarian Restaurants Oklahoma - Healthy Food Stores by HappyCow
HappyCow is a service that shows restaurants that are either vegan, vegetarian or serve vegetarian options.

---------- Post added 24th Jul 2015 at 01:09 AM ----------

The #1 best thing you can do to guarantee a successful vegan lifestyle is finding a vegan community, or at the very least a couple of vegan friends. I'm a member of several vegan groups on Facebook, and I've made a few close friends through that channel. Some vegans are assholes, some vegans are nice. Some vegans are really smart and others ridiculously stupid; some feminist, some are MRA-/TRP-types. You're bound to find some people who think like you.

I don't like to think of certain types of vegans (vegan for the environment/health/animals) as being better than others BUT the vegans who are mostly about health and instagram blogs have a tendency to drop after they burn out.

 

I could give up cheese and ice cream and chocolate if my body could take all that beans and lentils and stuff. Really it can't at the moment.

My bestie is vegan and we always cook and bake delicious vegan stuff (like macarons, cupcakes and we made a proper xmas meal together too) and so far everything has tasted the same or better than the milk-versions. We never have problems with what to eat.

I can only recommend all the vegan food, if you know how to cook and educate yourself about veganism, nutrients and things. It is challenging to eat in a restaurant (sometimes even for vegetarians...) so I wouldn't start with being 100% vegan, but getting into that diet step by step

 

I think she means suddenly going from omnivore to a complete vegan. Like how drastic and sudden the change will be.

 

Ooohh I have thought about becoming vegan too. I stopped eating meat early this year and haven't looked back, but since then I've learned that even as a vegetarian I am contributing to killing animals by using dairy products and eggs. I would go vegan, but as of now while I'm living at home with my parents, leeching of them, I don't want to put any more economical stress on them by switching to a vegan diet. Which I have heard can be somewhat expensive. I also don't know enough about what to eat to get all the necessary nutrition so I'd have to do some research as well.

I warn you though, there are hardships to being a vegan. Even as a vegetarian I can have a hard time finding food when eating out at some places. Often times there's only one option, and no vegan option. So unless you live in a city where there are vegan friendly restaurants I doubt you'll be eating out a lot. Most restaurant out in the country (here in sweden at least) don't have much vegetarian or for that matter vegan food.

 

I followed a vegetarian lifestyle for what feels like a few years, and it was great. I couldn't see myself becoming a vegan because it felt almost impossible to avoid coming in contact with bi-products. It's something I can see myself going back to without a problem.

If you plan on going veg, I recommend easing yourself into it slowly instead of going at it all or nothing. What I did was cut out the foods I at less of and could easily live without, which was beef and pork. After erasing them out of my diet, I shifted to what I had more of an attachment to, which was fish and poultry. Those were a bit harder to let go of, but soon after I fell in love with Quorn more than I did my occasional tuna sandwich or chicken club. Ditching dairy was a bit tough, but like with the Quorn thing, I developed a thing for almond milk; something I still love but am super disappointed that it isn't as protein packed as cow's milk.

I will say this though. Don't be surprised if your family and friends make a scene about you giving meat up. I know my family was weird about me being a vegetarian, making it seem like I was just eating dandelions and lettuce. It's not exactly in a rude way, but misinformed. It can get pretty grating, especially in social situations where there often times aren't a lot of vegetarian or vegan food options. That was something that was hard for me for quite some time, especially after a local fast food joint stopped carrying veggie burgers and there's only one joint here that's vegan owned and run.

Going vegan is tougher (in my eyes) than being a vegetarian, because it means you have to be more cautious about what you eat to avoid bi-products. I know I needed to quite a bit of research on what I was eating to make sure it was free of bi-products, such as energy drinks that I loved and candies I munched on from time to time. There are a few channels on Youtube that have advice on how to shop if you're a vegan, and one Youtuber has a video up on finding vegan friendly products at truck stops/mini marts/gas stations. I'll include the video below if you're interested.

[YOUTUBE]UI8uNCMs2pY[/YOUTUBE]

 

I don't know if I would personally do it but I respect anyone who does. My advice would be to go see a nutritionist or dietician if you can. The big thing is making sure that you're still getting a balanced diet and not having to deal with nutrient deficiencies. Maybe consider a multi-vitamin if you feel like you're falling short?

 

The only thing I have ever heard of regarding a completely Vegan(not Vegetarian) diet is the lack of being able to get enough B vitamines. Most doctors actually recommend, as well as my Vegan friend, that you take a good B complex vitamine to make sure you get enough of this. It is easy for Vegetarians to get this in milk or eggs, and of course most soy milks these days have Bs added, as does nutritional yeast. However, it is best to have an insurance policy. I rarely eat meat and go many months at a time not eating it at all, and I have never felt better. I don't think I could do completely Vegan, I love my eggs too much, but I do make sure I can source my eggs, and I get them from farms that are cruelty free and free range chickens. I work in an area of Menonite and Amish people so I have plenty of sources to choose from.

 

B12 is the only one you have to supplement. You can have injections a couple of times a year or you can take it in pill form.

 

^THIS
I've been a vegetarian now for about 2 months (although many like to call it pescatarian as I still eat fish). But my main motivation is also from Buddhist teachings, being the budding Buddhist I am :lol: But health reasons is a good one too But like everyone else has been saying research it before hand. I tried to go vegan for a little bit and did find it pretty hard, but that's probably just me lol. I'm sure you could do it!