Becoming Vegan
 

So I've already been eating whole foods for a while, which has turned me into a pescetarian. I was a vegetarian for a while back in high school (about 5 years ago) but that didn't last. So now I've been slowly becoming more and more vegan without even realizing it. The only things non-vegan I am still eating is honey (a lot :3), fish (about once a week), cheese (a couple times a week) and some products that "may contain dairy..."

This got me looking into the vegan diet (which I knew about from when I was a vegetarian) and I have been thinking about it a lot. I felt like I wanted to be vegan but wasn't ready or I didn't want to give up some things or didn't feel driven enough to do it. But after thinking about it more and more I want to make the transition :broc:. It has been slowly happening, which was a good for me because the only vegetable I use to eat was lettuce rarely. So I needed to ease into it (now I absolutely love tons of veggies btw!:carrot:) and learn over time.

I just wanted some advice or perhaps websites/books that talk about the vegan transition, and I would really like some info that talks about the non-eating part of the transition as well. I feel like I've almost got a handle on the food part but I feel a little lost about every day products that involve animals/animal testing.

Thankyou!:D

I don't know of many books about the non-eating part, but have you ever been to www.theppk.com? The forums there are very active and have tons of information about all the non-eating aspects of vegan life (clothing, personal grooming products, etc).

The Vegetarian Way by Virginia and Mark Messina is a good nutrition primer for either vegetarian or vegan.

PCRM has the 21 day kickstart

http://kickstartdev.pcrm.org/mealplan/index.cfm

and lots of other info

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/

HTH!
A.

The everyday products is an evolving process for me :)

There are things that have non vegan parts to them that we'll almost never be able to get away from. Of course it is just something that happens over time with practice.

betsysunqueen that place is great ty!

astrophe i'm definitely going to check that book out, and thanks for the links.

nelie thanks for the advice. im glad to here that you consider the non food aspect a longer process because that part i so overwhelming to try and change quickly. and i don't have the money or time to throw all of my bathroom/kitchen/cleaning stuff out and buy vegan ones atm. lol.

One thing to think about is the spirit of being vegan. You don't want to cause animal suffering but you already have things in your home that aren't vegan. Does it cause additional animal suffering to continue using those products? No. Now you may not want them but they can be replaced as they are used up or as you feel like it. I still have leather things although I'd never buy leather again.

yeah i thought about the leather thing because I have some leather as well and I figured the deed is done because I already paid for it. I'm hoping I can eventually part with them though, but I'm not ready for that yet. i didn't realize how much becoming vegan would be a journey instead of just a change. i like that idea "the spirit of being vegan" its definitely a good way to look at it!

I went vegan for the animals. So for me it was easy. Once it finally clicked for me.

Perhaps looking into the abuses of the meat and dairy industry may help. The dairy industry is very cruel its self.

Farm Sanctuary dot org is a great site and organization. I'm a member and have visited the California Shelter. A truly peaceful place. The animals there are who made me go vegan.

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone has a great transition guide!

I am currently reading The Veganist by Kathy Freston

I read the skinny b1tch and it gave me all the reasons health and humane based to give up animal products.

I recently became a vegan and I was a vegetarian for over ten years. A couple years ago, I started to feel less passionate and was trying to reinvigorate my commitment. Two books were great... Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer which is all about animals. On the other end of the food part of it was 21-Day Weight-Loss Kickstart by Dr. Neal Barnard, which is all about how unhealthy animal products are for you. Both were great and depending on what motivates you, they speak to different aspects. Animals made me go vegetarian but reading about how toxic animal products are helped me go vegan.

I'm not a vegan and I wouldn't say I see animal products as toxic, but I can attest to how much more balanced I feel with more non-animal sources of protein.

I've incorporated regular doses of seitan, tofu, and beans into my diet. Tofu is the only product I eat that includes soy (I eat mostly whole foods), and I can honestly say it improves my moods and overall feeling of well-being.

Seitan is just amazing (slice it super thin, fry it in a non-stick skillet, no oil) and put if over salad, for example.

And beans - I eat tons of azuki beans, they are a bit sweet and don't cause painful gas.

I don't know any books or websites, sorry. Good luck!

Agave syrup/nectar is a good honey substitute.