After much thought and increased head / stomach aches when eating dairy and the way that free range eggs don't taste nice anymore I have decided to become a vegan. I'd be grateful if vegans can give me some tips. I know that being a Vegan is MUCH more than just not eating/ wearing anything derived from animals ie that includes milk , eggs, honey, I know it is political (ie in the 80s , well in Britain anyway they would have boycotted a certain fruit Exporter's produce due to it being from South Africa and therefore buying this fruit would be supporting appartheid, my family boycotted them too but weren't Vegans) they are also against GMO . I know a grooming company that is vegan, 'The original source' .
Apart from that it is a LOT of reading for me to do. Would any of you be so kind as to direct me to useful websites books etc ? Manufacturers of Cosmetics and ladies things would be helpful too.
2006-12-18 10:15:51 · 16 answers · asked by Andielep 6 in Food & Drink ➔ Vegetarian & Vegan
Wow, lots of great answers!!
Loads of encoouragement too, that's fab!!
2006-12-19 04:30:50 · update #1
LOL , I meant encouragement!!
-Does Jason surgeon c remind anyone of anyone???? Answers on a postcard!!!
2006-12-19 04:32:45 · update #2
I will let you know how it goes Princess. It is one small step for me!!
2006-12-20 09:46:07 · update #3
Wow, so many great answers!!! It is going to be one heck of a task picking the winner !!
2006-12-21 23:10:42 · update #4
Hi Andie,
Great news and a fantastic resolution. One of the best sources has already been quoted which is the Vegan Society at http://www.vegansociety.com as it has some very good leaflets and fact sheets on nutrition and health as well as all the brilliant reasons to go vegan. I'd also have a look at http://www.animalaid.org.uk which not only has great campaign news etc. it also has a wonderful online shop with all kinds of vegan goodies including Beauty Without Cruelty make-up (which I've just bought for my wife for Christmas) and Vegan Chocolate including their latest invention - White Chocolate for vegans! It's a good website and the prices are good. Take it slowly and if you start to feel ill or tired or have headaches etc. consult your doctor. Also it's a good idea to see your doctor before you go vegan as the NHS have a very good leaflet on vegan nutrition which will help you get all the right things into your diet. Also there is a very good wall chart showing all the foods which provide rich sources of everything you need to be healthy, I think that's available from the Vegan Society.
I went vegan from vegetarian a year and a half ago and, apart from loosing about a stone of unwanted flab that had built up there were no drastic side effects. I feel happier, healthier and have more energy now than I did before. I agree that it is a political decision as well and being involved in the Fairtrade and trade justice campaigns is also an important part of being an active vegan (rather than a passive vegan who is vegan by diet but not by ideals).
Go for it and have a good time discovering some amazing foods -try out Fry's special vegetarian stuff if you like meat substitutes and Taifun Tofu is also fantastic.
If you need to chat about it, give me a shout on hsinclair2@yahoo.co.uk
Good Luck, the animal kingdom and the environment will thank you!
H.
2006-12-18 19:54:18 · answer #1 · answered by H 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The best book that I can think of for you is called "Becoming Vegan". The authors are both registered dieticians. It has a companion cookbook, "Cooking Vegetarian".
There is a line of skin and hair care products called "Kiss My Face". I don't know if they include cosmetics, but it's a start. Look for it in any natural food store. You might be able to find the book there as well, but if not, try your local library system or any bookstore. If the store doesn't have, it's still in print and can be ordered.
Don't give yourself Jan 1 as your deadline, though. Much as I applaud your choice and your reasons for making the choice, you should first take the time to learn how to do this. If done properly, a vegan diet and lifestyle is a very, very healthy one. But it's just as easy to do this the wrong way, and end up in trouble, if you don't know and understand what you're doing.
2006-12-18 11:35:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Great news!
An excellent resolution for the new year!
I have been reading through all of the other posts, and they all offer the same kind of advice that I would too.... so suffice to say
Good Luck with your new project, a very happy christmas and a fantastic 2007!
It is probably eaiser down here in the South West than in some other places, as there are so many places to go, to eat out and a cornucopia of local organic farms who all offer advice etc...
Greenlife is a great healthfood shop just up the road in Totnes... they have a pretty good website that might help ... it has info on health, foods and other products too.
2006-12-21 00:53:06 · answer #3 · answered by Colin A 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, what to eat and not eat depends on whether you want to be a vegan or a vegetarian (you said vegan in your question and vegetarian in your additional details.) Vegetarians don't eat dead animals. No meat or slaughter byproducts like gelatin, meat broths, lard or rennet. Foods like dairy products and eggs, which come from living animals, and all plant foods are fair game. You need to become accustomed to reading labels because there are ingredients like chicken fat in the most unusual of places, making that item not vegetarian. Vegans, on the other hand, don't eat, use, wear, purchase or otherwise consume anything of animal origin whatsoever, regardless of whether the animal died for it. This means we avoid the same foods as vegetarians, but we also don't eat dairy, eggs or honey. We don't wear animal fabrics or purchase consumer goods (like shampoo and other toiletries) which are made with animal ingredients or tested on animals. Either way, you'll want to base your diet on legumes (beans, peas, peanuts, lentils, chickpeas,) whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and you can also eat things like plant-derived oils, herbs, spices and prepared foods like faux meats. Frozen vegetables are perfectly acceptable for both vegetarians and vegans unless there are objectionable ingredients added to them. Nuts can be incorporated by snacking on them or by adding them to cereals, muffins, etc. Flax seeds can be ground over lots of foods, sesame seeds can be eaten sprinkled over Asian entrees or ground into tahini. As long as you're eating a wide variety of vegetarian foods, these kinds of ingredients creep in in places you may not even realize now. A good cookbook or two will help you plan meals that incorporate lots of different plant-based foods. Even if you're not actually wanting to go vegan, I highly recommend "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. The recipes are delicious, creative and will give you a good idea of what vegan cooking really means (it's not just fruits and vegetables in their natural states, it's much more varied than that.) You'll also want to do some research into vegetarian and/or vegan nutrition. Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, both registered dietitians, have written two books on nutrition. Choose either "Becoming Vegan" or "The New Becoming Vegetarian" depending on which you're going with. They really are an indispensable resource. There are also a few "vegetarian starter kits" available, which might be really helpful since it sounds like you don't know a lot about it. Just google vegetarian starter kit and see what you get. I think Peta has one, and the PCRM does too.
2016-05-23 05:24:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, it's not necessarily more that not eating, wearing, or using animal products. GMO's have to do with organic food, not vegan, although many vegans are interested in their health and improving it, so they follow the organic way more than the average carnivore.
Going vegan can be as simple as not eating or wearing these things, although your body and the earth would thank you for going further.
To the websites. (I mostly rely on these, not many books.)
goveg.com is always a great place to start.
See my answer here for other great ones. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvoBg9cMcV9hPa6ofp4_JZzsy6IX?qid=20060827092341AAU2tRp&show=7#profile-info-6fbe24ed9b220b514c82326af10b3d62aa
Good luck! I hope you stick with it and enjoy it. I really do think it's a great choice, and people benefit from it.
2006-12-18 11:51:56 · answer #5 · answered by Mary 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Great news! I agree with the above, The vegan society, veganstore,also viva. Good vegan household cleaning stuff is produced by BioD, its reasonably priced too! One thing people don't sometimes pick up on, is that lots of alcoholic drinks are not suitable for vegans. However if you were a vigilant veggie then you know this already! Good luck x
2006-12-19 06:14:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Wow, that's great Andie. Good luck!
I think the most difficult part would be figuring out all the things you can't eat because of dairy/egg ingredients. Go check out all your local health food stores to see what kind of egg substitutes and things you can get so you can ,make yummy vegan cakes and sweets.
Let me know how it goes, I'd really like to do it myself but with my lifestyle (young lady in London, almost never eating at home) I can't see any feasible way of progressing past vegetarian at this point. Tell us how you find it, and how you progress past all the hurdles like eating in restaurants etc!
2006-12-19 23:30:26 · answer #7 · answered by - 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Im a veggie but Vegan is a whole life style change. You will need to throw away any garment of clothing, shoes handbag that is leather and any household items. L'Occitane are an excellent brand that do not test. Liz Earle beauty products are not tested. I think you will find out more information as you go along.
2006-12-18 21:33:38 · answer #8 · answered by Annie M 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Well apart from not eating meat or dairy products and not wearing clothes that are made from animals you also aren't allowed to use products that are tested on animals. Hope this helps XD xxx
2006-12-21 06:53:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What a great resolution! I would suggest going to a bookstore and getting some books on veganism. Also, there are so many vegan websites. Good luck!
2006-12-18 12:33:33 · answer #10 · answered by FrenchPat 2 · 3⤊ 2⤋