What steps did you take to become vegan?

Question

I'm considering becoming vegan. What did you do when you first started? What foods were you eating mostly?

Answer 1

I didn't really take steps. I read a book (Skinny B¡tch) and half way in to just decided one day I'd be vegan. I went cold turky and didn't really miss anything except having popcorn while at the movies. Good thing it always made me sick when I had it anyway, so I guess that was a plus.

When I started I mostly ate just lots of rice and vegetables w/tofu stir fries. I figured it was healthy and I wasn't sure what else I could eat. It took me a while to know which things had eggs/dairy and which didn't. Like for instance, not all soy meat is vegan. Every Morningstar product I've seen except for the crumbles has either milk, dairy, or both. Also, almost all Boca has dairy except specifically marked vegan. Amy's Kitchen veggie burgers were all vegan though (the ones I saw anyway).

Also, now that I've been vegan for half a year, I've realized there's really not much to miss. There's so many good vegan alternatives. I've also found that being vegan has made me a better cook since I eat out a lot less now. There's a bunch of products out there that are vegan as well that are dirt cheap. Great thing to know too if you're poor and in college <.< Here's an accidental vegan list if it helps you any.
Good luck on being vegan.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqsqxJrCJqEGaGouc3xU3yjsy6IX?qid=20070719102337AABlqTe

Oh, and don't be fooled by what so many people say. Vegans don't need vitamins/supplements if they have a well balanced diet. You only need them if you have a pre-existing medical condition.

Answer 2

Just one step - stop eating animal products. You will have cravings; that is normal. But just remember that what you are doing is healthier for you, for the planet, and for the animals. As far as breakfast, there are tofu scramble recipes to replace scrambled eggs. There is vegan bacon and sausage. Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast if you don't load it up with sugar. Healthy cereals and soy milk are quick and easy. Lunch can be sandwiches, salads, soups. Pasta is good for lunch or dinner. A good stir fry for dinner is a healthy and tasty meal. Adding tofu, or even baked tofu with flavoring is really good. Vegan burgers, pizza, lasagne made with tofu instead of ricotta is tasty. I will list some great websites to let you know some great meat alternatives for when you get cravings. They are also handy because you can use them in your favorite recipes so you don't feel you are missing anything. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of vegan "meats" that are available. There are even some great vegan soy cheeses. Be careful because a lot of soy cheese has ingredients that are not vegan so be sure they clearly say they are vegan. The sites I am listing are vegan, except for Boca. They are vegetarian. There is a vegan burger and they also have vegan chickenless patties. They are clearly labeled on the packaging. Also, Amy's is vegetarian with may vegan choices. Again, they clearly label there proucts. If you eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains...you won't need any supplements. If you are worried, eat vegan cereals with added vitamins. Good for you on this wonderful decision you made.

Answer 3

I started out kind of all of a sudden and I was eating a lot of premade things like Boca and Morningstar. Now 2 years down the road with my own place I make a lot more things. I eat a lot of pastas. Pesto, marinara, white beans sauces, even a white sauce made of corn kernels. Vegweb.com is my new favorite site for recipe ideas. There are tons of reviews and "favorites". Every time I look I find something I want for dinner, lunch, cheap, "cheesy" whatever.

Answer 4

There are some amazing resources online for grocery shopping. I have a complete list of vegan foods that compliment normal foods like dairy and cheese that I'm used to...

You can print a two week sample menu here and it is awesome, good luck.http://www.vegcooking.com/veganMenus-1.asp

Answer 5

Stop all meat and meat products. Soy products have good protein.

Answer 6

don't eat meat, any animal byproducts, or wear any leather, wool, or anything else that might have animal in it. a surprising amount of stuff has animal products in it.

Answer 7

Never will happen. I'll always be a carnivore. Maybe a t-rex or something. LOL