Hi, New Vegan Here

[Ladyehawk100]

I've recently taken a long, hard look in the mirror and don't like what I see. I have come a long way on my healing journey and now taking care of and
healing my physical body needs to the focus of my attention. I've never been Vegan before and aside from the obvious benefits to animal rights, it seems
the best way to go to get back to a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. I will miss eating chicken and Salman, but those are really the only "meats" I eat and
not very often. I've started doing some research on the benefits of a Vegan diet and really like what I'm discovering. I'm excited, but a little concerned with my
ability to stick with it long-term.

Any suggestions or advice from Veteran Vegans would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Emma JC]

welcome to the forum and congrats on taking control of your health

For me the final switch to vegan was finding out I could be a Starchivore (see Dr McDougall) and that a whole food plant-based (WFPB) vegan diet was not only good for us it was also simple. Yes, we went vegan for health and are thrilled that the animals suffer less and the environment is less stressed.

I would suggest checking out the "Favorite Vegan Youtubers" thread and look into Dr Neal Barnard, Dr Mc Gregor, Dr McDougall and other WFPB site, videos, recipes etc. There is an endless supply of information available.

Eat the things you love like pastas, rice, whole grain breads, oatmeal & other whole grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lots of veggies & fruits (frozen works really well) then add beans, soy curls, tofu and other vegan meat alternatives. Cruise the threads here that list what people eat for dinner and throughout the day and you will get some great ideas. This whole forum is also a wealth of information and we are always here to help in any way we can.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

Any suggestions or advice from Veteran Vegans would be greatly appreciated.

First off, Welcome Aboard!

I suppose if you asked 10 Veteran Vegans for advice you would get 12 or 13 different answers.

Very generally, I think education is the answer.

If you like YouTube videos we have suggestions. (see above)
If you like recipes we have suggestions (we have whole forums)
If you like books we have suggestions.

The different schools of WFPB eating for health

Barnard, Esselstein, Gregar, Fuhrman, Mcdougal (am I missing anyone?) all say pretty much the same thing but do vary a little bit. Just now I thought of an interesting project - make a chart about how they differ. Since I just thought of it, i bet someone has already done it. Off the top of my...

www.veganforum.org

 

[Brian W]

I'm hardly a veteran vegan but I found it difficult many years ago, simply to be lacto-ovo vegetarian and sustain the diet. I realized that my biggest enemy was thinking I had to be one thing or another, so whenever I slipped up, I would go back to eating meat. I eventually stopped eating animal produce almost by accident, simply by enjoying the adventure of trying to cook with only plant-based foods and not putting any rules on myself. Knowing that I always have a choice seems to empower me. One thing that helps me a lot is to remember that, for example, cauliflower is not in any way like meat but I still enjoy it. If you can apply the same principle to legumes, you are onto a winner. I wish you all the best and welcome to the forum.

 

[Kathy Lauren]

Welcome, Ladyehawk100! Congratulations on making the switch to veganism!

It is easy to get overwhelmed by packaged foods: vegan packaged foods are expensive. But vegan fresh foods are nutritious, tasty, and inexpensive. If you eat regularly from these four groups: whole grains, legumes, fruits and other vegetables, you will get all the nutrients you need without paying an arm and a leg. Save the expensive packaged foods for occasional treats.

Collect vegan recipes.

Back in my younger days, I used to enter a cross-country ski marathon every year. For years, I struggled to get my time down under 4 hours, but it was stuck at 4:30. Then, the year after I went vegan, my time dropped under 4 hours for the first time.

 

[VeganRachel]

Read multiple articles, watch lots of video's to get ideas and inspiration. Make sure to watch video's about
how chickens and salmon are treated. Remember, you are not only consuming their flesh and blood, but also
the fear, grief, pain, and suffering they endured. I was never aware of this years ago when I ate animals (even
though I grew up with doggies and we loved and cared for THEM). www.freefromharm.org
is a great resource with videos and articles. cheers.