Newbie Intro and terrified!

Hi. Welcome. I went Organic before anything and noticed a health change even with processed crap. Then I went vegan with the fake meats and noticed a dramatic changed even with processed crap. Now I'm doing the Raw Vegan starting with a water fast and green juice fast thing and am noticing a level of improvement. Honestly, if you don't eliminate animal products entirely it doesn't do you, your husband, or the animals, or the planet any good. So what would be the point? Poison is still poison.

There are dishes you can make to where it satisfies enough and meat won't be missed even including flavor. I can't say that Fake meats are healthy by any means but they are a tab bit healthier than actual meat sans the Soy protein isolate. I at a lot of Beyond Meat patties, Brats, and Ground ( their chicken is Soy Protein Isolate). You won't miss the taste of meat or the clogged full feeling of meat with those products.

Miyoko's make's a decent line of non-dairy cheeses and Kite Hill is alright.

As for spouses, you do what's right for you. No law says you have to eat the same or do as the other does. Your body eat what you want. If the other person wants to waste away that's on them. No guilt there. Especially if you already addressed your concerns. The older people are the less likely they will change.

If you do pursue WFPD remember variety is key to optimal nutrition mix it up. Also you should cleanse and detox before jumping in. I am learning this is vital. Wish I knew it years ago. It's amazing and disgusting what the fat cells and intestines keep in them over the years. Remember Animal products and sugar are toxins that promote and proliferate disease.

Best and good luck.
 
Glad you have found a diet that works for you. I hope it stays that way and you stay healthy.

However, you don't need meat for a nutritional reasons. For B12, you can take a supplement. Animals also have B12 added to their diet. According to various articles online, 90% or 95% of the B12 supplements are sold to the animal agriculture industry (but I can't find the original source of this). So you are using B12 supplements either way.

For the iron, you can get iron from plant foods.
Source: Iron

Best of luck with your diet.

While we see tremendous ethical and environmental benefits of veganism, we understand that not everyone wants to take that path.
 
I have been vegan since November 7th. The transition was easy for me as I was extremely motivated after watching a few documentaries and reading "Food is the Solution" . I chose to go vegan for a variety of reasons including health, environment and ethical. The more motivation you have, the easier the transition will be. If you haven't watched "A life on Our Planet" or "Kiss the Ground", you should give those a go. I have a little girl, so for me the environment is at the top of my list for reasons why I transitioned. It seems there is a big movement towards plant based eating right now, which made the transition much easier than when I tried to go vegan in 2007. I live in New Orleans and was surprised to learn how many vegan restaurants and options there are here, one of my old favorite seafood restaurants even started offering a vegan pizza on the menu, and it tastes great! I still have challenges and cravings sometimes, especially for queso and seafood, but I have found some amazing recipes and alternatives for both. My family is supportive and my husband eats plant based 6 days a week now.

Here are some of my favorites that I have found since going vegan: Follow Your Heart sliced Smoked Gouda Cheese or Mozzarella, Beyond Meat and Sausage Patties, Rudy's Bakery sour dough and whole wheat breads, chocolate hummus, Sown oat creamer (just recently found this creamer and it tastes just as good as half and half), Ripple Milk, homemade lentil soup (lentils are rich in iron, incredibly sustainable and versatile), cashew dip from Trader Joes and tofurky sliced deli meat and sausages.

My family is very supportive and have all started eating more plant based foods since I transitioned. If I find myself at a restaurant that doesn't have good alternatives, I either eat before or just bring my own food.


Good luck with your diet, we are rooting for you :)
 
One of the biggest mistakes that new vegans make is eliminating the meat, fish, chicken, and dairy without vegan replacements. A bowl of vegetable soup is OK, but needs tofu, tempeh, or beans. A salad would need to replace the turkey or chicken with black beans.

A lot of new vegans when they remove animal products become calorie deficient because they don't realize that they need larger amounts of vegetables, beans, and grains to meet their calorie needs. Avocado toast with an apple isn't enough.
 
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What was your biggest struggle when you first started?
Not being able to try out new foods and as a result starving myself.

If you could go back to when you first started your journey and do one thing differently, what would it be?
I'd go ahead and try out new foods. It proved to be highly unlikely that it would kill me.
 
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