Positive (side) effects of going vegan

[pat sommer]

moths don't eat my clothes.

and regarding finding vegan women's shoes size 11 12 (No. 143)
anyone know of a vegan drag online shop for us bigger gals?

[chickendude]

Not to be offensive, but certainly you could find a men's shoe in your size? What's that, about an 8 or 9? It wouldn't be high heels or anything, but I'm sure there are some mens' shoes women wouldn't mind wearing. I know that sometimes my girlfriend embarasses slightly by pointing out that the shoes I'm looking at are in the women's section :p.

[chickendude]

www.zappos.com/n/es/d/722359498/sn/1/page/1.html (http://www.zappos.com/n/es/d/722359498/sn/1/page/1.html)

A search on google found that page. They carry size 11+

[pat sommer]

cool. now for some lady-like vegan gloves and hats in manly sizes, please

[dada]

What are some of your favorite unexpected effects of your veganism?

smell better
taste better
be complimented on having a 'clean' aura

[Keenkitty]

AWWWW! I bet that is one happy hamster! I had a hamster named PJ he was the reason I never ate meat as a kid. BUT it took me actually SEEING a veal crate and being told to "get away from those animals" before I understood what veal was.

I was 13 when I refused to drink milk OR eat meat. but I ate cheese sporadically until 2005.

Now I NEVER could.

Those baby cows in little igloos haunt me

:(

[Haniska]

OMG. I just googled "veal crate" and it was so awful!

[Lotte]

Well I've only been a vegan for about three days now, and the main thing I'm noticing is my frequent visits to my toilet =P Anyone else who goes like two times a day to the toilet (and I mean the big stuff) ?? Other than that, I feel healthy and not that big. Before being vegan, I craved cookies and all, and ate em all. Now I still crave sweets, but I just eat nuts and raisins, or drink soy milk with banana flavour (best thing ever!), and I only need a little to make my cravings go away. Amazing!

[vava]

Yup - totally get that 2 and sometimes 3 poos a day!:D

[Sluggie]

That's a good thing Lotte. It's much healthier to get it out regularly, than store it up like omnis do. :rolleyes:

For me the best unexpected things about going vegan are:

meeting all you lovely people,
no hayfever,
no asthma,
no constipation,
no stomach aches,
more stamina,
and something I only realised a few days ago - my varicose veins which I've had since I was pregnant (15 years ago) have totally disappeared. :)

[Shells]

Honestly? I'm getting WAY more protein now, just because for the first time in my life, I'm nutritionally conscious about what I'm putting in my mouth. I haven't lost any weight, but I feel cleaner and lighter, and overall more awake and clear headed. I also am surprised at how much more I enjoy cooking - I didn't even realize how sad and emotional eating meat made me feel till I felt so wonderful making vegan meals. I didn't realize how much milk made me feel gross until I had rice milk in my cereal and felt so incredibly fantastic that the difference between how I used to feel eating cereal and how I do now is marked.

So in short - I didn't expect to feel better so fast. I expected to feel sad and restricted for at least a few months, but instead I feel opened up creatively and am much more healthy!

[Cup'O'Tea]

Becoming vegan has given my life a lot more direction.

I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I mindlessly entered the world of Graphic Design without much talent or passion.

Now I'm studying Nutrition, and I'm currently putting my path together to study Natural Health and Wellness.

I feel far more energetic, wise, physically healthy - it's not a strain to go for a run, let alone walk up the stairs...I have lost a lot of weight and I look a world better than before. Someone asked me if I was a model! That was the compliment of a lifetime.

A year ago, I didn't even know what fibre was, nor what was the role of protein, the differences between different types of fat... Now I can tell you a lot about macro and micronutrients, and then some.

[watervoilet]

I get less colds

[Healthy]

I ate healthy before becoming vegan, so I already had all of the above.

The one thing different I can think of is: inner peace, less negative thoughts, able to get over grudges quicker ... that sort of thing :)

[Jiffy]

Not being pressed ganged into eating at the dreadful 'Harvester' restaurant chain anymore!

Whenever my elderly mother-in-law's birthday comes around my wife's family always insist on us going out to a Harvester for one of their wonderfully imaginative meals. I was always an ordeal, because I don't really have anything in common with any of them. Well this time I have convinced my wife that as the Harvester does not cater for vegans it would be better for everybody if I abstained, I mean, I wouldn't want to spoil it for them would I? ;)

I think that what swung it was when I made it clear that when, inevitably, they started cross examining/attacking me I wasn't going to sit back and take it. :rolleyes:

[hiddenfromview]

Since cutting out milk (I was eggless veg before), I have noticed I have much more energy and more drive to do things, as I used to be quite lethargic before and sleep a lot.

[KrissStress]

I was alot like Cup O' Tea - I had entered into a graphic design job thinking I wanted to pursue that form of art and upon going vegan, slowly began to rediscover my love of cooking (that's another side effect, I've NEVER enjoyed food as much as I have since being vegan - seriously!) and after a little consideration I began looking into culinary schools and am enrolled to begin in July to study to become a personal vegan chef.

My anemic wife also recently became vegan and has experienced significant rises in iron intake (despite others telling her she would get the opposite)...

Overall it steered me towards a passion I had lost and am now going to turn into a (hopefully prosperous) vocation and it's also taught me the values of being more tolerant and loving towards others (since you can't really love animals so much without trying to love people too...)

[Cheezcake Spice]

My anemic wife also recently became vegan and has experienced significant rises in iron intake (despite others telling her she would get the opposite)...

There's such a stigma pretaining to iron, protein, and calcium when becoming vegan. It's truly sad that people don't know of the other sources that are essentially more nutrious and have virtually no down falls. Although,I will profess that I probably don't get enough iron and protein, though I do eat quite a bit of legumes.

The most significent changes I've noticed is that if I get any cold symptons, they only last until lunch! When I was simply vegetarian I noticed that I was only affected for two days max, where others were dealing with ailments for weeks.

Another pleasant surprise is that my acne has cleared up which I think is do to the kind of fats I'm consuming now. I rarely ever eat anything deep fried now and only cook in vegetables oils.

I've also lost some weight! It's been a slow procress because typically, I'm not overweight. I just had a few extra pounds hanging around and those are the most difficult to get rid of, but thankfully, I've noticed they're falling off and I haven't even needed to exercise!

[fiveqs]

1. Weight loss, much more quickly then I expected.
2. Drop in blood pressure. 2 months ago my Doctor jumped me for being 148/96. The next time I had it checked I was 168/103. Started going vegetarian and low sodium and it was back to 148/93. After being Vegan for 3 weeks and dropping about 7lbs I was having a bad day, kids giving me fits etc. so I thought, I aught to check it now. I was absolutely stunned, 120/81!! YMMV, but wow! I wasn't expecting that.
3. Change in sense of smell. A Lady at work brought in her "Famous Ham and Bean Soup" I was absolutely nauseated, thought it smelled like urine, bad, bad, bad. All morning, then I explained to my supervisor why I wasn't partaking. That was when my least favorite unexpected change happened. Nasty remarks etc. from coworkers. However...
4. New friend! noticed a Stop Factory Farming/ Farm Sanctuary Bumper sticker on someone's car. Introduced myself and found a Vegetarian friend!
5. My clothes are a whole lot more comfortable!
6. Haven't had heartburn since day one!
7. Dried and cracked winter feet, gone!
8. More energy!

I'm sure I'll come up with more as time goes on. I'm just approaching 1 month :)
Paul Q

[Fungus]

I do feel like I have a lot more energy and quite a lot of the things already said.
When I see or smell non-vegan stuff I really can feel disgusted, which imho is a good thing since I can see what I had been shovelling into my mouth.
Before I went vegan, I had some form of illness practically all the time and not very much energy in general, I guess that has changed a lot!

[emzy1985]

My new awareness of other stuff that is awful for your bodies like refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, diet fizzy drinks and anything that says reduced salt or low fat (eg lots of chemicals in food to make it that way) and suprisingly even to myself, my increased awareness of my impact on the enviroment. :)

[Shells]

That Veganism *can* cause heart attacks. I needed laundrey detergent and the cheapest one that was animal friendly/cruelty free was $10!!! For a really small amount! That's more than 5 times the price of my old detergent.

I have postponed doing the wash until I can find a cheaper alternative.

[sugarmouse]

lol shells!
It irritates folk..thats an unexpected affect. Folk annoy me, and ow I annoy them by unfulfiling their expectations of vegans.

[ImVeganOUT!!!]

I feel healthier of course..look better..my skin is beyond gorgeous now! I do get a litte tired sometimes but overall i feel mentally better..shoot im walking freshness!...oh yea and i smell better, actually i takee a shower everyother day now and i have no odor..!!! ive always been skinny but i think now i look a healthier skinny if that makes since..ive only been vegan for like 6 months but i cant wait to see wat other changes occur! its only been good so far!

[ImVeganOUT!!!]

There's such a stigma pretaining to iron, protein, and calcium when becoming vegan. It's truly sad that people don't know of the other sources that are essentially more nutrious and have virtually no down falls. Although,I will profess that I probably don't get enough iron and protein, though I do eat quite a bit of legumes.

The most significent changes I've noticed is that if I get any cold symptons, they only last until lunch! When I was simply vegetarian I noticed that I was only affected for two days max, where others were dealing with ailments for weeks.

Another pleasant surprise is that my acne has cleared up which I think is do to the kind of fats I'm consuming now. I rarely ever eat anything deep fried now and only cook in vegetables oils.

I've also lost some weight! It's been a slow procress because typically, I'm not overweight. I just had a few extra pounds hanging around and those are the most difficult to get rid of, but thankfully, I've noticed they're falling off and I haven't even needed to exercise!


Yea im anemic too and ive jst been taking my iron supplement and ive been fine so far? and i have low blood sugar so im having to watch that too but i havent noticed anything different