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 .

[chickendude]

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!

[Sluggie]

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

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.

[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

[Spud Addict]

Found a new one the other day. Me and my brother were walking through town when we were accosted by a chugger. I said "oh I don't support x charity because of <insert anti-animal testing lecture>" they were like ok then and left us alone. My brother was well impressed.

[emzy1985]

I get those charity people from Cancer Research come up to me all the time in town! Do I look like someone who supports animal testing? I think sometimes people genuinely have no idea because I've had people come up to me when I am blatantly wearing anti-vivsection t-shirts!

[Mfap]

Energy boost. And I've become much more positive as a person. I've just become so much more... i wouldn't say content, I'm as intently against what strikes me as injustice in the world as ever. But just more, able to find happiness alongside anger and frustration.

If that makes sense

[Joeybee]

Being vegan with family and friends who are almost all meat eaters, i have had a lot of silly questions (you know that sort!) and a lot of criticism, people trying to say i'm unhealthy, and because of this i have researched further into veganism, and found out a lot more about my health and diet. Also being vegan has helped me to stick up for my beliefs far more than i would have before.

[JC]

i've discovered so many new foods that i wouldn't have otherwise. my favourite being dairy free cheeses, everything vegi deli and swedish glace. in fact, until just a few weeks ago, i had never even heard of halva. it made me laugh the other day when one of my omni friends was looking at my can of mung beans and announced that she couldn't understand what on earth you'd use beans for, and that the only beans she'd eaten in her life were baked beans!!!
also, synthetic shoes are much cheaper than leather and if you're on a diet, you can't really get tempted by snack machine's coz there's never anything suitable in there anyway...

[hiddenfromview]

Being vegan with family and friends who are almost all meat eaters, i have had a lot of silly questions (you know that sort!) and a lot of criticism, people trying to say i'm unhealthy, and because of this i have researched further into veganism, and found out a lot more about my health and diet. Also being vegan has helped me to stick up for my beliefs far more than i would have before.

Tell me about it! I once had someone ask if I ate 'rabbit food' *rolls eyes*... but once you equip yourself with the knowledge then you will always suceed. I always keep the following in mind
- Curly Kale and other green vegetables have 6 times more calcium than cows milk
- Flaxseed oil has 6 times more omega 3 than fish oil, fish oil synthesise it from the algae in their diet... hemp seed oil contains 3,6+9 in the ratio your body needs it
- Hemp, soy, quinoa and loads more are complete proteins
The thing is, a lot of people already visit you with preconceptions, 'what do you eat' is a common one and I never know how to answer it, theres loads I know but I don't sit around making a conscious list!

[hiddenfromview]

i've discovered so many new foods that i wouldn't have otherwise. my favourite being dairy free cheeses, everything vegi deli and swedish glace. in fact, until just a few weeks ago, i had never even heard of halva. it made me laugh the other day when one of my omni friends was looking at my can of mung beans and announced that she couldn't understand what on earth you'd use beans for, and that the only beans she'd eaten in her life were baked beans!!!
also, synthetic shoes are much cheaper than leather and if you're on a diet, you can't really get tempted by snack machine's coz there's never anything suitable in there anyway...

Swedish glace is heavenly! I'm yet to find an enjoyable dairy-free hard cheese, although I did enjoy the sheeze spread. I'd love to start cooking with lentils and beans but the prep and cooking time is waaay to long for me.
Shoes for work wern't a problem, but trainers were...I can get really self conscious sometimes and I always hated the ones I found on vegan shoe sites, but eventually I discovered VANS does vegan trainers and I have found a pair I'm very happy with

[Joeybee]

Ooooh hiddenfromview, i like that, you have summarised a whole argument into 3 small quickfire points...I'll remember that for next time someone tries to argue with me about being vegan

And yeah my father refers to everything i eat as "rabbit food" even though every time he tries vegan food he says it is really nice!

[Est]

1. Eating a wide variety of interesting, tasty, healthy foods - this is the best I've ever eaten.

2. My relationship with food has completely changed. It's not just fuel anymore, or something to reward/punish myself with - it's something to enjoy, in reasonable portions. I don't panic if there's no food around now - I always used to.

3. I'd put on 0.75 stones in weight since starting my office job in June 07. I wasn't overweight because I started out quite thin! But I have already dropped some weight and feel fantastic.

4. My skin's clearing up.

5. My sinuses have cleared up 100% - literally after one day of being vegan.

6. I feel clear headed, energetic and vibrant!

7. I feel more confident. I've always been a bit of a worrier, and I'd feel quite nervous about some things. Now I feel more comfortable in my own skin. I stand different, talk more confidently.

(I've also been having Alexander Technique lessons and they have helped enormously with that too.)

8. I'm becoming more adventurous! Before, I wouldn't try anything different, even basic things like cous cous or hummous. I thought I didn't like most vegetables. My taste buds must have been so skewed!

9. Periods - gone from 9 days of hell to 3 days that I don't even notice.

10. No guilt. Like others have said, I wasn't aware of feeling guilty before, and would have denied feeling it if asked. But as soon as I went vegan, I became aware of the *absence* of guilt, so it must have been there even if I wasn't aware of it.

As I've said elsewhere, best thing I've done for a while!!

[JC]

Swedish glace is heavenly! I'm yet to find an enjoyable dairy-free hard cheese, although I did enjoy the sheeze spread. I'd love to start cooking with lentils and beans but the prep and cooking time is waaay to long for me.
Shoes for work wern't a problem, but trainers were...I can get really self conscious sometimes and I always hated the ones I found on vegan shoe sites, but eventually I discovered VANS does vegan trainers and I have found a pair I'm very happy with

have you tried redwood melting mozarella? it's really good on pizza or in toasties. my new favourite is redwood nacho style, because it's so seasoned you don't get the aftertaste that you do with certain brands, and it will melt into dishes eventually, i love making cheezy beans with it or putting it on vegetable chilli. i find sheeze a bit strong, tofutti cream cheese it much nicer
lol, i feel like a dairy-free cheeze connoisseur!!

[hiddenfromview]

have you tried redwood melting mozarella? it's really good on pizza or in toasties. my new favourite is redwood nacho style, because it's so seasoned you don't get the aftertaste that you do with certain brands, and it will melt into dishes eventually, i love making cheezy beans with it or putting it on vegetable chilli. i find sheeze a bit strong, tofutti cream cheese it much nicer
lol, i feel like a dairy-free cheeze connoisseur!!

hehe... i havent tried tofutti spread, although they do sell it at work, but its v.expensive... i have tried the nacho style by redwood, it was nice but i could still taste a powderyness (perhaps the potato starch?) when i ate it... and this was after it had melted!!

[hiddenfromview]

3. I'd put on 0.75 stones in weight since starting my office job in June 07. I wasn't overweight because I started out quite thin! But I have already dropped some weight and feel fantastic.

i think i'm the only one who hasn't lost any weight since becoming vegan... were you all meat eaters before or veggies? i suppose my eating habits dont help, ive been known to eat a whole block of marzipan (yes, the one made for baking) in a day

[JC]

hmm, that's weird. well i highly recommend tofutti if you haven't tried it! even though it's a bit pricey, you should try it at least once to see if you like it. i don't allow myself to buy it very often because i can't be trusted to not eat a giant spoonful every time i go into the fridge...

[Est]

i think i'm the only one who hasn't lost any weight since becoming vegan... were you all meat eaters before or veggies? i suppose my eating habits dont help, ive been known to eat a whole block of marzipan (yes, the one made for baking) in a day

LOL @ the marzipan - it is quite more-ish!

I was omni. I went from retail management (16 hour days running around) to training work (7.5 hour days in an office environment) but kept eating the same amount of food.

I would eat:

Breakfast: Bowl of cornflakes at home, followed by bacon and egg roll and a hash brown at work.

Snack: Packet of crisps and some fruit

Lunch: Sandwich (usually ham and cheese on white bread), more crisps, chocolate, fruit

Snack: Could easily be another packet of crisps

Dinner: Varied, but often pizza and garlic bread or cheese and red onion toastie.

Supper: Cornflakes

I think all that refined, processed, high-fat, -sugar and -salt food meant I was always hungry and never really felt full even after just eating.

Now I'm eating completely differently - for example, I have homemade granola for breakfast on weekdays. I eat it at work at about 8.15, and I'm full right through until lunch at about 12.30 ish.

My lunches are smaller (and also tastier), and my dinners are filling.

So if you already ate healthier food anyway (let's ignore the marzipan ) then you probably wouldn't lose any weight - whereas on my previous diet I'd have probably lost weight whatever I changed to!

[yum]

Hi all!
I haven't noticed any changes in my health- it might be because i never ate much dairy coz it grossed me out and iv'e been veggie since i was 15. I lost weight and kept it off though which was great. Being vegan makes me happier and i don't struggle with my conscience as much.

Love all the vegan people

yum
x

[pavotrouge]

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.

what about soapnuts?

[Jiffy]

i think i'm the only one who hasn't lost any weight since becoming vegan... were you all meat eaters before or veggies? i suppose my eating habits dont help, ive been known to eat a whole block of marzipan (yes, the one made for baking) in a day

No, you're not the only one. I lost a bit initially, probably due to the cessation of my cheese habit, but I'm still a porker. I'm hoping that I can overcome the obstacles (mainly the Mrs and her sneering or finding me something that 'has to be done' immediately) start running again and actually stick to my cycling now the evenings are getting lighter.

The only problem I have with the Cheezly is actually finding somewhere who sells it. They sell the white cheddar one in Tescos, but that's the one I like least.

I made the mistake of asking in two different branches of Holland and Barratt. The first one said they didn't have any because they were running stocks down in order to clean out the fridge, well that was six weeks ago and last week they clearly hadn't done it.

The second one wasn't much better, didn't even know what it was, let alone if they stocked it. Made the helpful suggestion that I should go there on Mondays, 'cos that's when we get most of our deliveries, which would be fine if I didn't have to earn a living.

It's such a shame Redwood's delivery charges are so high.

[Alael]

Sounds kind of funny, but my body-odor practically diminished. And with a deodorant stone, it goes away completely,it didn't when I was just Vegetarian.

[missbettie]

So you are no longer stinky Alael? hehe

[Alael]

So you are no longer stinky Alael? hehe

Nope , emitting a pleasant, appleish scent (I eat lots of apples).

[cobweb]

Jiffy - you could order from Goodness Direct, you get free delivery with orders over £35 and they have loads of great stuff.

I came here to say that best unexpected effect of being Vegan, for me, is finding so many interesting Vegans to communicate with.

[steven1222]

Body odor is definitely related to diet, but being vegan does not inherently prevent body odor. There are many smelly vegan foods, and eating them will make a person stink, even if the food smells "good."

My favorite unexpected effect of my veganism:
-It has evolved into a whole system of ethical beliefs that I hold in the absence of religion.

[Jiffy]

Jiffy - you could order from Goodness Direct, you get free delivery with orders over £35 and they have loads of great stuff.

I came here to say that best unexpected effect of being Vegan, for me, is finding so many interesting Vegans to communicate with.

Thanks for the tip, I'll have a wander over there, I don't suppose it will be too difficult to hit the £35 mark.

[runnerboy]

I agree with Steven - veganism opens your mind and encourages an ethical lifestyle in every respect.

I also attribute my first sub 3 hour marathon to veganism

[Healthy]

I agree with Steven - veganism opens your mind and encourages an ethical lifestyle in every respect.

I also attribute my first sub 3 hour marathon to veganism

Right on!

I attribute veganism to making a healthier, more positive career choice.

My peace for the animals made me strive for more peace within myself.