Seriously thinking about becoming a vegan

[sabrinafair2]

I have been thinking about becoming a vegan for around two months now. I only have a few problems with actually becoming one:

1.) I'm not sure if I can give up animal products, yet. (Even though I know how much torture animals go through).
2.) My family probably won't be very pleased with this choice.

Also are animals tortured to the extremes in the majority of animal products industries as they are in organic animal product industries?

[Korn]

Hi and welcome!

#1 is easy to comment, because if you can't give up animal products (but I'm sure you can!), you can't become a vegan...

I don't know how old you are, but re. #2, my humble advice would be to ignore what others would be pleased with - we don't live to please others. I'm sure you agree that acting against what you think and feel is right only because it will please friends or kids or parents isn't the way to go, especially when it involves harming/killing of other sentient beings.

Regarding your last question, I don't know the answer to that one: it seems that you suggest that farmers who produce organic animal products torture animals more than other farmers - I've never heard that one before, and I'm pretty sure this is not the case.

Animals and humans are different in many ways, but the pain and frustration an animal feel, and it's right to live, and it's right to have a good life, is comparable to the pain and the rights of a human. That's why me second humble advice to you is to ignore how much some animals are tortured, harmed or exploited compared with another group of animals (or humans). Torture, killing and harming should be avoided no matter if the sentient being is an human, factory farm animal or 'organic' animal - there's IMO no need to make it more complicated than that. Most people would agree that it isn't right to eat dogs or cats either, even if they never have been exposed to the kind of captivity and exploitation factory farm animals are. Being nice to someone doesn't give us the right to kill them!

If you don't want to be killed, eaten, exploited, harmed or captured, why would allow yourself to do the same towards others? Independent of how different they are from you, their pain and sorrow is as important for them as your pain and sorrow is for you...

Good luck with your choice!

[cedarblue]

hi sabrina!

once i seriously thought about becoming veggie so i just stopped eating meat and fish and there i was

next i seriously thought about becoming vegan, so over a period of about 6 months i gradually cut out dairy and eggs and honey was the last thing to go - and there i was - vegan!!

you can do it gradually or all in one go. try and get hold of some helpful books and info, better still search this forum, there are loads of topics which may be helpful to you.

good luck on making the change - for the animals, your health and the planet.

lots of us here have moved from omni to vegan - so it can be done!!

[tipsy]

of course you can give up animal products....

you wont even miss them when theyre gone!

as for your family... let them know that it is just a personal desicision you have made and that it is what is right for you and that they dont have to worry about you or your nutrition or food. slowly as they get accustomed to it, try cooking with them or for them and maybe they will realize that eating vegan kind of ROCKS and its not hard at all!!!

GOOD LUCK!

[Pilaf]

We're all your friends here. We support your choice to go as far as you want..if you wanna start just by giving up meat, or dairy, and slowly work your way up from there, give it a shot.

[sabrinafair2]

Thanks for your advice. But do you guys have any tips about giving up animal products? Should I (as a user posted earlier) become a vegetarian and as soon as I was comfortable with that move toward becoming a vegan?

I just realized a couple of days ago that becoming a vegan I couldn't eat the following things: bread, pasta, etc. Are there breads, pastas, rices, that are "vegan approved"?

And the thing about my family...currently I live at home with my parents. My mom cooks most meals and I think my immediate family would support me but I think it would add more stress on my mom. And isn't vegan foods more expensive than regular foods?

Thanks for answering my questions.

[Glen]

Hello there Sabrina.

Pasta is Vegan if it is 100% wheat pasta, only egg pasta is not Vegan. I could never tell the difference between the two and there are plenty of pastas out there with no egg in.

As for bread, that can be Vegan. Some breads use animal fats in the ingredients, but others use the same fats, but from vegetables. The best thing to do is find out which ones are Vegan in America. I recently bought a breadmaker; It was inexpensive and produces the most gorgeous bread, and you always know what is going in it!

As for the expense, I always have mixed feelings about this. Vegan food is as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. A Vegan diet can be wholly nutritious and cheap; nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, pasta, pulses, beans, breads etc are all fairly low-cost. Then there are the slightly more expensive things; meat-replacers, nut cutlets, organic produce, ice creams etc. My food actually costs less now than before, because meat is quite expensive.

Hope thats some help! Good Luck!

[Glen]

Oh, as for how and when to make the transition, everybody is different! Its a big change.

When I became Vegan I did it very quicly. Within a week, I had found out what Veganism was, researched it thoroughly, and cut all animal products (almost) out of my diet. Other people take weeks, months, years. It is how you feel comfortable!

[meggymaggoo]

Hello Sabrina,

I am really glad you are considering this.

Once I knew what animals go though in food production, the choice was made for me. I could no longer be complicit in their suffering. I then made it my mission to learn as much about vegan nutrition as I could. Knowledge is power.

I found that a whole new world of food opened up to me, instead of feeling deprived I found it exciting, I still do! My food is just so wholesome and colourful and fresh.

Also, I have noticed that my positive attitude to food rubs off on all those around me, by this I mean: if somebody starts to moan, 'Oh but you can't have that because, blah, blah, manky blah...' I say, "True but I CAN have this AND it's so much healthier PLUS I love it!'

Attitude really does make a BIG difference to being vegan, both for yourself and for the way others treat you. Concentrate on what you CAN have not what you can't. I started being uber positive as a way to combat the negativity being thrown at me - I promise you, it works!

Perhaps start out with some similar dishes like pasta bolognese and chilli, etc. substituting soya mince, etc for the animal parts. I wouldn't be surprised if your family start to eat soya mince this way with you there is one brand here in the UK (RELEAT) which is so convincing my Mum uses it in all her mince dishes for the rest of the family (meat eaters) and NOBODY notices it's veg*n!

Label reading will soon help you to identify what bread, etc. is animal free. Here in the UK we have a book called Animal Free Shopper - it lists animal friendly versions of, well, everything! Is there a US version?

I understand your not wanting to burden your Mum but maybe you could learn together? It may even lead to more fun? Both of you cooking together?

A good thread on here is the 'What did you eat today?' it's great for ideas.

Check out Sarah Kramer's recipe books, she's fabulous and fun. Here is her website:

www.govegan.net

If you press on the 'books' tab you'll see that underneath each you can try some recipes.

A great book for nutrition is 'Becoming Vegan' by Brenda Davis Vesanto Melina. I recommend this to everyone (all yawn and agree). It would also put your Mum's mind at ease to see that you are getting all the nutrients you need.

There are lots of very lovely and knowledgeable people here who will, I am sure, offer you any support you need.

I feel very excited for you. Good luck!

[Korn]

But do you guys have any tips about giving up animal products? Should I (as a user posted earlier) become a vegetarian and as soon as I was comfortable with that move toward becoming a vegetarian?

I think the best way is to find ways to get access to or make vegan food that's varied, tasty and tempting. We're all different, and different ways of doing it works for different people. As long as the new food eat doesn't feel like a sacrifice (which has to do with taste and variety), there isn't any reason that it should take more than, say, three weeks to get used to your new food. You just find best what works best for you (we have a poll about how people made the switch in the Poll-subfoum). Why not try to go cold turkey and see how that works for you?

I just realized a couple of days ago that becoming a vegan I couldn't eat the following things: bread, pasta, etc. Are there breads, pastas, rices, that are "vegan approved"?

 It's a lot easier than that! The bakery closest to where I live, for example, doesn't use animal prodcuts in any of their breads, and there are many pasta brands without eggs: You don't need to look for 'vegan approved', basically you just need to check for listed animal products like eggs and milk.

And isn't vegan foods more expensive than regular foods?

I don't find living on a vegan diet more expensive than living on a non-vegan diet.

Healthy, varied, organic vegan food may be more expensive than unhealthy, animal based semi-junk food, but that's not a fair comparison... If one wants to compare healthy, organic vegan food with high quality ingredients only with something animal based to get an impression of possible price differences, one should compare with a similar animal based diet. Some vegans may live on pasta with tomato sauce and bread with jam only, and save a lot of money (short term) compared with what they ate before they went vegan, but that's not recommended!


You may be interested in our thread about the cost of healthy food...

[sosmixchild]

1.) I'm not sure if I can give up animal products, yet. (Even though I know how much torture animals go through).

Hi there sabrina, I know what you mean, but it's easier than you think. God I think in the end I actually enjoyed getting out there (or logging on) and hunting for new things, new treats- one word- s-h-o-p-i-n-g! If anything....I enjoyed it too much....oh well pay day this week.

2.) My family probably won't be very pleased with this choice.

Nope. Mine weren't thrilled either. I told my mum I was thinking about going vegan, right before I went away for a week to work in Rome. Granted, not everyone can break the news then get on a plane to leave the country, but I hadn't made up my mind by that time anyway. Mum wasn't over the moooooon, she'd just bought me two of my favourite foods for my 'welcome home' meal...soft cheese with garlic and herbs, and vanilla ice cream- how ironic.

But when I got back I'd made my mind up really. To show willing I ate a bit of the soft cheese and had a smidge of icecream, part thinking it would be my final fling with the stuff, but mostly not wanting to hurt their feelings. My family are veggie, and I did discuss my new thoughts on veganism with them, but not too much. I limited it when my mum said, 'well congratulations, you've made me feel guilty about having milk on my alpen...!' I don't think anyone should be preached at, or lectured. Sure let them know your reasons, but don't let it get into a huge debate. Of course secretly I know that if I ruled the world it would be a better place, but until that day comes I have to let other people make up their own mind. Dammit!

I was lucky, my mum has sort of concluded now that it's up to me. She's seen the impact on my eating hasn't been negative, and as far as shes concerned all that changes is the kind of sausages I heat up in the microwave, and I still pig out on chocolate and ice cream. (Ok well I don't 'pig out,' i'm a healthy gal, but the point is there are still treats, this is no diet of self-denile.)

My little sister didn't mind what i did. It was the vegan website with the geletin free marshmallows that did it for her.

Now my dad on the other hand.....sliiiiightly different story. The other night when my copy of the 'Animal Free Shopper' came in the post, it sparked a little debate...he said 'It's as bad as you telling me you're gay, or you're running off to join a cult! It's utterly pointless too, you're not changing anything, god, it makes me want to buy twice the milk and cheese we do, but throw it away, just to make up for you not having it, and stop all the good you think you're doing!!' Now as total bastard as this sounds, I know he wans't being OVERLY serious, but whereas my mother is a veggie for animal wellfare reasons, my dad is in it from a health prospective, but no amount of pointing out the health benefits of a vegan diet seems to help. So I try and let sleeping dogs lie.

And I think that's my point. Not everyone will be happy with you being a vegan. It threatens their own decisions in life, makes them think. My advice would be do it if thats what you want. Don't include anyone else in the mix, cross that bridge when you come to it. Don't try and force your views on others, make them aware, but let others worry about their own views, your are your own.

Take care and good luck making your mind up.

[Cherry]

Hi Sabrina

I'll be brief cos you seem to have lots to read already

1) Course you can Just make sure that you're not going hungry and you're eating lots of lovely things, and you won't be too tempted.

2) Families are usually a problem, especially if they think it's just a fad Prove to them that it isn't

(ps my mum didn't want me to go vegetarian, a few years later after seeing what I eat and realising a few things, she's nearly vegan herself )

Hope it goes well

[meggymaggoo]

Hey Cherry

I just visited your website www.parsleysoup.co.uk you have LOADS of lovely recipes there!

Thank you

[sabrinafair2]

Thanks for the information. I'm thinking about becoming a vegan within the end of May. I know that sounds long off but I'll be off for the summer and I think it would be easier then...than to adjust to it now (lately I've been quite busy).

I don't think it will be that hard...I have never been a big meat eater. Between now and the end of May I'm going to do a lot of research on recipes, food substitutes, and so forth. Thanks, again.

[null_void]

Good luck (not that everyone else hasn't said that already!) I found that doing a little information gathering helps a lot. I actually went into it cold turkey (excuse the expression), deciding one night I was going vegan, and starting it the next day. The hardest part for me was that I continually reached for the familiar stuff, not because I really wanted it, but because it was new and not firmly in mind yet.

Do you cook at all, or could you start? I found that made it a lot easier. Also, you might take a look at ethnic foods (indian is my personal favorite), many of which can be easily veganized, if they aren't already. Anyway, I'm sure by now you've been deluged by all sorts of information, but I thought I'd add my voice to the chorus.

Once again, good luck!