Going Vegan

HoodieBets

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Just saw the documentary forks over knives and am thinking of going Vegan. I have been thinking about it for the past month or so but this kind of sealed the deal. I dont want to be one of those crazy vegans who push it on people or hate people for eating meat. I just feel it would be the best thing for me health wise to only eat plant based foods.

I was just wondering if anyone here is vegan and how they keep it up or what vitamins they take. Also how much is your grocery bill? I have already cut out dairy for the past month or so the only thing holding me back is chicken and fish.
 

Jersey Girl

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I'm not vegan, but I have been a vegetarian (nothing with a face) for over 20 years.

I don't care what other people eat and I don't debate the topic; however, I have gotten a lot of criticism for my choice over the years. Most of it has come from idiots that attack me about wearing leather, which I don't do. I have also been attacked because I ate meat when I was young and now I don't. It's almost like people are trying to trip me up somehow. Personally, I don't get why anyone cares, but whatever.

As far as supplements go, amino acids are my biggest thing. I take a supplement because I just don't get enough. I also take an Omega supplement though not fish oil (for obvious reasons). Iron is also big for me since I am borderline anemic.

Do you eat soy? I do, though I am trying to get away from packaged products this year. Am going to try some new recipes for black bean burgers and some other things.

I would recommend subscribing to Vegetarian Times and visiting Spouts and/or Whole Foods. I find Spouts to be a better option financially. I would be happy to recommend some soy products to you if you want. The taste of items has improve IMMENSELY in the past 20 years.
 

LVG

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Vegas, baby, yeah!
Jersey, we're having to significantly change our diet because my wife has a real cholesterol problem.

Can you point me in the direction of some good veggie recipes? I have some, but I need some more for variety.

Sorry for the hijack.
 
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HoodieBets

HoodieBets

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Thanks Jersey...We don't have sprouts here only whole foods and I've never tried soy or tofu. Which products are best in the taste department?
 

desertdawg

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You'll have to quit combing your hair (please keep washing it though) to go full on. I know vegans that won't eat anything that casts a shadow. :D As long as you aint still growing I think it's great for some folks, I'm trying to work on the organic thing myself but I have a really bad bacon cheese burger fetish, I just got back from Chuckbox. All in moderation is my end goal, but I'm going to focus on stocking my fridge with all kinds of goodies. I can't do the vegan or veggie thing because I can't stand vegetables.
 

Linderbee

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MESA! :thud:
You'll have to quit combing your hair (please keep washing it though) to go full on. I know vegans that won't eat anything that casts a shadow. :D As long as you aint still growing I think it's great for some folks, I'm trying to work on the organic thing myself but I have a really bad bacon cheese burger fetish, I just got back from Chuckbox. All in moderation is my end goal, but I'm going to focus on stocking my fridge with all kinds of goodies. I can't do the vegan or veggie thing because I can't stand vegetables.
My ex-sister-in-law is a vegetarian and she doesn't like veggies. She eats lots of pizza and french fries. She is surprisingly thin.
 

AzStevenCal

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Just saw the documentary forks over knives and am thinking of going Vegan. I have been thinking about it for the past month or so but this kind of sealed the deal. I dont want to be one of those crazy vegans who push it on people or hate people for eating meat. I just feel it would be the best thing for me health wise to only eat plant based foods.

I was just wondering if anyone here is vegan and how they keep it up or what vitamins they take. Also how much is your grocery bill? I have already cut out dairy for the past month or so the only thing holding me back is chicken and fish.

My advice, don't "go Vegan" so much as focus on the bolded section of your post. Adopt a plant based lifestyle and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Avoid all added sugars, salt, dairy, wheat and processed foods in general. If you find yourself occasionally wanting to have a piece of fish or meat, do so, but make plant based foods the mainstay. I'm not saying being Vegan is a bad thing, it's just a very restrictive lifestyle that should not be approached casually. If you do eat a Plantarian diet, you'll quite likely find yourself in step with many if not most of the Vegan ideals.

Steve
 

Kel Varnsen

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Just saw the documentary forks over knives and am thinking of going Vegan. I have been thinking about it for the past month or so but this kind of sealed the deal. I dont want to be one of those crazy vegans who push it on people or hate people for eating meat. I just feel it would be the best thing for me health wise to only eat plant based foods.

I was just wondering if anyone here is vegan and how they keep it up or what vitamins they take. Also how much is your grocery bill? I have already cut out dairy for the past month or so the only thing holding me back is chicken and fish.

I may be the board's resident vegan, so let me know if you have any questions. It's really not as difficult as you'd think. You'll get questions/attacks from the people that Jersey Girl talked about, but you learn to live with it. In some cases, I think it's a defense mechanism on their part. I agree that it is best to stay true to yourself while not pushing your beliefs on other people. The ones who are open to it will discuss it with you and you can have good conversations with them.

I try to take a multivitamin every day - just a general one - but I need to do more research on it. I've read that they can be bad for you - but, then again, you hear that about everything these days. The most popular supplement seems to be B12, but there's debate about whether that is even necessary. I think it depends on how healthy your diet is. That is, you can be vegan and eat french fries and pasta all the time, but that won't keep you healthy.

My grocery bill is actually pretty decent. Sometimes I will buy tempeh strips like Fakin' Bacon and those are sort of expensive, but not too bad. Other than that, though, if you're buying fresh fruits and vegetables and have a good grocery store nearby, you can save a lot of money by cooking your own foods.

Also, did you see that there is a Forks Over Knives cookbook out now? I just got it from the library the other day and the recipes look really good. You can also find lots of good vegan recipes via Google and sites like VegNews.
 

Mulli

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Good luck to you. I would find this really hard to maintain and not really worth the effort, but that is just me. You might also try grocery stores in south Phoenix or other Latino stores for cheaper and sometimes better quality produce with more selection and lower prices.
 
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HoodieBets

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Good luck to you. I would find this really hard to maintain and not really worth the effort, but that is just me. You might also try grocery stores in south Phoenix or other Latino stores for cheaper and sometimes better quality produce with more selection and lower prices.

I think the tofu would go bad on the 6 hour flight back to RI ;)
 

DeAnna

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Just saw the documentary forks over knives and am thinking of going Vegan. I have been thinking about it for the past month or so but this kind of sealed the deal. I dont want to be one of those crazy vegans who push it on people or hate people for eating meat. I just feel it would be the best thing for me health wise to only eat plant based foods.

I was just wondering if anyone here is vegan and how they keep it up or what vitamins they take. Also how much is your grocery bill? I have already cut out dairy for the past month or so the only thing holding me back is chicken and fish.

A little late, but still relevant. See my new thread on Pegan - I had problems embracing Vegan because it's just ... too damn hard to follow! Went to Whole Foods last week and just on a few items spent $76. Sprouts is less expensive but not nearly the selection that Whole Foods has.
 

Absolute Zero

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Been vegan for a few years now and have lost about 25 pounds without trying.

You can keep costs down by making meals with Staples like rice, quinoa and beans.

One of my favorite things is making my own burgers to barbeque. Drain a can of black or garbanzo beans and put in a bowl. Add some vegetable oil or olive oil and toasted bread crumbs, lemon Juice and whatever spices you want. Mix by hand while crushing the beans. Mix in more bread crumbs as needed to get a good consistency for your patties.

Panko makes great bread crumbs, or you can make your own from toast.

Lots of recipes for this online, but winging it is fun too. Here's one example http://makingthymeforhealth.com/vegan-mediterranean-chickpea-burgers/
 

Absolute Zero

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A little late, but still relevant. See my new thread on Pegan - I had problems embracing Vegan because it's just ... too damn hard to follow! Went to Whole Foods last week and just on a few items spent $76. Sprouts is less expensive but not nearly the selection that Whole Foods has.

The premade vegan stuff is spendy, but simple things you can make your self are not. Try my burger idea in above post!

I shop at a bulk food store with a good natural food section. Lots of cheap staples and I look for the fancy stuff on sale.

If you can at least cut out the dairy, that s a big step to better health.
 

DeAnna

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Well, yeah .... :cool:

Where else would you find out the Shirrito is the hottest food on the west coast?
 

DeAnna

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If you can at least cut out the dairy, that s a big step to better health.

See, I haven't found convincing evidence that dairy is bad for you. I love cream in my coffee, my greek yogurt, my cheese. Tried alternatives but they just tasted fake and chemically. Bought some non-dairy shredded mozzarella recently - gawd it was awful!
 

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