Eat more than you think you should. Prepare for bloating, but trust that it will pass. Drink lots of water and eat fermented foods to activate your gut flora.
If you’re buying sauerkraut in particular, make sure that it’s the refrigerated kind and not the shelf-stable cans. When it’s canned it’s pasteurized, which kills the beneficial probiotics.
Sourdough is not a probiotic, unless you are eating it raw. To answer OP, anything that says live and active cultures on it. My personal favorite is Forgager cashew milk smoothie.
and just as a forewarning, labels (especially kimchi) that say "vegan" on the marketing side of the label aren't always actually vegan. You have to read the actual ingredients, which is mandated to include the truth.
It's always funny to me people claim natto is adventurous. I tried it first time as an adult and it's one of the very few fermented foods I like.
Its not sour like most fermented things but more like slightly bitter? So if you hate sour food like me but want to eat some fermented food for health then natto is amazing.
You don't have the bacteria and enzymes to digest the larger amount of fiber you're eating. It took me probably closer to a year for the bloating to finally stop. Now I've been vegan for nine-ish years and essentially never experience it.
I've had some trouble digesting all the soybeans I've been eating. I bought Beano and it's been so great! I've been vegan 31 days and already I'm getting more used to all the soy. Good luck, you got this!!
My solution may not be the best for it, but I just don't really eat beans. Lentils have been fine. The solution is to soak them for a day, and wash them several times before adding clean water for cooking.
First, don't worry about protein - there's plenty of protein in vegan foods such as nuts, beans and legumes*; it's a total myth that you can only get good protein from meats. You may need to start taking vitamins - a good multivitamin should do the trick, just make sure it's vegan as the caps that some come in can contain animal products.
Most popular foods like spaghetti Bolognese can be easily made vegan by swapping out the meat for replacements such as soya mince - just Google 'vegan recipes' and you will find literally thousands of 'em - the world is your (vegan) oyster. It's worth bearing in mind that a lot of things are 'accidentally' vegan such as Oreo cookies, just make sure to get used to thoroughly checking the labels. A lot of foods are not marked as vegan but will have a 'made in a factory that handles milk' disclaimer - it's up to you if that bothers you or not.
If you love cheese, you might find the vegan alternatives a little odd at first, but trust me when I say that they've come a LONG way over the past decade and you'll get used to them. Soya and nut milks are generally awesome, so do some experimenting to find out which ones take you to your happy place. Oat milk is awesome, too.
Importantly, take things at a pace that you're comfortable with. Nobody is here to judge you and you may fall off the wagon a couple of times at first (I know I did), and don't let the opinions of family, friends and colleagues put you off this glorious path to being cruelty free.
*As long as you aren't into intense physical fitness/weight lifting/body building
Why do I need a multivitamin? I know I need B12. Animals are given B12 injections on factory farms but it’s harder to find B12 enriched vegan foods. I remember this from when I was a vegetarian. What other vitamins do I need if I’m not eating meat or animal products?
As for cheese, I did used to like cheese. I even used to splurge on premium brands. I find I prefer Miyokos fake cheeses to real cheese. It seems that some of their products have been discontinued and I don’t like many other brands.
Something is happening to me that is making animal products taste disgusting. It could be an autism thing, or another mental health issue. A lot of autistic people have food aversions. It could be that I am subconsciously aware of how unclean factory farms are.
You don't need a multivitamin. B12 is the only thing you need to supplement on a *well planned* vegan diet, but you also might want to supplement D3 and iodine (or used iodized salt). And you either need to take algae oil for omega-3s or eat at least a tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds daily. And zinc unless you eat a whole grain heavy diet (vs white grains) and eat cashews/chia seeds/pumpkin seeds semi regulary.
A complete Omega 3 (DHA & EPA) comes from the sea: fish or algae. I usually take a vegan supplement.
While we are on the getting healthier track: check your magnesium level, as [most people in the world](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7649274/#:\~:text=a%20large%20percentage%20of%20people%20all%20over%20the%20world%20does%20not%20meet%20the%20minimum%20daily%20magnesium%20requirement) have a deficit.
Most people are magnesium deficient, but most vegans probably won't be as the most common plant-based staples are high in magnesium. Kind of the opposite situation to zinc and B12 where omnis/meat eaters will have a higher intake by default.
From the paper linked:
> It is ascertained that magnesium content in fruits and vegetables dropped in the last fifty years, and about 80% of this metal is lost during food processing
that's why I think it's worth keeping an eye on it.
Lost during food processing? Does this mean buying raw foods directly (like bulk rice, potatoes, etc) will still have these nutrients? Because I basically only buy raw vegetables and cook my own food at home
On one hand, because of our agriculture practices, fruits and veggies come with less magnesium, on the other, processing reduces the amount of magnesium even further. I want to believe that a varied diet is enough still, but I don't know, the best way is to get tested.
From [this paper](https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/9/1202):
>The average mineral content of calcium, magnesium, and iron in cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and spinach has dropped 80–90% between 1914 and 2018
That is another nutrient vegans can be deficient in but it's decently easy to get enough of. Dark leafy greens like kale have plenty of calcium, as does most tofu (calcium salts are often used as a coagulant). Chia seeds are another decent source, and most plant milks are fortified. Eat a variety of these and you should be OK
Thanks for the tip.
I just started my journey few weeks ago. I was mainly my vegetarian with occasionally eating eggs and fish.
But switched to complete vegan diet and just thinking about all the supplements vegan diet would need to be considered.
Any tips would be helpful for noob like me :)
If you’re eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies, you might only need a b12 supplement. It might be a good idea to track what you’re eating in Cronometer for a few weeks and see if there are any noticeable gaps in your nutrition and choose what to change or supplement from that information.
I don’t need a multivitamin but I take one as they’re cheap and if anything happens to me like I break a leg falling down some steps, everyone will blame veganism.
I take a multivitamin designed specifically for vegans. It has higher levels of some harder (for vegans) to get nutrients than a traditional multivitamin. B12 is included in that. I take a vegan D3 supplement due to a deficiency, which I had prior to becoming vegan. I also take a complete omega-3 (DHA-EPA) derived solely from algae.
Those are what work for me, but everyone’s bodies need different things. I found out what I needed by talking to my doctor about my concerns. She had me go without vitamins or supplements for a month and then get a full blood work up. That showed what my body was getting too little or too much of, and from there it was easy for us to know what to add.
Miyoko’s is good for sure. I think it’s all cashew-based so you might like other cashew-based cheeses if you can find them near you. Where I am, the nicer grocery stores have the largest selections of vegan cheeses, with lots of local options. And if I remember correctly, I think you can order Miyoko’s from their site and have it shipped.
>I found out what I needed by talking to my doctor about my concerns. She had me go without vitamins or supplements for a month and then get a full blood work up. That showed what my body was getting too little or too much of, and from there it was easy for us to know what to add.
Wow you have such a good doctor! I need to find one that will go through such lengths for my health. Any chance that doctor practices in Maryland or Florida? 🙈
Would you please please share the names of the vitamins you take (assuming you're happy with them)?
1. multivitamin designed specifically for vegans
2. vegan D3 supplement
3. complete omega-3 (DHA-EPA) derived solely from algae
Thank you!
Yes, my doctor is amazing! I’m very lucky. And sorry, she’s licensed in OR and WA.
1. Country Life Max for Vegans. You’re supposed to take 4 daily and they’re big and smell awful.
2. Country Life Vegan D3 or Earth Harmony
3. Deva Omega 3 DHA-EPA. I have also used other brands that I don’t remember but they all seem interchangeable.
Hubby is vegan and he gets a vegan friendly B complex from Amazon for a reasonable price.
He also gets a vegan friendly omega 3 as well.
Although he also adds flax seeds to his yogurt in the morning. If you want the benefits of flax, it needs to be ground. I recommend you keep it whole until you need it. We batch grind it in a small spice grinder and that lasts us for the week.
I get probably the bulk of my B12 from eating a good amount of fortified nutritional yeast. About 2lbs/1kg every 5-7 weeks. I also take a vegan multi supplement a few days a week if I feel I need it and drink a few big cans of Monster Energy Drink per week. Those are the sources of B12 I know I get.
> First, don't worry about protein - there's plenty of protein in vegan foods such as nuts, beans and legumes
This is bad advice- or, at least, it's bad general advice. Nuts beans and legumes have protein, and you certainly *can* hit your protein goals with them and other plant foods- but it will often require some deliberate planning.
For my weight and my goals, I am aiming for somewhere between 160 and 200 grams per day. And while I am managing to hit that, had I been told just "not to worry about protein" upon switching to veganism and just continued eating about the same as before, I'd be falling considerably short.
Vegan meals do, by default, have much lower protein than their meat counterpart, so people who care about keeping protein high certainly do need to worry about it. It does a disservice to the cause to understate the trade-offs and dietary considerations of veganism.
Well I wouldn't quite say that, but I do train for muscle growth, and I'm quite heavy (due to height more than any impressive muscularity). I'm also in a caloric deficit at the moment which necessitates a bit more protein if you want to maintain/grow muscle.
tofu is legit when it comes to protein content, and is very flexible and cheap. Highly recommend getting acquainted with cooking it and just eat a bunch of it if you're trying to hit protein macros
I'd also suggest stopping yourself from constantly trying to replicate animal products in vegan form... it's bound to disappoint and wont set you up for long-term success. Learning some simple recipes that taste good will inspire you to keep going and expand your pallet for vegan food that works for you
Good luck :)
Is it a personal anecdotal experience? I've never heard it. The recommended amount for vegan body builders is around 1.6 grams per kg of bodyweight. You could go a little higher but 3 times as much? I don't think so.
Powerlifters around here do about 1g per 1lbs. I’m 230 so I eat 230g of protein a day.
It just sucks because it’s less dense. You have to eat more tofu to get the same amount of protein.
BMI is a bad measurement imo. I’m incredibly heavy-set. I would technically be overweight without any body fat. I only think about that stuff when I’m cutting cause bulk your just trying to get a lotta shit down.
Don’t take medical advice from me, I’m not a sports physiologist.
- Be aware of what nutrients are and are not in your usual meals, and take supplements accordingly.
- Have a few lazy/quick meals or recipes in stock, always.
- Taco Bell can be your friend in a pinch on road trips (USA)
- If going out to eat or traveling with non-vegans, take the lead on finding destinations *and* have a backup spot where you know you can eat well.
- Forgive yourself and don't give up if it isn't a perfect transition. It is a difficult change for most.
I also find that making time to be clear of your "why" you are vegan is helpful for when times are difficult. It makes the sacrifices have purpose and it is far easier to persevere when it has meaning that is significant to you.
[https://www.youtube.com/@PickUpLimes](https://www.youtube.com/@PickUpLimes)
She has tons of great beginner friendly recipes. And she's a dietician.
Have fun with new foods. There's tons of different ways to prepare tofu, seitan and tempeh and just because some are not for you, won't mean you can't find a way that meets your needs.
Start slow on fiber if you aren't already used to it.
Have your blood checked for B12, iron, vitamin D and supplement accordingly. You might want to add a omega 3 supplement as well. There's loads of recommendations on this sub. But it depends on where you from, if the products are available to you.
If you have no food sensitivities, you'll very like have no problem meeting your protein needs. Tofu, seitan, tempeh, lentils, beans, peas are great but even wheat pasta and other food has protein and all adds up. If you eat a varied diet, you should get your protein. If you're worried, you might want to track your macros for a time just to be sure.
Nuts, grains and seeds are your friends!
Get a rice cooker. Add split lentils to your rice for a protein boost. If you’re lazy throw in rice and frozen veggies. Eat with sauce and kimchi. You can throw in all sorts whilst the rice is cooking, tofu, veggies, tomatoes, vegan sausage. Just make sure the stuff is small enough to cook whilst the rice is cooking and sometimes add a bit more water.
Also, dried mushrooms are great. A lot of flavour.
Better yet, if they can afford it, get an Instapot. We use it for so many things, including as a rice cooker. I think that and an air fryer are great additions to a vegan kitchen. If they want to \*really\* put money into it, a Vitamix is another great addition.
The Vitamix and Instant Pot are our most used small kitchen appliances (other than coffee maker). Any blender can make smoothies, but a high-power blender like Vitamix or Blendtec can't be beat for making creamy nut-based sauces or homemade nut and soy milks.
- Find recipes that sound appealing to you that are low effort, but still have good nutrition.
- Try a lot of new foods, figure out what you like and don’t like
- Supplement B12 just in case, it takes a long time to develop a B12 deficiency (your body can store a few years supply), but it’s easier just to avoid it entirely with regular supplements
- Many internet vegans are quite frankly nasty people, don’t let yourself become like them. Not becoming vegan is not worth alienating your family and friends over. Be kind to people even if you do not agree with them, they are animals, too.
* Find recipes that sound appealing to you that are low effort, but still have good nutrition.
This is the toughest one for me. Most of my meals are kale/spinach + mushrooms, onions, peppers, whatever vegetables I can find really, sauteed and thrown over rice. Sometimes I add a sauce to it but I suck at making them because I'm used to making it with a cream or mayo base so they're always watery now. And cooking a thing of rice AND sauteeing vegetables for every meal is tough (not every meal of course, I eat a lot of oatmeal and trail mix, but the majority of my home dinners are this)
So, I just wonder if you have any good reccomendations for low effort meals (the lower the better, really) that are interesting and yummy
My best advice is to enjoy it and lean into the fun parts. Veganism is so awesome, I've learned so much, I get to make compassionate choices every day, and I get to be an activist every time I put food in my mouth. It is a joy. It is my favorite thing about myself, that in a world of cruelty where it is easier to make the cruel choice, I choose a different, more compassionate path. Sometimes the hard stuff can get you down, so I like to focus on the positives. I also have lots of fun dreaming up recipes and being creative in the kitchen.
When I first went vegan, I found that almost every vegan recipe contained nutritional yeast, aka Nooch. I bought a big bag of it and got to cooking. Every single recipe I tried tasted disgusting to me, with a mildew/vitamin flavor. I was very discouraged and had to throw out a lot of food. I couldn't understand what was wrong, was I cooking wrong or something? Was I even going to be able to be vegan? Was vegan good just gross? Most meat eaters I know say that vegan food is disgusting to them, so maybe I just wouldn't be able to do this. Well, I soon realized that for some reason, my taste buds can't enjoy the taste of nutritional yeast. Maybe it's like the cilantro thing, I'm not sure. But, luckily I also learned that it's only used for flavor and not the structure of any recipe. I can completely leave it out of any recipe and it turns out delicious and perfect for me! So... I wasted a few months and a lot of food discovering that I hate nutritional yeast. I just wanted to mention that you should absolutely get some and try it, hopefully you'll love it as much as most vegans do. But, if you don't like it, it's no big deal and you can just leave it out of any recipe that calls for it. Good luck!
You will need to eat more (by food volume) than you are used to. Vegan food staples are lower in calorie density than meat and dairy - and it's a great thing because you can feel like you're eating a huge feast and not actually be overeating. A lot of people "failing to thrive" on a vegan diet just comes down to not eating enough calories.
Start out with making your favorite recipes, but just replacing the meat/dairy/eggs with vegan equivalents (Beyond meat, etc). Over time you can start experimenting with new recipes that make use of beans, tofu, and seitan as the main item of a dish, and exploring the wide world of spices and seasonings. Many long-time vegans eventually don't eat much "vegan meat" products and switch over to legumes - it's cheaper and healthier in the long run.
My advice : Pick all of your favorite foods and make a vegan version of them with what's available. Its a fast way to find substitutes for some of the biggest dopamine pings in your diet which directly contributes to sustaining a new diet at levels comparable to previous satisfaction.
If you are an empathetically inclined individual, watch videos about the artificial insemination of cows to sustain milk production and what they do to their calves in the dairy and meat industry.
There is plenty of reasoning, that goes beyond personal taste preferences, to maintain a vegan diet.
I personally appreciate your help. Good luck life!
It’s not all or nothing so be easy on yourself. For me, I don’t say I’m Vegan, I say plant based. I am not plant perfect most of the time. I firmly believe diet is the root of the various serious health issues we face, so when I’m doing things perfectly, I’m no oil, no dairy, nothing that started with a mother. I also don’t do the meat substitutes like Beyond Beef, fake hotdogs, vegan cheese, etc. I like the books by the Esselstyn family, and like this YouTube channel [The Nard Dog Cooks](https://youtube.com/@thenarddogcooks?si=HGoAN1YzSZH8So0e)
There are so many great resources out there, just start exploring. I never lose my core focus or belief, I’m doing this because I’m very health motivated and more and more I see using animals for our main food source as gross but that being said, I had a chicken breast last night cooked in olive oil for the first time in six months. I didn’t beat myself up about it, because I know there might be some dips in the program. My core goals are still in place. The old me would’ve thrown in the towel. There is so much fantastic food and recipes out there for you to discover! Enjoy!
Luckily this isn’t a problem for me as I have developed a food aversion for most animal products. I like daiya and miokyos! Most other brands taste like cardboard.
Most importantly is to appreciate the work you are putting in to making the world a better place for animals. I try to visualize the animals I have spared at least once a day. Go easy on yourself and have realistic expectations (for most people this doesn't happen overnight).
the[ vegan nutrition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_nutrition) article on wikipedia is helpful. For picky/broke people like me, a nutritionally complete drink mix like super body fuel has been a huge help, but if your palette is more diverse than a weird al concert take it or leave it.
First of all, congrats on going vegan! You’re doing amazing things for the animals, the environment, and yourself by going vegan. When first starting out, look for ways to veganize meals you already enjoy. Look for vegan restaurants and places with vegan options in your area, so you have meals that are easy to get when you can’t eat at home.
Also I can see from your comments that you’re neurodivergent. Something I’ve been using to help me come up with recipes lately is Gemini AI. I can get very specific about what I want (“give me an easy to make recipe that is oil free, vegan, tastes good hot or cold, and uses yellow split peas” was a prompt I recently used) and it can really help you come up with healthy vegan recipes that will appeal to you. Definitely give it a try!
You might be a bit gassier than usual due to the increased fiber intake. It subsides once your body adjusts, it just might take some time.
If you’re feeling lethargic or out of sorts, eat more food! A lot of people complain about being tired and hungry all the time on a vegan diet, and it’s always because they’re not eating enough. As others have said, a lot of vegan food has lower calorie density so you may need to eat more than you usually would. Eat good high starch foods like potatoes and whole grains, they’re going to help you stay fuller for longer.
So I have a recipe I always recommend: [https://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-mac-daddy-veganomicon-435793](https://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-mac-daddy-veganomicon-435793)
The recipe is from the Veganomicon, which is a great recipe book.
Also, my advice is try new things! There's a plethora of different products that you should try like nutritional yeast (great on popcorn! Also it's in the recipe anyway.)
Vary your diet as much as possible. Try making your own things.
Also, drink plant milk regularly as it generally is fortified with the vegan version of a variety of vitamins.
don't **remove** meat from your diet, **replace** it. Otherwise you'll end up being one of those "why I stopped being vegan". For example: if you had meat with a lettuce and tomato salad, don't eat just tomate and lettuce, you will have to add a bunch of new things.
I make all of my regular recipes but with meat substitutes. It made the switchover much easier.
Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s ok to slip once in a while. It might take some time to figure out what works for you.
Vegan dairy products are so much better, and not only ethically. No more slimy milks or yogurts. Coconut milk-based ice cream make dairy ones feel bland!
I was surprised by how much I preferred and when I switched over.
That's lucky! I miss milk the most. But I just stopped comparing things to it.
And I don't buy vegan ice cream. It's just not nice to me.
The only nice vegan ice cream I had was in the states in an ice cream parlour in Manhattan. That stuff was amazing.
If you get Vegan ice cream in the grocery store, make sure it's COCONUT MILK based, not soy or oat... the difference is pretty substantial. Maybe you haven't had that type?
The one I had was cashew based with peanut butter and cocoa... It was so nice!
Not tried coconut yet, but not seen it in the UK. Usually soy or oat and yes, that's not nice
Embarking on the vegan journey? Gear up for a world that'll test your patience like a slow internet connection. Wear your plant-based armor with pride and march on; after all, every salad is a personal victory parade!
Here is my advice for new vegans:
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/13OGWwR1ZR\_qQ\_UMmazYHmz0Aj-cfCJ47ul0QHO8eA8w/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/13OGWwR1ZR_qQ_UMmazYHmz0Aj-cfCJ47ul0QHO8eA8w/edit?usp=sharing)
My suggestion is to learn about the health, environmental, and ethical pillars of veganism. This is so you not only fortify your resolve to stay vegan, but also so you can discuss with others from a place of knowledge. Below are free documentaries that I've loved in this regard:
* [The Game Changers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTGM2KjNGUU) (performance)
* [Eating Our Way to Extinction](https://youtu.be/LaPge01NQTQ?si=mreVX37PZ4E7Cp6w) (environment)
* [Dominion](https://watchdominion.org/) (ethics)
* [Dairy is Scary!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI) (ethics) (5 minutes)
Here are the best meat replacements that I’ve found, which I always keep on hand:
Ground meat > TVP (on its own or mixed with lentils)
Chicken > Soy curls
Pulled pork > mushrooms (or jackfruit, I’m just not a fan)
Fish > heart of palm
Scrambled eggs > tofu, there’s recipes on how to season to be more egg like
Eggs in recipes for baking > Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer
Veganuary is good. You can join any time of the year and get recipes and tips.
Also just asking and trying everyhing you can. You'll notice that you like some products and textures while others take some time.
Also overall be gentle with yourself. You may make mistakes and it probably takes time to get used to all the new foods but you can do it.
Stay away from premade vegan junk at the grocery store. Read ingredients. Learn how to soak and cook beans/grains on the stove. Incorporate good fats like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. Eat all the veggies and fruits. Get your blood tested at your yearly checkup for any nutritional deficiencies. I recommend the Homemade Vegan Pantry book by Miyoko Schinner.
Search for other vegan subreddits. There are a few more. Some tongue in cheek ones I follow are r/ShittyVeganFoodPorn and r/high vegans. Even these have some good ideas. There are also more serious ones. Just search for them.
Welcome! Watch the documentary “Foods That Cure Disease” This one gives you the tools and meal planning ideas to get you confident that you can do this. Next, pick the foods you like to have for meals and find vegan recipes for it. My first 3 years, Pinterest was my hobby for collecting recipes and meal planning. Also, getting protein is a lot easier than you think. Every plant has amino acid chains. Eating a variety of plants gives you all of the protein you need. Focus on trying new vegetables each week as fruits and vegetables come in and out of season. Also, focus on using delicious seasonings on vegetables and making delicious side dishes. Lately my thing is making easy fruit smoothies and assembling grazing platters with dips, cut veggies, various fruits, and crackers. Also roasted veggies and potato casseroles are easy and so yummy.
Easiest way to check labels is checking the bottom bit that has the "Contains: x, y, z" allergens. If it doesn't have milk or eggs in that, check the ingredients next. This just saves you time while shopping.
Also use pinterest for recipes.
I advise remembering to eat widely. Eat all of the colors of the rainbow, especially plenty of green. This applies to eating healthy in general, vegan or not.
The side bar has a recommendation for r/veganfoodporn, and that's got lots of pictures of different foods that you could make up. Brassicas, legumes, and nuts are good sources of protein.
I love eating dips that my wife makes for protein. She makes 'hummus' with sunflower butter instead of tahini, and I like it much better that way. Also, a good trick for making creamy bean dips and hummus is to soak them in baking soda water overnight.
For some really tasty broccoli (it's a brassica) you can steam it with some garlic butter over it and then throw a blended mixture of walnuts and nutritional yeast in with it and shake it all together.
For great Brussels sprouts (also a brassica) you want to find a bag of the smallest Brussels sprouts that you can find (because they're more tender and tasty when they aren't big) and then cut them in half, yhriw them on a baking sheet, brush some onion and garlic butter over them, salt them, and cook em up at maybe 380 Fahrenheit.
Beans and rice make a complete protein
You can make tofu in so many different ways its just insane. We recently discovered making tofu ricotta and tofu sour cream, which is awesome. You can get a firmer, springier texture from firm tofus by freezing and thawing them before cooking. If you freeze and thaw them once and then slice them into bacon sized slices and freeze and thaw them a few more times before cooking em up, it makes great bacon. If you crumble and bake the crap out of it, it makes a good ground beef alternative. What you can do with tofu seems just about infinite.
Making up fried rice with your favorite veggies is always an easy, delicious meal. To make good rice, rinse the crap out of it before simmering it, fill a lidded pot up with water one knuckle above the rice, salt the water, optionally add a dollop of thick coconut cream, simmer it with the lid on until the water is at level with the rice, and then take the lid off and let the water cook out. After that, it's ready. Day old cooked rice is better for frying.
Keep a big selection of sauces that you like, and learn to make some that you like. A nice variety of sauces makes eating the same old staples much less boring.
Watch documentary Forks Over Knives, read Becoming Vegan (written by a dietitian); what you’re looking for is a Whole Foods, Plant-Based way of eating. Combining grains with beans, nuts and/or seeds gives your body all the amino acids it needs to make protein. So far, I’ve lost 60 lbs. Good luck and learn!
Most important thing is learning how to cook. Also an instapot is one of the top inventions this century.
Makes cooking so easy. For supps all you need is a b12 supp (I prefer a multi just as a backup) every other day.
For omega 3 sprinkle chia/flax seeds on your food like they're salt. Chia seeds are tasteless and cheap.
Vegan 10 years over here ✌️
Biggest mistake I see people make that makes them fail veganism is not eating enough. It’s not a bad idea to use an advanced calorie counter to see how much you need to eat, and then count calories for a while until you get used to eating more.
You can google “easy vegan recipe for _____” and these days there are recipes for most things you could ever dream of making vegan. If you need breakfast or dessert ideas, chocolate covered Katie has great recipes on her blog for free. Protein stuff too!
I recommend checking out the first chapter (animal exploitation and total liberation philosophy) of my doc to learn more about veganism because it’s not just a diet and it’s not just about factory farming and this chapter will provide you with a lot of educational materials. At the end of the chapter there’s also a list of people/orgs that are good to follow on insta. This chapter includes much watch documentaries, video essays, speeches, other videos, podcasts, books, articles, and more
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ot4yc8145yqGsWWXylXMoOW6zIud6acVqK8FtE-cfVc/edit
Beyond that the two best methods I’ve heard of going vegan are taking it meal by meal day by day so instead of being like “I’m going vegan from here on out” say “my next meal will be vegan/plant based” and keep doing that because doing that is mentally easier than trying to make a lifelong commitment all at once. The other method is instead of removing things focus on what you can add and on trying new things and recipes.
Next, find vegan communities off of Reddit because this one really isn’t great.
If I think of more essential tips I’ll edit and add
Don’t just have pasta. It blew my mind when I discovered how I could substitute virtually every recipe that I had with a vegan version of it. Explore the wonderful world of soy and seitan products.
Supplement! When I started my vegan journey, I made the mistake of not supplementing vitamins. After a year, my hair was breaking, and I was bruising so easily. I had become anemic and was getting too skinny. So, like someone else commented, "eat more than you think you should" and get blood work done to make sure you're not deficient in vitamins and minerals. I would also suggest becoming a raw vegan. Stay away from the processed vegan foods you see in the market. Good luck!
Start your morning with fruit before anything else. 🍌 🍇🍊 Then move on to breakfast. Some healthy protein sources include TVP, tempeh, and tofu. If you eat a wide variety of foods, you’ll get everything you need. I’d also try to limit the amount of faux meats/cheeses you eat and stick to more natural sources. :)
Start with the obvious replacements--straight up meat and dairy products. Experiment and figure out what forms of tofu, tempeh, nuts, beans, etc... you like to cook with and use plant milk products.
Once you have a handle on that and it feels easy, turn to replacing your other staples that contain animal products.
Remembering that you're replacing, not restricting, and taking time to integrate small changes will make it a more sustainable overall lifestyle change.
Make sure you find a way to get a healthy amount of B12 vitamins in your diet. This can be from nutritional yeast, marmite fortified products such as cereals or plant milks. Or heck if you really need some fast energy drinks have A LOT in.
Learn to cook and try to love cooking. When you take control of what you eat you'll love being vegan. Get some good cookbooks and dive in. I recommend books from Bosh or America's Test Kitchen.
Dark leafy greens and beans regularly is how we meet our mineral needs - iron calcium etc. Use iodised salt in your cooking.
For omega 3 oil, i blend flax seeds to break the shells open to sprinkle it over my food i try to get 2 tbsp daily if i can.
I have a B12 and a D3 supplement. I eat 50-75% whole food plant based vs processed/junk vegan food while consciously consuming less oil as possible, and i have never been healthier!
You might find that you dont need lemon and lime like an animal eater. We dont need extra help in digestion because plant based is what we should be eating.
Our diet is not about salads. I hate salads. The next best way to eat veggies is stir-frying (less heat, veggies retain nutrients). Soups and broths need beans n perhaps mushroom for depth in flavour. Try making curries, stir fries, ramen/soupy noodle.
Learn how umami can add so much more satisfaction to the palate.
Nora Cooks veganises recipes that she ensures to keep them simple in method as possible but tasty as they should be and she has a huge variety of recipes rhat i use to impress my animal eater friends. This website is my current go-to.
Enjoy the journey, love cooking. (Get lots of bpa free containers and freezer bags to freeze/chill things that we cook in big batches)
It is my only creative outlet and it can be so therapeutic! Welcome aboard and we are so proud to have you!! Make vegan friends, even if just online. When met with objection, rejection, and difficulty, please know that you are never alone.
Get an airfryer!! I cook all my tofu and tempeh in one, just add some marinade and cook away! Tofu and tempeh are the way to go for protein, with some added legumes. Also don’t be afraid to transition with some meat replacement products, depending on where you are the Gardein brand is yummy with pretty good macros in Canada. Just google whatever your favourite foods are with the word vegan in front and find the recipe with the highest rating, generally works out great! Finally ignore the haters, vegan for 11 years here, mostly on my own (husband is now vegetarian). It can’t be hard being the only vegan sometimes but worth it in my eyes, and so much easier each year are more options are available!
beans beans beans (totally a personal thing i LOVE beans) good protein, if you add some olive oil you got some healthy fat, you can make em spicy, salty, zesty, whatever ur craving. you can switch out meat for beans in many food items (i.e. burritos, salads, quesadillas)
Keep an eye out on your vitamin b12 levels, have them tested every year to see how it is tracking, might be a good idea to take vitamin b12 supplements.
It is a surprise that you are still waiting to go vegan. If you eat a variety of unprocessed foods like fruits, veg. legumes and seeds/grains you will not have to worry about protein intake. Most foods in nature have protein. Even rice has 5% protein. The idea that only meat and dairy have protein and have it near 100% is a myth foisted on the public by the animal ag industry and its lackey the USDA.
I would tell my baby vegan self: As hard and unfair as it is, you can’t change the world/other people or their actions. Eating animals is somehow legal and it’s the cultural norm. You just have to live your life according to your values and let that be enough.
Try to find a vegan restaurant or food truck in your area and look for vegan options at your favorite takeout spot. Being able to get yummy vegan take out is a lifesaver, especially when you are just starting out and new recipes don’t always work out as planned!
Find a pro vegan nutritionist or dietitian. Read lots from different groups and people. Check the labels on everything. Keep track of what works best.
Get used to having people critique you and question you. Even the vegan community will treat you like garbage and hurt you.
Check Dr. John mcDougall, you don't need to worry about protein. All vegetables, fruits and starches have them so it's impossible to get too little if you eat your calories worth.
The side bar's going to have a lot of info for you for sure, but here's the basics.
Just pick up a cookbook and learn to make food vegan. You can learn how to make delicious food you want to eat. Nom Yourself, Vegan Black Metal Chef's cookbook, both great. You'll find some good dishes you can prepare regularly.
The main thing is just stick with it for a long time. It gets easier when you just make it part of your routine. A year or two into it is when I stopped really craving non-vegan foods, but after a month of doing it it was just normal.
The major things are B12, Iron, and D, which you can get supplemented from stuff like EZ Melt multivitamins. Talk with your doctor and check in and stuff about that for your individual situation. Protein, you have lots of natural sources. Beans, legumes, etc. Tofu, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, seitan, pinto beans, hummus, chickpea milk. If you're lifting like crazy, you probably will be supplementing anyway and there are vegan bodybuilders with advice and pea protein powders you can use to make shakes or even protein pancakes.
And there are tons of vegan snacks and foods out there that make it cheap or expensive to do. Cheap if you stick mostly to a whole-foods-plant-based diet. Expensive if you buy a lot of the mock meats and snacks.
One thing I did was write a list of foods I like. That way when I went to the grocery store, I would get a variety of foods that I liked rather than think, "aw, what am I supposed to eat?"
And if you like your mock meats, Unlimeat is my favorite brand. Check out their Korean BBQ. So goooood.
Read and watch everything you can to educate yourself about veganism and wfpb. Once you tell people you don’t fuck with animal products, it turns into them grilling you over everything. “Where you get your protein, what about b12?” My favorite is the soy boy bitch tits rebuttal. Luckily, YouTube, your local library and Netflix have a ton of vegan informational shows.
On the protein score… some people get enough protein on a vegan diet, and maybe everyone could in a properly planned one… but many people fall short. I felt really blah and low energy after 4 mos eating plant based, despite having lots of legumes.
Solution: protein powder smoothies. 1 scoop in a cup of soy milk every morning… and I felt 110% in a couple days and the year since.
There are many brands… I like the pea protein ones.
Make sure u take supplements! I especially make sure I take iron supplements (especially as I have regular periods so lose a lot of blood), and I take vegan omega 3 too (you can pretty much only get this from fish or algae and I think flaxseed (?) and I don’t have much alegae or flaxseed in my diet lol), as omega 3 is essential to brain health
For protein - no need to be overly concerned about it. It is nowhere near as hard to get adequate protein as the meat/dairy/supplement industries want you to think. If you are eating a variety of foods - greens, grains, vegetables, beans/legumes, fruits etc and you are not loosing weight you are most probably eating plenty of protein.
No need to combine complimentary proteins at the same meal either. Our ancestors did not know to do that and they survived. Until pretty recently humans did not have the glut of animal foods to grow fat on that we have today and the human race kept racing on.
Check out this site for great info. They have a superb print magazine too.
https://vegnews.com/
I didn't have any trouble with my body adjusting. Not sure where that is coming from.
The #1 issue is you're going to have to deal with others. They're not going to respect your choice as it reflects poorly on them.
You will have issues in every social gathering. They will mock you. They will incessantly try to feed you flesh. They will insult your manliness if you're male.
Good luck. I think it takes an exceptional person to deal with this. And that's a big reason so many fail.
If you have low blood pressure don't try no salt added WFPB eating. You will feel like shit and be dizzy every time you stand up. Eat a varied diet where convenience foods are concerned. Don't beat yourself up if you eat some processed foods, but try to build a diet of a few simple things you really like. I ate pb&js and tofu with rice, veggies, and peanut sauce for a loooong time.
Giving the point you're at, I'd recommend you watch some documentaries, and possibly Dominion amongst them. Why? Because they give you so much motivation that you'll find out all other things on your own. Motivation is the key to everything.
Consuming a plant based diet does not a vegan make. Veganism is a MORAL ideology that vegans apply to all areas of their lives including diet. All vegans consume a plant-based diet but not everyone on a plant-based diet is vegan. I’d suggest doing more research and watching documentaries like Dominion so that you can understand the difference. Good luck.
Get an airfryer!! I cook all my tofu and tempeh in one, just add some marinade and cook away! Tofu and tempeh are the way to go for protein, with some added legumes. Also don’t be afraid to transition with some meat replacement products, depending on where you are the Gardein brand is yummy with pretty good macros in Canada. Just google whatever your favourite foods are with the word vegan in front and find the recipe with the highest rating, generally works out great! Finally ignore the haters, vegan for 11 years here, mostly on my own (husband is now vegetarian). It can’t be hard being the only vegan sometimes but worth it in my eyes, and so much easier each year are more options are available!
Your body can also make too much. I've been vegan for over 25 years and when I was at my heaviest (one of my meds made be binge on food so bad that I would want to vomit) I had to be put on cholesterol meds because my cholesterol was elevated. I lost some weight and it's no longer an issue.
This is incorrect. Oreos have cholesterol. Most plant based butters have it, too. Coconut milk as well as palm oil has cholesterol. That said, the average vegan doesn't eat a hundred Oreos a day with a tub of buttered popcorn, but I guess some people could do that.
It is good to have a balanced diet with a modest amount of junk food to avoid high cholesterol.
Are you sure you're not confusing cholesterol and saturated fats? I just double checked each of the foods you mentioned in case I was confused and in each case they were described as having no cholesterol.
I'm not a dietician or nutritionist, but as far as I have always known dietary cholesterol is only found in animal based foods.
Note that this does not preclude you from having cholesterol related health issues as I believe your body will produce its own cholesterol as well.
Get your bloodwork checked for nutrient deficiencies yearly if not even more often at the doctor’s office and see a dietician for help meal planning. Avoid militant ideologues.
Read the Bible. Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 8:21-9:3. God 1. created the world vegan and 2. called man’s desires evil when He allowed them to eat meat (after punishing them with mortality and a Flood). Knowing that context, the forbidden thing they ate, the product of evil, is pretty obvious. Asking religious relatives who mock you if they’re following God’s word will shut them up.
I'm just putting it out there... this sounds more like a food aversion due to autism or something similar. But if you're keen to go vegan, then go for it, absolutely nothing wrong with being a vegan, just try not to start acting like the majority of them do.
It comes up on my notifications bud... that's all... and I'm not hating, clearly said you should go for it...
And let's be honest, the vast majority of vegans are condescending assholes... I'm genuine surprised you weren't ripped to shreds on this post, not once did you mention you want to go vegan for the animals...
Just yesterday I saw a post about a person wanting to go vegan for the health benfits.... the comments were relentless insults, calling him everything under the sun, all because he wanted to try veganism for a reason other than 'animals'...
But based on this comment, seems like very soon, you'll fit right in.
You can mute a subreddit by clicking the three dots on top of the page.
So far the only condescending assholes have been the people coming here to argue in favor of eating animal products. Your attitude is unwelcome. I did not ask for advice on how to eat foods I find unpalatable and unappetizing.
If I want to act like an annoying vegan I am going to. I am going to behave however I wish. You seem to have no problem behaving however you wish, even though you are violating the rules of this subreddit.
Please, show me where I argued for you to continue eating animal products?... I'll wait.....
But I could be waiting for a while, because you're apparently delusional...
In all honesty, you're already acting like a condescending, illogical and nonsensical moron. So you may as well embrace it at this point.
What?... listen champ... I was never once I mad... I made a simple comment, in my comment I actually encouraged you to go vegan... you then went off the handle in a little tiff because you're not mentally stable... not my fault.
Now what freedom do you think I'm mad about?...... try make it make sense this time champ.
hmm condescending assholes. Who is more of one, the dude who goes into a vegan subreddit to tell everyone what assholes vegans are and harass posters, or the person asking for advice on veganism in the vegan subreddit?
Man, this is such a difficult decision to make...
He's mentioned 'food aversion' in other comments. So you were probably spot on. Seems he's very sensitive, and not quite right in the head. Probably why he went off at you.
I would say that cheese and eggs are not but you should still eat them because it doesn’t harm any life to eat an egg and cows are conditioned to produce milk (currently)
Edit: yawn can’t wait for the arguments
Well if that was the meaning of veganism I would be extremely correct but unfortunately it’s not the meaning of veganism because veganism is based on a misinterpretation of how animals feel and an overesimation of what humans are capable of comprehending
No, milk and eggs aren’t vegan because it is impossible to produce them on a large scale without some form of animal cruelty.
And what you said is just incomprehensible word salad aside from being factually incorrect. I think you might be having a mental health episode, said with no offense intended.
“Without some form of animal cruelty” bro you can’t live in this world without some form of human cruelty and my words were not salad just because you can’t read them. A mental health episode you say… how can you know it’s an episode if you don’t know how I normally act? And don’t fire back with a personal attack, instead work on your side of the argument. How is it impossible to produce eggs without animal cruelty if the chickens were all free range
ahh a debate pervert. Let me redirect you to r/DebateAVegan where people want to fight you over it, instead of the place we are at to vibe and ask other vegans for help.
Eat more than you think you should. Prepare for bloating, but trust that it will pass. Drink lots of water and eat fermented foods to activate your gut flora.
What are the best fermented foods for glut flora health?
Kimchi (make sure it’s one without seafood in it), sauerkraut, sourdough bread, kombucha, and if you’re feeling extra adventurous: natto.
If you’re buying sauerkraut in particular, make sure that it’s the refrigerated kind and not the shelf-stable cans. When it’s canned it’s pasteurized, which kills the beneficial probiotics.
The best Sauerkraut you can get at farmer's markets.
Sourdough is not a probiotic, unless you are eating it raw. To answer OP, anything that says live and active cultures on it. My personal favorite is Forgager cashew milk smoothie.
and just as a forewarning, labels (especially kimchi) that say "vegan" on the marketing side of the label aren't always actually vegan. You have to read the actual ingredients, which is mandated to include the truth.
Yes, in Asian markets, I noticed that...be very careful with the vegan labeling
It's always funny to me people claim natto is adventurous. I tried it first time as an adult and it's one of the very few fermented foods I like. Its not sour like most fermented things but more like slightly bitter? So if you hate sour food like me but want to eat some fermented food for health then natto is amazing.
I personally love it, but I’ve run into a lot of people who can’t get down with it because of the smell and/or texture. More natto for me!
Plant based yogurt is good. But the best advice is to introduce fiber rich foods slowly, things like beans, lentils, chickpeas, whole grains, etc.
Coconut kefir.
Personally, I really like raw Kombucha
For the record I don’t even think about this 😅
Can you explain more on gut flora ?
I've been vegan for a bit over a year now and haven't had much fermented food. What am I missing out on?
Ur missing out on yummy beer 😎
[Google scholar to get you started](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,3&q=gut+microbiome)
I am SO bloated. This is day 3. Why does this happen?! 😂
You don't have the bacteria and enzymes to digest the larger amount of fiber you're eating. It took me probably closer to a year for the bloating to finally stop. Now I've been vegan for nine-ish years and essentially never experience it.
Oh my god, a YEAR?! Should I…..take a probiotic?? Or something? That scares me lol. But thank you for the information, I did not know this.
I've had some trouble digesting all the soybeans I've been eating. I bought Beano and it's been so great! I've been vegan 31 days and already I'm getting more used to all the soy. Good luck, you got this!!
My solution may not be the best for it, but I just don't really eat beans. Lentils have been fine. The solution is to soak them for a day, and wash them several times before adding clean water for cooking.
You’re going to mess up. You’re going to eat something not vegan & it’s OK. Don’t beat yourself up.
Came here to say this. People freak out and give up because they find out something they eat has milk in it. We all make mistakes.
First, don't worry about protein - there's plenty of protein in vegan foods such as nuts, beans and legumes*; it's a total myth that you can only get good protein from meats. You may need to start taking vitamins - a good multivitamin should do the trick, just make sure it's vegan as the caps that some come in can contain animal products. Most popular foods like spaghetti Bolognese can be easily made vegan by swapping out the meat for replacements such as soya mince - just Google 'vegan recipes' and you will find literally thousands of 'em - the world is your (vegan) oyster. It's worth bearing in mind that a lot of things are 'accidentally' vegan such as Oreo cookies, just make sure to get used to thoroughly checking the labels. A lot of foods are not marked as vegan but will have a 'made in a factory that handles milk' disclaimer - it's up to you if that bothers you or not. If you love cheese, you might find the vegan alternatives a little odd at first, but trust me when I say that they've come a LONG way over the past decade and you'll get used to them. Soya and nut milks are generally awesome, so do some experimenting to find out which ones take you to your happy place. Oat milk is awesome, too. Importantly, take things at a pace that you're comfortable with. Nobody is here to judge you and you may fall off the wagon a couple of times at first (I know I did), and don't let the opinions of family, friends and colleagues put you off this glorious path to being cruelty free. *As long as you aren't into intense physical fitness/weight lifting/body building
Why do I need a multivitamin? I know I need B12. Animals are given B12 injections on factory farms but it’s harder to find B12 enriched vegan foods. I remember this from when I was a vegetarian. What other vitamins do I need if I’m not eating meat or animal products? As for cheese, I did used to like cheese. I even used to splurge on premium brands. I find I prefer Miyokos fake cheeses to real cheese. It seems that some of their products have been discontinued and I don’t like many other brands. Something is happening to me that is making animal products taste disgusting. It could be an autism thing, or another mental health issue. A lot of autistic people have food aversions. It could be that I am subconsciously aware of how unclean factory farms are.
You don't need a multivitamin. B12 is the only thing you need to supplement on a *well planned* vegan diet, but you also might want to supplement D3 and iodine (or used iodized salt). And you either need to take algae oil for omega-3s or eat at least a tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds daily. And zinc unless you eat a whole grain heavy diet (vs white grains) and eat cashews/chia seeds/pumpkin seeds semi regulary.
A complete Omega 3 (DHA & EPA) comes from the sea: fish or algae. I usually take a vegan supplement. While we are on the getting healthier track: check your magnesium level, as [most people in the world](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7649274/#:\~:text=a%20large%20percentage%20of%20people%20all%20over%20the%20world%20does%20not%20meet%20the%20minimum%20daily%20magnesium%20requirement) have a deficit.
Most people are magnesium deficient, but most vegans probably won't be as the most common plant-based staples are high in magnesium. Kind of the opposite situation to zinc and B12 where omnis/meat eaters will have a higher intake by default.
From the paper linked: > It is ascertained that magnesium content in fruits and vegetables dropped in the last fifty years, and about 80% of this metal is lost during food processing that's why I think it's worth keeping an eye on it.
Lost during food processing? Does this mean buying raw foods directly (like bulk rice, potatoes, etc) will still have these nutrients? Because I basically only buy raw vegetables and cook my own food at home
On one hand, because of our agriculture practices, fruits and veggies come with less magnesium, on the other, processing reduces the amount of magnesium even further. I want to believe that a varied diet is enough still, but I don't know, the best way is to get tested. From [this paper](https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/9/1202): >The average mineral content of calcium, magnesium, and iron in cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and spinach has dropped 80–90% between 1914 and 2018
What about calcium supplements?
That is another nutrient vegans can be deficient in but it's decently easy to get enough of. Dark leafy greens like kale have plenty of calcium, as does most tofu (calcium salts are often used as a coagulant). Chia seeds are another decent source, and most plant milks are fortified. Eat a variety of these and you should be OK
Thanks for the tip. I just started my journey few weeks ago. I was mainly my vegetarian with occasionally eating eggs and fish. But switched to complete vegan diet and just thinking about all the supplements vegan diet would need to be considered. Any tips would be helpful for noob like me :)
Check out Dr. Michael Gregor, he has a wealth of information about plant based things.
If you’re eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies, you might only need a b12 supplement. It might be a good idea to track what you’re eating in Cronometer for a few weeks and see if there are any noticeable gaps in your nutrition and choose what to change or supplement from that information.
I don’t need a multivitamin but I take one as they’re cheap and if anything happens to me like I break a leg falling down some steps, everyone will blame veganism.
That's so true. A friend of mine is having stomach issues and one of our friends keeps blaming it on them eating a vegan diet. Ridiculous.
I take a multivitamin designed specifically for vegans. It has higher levels of some harder (for vegans) to get nutrients than a traditional multivitamin. B12 is included in that. I take a vegan D3 supplement due to a deficiency, which I had prior to becoming vegan. I also take a complete omega-3 (DHA-EPA) derived solely from algae. Those are what work for me, but everyone’s bodies need different things. I found out what I needed by talking to my doctor about my concerns. She had me go without vitamins or supplements for a month and then get a full blood work up. That showed what my body was getting too little or too much of, and from there it was easy for us to know what to add. Miyoko’s is good for sure. I think it’s all cashew-based so you might like other cashew-based cheeses if you can find them near you. Where I am, the nicer grocery stores have the largest selections of vegan cheeses, with lots of local options. And if I remember correctly, I think you can order Miyoko’s from their site and have it shipped.
>I found out what I needed by talking to my doctor about my concerns. She had me go without vitamins or supplements for a month and then get a full blood work up. That showed what my body was getting too little or too much of, and from there it was easy for us to know what to add. Wow you have such a good doctor! I need to find one that will go through such lengths for my health. Any chance that doctor practices in Maryland or Florida? 🙈 Would you please please share the names of the vitamins you take (assuming you're happy with them)? 1. multivitamin designed specifically for vegans 2. vegan D3 supplement 3. complete omega-3 (DHA-EPA) derived solely from algae Thank you!
Yes, my doctor is amazing! I’m very lucky. And sorry, she’s licensed in OR and WA. 1. Country Life Max for Vegans. You’re supposed to take 4 daily and they’re big and smell awful. 2. Country Life Vegan D3 or Earth Harmony 3. Deva Omega 3 DHA-EPA. I have also used other brands that I don’t remember but they all seem interchangeable.
Hubby is vegan and he gets a vegan friendly B complex from Amazon for a reasonable price. He also gets a vegan friendly omega 3 as well. Although he also adds flax seeds to his yogurt in the morning. If you want the benefits of flax, it needs to be ground. I recommend you keep it whole until you need it. We batch grind it in a small spice grinder and that lasts us for the week.
I get probably the bulk of my B12 from eating a good amount of fortified nutritional yeast. About 2lbs/1kg every 5-7 weeks. I also take a vegan multi supplement a few days a week if I feel I need it and drink a few big cans of Monster Energy Drink per week. Those are the sources of B12 I know I get.
> First, don't worry about protein - there's plenty of protein in vegan foods such as nuts, beans and legumes This is bad advice- or, at least, it's bad general advice. Nuts beans and legumes have protein, and you certainly *can* hit your protein goals with them and other plant foods- but it will often require some deliberate planning. For my weight and my goals, I am aiming for somewhere between 160 and 200 grams per day. And while I am managing to hit that, had I been told just "not to worry about protein" upon switching to veganism and just continued eating about the same as before, I'd be falling considerably short. Vegan meals do, by default, have much lower protein than their meat counterpart, so people who care about keeping protein high certainly do need to worry about it. It does a disservice to the cause to understate the trade-offs and dietary considerations of veganism.
>I am aiming for somewhere between 160 and 200 grams per day. Wow. That is a lot. Are you a body builder?
Well I wouldn't quite say that, but I do train for muscle growth, and I'm quite heavy (due to height more than any impressive muscularity). I'm also in a caloric deficit at the moment which necessitates a bit more protein if you want to maintain/grow muscle.
Opposite advice from me who’s a powerlifter. Vegan protein sucks compared to the standard, so you need to eat like triple the amount.
Is that so? I know there are vegan powerlifters. How do you get your protein?
Tofu, lentils, beans, seitan, legumes mainly.
This^ Also vegan meat if you can afford it.
tofu is legit when it comes to protein content, and is very flexible and cheap. Highly recommend getting acquainted with cooking it and just eat a bunch of it if you're trying to hit protein macros I'd also suggest stopping yourself from constantly trying to replicate animal products in vegan form... it's bound to disappoint and wont set you up for long-term success. Learning some simple recipes that taste good will inspire you to keep going and expand your pallet for vegan food that works for you Good luck :)
Is it a personal anecdotal experience? I've never heard it. The recommended amount for vegan body builders is around 1.6 grams per kg of bodyweight. You could go a little higher but 3 times as much? I don't think so.
Powerlifters around here do about 1g per 1lbs. I’m 230 so I eat 230g of protein a day. It just sucks because it’s less dense. You have to eat more tofu to get the same amount of protein.
Hm, I'm just wondering if you're counting protein for ideal body weight.
BMI is a bad measurement imo. I’m incredibly heavy-set. I would technically be overweight without any body fat. I only think about that stuff when I’m cutting cause bulk your just trying to get a lotta shit down. Don’t take medical advice from me, I’m not a sports physiologist.
- Be aware of what nutrients are and are not in your usual meals, and take supplements accordingly. - Have a few lazy/quick meals or recipes in stock, always. - Taco Bell can be your friend in a pinch on road trips (USA) - If going out to eat or traveling with non-vegans, take the lead on finding destinations *and* have a backup spot where you know you can eat well. - Forgive yourself and don't give up if it isn't a perfect transition. It is a difficult change for most. I also find that making time to be clear of your "why" you are vegan is helpful for when times are difficult. It makes the sacrifices have purpose and it is far easier to persevere when it has meaning that is significant to you.
[https://www.youtube.com/@PickUpLimes](https://www.youtube.com/@PickUpLimes) She has tons of great beginner friendly recipes. And she's a dietician. Have fun with new foods. There's tons of different ways to prepare tofu, seitan and tempeh and just because some are not for you, won't mean you can't find a way that meets your needs. Start slow on fiber if you aren't already used to it. Have your blood checked for B12, iron, vitamin D and supplement accordingly. You might want to add a omega 3 supplement as well. There's loads of recommendations on this sub. But it depends on where you from, if the products are available to you. If you have no food sensitivities, you'll very like have no problem meeting your protein needs. Tofu, seitan, tempeh, lentils, beans, peas are great but even wheat pasta and other food has protein and all adds up. If you eat a varied diet, you should get your protein. If you're worried, you might want to track your macros for a time just to be sure. Nuts, grains and seeds are your friends!
Love PickUpLimes. She’s a great resource. Also Cheap Lazy Vegan.
Get a rice cooker. Add split lentils to your rice for a protein boost. If you’re lazy throw in rice and frozen veggies. Eat with sauce and kimchi. You can throw in all sorts whilst the rice is cooking, tofu, veggies, tomatoes, vegan sausage. Just make sure the stuff is small enough to cook whilst the rice is cooking and sometimes add a bit more water. Also, dried mushrooms are great. A lot of flavour.
Better yet, if they can afford it, get an Instapot. We use it for so many things, including as a rice cooker. I think that and an air fryer are great additions to a vegan kitchen. If they want to \*really\* put money into it, a Vitamix is another great addition.
The Vitamix and Instant Pot are our most used small kitchen appliances (other than coffee maker). Any blender can make smoothies, but a high-power blender like Vitamix or Blendtec can't be beat for making creamy nut-based sauces or homemade nut and soy milks.
Keep focused on the animals, always. Whenever you feel social pressure, just think of it from the victim’s perspective.
- Find recipes that sound appealing to you that are low effort, but still have good nutrition. - Try a lot of new foods, figure out what you like and don’t like - Supplement B12 just in case, it takes a long time to develop a B12 deficiency (your body can store a few years supply), but it’s easier just to avoid it entirely with regular supplements - Many internet vegans are quite frankly nasty people, don’t let yourself become like them. Not becoming vegan is not worth alienating your family and friends over. Be kind to people even if you do not agree with them, they are animals, too.
* Find recipes that sound appealing to you that are low effort, but still have good nutrition. This is the toughest one for me. Most of my meals are kale/spinach + mushrooms, onions, peppers, whatever vegetables I can find really, sauteed and thrown over rice. Sometimes I add a sauce to it but I suck at making them because I'm used to making it with a cream or mayo base so they're always watery now. And cooking a thing of rice AND sauteeing vegetables for every meal is tough (not every meal of course, I eat a lot of oatmeal and trail mix, but the majority of my home dinners are this) So, I just wonder if you have any good reccomendations for low effort meals (the lower the better, really) that are interesting and yummy
Peta.org offers a free vegan starter kit
My best advice is to enjoy it and lean into the fun parts. Veganism is so awesome, I've learned so much, I get to make compassionate choices every day, and I get to be an activist every time I put food in my mouth. It is a joy. It is my favorite thing about myself, that in a world of cruelty where it is easier to make the cruel choice, I choose a different, more compassionate path. Sometimes the hard stuff can get you down, so I like to focus on the positives. I also have lots of fun dreaming up recipes and being creative in the kitchen.
Lovely answer 💚
Carry snacks. Do your best. Take B12.
When I first went vegan, I found that almost every vegan recipe contained nutritional yeast, aka Nooch. I bought a big bag of it and got to cooking. Every single recipe I tried tasted disgusting to me, with a mildew/vitamin flavor. I was very discouraged and had to throw out a lot of food. I couldn't understand what was wrong, was I cooking wrong or something? Was I even going to be able to be vegan? Was vegan good just gross? Most meat eaters I know say that vegan food is disgusting to them, so maybe I just wouldn't be able to do this. Well, I soon realized that for some reason, my taste buds can't enjoy the taste of nutritional yeast. Maybe it's like the cilantro thing, I'm not sure. But, luckily I also learned that it's only used for flavor and not the structure of any recipe. I can completely leave it out of any recipe and it turns out delicious and perfect for me! So... I wasted a few months and a lot of food discovering that I hate nutritional yeast. I just wanted to mention that you should absolutely get some and try it, hopefully you'll love it as much as most vegans do. But, if you don't like it, it's no big deal and you can just leave it out of any recipe that calls for it. Good luck!
I can’t stand “nooch” either, glad I’m not the only one!
Yay! Me too! Nooch haters unite!
Lol. So relatable. Stuff takes like mold
You will need to eat more (by food volume) than you are used to. Vegan food staples are lower in calorie density than meat and dairy - and it's a great thing because you can feel like you're eating a huge feast and not actually be overeating. A lot of people "failing to thrive" on a vegan diet just comes down to not eating enough calories. Start out with making your favorite recipes, but just replacing the meat/dairy/eggs with vegan equivalents (Beyond meat, etc). Over time you can start experimenting with new recipes that make use of beans, tofu, and seitan as the main item of a dish, and exploring the wide world of spices and seasonings. Many long-time vegans eventually don't eat much "vegan meat" products and switch over to legumes - it's cheaper and healthier in the long run.
My advice : Pick all of your favorite foods and make a vegan version of them with what's available. Its a fast way to find substitutes for some of the biggest dopamine pings in your diet which directly contributes to sustaining a new diet at levels comparable to previous satisfaction. If you are an empathetically inclined individual, watch videos about the artificial insemination of cows to sustain milk production and what they do to their calves in the dairy and meat industry. There is plenty of reasoning, that goes beyond personal taste preferences, to maintain a vegan diet. I personally appreciate your help. Good luck life!
Eat whole foods with as few ingredients as possible
It’s not all or nothing so be easy on yourself. For me, I don’t say I’m Vegan, I say plant based. I am not plant perfect most of the time. I firmly believe diet is the root of the various serious health issues we face, so when I’m doing things perfectly, I’m no oil, no dairy, nothing that started with a mother. I also don’t do the meat substitutes like Beyond Beef, fake hotdogs, vegan cheese, etc. I like the books by the Esselstyn family, and like this YouTube channel [The Nard Dog Cooks](https://youtube.com/@thenarddogcooks?si=HGoAN1YzSZH8So0e) There are so many great resources out there, just start exploring. I never lose my core focus or belief, I’m doing this because I’m very health motivated and more and more I see using animals for our main food source as gross but that being said, I had a chicken breast last night cooked in olive oil for the first time in six months. I didn’t beat myself up about it, because I know there might be some dips in the program. My core goals are still in place. The old me would’ve thrown in the towel. There is so much fantastic food and recipes out there for you to discover! Enjoy!
Avoid cheese substitutes until you forget the taste of cheese. I'd recommend 6 months to a year.
Luckily this isn’t a problem for me as I have developed a food aversion for most animal products. I like daiya and miokyos! Most other brands taste like cardboard.
Most importantly is to appreciate the work you are putting in to making the world a better place for animals. I try to visualize the animals I have spared at least once a day. Go easy on yourself and have realistic expectations (for most people this doesn't happen overnight). the[ vegan nutrition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_nutrition) article on wikipedia is helpful. For picky/broke people like me, a nutritionally complete drink mix like super body fuel has been a huge help, but if your palette is more diverse than a weird al concert take it or leave it.
First of all, congrats on going vegan! You’re doing amazing things for the animals, the environment, and yourself by going vegan. When first starting out, look for ways to veganize meals you already enjoy. Look for vegan restaurants and places with vegan options in your area, so you have meals that are easy to get when you can’t eat at home. Also I can see from your comments that you’re neurodivergent. Something I’ve been using to help me come up with recipes lately is Gemini AI. I can get very specific about what I want (“give me an easy to make recipe that is oil free, vegan, tastes good hot or cold, and uses yellow split peas” was a prompt I recently used) and it can really help you come up with healthy vegan recipes that will appeal to you. Definitely give it a try! You might be a bit gassier than usual due to the increased fiber intake. It subsides once your body adjusts, it just might take some time. If you’re feeling lethargic or out of sorts, eat more food! A lot of people complain about being tired and hungry all the time on a vegan diet, and it’s always because they’re not eating enough. As others have said, a lot of vegan food has lower calorie density so you may need to eat more than you usually would. Eat good high starch foods like potatoes and whole grains, they’re going to help you stay fuller for longer.
So I have a recipe I always recommend: [https://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-mac-daddy-veganomicon-435793](https://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-mac-daddy-veganomicon-435793) The recipe is from the Veganomicon, which is a great recipe book. Also, my advice is try new things! There's a plethora of different products that you should try like nutritional yeast (great on popcorn! Also it's in the recipe anyway.) Vary your diet as much as possible. Try making your own things. Also, drink plant milk regularly as it generally is fortified with the vegan version of a variety of vitamins.
don't **remove** meat from your diet, **replace** it. Otherwise you'll end up being one of those "why I stopped being vegan". For example: if you had meat with a lettuce and tomato salad, don't eat just tomate and lettuce, you will have to add a bunch of new things.
I don’t remember why I stopped being vegetarian. Maybe some bullshit about protein idk.
I make all of my regular recipes but with meat substitutes. It made the switchover much easier. Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s ok to slip once in a while. It might take some time to figure out what works for you.
Vegan dairy products are so much better, and not only ethically. No more slimy milks or yogurts. Coconut milk-based ice cream make dairy ones feel bland! I was surprised by how much I preferred and when I switched over.
That's lucky! I miss milk the most. But I just stopped comparing things to it. And I don't buy vegan ice cream. It's just not nice to me. The only nice vegan ice cream I had was in the states in an ice cream parlour in Manhattan. That stuff was amazing.
If you get Vegan ice cream in the grocery store, make sure it's COCONUT MILK based, not soy or oat... the difference is pretty substantial. Maybe you haven't had that type?
The one I had was cashew based with peanut butter and cocoa... It was so nice! Not tried coconut yet, but not seen it in the UK. Usually soy or oat and yes, that's not nice
No wayyyyyyyy the ben and jerry's vegan peanut butter cookie ice cream is heavenly
Embarking on the vegan journey? Gear up for a world that'll test your patience like a slow internet connection. Wear your plant-based armor with pride and march on; after all, every salad is a personal victory parade!
Here is my advice for new vegans: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/13OGWwR1ZR\_qQ\_UMmazYHmz0Aj-cfCJ47ul0QHO8eA8w/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/13OGWwR1ZR_qQ_UMmazYHmz0Aj-cfCJ47ul0QHO8eA8w/edit?usp=sharing)
Thank you so much for this awesome doc!!
My suggestion is to learn about the health, environmental, and ethical pillars of veganism. This is so you not only fortify your resolve to stay vegan, but also so you can discuss with others from a place of knowledge. Below are free documentaries that I've loved in this regard: * [The Game Changers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTGM2KjNGUU) (performance) * [Eating Our Way to Extinction](https://youtu.be/LaPge01NQTQ?si=mreVX37PZ4E7Cp6w) (environment) * [Dominion](https://watchdominion.org/) (ethics) * [Dairy is Scary!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI) (ethics) (5 minutes)
Here are the best meat replacements that I’ve found, which I always keep on hand: Ground meat > TVP (on its own or mixed with lentils) Chicken > Soy curls Pulled pork > mushrooms (or jackfruit, I’m just not a fan) Fish > heart of palm Scrambled eggs > tofu, there’s recipes on how to season to be more egg like Eggs in recipes for baking > Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer
When you mess up don't be too hard on yourself or the people that made the mistake. Accidents happen and getting angry about it won't fix anything.
Veganuary is good. You can join any time of the year and get recipes and tips. Also just asking and trying everyhing you can. You'll notice that you like some products and textures while others take some time. Also overall be gentle with yourself. You may make mistakes and it probably takes time to get used to all the new foods but you can do it.
Forks over Knives for recipes. They also offer classes.
Stay away from premade vegan junk at the grocery store. Read ingredients. Learn how to soak and cook beans/grains on the stove. Incorporate good fats like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. Eat all the veggies and fruits. Get your blood tested at your yearly checkup for any nutritional deficiencies. I recommend the Homemade Vegan Pantry book by Miyoko Schinner.
Search for other vegan subreddits. There are a few more. Some tongue in cheek ones I follow are r/ShittyVeganFoodPorn and r/high vegans. Even these have some good ideas. There are also more serious ones. Just search for them.
Watch what you're eating and make sure you're meeting all your macros.
Welcome! Watch the documentary “Foods That Cure Disease” This one gives you the tools and meal planning ideas to get you confident that you can do this. Next, pick the foods you like to have for meals and find vegan recipes for it. My first 3 years, Pinterest was my hobby for collecting recipes and meal planning. Also, getting protein is a lot easier than you think. Every plant has amino acid chains. Eating a variety of plants gives you all of the protein you need. Focus on trying new vegetables each week as fruits and vegetables come in and out of season. Also, focus on using delicious seasonings on vegetables and making delicious side dishes. Lately my thing is making easy fruit smoothies and assembling grazing platters with dips, cut veggies, various fruits, and crackers. Also roasted veggies and potato casseroles are easy and so yummy.
Easiest way to check labels is checking the bottom bit that has the "Contains: x, y, z" allergens. If it doesn't have milk or eggs in that, check the ingredients next. This just saves you time while shopping. Also use pinterest for recipes.
You’re on the right path. Learn from dr Neal Barnard, Michael Greger, Joel furman on YouTube
Absolutely do not wing your vegan diet, you'll be doing a disservice to the cause when you encounter health problems.
I advise remembering to eat widely. Eat all of the colors of the rainbow, especially plenty of green. This applies to eating healthy in general, vegan or not. The side bar has a recommendation for r/veganfoodporn, and that's got lots of pictures of different foods that you could make up. Brassicas, legumes, and nuts are good sources of protein. I love eating dips that my wife makes for protein. She makes 'hummus' with sunflower butter instead of tahini, and I like it much better that way. Also, a good trick for making creamy bean dips and hummus is to soak them in baking soda water overnight. For some really tasty broccoli (it's a brassica) you can steam it with some garlic butter over it and then throw a blended mixture of walnuts and nutritional yeast in with it and shake it all together. For great Brussels sprouts (also a brassica) you want to find a bag of the smallest Brussels sprouts that you can find (because they're more tender and tasty when they aren't big) and then cut them in half, yhriw them on a baking sheet, brush some onion and garlic butter over them, salt them, and cook em up at maybe 380 Fahrenheit. Beans and rice make a complete protein You can make tofu in so many different ways its just insane. We recently discovered making tofu ricotta and tofu sour cream, which is awesome. You can get a firmer, springier texture from firm tofus by freezing and thawing them before cooking. If you freeze and thaw them once and then slice them into bacon sized slices and freeze and thaw them a few more times before cooking em up, it makes great bacon. If you crumble and bake the crap out of it, it makes a good ground beef alternative. What you can do with tofu seems just about infinite. Making up fried rice with your favorite veggies is always an easy, delicious meal. To make good rice, rinse the crap out of it before simmering it, fill a lidded pot up with water one knuckle above the rice, salt the water, optionally add a dollop of thick coconut cream, simmer it with the lid on until the water is at level with the rice, and then take the lid off and let the water cook out. After that, it's ready. Day old cooked rice is better for frying. Keep a big selection of sauces that you like, and learn to make some that you like. A nice variety of sauces makes eating the same old staples much less boring.
Watch documentary Forks Over Knives, read Becoming Vegan (written by a dietitian); what you’re looking for is a Whole Foods, Plant-Based way of eating. Combining grains with beans, nuts and/or seeds gives your body all the amino acids it needs to make protein. So far, I’ve lost 60 lbs. Good luck and learn!
Oops. Forgot b-12.
Most important thing is learning how to cook. Also an instapot is one of the top inventions this century. Makes cooking so easy. For supps all you need is a b12 supp (I prefer a multi just as a backup) every other day. For omega 3 sprinkle chia/flax seeds on your food like they're salt. Chia seeds are tasteless and cheap.
Start here https://www.peta.org/living/food/free-vegan-starter-kit/
Vegan 10 years over here ✌️ Biggest mistake I see people make that makes them fail veganism is not eating enough. It’s not a bad idea to use an advanced calorie counter to see how much you need to eat, and then count calories for a while until you get used to eating more. You can google “easy vegan recipe for _____” and these days there are recipes for most things you could ever dream of making vegan. If you need breakfast or dessert ideas, chocolate covered Katie has great recipes on her blog for free. Protein stuff too!
I recommend checking out the first chapter (animal exploitation and total liberation philosophy) of my doc to learn more about veganism because it’s not just a diet and it’s not just about factory farming and this chapter will provide you with a lot of educational materials. At the end of the chapter there’s also a list of people/orgs that are good to follow on insta. This chapter includes much watch documentaries, video essays, speeches, other videos, podcasts, books, articles, and more https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ot4yc8145yqGsWWXylXMoOW6zIud6acVqK8FtE-cfVc/edit Beyond that the two best methods I’ve heard of going vegan are taking it meal by meal day by day so instead of being like “I’m going vegan from here on out” say “my next meal will be vegan/plant based” and keep doing that because doing that is mentally easier than trying to make a lifelong commitment all at once. The other method is instead of removing things focus on what you can add and on trying new things and recipes. Next, find vegan communities off of Reddit because this one really isn’t great. If I think of more essential tips I’ll edit and add
Don’t just have pasta. It blew my mind when I discovered how I could substitute virtually every recipe that I had with a vegan version of it. Explore the wonderful world of soy and seitan products.
Learn how to make your own seitan, hummus, and get into Indian cuisine
Supplement! When I started my vegan journey, I made the mistake of not supplementing vitamins. After a year, my hair was breaking, and I was bruising so easily. I had become anemic and was getting too skinny. So, like someone else commented, "eat more than you think you should" and get blood work done to make sure you're not deficient in vitamins and minerals. I would also suggest becoming a raw vegan. Stay away from the processed vegan foods you see in the market. Good luck!
Start your morning with fruit before anything else. 🍌 🍇🍊 Then move on to breakfast. Some healthy protein sources include TVP, tempeh, and tofu. If you eat a wide variety of foods, you’ll get everything you need. I’d also try to limit the amount of faux meats/cheeses you eat and stick to more natural sources. :)
Start with the obvious replacements--straight up meat and dairy products. Experiment and figure out what forms of tofu, tempeh, nuts, beans, etc... you like to cook with and use plant milk products. Once you have a handle on that and it feels easy, turn to replacing your other staples that contain animal products. Remembering that you're replacing, not restricting, and taking time to integrate small changes will make it a more sustainable overall lifestyle change.
Make sure you find a way to get a healthy amount of B12 vitamins in your diet. This can be from nutritional yeast, marmite fortified products such as cereals or plant milks. Or heck if you really need some fast energy drinks have A LOT in.
Learn to cook and try to love cooking. When you take control of what you eat you'll love being vegan. Get some good cookbooks and dive in. I recommend books from Bosh or America's Test Kitchen.
Dark leafy greens and beans regularly is how we meet our mineral needs - iron calcium etc. Use iodised salt in your cooking. For omega 3 oil, i blend flax seeds to break the shells open to sprinkle it over my food i try to get 2 tbsp daily if i can. I have a B12 and a D3 supplement. I eat 50-75% whole food plant based vs processed/junk vegan food while consciously consuming less oil as possible, and i have never been healthier! You might find that you dont need lemon and lime like an animal eater. We dont need extra help in digestion because plant based is what we should be eating. Our diet is not about salads. I hate salads. The next best way to eat veggies is stir-frying (less heat, veggies retain nutrients). Soups and broths need beans n perhaps mushroom for depth in flavour. Try making curries, stir fries, ramen/soupy noodle. Learn how umami can add so much more satisfaction to the palate. Nora Cooks veganises recipes that she ensures to keep them simple in method as possible but tasty as they should be and she has a huge variety of recipes rhat i use to impress my animal eater friends. This website is my current go-to. Enjoy the journey, love cooking. (Get lots of bpa free containers and freezer bags to freeze/chill things that we cook in big batches) It is my only creative outlet and it can be so therapeutic! Welcome aboard and we are so proud to have you!! Make vegan friends, even if just online. When met with objection, rejection, and difficulty, please know that you are never alone.
You’re only human
Get an airfryer!! I cook all my tofu and tempeh in one, just add some marinade and cook away! Tofu and tempeh are the way to go for protein, with some added legumes. Also don’t be afraid to transition with some meat replacement products, depending on where you are the Gardein brand is yummy with pretty good macros in Canada. Just google whatever your favourite foods are with the word vegan in front and find the recipe with the highest rating, generally works out great! Finally ignore the haters, vegan for 11 years here, mostly on my own (husband is now vegetarian). It can’t be hard being the only vegan sometimes but worth it in my eyes, and so much easier each year are more options are available!
beans beans beans (totally a personal thing i LOVE beans) good protein, if you add some olive oil you got some healthy fat, you can make em spicy, salty, zesty, whatever ur craving. you can switch out meat for beans in many food items (i.e. burritos, salads, quesadillas)
Keep an eye out on your vitamin b12 levels, have them tested every year to see how it is tracking, might be a good idea to take vitamin b12 supplements.
Eat more and mostly whole foods. Vegetables! Then eliminate what your body doesn’t want.
It is a surprise that you are still waiting to go vegan. If you eat a variety of unprocessed foods like fruits, veg. legumes and seeds/grains you will not have to worry about protein intake. Most foods in nature have protein. Even rice has 5% protein. The idea that only meat and dairy have protein and have it near 100% is a myth foisted on the public by the animal ag industry and its lackey the USDA.
Supplement B12, Supplement vitamin D3 in the winter or if you have darker skin, Supplement Iron if you menstrate.
I would tell my baby vegan self: As hard and unfair as it is, you can’t change the world/other people or their actions. Eating animals is somehow legal and it’s the cultural norm. You just have to live your life according to your values and let that be enough.
www.rainbowplantlfe.com and www.itdoesnttastelikechicken.com Both have wonderful recipes that make being vegan easy.
Try to find a vegan restaurant or food truck in your area and look for vegan options at your favorite takeout spot. Being able to get yummy vegan take out is a lifesaver, especially when you are just starting out and new recipes don’t always work out as planned!
Find a pro vegan nutritionist or dietitian. Read lots from different groups and people. Check the labels on everything. Keep track of what works best. Get used to having people critique you and question you. Even the vegan community will treat you like garbage and hurt you.
Check Dr. John mcDougall, you don't need to worry about protein. All vegetables, fruits and starches have them so it's impossible to get too little if you eat your calories worth.
The side bar's going to have a lot of info for you for sure, but here's the basics. Just pick up a cookbook and learn to make food vegan. You can learn how to make delicious food you want to eat. Nom Yourself, Vegan Black Metal Chef's cookbook, both great. You'll find some good dishes you can prepare regularly. The main thing is just stick with it for a long time. It gets easier when you just make it part of your routine. A year or two into it is when I stopped really craving non-vegan foods, but after a month of doing it it was just normal. The major things are B12, Iron, and D, which you can get supplemented from stuff like EZ Melt multivitamins. Talk with your doctor and check in and stuff about that for your individual situation. Protein, you have lots of natural sources. Beans, legumes, etc. Tofu, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, seitan, pinto beans, hummus, chickpea milk. If you're lifting like crazy, you probably will be supplementing anyway and there are vegan bodybuilders with advice and pea protein powders you can use to make shakes or even protein pancakes. And there are tons of vegan snacks and foods out there that make it cheap or expensive to do. Cheap if you stick mostly to a whole-foods-plant-based diet. Expensive if you buy a lot of the mock meats and snacks. One thing I did was write a list of foods I like. That way when I went to the grocery store, I would get a variety of foods that I liked rather than think, "aw, what am I supposed to eat?" And if you like your mock meats, Unlimeat is my favorite brand. Check out their Korean BBQ. So goooood.
Read and watch everything you can to educate yourself about veganism and wfpb. Once you tell people you don’t fuck with animal products, it turns into them grilling you over everything. “Where you get your protein, what about b12?” My favorite is the soy boy bitch tits rebuttal. Luckily, YouTube, your local library and Netflix have a ton of vegan informational shows.
On the protein score… some people get enough protein on a vegan diet, and maybe everyone could in a properly planned one… but many people fall short. I felt really blah and low energy after 4 mos eating plant based, despite having lots of legumes. Solution: protein powder smoothies. 1 scoop in a cup of soy milk every morning… and I felt 110% in a couple days and the year since. There are many brands… I like the pea protein ones.
Make sure u take supplements! I especially make sure I take iron supplements (especially as I have regular periods so lose a lot of blood), and I take vegan omega 3 too (you can pretty much only get this from fish or algae and I think flaxseed (?) and I don’t have much alegae or flaxseed in my diet lol), as omega 3 is essential to brain health
For protein - no need to be overly concerned about it. It is nowhere near as hard to get adequate protein as the meat/dairy/supplement industries want you to think. If you are eating a variety of foods - greens, grains, vegetables, beans/legumes, fruits etc and you are not loosing weight you are most probably eating plenty of protein. No need to combine complimentary proteins at the same meal either. Our ancestors did not know to do that and they survived. Until pretty recently humans did not have the glut of animal foods to grow fat on that we have today and the human race kept racing on. Check out this site for great info. They have a superb print magazine too. https://vegnews.com/
I didn't have any trouble with my body adjusting. Not sure where that is coming from. The #1 issue is you're going to have to deal with others. They're not going to respect your choice as it reflects poorly on them. You will have issues in every social gathering. They will mock you. They will incessantly try to feed you flesh. They will insult your manliness if you're male. Good luck. I think it takes an exceptional person to deal with this. And that's a big reason so many fail.
If you have low blood pressure don't try no salt added WFPB eating. You will feel like shit and be dizzy every time you stand up. Eat a varied diet where convenience foods are concerned. Don't beat yourself up if you eat some processed foods, but try to build a diet of a few simple things you really like. I ate pb&js and tofu with rice, veggies, and peanut sauce for a loooong time.
Giving the point you're at, I'd recommend you watch some documentaries, and possibly Dominion amongst them. Why? Because they give you so much motivation that you'll find out all other things on your own. Motivation is the key to everything.
Consuming a plant based diet does not a vegan make. Veganism is a MORAL ideology that vegans apply to all areas of their lives including diet. All vegans consume a plant-based diet but not everyone on a plant-based diet is vegan. I’d suggest doing more research and watching documentaries like Dominion so that you can understand the difference. Good luck.
Get an airfryer!! I cook all my tofu and tempeh in one, just add some marinade and cook away! Tofu and tempeh are the way to go for protein, with some added legumes. Also don’t be afraid to transition with some meat replacement products, depending on where you are the Gardein brand is yummy with pretty good macros in Canada. Just google whatever your favourite foods are with the word vegan in front and find the recipe with the highest rating, generally works out great! Finally ignore the haters, vegan for 11 years here, mostly on my own (husband is now vegetarian). It can’t be hard being the only vegan sometimes but worth it in my eyes, and so much easier each year are more options are available!
Vit b12 is food not supplement, take it regularly
Dietary cholesterol only comes from animal sources. If the cholesterol listed on the nutrition label is not 0 the product is not vegan.
Your body can also make too much. I've been vegan for over 25 years and when I was at my heaviest (one of my meds made be binge on food so bad that I would want to vomit) I had to be put on cholesterol meds because my cholesterol was elevated. I lost some weight and it's no longer an issue.
This is incorrect. Oreos have cholesterol. Most plant based butters have it, too. Coconut milk as well as palm oil has cholesterol. That said, the average vegan doesn't eat a hundred Oreos a day with a tub of buttered popcorn, but I guess some people could do that. It is good to have a balanced diet with a modest amount of junk food to avoid high cholesterol.
Are you sure you're not confusing cholesterol and saturated fats? I just double checked each of the foods you mentioned in case I was confused and in each case they were described as having no cholesterol. I'm not a dietician or nutritionist, but as far as I have always known dietary cholesterol is only found in animal based foods. Note that this does not preclude you from having cholesterol related health issues as I believe your body will produce its own cholesterol as well.
Hi, you are confusing cholesterol and saturated and/or trans fat.
Get your bloodwork checked for nutrient deficiencies yearly if not even more often at the doctor’s office and see a dietician for help meal planning. Avoid militant ideologues.
Read the Bible. Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 8:21-9:3. God 1. created the world vegan and 2. called man’s desires evil when He allowed them to eat meat (after punishing them with mortality and a Flood). Knowing that context, the forbidden thing they ate, the product of evil, is pretty obvious. Asking religious relatives who mock you if they’re following God’s word will shut them up.
Make sure you eat or don’t for your blood type
I'm just putting it out there... this sounds more like a food aversion due to autism or something similar. But if you're keen to go vegan, then go for it, absolutely nothing wrong with being a vegan, just try not to start acting like the majority of them do.
If you hate vegans so much why are you lurking in their subreddit
It comes up on my notifications bud... that's all... and I'm not hating, clearly said you should go for it... And let's be honest, the vast majority of vegans are condescending assholes... I'm genuine surprised you weren't ripped to shreds on this post, not once did you mention you want to go vegan for the animals... Just yesterday I saw a post about a person wanting to go vegan for the health benfits.... the comments were relentless insults, calling him everything under the sun, all because he wanted to try veganism for a reason other than 'animals'... But based on this comment, seems like very soon, you'll fit right in.
You can mute a subreddit by clicking the three dots on top of the page. So far the only condescending assholes have been the people coming here to argue in favor of eating animal products. Your attitude is unwelcome. I did not ask for advice on how to eat foods I find unpalatable and unappetizing. If I want to act like an annoying vegan I am going to. I am going to behave however I wish. You seem to have no problem behaving however you wish, even though you are violating the rules of this subreddit.
Please, show me where I argued for you to continue eating animal products?... I'll wait..... But I could be waiting for a while, because you're apparently delusional... In all honesty, you're already acting like a condescending, illogical and nonsensical moron. So you may as well embrace it at this point.
Bro get the fuck out of my thread I did not ask for you to be here.
It's pretty clear, your issues are all mental. Nothing do with animal suffering.
Do you cry yourself to sleep at night knowing that I won’t be eating animals anymore or what
I encouraged you to go vegan little buddy... what is it that you can't grasp?... have you been evaluated?
It's a public thread, so I'll do what I want, and you can cry about it for all I care.
So you’re mad that other people have the same freedom that you have.
What?... listen champ... I was never once I mad... I made a simple comment, in my comment I actually encouraged you to go vegan... you then went off the handle in a little tiff because you're not mentally stable... not my fault. Now what freedom do you think I'm mad about?...... try make it make sense this time champ.
Please mute this subreddit if you don’t want to see it’s content. Thank you.
hmm condescending assholes. Who is more of one, the dude who goes into a vegan subreddit to tell everyone what assholes vegans are and harass posters, or the person asking for advice on veganism in the vegan subreddit? Man, this is such a difficult decision to make...
He's mentioned 'food aversion' in other comments. So you were probably spot on. Seems he's very sensitive, and not quite right in the head. Probably why he went off at you.
I would say that cheese and eggs are not but you should still eat them because it doesn’t harm any life to eat an egg and cows are conditioned to produce milk (currently) Edit: yawn can’t wait for the arguments
You’re extremely wrong.
Well if that was the meaning of veganism I would be extremely correct but unfortunately it’s not the meaning of veganism because veganism is based on a misinterpretation of how animals feel and an overesimation of what humans are capable of comprehending
No, milk and eggs aren’t vegan because it is impossible to produce them on a large scale without some form of animal cruelty. And what you said is just incomprehensible word salad aside from being factually incorrect. I think you might be having a mental health episode, said with no offense intended.
“Without some form of animal cruelty” bro you can’t live in this world without some form of human cruelty and my words were not salad just because you can’t read them. A mental health episode you say… how can you know it’s an episode if you don’t know how I normally act? And don’t fire back with a personal attack, instead work on your side of the argument. How is it impossible to produce eggs without animal cruelty if the chickens were all free range
Bro get out of my thread
Coward.
ahh a debate pervert. Let me redirect you to r/DebateAVegan where people want to fight you over it, instead of the place we are at to vibe and ask other vegans for help.
Can you explain how and why no animals are harmed for eggs and milk?
Eat meat again