Methods for going vegan?

[Karanime]

Both from vegetarian and omnivore diets.

I don't really need as many in-depth descriptions as a wide variety of methods. Even if they're just insane ideas, I'd appreciate them.

And for a few, like the standard cold turkey (heh) and slowly weaning yourself off of it, I'd like maybe a few personal experiences with these methods.

I'm trying to find ways for people to convert painlessly to a vegan diet. So there's a bit less resistance, y'know?

Any help would be appreciated.

/<3

[funchy]

I never set out to stop eating meat. It just sort of happened.

I found out where meat really comes from, between the sick animals, the overuse of drugs, the pathogens, and the dirty butchering practices. Once I had that spark of awareness, meat grossed me out. It would be like telling you to eat a dead hunk of roadkill.... gross!

Think about it... why are some animals pets and others dinner? Why are some meats taboo (cat, dog, usually primate, human) but society pressures us to eat other meats?

Why do we insist on drinking milk into our adulthood? And not even milk of our own species. It's a food product designed by nature to put 100s of pound onto a baby cow. It's just odd we do this, especially in modern society when there are so many cheaper, better, healthier, cheaper sources of protein, calories, and calcium.

But what changed my outlook, may not work for you. You need to look within yourself and think about what it is about a flesh-free diet that attracts you.

I can say that I never once craved "meat". I do have times when I crave fat, salt, rich food, grilled-flavored foods, et cetera. But those are things you can have without using meat.

[ginkgo]

I used to eat lots of meat. Meat was my favorite food. I gave it up cold turkey and got very sick and went back to eating meat. Then when I told some vegetarians, they told me to do it very gradually.

So I gradually switched over to fish and then off of fish and then it worked. I do not know of any other methods than the above. Many years later I became a vegan by giving up cheese. No bid deal. They have fake meat and cheese.

[ohTen]

i'm a lifelong vegetarian. i've gone vegan three or four times, the longest lasting about 6 months. every time, it's been cold turkey. after a few months, i just become hungry all the time. i can stuff myself full and will not be satisfied. there is no food i've found that is as filling as dairy or eggs. i love everything else about being vegan and i really want to find a comfortable way to stay that way. my mind is there, my body just doesn't seem to want to follow along.

[Indy107]

For me - it was (is) slow and steady, over the course of several years now,

1st. Sugar, replaced it with Stevia.
2nd. Soda - now I have a tiny 8oz can of Mt Dew, only on the nights I work.
3rd. I was never a big fan of milk or eggs, so these were easy.
4th. Burgers were my favorite meat - replaced with Veggie Burgers.
5th. Replaced Chicken stir frys with Veggie stir frys.
6th. Homemade pizza - lots of veggies - extra sauce - little cheese.
7th. Replaced my morning toast and butter with a Spinach/Banana Green Smoothie.
8th. Lots of salads - and always eat your salad first.

So I guess I condone the replacement theory. Not totally there yet - still working on the butter and cheese - but getting there.

[modernthing]

this is all very interesting... Taking note of this all !

And any advice from those doing it on how to become progressively raw ? Been thinking about it but the thought of giving up warm food, warm soup etc freaks me a bit and my boyfriend even more...

Thank you

[aabbcc]

Originally Posted by modernthing

this is all very interesting... Taking note of this all !

And any advice from those doing it on how to become progressively raw ? Been thinking about it but the thought of giving up warm food, warm soup etc freaks me a bit and my boyfriend even more...

Thank you

You can still have warm food while eating raw. Foods can be warmed in a dehydrator, an electric skillet, on the stove, in a very low oven, even on a hot water radiator! As long as the temperature of the food doesn't go above 116F, it's good. Note: some raw foodists believe you begin to lose amino acids and enzymes above 106-108F. According to Ani Phyo [Ani's Raw Food Kitchen], 104F is warm to the touch. Ani herself doesn't heat any food over 106F.

I have a neat little book called Warming Up To Living Foods by Elysa Markowitz - lovely pictures, menus, recipes and tips for warm raw dishes.

I hope this was helpful.

[modernthing]

Yes ! thank you ! Very little facts are known about raw foods (or at least people don't talk much about it), it's quite interesting

Is there some form of substitute to pastas and these types of food (those might be the hardest to give up :s )

[aelle]

This post made me smile, because I had the same idea of researching methods when I first thought of going vegan, and today I realize how bizarre tha question sounded. Frankly, it's a topic on which the how matters very little. Just... do it. All the time you spend researching is delaying making a decision. The first and only step you need to become vegan is to commit to it. Decide that you will not eat any more animal products. Really.

[Karanime]

Originally Posted by aelle

This post made me smile, because I had the same idea of researching methods when I first thought of going vegan, and today I realize how bizarre tha question sounded. Frankly, it's a topic on which the how matters very little. Just... do it. All the time you spend researching is delaying making a decision. The first and only step you need to become vegan is to commit to it. Decide that you will not eat any more animal products. Really.

Well, I'm already vegan. The reason I was asking is because in high school, people really judge the way you do things, and once I explain why I went vegan, other people start to become interested in the lifestyle. I'm more than happy to help these people out, it's just there's a lot of resistance to the subject, so I'm researching the different ways people have gone vegan.

Personally, I went the gradual route, first cutting out red meats, then poultry, then fish, then dairy products. I guess I'm not a true vegan because I still eat honey regularly, but as far as health is concerned, I'm doing all I can.

/<3

[aabbcc]

Originally Posted by modernthing

Is there some form of substitute to pastas and these types of food (those might be the hardest to give up :s )

The most common pasta substitute I've seen is zucchini.

Here is a fabulous website that I love to visit. There are lots of recipes, photos, and information. I hope you find it useful.

Raw Freedom Community

[Margarita888]

I'd start by first asking yourself WHY you want to go vegan. Is it for health reasons, environmental reasons, moral issues, etc? I tried to go vegan slowly, first cutting out red meat, then worked on cutting out chicken, etc. But I just kept going back. I finally decided to just quit cold turkey after watching Fresh and Food Inc. When you realize how your meat is grown, killed and processed, it made it totally unappetizing to me. Read The China Study. It will give you a whole new way of looking at food. If your WHY is big enough, the HOW will take care of itself. I still eat some fish or dairy occasionally, very rare though, and only because sometimes I don't really have much choice when eating out with the kids and an omnivore husband.