Vegan Anyone??

ScienceNerd · Feb 28th, 2008, 07:42 PM

I just saw this on a TMZ feature

http://www.tmz.com/2008/02/28/yes-sh...and-in-a-cage/

I looked on the PETA website because I was very curious. Admittedly, I've always kinda wanted to research this, but was afraid I wouldn't be able to eat meat later, and I didn't want that to happen(incredibley selfish sounding I know). Now that I finally read and watched all the videos I feel awful. I am really interesting in becoming vegan, but I mean, where do you start? My husband looked at me like I was some super liberal hippy (he's a very conservative person) and rolled his eyes at me. How can I expect to do this without his support. Any vegans on here? How do you feel about that whole lifestyle? I welcome all the opinions! Check out the peta website to get a lot of interesting information as well. Thanks in advance!

Liz_x3 · Feb 28th, 2008, 07:55 PM

I know a guy who's a vegan and his diet is super strict. Obviously no meat and fish but he also doesn't eat dairy products or anything containing a dairy product. Like chocolate, he can't eat it if it has milk in it. Do you know how many packaged foods contain dairy products? And I love cheese, milk, STEAK.. it's obvious that I wouldn't be a very good vegan LOL. But hey, if you think it's a fit for you then go for it! You won't know until you try!

invadersads · Feb 28th, 2008, 07:58 PM

i'm not vegan, i'm a vegetarian. i do know a lot about veganism, i would like to eventually go vegan but you have to start somewhere i suppose and its easier for some to go vegan quicker than others, for me it would be really hard for me to go vegan right away. my fiance loves meat and living with him hasnt been easy food wise. i usually make a meal that we'd both enjoy and just make some meat for him too, or sometimes i'll make two separate meals. i am still working on finding some healthy meals that we could both eat because i find myself eating a bit too much pasta lately. lol.
anyway, if you're looking for something that will really make you never want to eat meat again, read the book slaughterhouse by gail eisnitz. its very eye opening.
other than that, peta has a lot of info for foods to eat if your'e going vegan. just make sure you try to get all your vitamins and if you do decide to go straight to being vegan be sure to buy a b-12 supplement because its the only vitamin that can't be replaced with any other foods besides animal products.

alexis77 · Feb 28th, 2008, 08:25 PM

You might want to check out the "RAW Food" thread--obviously, eating raw is vegan! And extremely healthy!

bnjj · Feb 29th, 2008, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexis77

You might want to check out the "RAW Food" thread--obviously, eating raw is vegan! And extremely healthy!

Don't those eating the raw food diet eat raw cheese, etc? If so, that is not vegan. Vegans are completely against anything made from animals - no cheese, no eggs, no leather shoes or handbags, etc.

ETA - sushi is raw food, no? Vegans do not eat fish either.

caitlin1214 · Feb 29th, 2008, 02:15 AM

It's cool if you want to become a vegan, but please do research in other places besides PETA. They're known to overly exaggerate things.

Not all animals are treated that way.

For example, Whole Foods only gets their meat from places where the animal is treated humanely.

If you decide to become one, talk to a doctor who can recommend a diet that still covers all the necessary nutrients.

Pursegrrl · Feb 29th, 2008, 02:34 AM

As a super newbie to Raw Foods, I can definitely tell you that the Raw Food lifestyle does NOT necessarily mean vegan! That's part of the reason I'm experimenting with Raw...I love cheese but with a vegan diet, that's a no-no. But with a Raw diet I can have cheeses made with unpasteurized milk.

I think if one truly wants to go vegan they need to do it 100%, right down to no leather shoes, wallets, purses, belts, jackets, etc. Otherwise it's a bit hypocritical, JMHO.

cristalena56 · Feb 29th, 2008, 02:34 AM

i love cheese to much to be a vegan, but then again also im not a vegetarian only because i like chicken

tyciol · Feb 29th, 2008, 11:48 AM

If you are set to be a vegan, it is still important to consider your health. It would be good to look up the nutrients you get from meat and dairy products, and to research what foods which are vegan you could find that would provide you with enough of these. Of concern are amino acids, iron, b vitamins, stuff like that.

Also, even if you suddenly find meat abhorrent to eat, you might want to phase it out gradually rather than go cold turkey.

If you are doing this for moral reasons, like if hamburgers suddely make you queasy, this might be harder, in which case, just try to find good foods to keep your vitamins coming in so that it doesn't hurt you.

If this is for health reasons, do recognize that PETA would be a biased source of information for those, since they have interests in preserving animal lives, which they might put over your having an ideal health by not eating them, so consulting unbiased sources like Wikipedia may be better I think.

ScienceNerd · Feb 29th, 2008, 01:54 PM

Thanks for the great advice everyone! I'm starting the cabbage soup diet and the end calls for beef but I think I'll substitute chicken for that. I haven't eaten hotdogs or any type of sausage since I was 12 because I just couldn't get it down. I've got the same feeling about beef and pork now. Just the thought of all the grease and grisel, yuck. I definitely can't be totally vegan. I'm not really dedicated enough to research every last product I'll buy.

agreenst · Feb 29th, 2008, 05:32 PM

I've been a vegetarian for 2 years and let me tell you, it's very hard. I can't imagine how hard going vegan would be. However, if you are truly serious, i would suggest going halfway or cutting things out in steps.
Maybe try to cut out meat and dairy products in recipes where they play a prominent role first, such as chicken parmesan (which would obviously be a no-no), but not where they play a smaller role, such as
the milk and butter in a chocolate chip cookie (which if you made them from scratch you could use substitutes for..).
You just need to make sure you get enough protein (tofu, beans, lentils, and nuts are good sources) and enough vitamins. Right after i switched over i didn't do a very good job eating right and my hair started falling out and my nails flaking off. It was super scary

A daily multi-vitamin and calcium supplements (whole foods sells delicious chocolate chewy calcium soft chews) should be good.
Good luck!

jellybebe · Feb 29th, 2008, 10:46 PM

I haven't touched red meat for 16 years, but I do have chicken and fish. It all depends on what you're comfortable with. Sounds like you could definitely do without red meat, but what about seafood? For me, it's way too healthy to give up - I like those omega-3s! IMO eating should be about fun, not deprivation and torture.

alexis77 · Feb 29th, 2008, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnjj

Don't those eating the raw food diet eat raw cheese, etc? If so, that is not vegan. Vegans are completely against anything made from animals - no cheese, no eggs, no leather shoes or handbags, etc.

ETA - sushi is raw food, no? Vegans do not eat fish either.

True 100% RAW foodists, eat only LIVING foods. Living foods are plant-based and have active enzymes--milks and cheeses are made using nuts/seeds/sprouts and blending to form a liquid. To make "cheese," you simply use a dehydrator to evaporate some of the water to form a pliable, "cheese-like" texture that you can use in place of traditional cheese. Sushi is not living, and true RAW foodists do not eat this. For more information, please check out "Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen.

There are varations of RAW philosophy. All focus on raw plant food but have some tolerances: (1) ESSENE--which allows unpasteurized milk and cheeses from healthy animals (2) MICROBIOTIC-allows brown rice and soy products (3) HUNZA--allows some cooked whole grains, and healthy meat and eggs and (4) NATURAL HYGIENE--allows cooked complex starches, including potatoes, yams, lentils and legumes.

sammydoll · Feb 29th, 2008, 11:55 PM

I'm a vegetarian but know many vegans. I suggest you start by just going veg. Contrary to what someone said here- Peta is actually a great resource to help you go vegetarian!

http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp

^^ check this out.. looongg list of vegan food from everywhere.. that whole site in general is great.

The most important part of going veggie or vegan is to get enough protein- so explore dishes with beans, tofu, spinach, etc.

Good luck!

caitlin1214 · Mar 1st, 2008, 12:06 AM

I'm sure PETA's a great resource for vegetarian products.

I'm just saying be careful if you're not sure whether or not you want to take up vegetarianism.
Don't believe everything you read about their 'research.'

They tend to exaggerate.

Feb 28th, 2008, 07:42 PM	#1
ScienceNerd Member Location: Jax	Vegan Anyone?? I just saw this on a TMZ feature http://www.tmz.com/2008/02/28/yes-sh...and-in-a-cage/ I looked on the PETA website because I was very curious. Admittedly, I've always kinda wanted to research this, but was afraid I wouldn't be able to eat meat later, and I didn't want that to happen(incredibley selfish sounding I know). Now that I finally read and watched all the videos I feel awful. I am really interesting in becoming vegan, but I mean, where do you start? My husband looked at me like I was some super liberal hippy (he's a very conservative person) and rolled his eyes at me. How can I expect to do this without his support. Any vegans on here? How do you feel about that whole lifestyle? I welcome all the opinions! Check out the peta website to get a lot of interesting information as well. Thanks in advance! __________________ Pretty much the biggest oddball http://www.myspace.com/jillian_godsdancingangel

Feb 28th, 2008, 07:55 PM	#2
Liz_x3 Member	Re: Vegan Anyone?? I know a guy who's a vegan and his diet is super strict. Obviously no meat and fish but he also doesn't eat dairy products or anything containing a dairy product. Like chocolate, he can't eat it if it has milk in it. Do you know how many packaged foods contain dairy products? And I love cheese, milk, STEAK.. it's obvious that I wouldn't be a very good vegan LOL. But hey, if you think it's a fit for you then go for it! You won't know until you try!

Feb 28th, 2008, 07:58 PM	#3
invadersads Member Location: Massachusetts	Re: Vegan Anyone?? i'm not vegan, i'm a vegetarian. i do know a lot about veganism, i would like to eventually go vegan but you have to start somewhere i suppose and its easier for some to go vegan quicker than others, for me it would be really hard for me to go vegan right away. my fiance loves meat and living with him hasnt been easy food wise. i usually make a meal that we'd both enjoy and just make some meat for him too, or sometimes i'll make two separate meals. i am still working on finding some healthy meals that we could both eat because i find myself eating a bit too much pasta lately. lol. anyway, if you're looking for something that will really make you never want to eat meat again, read the book slaughterhouse by gail eisnitz. its very eye opening. other than that, peta has a lot of info for foods to eat if your'e going vegan. just make sure you try to get all your vitamins and if you do decide to go straight to being vegan be sure to buy a b-12 supplement because its the only vitamin that can't be replaced with any other foods besides animal products.

Feb 28th, 2008, 08:25 PM	#4
alexis77 Adopt a Greyhound!	Re: Vegan Anyone?? You might want to check out the "RAW Food" thread--obviously, eating raw is vegan! And extremely healthy! __________________ Race Cars, Not Dogs...

Feb 29th, 2008, 02:15 AM	#6
caitlin1214 Don't stop the rock Location: Toronto, Canada (Eh?)	Re: Vegan Anyone?? It's cool if you want to become a vegan, but please do research in other places besides PETA. They're known to overly exaggerate things. Not all animals are treated that way. For example, Whole Foods only gets their meat from places where the animal is treated humanely. If you decide to become one, talk to a doctor who can recommend a diet that still covers all the necessary nutrients. __________________ And this above all: to thine ownself be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. Polonius, Hamlet Act I, sc iii

Feb 29th, 2008, 02:34 AM	#7
Pursegrrl Oh no she di-int!! Location: Seattle	Re: Vegan Anyone?? As a super newbie to Raw Foods, I can definitely tell you that the Raw Food lifestyle does NOT necessarily mean vegan! That's part of the reason I'm experimenting with Raw...I love cheese but with a vegan diet, that's a no-no. But with a Raw diet I can have cheeses made with unpasteurized milk. I think if one truly wants to go vegan they need to do it 100%, right down to no leather shoes, wallets, purses, belts, jackets, etc. Otherwise it's a bit hypocritical, JMHO.

Feb 29th, 2008, 02:34 AM	#8
cristalena56 ~bethy-lame-o~ Location: phoenix,az	Re: Vegan Anyone?? i love cheese to much to be a vegan, but then again also im not a vegetarian only because i like chicken __________________ "A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, My CB Site MySpace But diamonds are a girl's best friend......" Wishlist My Little Collection

Feb 29th, 2008, 11:48 AM	#9
tyciol Member	Re: Vegan Anyone?? If you are set to be a vegan, it is still important to consider your health. It would be good to look up the nutrients you get from meat and dairy products, and to research what foods which are vegan you could find that would provide you with enough of these. Of concern are amino acids, iron, b vitamins, stuff like that. Also, even if you suddenly find meat abhorrent to eat, you might want to phase it out gradually rather than go cold turkey. If you are doing this for moral reasons, like if hamburgers suddely make you queasy, this might be harder, in which case, just try to find good foods to keep your vitamins coming in so that it doesn't hurt you. If this is for health reasons, do recognize that PETA would be a biased source of information for those, since they have interests in preserving animal lives, which they might put over your having an ideal health by not eating them, so consulting unbiased sources like Wikipedia may be better I think.

Feb 29th, 2008, 01:54 PM	#10
ScienceNerd Member Location: Jax	Re: Vegan Anyone?? Thanks for the great advice everyone! I'm starting the cabbage soup diet and the end calls for beef but I think I'll substitute chicken for that. I haven't eaten hotdogs or any type of sausage since I was 12 because I just couldn't get it down. I've got the same feeling about beef and pork now. Just the thought of all the grease and grisel, yuck. I definitely can't be totally vegan. I'm not really dedicated enough to research every last product I'll buy. __________________ Pretty much the biggest oddball http://www.myspace.com/jillian_godsdancingangel

Feb 29th, 2008, 05:32 PM	#11
agreenst <3s LAMB Location: New Orleans	Re: Vegan Anyone?? I've been a vegetarian for 2 years and let me tell you, it's very hard. I can't imagine how hard going vegan would be. However, if you are truly serious, i would suggest going halfway or cutting things out in steps. Maybe try to cut out meat and dairy products in recipes where they play a prominent role first, such as chicken parmesan (which would obviously be a no-no), but not where they play a smaller role, such as the milk and butter in a chocolate chip cookie (which if you made them from scratch you could use substitutes for..). You just need to make sure you get enough protein (tofu, beans, lentils, and nuts are good sources) and enough vitamins. Right after i switched over i didn't do a very good job eating right and my hair started falling out and my nails flaking off. It was super scary A daily multi-vitamin and calcium supplements (whole foods sells delicious chocolate chewy calcium soft chews) should be good. Good luck!

Feb 29th, 2008, 10:46 PM	#12
jellybebe Back to school! Location: Canada	Re: Vegan Anyone?? I haven't touched red meat for 16 years, but I do have chicken and fish. It all depends on what you're comfortable with. Sounds like you could definitely do without red meat, but what about seafood? For me, it's way too healthy to give up - I like those omega-3s! IMO eating should be about fun, not deprivation and torture. __________________ Wish List: LV Farandole bracelet (WL) LV pink scuba pochette (WL) white Balenciaga City with GGH (?) Prada E/W Gauffre

Feb 29th, 2008, 11:55 PM	#14
sammydoll i'm a.. Location: Annapolis, Maryland	Re: Vegan Anyone?? I'm a vegetarian but know many vegans. I suggest you start by just going veg. Contrary to what someone said here- Peta is actually a great resource to help you go vegetarian! http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp ^^ check this out.. looongg list of vegan food from everywhere.. that whole site in general is great. The most important part of going veggie or vegan is to get enough protein- so explore dishes with beans, tofu, spinach, etc. Good luck! __________________ !visit my fashion blog! http://dollhousechic.blogspot.com Everything is an acquired taste

Mar 1st, 2008, 12:06 AM	#15
caitlin1214 Don't stop the rock Location: Toronto, Canada (Eh?)	Re: Vegan Anyone?? I'm sure PETA's a great resource for vegetarian products. I'm just saying be careful if you're not sure whether or not you want to take up vegetarianism. Don't believe everything you read about their 'research.' They tend to exaggerate. __________________ And this above all: to thine ownself be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. Polonius, Hamlet Act I, sc iii