Making the transition to Vegan

Wow, you are brave. I could not go vegan because I already have too many intolerances and food allergies which include gluten and nightshade vegetables. I had to suddenly give up all gluten and it really helped me to just give away everything in the house that I shouldn't eat. Also, focusing on how good what you are eating tastes instead of longing for a taste you can't have, helps.

My ex husband is vegan and looks too thin and very haggard. He is also causing my adult son who lives with him problems as he cannot eat what he wants. The latest is that when my son goes travelling I will have to have his cat because ex h cannot handle the cat food. I am not saying do not be vegan. I am saying be very careful to do it very right. Even as a vegetarian I managed to get iron deficiency in my youth. If you are going to be vegan be very careful to follow a diet that gives you all the nutrients you need to stay healthy. Also, a warning about the kids. Vegan friends finally worked out their kids were so fed up they were sneaking out to Mcdonalds! You really have to figure out stuff kids like to make it work.

I've seen more and more vegan food places lately... Welcome to myLot!

I think there are some vegan snacks in the market. I had tried one time.

I have no idea myself and am learning about this..I am transitioning today also as I can no longer afford meat anyway. I will have lots of beans and I am not going full vegan. But I want to make sure I get B12 that is needed. Here is something I found on it. I would be in the Pescatarian category. Good luck to you.

Sounds good. Wishing you all the best. So you'll consume soy milk or almond milk?

Hello, I've been vegan for 5 years now before that I was vegetarian for I think maybe 2 years. My transition therefore might've been some what easier as I'd already cut out meat. Also I have a major dairy allergy ( milk protein so lactose free won't help) and meat intolerance. I also got recently told I have a gluten sensitivity. I mention this as I noticed some comments saying they couldn't go vegan due to gluten issues and intolerances. Before being diagnosed with gluten sensitivity I was told I had to give up all fructose, High fructose corn syrup which is easy enough living in the UK and anything basically that was similar so Agave syrup and any sort of fruity based sweetener you can think of which is often used to replace honey so maple syrup was a no go too. You wouldn't believe how many vegan foods contain fructose in some form. Now when I was vegan 5 years ago we didn't have fancy fake meats or cheeses and I lived off the small co-op near where I lived for University. I didn't really indulge in mock meats aside from the occasional Linda McCartney Vegan sausage when I was home for the holidays. I also didn't buy Tofu at that point the big slimy sludge put me off until I found the wonders of pre seasoned and prepared Tofu! The point is you can go vegan with many intolerances and allergies it IS just harder of course it will be I struggled so badly when I couldn't have fruit because I lived right across from my local market which sold mostly fresh fruits. It was summer and ALL I craved was fresh juicy strawberries and Watermelon! But alas I could not indulge. Now onto a plant based diet which is technically the name for what you're eating (Veganism itself means you avoid leather and other forms of animal products for non food or drinks items). Make sure you are taking a Vitamin B12 supplement this is merely to be sure you get enough all farm animals are given B12 supplements as B12 is found in dirt animals now don't roam in dirt more often than not so they get given B12 so they dont become sick. Whilst many vegan milk alternatives including vegan yoghurts have been fortified with B12 most vegans and dieticians will recommend you take a supplement just to be safe as you do NOT want low B12 it comes with some pretty scary long term side effects ironically meat eaters are some of the highest risks for B12 deficiency if they aren't consuming much fish some of the highest natural forms of B12 come from things like mussels. Aside from this no other vitamins are specifically needed for a plant based diet. Although if you live in a country with little sunlight chances are you have low Vitamin D and so dieting aside if you want more energy and to feel better Vit D supplements would also help you can get in a spray form its simple and easy to use. Make sure you dont starve yourself on a plant based diet the idea of veganism being the new healthy trend has led to many people doing some very odd weird and BAD diets surrounding plant based eating from water fasts that last far too long to consuming almost NO fat. This is a BIG no no on a plant based diet. YOU NEED HEALTHY FATS as many of these healthy fat sources also contain other vital nutrients a small portion of nuts is good Uh I used to eat a lot of Almonds and Brazil nuts sometimes just a mixed nut bag not salted though just the nuts as is. You CAN often eat more on a plant based diet IF it is wholefoods based and not full of fake meats and cheese. WATCH OUT for coconut oil it is one of the few vegan friendly food items that has high saturated fats. You will find most vegan foods are low in sat fat which is the bad fat. So many plant based eaters have good cholesterol too due to their diet and typically healthier weights although the rise of vegan fast food and junk food with easy accessibility is likely to change this. Make sure your diet is well balanced. You can load up more on carbs trust me on this one. People have lost weight doing an all potato diet weird but it works. My mum has multiple conditions that have left doctors saying it's extremely difficult for her to lose weight especially due to her body not being able to process foods well and more gets turned into fat than it should. However when she tried plant based for awhile when I was cooking for her regularly as she's disabled she lost weight and got to her lowest weight that she's been in years. Yet she would eat what would sometimes seem like a mountain of food for dinner to the point my dad would look and think HOW AN EARTH IS SHE GONNA LOSE WEIGHT?! But yet she did. That is because I wasn't using fake meats a lot of my diet consisted of beans lentils veggies and carbs. So I'd do these big meals of lentil and black bean shepherds pie with a big side of veg which included leafy greens like Kale. Make sure to get in those leafy greens for iron also dark chocolate provides more iron than you'd think so a nice square or two of Lindt dark chocolate is actually a GOOD thing or at least that was my excuse! :P Use resources out there and if you don't feel well remember you can always adjust your nutritional intake like any new diet or way of eating it takes time to find what is right for YOUR body as we are all different if you need more of one food than the other go for it just try to keep it balanced.