Thinking about becoming a vegan

[soot]

hi all new to this site i am thinking of becoming a vegan for health reasons any info would be much appreciated i have looked on the web but would like some feed back off vegans thanks

[maelstrom]

Hi,

 

Well I've been vegan for 6 years and it's just about the best decision I've ever made! Strangely enough I have the perfect thing for you to take part in as I'm involved in an initiative coming up called the Sheffield Vegan Approach. This offers people the opportunity to try being vegan for a month from 23rd March - 20th April 2013.

 

Interested people are invited to take part in a FREE two part 'Introduction to Veganism' course, including nutrition talks, cookery demos, films and a vegan buffet lunch and everyone will be assigned a vegan 'buddy' that they can get in touch with throughout the month to help out with any queries. For more info and to register to take part see www.theveganapproach.com

 

If you fancy meeting some other vegans before the end of March (and at the same time get an opportunity to watch an inspiring film about veganism), then we're putting on a showing of "Peaceable Kingdom" www.peaceablekingdomfilm.org on Tues 26th Feb at Harrisons 1854 bar www.harrisonsbar.co.uk. Cheap vegan food will be on sale from 6:30pm and the film will start at 8pm. Entry will be £3 and all proceeds from this event will go towards the Sheffield Vegan Approach. If you're on Facebook then you can join the event here: www.facebook.com/events/188904034566734/ or get in touch by emailing info@theveganapproach.com to say you'd like to come along.

 

Hope this helps!

[harestone]

Don't do it soot, you'll forever crave meat. i know several people who went down this road and made such a fuss about it in the beginning they now can't repent so have to eat burgers in private whilst living a lie.

 

We are omnivores and our bodies can't function properly in any other way but for short periods, don't put yourself through this pointless torture.

[maelstrom]

Hmmm, well I've not eaten meat for 25 years and for the last 6 years have been fully vegan, a healthy vegan diet more than ampally supplies everything one needs to be healthy. Oh and far from it being torture it's in fact a joy to eat vegan, as your world is opened up to a panoply of new foods to discover and enjoy! Regret going vegan?.....Pfft, hardly!

[Zenshu]

Quick question, what do you consider a healthy vegan diet?

 

Soot, what's your health issues (if you have some)? And what do you think a vegan diet will bring you?

If you just want to eat better, stop buying processed food and cereals and eat a lot of vegetables with some good meat or fish in a quantity adapted to your activity load and you will be healthier than 99% of the British people.

[discodown]

Try it and see if it works for you. Some people can live like it but I couldn't. I like eating dead animals too much. Good luck and report back to us and let us know how you're getting on

[Dopplah]

whats a vegan?

[maelstrom]

Guidelines for a healthy vegan diet can be found here, obviously avoiding or limiting the intake of refined grains, sugar and hydrogenated fats is important in maintaining a balanced diet as is consuming lots of fresh fruit and veg.

 

And for Dopplah, someone following a vegan diet doesn't consume any animal products (meat/dairy/eggs etc), and someone that's vegan doesn't use any animal products (such as for clothing etc)/use or exploit animals as a commodity (as far as is practicable).

[Venkman]

Hey soot,

 

I'll join Maelstrom in recommending the Vegan Approach event as it means you can get all the info (and encouragement) you might need to see if it's for you over the course of a month!

 

It's also worth saying that becoming vegan isn't something you need to do overnight. I've been fully vegan for about five years and its gotten easier and easier in Sheffield to order straight from menus - plus it's just opened up a new way of thinking about food and made me a much, much better cook!

 

The main thing is to remember it's an ideal - if you're trying to become vegan but occasionally have a crappy day and can't be bothered to hunt around for some dairy-free chocolate to make yourself feel better, the main thing isn't to beat yourself up.

 

If you want any specific advice, please feel free to DM as well!

Cheers.

[medusa]

Hi soot

 

Can I suggest that you do some serious reading and planning before you take the decision to become vegan? It's far harder to have a nutritionally complete diet as a vegan than it is as a vegetarian and unless you have the nutrition in place you can land yourself in all sorts of problems with specific nutrient malnutrition in later life if you aren't careful.

 

You also don't state whether you're male or female. Calcium metabolism is particularly complicated in women and for women who are planning a family it is really important to have a high calcium intake (as well as other nutrients) in order to be able to grow a second skeleton and that can be really very hard indeed on a full vegan diet. All of the vegan women I know have suspended their vegan diet whilst planning and during the pregnancy to enable this.

 

There are lots of ways to ingest vitamins, minerals and protein from vegetable sources, but some things take learning and planning to achieve them and I would never suggest that anybody takes the decision to become vegan without learning what nutrients come from which parts of their diet and how to absorb the most you can from them at the right times.