How long did it take you to "go vegan?"

[Mrs. Potatohead]

Almost a year ago, I became a vegetarian. Although I'm still not used to the term. At first I called myself a flexitarian, but I realized that I really was not eating ANY meat unless I was someone's guest. And then I'd eat the very tiniest amount possible. Giving up meat was not hard at all.

Now I'm working on the whole vegan thing. I use Soy milk in my cereal, and I'm fine with that. But so far I can't stop using half-and-half in my coffee. If that were it, I'd consider that my "little cheat" and not worry about it. But the real thing I can't seem to give up is CHEESE! I love the stuff!!! Not only that, it is everywhere! I'm learning new recipes, but even some of the good ones, like a lentil casserole my family loves, have cheese. And at restaurants, unless you want plain lettuace and that's all, you just can't get vegan food. But the real issue isn't so much what restaurants serve--it's my desire for cheese.

So, how did you do it? Did you wake up one day, declare yourself a vegan, and move on? Did you go "cold turkey?" Or was it hard? Any tips for me??

[Punkie]

I've been dancing back and forth over the line for a while now. Like you mentioned, my hardest challenge has been eating out. I can find vegan options, but they're just so unhealthy! We're eating out a lot more due to the transitions we're going through in life, so that makes it tough.

I am the best of all vegans at home, and one of the absolute worst when I eat out! I've posted this elsewhere, but I'd rather "cheat" on meat than on dairy right now, because dairy makes me ill - meat just grosses me out. I'd rather be grossed out than sick :P

So for me its still a process. I'm enjoying every minute of it, but I'm not 100% yet :D

[ChristianMother27]

i went cold tofu and made mistakes. like i bought soy cheese and then found out it has milk proteins in it and is not really vegan. if you're going vegan for health reasons it's probably ok, but they do make a melty 100% vegan cheese :

http://www.imearthkind.com/

i really liked it when i was vegan. it did melt, and it was teasty. i wish my grocery store carried it but they didn't. if you're willing to cook most of the stuff yourself this is a good way to go :) going cold turkey wasn't hard for me - i just stocked up on the vegan comfort foods till i had gotten used to it. oh and www.veganstore.com has a vegan non-dairy creamer powder

[Punkie]

Silk has a creamer too, although I've never tried it :shrug

[ChristianMother27]

Silk has a creamer too, although I've never tried it :shrug

i think it's :sick2 it tastes really gross to me, but i never did like silk. it always had a nasty aftertaste.

i preferred vitasoy or ricedream but i don't think they have creamers - but still you can just pour a bit of a soy/rice/othermilk into coffee for the same results as a creamer :D

[Punkie]

I don't regularly drink coffee, but I'll definitely pass on the Silk creamer now! The soy creamer stuff they use at the Whole Foods coffee shop is excellent. I have no idea what it is. I think its their store brand :shrug Of course I've always had it in some kind of dark chocolate concoction, so I'm not sure how it'd be in plain coffee.

[flowermama]

I persolly enjoy Silk soy milk; I also like their nog and their creamer. :yes I don't normally buy their creamer or any type of creamer because I don't need it for my tea and can't justify the cost, but I did get the creamer at half price at least once, maybe twice. :think I used it in my tea and enjoyed it. :shrug :) We usually don't drink soy milk, though, btw, simply because we get more than plenty of soy in other products.

When I went vegan I tried it for a month to see how I felt. I felt fine and decided to go ahead and stay vegan. I ate turkey for Thanksgiving the month I was trying out being vegan and salmon once shortly after I became vegan because I felt bad because my MIL made salmon for me because she thought vegetarians could eat fish. :shifty Other than those things, I've tried to really stick with avoiding animal products (except for honey -- we do avoid buying it now, but do not rule out eating certain foods if they contain honey). Once at a restaurant I let them know I didn't want dairy, and they gave me something with goat cheese in it. grrrrr. I took one bite, I think. LOL Oh, and we've done the same thing with fake cheese at least once and maybe more, thinking it was totally dairy-free but finding that it had casein in it (oh, I think once I decided to go ahead and eat some almond cheese my mom gave me, and once when I was feeling really bummed I had some almond roca someone gave us :shifty).

We buy vegan cheese and enjoy it. We don't eat a whole bunch, but we usually buy it once a week. We buy either Toffutti american "cheese" slices or the Vegan Gourmet "cheese" mentioned above. The company that makes that "cheese" is also the one that makes Veganaise, which we love very much. :yum http://www.followyourheart.com/

I'm able to avoid dairy because I really don't think it's good for me or my kiddos, plus I feel really bad about factory farming and all that stuff. I feel that the combination of doing it for both health and ethical reasons (and others reasons, I guess, too, actually) makes it easy for me to avoid, at least so far!

Anyway, though, I pretty much went vegan "cold turkey." ;) It's been about 4 1/2 years. In November it will be five. :yes

[ChristianMother27]

i really liked veganaise too :) tasted the most like mayo to me (i thought nayonaise was just plain nasty :td)

[Punkie]

my MIL made salmon for me because she thought vegetarians could eat fish. :shifty


Why does everyone think this? I've gotten so many "fish are good for you" and "don't you eat fish" lectures... I can't even keep count!

I have some of the Follow Your Heart cheese in my fridge and I still haven't gotten the guts up to eat it. I think I may try that "taco pasta" that is mentioned in the other thread and I'll throw it in there. I'm still nervous though :nails

[thomer]

I've been vegetarian for 2.5 years, and just recently started dabbling in veganism.

I went on a business trip for 2 weeks without DH so I just went cold turkey vegan. That was a little hard because I had to eat out almost every meal, but I made it work. When I got home I really wanted to stay vegan, but DH did not want me to. So we talked and we decided I could do whatever I wanted while at home, but if we went out or to friend's houses, then I have to be flexable. Still no meat, but "don't ask don't tell" policy on hidden dairy and eggs. So far I think the only nonvegan thing I've had this month was green bean casserole at MIL's house, and some Morningstar Chick'n and Hot Dogs that I didn't want to throw away.

It has been 22 days since I have had any cheese, and I was a hardcore addict. The only thing I'm really missing bad right now is alfredo, but I think that will remedy with a really good pesto recipe I have planned for next week. :yum

[HuggaBuggaMommy]

Almost a year ago, I became a vegetarian. Although I'm still not used to the term. At first I called myself a flexitarian, but I realized that I really was not eating ANY meat unless I was someone's guest. And then I'd eat the very tiniest amount possible. Giving up meat was not hard at all.


That's how I am. I eat veggie more for health reasons, so I don't mind eating what's put in front of me when I'm at someone's house. I just don't think it's right to impose my own *self-imposed* food choices on someone else.

That said, I've jumped back and forth over the vegan/veggie line as well. I can go weeks as vegan (again, as a pp said, as long as I'm eating at home), then I cheat. Cheese isn't my downfall, but ice cream and yogurt. :O I just don't have the inclination to go cold turkey.

[Mrs. Potatohead]

I'm able to avoid dairy because I really don't think it's good for me or my kiddos, plus I feel really bad about factory farming and all that stuff. I feel that the combination of doing it for both health and ethical reasons (and others reasons, I guess, too, actually) makes it easy for me to avoid, at least so far!

Anyway, though, I pretty much went vegan "cold turkey." ;) It's been about 4 1/2 years. In November it will be five. :yes


That is EXACTLY the reason I went vegetarian, and the reason I'm trying to go vegan. Somehow, though, the cheese just calls to me! And I haven't been as careful with reading and educating myself about ingredients, so I'm probably getting hidden dairy. Like the veggie cheese--that never would've crossed my mind that it might have dairy. Even so, the ones I've tried are :sick2 anyway. They just don't melt right and they taste funny.

I do use the Silk milk on my cereal, so I'll try to find their creamer.

I'm also challenged by living in a small town with no real health food store. The one that they call a health food store really sells vitamins and smoothies, and that's it. :rolleyes

Thanks for all the info/tips/commisserating/encouragement so far! It's encouraging me to plug away!

[azgirls]

I became a vegetarian a month ago-so I am still learning a lot. I have decided to do vegan, but not hard core. I have been vegan for two whole days :shifty and cheese was the hardest for me by far.
I bought some shreeded "cheese"and the package says "veggie cheese flavor" but now I guess I should go look at it. Never occured to me to check for hidden stuff. (course I am still learning what some of those hidden things are :O)
I will probably eat vegetarian (vs vegan) when we go out and if we go to ppls houses, etc but will remain vegan in my home life, at work, etc. does that make sense?
I feel so much better already in this lifestyle and it is not as nearly hard as I thought it would be.
Oh, and I heard that soy ice cream can be tasty-if that helps. Punkie and Vegmom say that 'Cuties' are delighful.

the mamas here have been so nice and extremely helpful. I feel like I belong and I have only been here (on the Vegetarian thread) for a month or so. :ty

[Punkie]

Also, if you don't want to go the soy route, a lot of sorbets are safe. You just have to read the ingredients. :)

[ChristianMother27]

punkie - the follow your heart cheese is very good :) it doesn't taste like tofu, or something weird, it tastes really close to cheese :D we used to eat it on pizza all the time! :)

i don't know why people think fish aren't an animal. i am curious if they think it is a plant, a fungus, an amoeba, or a (what's the other kingdom? protozoa?) bizaare lol :shrug :giggle

[Punkie]

My mom also had a big fight with me about mushrooms not being a vegetable since they're a fungus :shrug

[Mrs. Potatohead]

Hey, I'm curious about honey. Do all of you vegans avoid honey? What do you use as a sweetener (since I know a lot of vegans are also concerned about sugar consumption)?

I have been trying to eat a Tbsp of local, raw honey each day to help me with my allergies, so I'm wondering about that....And I guess I figured it wasn't really made from animal parts. Anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts on honey as well.

[ChristianMother27]

it depends if you're vegan for ethical reasons. if you're vegan for ethical reasons and care about bees then you would probably want to avoid honey because it is the "factory farm" of insects so to speak. if you're just not wanting to eat animal products, it would probably be ok, though i hvae been told some bees are collected with the honey, but they are skimmed off.

[Mrs. Potatohead]

Hmmm....My reasons for going vegetarian and at least attempting to go vegan are both for health and for ethical reasons. Wonder if the small local beekeepers treat the bees well??? Before really making the vege step, I tried to buy my meat from a local farmer, but I just still felt funny eating an animal. And I guess that's part of it--mentally, I can draw a line at actually eating an animal, but it is harder to draw that line at animal products. Does that make any sense? I think that's why the vegetarian thing was so easy to start and stick to, but vegan is harder for me.

One more question for you WONDERUL helpful women! Are any of you hesitant to give yourself the actual label? I find that I will say, "I tend to avoid meat," or "I don't really eat much meat." But I have a hard time labelling myself and coming right out and saying, "I am a vegetarian." Maybe it's because I'm already such a freak in my small southern town. Or maybe because I'm afraid I won't stick with this forever, and then I'll have to explain myself all over again. I don't know....Thoughts?

[ChristianMother27]

frankly i'm not even a vegetarian anymore, though i'd like to be, but i don't like labeling myself.... i know people who label themselves vegan... and well they are very... not religious for the most part, or at least anti Christianity. i wouldn't want to be associated with that just because of how i eat

[Punkie]

Here's some info on honey:
http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qahoney.htm

We use agave nectar instead :)

[HuggaBuggaMommy]

One more question for you WONDERUL helpful women! Are any of you hesitant to give yourself the actual label? I find that I will say, "I tend to avoid meat," or "I don't really eat much meat." But I have a hard time labelling myself and coming right out and saying, "I am a vegetarian." Maybe it's because I'm already such a freak in my small southern town. Or maybe because I'm afraid I won't stick with this forever, and then I'll have to explain myself all over again. I don't know....Thoughts?


I do the same - basically because I don't want anyone to feel they have to make a special meal for me if they invite me over for dinner or something. I tend to be veg more for health reasons than for ethical reasons (though that does factor in somewhat, but I do tend to differentiate between a local farmer who lovingly tends his animals, and a dirty slaughterhouse operation), and don't want people to feel uncomfortable because, like a pp said, veggies and vegans do tend to have other stigmas attached to them (liberal, anti-christian, pagan, PETA extremists, etc)... right or wrong, people think this way...

[peacefulveganmom]

We use brown rice syrup instead of honey. :rockon

I went vegan "cold turkey". Just decided that's what I wanted to do, and did it. No problems. :grin

[mamabeanbean]

One more question for you WONDERUL helpful women! Are any of you hesitant to give yourself the actual label? I find that I will say, "I tend to avoid meat," or "I don't really eat much meat." But I have a hard time labelling myself and coming right out and saying, "I am a vegetarian." Maybe it's because I'm already such a freak in my small southern town. Or maybe because I'm afraid I won't stick with this forever, and then I'll have to explain myself all over again. I don't know....Thoughts?


I usually let whomever I'm talking to come up with it themselves... as a general trait I don't volunteer much, though. so it would go like: "Want some beef jerky?" "No thanks" "cheese stick" "nah, thank you, though" "anything?" "mm, no thank you." "what, are you a vegetarian?" "yep" "vegan?" "uh huh." "huh, well, I guess you wouldn't want any of this then." "[[smile and shrug]] I appriciate the offer."

One other thing. I find it useful to use a label to describe my eating choices to others, it's quicker than going into gorey detail ("well, I do have refined sugar if it's insomething that is otherwise... and then there was that time at my aunt's house... etc) but in my own mind I have found it best to NOT use the label, to choose consciously each time I am presented with the option, so I don't forget why I'm doing it. When it comes to it, I want to think to myself, "I don't want that because another being suffered to produce it, " not, "I don't want that because I'm vegan." KWIM?

[flowermama]

but in my own mind I have found it best to NOT use the label, to choose consciously each time I am presented with the option, so I don't forget why I'm doing it. When it comes to it, I want to think to myself, "I don't want that because another being suffered to produce it, " not, "I don't want that because I'm vegan." KWIM?

That does make sense. Thank you for sharing that. That's a good way to think. :hug

Like some people call themselves AP and others choose not to (even though they do AP stuff), I think this choice of whether or not to label oneself as "vegan" or "vegetarian" has similarities. :think

As can be seen in my sigline, I do label myself as vegan. It's so much a part of our lives and who we are and influences so many choices that we make throughout the day. It's such a huge commitment that I figure I might as well wear the label. LOL I've found that there can be a little bit of strength that comes with wearing a label. You know you are not alone (even though it feels like we are alone -- only knowing one other vegan in real life, and a friend who is on the board here who lives in a different state). The kids and I talk together about animals and how they are treated, etc.,... I want my children to know why we are vegan, why we make these choices, and I hope it will be something they will choose to continue as they grow older. So far, so good. ;)

Since the Bible speaks so positively about honey, that is one reason I am not totally against consumption of honey. I should study it more. I can find the verses I am talking about, though, if anyone wants. Just let me know. I think I mentioned earlier that we don't buy honey, but we eat things sometimes if they have honey in them. We enjoy maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, agave nectar, stevia...

Wonder if the small local beekeepers treat the bees well???

I think that would be great if you could talk with them about it. :)


I went vegan "cold turkey". Just decided that's what I wanted to do, and did it. No problems. :grin

:highfive :grin

[ShangriLewis]

My SIL kept bees for a few years. She never smoked and she didn't take all the honey.

Many people believe this is still harmful as the bees then have to work hard to make more honey.

I don't know it's a hard one for me. I still haven't tried Agave Nectar. What does it taste like?

[flowermama]

That's interesting. :think

It tastes a lot like honey. :yum

Honey has health benefits, though... so I wish it would be okay (ethically for me) to eat it! :think

[Punkie]

Yeah, it does taste a lot like honey. I think its maybe a little less sweet :) I replace it 1-for-1 in recipes that call for honey and never notice a difference. It does taste a little different in my tea though.

[Atarah]

I've heard on commentary that the 'honey' in the Bible is date honey (liquified dates) rather an bee honey.... maybe hebrew scholar crystal would know more about that.

I concur with Amanda about the agave. Honey has a distictly *honey* taste, and I think agave nectar is a bit more neutral tasting. :shrug