Hey Guys!...

I was just wondering if any of you are vegan or vegetarian and how it works for you? I have been reading a lot of positive things about alicia silverstones new book, "the kind diet"... I'm just worried about not having enough energy and such if I did give it a try... what are some of the things you eat regularly?... I'm looking for success and unsuccessful stories, I want to hear all sides before I consider it.. THANKS!

~Leash

I went vegan for a month last summer and felt AMAZING. Little did I know that I had Celiac Disease, and therefore going vegan was helpful because I was eating less dairy, which I found out was not helping my issues I was having.

Now that I have been diagnosed with Celiac, its hard to be vegan however, I have a tendency to eat vegan or vegetarian. If I do eat meat, it's sustainably harvested, organic, and local. I eat cage free eggs.

I do believe that a diet without these forms of saturated fats are best, expecially for those of us who are overcoming malnutrition or obesity.

Good luck in deciding. I think being a vegan gives our bodies more energy, because the food is easier to digest and lower in saturated fats.

And in the end, its the best for the environment, and a sustainable choice if we care about larger issues of poverty, etc.

Thanks for the help! I'm sorry to hear you have celiac disease... I'm going to buy the book I think and see how I feel about it... I'm just tired of feeling like crap lol

~Leash

I've been a pescetarian for a little over 3 years - I do eat seafood, but a very minimal amount....maybe once or twice a month. My main staples are beans, fruits, veggies, rice, cheese and some meat substitutes. My husband is a carnivore but very willingly eats vegetarian meals too....however, I do cook meat for him and on those nights I usually just eat sides, which I'm totally fine with. If you have any questions I'd be glad to answer them to the best of my ability . I'd be more than happy to add you as a friend if you want to take a look at my food diary. Just let me know if I can be of anymore help

I have been "mostly vegetarian" for years...same as above eating mostly vegetarian/vegan with the occasional chicken or fish. I have recently decided to no longer eat meat too.
For me, it was a really easy transition because I craved meat less and less as I learned to cook some awesome vegan/veg meals.
There are some fantastic resources out there to help you get all the nutrients you need on a veg/vegan diet.

Check out: Fat Free Vegan.com
http://www.fatfreevegan.com/
And The Vegan Lunch Box:
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50

Just eat as balanced as you can and do your research! Most of my vegan/veg cooking inspirations come from visiting the local co-op. They have so many innovative ideas in their deli that it inspires me to try some!
Some of my faves to make (very simple):
Sushi with brown rice, avocado, and carrots.
Baked sweet potato fries with Morning Star Farms Spicy Black Bean burger.
Tofu stir-fry.
Cous Cous stuffed bell peppers.

Contact me any time if you need some recipes or ideas!
Just make sure to keep up on your protein (nuts, beans, avocado, etc) and eat frequent, small meals and see if it is the right fit for you!
Best,
-OB

Hie,
I had started including raw veges into my diet since Sept 09 (when i started to change my lifestyle). Not only did it work wonders in my weight loss goal, but I had a surge or energy! I would have raw vege juice for dinner every alternate days (16oz is very filling!)

But do take some precautionary measures. Recently I read an article about eating raw, and it may cause anemia. So if you are already suffering from it, it's best to consult your doctor about it.

I go vegan about once a year. Usually intending to try and be permanent about it, but I often find that too difficult.

Always feel physically better and do lose weight, but cheese is an addiction.

Hey alicia,

I've been a vegan for about 10 years now, and was a vegetarian for around 7 years before that. It has worked out very well and is not the challenge that many people think it will be. Or at least it hasn't been for me! I was 16 when I first stopped eating all meat and slaughter by-products and I pretty much went cold turkey ... so to speak. I didn't really have any cooking skills and so instead of eating healthy, well balanced vegetarian meals, I attemped to live on 2 minute noodles, fruit and candy .....
I'm sure you can imagine, my body didn't really appreciate that. I was very low on energy pretty much all the time and would fall asleep easily and early.
Within a couple of years though, I managed to get it together and start eating well. Now, it barely even occurs to me that I eat a little differently than a lot of other people. When being a vegan comes up in conversation, people often ask what I actually eat. I generally pause and say something like "Well, you know .... food" Obviously I eat a lot of fruits and veges, I guess around 7 or 8 servings a day, sometimes more. Breakfast will usually be a bagel with a glass of soy milk or cereal with rice milk.
Lunch could be a vegetarian sub or a sanwich filled with any one of a huge number of 'fake meats' that are available. Vegan cheeses are also available in many different styles. Dinners are anything from vegetarian curry, to pasta (usually dried, the fresh stuff often has egg in it!) to Dhall (stewed lentils or beans ... better than it sounds!) to Soups with beans or lentils to some kind of Fake meat and three veg or my favourite .... anything resembling mexican.
You can, it you choose, have a fairly conventional diet by simply replacing the real meat with the simulated stuff, some of which is very nice or tofu. Or you can go the more purist route and go for more of the 'from scratch' stuff that will fufill all of nutritional needs.
There are a couple of stumbling blocks though. Adequate amounts of vitamin B12 and the element Iron can sometimes be difficult to get in a vegan diet, but with a little attention and possiblly vitamins
you won't have problems. I have never tested low for either!

I had to get used to checking ingredient panels on foods which can be confusing but you get to know what's ok and what's not pretty quickly. It really depends on how strict you want to be.
Convienence and fast foods can be a bit of a problem. Most include animal ingredients.

Overall, it has been a good choice for me, and not at all difficult. I've now been a vegetarian/vegan for more than half my life!

If you want any more info, feel free to ask!

sneetch

iv found veganoutreach.org to be vary helpfull with the same questions i had, recipes & products too.

Hey, I have been a vegetarian for a year as well as being lactose intolerant, so making me a "vegan" except for the fact that I eat fish. I ahve no issues at all with my energy, i just monitor my protein intake. I always try to get peanut butter in my diet as well as other beans. I am big on vegetables, basically a staple in my diet as well as quinoa, rice, and pasta. I love fish, and usually try to get it into my diet about twice a week (sushi usually and then cooked fish another night!)

This diet has changed my life, it has given me more energy and allowed me to become more active as the other food I was putting into my diet actually slowed me down unknowingly!

Thanks you guys, very helpful! I just bought that book so I hope that I can stick to it.. or at least give it a shot!

~Leash

Anyone feels like weng chunging tonight. Yeah I pluralized it, deal with it. hahaha

One thing you'll want to do is begin to really read ingredients - you wouldn't believe the places that animal lard is hiding! For instance, Lays baked bar-b-q chips have chicken fat listed as an ingredient! Their regular chips don't have chicken fat and neither do any of their other baked chips - I was quite saddened when I learned this, but mostly disgusted