Becoming a Vegan

[Macrina]

After 18+ years of being a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I'm transitioning to veganism. Any other vegans out there with advice? I've been ogling lots of yummy vegan books at Amazon.com. So far they're waiting on my wish list until my cash flow increases, so I'm looking online for advice, recipes, etc. Anyone here who has been doing the vegan thing longer than me? (which would be, like, a couple days!)

 

[LiberatedChick]

I'm not vegan but I've found www.vegweb.com to be good for recipes.

 

[LiberatedChick]

Another link... http://www.vegcooking.com/

 

[Macrina]

Thanks for the resources.

So far, I'm enjoying the vegan life -- I feel really good about it. I never realized how much I liked falafel.

**hands out pitas overstuffed with falafel, cucumber, spinach, carrots, and red bell peppers**

If any other vegans show up, let them know there are plenty of pitas to go around.

 

[LiberatedChick]

mmmm I love falafel

 

[Windmill]

I'm also transitioning into becoming a vegan. I still eat meat, however. But only when its served up to me right now I often have fish for tea, so I'm finding a nice replacement too

 

[Illenius]

If you go fully vegan, make sure you get enough vitamin B12, normally got from meat and dairy food. Without it you'll get anaemic, but not for quite a long time.

 

[Macrina]

If you go fully vegan, make sure you get enough vitamin B12, normally got from meat and dairy food. Without it you'll get anaemic, but not for quite a long time.

Thanks for the advice. Anemia is an iron deficiency, which I've never had a problem with -- plenty of vegetables have iron in them. B12 is the one nutrient that tends to be a challenge for vegans, and you're right, B12 deficiency doesn't show up for a few years. B12 is produced by a bacteria found on plants... humans generally wash off this bacteria from our produce before we eat it, but animals eat the plants with the bacteria still on it -- that's why their flesh contains it. But plant milks, cereals, and other foods are fortified with it, so as long as one doesn't eat just salads, a vegan diet is all right. Just to be over-cautious, I'm also taking a multivitamin -- that should help keep everything on an even keel during the transition, while I'm adjusting to new eating patterns.

Are you a vegan? How long have you been one?

 

[Macrina]

An update for the curious: I'm feeling really great with my new eating patterns, and I'm enjoying all the yummy food I've been eating. I make a lot of falafel -- I think I could eat that stuff every day and be quite happy.

 

[chipmunk]

Anemia is just having fewer red blood cells than is normal. In fact, there are over 400 different types of anemia, but many of them are rare.

B12 is essential to RBC formation. Vegans are the only group of vegetarians that would typically have an issue with this, and even then it is generally only after several years. There are a few ways you can have inadequate amounts of B12 besides being a vegan--chronic alcohol abuse, Crohn's disease, tape worms, and a lack of the intrinsic factor. The intrinsic factor is what enables your body to absorb and use the B12 you take in, and lacking this is actually called pernicious anemia.

Having low iron is the most common way to develop anemia. While this isn't necessarily unique to vegetarians, it can be a problem as plant sources only carry non-heme iron which isn't as easily absorbed. Non-heme iron is absorbed around 2%-20% of the time compared to the heme iron in animal sources which is absorbed around 15%-35%. Meat proteins and Vitamin C can help with the absorption of iron. Tannins found in tea and coffee, calcium, polyphenols, and phytates (found in legumes and whole grains), caffeine, and proteins in soybeans all inhibit the absorption of iron. Oh, lead poisoning can also cause an iron deficiency.

The above 2 types are why I'm not a vegan or even a complete vegetarian. I was a lactose-ovo vegetarian for around 8 years before complications with anemia set in. I am a semi vegetarian now. My doctor keeps telling me if I were to eat meat more often I might be completely rid of my anemia since it was the meat that stabalized me in the end. And yes, I tried pills for 3 months, but that wasn't helping. However, I really can't stand eating meat that much. Ugh! I also think the soy caused my deep depression b/c I haven't had problems since giving that up. Who knows....

 

[InTheFlame]

Sorry to come in so late... but check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christian-vegan-cooking

They have LOTS of good recipes

The above 2 types are why I'm not a vegan or even a complete vegetarian. I was a lactose-ovo vegetarian for around 8 years before complications with anemia set in. I am a semi vegetarian now. My doctor keeps telling me if I were to eat meat more often I might be completely rid of my anemia since it was the meat that stabalized me in the end. And yes, I tried pills for 3 months, but that wasn't helping. However, I really can't stand eating meat that much. Ugh! I also think the soy caused my deep depression b/c I haven't had problems since giving that up. Who knows....

Hmmmm... interesting. Have you tried a liquid iron supplement? I'm not sure why, but people's bodies often react better to those than to the standard iron tablets. For one thing, no constipation The liquid iron supplements usually contain plant-sourced iron... it seems to be more easily digested than the pills.

Iron deficiency's an interesting thing. Take me - never had a problem with iron deficiency after I turned veg. Might have had a couple of slight problems before that. I know people, though, who have ongoing iron problems no matter how much meat they eat... but do fine once they start eating more iron-rich plant-based food. I'm not saying this is always the case... it's nowhere near I'm sure... but it seems that the whole iron-absorption thing is much more complicated than it seems.

 

[chipmunk]

Sorry to come in so late... but check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christian-vegan-cooking

They have LOTS of good recipes


Hmmmm... interesting. Have you tried a liquid iron supplement? I'm not sure why, but people's bodies often react better to those than to the standard iron tablets. For one thing, no constipation The liquid iron supplements usually contain plant-sourced iron... it seems to be more easily digested than the pills.

Iron deficiency's an interesting thing. Take me - never had a problem with iron deficiency after I turned veg. Might have had a couple of slight problems before that. I know people, though, who have ongoing iron problems no matter how much meat they eat... but do fine once they start eating more iron-rich plant-based food. I'm not saying this is always the case... it's nowhere near I'm sure... but it seems that the whole iron-absorption thing is much more complicated than it seems.
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You learn new things everyday. Of all the looking through of things I did, I never once saw anything about liquid iron supplements. I may look into that.

I didn't mean to imply all vegetarians/vegans have this issue, I'm just saying it was an issue for me despite how much spinach and broccoli and kale and other leafy greens I ate.

Everything with digestion is complicated.

 

[Macrina]

You learn new things everyday. Of all the looking through of things I did, I never once saw anything about liquid iron supplements. I may look into that.

I didn't mean to imply all vegetarians/vegans have this issue, I'm just saying it was an issue for me despite how much spinach and broccoli and kale and other leafy greens I ate.

Everything with digestion is complicated.

Yeah, it is complicated. I know someone with a very rare condition which actually requires eating red meat -- because the only way for the body to absorb iron is if an animal has already partially-processed it. That's extraordinarily rare, though. I think that, in most cases by far, there are non-animal ways to get the nutrients we need. We just have to listen to our bodies and re-learn a lot of what we always assumed about nutrition.

Good luck with whatever works for you!

 

[Serenpidity24]

If you go fully vegan, make sure you get enough vitamin B12, normally got from meat and dairy food. Without it you'll get anaemic, but not for quite a long time.

I am so grateful for this website! Thank you Illenius and everyone else for your suggestions re: anemia. I have been vegan for 2 years now experiencing major problems with anemia. I have been experimenting with a lot of things. My body is immune to the liquid iron supplement (which I am convinced is horrible for me!). However, I started using Floradix a natural iron supplement which iseat. I will try the B12. Thanks a bunch!

 

[hippiechild]

Just to let you know, there's a really good brand for vegan ice cream called Purely Decadent...soooo tempting! And it's vegan!

 

[Ruth~]

Good luck with going Vegan. I have done it at times but my love of cheese holds me back unfortunately and it's not even good for me because I tend to have high cholesterol. I really should go vegan, I'd probably lose that weight I've been wanting to lose. Hmmm, I'm thinking about it.

 

[vespasia]

For those seriously considering going Vegan the UK Vegan Society has a wealth of on line resources including indepth advice on vitamin B12 and many recipes.

They also link to associated sites in other countries including the American Vegan Society.

In the UK there is a service run by local Vegan society groups to support and suggest ideas to people moving from another type of diet to a vegan one. There may be similar schemes in the area you live.

Hope that helps.

 

[Macrina]

Mmm... being vegan rocks! I feel so much better now that I've eliminated animal products from my diet. I like to read up on everything, so I've done some nutritional reading in the last few months... "Becoming Vegan" and "Eat to Live" were two of the most helpful.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

beware the world's most dangerous vegie....
4 out of 10 conservatively in the usa and in the world
men women and babies
are hurt by it.
it is sold in health food stores (on purpose)
and the manumaker of it knows its effects
but doesn't care one little bit.

 

[ShineForever]

For B-12 I take this Sublingual B Complex liquid because I hate taking pills. Also one can find B-12 in such things as Soy Milk (Silk is good), Toasted Oats cereal (and probably regular Cheerios, I'm just cheap), veggie burgers, etc. Actually, I just bought this juice called Cranergy (by Ocean Spray) that is fortified with B-12, I like it.

I am also slowly becoming more vegan. I recently found out I like Silk "milk" products. I think I will also miss cheese, but I know there is a soy based cheese, called something like "chreese". I have never tried it, so I don't know if it's good or not.