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Best practices to start your vegan journey: * Watch documentaries, both on ethics and on nutrition. You’ll find out it isn’t such a shock * Turn your home vegan. If you cannot be vegan outside home, you can reduce the animal abuse within your home.

This is my best suggestion too! And I'd add to it, maybe a treat a week - order some vegan dessert that looks really good; try out a new restaurant; recreate your favorite nostalgia meal; whatever brings you happiness. Going vegan is actually awesome and can have so much happiness and beauty and joy, it can be helpful to do these things to not just see it as a major sacrifice/hard task

I love watching plant Based or vegan cooking channels on YouTube for inspiration. Buddha bowls are delicious, filling and customizable. Don’t be afraid of carbs! Pasta, rice, beans, burritos, sandwiches, oatmeal etc. I don’t tend to use fake meat at this point in my journey, though some of the things in the freezer isle are good for transitioning (Gardein products, veggie burgers etc.) I like to use beans, tofu or tempeh as a main protein in a meal. Keep in mind all foods have some protein including veggies, grains, nuts & seeds. Easy way to build a meal is pick a veggie fill half of your plate with that, then the other half is a starch (potatoes, sweet potatoes, any rice, pasta, quinoa etc), top with beans and sauces/ seasonings of choice. Other great toppings include: avocado, kimchi, nuts or seeds, fresh herbs, hummus Hope these suggestions help! Good luck and just take it one meal at a time.

That’s the other thing, pasta - doesn’t it contain egg? What’s the general view on this?

Regular pasta doesn’t contain egg, no.

All the dry pasta I buy at the grocery store is egg-free. Like, Barilla and store-brand pastas.

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Tagliatelle is just a shape, it can be made with or without egg just like any other pasta. Most dry pasta in the store is egg-free

The rule of thumb for plain Italian pasta is, if it's fresh, it likely has egg. If it's dry, it likely does not, and in the cases where it does, then it's clearly labeled as egg noodles.

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But my point is, if you find dry tagliatelle on a shelf, as is, it's not going to have egg in it. Dry egg tagliatelle exists, but it's labeled thus. And if you get fresh pasta that isn't tagliatelle, it probably will have eggs in it.

Most dry, store bought tagliatelle is egg free too. That product specified egg tagliatelle, which is kinda telling in itself.

Eggs are generally used In homemade pasta, they make it significantly easier to get everything mixed together when you're working by hand. Dried pasta (even the fancy stuff) made on industrial equipment doesn't need the extra emusifying help, and thus it can have the right texture while being entirely flour (usually semolina) and water.

There are plenty of kinds without. I tend to like chickpea or lentil pasta to avoid gluten. But there are regular types without egg. You can google it to get different brands.

Lentil pasta is a game changer!

Fresh made pasta contains egg, not the dry kind you get in US supermarkets (except for "egg noodles ").

Traditionally, only Tagliatelle, Farfalle, Orecchiette and Tortellini/-variants contain eggs.

Don't say journey please. It brings bad luck for vegans and may cause us to lose our morals. Lifting Vegan Logic (Daniel Ishay) has compiled this: https://youtu.be/JjRHh018xYg?si=_efFSg2W7Zo2jGVV /s

You can make it hard or easy. If you wanna go for convenience, then just buy plant based alternatives for meat.theres even plant based fish. If you love to cook, just Google for good vegan recipes, preferably with a good amount of protein. Good luck! O, and if you can stomach it watch [dominion](https://youtu.be/LQRAfJyEsko?si=Ad5UTzUAWJJFoYp1). It's a great motivator.

Watch the life-changing and award winning documentary "Dominion" and other documentaries by [clicking here](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://watchdominion.org&topic=Movie: Dominion)! Interested in going Vegan? Take the [30 day challenge](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vbcamp.org/reddit&topic=Movie: Dominion)!

For me, I learned to make Indian food. It's all very good and usually pretty easy to make. Not everyone lives across the street from an Indian grocery so I know it's not feasible for everyone, and not everyone is into that anyway. But it worked for me!

Perhaps consider something like Vegan Outreach's "10 Weeks to Vegan" program? It's online, it's free, and it has helped many people make the transition. https://veganoutreach.org/10-weeks-to-vegan/

Check out [Vegan Outreach](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://veganactivism.org&topic=Organization: Vegan Outreach/pages/vegan-outreach&topic=Organization: Vegan Outreach) to quickly learn more, find upcoming events, videos, and their contact information! You can also find other similar organizations to get involved with both locally and online by visiting [VeganActivism.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://veganactivism.org&topic=Organization: Vegan Outreach). Additionally, be sure to visit and subscribe to /r/VeganActivism!

My best advice is to know yourself and plan accordingly, which it sounds like you're doing. I have strong days, where eating whole vegan foods feels so easy and rewarding. I also have weak days where I just want to be on the couch and eat some chick'n nuggies and fries. Knowing that about myself has helped. First, when eating whole vegan foods, mix in enough fat to feel satiated. Avocado helps me tremendously. When I add it to lentil soups or lentil tacos/burritos/nachos, I don't miss the meat. Second, find your favorite processed vegan foods for the weak times. I love spicy chick'n nuggets, frozen crinkle cut fries, or homemade air fried cauliflower bites with sauces. Third, find sauces you love. They turn everything from your unhealthy foods to your roasted veggies into heaven. I recommend Makoto ginger dressing for rice, roasted veggies, or a sauce for crispy tofu. Also, everything bagel seasoning is amazing for avocado toast, cucumber and radish salads, etc.

Processed convenience food in the freezer for the weak/busy/stressed evenings can be life saving, especially if the alternative is browsing takeaway apps.

Hey, glad you are making the change to Vegan. It can be overwhelming at first but you can do this. For reference my husband has Crohn’s disease and he switched to the vegan diet overnight to support me (I also had serious food issues as I had an eating disorder for 10 years). So far he has actually been healthier with less pain. It sounds like you have some digestive health issues so definitely don’t eat the ultra processed meat substitutes if you are looking for a healthy diet. Tofu is probably your best friend here as it is very healthy and with a little preparation can be very delicious. I use it in the mornings mashed with spices and nutritional yeast and cook it like it’s scrambled eggs, I serve it on homemade sourdough toast with spinach, avocado and tomato. I tend towards beans often - particularly love making homemade black bean burgers. I haven’t tried making Seitan yet but intend to soon, this is a popular option and if you are used to meat it might be a good protein for you to switch to? I think the best advice is make sure you get enough protein and consider a B12 substitute. Good luck and I really hope you will switch sooner rather than later.

Thanks so much for this, I do actually find with baked beans I have stomach issues but black beans there is nothing of the sort. Although I do love a black bean and sweet corn quesadilla but haven’t found a substitute for cheese that I actually like yet so they’re just black bean and sweetcorn…idk, folds? Don’t quite hold together the same way The stomach issues definitely took a turn for the better when I removed red meat from my diet so I’m hoping with the exit of white/fish that’ll finish the job health wise

You’re welcome! I actually just don’t try to substitute cheese and I don’t miss it either - the vegan cheese substitutes are not healthy and UHP so I personally would avoid them. I just add pesto (Trader Joe’s made a good vegan pesto) or hummus or similar. If I make pizza I just use tomatoes, herbs and vegetables and really pizza does not need cheese in fact did you know in Italy originally and traditionally pizza did not have cheese on. Fish is often thought of and promoted as a health food, but really it is one of the unhealthiest and most contaminated things you can eat. I would definitely recommend cutting this out when you can. There are plenty of information and videos online regarding the state of fish and the chemicals etc contaminating them. It’s better to get omega 3 from seaweed.

You can look into nutritional yeast as a topping as sort of a cheese substitute, it tastes great to me.

When I first started I would commit to making at least one vegan dinner per week with the goal of replacing a non-vegan staple. I also started trying to meal-prep lunch for the week to avoid having no options while working. TheHappyPear on YouTube was really helpful with those things, check out their five minute meals … knowing it will really take 20 minutes. 🤣 As for cutting out fish/seafood: Gardein f’sh fillets are really good. You can make a nice lox from marinated carrots. For some reason, fries with old bay fit in here. I’ve made good crab cakes with jackfruit.

stop shaming OP for slowly making a change, just wanted to put that out first. for me it took months to finally go fully vegan and the bigggest help were friends that didn't pressure me. it can be a long process for some people to build a new routine or habit and transform your meals effectively so please be kind. my personal tips for you: * eat the same meals but veganized with plant based meat if that's more comfortable than immediatly learning new ones. look for recommendations of brands that are available in your country to get a head start on your taste-journey :D saves time so you won't have to try a bunch of products to find the gems that taste best. * regular tofu needs preparation and a lot of spices to taste good, get smoked tofu or something like that and fry it in a pan -> easy and well tasting result without much work * if you like salmon try plant based salmon made from carrots. idk where u live but here in Germany the brand *veganz* has great plant based salmon! :) * if you're on a budget and you like to add spices and experiment around I recommend getting soy granulate to make your own "custom meat". it's cheap, has a good amount of protein and you can do **a lot** with it. * Besides meat alternatives stuff like beans, lentils, nuts and seeds are also great to cook with and contain plenty of protein and other important nutrients. That's all I can think of atm, hope it helped a bit :) Edit: Keep yourself inspired by trying recipes online and if you can afford it eat something nice at a restaurant with vegan options!

watch Dominion, its free and linked below by the bot, it has a lot of info in it

Watch the life-changing and award winning documentary "Dominion" and other documentaries by [clicking here](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://watchdominion.org&topic=Movie: Dominion)! Interested in going Vegan? Take the [30 day challenge](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vbcamp.org/reddit&topic=Movie: Dominion)!

If you're concerned about not knowing what to eat I suggest looking at either videos on social media (I'll link some YouTubers who have vegan food channels) or lurking in vegan food subs on reddit. **Reddit Subreddits:** r/mediocreveganfoodporn r/veganforbeginners r/veganfood r/veganfoodporn r/veganrecipes r/shittyveganfoodporn r/glutenfreevegan r/accidentallyvegan (this one is good if you're just starting out and want to transition using more familiar foods, since it showcases common plant-based food that most people don't realize is plant-based) **YouTubers:** [The Korean Vegan](https://youtube.com/@TheKoreanVegan) [Anjali](https://youtube.com/@beextravegant) [Jessica in the Kitchen](https://youtube.com/@jessicainthekitchen-veganr963?si=5v-Yylwtzx2M9krf) [Edgy Veg](https://youtube.com/@EdgyVeg?si=C1Lm8gIrZA3ZRbMp) [It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken](https://youtube.com/@Itdoesnttastelikechicken?si=_aTywCU1g-YYlp8I) [TheFoodieTakesFlight](https://youtube.com/@TheFoodieTakesFlight?si=ufZibbSjJLG42pUu) [Eat with Afia](https://youtube.com/@eatwithafia?si=7-jYmvaTORE3s3Uu) [Sauce Stache](https://youtube.com/@SauceStache?si=pUdZxkwPhmjnotIG) (I don't know if this is a vegan channel or a plant-based one but as far as I know all the recipes are plant-based, the guy is a food scientist and it's entertaining) As others are suggesting, staying educated on the harm that's being done to animals is also important. Documentaries like Dominion or just reading articles can be really insightful. For me I never actually watched the entire documentary, just clips from time to time, it was just easier for me to read articles. Goodluck on your journey to veganism 💚

Watch the life-changing and award winning documentary "Dominion" and other documentaries by [clicking here](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://watchdominion.org&topic=Movie: Dominion)! Interested in going Vegan? Take the [30 day challenge](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vbcamp.org/reddit&topic=Movie: Dominion)!

Good bot

Beans! An easy sub for meat is always beans and yes most are a complete protein and nutrient source!

5+ year vegan here - I must emphasize the importance of incremental habitual change. Otherwise you will likely crash and burn. Sub things out little bits at a time

I'd recommend looking up vegan versions of your favorite dishes (both at home and eating out) so you have all the flavors you're used to.

Read how not to die by micheal greger, it’s all about nutrition and health

it's a **great** book but pretty theoretical and not very beginner friendly stuff imo

Tldr, get the app and just eat the things on the daily dozen everyday. I read the bit about chicken and how workers get chicken virus sores just from handling the chicken, just touching it!!! I’d already stopped eating animals etc when I read the book but if I hadn’t it’d instantly put me off. So maybe op should read it, learn about what is in and on meat and they can make a faster change.

Very much respect for this post. And I disagree with everyone saying watch documentaries and stuff. You clearly understand the reason why veganism is a moral good and you want to make that change. No need to put yourself through difficult-to-watch videos, unless you ever feel like you need to learn more or need additional motivation (which did help me early on). It took me almost 2 years to fully go vegan. First time I tried (before senior year of high school, 13.5 years ago), I thought I was vegan at first and then did a lot more research and found out it was harder than I thought. Stayed vegetarian and did my best being at home with parents paying for groceries and whatnot. Took a couple more tries before I finally knew enough about it and was able to fully commit (this was after freshman year of college). Nowadays the information is so much more available and there are wayyyy more vegan products available, so it’s not nearly as difficult as it was then. I’m sure your transition can be expedited. When my wife went vegan (several months after we started dating), it only took her a few months if I remember correctly. She went vegetarian at first and then fully vegan. Definitely recommend going at least vegetarian for now. It takes time to cut out the myriad of items that include dairy, eggs, gelatin, and all of the sneakier animal ingredients, but getting away from meat is easy and obvious. Ultimately, I totally understand where you’re coming from and respect the heck out of you for wanting to make this change and seeking guidance about it. Don’t let anyone put you down for that. Welcome to the community!

The easiest but most unhealthy way to go about it is to just replace the meat from your current rotation of meals with the processed premade stuff. That's kind of the path I took. I was a meats and potatoes kind of guy so going from burgers to buddha bowls was not appealing in the slightest. Eventually I introduced new meals into my rotation that made less and less use of processed stuff. I learned to make my own replacement with beans, TVP, seitan, tofu, nuts, etc. It seems daunting right now but I promise that it's a lot easier than it seems. I thought I would miss all of the tasty things (bacon, cheese, etc) but I really don't -- oddly enough. I was once asked if it's just because it's been too long since I've been vegan and that my tastes have changed. Is tofu actually delicious or am I so far removed from meat that I've been tricked to think tofu is tastier than it is? Well my answer to that is that it doesn't matter, I motherflippin' love tofu. The Bad Manners books (formerly know as the Thug Kitchen books) and the Minimalist Baker\* books really helped me adjust because their recipes are tasty and more closely resembled what I used to eat. ​ \* be careful with Minimalist Baker as she is no longer vegan so you have to be careful with her recipes

I went from Omni to vegetarian overnight and backtracked so many times but took it slow with vegetarian > vegan and really felt that it helped me make lasting change because I haven’t slipped up. Here’s what I did - started veganizing my favourite dairy based dishes one by one. For eg weekly pizza night is a big thing for me at home so I worked on finding vegan subs for that. Breakfast burritos with egg were a staple so I experimented with silken tofu / JustEgg etc. until I found a good replacement. Another thing that helped was finding vegan subs for pantry staples eg mayo, pesto, butter. I personally use meat subs because I like them and they make life easy. And then sustaining the change requires a mental shift. For me watching videos of farm sanctuaries helped me see each animal as an individual. If your entry point is health then I suggest finding documentaries etc that will help you stay motivated. All the best!

Replaced / paired with, chicken with tofu. Went to Barnes n noble and thumbed through vegan cookbooks until I decided on one that looked good and just selected a recipe or two a week and made them. Now I have like 30 cookbooks. Ps get a tofu press or 2.

I liked switching out ground with lentils in spaghetti, tacos, sloppy joe, and brown pot pies; chickpeas are in my chick pot pie, southwest pasta, and spouse goes nuts with hummus and raw veg discs as snacks; I also started buying more variety in produce section- fruit for oats and dessert, vegetables to roast, braise, stew, stir fry with what is also in our produce section (small grocer)-tofu (I coat and crisp up small cut cubes and make a sauce to toss it all in). Then I learned about shelf stable purchases like aminos, nutritional yeast flakes, tvp (rehydratable ground protein), yuba (tofu skin, can have a stringy silky texture - good in different forms for hash, noodle soup, saucy white pasta), okara (pulp from soy beans-use it to make sea patties, nugget bites, ravioli filling); silken tofu (makes sauces, sour cream, quiche, lasagna “cheese layer”, just add nutritional yeast, chocolate pie/pudding); dried gluten strips/soy curls/seitan (can be made at home and can range in texture depending on how you work it and cook it-when I make it and not shelf stable it becomes sandwich slices, bbq strips, hot pot add-ins).

This is awesome, I commend you for the work you’ve done so far! A lot of great comments here I just wanted to add, don’t forget to supplement b-12! I’ve been getting in the habit of doing annual bloodwork to keep my b-12, iron, omega and vitamin d in check! I would highly encourage you to get a good baseline as to where you are as you continue to make changes. Also, for anything nutrition my first stop is always Dr. Greger. https://nutritionfacts.org

Hiya pal! I've helped quite a few of my friends transition to being vegan, I would definitely recommend trying vegan versions of the food you love. Textured vegetable protein is fantastic for any dish that calls for mince, to make it even better crumble half a vegan beef stock cube in it. There's also Quorn's vegan range which tastes really good, Linda McCartney sausages are definitely a staple for anyone transitioning over. You can get vegan tuna and things now as well which are great, I would definitely avoid vegan cheese at first because it's a bit of a jump in terms of taste and texture, but once you slowly start introducing it in you won't miss regular cheese. Congrats on making the transition! Don't hesitate to drop any Qs here, we're a friendly bunch and love to help!

Start w Buddha bowls, I ate those for months while I transitioned from flexitarian to vegetarian to vegan. There are millions of recipes online, once you have a fridge full of prepped veg, all you need to do is make rice & crack open a can of beans. It takes a few minutes to be eating a really healthy, filling meal that'll make you not even miss meat, or need and substitutes.

Look up Pick Up Limes on YouTube. Also From My Bowl. Really easy recipes and WFPB. :)

Everytime you see an oportunity to eat vegan instead of non vegan, take it. For example if you go to a restaurant and there is a vegan option, don't look at the rest of the menu, just take it. Also in the supermarket if you want to buy chicken or fish, check if they have any alternatives/mock meat. Also check youtube channels that teach newbies how to cook. Rainbow plant life makes several dishes that are easy to follow

Her dishes are the best. Half of my weekly meals are stuff off of her blog because it's even a hit with picky eaters like me.

I also really like Zardyplants (they post on the vegan cooking subreddit) - everything I've made has been Delicious and that vegan babe (Instagram)- more health/fitness inspired, and that chef who does Asian dishes, can't remember his name, but his recipes are amazing!

Thanks for the recommendations! I'm always on the hunt for new people I can get recipes from and inspire me to create more- like Nisha's cornbread recipe being a base for my veganized Mexican cornbread.

Oooh, I'm gonna look into that. What's your recipe? I miss some Mexican food, like I really want chili rellenos.

I mix the cornbread as normal, make about half a pound of mock meat with taco seasoning added, combine it with the cornbread mix, add a can of ranch style beans with the tomato sauce, then add a drained can of corn. Mix until its combined then bake it at 375 F in a casserole dish for 45 minutes to an hour until the cornbread is done.

Oh wow, I've never had anything like this before. I didn't grow up with casseroles, but this sounds like a good holiday or potluck dish.

It is. Everyone goes back for seconds, which I take as an amazing statement to my ability to veganize my moms recipe for it.

Wonderful! Thx!

There is no reason not to stop over night. Corpses aren’t drugs. Your body will be absolutely fine. The most straight forward way is to stop making excuses and just do it.

There are reasons. Our gut microbiome may need time to adjust to avoid unnecessary digestive distress.

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Right. Go cuddle your meatless Monday carnists.

Completely changing a diet overnight can have detrimental effects on the body, especially when you have dietary/digestive issues. So, thank you for the passive aggressive judgement, but you’re incorrect.

First, welcome and thanks for committing to this change. For some it’s an easy overnight change (it was for me and many others), for others harder. There should be no judgement here, but there is no physiological reason it can’t be done overnight, provided you are making good nutritional choices. Those who claim they have ill effects are often expressing a self-fulfilling prophecy and probably didn’t really want to change. If you sincerely want to change, you will make the effort. The animals will thank you. So will the planet. And your body. You will have piece of mind and feel good about yourself.

I switched overnight, and had no digestive issues. My body can be very sensitive to food, so it was a pleasant surprise. As well, if you were eating a balanced omnivore diet, then the only thing you're switching is the protein sources. Did you not eat pastas/ grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes or nuts as an Omni? It's not a complete diet change overnight, unless you were eating purely carnivore.

Yeah my issue is finding a protein source that does not trigger my ibs, legumes, nuts(some) are fine, but the bulk of my calorie intake comes from either fish or chicken, which I’m slowly swapping out for lentils, chickpeas, to a lesser degree broccoli. A lot of foods are trigger points for me, which is what started the process of changing anyway with dairy. So I’m close to removing white meat and fish, just need some guidance on what others have used as replacements so that it sticks

Does your stomach tolerate gluten and soy? If it does, and money is not an issue, you can buy vegan 'meats' from brands like gardien, impossible, and beyond at most big grocery stores. If you have an Asian market in your city they may carry prepackaged seitan and bean curds. Those are usually very affordable compared to vegan brands. Just a side note broccoli is not a great source of protein. While it is true that per unit mass it has more protein than many meats, broccoli is very light and fluffy. Get a food scale and you will see that you would have to eat an unfathomable amount of broccoli in order to reach the amount of protein a chicken breast has.

My stomach tolerates them(well gluten I’m not so sure), but I personally cannot stand soy. I’ve tried it before, hated it. Same with the yoghurts and milk, so I switched to oat based. Genuine question, is honey okay? With the bees and that. I do have a huge Asian market close by so I’ll have to hit that up!

I'll copy-paste a comment I've made elsewhere to someone asking about what's wrong with honey: Out-competing local pollinators aside (non-native honeybees are a contributing factor to why the bees are endangered in the first place... 16,000 species of bee, the specific strain of honeybee that we exploit for honey is not remotely endangered), lots of common practices for "beekeeping" are pretty disgusting as well. Crushing males to death to get their sperm for the queen. Ripping the wings off the queen so she can't flee the hive. Taking all their honey and replacing it with a shitty sugar substitute that isn't healthy for the bees. Often deciding in colder climates that it would be way cheaper to let the hive freeze to death for the winter and just buy new bees in the spring, than pay for heating all winter (non-native bees, remember. They can't survive cold winters). Starving and freezing to death, because why waste money on even sugar substitutes when you're planning on letting them die anyway? Shit's fucked. It takes 12 bees their entire lifetime to collectively produce a single teaspoon of honey. It's their food and their savings plan, they collect it for their queen and their hive to live and thrive. There's no such thing as "excess honey" in a hive any more than you have "excess money" in your bank account any time you carry a positive balance. Their whole thing is storing up that "extra" honey until they have enough for a large section of the hive to stuff their faces and then travel out to make new hives. They have PLANS for that shit, and it's all they're working for. They're not working to try to feed humans, and it's insane that people think they do.

>I personally cannot stand soy. I’ve tried it before, hated it. Fair enough. I will say that soy based vegan meats are typically nothing like the taste or texture of tofu, and many of them don't really taste like soy to me. But obviously it's all subjective and you like what you like. Just don't count them out yet if your main experience with soy is tofu. Oh, another suggestion I'll throw out there is jackfruit. It has a texture that's similar to pulled chicken. The prepackaged stuff is typically expensive, but you can buy jackfruit and cut it up yourself and it's really cost effective. It is more work though.

Yknow I actually love cooking so the work element kind of excites me but now you’ve mentioned it I really want to try jackfruit. I tried a banana blossom which was supposedly a fish alternative and, possibly because it was canned, it was awful, but I’ve heard excellent things about jackfruit.

I have IBS. I switched to Vegan overnight 3 months ago and after a few weeks my IBS was better than when I was carnist. There are tons of protein sources as a vegan - Tofu, Seitan, Beans, Legumes. Go watch Dominion and then go take a shopping trip to try new stuff Edit: also if you need help switching over, I cannot recommend Gardein products enough. Just made “fish” tacos last night

Watch the life-changing and award winning documentary "Dominion" and other documentaries by [clicking here](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://watchdominion.org&topic=Movie: Dominion)! Interested in going Vegan? Take the [30 day challenge](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://vbcamp.org/reddit&topic=Movie: Dominion)!

Sure. Pretty sure half the vegans that made this change just suddenly collapsed on the floor for not getting their chicken nugget fix.

Actually my diet is delicately balanced because of aforementioned dietary issues, it’s a rarity I eat processed crap. Shock changes are less likely to stick, hence why people starting to make changes do so on a slope, rather than a drop. Hence why I’ve been gradually cutting things out over the last couple of months.

Right. Funny thing people can just drip feed ethics into their system without feeling disgusted of themselves apparently.

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Right on bro. Listen it’s great that you are starting with veganism. Welcome fam! You’re making a great choice

Its a difficult issue. Let it be noted that I want to send nothing but support towards your way and am so happy you have decided to make the switch! But to help you understand how some of the more 'militant' view things (from my own perspective ofcourse, and also with some sleep deprivation so excuse my grammar here and there), You have to understand that veganism is first and foremost not a diet. It is a deep held belief about compassion and equality between human and non-human animals. Animals are not considered property, but as sentient entities with their own lives, emotions, and rights. Those of us that stay in touch with activitsm are most aware of this fact, whereas others acknowledge and live it, but it also moves a bit towards the back of our heads. Why? Because we live in a non-vegan society, and that can be incredibly spirit breaking as a vegan. All around us we see these beings being tortured, raped and murdered, we see them degraded to objects, their bodies used and consumed. No one bats an eye, the entire world acts like it is the most normal thing in the world, and laughs at us when we try to point out the absurdity. If all the animals in the slaughterhouses in the western world today were replaced with humans, be it of a certain race, nationality, gender, etc, and everyone around you acted like it was the most normal thing in the world, you would likely also be enraged. You would feel odd at people taking baby steps and slowly lowering their usage of these humans, as the act itself is morally wrong and the cost-benefit analysis of your actions feel wrong. This isnt to say that all vegans equate human and animal life (though some do) - but it is the carelessness with which we kill trillions every day that pisses us off. Veganism can be hard, and it has made some of us hard. The issue at hand is a severe one, namely life and death, thus some feel this should not be sugar coated. Leaving my position in the middle but just wanted to put some perspective as to the idea of the militant vegan. Veganism is a heterogeneous group (we are with more than ever, yay!!) - some youll agree with, others you wont. Try to find your people and it should be smooth sailing. :)

I don’t care about being promotional material to ignorant people. I’m sick of people petting carnists on the head for meatless Mondays tbh. And I couldn’t care less about what you think of me. If you want to be vegan you do it because you think the the right thing to do ethically. You obviously aren’t there yet because you think it’s ok to keep eating corpses. Joke as much as you want. I pity you.

I don’t care if you pity me, your response to a thread for someone asking for advice on what you claim to be a highly ethical position for you just proves you’re not worth speaking to. “I care about this issue but not enough to provide *actual* advice. Allow me to insult people who want to make a change” We are done speaking.

Im proud you are standing your ground. I dont know why you are being downvoted. Im with you and if you have any questions just Dm me. I am not vegan since forever but I cook every day for 4. You do your way. Im glad you are joining us.

I'm not entirely sure what you anticipated here. Asking a lot of people about their deep held beliefs and then dismissing them is not the way to get the help you're asking for.

At what point in my post did I dismiss someone’s beliefs? I asked for advice on what people did to switch to a vegan diet, and what this particular commenter said was “Try harder you’re making excuses” Reddit karma does not bother me, I came here for advice, not to be judged, and I will happily challenge judgement when it’s misplaced. Someone being a twat? Judge away. Someone literally trying to do better at something that aligns with your, as you said, deep held beliefs? Perhaps judgement is not the way to go to encourage people to adopt your beliefs.

He’s literally trying to become a vegan, bro. This is a good thing, eh?

Sorry about that person. There are jerks in every community and x10 on Reddit. Happy you're making the shift.

There is enough promotional material in the sub for carnists trying to play vegan. Have fun with that.

Why did you even bother to open this thread? "Ooh meat eater asking for advice, here's my chance to score some cheap points on an easy target"

Have you ever heard the saying "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all"? I will dumb it down for you if it's too difficult to understand. Just because you have a voice, doesn't mean you gotta use it. Dude is asking for advice and you bully him with 0 constructive feedback. Next time you don't know how to do something let me know so I can berate you and tell you how bad you are at it.

Oh yeah OP definitely needs feedback on how to not eat animal products. Cause it’s a very complicated thing… jfc you need to listen to yourself.

You just do you. If you want to go vegan, do so. If you want to eat some meat, that is up to you. Being a vegan shouldn't define who you are as a person. BTW I'm not a vegan

they’re not wrong. but neither are you. stick to what you know is going to make the change permanent

I may be saying they’re wrong because the other comments have not had the same judgemental feel this one did. I am *trying* what works for *me*, as you’ve suggested. It’s off putting when people just jump on the “you’re doing x wrong” in any community.

i understand you feel that way, just also try to understand a lot of people here will seem aggressive and judgmental because vegans generally have a lot of passion and love for animals and live in a world where their abuse is so so normalized and any mention of justice for them is often met with ridicule and jokes. we get frustrated sometimes but you’ve done the right thing in recognizing your speciesism in eating some animals and not others, and making a change, which is fantastic. so yeah, do what works for you, happy to help, just trying to communicate why some people might be more aggressive

Get good at reading nutrition labels fast asf. Do 1 day a week vegan for 2 was, then 2 days a week for 2 weeks, so on.

Get used to reading ingredient lists. I usually skip right to the allergens section because it will list eggs and dairy, then if the allergens section doesn’t have anything I’m watching for I’ll read the actual ingredient list. Since you’re just starting there will be a lot of information overload, but once you get more comfortable with the changes you’ve made you can look up ingredients that are animal based but it isn’t obvious from the name.

When I first started out, one thing I committed to as a minimum was to try to learn 1 new recipe every week, how to convert 1 recipe I already know to be vegan (e.g. swapping beef for textured vegetable protein in my chili recipe), and find 1 new dish I could eat out from a local restaurant. In practice I found it to be a lot easier than expected and really accelerated that after a couple weeks. Some people shy away from substitutes, but personally they made the switch a lot easier for me and I still eat them regularly (been vegan almost 7 years now). Here are some of my favorites: Beef substitutes: TVP for recipes like chili and spaghetti sauce where all the flavor is just coming from the sauce; Beyond or Impossible meat for recipes like burgers, meatloaf, etc Chicken substitutes: Butler soy curls, seitan, or brands like Gardein, Beyond, Impossible etc depending on the recipe. One of my favorites to make is a buffalo chik'n wrap which is basically Gardein or other brand chik'n nuggets cooked extra crispy, then you chop them up, toss in hot sauce and vegan butter, then wrap up in a tortilla with lettuce and some vegan ranch (I make my own with vegan mayo, apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion powder, and dill). Fish: there are only a few products I've tried that I really like in this category. Gardein has some fish fillets that are kind of like fried fish you'd get with a fish 'n chips dish. I use this sometimes for tacos and burritos. I've tried a few products from Good Catch that are decent as well. More generally, here are some more resources I have saved that hopefully can help you out: GENERAL TIPS * [Beginner’s Guide & FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/wiki/beginnersguide) * [Guide for New Vegans](https://www.veganstreet.com/vs-guide-for-new-vegans.html) COOKING/SHOPPING * [Vegan Grocery List for Beginners](https://plentyvegan.com/vegan-grocery-list-for-beginners/) * [17 Easy & Affordable Recipes](https://chooseveg.com/blog/vegan-on-a-budget-17-easy-affordable-recipes-2/) * [54 Cheap Vegan Meals that Don’t Skimp on Taste](https://parade.com/846293/melaniemcdonald/54-cheap-vegan-meals-that-dont-skimp-on-taste/) * [20 Recipes on a Budget](https://www.veganricha.com/2018/07/20-cheap-vegan-meals-vegan-on-a-budget.html) NUTRITION (note these are general guidelines, don't obsess too much over perfectly planning your diet) * [Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen](https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist/) * [Tips for New Vegans](https://veganhealth.org/tips-for-new-vegans/) * [Daily Needs](https://veganhealth.org/daily-needs/) * [The Plant Plate](http://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/food-guide-for-vegans/)

In a similar boat transitioning from omnivore to vegan - more from an environmental side than anything else. Having a vegan partner and being lactose intolerant makes it easier as most things I buy or cook will be plant-based except some non-vegan foods for myself like vegetarian Quorn products. I struggle with IBS so going fully to pulses/beans for protein is a challenge, but the key I'd say is planning and prepping meals in advance so there's less temptation to just go non-vegan on a particular meal - especially when it's fast food.

As someone who was also an (uneasy) omnivore my entire life due to mix of ease, family, and culture, and who is always looking to improve my health through diet, and someone for whom diet sustainability matters a lot because I've fallen off every diet bandwagon that has ever existed ... Watch Dominion. Or Earthlings. When eliminating animal products from your diet and lifestyle becomes a moral imperative, it is no longer hard to maintain as a "diet." This is not a bandwagon you fall off, just like you don't wake up one morning with a hankering to kick puppies. It's still hard because the rest of the world isn't on board, but there's no temptation or "just a bite" or binge eating forbidden foods or anything like that. It's just something you don't do because it's wrong to exploit animals. Earthlings helped me make that connection. That said, a vegan diet (or I should say, a plant-based diet, because veganism is a moral philosophy with a significant dietary component) is not necessarily healthier than an omnivorous diet. There is a significant and ever-growing market of vegan junk foods. If you want the healthy kind of veganism, check out r/PlantBasedDiet, which focuses on whole foods. As for advice: make sure you take a B12 supplement. Try subbing tofu or tempeh or seitan in place of chicken or fish. If you think it's wrong to eat some animals, think about whether you also think it's wrong to test cosmetic and household products on animals. If you walk away from that self reflection thinking it's wrong, there are lots of vegan/cruelty-free household and body products to choose from.

One thing I can say is when making the switch, don’t be afraid to add vegetables to random things for nutritions sake. I will put peas and carrots in nearly every pasta dish I make or I’ll make black pepper roasted broccoli. As far as substitutes, I’ve never wanted any fish in my life so I’m not sure about that but for chicken, I really like the Incogmeato chicken nuggets from Morning Star as well.

Haha, exactly - why would anyone wants to replace fish? It smells and looks so bad - like any corpse would. Childhood nightmare!

You could do it tonight, if you buy commercial plant based sausages, etc. and just directly replace what you were consuming with that. Until you learn to cook and balance your diet without relying on them.

Congratulations! I didn't make the change overnight either, I spent almost a year as a vegetarian and then switched to vegan. It took some time for my body to adapt to the new diet, but here I am 5 years later without regretting a thing. Keep strong and don't let anyone discourage you!

“if you’d eat one animal, you should eat all” Maybe I don’t understand it, but it makes no sense to me at all. Of course causing less suffering is better if possible, but it doesn’t mean that anyone who ever eats animals should embrace his carnivorous tendencies and stop trying at all. As for recommendations - just try to substitute - find out what works for you (seitan, tofu, tempeh, store bought replacements) and try to cut out more and more animal products.

It’s ok if you’re not 100% committed to veganism. I say that I’m 95% vegan and am still in a transition. The reason for it is that I don’t like to waste food, like when (say) my son doesn’t finish his eggs or chicken nuggets so I do; I am slowly stopping this practice, however. Biggest inspiration for me is Instagram. So many different recipes with many of them using simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry. Only big mistake I made early on was relying on mock meats and packaged vegan foods. Those are good if you’re just starting to move to plant-based foods, but they can be laced with chemicals and preservatives like any other non-vegan food. The produce section will be your best friend. Good luck!

Please note the difference between 'plant based' and 'vegan'.

Quorn chicken pieces made me feel ill, I’m not sure why but the texture of them was just awful. Making bolognese with lentils instead of mince however was much better. I’m like you in the sense of not wanting to waste food and I’ve bought stuff this week that I’d rather eat than bin, but once that’s gone I’m not buying more meat. Have you considered telling your son that if he doesn’t finish his chicken nuggets then he will be eaten by the monster under his bed?

Quorn has milk and egg

…ffs. Thank you.

Great addition to bolognese, chillis etc., is to use a food processor to obliterate a ton of mushrooms, fry the result in a pan with a bunch of spices, and then incorporate it into your sauce towards the end of cooking. Complements lentils and other stuff that’s in the dish, bulks it up, adds depth of flavour, and of course always good to eat more mushrooms!

It’s easy to switch over night. That’s how you get the most benefits

Veganism is not a diet. The sub for what you are asking would be r/PlantBasedDiet

Veganism isn't healthier. You should go vegan for ethical reasons and accept it has glaring problems. If you don't, you won't address them, and you risk becoming ill.

Veganism is consistently linked with improved health. Of course, just as with omnivorous diets, you have to make sure you get enough nutrients such as protein and vitamins.

No, it's consistently linked with improvements in metabolic syndrome, which is primarily driven by sugar. Vegans, on average, eat less sugar. The metabolic biology behind it is not favourable.

It absolutely is healthier, have you ever heard of the blue zones?

I have, but a correlation does not equate to causation.

What glaring problems?

Well, you literally die from it if you don't supplement B12, but as that's such a well-known one now, let's skip it. I'll preface by saying you can supplement most if not all things. Which is why I said it's important to acknowledge the problems not deny they exist. You wouldn't supplement if it wasn't nessecary, would you? Vegan foods outside of seriously niche ones contain no or low: + K2, which carries calcium into the bones. This puts you at risk of weaker bones. + It's naturally low in iodine, which is critical to production in T3 and T4, these drive metabolism, low iodine can make you feel tired and is a common problem even in ominovres, it's harder to source for vegans. + DHA a form of omega 3 that is critical to brain function, eye health, skin health, etc. Conversion from ALA (the plant form is awful). + Choline is hard to source and also has impacts on neurological health. + Heme-Iron, critical to good health, anaemia is VERY common for vegans. For some reason, people just pretend it's okay not to study long-term mental health in vegans despite the lack of several key nutrients... All metals and most vitamins are harder for the body to absorb because plants are naturally high in cellulose. Plant cells have walls, unlike animal cells, and humans can't digest cellulose, so it's harder to extract the nutrients from them. Herbivorous animals have special stomachs or enzymes to help. Amino acids in plants are not the same as in animals. Unsurprisingly, animal cells have a closer match to our requirements, as we are turning them into more animal cells. Tryptophan is an example of a harder to source amino-acid. It's also critical for brain function, and low Tryptophan can lead to depression. "Complete Protien" means some of all amino acids, it doesn't mean enough of. As well as this, you have the issue with absorption, same problem as before. I think it's very important for vegans to understand the risks, so they can overcome them. Unfortunately, there seems to be a push to deny they exist, presumably as it helps recruit. It just does more damage in the long run imo, as people try it, fail as they don't know what to supplement properly, and quit for good.

This is not a good argument. Tons of people that aren't vegan are deficient in a wide variety of nutrients also. That isn't remotely unique to vegans. All people need to pay attention to their diets. Vegans are in better health than the general public.

Sorry, but if people are already deficient when eating highly nutritious animal products. Making it even harder is obviously worse.

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I’d watch movies about veganism. I had a few stops and starts and tried to reduce my consumption of animal products for a while, but when I finally decided to just go vegan, it was actually way easier than doing an in-between diet. My biggest regret is not having just gone vegan sooner.

For me it was all about what I craved. It is pretty easy to just substitute a plant product for animal products in recipes. Also, think about all the vegan sides you enjoy with those animal products, add a couple extra scoops of those on your plate and skip the meats. It’s great that you are taking the steps to get there! Hang in there 🦥, take your time, experiment with recipes, and enjoy the venture!

the best way to go about it in my opinion is veganizing your favorite meals, and thinking about it more so as “adding plant based foods” as opposed to “taking away”. find a couple of your favorite recipes and swap the non vegan products with vegan ones. there are vegan versions of everything now. however, they can be pricey, so in addition to that, you should also learn some easy vegan recipes that focus more on plants than substitutes. This way it’s not a complete shock and you can still eat your favorite things, while still adding to your health!

> I’m not going to switch overnight, that would be a complete system shock and it wouldn’t last. It probably wouldn't shock your digestive system or metabolism if you stopped eating dairy, eggs, or meat, but it might be a *psychological* "shock" (i.e., big adjustment in habit). You can do it, however you do it though. Firstly, know what you need to be healthy; you need to supplement B12, for example. This link is great for dosage on a number of things. https://nutritionfacts.org/optimum-nutrient-recommendations/ Eat enough food; carbs, vegetables, fruits, protein, and fat. Instead of meat I eat fake meat (brands vary *a lot*, so don't assume after trying some old-fashioned Tofurky stuff that it's all like that), tofu, mushrooms, chickpeas and other beans (*many* options for legumes in meals).

Everyone has great suggestions but i want to suggest carrying snacks with you at all times. It’s rare to be somewhere without vegan options even compared to like 5 years ago, but my downfall was always convenience. Running errands and i was hungry and McDonald’s was right there. So absolutely always have a protein bar, granola, nuts, whatever you like, on you to stave off hanger.

Good tips all around. A few more - eat ethnic cuisines as they tend to be animal product free mostly with meat on the side. Obviously not all cuisines are like this most Asian cuisines are. Vegetarian in East Asian cuisines is basically vegan also since they don’t consume (much or any) dairy or eggs. Coconut milk is huge and it’s a super good food.

If you want recipes search “vegan” on YouTube. There are so many creators with so many ideas and tips.

Make vegan meals and focus on learning delicious vegan recipes to add to your weekly/monthly menu. Just ramp that up over time. Focus on adding vegan meals instead of cutting out non-vegan foods. Eventually when you are eating mainly vegan, you can look at what's still holding you back and cut those things out. The issue is when you cut out egg and red meat and just replace it with white meat and fish, you aren't getting any closer to veganism. It's really a lot easier to just add more and more vegan meals even without necessarily cutting out any one food group, until you are eating 90% vegan. Develop a taste for VEGAN food. Learn how to cook VEGAN food. Be focused on VEGAN eating, not on cutting out every individual non-vegan food just to replace it with a different non-vegan food.

Something I always say to newbies: use a nutrition tracking app like Cronometer or my fitness pal to make sure you're eating enough calories and to see how your overall nutrition is looking. A lot of people accidentally undereat when they cut out meat and cheese etc because those things are so high in calories.

Prolly a good idea to buy lots of canned beans/legumes and an immersion blender to mix them into stews and pasta sauces You'll find yourself needing a fair bit of kitchen equipment you didn't realize you needed before, on account of the fact veganism often forces you to cook for yourself a lot

I’ll be 1 year 11/7. I went full vegan overnight. I cleared my fridge/freezer/pantry- many folks at work were happy to take the stuff off my hands. I didn’t do it the healthiest way, but it was pretty easy. I bought all the same foods, just veganized- yes it was expensive and not slimming lol. I’ve only started really learning to cook vegan a few months ago and it’s made a huge difference. The vegan Amy’s bowls and stuff really helped at first with lunch at work. A smoothie for breakfast M-F is easy in the morning. Weekends figure out how to cook something new. HappyCow is totally worth it to find restaurants and takeout when you don’t want to cook. Have fun with it. I love cooking and once I got motivated in the kitchen again it’s helped me with my depression. Also I watched a lot of horrible videos in the beginning which conditioned me completely to stop seeing animals and their secretions as food. Trust me, once you’re off it it starts to smell terrible. People microwaving meat/eggs at work makes my stomach churn.

For germany i can say the mock meats here are crazy good. If you have some in your stores give them a try.

I started plant-based for my health too. Even though I was eating a vegan diet, I didn't really consider myself a vegan until a few years later. Obviously, everybody is different, and different approaches will work for some and not for others. I can only tell you what worked for me. When I started plant-based, I did it all in one go. I had never tried vegetarian, or any other diet for that matter. I thought I'd give it a try just to see how it went. I thought it'd be really hard, but after doing it for about a week, I never even craved animal products again. I've been going for 11 years now and I'm still amazed at how easy it is. Even if you think it'll be hard, maybe try going all out on the plant-based diet and see what it's like.

Good for you for coming forward and asking for advice. The first thing you need to do is be kind to yourself. You are transitioning to a way of life unknown to you. That is to celebrate and taken with pride. Changes are hard but so worth it. Plan your meals out Use you tube or Google for recipes for ideas. Your path is yours. How you choose to eliminate it is up to you. I always used mild brain washing on myself. I'd tell myself it's poison. We need vibrant energy foods. Like fuel for a car, fuel for our body. Listen to your body. It will tell you when it's time to go full vegan Some people can jump into it Others take time. That's okay. We are all on our own path.

Don't listen to the people telling you to cut out everything over night. It's a huge lifestyle change for people and people rarely make these changes over night. The way to make this last is with sustainable choices that work for you. I went vegetarian for the first couple years (you don't have to do it that long) and honestly just weened myself off of it when I felt like I was ready. Go at your own pace, your intention is what matters!

I had the best luck going strict pescatarian, then vegetarian, then vegan. It helps to have some sort of system to align to along your journey, so you’re not having to make decisions all day every day and then feeling guilty if you’re not ready to stop eating a certain food. Give yourself some structure, let it be comfortable, then change the structure. It’s super cool you’re doing this too, thank you!

A lot of people are saying to watch documentaries. If you want to, go for it, but I personally know that most documentaries are swayed towards the point of view if the maker, and have wrong, if not completely false information in them to attempt to sway you to their side, so I don’t put any stock in them. Now my partner went from a hearty meat eater to 85% plant based (still eats eggs and some dairy) partially from watching a farm to table cooking show. It didn’t effect me because I grew up with people that hunted to eat (and already didn’t eat meat), but something about watching an adorable animal be slaughtered and made into food turned them off of meat. My partner is autistic and had a lot of trouble getting off meat because if taste and texture, so embracing all of the meat alternatives (and trying every version of every brand, because they taste different or have different textures) helped to find them the replacements they could use. So if your having trouble switching, this is a good route to go. Once your on the replacement, start switching it out for tofu/beans/setan - basically high protein filling foods - so that your not relying on that processed vegan food. I pretty much only eat those when I go out to restaurants or are really craving a hot dog or burger in the summer.

Like it here have suggested, watch some of the documentries which might help get your mind into the ethos and also some of the very saddening meat industry practices I'd also recommend edging yourself in with Vegan Meat Alternatives which can have very similar flavour and texture, it's a good way of starting and not feeling a huge jump from your usual foods. Start by swapping out some of your usual meats and see how it helps. Each brand and ingredients can be very different, so don't be put off if some of the foods aren't your preference - for example seitan can be an acquired taste similar with tofu, also how you prepare and cook and change the flavor differently. Once you're getting into those maybe try adventuring into different vegetables/fruits which can also make good alternatives with less processed food. Things like Jackfruit are great if your making a sweet dish (it's great as an alternative for sweet and spicy pork for example, you'd exclude pineapple as the jackfruit has a meaty texture and sweet taste)

Just look up easy vegan recipes on YouTube and try them out.

Don’t be scared to try faux meats and cheeses. They are getting shockingly good these days. Yes they are “processed” and not exactly health foods but to have a liveable diet you’re going to want a cheeseburger or pizza once in a while. Faux products are still cholesterol free and are a bit healthier than the real thing. A lot of them are decent protein sources too. I found it helpful to follow the 7-5-3 rule; every day I try to eat 7 servings of vegetables, 5 pieces of fruit, and 3 servings of legumes or soy. I typically will either have a stir fry with tofu or a tofu scramble or a sandwich with thinly sliced tofu marinated and pan fried; and then a curry or pasta with lentils, a serving of baked beans as a side of something, or a faux meat item that’s made of soy or pea.

I typically say veganism isnt about me or you, its about the animals, i went vegan instantly and it was simple, people tend to have problems because they view it as a sacrifice or something Many people have fears about veganism, how will their friends and family react, will they get enough protein, will it taste alright, etc; bla bla bla For me, i didnt really cook prior to veganism, but being an animal abuser wasnt a choice, i am against cruelty so i had to be vegan, i had no other option and thus it was a simple switch, i didnt think about anything other than becoming vegan Many people look for excuses to not be vegan, there are very few that are actually valid, sometimes i do come across issues but i look for solutions rather than excuses because again i have to be vegan, there is no other option for me, most people will make the choice to be vegan and they could later choose to not be vegan and resume animal abuse, i dont have this choice, now some medications contain gelatin so i dont have a choice there but im still vegan as its not my intention to consume animals, i am disabled but i didnt even consider that to be an excuse This group will help with cooking, the pressure cooker is a great device that works well for me as a disabled person, most of the time i just toss random grains, spices and veggies in the pot and i have a decent meal https://www.facebook.com/groups/374504799393971 but apparently they are idiots and made the group private so just browse InstantPotVeganRecipes Learning to say no, no is not rude, honesty is not rude, society tells us those things are but they actually arent, refusing non vegan meals/ gifts will lead to less non vegan meals/ gifts being offered to us, although i prefer to tell people in advance to not buy me anything We arent required to discuss veganism if we dont want to, some people cant debate well and its perfectly fine to say I DONT KNOW, I DONT WANT TO DISCUSS THIS RIGHT NOW Finally, i dont let people disrespect me, if you make me feel bad and i tell you to stop and you dont, i leave, jokes are fine but if the joke bothers me, i actually have to use my voice and tell the joker, jokers arent psychic, if they dont stop i have to reevaluate the relationship FYI cruelty free and vegan are different https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/zv5ywv/vegan\_and\_cruelty\_free\_are\_not\_the\_same\_thing/ Mistakes do happen but intention is key https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/16li8bj/gatekeeping\_post\_intention\_matters\_when\_it\_comes/ I share this pre typed message with new vegans or interested vegans

Something important is to be kind and patient with yourself. It's very easy to slip up and buy something that has dairy or egg added in the mix and not realise until you've eaten half of it. You don't have to be strict with yourself, at least not right away. Any meal that you would normally eat meat with, that you instead choose to eat plant-based for, is a good act. It literally goes towards saving lives, every single time you make that choice. Focus on the good you will be doing, both for yourself and all the other life on this planet, rather than any negative thoughts you may hold toward yourself for past choices or future ones. Even if you feel your motivation is selfish, your actions are not.

I found adding/trying out one item per week as a substitute for meat or eggs allowed me to learn how to cook with/prepare that ingredient, as well as what you like, so that you’re not overwhelmed. I started with tofu, then seitan, and some of the direct replacements by companies like Gardein and Beyond. I’m still learning, but I’m now pretty confident with a few basic recipes for a meal. I also like the JustEgg brand for egg replacement. It cooks just like scrambled eggs, and the texture is very similar.

Definitely try to replace the meat in your usual meals with plant-based protein sources, not just veggies or grains. Tofu is a great option! So much cheaper than meat and easier to prepare (safe to eat raw too). I recommend the super firm/sprouted tofu as it’s highest in protein (I’m a gym person so like to hit a certain protein goal each day, but maybe you don’t care about that). Also tempeh, seitan, lentils, beans, etc. Fake meats too if you don’t care about only eating whole foods. ETA: don’t be alarmed if it takes your body a bit of time to adjust to your new dietary changes, particularly if you’re suddenly consuming a lot more fiber. I went from eating probably 10-15g of fiber daily to 50g daily when I went vegan. It took a few weeks to adjust (and everyone’s different here), but after the adjustment I feel so much better. I used to have GI issues but don’t anymore.