Thinking about going Vegan

[TuxedoKat]

but need help finding good books, esp. cookbooks, products, recipes, websites, etc., re same. Thank you in advance for any help or direction.*

Due to family health concerns.

[LaurenG]

1. I just saw a recent thread about this in the lounge

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9751123
The Joy of Vegan Baking has some awesome desserts and I just bought Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

I found some more when I searched for the one I was talking about.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=231x15482

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=231x830

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5284095

[TuxedoKat]

2. Great, thank you very much

I will go and check those out. :)

[Lost-in-FL]

3. The 21 day kick start is a great place to start.

http://www.21daykickstart.org/

A Vegan friend recommended that site to me when I asked her for information. She recommended it over the PETA website due to the graphic content of the videos. I have been a vegan now for over 5 months and feeling great!

I started cold turkey (which is not recommended) and paid the price. I guess my stomach needed time to get used to all the healthy food... Lol! Seriously, I had problems because I went from a very unhealthy diet to one very rich in fiber and veggies too quickly. At first I didn't know what was going and had to ask another vegan that told me I went too "purist" too quickly and I needed to make changes slowly to avoid stomach problems. She recommended for me to get papaya tablets for heartburn and to drink "Good Belly" (vegan probiotic) to help with the sour stomach and to prepare the bowels for the new "meatless" bacterial flora. Three days later I was feeling great! My vegan friend told me that in addition, continue to eat fish while my stomach was weak and to quit fish once I felt ready. I only had fish once a week for a month and quit after that. Fortunately what happened in my case does not happen to other people. I suffer from acid reflux which was aggravated by the changes but to this day I have not had any episode of acid reflux!

[TuxedoKat]

4. Thank you very much

I will check that out too. I think I already eat fairly healthy, have always strived for whole grains, lots of fiber, and very little meat of any kind. I wouldn't have meat at all except for my family but I think that will be changing as I master more meatless meals that they like. It will be much harder to give up dairy though, but I will be striving for that too.

[Ignis]

5. If you don't mind, a question or three:

Are you vegetarian now? If so, how long have you been veg? Do you find it difficult to follow the diet?

As a vegan for almost 20 years, I strongly recommend you go veg for a year or two first. The transition from the SAD to a vegan diet is quite a shock to the system--mentally/psychologically more than anything--so give yourself some "training wheels" for a while before the main event.

I suggest Dr. McDougall's books for a good health-based approach to the reasons for going vegan. They'll help you understand and internalize the "why" before you start the "what."

Hope that helps. :hi:

[a la izquierda]

6. A friend got me the Veganomicon cookbook.

I've liked everything I've made so far. I've been vegan for a few weeks, with a minor slip-up here and there.
I've also read Brendan Brazier's Thrive books. They're good if you're an athlete and want to figure out how to stay healthy...but he rarely cooks his food, and when he does, he low-cooks it.