Help me become vegan?

•Help me become vegan?•

that is music to my ears.

I never found it overwhelming - but it took me ten years from when i started to become vegetarian till when i became vegan. So I'm not really speaking from personal experience - but I don't' think it has to be overwhelming. I think you can take it one step at a time. and those steps can be as widely separated as you wish - by days or weeks or even like in my case - years.

Also there are many people here at answers that will disagree with this, but you DO NOT have to become an expert on nutrition. not this week. anyway. It takes months (and not just 1 or 2, but 6 or more) to start suffering from malnutrition. Well, as long as you weren't malnourished to start with.

I have a little essay that i"m going to just copy and paste here. Its got a ton of stuff. but you don't have to do it all. certainly not right away. and maybe not ever. but it will give you a few good ideas of where to start.

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I used to advise people to make the change gradually. Which is what I did. But I've changed my mind. Of course you can't do it overnight unless you want to start throwing out food but you certainly can start making changes right away. They tell me it takes just 3 weeks to create new habits. So the sooner you start, the sooner it gets to be automatic. Why not start creating new good habits right now?

A really good course in veganism is the “30-day Vegan Challenge”. Its 30 days of short lectures (5 – 10 minutes), some are audio files you can listen to on the go. The rest are video files you can watch on your laptop, phone or tablet. There are a few short essays and quite a few recipes. In 30 days you will know everything a good vegan needs to know. And the whole learning process is not only painless but it’s quite easy. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, has a nice pleasant voice and demeanor, and a pleasure to listen to. Plus she has a great attitude and is very knowledgeable. It normally costs 20 bucks but it’s free if you join it from Cowspiracy. Go to this page:

http://www.cowspiracy.com/

Scroll to the bottom, and join up.

And you might want to watch Cowspiracy when you get a chance.

A similar option is the “21-day Vegan Kickstart” program. It is is very good. It’s of course nine days shorter. It comprises of “Celebrity tips”, “Nutrition Webcasts”, a “21 Day Meal Plan”, a “Restaurant Guide”, a “Community Forum”, and “Daily Messages”. It includes recipes for the meal plan and even prints out a grocery-shopping list. Oh, it has an app! On the first day of the month you can start it with a bunch of other people so it has a social media aspect as well. It’s free!

http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome

Or just to the link below and start exploring.

http://vegankit.com/

Sometime after the first month, you should visit the library and take out some books about being vegan. Ask the librarian; they probably have quite a few. (like that dummy's book)

While you are at the library, if you have time sit down and peruse a few issues of the Vegetarian Times. Some libraries let you take magazines home. Some have magazines online, which you can read on your tablet.

As long as you’re at the library, get some cookbooks, too, especially, if you like to bake.

My four favorite authors, (who also have websites are):

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, http://www.compassionatecook.com/

Issa Chandra Moskowitz http://www.theppk.com/

Chloe Coscarelli http://chefchloe.com/

Angela Lidden http://ohsheglows.com/

Podcasts, video blogs, regular blogs, web sites, books and magazines are a great way to keep learning. If you like to listen to Podcasts, subscribe to the Compassionate Cooks Podcast. ( I learned most of what I know about veganism in my car listening to Colleen) It’s very interesting, informative and a pleasure to listen to. There are some good youtube channels to subscribe to but I don't find them as convenient as podcasts, so I can't recommend any in particular. But here is a good list.

http://www.brownvegan.com/blog/10-vegan-youtubers-...

and here is a list of books, too.

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/vegan

If you like movies you can watch "Forks over Knives". You should also watch Cowspiracy.

Oh, and you should read this. its just a couple of pages.

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/protein.html

Buy the Vegan's Daily Companion. It’s the best $10 you'll spend this month. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau wrote it and she is also the creator of the 30-Day Vegan Challenge and the Compassionate Cooks Podcast. you can keep it on the coffee table or on the bedside and just read one page a day.

Soy is a very important food for a vegan. Tofu is sort a vegan staple. At some point you should learn about preparing and cooking tofu dishes.

Don’t worry about becoming 100% vegan right away (or at all). Take your time, do what you think is comfortable and practical. And enjoy the ride.

My mother tried being on a vegan diet when I was a child and she found it difficult at best, restrictive at worst. I'm not making any particular suggestion, but there are plenty of sources of meat and dairy that are NOT tested like in those videos which are the big companies such as Tyson, Perdue, etc. There's a really easy trick to find out if it's humanely raised: look for "pasture raised" if it doesn't have the word pasture on there somewhere then you cannot be 100% sure how it is treated. Or you can do a search on verified humane for local dealers of meat/dairy products that all have to abide by very strict welfare standards on how the animals are raised. I would generally avoid things like fur and leather either way. Of course veganism is an option, and I am always open to people who choose to eat that way and value their opinions. Good luck!

Just make the change slowly