Taking your first step to veganism

[firicia]

I am just wondering if anyone here has any experience in letting go of being a meat eater.
I'm not ready to go full swing into being a raw foodist. I've tried only to find out that cutting everything all at once leads to a big binge. So I am thinking maybe I should start cutting things out one at a time to get there.

First I would like that to be meat and dairy. I honestly don't really know what a vegan eats, and am having trouble letting go of meat for some reason. Also is there anything to know about nutrition if you don't eat it? I was not a meat eater until I was 4, but now I feel kinda addicted almost. Is that normal? I am just wondering how to take on trying to become a vegan being 21 and still wanting to have dinner with my bf and go out to dinners with friends.

Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

[Random Violin Guy]

I think it's wise of you to take it gradually, if that's what feels most comfortable to you. I find that people who jump into it from being meat eaters tend to fall back into eating meat again when they're tempted. On the other hand, I find that people who were vegan before going raw tend to fall back into eating cooked vegan when they're tempted. And yes, chances are you'll be tempted to try your old (cooked) diet from time to time after going raw. It's all part of the raw journey, in my experience.

For me, I wasn't intending to go raw when I first started out down this path. At first, I just avoided eating flesh. The more I researched it, the more you realize how disgusting it really is. But I wouldn't want you to think too much about the animals that people around you are eating, and how they must have died, because the more you think about it, the more repulsive it becomes, to see in your mind's eye the slaughter of these poor beings. Now, you might even find after a while, that the sight, smell, and taste of cooked flesh triggers these thoughts. That's how it happens for me, anyway. (Side note: nobody really eats "chicken." What they eat is "a chicken.")

After I stopped eating flesh, I started to read all about vegetarianism and veganism. There are plenty of good vegetarian/vegan cookbooks out there, and most of them tend to have introductions that talk about veg nutrition. That would be a good place to start, wouldn't you agree? After I started reading up on it, it was only a short while before I stopped eating eggs and dairy.

I've also found, that so long as you keep it in the back of your mind where you eventually want to end up, you will naturally and effortlessly move in that direction. Now, It really is quite simple to make these changes. After all, if you're offered foods that you'd rather not eat, isn't it quite easy to just eat something else instead? And if you were to grow increasingly curious about the moral issues of animal agriculture, you might find, that the more you research these things, the more you will want to go vegan, more and more and more.

I suppose I should add that I transitioned from being a meat eater to being a vegan when I was 19. Now I'm 21 and raw. It really is the best thing I've done for myself and for the rest of the world, and I couldn't be happier for it.

[michigan roman]

15 years ago when went vegan DRY BEANS - BROWN RICE - BOILED OR BAKED POTATO - WHOLE WHEAT BREAD - BANANAS became the heavy fuels that replaced critter matter for me . i liked large (not small limas) dry lima beans , plus dry kidney beans the most for filling up on . and i ate alot of peanut butter and jelly on the heavy whole wheat bread to fill up on . check all the bread labels til you find a vegan one . like here in detroit a bakery koeplingers makes a great vegan whole wheat that uses apple sauce instead of milk or butter .

for calcium replacement without dairy i made sure to get alot of dark greens and sesame seeds (grind sesame seeds in blender for banana smoothies , or use whole on salads) .

and the suppliment needed by vegans is said by many to be B12 , if not its said nervous system problems / damage could occur . its an important topic to look into when going vegan as far as ive been reading for 15 years . heard it said by hundreds of vegans .

[michigan roman]

and i used to like the bean soup mixtures with about 10 different kind of beans , you get like a varied mix of tastes / minerals in them which was filling to me .

and on going out to dinner dont turn it into a big deal , just have a salad and eat less than usual . we can very perfectly exist on much less than weve been accustomed to living on , its like were all programmed to think i need 3 big meals a day or im gonna crash and burn . but ive found out from doing like 15 fasts from 3 to 20 days , up to around 9 days on just water , that i can do physical manual labor all day - run - lift after days of juice and or water fasting . so it was just in my mind that i needed heavy meals constantly . read here and at www.rawfoodtalk.com the fasting threads and get familiar with what people are doing and youll see we dont have to eat as much as weve been .

[michigan roman]

also though concerning whole wheat bread = if eating cooked vegan ide no longer eat human concoctions like bread . ide only eat simple plant matter straight from nature baked or boiled . so ide use like oat bran instead of bread and put the sweet / heavy things like fruits and nuts on the oat bran .
you can just pour warm water on oat bran with whatever you want to add like say bananas and chopped walnuts and youve got a quick / easy meal .