There are a few different aspects to going vegan.
The most important thing to understand about going vegan is how you will be impacting some of the most beautiful creatures on earth.
About animals:
Earthlings *warning – very graphic, but the most real and honest film about what happens to animals.
How to get started:
About the environment:
Health:
http://www.heartattackproof.com/
http://www.crazysexycancer.com/
http://www.tcolincampbell.org/
http://www.rawfor30days.com/index4.html
Recipes:
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp
Where to eat?- what better way to get started than to find a great vegan place to eat!
Happy Cow!
The Vegan Hope store has a lot of my favorite books and resources as well – check it out!
Just stumbled upon your website. I am looking for some positive change in my world. Having just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and arthritis, I am looking for something to help me with my problems. I am also going through a very, very stressful time in my world right now and I know that is not helping. I just ordered two books from Amazon about being vegan. I am hoping with this site and these books, I can start making some positive changes. Thanks so much.
Living Vegan:
LIVING VEGAN There are many alternatives to leather, wool, and down. And many are available at local stores. For example, Payless Shoes is a dependable source for inexpensive vegan shoes. Higher quality vegan shoes, whose longevity and comfort may be closer to leather shoes, are available from Moo Shoes and Otsu, as well as Vegan Essentials , The Vegetarian Site, and Pangea (both also sell a variety of vegan products, including clothing, accessories, food, personal care items, cleaning products and more). Acrylic and ‘polar fleece’ are popular alternatives to wool, available at many clothing stores. Sleeping bags and coats stuffed with Thinsulate, Polyfil, and other synthetic insulation are often warmer than those stuffed with goose-down. In addition, synthetic insulation retains its properties when wet. Most outdoor stores carry many options.
The Compassionate Cuisine Chef!
Chef Mayra
Sorry… but what is wrong with wool? Not sure about how it’s done in the U.S. but in Ireland there’s nothing inhumane about it… the sheep roam free in the fields… my cousin raises sheep. He shears them and the wool is sold to the factory in the town. And the sheep live to see another day waiting for their next hair cut. Am I missing something here? I am not trying to be argumentative… just looking for info.
Thank you so much for your blog! truly inspirational. I recently began to switch over to veganism, I am doing all right so far- I do miss cheese terribly tho- and not your average cheese. I have always been a fan of “gourmet” cheeses. I would get them from a local co-op where I could be comforted in thinking that at least the animals were being treated well and there were no weird ingredients added to my cheese. The more educated I became about dairy products, the less I bought them- I would find myself in the store- craving the flavor- but unable to get over the “source”.
I am so happy to find other vegans, whatever stage of the road they may be at, who are willing to speak openly and honestly about their lifestyle!
Much gratitude!
I just found your blog. Thank God. I am tired of being overweight, unhealthy, depressed, self-conscious and I am tired of carrying around all these feelings. I think they weigh more than the actual body fat. I am just at a loss where to start, I feel overwhelmed and I am tired of starting & failing. It’s pretty bad when you don’t trust yourself anymore. I will continue to read your blog and breathe.
Hey Friend – I enjoy your site. I am looking for Vitamin B12 foods. My daughter is in medical need of this greatly but she is 5 and picky ( as most kids that age are). We are not yet vegan but we are vegetarian.
Any thoughts would be great! As I would rather help her without meds…Thanks in advance
- Kristina
Hi there!
What a great blog! I posted your letter to PETA on my facebook and on PETA’s facebook pages. It is really too bad they have not progressed to respect and consider ALL beings.
Anyway, I wanted to respond to a few of these comments.
kristina- First a great source of Vitamin B 12 for vegans is nutritional yeast. It is available in bulk in a regular grocery store. It tastes good on everything! I put it on salads, in dips, on burritos and nachos… and it has a slight cheesy flavor so you will see it added to make cheesy like sauces. here is a website for other vegan sources of vitamin b 12 http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm
heather- As far as gourmet cheeses go, I am right there with you. I loved cheese and would always have roughly 4 types in my refrigerator. Here are the vegan cheeses I use for different reasons…
Follow Your Heart- for pizza, burritos, dips
Tofutti slices- grilled cheese, quesadillas, pizza, burritos
Sheese- for cubing and eating with grapes, pistachios and fruit. the smoked cheddar, tastes like gouda, and although it doesn’t melt, tastes really good with a veggie burger.
There is a cookbook, that I own but have not used, called the Uncheese cookbook. Check it out. I have heard great things about the recipes in it.
Lastly, I am on the committee for an organization that provides mentoring, year round, to people considering the vegan lifestyle. We have an Annual Try Vegan Week which consists of potlucks, lectures and other fun stuff. This year we planned 22 events! Anyway, check out our website if you want one on one support with someone here in Portland, Oregon. You don’t have to be local though, we have mentors willing to support via email and phone. Our website is http://www.tryveganpdx.com
Again, thanks so much for this website. It’s very well organized, thoughtful and empowering!
All my best- deanna
I met Natala over the last week and she was sooooooo inspiring to me. She told us her story and I cried, thinking about my own life and the lives of my family and close friends. I had chosen a different path over a year ago and over this past week I knew that the things I learned would move me into the next phase of my life. It definately helped alot! I lost some weight over the last week and my blood pressure came down too! WOWSA!
So today’s the first day at home since participating in the week long emmersion program to be plant stong!
I really did think it would be harder but I just ate some kale and bok choy with some pinto beans and I feel stuffed!
I hope to be checking in on a regular basis to see what other new and wonderful things I can learn and to keep in touch with Natala because she truly is a wonderful person that cares about humanity!
I really enjoyed reading through this post.Thanks.
I have been reading through your website and I find it so incredible. I hope you continue this blog and I know that you are going to help a lot of people throughout your life.
I am studying nutrition right now, too, and am also teaching people how to cook healthy vegan recipes. I am looking forward to doing what I can to make this world a healthier place and I just want to thank you for the inspiration.