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Just starting and need help...
Started
by Kelly Bevel
on November 30, 2009
Hi!! My name is Kelly. I'm just now reading The Kind Life, and was in shock! I've never really considered being a vegan (or a vegetarian), but reading this really makes me want to try. I'm 27 and I have been unhealthy for a long time now. I don't have a history of healthy eating - it's filled with meat and junk food. This is going to be a really hard step for me, being that no one I know is a vegan or vegetarian, and I know it's going to be very hard for me to refuse my mother's homecooking! Please give me any advice that you can...I would really appreciate it. I'm ready to feel healthy, live life, and help protect those poor animals.
Bravo for making such a wonderful decision! You are a stronger person than most just for that, so give yourself some credit, lady! :) I am 26, and have been vegan (still transitioning, really) for less than a month. I have a husband and three kids on top of that, and trying to cook for a family and stay vegan seemed impossible at first. But really, once I was confident that it was the right decision, and once I found some yummy-looking recipes, and went on a few grocery trips to find new products, it turned out to be so much easier than I expected! My family was more cooperative and supportive than I thought they would be! There are still a few people that give me a hard time about it, but I try not to let it get to me. I just search the web a little every day (maybe no more than 10 minutes) to learn more (there's A LOT to learn), visit the kind life and www.peta.org often so I don't feel so isolated and alone, and plan all my meals ahead of time. You can do it! It's never too late to do what you know is right! Besides, it's not like you're depriving yourself by doing this. In fact, you've been depriving yourself your whole life by NOT doing this! Give your taste buds a week or two to get used to the switch, and you will suddenly begin to taste flavors you've never tasted before, and a whole new, yummy food world will open up to you! Trust me! If I can do it, anybody can. :D
oh, and peta.org has a vegetarian starter kit that you can order in the mail (this takes several weeks, though) or you can download a pdf instantly. it really helped me get a jump start! go for it!
Thanks, Anjali! I will check out those sites as well! I also recommend watching the documentary "Earthlings"...if you dare. Honestly, it was the final straw for me in my decision to become vegan. I warn you that it's very difficult to watch. It's an hour and a half of my life for which I am eternally grateful, though. I had to force myself to not cover my eyes, and I cried...a lot. I had to stop and take breaks because it was so overwhelming, but I did it anyway, because I felt I had a social responsibility to do so. Even if you can't sit through the whole thing, I think watching even part of it is extremely informative and beneficial. here's a link: http://www.goveg.com/order.asp
Wow, you are all so helpful! I will watch that video (when I'm ready to have a good cry), and I will definitely check out a lot of those books and things that you all suggested. I appreciate the support!!
Kelly:
Good for you! My husband and I started a vegan diet 2 months ago and we are doing great. You just have to do a little research to find foods that still seem filling to you. My husband has lost 22 pounds during the past two months but more importantly his triglycerides have dropped from over 400 to 73 - so no doubt, this is a very healthy lifestyle. I wish you much success.
Hi Everyone,
I was so glad to read all of your responses. I'm just starting too, although I'm 50. I applaud you all for starting early. My daughter bought me The Kind Diet because I've started having health problems and my doctor advised a plant based diet. It's been pretty easy, I've only been doing it for a week. I slipped a little on Thanksgiving, but actually lost a pound that day. I went right back on the next day and am feeling pretty good. My biggest problem is that my husband is a meat and potatoes guy, he just can't understand. I'm trying to get him to read the book for himself. He'll try some of the things I make, but he still insists that he needs meat. I'm hoping that if he sees good changes in me that it will make him think twice.
I'll be checking out the advice on this site often, thanks for sharing!
Sandra,
I'm 51. So what? We still have more than half our life to go!!! We can do it.
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