The KInd Life Community Forum

And apparently, also having a hard time working my laptop tonight!

Sorry, me again! What I was trying to say was that I'm a new (6 wks) vegan and I'm terrible at it. I'd been ovo/lacto veg since I was a kid (and abhorred eggs anyway) so I thought giving up dairy would be easy. Most importantly, I went vegan for ethical reasons, the second I learned that dairy animals and egg chickens are not treated like pets. I always thought at least organic farms would be happy little places to live, but upon further information, have had a serious change of perspective. Going back is not an option for me.

As a curious aside, I can't digest dairy, wheat or sugar properly, and yet suddenly, out of nowhere, I'm craving all of these. Ugh!! I've never been a big eater, and now I'm hungry frequently, and the food I seem to want is god-awful. My body is completely freaking out on me... rather than feeling strong and energetic like I anticipated, I'm sluggish, puffy and cross. If I didn't know better, I'd guess it was some sort of withdrawal response. Is that completely insane, or have other people experienced this? If so, how and when will it pass?

My rice cooker/veg steamer is getting a lot of action, but I'd like to branch out. Though my tastes are pretty simple (nothing super exotic) my kitchen skills are somewhere between "oh my" and "please tell me you're joking".

If any of you have experienced some of these issues, I would be very grateful for your input. Thanks so much, in advance!

Hi Smurfy, thanks for your prompt reply, and sorry for the delay - I tried to respond straightaway but the KL site was down. Just wanted to thank you for your input - super ideas! I love the website you recommended. Avocado... wow, I never would have thought of that, but it's so clever. Fortunately the dairy cravings have just now started to pass - I guess I wasn't missing milk as much as cheese, but now the idea of actually eating it doesn't sound so appealing. Next up, I hope to overcome this bizarro sugar and carb thing - I've been eating sesame noodles almost every day for the past couple of weeks. So odd! No doubt with a little extra work and idea from the herbivore site, I'll figure it out. Again, much gratitude! Have a great day.

I am newly vegan as well...about 8 weeks. I found the transition difficult also. I read The Kind Diet and have been having success with many of Alicia's recipes; although a lot of the ingredients needed were hard to find. My husband jokes that I went from not knowing how to make mac and cheese to being this gourmet vegan chef! lol. I seriously didn't know how to make mac and cheese in my non-vegan days. He did all the cooking and now I am the cook. I am also reading The Get Healthy, Go Vegan cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard. It's a great book and I haven't had the chance to make some of the recipes but they seem easy enough. I agree with Kirsty to get some books and read all you can. There are so many great vegan cook books out there. I also purchased Skinny Bitch in the Kitch but haven't yet made any of their recipes. They too seem simple enough. Good Luck!

I was known for my lack of cooking ability until I went mostly plant based. My family and friends teased me all the time. My brother is my roommate and friends used to say is starve if he moved out. LOL. Now people are actually asking me for recipes! :D