The KInd Life Community Forum

Thanks so much Bogette and Amy P.! It means so much to know there is such a supportive network of people out there transitioning with me &/or assisting me with such great suggestions :) I'm so thankful and glad to have connected w/ people through this site. It's so inspirational to hear everyone's stories and see people posting about the challenges and rewards of living a healthy vegan life style!

I live in a very small town of just 2000 and they are all hunters etc so you can imagine how hard it is and the looks i get haha but it is alll good would love buddies and and any support good luck everyone xx

I Sarah! I'm kind lifer JulieSwartout here. I'll be glad to be your buddy! I'm from Oakland,CA. I'm gluten free and mainly vegan for awhile now. I have eaten meat, dairy, fish and seafood only when I NEED it. Where are you from? When I was about 18 and 19 I was vegan for 6 months, a six month break, and then vegan for another 6 months. I've done bloggin on the website before. I gave lots of advice on products that are vegan. 'Kind Life' blogging has really enriched my life! I'm a really happy blogger that LOVES helping others and giving advice. Maybe we could start by me giving you some pointers? I do need from advice, what do we do with beans?
:-) Be Happy,
Julie Swartout

This sounds great! I've been a vegetarian for 7 years and recently became a vegan this past October, but being the only one of my friends and family to even be vegetarian has been tough. Thanks for posting this Sara. I could definitely use some support and I would love to help you all too in whatever way possible!

MK, with eating out, I've always found ways to make something vegan from the menus of just about every restaurant I've gone to. For example, Denny's- they have a veggie burger (the patty is Amy's brand, which is vegan), and if you order it without cheese and mayo, it's vegan (at most locations). The best thing to do when eating out is to check out the menu before you go and have some veggie options in mind. If you don't know where you're going beforehand, you can always custom-order an item on any menu (I've never had a place have a problem with custom orders). Burgers with veggie patties, salads without cheese and non-creamy dressings, burritos, and so much more are vegan friendly if you order them that way.

Most options can be ordered without meat. A lot of places now have vegetarian options, and usually it's just a matter of requesting to hold the butter or cheese to make it vegan. Being able to recognize what items are animal products is very helpful.

Another example- there's a local restaurant here that doesn't have any vegan options on the menu. It's a Mexican restaurant, and all of their items have some form of meat in them. When I go there, I order their fajita burrito, hold the meat, add extra veggies, hold the cheese, no sour cream. It's delicious! McDonald's (though I do my best to avoid fast food) is pretty good at taking care of vegetarians (though I haven't looked in to whether or not their buns are vegan-friendly). When I'm short on time and have no choice but fast food (which I don't recommend, since it's fast food), I order their deluxe angus burger, hold the meat, cheese, and mayo, and double the veggies.

If you have Chili's near you, they're another good place to go. I get the mushroom burger with the veg patty, hold the cheese and mayo. Some of the Chili's locations will even give a discount to those who hold the meat since the meat is the most expensive part of most of the meals! :-)

Most places also have friendly staff, so feel free to ask for vegan/vegetarian suggestions or what's in certain items- they are there to help, and it's going in to your body, so never hesitate to ask! :-D