share. learn. thrive!
New Vegan, but getting discouraged
Views: 61
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Frances on -
Making a switch in your diet is always a challenge because all your easy habits and standbys need to be re-evaluated, and you have to learn the nutritional implications of the change. If you stick with it, you'll probably find that it gets easier and easier as you find the things that work for you. To make it stick, it's important to find some good, simple meals that you can make or buy easily and which you don't quickly tire of. For me, having salad dressing that I really love makes large salads an attractive option, and I make my own dressing most of the time. For you, the answer might be something different... a simple soup recipe or three, a stir fry, etc...
If you're a cook, it's worth getting a couple of vegan cookbooks or bookmarking some vegan recipe sites (depending on your style). I like recipe blogs because they bring new recipes to me at irregular intervals for me to either be inspired by or disregard. It also helps to learn which of your local restaurants are more vegan-friendly, but nearly every restaurant I have ever been to has at least one vegan option - as long as you're willing to take the salad. It sometimes pays to read through menus online before going out to eat. Sometimes it takes a little longer to read the descriptions and pick out the vegan options. If you're uncertain you can always call ahead to quiz the staff about restaurant dishes. If you're not used to asking for alterations to dishes, they you might start with the phrase "hold the cheese", which is enough to vegan-ize a great array of meals.
As far as the nutrients go, that's a huge topic to master, and I doubt that anyone ever really masters all aspects. If you eat a varied diet of healthy fruits and vegetables, that's an excellent foundation, and already a healthier diet than most eat. With that foundation, you can probably worry about the details of your nutrition only as much as you choose to. The most important things to pay attention to are the few nutrients that are harder to get on a vegan diet. Vitamin B12 is one, which you can get from nutritional yeast (a good popcorn topping), or supplements. Vitamin D is another, which you can get from mushrooms, from sunlight and/or from supplements. Neither of these deficiencies is going to become dangerous in the first month, so you can take a breath, relax, and move into the science of your diet at your own pace. One option is to wait a few months or so, then ask your doctor to order some blood tests to test for deficiencies in specific vitamins and minerals. The science of dietary requirements, bioavailability, etc... is incredibly complicated and not fully understood even by the scientists. Blood tests can be a great way to get concrete information about how your diet is going so you can made adjustments that should be necessary without having to become a scientist yourself.
-
Permalink Reply by Erin Nicole on -
DONT BE DISCOURAGED!!!! I too, like many had that burn out feeeling. Like I couldn't eat anything I was having trouble, BUT this community is really supportive and has help me find my way and stay on track.
Fresh fruit -I carry an apply orange or any other hand fruit with me on the go
Whole foods has fruit cups of berries, watermelon or kiwi, i get them and put them into small one cup size containers and throw them in my purse to munch on.
Trader joes has Vegan Bagels, they are smaller in size and are the trader joes brand and say VEGAN on the back, this with a little Tofutti spread (also at WF, or TJ is a yummy breaksfast or lunch pairs up with a fruit or veggie.
I made Gardein beef tips, in a a skillet with a lil olive oil, then I put them in a corn tortilla, a little fresh avocado, cucumber and salsa of your liking... and YUM! kids love them too
Rice & lentils - you can google these recipes there are TONS! and they are great to make and keep in the fridge and take out for a great easy reheat meal. I like adding fresh bell peppers to it before reheating in the microwave then when it comes out adding a few cherry tomatoes and cucumbers!
Try these to start out, and keep us updated!!!!
Don't give up, you have come sooo far!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Linda on -
Frances thank you so much for the encouragement and advice. I am doing my best and so far sticking with it. I thought that if I had a smoothie for breakfast and lunch that would be too much. So now as you said a good cookbook is what I need. Thanks again for your advice and encouragement. :)Making a switch in your diet is always a challenge because all your easy habits and standbys need to be re-evaluated, and you have to learn the nutritional implications of the change. If you stick with it, you'll probably find that it gets easier and easier as you find the things that work for you. To make it stick, it's important to find some good, simple meals that you can make or buy easily and which you don't quickly tire of. For me, having salad dressing that I really love makes large salads an attractive option, and I make my own dressing most of the time. For you, the answer might be something different... a simple soup recipe or three, a stir fry, etc...
If you're a cook, it's worth getting a couple of vegan cookbooks or bookmarking some vegan recipe sites (depending on your style). I like recipe blogs because they bring new recipes to me at irregular intervals for me to either be inspired by or disregard. It also helps to learn which of your local restaurants are more vegan-friendly, but nearly every restaurant I have ever been to has at least one vegan option - as long as you're willing to take the salad. It sometimes pays to read through menus online before going out to eat. Sometimes it takes a little longer to read the descriptions and pick out the vegan options. If you're uncertain you can always call ahead to quiz the staff about restaurant dishes. If you're not used to asking for alterations to dishes, they you might start with the phrase "hold the cheese", which is enough to vegan-ize a great array of meals.
As far as the nutrients go, that's a huge topic to master, and I doubt that anyone ever really masters all aspects. If you eat a varied diet of healthy fruits and vegetables, that's an excellent foundation, and already a healthier diet than most eat. With that foundation, you can probably worry about the details of your nutrition only as much as you choose to. The most important things to pay attention to are the few nutrients that are harder to get on a vegan diet. Vitamin B12 is one, which you can get from nutritional yeast (a good popcorn topping), or supplements. Vitamin D is another, which you can get from mushrooms, from sunlight and/or from supplements. Neither of these deficiencies is going to become dangerous in the first month, so you can take a breath, relax, and move into the science of your diet at your own pace. One option is to wait a few months or so, then ask your doctor to order some blood tests to test for deficiencies in specific vitamins and minerals. The science of dietary requirements, bioavailability, etc... is incredibly complicated and not fully understood even by the scientists. Blood tests can be a great way to get concrete information about how your diet is going so you can made adjustments that should be necessary without having to become a scientist yourself.
-
Permalink Reply by Linda on
-
Thank you so much for your message. I have made notes of things you have said and I am going to try to stick with this. I really do feel better, more energetic and am exercising on a regualr basis now. It is learning a new way to cook I suppose and more education on my part. Thanks again Erin I will keep on going, and thank you for your support. Really nice when others understand what you are going through. :)
Erin Nicole said:DONT BE DISCOURAGED!!!! I too, like many had that burn out feeeling. Like I couldn't eat anything I was having trouble, BUT this community is really supportive and has help me find my way and stay on track.
Fresh fruit -I carry an apply orange or any other hand fruit with me on the go
Whole foods has fruit cups of berries, watermelon or kiwi, i get them and put them into small one cup size containers and throw them in my purse to munch on.
Trader joes has Vegan Bagels, they are smaller in size and are the trader joes brand and say VEGAN on the back, this with a little Tofutti spread (also at WF, or TJ is a yummy breaksfast or lunch pairs up with a fruit or veggie.
I made Gardein beef tips, in a a skillet with a lil olive oil, then I put them in a corn tortilla, a little fresh avocado, cucumber and salsa of your liking... and YUM! kids love them too
Rice & lentils - you can google these recipes there are TONS! and they are great to make and keep in the fridge and take out for a great easy reheat meal. I like adding fresh bell peppers to it before reheating in the microwave then when it comes out adding a few cherry tomatoes and cucumbers!
Try these to start out, and keep us updated!!!!
Don't give up, you have come sooo far!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Erin Nicole on
-
and don't forget some vitamins and minerals need to only be taken every 2-3 days and some just once a month to hit your daily intake. So don't over do it and feel like you have to hit every vitamin and mineral amount in one day. Vegans usually suffer from anemia, which is caused by not enough vitamin B12, I take a supplement every other day for that, but its best to get it from food and use the supplements, to supplement your diet rather than just taking the supplements. you want to make your palte as colorful as possible, the more colors the more nutrients you will get :) Keep up the good work, and really use this community, it is the greatest help!
-
Permalink Reply by Frances on
-
I think multiple smoothies in a day are fine, especially if they are quite distinct. If I don't eat solid food at all, then it does start to bother me, so I usually do just breakfast, breakfast & lunch, or sometimes breakfast & evening dessert.
Some cookbook suggestions:
My mother's favorite vegan cookbook is "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone. Its recipes aren't too difficult, but a lot of them are inspired by Japanese cuisine, so you may need to discover some new ingredients or make substitutions.
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has written a number of excellent cookbooks. I'm most familiar with "Vegan with a Vengeance", which I love, but she has some more recent ones including "Veganomicon", her brand-new "Appetite for Reduction", and several more niche books, including one devoted entirely to vegan cupcakes. Her recipes tend to be more familiar and a less difficult transition for new vegans. I have found myself making her dishes less now than I once did, but I think her style has a really valuable role, particularly for new vegans.
My favorite raw cookbook is "The Raw Transformation" by Wendy Rudell. A lot of others are great too, but this one has a great menu of recipes, and I don't think I've ever had one work out badly. A couple of my favorite salad dressings come from there.
These are just a few examples. There are vegan cookbooks for just about any niche you prefer, so if you really like soups, Mexican, Chinese, low-fat, faux meat, simultaneously raw and Greek, or something else, you can look online and find vegan books for almost any type of cooking.
Good luck with your explorations!
-
Permalink Reply by Linda on
-
Thank again Frances for your thoughtful advise. I will be making a trip to the book store to look at these books you have mentioned and see what will suit me. I am a little worried that I will loose weight with this program, and change in eating habits. Do you know anything about that, and how to prevent loosing weight? Thank you again so much for all the support. :)
Frances said:I think multiple smoothies in a day are fine, especially if they are quite distinct. If I don't eat solid food at all, then it does start to bother me, so I usually do just breakfast, breakfast & lunch, or sometimes breakfast & evening dessert.
Some cookbook suggestions:
My mother's favorite vegan cookbook is "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone. Its recipes aren't too difficult, but a lot of them are inspired by Japanese cuisine, so you may need to discover some new ingredients or make substitutions.
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has written a number of excellent cookbooks. I'm most familiar with "Vegan with a Vengeance", which I love, but she has some more recent ones including "Veganomicon", her brand-new "Appetite for Reduction", and several more niche books, including one devoted entirely to vegan cupcakes. Her recipes tend to be more familiar and a less difficult transition for new vegans. I have found myself making her dishes less now than I once did, but I think her style has a really valuable role, particularly for new vegans.
My favorite raw cookbook is "The Raw Transformation" by Wendy Rudell. A lot of others are great too, but this one has a great menu of recipes, and I don't think I've ever had one work out badly. A couple of my favorite salad dressings come from there.
These are just a few examples. There are vegan cookbooks for just about any niche you prefer, so if you really like soups, Mexican, Chinese, low-fat, faux meat, simultaneously raw and Greek, or something else, you can look online and find vegan books for almost any type of cooking.
Good luck with your explorations!
-
Permalink Reply by Linda on
-
Thanks again Erin for you ideas, support and advise. I really appreciate it. This is not as easy as I thought it would be. Oh, I wanted to ask you about the Kale Krunchies, is that a brand name or just what people call them. I went out today and did a little shopping and could not find them anywhere. There were a few other brands of crunchy kelp snacks but I wasn't sure which ones to get, and the girl said they were not bad? she had never heard of Kelp Krunchies..... :) maybe I just looked silly to her :) Anyway picked up quite a few things. I tried one of the Vega Whole food bars, and wow for some reason that gave me so much energy, don't know if that is normal I don't feel like that after a smoothie. Thanks again Erin :)
Erin Nicole said:and don't forget some vitamins and minerals need to only be taken every 2-3 days and some just once a month to hit your daily intake. So don't over do it and feel like you have to hit every vitamin and mineral amount in one day. Vegans usually suffer from anemia, which is caused by not enough vitamin B12, I take a supplement every other day for that, but its best to get it from food and use the supplements, to supplement your diet rather than just taking the supplements. you want to make your palte as colorful as possible, the more colors the more nutrients you will get :) Keep up the good work, and really use this community, it is the greatest help!
-
Permalink Reply by Linda on
-
Really, thanks where did you find the recipe? was it in a cookbook you have? Thanks for the info, I will look into it :)
-
Permalink Reply by Frances on
-
You can find several kale chip recipes online. I've been meaning to try the one near the bottom of this blog post. (I haven't made it yet, so if you do, please tell us how they come out.)
http://girlonraw.com/2011/03/green-smoothie-is-back-guest-post-the-...
© 2013 Created by Vega Kelly.
