New Vegan - Observations and Qs

le_girl

Hi all, I've been vegan for just over 2 weeks now and vegetarian for 8 months. It's been a very different experience than I'd imagined in lots of ways and I have a ton of thoughts running around in my mind. I have zero friends or family members who are vegan/vegetarian or who even have any interest so I thought this would be the best place to come for advice!

- Firstly, it's been so easy and effortless that there have been lots of times where I thought "wait, this is TOO easy, I must be doing it wrong!". I wasn't expecting to feel like this at all and I don't know where it really comes from - maybe because anyone I tell makes a big deal out of how difficult it must be but it's just... not? It's been more enjoyable than anything from day one. I've never been a fan of eggs or cheese so maybe that's a big advantage that I have.

- I'm not good at being awkward in restaurants yet and know that I'll just have to get used to it. This is probably just my own social anxiety/awkwardness but I'm trying to tell myself that I'm doing something good for myself, the animals and the environment and that guilt over being difficult shouldn't come into it at all.

- I LOVE how restrictive it is, in the weirdest and more surprising way. When I walk around a supermarket the temptation to look at typically unhealthy foods is completely gone because they're not an option anymore as the vast majority are not vegan. As someone who has struggled with weight and willpower issues this is the most liberating feeling and it's something that I had never read or heard about anywhere before going vegan.

- I would have never called myself an animal person before as I've never had a pet and have never really been around animals much at all - either farm or domestic. Since being vegetarian and especially vegan I feel much more connected to animals to the point of volunteering for animal shelters which is something I'd never considered before. I might have had some subconscious guilt about being a meat eater that's now gone but that's just a guess.

- Honey - I'm not sure which way to go with this. I've been avoiding it but it's been one of the trickier ingredients to get around as it seems to be hidden in lots of things. Also bee pollen was another one that I wasn't sure about when asked. I obviously need to do a bit more research.

- The best resource I've found, more than books, blogs or films has been YouTube. Gary Yourofsky's speech and 101 Reasons to go Vegan were the start of my whole journey last year. I've watched (and cried buckets over) the usual documentaries as well but if a friend asked me to recommend something informative to watch on veganism I'd point them to those two videos first.
I also follow lots of YouTubers for recipe ideas and general information (Mommy Tang, High Carb Hannah, Kicki Yang Zhang and Thriving on Plants are my favourites) so if anyone can recommend more that would be great!

Mentalmiss

I am delighted for you. It is getting easier all the time as labelling improves. There are lots of resources that will help you regarding the nutrition aspect of it and I would recommend nutritionfacts.org
That site also makes available an app for free download called "DrGregger's Daily Dozen". It is based on his book "How Not to Die" and is a great resource. In time you will need to start supplementing your B12 but that will be the only thing that you need to supplement.
There are many facebook groups (I think maybe one for each county) for vegans and veggies and if you are in Dublin The Vegetarian Society of Ireland run a great free meetup group and meet practically every week. The Cork Kerry group has at least 2 meet ups per week. There are many more of us out there than people think and support is always a help. I feel that you have come so far and are so determined that you do not need any help but I think that you are in a position to help others to get to where you are.

livedadream

le_girl wrote: »

- I LOVE how restrictive it is, in the weirdest and more surprising way. When I walk around a supermarket the temptation to look at typically unhealthy foods is completely gone because they're not an option anymore as the vast majority are not vegan. As someone who has struggled with weight and willpower issues this is the most liberating feeling and it's something that I had never read or heard about anywhere before going vegan.

!

i agree with everything (and well done its a hard choice to make to become vegan) you wrote but this bit.

being proud of restricting your diet and feeling power from this is one of the signs of an eating disorder.

admitting you have struggled with weight and willpower issues makes it even more alarming.

statistically many people with an admitted eating disorder (getting treatment) have admitted using it as a means to control their food: read Bardone-Cone et al (2012) or O’Connor, Touyz, Dunn, & Beumont, (1987) Herman and Mack (1975) and Timko et al. (2012) A., Smith, R., & Robinson, D. P. (2012) Jacobi, C., Hayward, C., de Zwann, M., Kraemer, H. C., & Agras, W. S. (2004)

you seem smart and obviously people become vegetarian and vegan for a number of reasons but your comment would be very concerning for anyone with experience in the matter.

Tar.Aldarion

I have commonly heard that people are happy to "not be allowed" eat foods that are bad for them as it takes out a willpower aspect of shopping, wouldn't really jump to the person having an eating disorder. If I am in a bakery with friends and they are all getting pastries, I find it easier to not get one knowing that I have two good reasons instead of one, (my health but also the welfare of animals) makes it a lot easier and I can understand where they are coming from as sometimes it's harder to motivate yourself to do things just for yourself like that.

cosmic

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I have commonly heard that people are happy to "not be allowed" eat foods that are bad for them as it takes out a willpower aspect of shopping, wouldn't really jump to the person having an eating disorder. If I am in a bakery with friends and they are all getting pastries, I find it easier to not get one knowing that I have two good reasons instead of one, (my health but also the welfare of animals) makes it a lot easier and I can understand where they are coming from as sometimes it's harder to motivate yourself to do things just for yourself like that.

I agree fully with this. I love cheesecake. So much. Too much! So at the end of a meal when I am already completely stuffed and a dessert menu comes out I'm always drawn to the cheesecake. It pretty much always has gelatine though so it's great - I can't eat it anyway!

Tar.Aldarion

Thread tidied up, if anybody wants to continue to discuss eating disorders they can do it elsewhere. The concern has been made clear by a poster, any more posts will not be accepted on the matter here.

Gunner Guy

Hi guys this is my very first post on boards.ie. I'm vegan too great to see so many vegans here. I've been vegan for 6 months now. It really is the healthiest and best diet out there and more importantly it saves so many animals as well as being way better for the environment. I always thought veganism was very extreme but having been forced into it due to health issues it's not at all extreme it's the most natural thing and it feels so good not to be contributing to animals suffering!

thekatydays

Cooking is probably one my favourite thing about being vegan, websites like minimalistbaker.com, the buddhist chef are great for inspiration. Follow them on Facebook and you'll want to cook everything they post. I was the same with family and friends, over time they stop asking the same questions,and start trying the food, some even trying it out too.