I just watched "Forks Over Knives" (free on Amazon Instant Video if you have a prime account) and I have decided that I don't really want to eat meat any more and I definitely do not want any dairy products either. I tried a vegan diet about 2 years ago and I lost 12 pounds in 1 month. I can't remember why I stopped the diet but I do recall feeling a lot better when I was staying away from meat and dairy. Right now I am hovering at about 190lbs (86kg, or 13.57 stone) which is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. It is not a healthy weight since I am only 5'10" tall. I am tired all the time and I have very little energy unless I am drinking coffee or Mountain Dew. Which reminds me, I am also giving up processed sugar. Anyway, I need to make a change to get healthy again. Are any of you vegan or vegetarian and could you recommend a website or book that has good recipes in it?

All I have to say is good luck. I have had plenty of friends switch to vegan diets off and on. You are a better man than I.

Good luck man. I could never do that but I respect anyone that can.

Good luck. Luckily you need to lose much less weight than I do...

It is very hard to lose any weight in Michigan because it is such a fat state. My sister-in-law lives in California (LA area) and she is a vegan so my wife and I are hoping to move out there in January. It will be a lot easier out there because my entire family thinks a vegan diet is pointless.

I wouldn't cal it pointless but a pain in the ass since meat's pretty easy protein.

Could have a look through http://www.recipes.vegsoc.org/results.aspx?cVegan=yes on the Vegetarian Society's website. This is the first time I've ever loaded their site up, but I'm sure it has nice stuff on there somewhere .

I've been vego all my life, but I have an unfortunate tendency to be kinda lazy with my cooking... so I'm probably not the best source of recipes. I ended up with a small Hari Krishna book (for free! http://store.krishna.com/Detail.bok?no=4252, unless I'm mistaken) that has some tasty stuff in it, but they tend to use dairy products a lot, so stuff from them may be of limited value to you if you're going vegan.

I could never do it. I enjoy cheeses like gouda too much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKcSlq9f01w

One of my favourite TV shows, not strictly vegan (this one starts with bacon ), but all about sustainable eating (and not just some hippie telling us how the food industry is bad like too many other shows - actually showing you how to grow and cook your own food).

While I support anyone's decision to go vegan, I don't think it's a good idea. I mean I could never give up bacon. But I wish you good luck on your attempt.

Sure, meat is easy protein... but I've been fine without it for almost 23 years, and my older brother hasn't had trouble in his 28 years (he even lifts weights and stuffs... I'm taller, but he's definitely bigger ).

I can't afford to be vegan.

Learn how to properly balance your diet. Cutting out meat and dairy from meals will just not do. Sadly, I can't offer much advice as although I am vegetarian I eat lots of dairy. There are tonnes of sites and even communities dedicated to this sort of thing though, they should be able to help.

It's a start at least. I think it will get easier the longer I stick with it, I won't be thinking about all the food I'm giving up as much.


That is awesome, thanks for the tip.


I'll just load up on legumes and my protien will be covered. That is what I did last time, at least.

You still miss out on essential amino acids not provided by plants that are provided only by meat. Well, w/e, take suppliments. As for me, I'm going to continue on my omnivorous diet. Saw someone go vegan on my cross country team, and he'd often have to be excused due to being ill so freaking often, not to mention looked way too thin, relative to runners.

Good luck. I could never do that. Need my steak and ribs. Instead of meat, you can try hummus with tortilla chips or whatever else for protein.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeZlih4DDNg

That's pretty weak. It's not that hard to get protein (in the "modern" countries anyway) and be vegan. Most (Americans) eat way too much protein anyway. That said, I like meat too much to give it up entirely so I completely understand anyone who thinks the same.

My sister is a vegetarian, but not a super die-hard one....eg, she'll eat eggs and dairy. She went to India for a year in the mid-70's and came back a vegan. Lentils/beans, tofu, flatbreads, weird things like carrot soup (think tomato soup only with carrots) and nut & raisin stuffing (Thanksgiving) etc. suddenly became a staple in my house. I didn't like any of it (I was 9ish) and wondered where all the tasty meat went, so maybe that's why I can't give up my meat now. Childhood trauma!

I don't have any recipes to share that wouldn't include at least dairy/eggs....I'd imagine there are a lot of websites devoted to such, however. So good luck.

http://vegankit.com/

Which ones, exactly? I am under the impression that one can get a full range simply by combining a few different foodstuffs (there are a few with the whole set, but those are not so common). Rice and lentils is one such combo, for example.

To be honest, he was probably doing it wrong .

My youngest went "vegetarian" a couple of years ago. She eats dairy and eggs and fish, but doesn't really like any vegetable.

The one cookbook I bought since then is http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Family-Cookbook-Nava-Atlas/dp/0767913965. There is quite a bit of vegan options in there too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbEUHCU_GtM

Interesting...but not for me

So, no chocalate, no ice cream and ETC.
I would never live like that although I am underweight for my age.
13 and only weigh 27 KG.

I enjoy meat and dairy products too much to ever consider being a vegan.

That is exactly what I was looking for.


That is what I was thinking too. I am flying to California this weekend to take a test for a job (at UCLA) so I will ask my sister-in-law about being a vegan. I think she has been one for about 4 years now.


I will definitely give that book a go.