GOING VEGETARIAN/VEGAN
Hi, I am not an expert, but I am a vegan. I have been for almost 2 years now. I am CRAZY about my diet/food - YUM! I love it! I will admit, it was a lot of trial and error in the beginning, and it is still a learning process for sure. I went cold turkey (haha) because of information I found searching around on the web. I found this information completely by accident or fate or serendipity. The first website I stumbled upon searching on the computer was www.jolodown.com which is an anti fur website - ironically the way I found this site was I was googling for a pair of shoes by Jo Lo that I had seen in a magazine and wanted to purchase. So, I end up on this fur site, and I watch the videos - mind you, I am at work at this time - and after watching the videos, I became hysterical at work. My work computer blocks me from most peta stuff, so when I got home that night I immediately logged in to www.peta.org and watched video after video after video. I was devastated to say the least. I wanted to throw up. I cried and cried, I was actually wailing, my dogs were crying and howling at me wondering what was wrong. I could barely look at them. It is incredible how little we know about the functionings and goings on in the world. Our human view and percetion can be so teeny tiny. I seriously had no idea the kind of things that I saw happened. So, of course the next day, I could not eat meat. I tried to share what I had learned with friends and collegues, but almost all of them did not want to hear it. Denial. For the next week, I continued to search and read and watch. Within a week, I was completely vegan. Since then, it has been a fun game of trial and error. It was and still is fun to find a new product and take it home to try it. Sometimes "Yum", Sometimes "Yuck"! Please feel free to e-mail me if ever you have a question or need a good product. I have found the "best" margarine spread, cheese, salad dressing, etc. Well, they are the best to me anyway! And, I think I may have tried them all! I do prefer an organic, natural diet now - I try to do raw when I can which is not nearly enough - and I don't like to eat a lot of the immitation meats and heavy, calorie laden veg foods. Yes, veg food can be very fattening. And, some are full of salt and preservatives. The quick frozen and canned items are not the "healthiest" option, but they are great for a new veg person, great in a pinch for a fast meal, a barbque with non-veg people, etc. They provide a good subtitute and they are very, very tasty! You will have to experiment around bc you will like a certain item's flavor better than another's - they are all different. Please don't give up just bc you don't like the first one you try. The next one might be perfect for your taste. Same for cheese, my veg friends and I like different ones - they do not all taste the same. Please give it a chance, feel free to ask me questions bc I probably experienced something similar and can help, and also you can request a vegetarian starter kit and look at more information and receipes on www.goveg.com.
Best wishes!
Lovin' my veggie diet
Good Quotes by SMART PEOPLE
As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love. Pythagorus
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein
I find that low protein diets often contribute to improvement in patients with immune system problems ... In fact, it would be hard to become deficient in protein in our country even if you tried. Andrew Weil, M.D.
The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of "real food for real people" you'd better live real close to a real good hospital. Neal Barnard, M.D.
All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others, then, what harm can you do? Buddha
The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated - M. Gandhi
When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive: to breathe, to think, to enjoy to love. Marcus Aurelius.
I don't think that I am so important that an animal has to die everytime I want to eat. Taj Mihelich
I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. Abraham Lincoln
Animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends. George Bernard Shaw