Making the transition from meat-eater to vegan: the 101 redhead guide

Please note I am not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist – just a redhead who found the love of being vegan.  I was asked by a reader to share my tips for making the transition from meat-eater to vegan.  So this is my basic 101 redhead guide:

Become Informed

First thing is knowledge.  You can go out and buy all the “vegan” crap food you want but you’re missing the boat if you are still buying all processed food (vegan or not).  Netflix is a great source for watching videos.  I would suggest KnifesOver Forks and Vegucated to start with.  The only down fall I had with Vegucated was they pushed the processed “vegan” food and I felt they could have shown better options.
Next hit the bookstore.  If you love detail and love to read check out The China Study.  If you prefer a quick read then try The Engine 2 Diet and My Beef With Meat.  My husband and I liked the quick read better lol. I have also just started reading Vegan For Her (can I tell you I no longer have hot flashes being vegan, sweet huh?).
Blogs and Facebook are a great place to search out places to read more information. Find the vegan ones that speak to you.  Some are pretty hard core vegan sites, don’t let something scare you off. When I first started I wanted to know more about starting out and raising a vegan family. Get ready to be asked, “So, where do you get your protein from?” from pretty much everyone.  Funny, before becoming vegan no one seemed to care where I got my protein from.  Hummm…

Fill Your Recipe Box

Pinterest – the BEST place to start.  Create your own board for recipes and in the search field search “Vegan” and start following others.  Pin recipes you love for later. Start with recipes where you actually know what the ingredients are, they make cooking easier and more enjoyable.  Then as you’re going try new things, thanks to the internet you can Google what they look like, how to cook them, etc.

Getting Started
In the Engine 2 Diet I think Rip did a great job with offering two ways to start – the fire fighter or cadet.  Fire fighter, you’re all in 100% at the start.  Cadet, each week you start weeding items out of your diet.  I have said before that meat has never been a favorite of mine.  Most red meat would make me sick after I ate it and watching the chicken breast I bought get bigger and BIGGER over the years totally freaked me out.  Here are some options for starting to weed out items:

·         Meat – Replace with meat replacements such as Morning Star Crumbles (again to me this is more processed and I don’t use much at all anymore). Tempeh is awesome for using as a meat replacement. Portobello Mushrooms are also another one of my favorite meat replacements, especially for vegan fajitas!

·         Milk/Dairy – Thank goodness I have never really liked milk as well.  There are lots of Almond, Soy and Coconut milk alternatives out there.  I just stay away from ones that contain carrageenan as it has been linked to gastrointestinal inflammation, lesions, and even colon cancer in animals. Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease or other gastrointestinal disorders are cautioned to avoid this ingredient as it can make symptoms and inflammation even worse. There are lots of other options out there for Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, etc., but as I have cleaned up my eating more and more you start not missing those items.  I also like to “make” my own so I know exactly what is in it and you’ll find recipes online to make most of these.

·         Egg – My husband will take my Tofu scramble over scrambled eggs any day.  When it comes to replacing an egg in a recipe, I use 1 T. of Flaxseed mixed with 3 T. of warm water.

·         Cheese – Again you can buy vegan cheese but I have learned that I don’t miss it.  I do make a mean mac & cheese using cashews and veggies!!

·         Processed/Junk Food – throw it out.  Out of sight, out of mind.

Some people find it easy to start with eating meatless one day a week.  My suggestion is to figure out your menu for the week.  It’s easy to go WAY over board and buy more than you can eat before it all goes bad. You don’t want to be a wasteful vegan! I shop at two different stores - Wal-Mart (basic family needs and items) and Sprouts (fruits, veggies and fresh items).  Normally I can get most everything at Wal-Mart, but Sprouts offers better prices on a lot of fruits and veggies.  Here is what my weekly menu can look like:

 

When making meals freeze leftovers. I like cooking more than I know we will eat, this way I can freeze it and save it for one of those  - “OMG I am way too tired to cook evenings”.  Come on, we all have them.  At the end of the week I also freeze fruit that wasn’t finished off to use in my green smoothies.  My weekend tofu scramble is another great way to use up veggies that did not get eating during the week.

I have also found putting two hours aside on the weekend to clean, cut, dice, etc. makes a huge difference as well.  I turn on Walking Dead and prep for the week, it makes me happy no idea why lol.  I love opening my fridge and seeing everything easy to grab and go.

I also make up one big lunch for the work week as well.  Either a huge pot of soup, salad or sandwich mix that we actually eat on top of spinach. Again, that early prep work saves so much time during the week and keeps you eating healthy.

What will eating meatless do for you?

Let’s look at some numbers. I wish I had J's numbers for 2012 as he was much heavier during that year, but you can get a basic idea:

 

Take the time and go get a physical.  I have to say when we both saw the doctor in May it was reassuring knowing that we were doing the right thing for our bodies. The numbers don't lie!  These were from two months ago and both J and I have had more weight loss, heck I would love to have blood taken ever month to see how we are doing!  Okay, my numbers from May (sadly I don't have any numbers from before 2013):

Eating out smart

We have a couple of stand by vegan safe restaurants we love to visit, but sometimes we want to shake things up or might not be near them.  Happy Cow is a great app for your phone and will help you find places nearby.  I also will do some internet research before going out.  Knowing your options ahead of time is a great way not to get frustrated when trying a new place or even an old “non-vegan” hang out.

Just remember if you are new and starting out - you can take the fire fighter direction and dive in 100% or take the slower route and go cadet, really in the long run it doesn't matter just as long as you get there!  It's not a race, you have to ease your family into a vegan lifestyle at the pace that is needed for you and them.  I think the key I have found is doing the research, be well informed, stay organized and know that the food options out there are not a life of salads (ugh, I hate salad).  If you are a creative person, being a vegan is so much fun!!  So, turn on some zombies and get cooking!!

I wish I could share how great I feel with everyone so they could understand my choice of living a vegan lifestyle.  I wake up every morning ready to start the day.  I keep losing weight without really trying anymore. I have SO much energy it's unreal. I feel more positive and up beat.  I mean, why wouldn't you want to feel that great everyday?

What's up this weekend? Hummm....thinking of whipping up a new oil free hummus and making the ultimate commitment to being vegan - wait for it...