[2much2luv]

We are transitioning to a vegan diet, perhaps with the exception of eggs, and I was looking around the web at some vegan websites. It sounds so confusing! What's this talk about B-12?

My basic plan was to stop eating meat and dairy. That's about it. Do I need to worry about making any other changes? Is there a chart or a good book you can recommend to make sure we are getting what we need? I thought it was a simple thing, but I'm not so sure now. We have a pretty varied diet (fruits, veggies, beans, soy, rice, potatoes...) Am I missing something?
TIA!
Beth

 

[phathui5]

You can find a LOT of information about eating vegan at www.vrg.org

I know that the deal with B-12 is that it's normally only found in animal foods, but, most soy and rice milk brands are enriched with it now. Just check the label.

 

[ChristaN]

Personally, I have never found it difficult, but from what others say it appears that some people have a much harder time than I did. I became vegan at 16 & did exactly what you were saying: I just stopped eating animal products. I didn't add anything & didn't take any supplements for the first 10 years until I was pg with dd #1 (during which time I took prenatal vitamins). A lot of foods are fortified with B-12, as mentioned, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to take a supplement just to be safe.

You may also want to check out www.vegfamily.com There is a lot of good advice for vegans raising children there. You can also submit a question to a vegan dietician on that site.

I understand that the book Becoming Vegan is a good source of info, too, although I have never read it. I have heard it recommended a lot by other vegans, though.

 

[Erin Pavlina]

When I first went vegan I thought the same thing, just cut out animal products. But a good friend of mine who happens to run a fantastic all vegan restaurant in Los Angeles said, "Erin, when you cut out meat and dairy products did you replace them with whole foods or are you just eating bread and sugar?" Man, she had me pegged! I started experimenting with whole grains and veggies I had never tasted. Now I love my veggies and try to limit the amount of refined white flour and sugar in my diet. It is possible to be an unhealthy vegan.

My rule of thumb when I'm being good is that my shopping cart needs to be about 75% produce. If I see a lot of frozen foods, breads, and junk I know I'm in trouble.

B12: Vegans just need to make sure there is a reliable source in their diet. It's much easier nowadays to get it than it used to be. Before, all we really had was nutritional yeast. Today there are juices and milks that are fortified with it. Try Chocolate Silk.

And I would give Becoming Vegan a good read. It's got a ton of very useful information in it.

 

[Childishgoth]

Being Vegetarian for Dummies has a good vegan secton and a whole section on b12

 

[PikkuMyy]

DH and I have been vegan for 4 1/2 years now and it's quite easy. We eat a balanced diet of whole foods, fruits, veggies, with some wheat and some white, and a small amount of added sugar. We eat lots of legumes and things like almond butter and pumpkinseed butter. We take Omega oil supplements like flaxseed oil and borage oil and do a vegan multivitamin a few times a week. We also consume fortified products like almond and rice milk with some soy products.

We eat lots of great food and I've never looked back.

Welcome!

 

[2much2luv]

Thank you so much! I'm going to get a copy of one or more of the books mentioned here. I retain so much more reading from pages then from a computer screen so that will really help me to see what I need to see.
From what you are all saying we probably won't have too hard of a time. We eat lots of whole foods and produce already.

Thanks for the pointers.