How Do I Get Started on a Vegan Lifestyle?

[Cheri]

What kinds of food can I eat, I can't eat soy, so that is out. If I eat a lot of beans, they bother my stomach and forget about rice. That is why I am having a hard time trying to change. Please HELP!!!

Thanks!
Cheri

[Mr. Yellow Sunshine Pants]

I've found that vrg.org is good for new veg*ns, but I've been to far from all the websites.

[Sidney Cozzoi]

How do beans and rice bother your stomach?
Sometimes it is difficult on the digestive system to make a huge dietary change. A friend of mine who *grumble* does Atkins came with me to a vegan restaurant and had to go to the bathroom pretty quickly because she isn't used to all the fiber. She lives on meat and cheese so she's used to binding foods that take longer to digest. There are products that can reduce stomach/food related issues.
Have you talked to your doctor? Do you generally have a sensitive digestive system? Allergies?

this is a link (from vrg.org) to a meal plan that may help you get started. You can easily substitute the soy and rice products.
ex:
Soy milk = Almond Milk
Rice = Quinoa

Meal Plans

[Sidney Cozzoi]

this may help:

[Clementine]

There are alot of gluten free and soy free recipes recipes out there, but I am not sure where you are located, but you can always try Amy's meals, I am not sure why beans bother your stomach unless you have ulcers or chrones, but my understanding is things may upset you till you make a change.
Also there is Hemp milk out there, I first heard about it going to my local coffee shop but that is a suggestion. If you are currently vegetarian the switch should be pretty easy as long as you are the type of vegetarian that doesn't eat cheese or gelatin(contains actual animal besides animal by-product).

[Wendy]

I'm sorry you're having this problem, it really sucks!

Can you eat fermented soy, like tempeh? What about cooked beans, like canned refried beans, or in soups?

There are really excellent veggie burgers without soy - Amy's makes some (read the ingredients though cause they're not all vegan - there are 4 or 5 types), but Sunshine Burgers are my favorite.


But in thinking about it, perhaps it would be helpful to find out why you're having so much trouble - would digestive enzymes help, for example, are things just not cooked properly or do you have an allergy, etc.

Some other items might be hemp milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pasta with sauce, pasta with olive oil and veggies, soups, muffins - there are still many options. Often the trick is finding the right cookbook. I actually don't have the problems you do, digestively speaking, so I'm lucky that way. And I haven't checked my cookbooks for soy-free, bean-free recipes, but one that doesn't use as much as others is John Robbins' May All Be Fed. It's actually half facts about human starvation and the meat and dairy industries' stranglehold on the global south, and half cookbook. I've made delicious broccoli soup, millet soup (tastes like cream of mushroom!), pizza and muffins from this book. Also you might try Marilyn Diamond's The American Vegetarian. It has a TON of recipes, and yes a lot contain beans and soy but a lot don't. Some recipes call for honey but you can always replace that with agave nectar or even rice syrup, depending on the recipe (just don't use rice syrup in lemonade - uggh!)

[Dave Streater]

Acidophilus is important. Also, vegetables such as squash, greens, and carrots in abundance. In fact, these should be the basis, even for "non-vegan"s
As for grains, have you tried speldt? I find that very digestable, though my stomach tends to "grumble" when I buy it...
A miracle-herb for digestion is yarrow- I make a tea by simmering it and pouring off the top, through a strainer if necessary. I only use it at a time of relative crisis though! (it tastes pretty "medicinal"). Ginger is also good.
Getting the balance right helps- speaking of balance, maybe "going 'cold-turkey' isn't the best path for you- just make a smooth transition, eating less and less meat and dairy. Experiment-- it's not an "exact science", and everryone's different.
DaveS

[khemchand jatav]

you should try all veg food .

[vikas]

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
I am vikas.
Soy milk = Almond Milk
Rice = Quinoa
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