I want to try a vegetarian or vegan diet. How should I start?

Eating a plant-based diet is one of the healthiest choices you can make. Start by making 1 main/dinner meal per week vegetarian. See recipes at: www.meatlessmonday.com . Also, include a fruit and/or vegetable with all your meals and snacks. Make sure that half of your dinner plate is comprised of vegetables, 1/4 whole grain and 1/4 protein (try fish, tofu). http://www.dana-farber.org/pat/support/nutrition/docs/how-to-make-a-bala...

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VEGAN DIETS!

Submitted by Guest on December 20, 2009 - 10:44.

greetings, everyone!

i started moving towards being vegetarian in the mid-1980s basically due to economics -- i was a few years out of college and dead-animal-flesh was just too expensive . . . then the more i learned about the reality behind how the animals are treated from birth to the time they reach one's dinner table -- growth hormones, antibiotics, crowded and filthy "living" conditions, barbaric treatment from human workers, etc. etc. etc. etc. -- the less i wanted to participate in such practices!

i have been vegan for over ten years now and while i am not a scientist nor a doctor, i HAVE read/heard scientists and doctors write/speak about the health benefits of a plant based diet (and i have GOT to wonder about how all those growth hormones injected into human food effect us!!!)

as others have said here, being vegan is beneficial to humans, non-humans, AND the Earth -- there are statistics (which unfortunately i do not have at hand right now!) regarding the impact of factory farming on the planet -- such as how the huge amounts of land used to cultivate grain used to feed animals destined for human consumption could be used instead to cultivate food for humans

there are many many resources out there to help anyone get started, here are a few!

VegWeb.com for vegan recipes:

http://www.vegweb.com/

the "Being Vegan" books and website from Joanne Stepaniak:

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/vegan.htm

"The Now and Zen Epicure" cookbook:

http://www.vegparadise.com/vegreading43.html

"The Rasta Cookbook" (may be out of print but awesome because it is SALT-FREE too!)

http://www.blackbookplus.com/mall/rasta_cookbook_vegeterian_cuisin.asp

Mercy for Animals -- TONS of information, will send you free "vegetarian starter kits":

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/

the "Food for Life" page from Animal Protection League of New Jersey:

http://www.aplnj.org/njfoodforlife.html

Compassion Over Killing will also send you free starter kits!

http://www.cok.net/

okay i hope that all is helpful!

wishing ALL a happy and healthy FUTURE!!!!!!!!!!

peace and blessings,

-- kathy z.

Going Vegan or Vegetarian Help

Submitted by Guest on October 31, 2009 - 12:34.

My father had a heart attack 3 years ago at 63 after years of greasy Caribbean food. He had 90% blockage in his arteries and needed Quadruple By-Pass surgery. Fortunately he survived to walk me down the aisle 2 months later. That combined with the two maternal aunt's with Colon and Rectal Cancer (one fatality, one that is in her second remission), Thyroid disorders, Leukemia, and various other cancers that seem to run in my family, made me decide it was time to make a change. 3 Months ago I was nearly 200 lbs--After 3 months of Veganism, I am down to 171 lbs.

Going Vegan is the best thing I have ever done for my health and for the animals. Meat Free Monday is a great site--I get info from them ever Monday, including a new recipe. I also recommend GoVeg.com for information on ways to ease in to this lifestyle. I was able to jump right in and quit cold turkey, no pun intended, but it takes other people a year or more--and there is nothing wrong with that.

I've never felt better physically or mentally in my life. Just be careful. Consult a nutritionist with a background in Veganism, or Vegetarianism, to ensure you do it properly. A support system of family and groups like Meat Free Monday will be a huge help.

For GREAT recipes, pick up The Vegan Cooks Bible. Even if you are only going Veggie you will LOVE the recipes in this book.

Good luck and good health!

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