veganism: Congratualtions!! You have made a not only healthy choice for yourself, but also know that you are saving an average of 95 animals a year!! Doesn't that make you feel good? I have been pretty much vegan for over a year. I just stopped...it all. I went from eating anything that wouldn't eat me first to eating things that actually make me feel better and more energized. Take this into consideration as well: I was 21 when I became vegan. I had my cholesterol checked at that age (before I was vegan) and it was a whopping 284!! At the YOUNG age of 21! That is high for ANYONE, much less someone who is supposed to be young and healthy. After just one month of being vegan (my family was after me: "You aren't getting enough nutrients"; "You're going to be sickly", etc) I went to the doctor to have my stats checked and shut them up. My cholesterol, after only one month of being vegan was not only down to a healthy 192, but it had a *perfect* balance between good and bad cholesterol! How's that for you? And my doctor was completely cool with my choice. He even said that it was a very healthy diet choice. So there to anyone who gives you crap! I don't undertand how people can love animals called pets, and eat animals called dinner. Who are we to decide who gets loved and cherished and who gets murdered and eaten? The difference between a dog and a cow? Not much. But we love dogs, take them into our home, even let them become part of our family, and eat the cow. Being vegan is one of the best choices I have made about myself, and I will never go back. When I stopped eating dairy, I went to a coffee shop (one that knew I only drink soymilk) and they accidently put cow milk in my coffee. It made me so sick! Just the fact that you get so sick when you go off it, and then have it again is my body's clue to me that it wasn't good for you in the first place. If you stop eating vegetables for a month, then go back, you won't get sick like I was. That alone tells me something. Plus, check out the websites on veganism. Constantly remind yourself WHY you are vegan. After some time, I think it is easy to start to slide. Whenever I feel myself slipping, I just go online (usually to goveg.com or something like that) and look at the footage and pictures. Then I remember why I am vegan. If you need support, I will more than willing to talk to you. I know when I first became vegan, I really needed some support, and it was hard to find others like me. Feel free to contact me. jaded_celest@yahoo.com|||Congratulations. You can check out these websites. Also do a search of your question in Yahoo answers and check out the responses to people who have asked your question before. EDIT: As for "negative" health issues, I've never had a problem, and the only vegan I know who has was a "potato chip vegan." Eating a wide variety of foods will get you all the vitamins and minerals you need. I've been vegan for 5 years, and have never taken any supplements unless you count nutritional yeast. My doctor says I'm healthy as can be.|||I'm not a vegan, but i tried it for a week. It made me feel a lot healthier and i have a really good salad that is packed with protein: canned garbanzo bean, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and onions. Chop up the garlic and onions and put all the ingredients together (as much vinegar and oil to taste) and let marinate ( the longer the better) and then just pour it over your lettuce and add salt and pepper. It's sooo good, i eat it all the time now!|||here are some links to recipes.. Vegan Meat and Dairy analogs Angel Food Cake http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/301/Ang… (vegan angel food cake) Bacon (vegan) http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/ (2 recipes for vegan bacon) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Faken-Veggi… (fake bacon) Bean Cooking and cooking times http://www.chezbettay.com/basics_beans.h… (cooking times for various beans) Beef (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1190/Sw… (swiss steak) http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/g… (seitan steaks) http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm (seitan beef stew and stroganoff) http://www.vegparadise.com/news18.html (stroganoff from sunburgers) http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/… (seitan Portobello stroganoff) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/222/Sei… (seitan beef cutlets) http://www.bbqu.net/recipes/403_1.html (ginger grilled tofu steaks with miso mayonnaise) Brownies (vegan) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (vegan brownies) http://www.albertabarley.com/recipes/swe… (barley brownies..can be adapted) http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/choco… (chocolate and prune brownies..can be converted) Cabbage rolls(vegetarian) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/veggies/veg-… (bean stuffed cabbage rolls) http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/croc… (potato stuffed cabbage rolls..crockpot) Cakes (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/category/cakes… (lots of vegan cakes,pies,fruit breads, incl. banana nut bread) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (cream cheese icing for carrot cake, vegan) Cheese (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/317/Bas… (basic seed cheese) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1055/Ye… (nutritional yeast cheese sauce) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/469/Nut… (nutritional yeast cheese) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/reci… (Lessarella cheez) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/reci… (pimento cheese) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (pimento cheese brick) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (tofu cheese rarebit) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (millet cheese) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (golden sauce) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (chee sauce) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (no cheese spread) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (tofu cheese sauce) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (savory tofu sauce) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (gee whiz spread) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (cornmeal cheese pudding) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (walnut tofu cheese spread) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (soy cheese from soy flour) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (nut cheese from nut butter) http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000… (cashew cheddar cheese) http://www.ellenskitchen.com/clearlight/… (almond ricotta cheese) http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/manico… (ricotta for manicotti from tofu) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (vegan cheese..forum) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (vegan cheese like nacho or cheddar) http://www.mountainhomebrew.com/browsepr… (vegetable rennet and cheese making supplies) Chicken (vegan) http://www.chezbettay.com/salads_chicken… (chicken salad..vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1153/Bu… (Buddha’s chicken..vegan) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/Meat_subs/88… (chick or italian tofu burgers) http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/ (mock chicken patties) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/223/Sei… (seitan chicken cutlets) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-sei… (seitan chicken) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/669/Bre… (chicken breast of tofu) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1372/Ch… (chicken fried tofu) Chocolate http://www.chocolatealchemy.com/recipes_… (soy milk chocolate candy recipe) Crab (vegan) http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/krab-k… (crab cakes) Cream (vegan) http://www.soymilkquick.com/soy-milk-rec… (soy crème) Crockpot (vegan) http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/recipes/s… Egg substitutes http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (several egg substitutes, flax seed and eggless baking) http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_pro… (flax seed or Ener G..and use of almond flour with Ener G) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (flax eggs) http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm#eg… (egg substitutions) http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html (egg substitutions ) http://www.chooseveg.com/recipe_tips.asp (egg substitutions) http://www.bellybytes.com/recipes/flaxse… (about flax seeds) http://www.chooseveg.com/flax-smoothie.a… (blueberry flax banana smoothie video and how to make flax eggs substitute) Deviled eggs (vegan) http://www.vegtv.com/Shows/110.htm (scroll down for angel eggs recipe) http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/… (deviled egg tofu salad) Egg(less) Salad (vegan) http://www.chezbettay.com/salads_mes.htm… Egg(less) Omlets http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/20/Besa… (chickpea omelette) Eggless Recipes http://www.vegan-food.net/category/cakes… (lots of vegan cakes,pies,fruit breads, incl. banana nut bread) http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1… http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Specials%20a… http://www.eggless.com/test5/index.shtml (eggless cakes) http://www.ochef.com/218.htm (scroll down for recipes) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/20/Besa… (chickpea omelette) Fish (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1198/Th… (fish and chips vegan) http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/tunafi… (vegan tuna fish salad) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/824/Veg… (veggie tuna salad) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/soy/faux.sht… (faux fish cakes) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1155/Fi… (fish fry vegan) http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14902.… (baked tofishy) Gelatin Substitutes for Vegans (see “Jello-vegan” , also) http://www.vegsoc.org/info/gelling.html (agar, carrageen and gelzone) http://www.edenfoods.com/issues_carragee… (carrageenan) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin_des… (agar and Carrageenan) Grain Cooking and cooking times http://www.chezbettay.com/basics_grains.… Gravy (vegan) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/reci… http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… Ham (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1156/Mo… (mock ham) Ice Cream (vegan) http://veganicecream.blogspot.com/ http://www.vegan-food.net/category/desse… (some general ice cream vegan recipes) http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/d… (lemon vegan sherbet) http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-children/… (tofu fudgesicles and orange creamsicles) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1455/Be… (tofu fudgy-sicles) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/588/Cas… (cashew gelato) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1030/Fr… (peach or fruit ice cream) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1034/Pi… (pineapple ice cream ..vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/380/Cra… (cranberry sorbet vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/370/Cin… (cinnamon ice cream ..vegan..nuts) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/601/Ora… (orange pineapple freeze) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/491/Pig… ( peach sherbet with pignoli cream) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/490/Pig… (pignoli cream for sherbet above) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1035/To… (tofu chocolate ice cream vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1020/Ba… (banana and maple syrup ice cream..vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1019/Ki… (kiwi fruit gelato ..vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1033/Le… (lemon ice) http://www.chezbettay.com/drts_icecream.… (vegan fruit sorbet..see left side) http://www.cooksrecipes.com/desserts/fro… (lots of sorbet recipes) http://www.recipeatlas.com/dessertrecipe… (mango sorbet) http://www.recipeatlas.com/dessertrecipe… (several sorbets) Jello (vegan) http://www.kenter.demon.nl/recipes/rfvc/… (basic agar agar jello recipe) http://www.kenter.demon.nl/recipes/rfvc/… (more recipes with Agar Agar, jigglers, nuclear, etc) Low Fat vegan http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/… (low fat vegan) Macaroni and cheese (vegan) http://www.chezbettay.com/dinrs_macnchee… (with premade vegan cheese) http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000… (with cashew cheddar) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (Bryanna’s Mac and cheese) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (PETAs mac and cheese) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (mac and cheese, vegan) http://grazingrecipes.blogspot.com/ (best macaroni and cheese) Marshmallows (vegan) http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~connelly/mars… http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recip… (sub 3 TBSP agar agar for gelatin or 6 TBSP pectin) http://www.veganstore.com/850.html (to buy) Marveg (marmite copycat) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… Mayonnaise (soy) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (tofu mayonnaise) http://www.ellenskitchen.com/clearlight/… (tofu mayonnaise) Meat (general fakes) http://www.vegan-food.net/category/meat/ (list of lots of fake meat recipes) Nut Butters http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000… (pistachio/almond butter) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (general rules) Nutella (copycat) http://inlimine.net/archives/2005/02/28/… (hazelnuts and chocolate) Pies (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/category/cakes… (lots of vegan cakes,pies,fruit breads, incl. banana nut bread) Pizza (vegan) http://home.earthlink.net/~jchoosej/Vega… http://www.honeylocust.com/pizza/ http://www.recipezaar.com/10579 http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/185/Piz… http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=b5… (“the best vegan pizza ever”) http://www.chezbettay.com/basics_bread.h… (Pizza Dough or basic bread dough) Pizzelles (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1450/Ve… Popsicles and Cremesicles (vegan) http://www.chezbettay.com/drts_icecream.… (vegan fruit sorbet..see left side) http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/d… (lemon vegan sherbet) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1033/Le… (lemon ice) http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-children/… (tofu fudgesicles and orange creamsicles) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1455/Be… (tofu fudgy-sicles) Pork (vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/225/Sei… (seitan pork cutlets) Pudding http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropf… (teff tofu pudding) http://www.recipeatlas.com/specialdietre… (tofu fruit pudding) http://www.soymilkquick.com/soy-milk-rec… (soymilk pudding..2 recipes) Quiche http://www.cybermacro.com/Macrobiotic_Re… (tofu vegetable quiche with teff crust) Raw food recipes http://www.vegan-food.net/ (see left side..lots of raw food recipes mixed in here) http://www.vegparadise.com/recipeindex.h… (lots of raw food recipes, incl. pizza) Sausages (vegan) http://www.webvalue.net/recipes/sausage.… (veggie sausages, not with tofu..seitan?) Seitan Recipes http://vegetarian.about.com/od/cookingti… (step by step how to make) http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm (seitan beef stew and stroganoff) http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack… http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-sei… (seitan chicken) http://www.innerself.com/recipes/entrees… (basic info) http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/w… (several recipes) http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/g… (steaks) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/222/Sei… (seitan beef cutlets) http://www.chow.com/recipes/10596 (seitan veal picatta) http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/seit… (general info) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/889/Tur… (incl.turkey) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/seitanrecip… (incl turkey) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/817/Sei… (turkey with gravy and stuffing) http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/… (seitan Portobello stroganoff) http://www.vegan-food.net/category/meat/ (several fake meats, some seitan, some yuba, etc) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/225/Sei… (seitan pork cutlets) http://www.webvalue.net/recipes/sausage.… (veggie sausages, not with tofu..seitan?) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/223/Sei… (chicken cutlets) http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm (seitan beef stew) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (seitan stew in golden sauce) http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/… (Homemade Seitan) Seitan with tapioca http://www.ellenskitchen.com/~cook/cgi-b… http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/g… (unchuck roast) Substitutions (vegan) http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqsubs.sh… http://asiarecipe.com/substitute.html (substitutions in asian recipes) http://kitchen.robbiehaf.com/EmergencySu… http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html (vegan substitutions in cooking) http://www.netcooks.com/Substitutions.ht… Substitutes (vegan for eggs) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (several egg substitutes, flax seed and eggless baking) http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_pro… (flax seed or Ener G) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (flax eggs) http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm#eg… (egg substitutions) http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html (egg substitutes) http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=dc… (vegan substitutions) http://www.chooseveg.com/recipe_tips.asp (egg substitutions) Tips http://www.chooseveg.com/recipe_tips.asp (vegan cooking tips) Turkey (vegan) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/seitanrecip… (seitan and tofu turkey roast) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/889/Tur… (Vegan seitan turkey) http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/p… (bryanna’s seitan turkey and other vegan holiday recipes) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/817/Sei… (turkey with gravy and stuffing) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/822/Tof… (tofu not-a-turkey) http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/vegan… (tofu turkey with stuffing) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/soy/oven-roa… (oven roasted tom tofu) http://www.vegparadise.com/otherbirds411… (noasted nurkey, from nuts) Veal (vegan) http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/tofu/tofu… (veal parmesan..tofu cutlets) http://www.chow.com/recipes/10596 (seitan veal picatta) Vegan Recipes http://www.vegan-food.net/ (very good lots of vegan ice creams and vegan turkey..see left side) http://food.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=ArYjQv… http://www.notmilk.com/veganrecipes.html (link list of vegan sites) http://www.veganmeat.com/recipie.html http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack… http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes.htm… http://www.catteacorner.com/recipes.htm http://www.earth.li/~kake//cookery/ (has by country also) http://www.veganconnection.com/recipes/i… http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~veggie/recipes/… http://vegkitchen.com/recipes-galore.htm http://veganconnection.com/recipes/index… http://www.fatfreevegan.com/ http://www.angelfire.com/wi/DebsHome/San… (sandwich spreads) http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk/index.… http://www.myrecipefriends.com/?nc=-322&… http://www.chezbettay.com/recipes.html http://www.vegparadise.com/recipeindex.h… (lots of raw recipes) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (thread..lots of vegan recipes) Veggie Burgers http://www.webvalue.net/recipes/american… (super soy burgers with soy beans mashed) http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetai… (veggie burgers) http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetai… (mushroom cheddar vegetarian burgers) http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/burg… (award winning burgers) http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/burg… (more award winning burgers) http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/ (recipes with tofu) http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/slop… (unsloppy joes) http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/oam… (garden burgers) http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2002/decemb… (original gardenburger copycat recipe) http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=*%20… http://www.vegan-food.net/category/patti… (lots of recipes) http://www.cooksrecipes.com/meatless-rec… (2 pages) http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/recipes/t… (vegan tofu burgers) http://www.vegparadise.com/news18.html (sunburgers..sunflower seeds) http://recipeswithtofu.blogspot.com/ (tofu walnut patties) http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetai… (veggie burgers with tofu) http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetai… (vegan tofu burger) http://www.recipeatlas.com/specialdietre… (lentil rice burger with sweet potato) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/reci… (sweet potato burgers with tofu) http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropf… (teff burgers) Veggie Loafs http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/m… (neatloaf) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/holiday/holi… (holiday lentil loaf) http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/nut-ro… (holiday cashew loaf with gravy) http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/than… (holiday lentil loaf with parsley gravy) http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/nut-… (classic nut loaf) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/beans2/1254.… (adobo bean loaf) http://www.fatfreevegan.com/Meat_subs/le… (lentil rice loaf) http://www.vegan-food.net/category/nut/ (several nutloaf recipes) http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/gravy.… (vegan gravy) http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/stock.… (vegan soup stock for vegan gravy) http://www.vegparadise.com/news18.html (northern bean and veggie loaf) http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/YSEARC/lent… (lentil tomato loaf ) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (thread about above lentil tomato loaf) Veggie Sausages http://www.webvalue.net/recipes/sausage.… (veggie sausages, not with tofu) Whipped Topping http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (whipped tofu toppings..several recipes) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/reci… (3 recipes, click on pdf) http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/arti… (whipped tofu) http://www.recipeatlas.com/specialdietre… (silken tofu whipped topping) http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/arc… (whipped tofu topping) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/490/Pig… (pignoli cream for desserts) http://www.aboverubies.org/health/cream.… (cashew cream) http://www.recipezaar.com/129857 (chocolate topping…substitute soy milk and soy butter) http://www.recipezaar.com/110009 (twinkies recipe…substitute soy milk and soy butter) Yogurt (from soy) http://www.soymilkmaker.com/recipe.html#… Yuba http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1153/Bu… (Buddha’s chicken..vegan) http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1156/Mo… (yuba..vegan)|||Get a vegan cookbook and pick out your favorite dishes and veggies|||you need psycological help......being a vegan is not natural, if you ever have children, do not do it to them when they are in infancy or you will kill them. Facts bud!|||Eat a variety of "whole foods," with plenty of beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid unhealthy foods like trans fats, which are usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Deep-fried foods often contain trans fats. Choose margarines that use nonhydrogenated oil, like Earth Balance or Smart Balance. Although a diet consisting of Coke and French fries is technically vegan, you can't be healthy if you eat nothing but junk food. Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, and some experts believe that vegetarians used to get plenty of this vitamin from bacteria in drinking water. Since drinking water is now treated with chemicals that kill the bacteria, it's important to make sure that you get enough vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like most brands of soy or rice milks, some breakfast cereals, and many brands of nutritional yeast) on a daily basis or by taking a sublingual B12 tablet of 10 mcg per day. Iron-beans, dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach),whole grain breads, Also eat something with vitamin c when you eat something with iron, it increases absorption Calcium-dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, soymilk) Protein-Isn't really hard to get, just eat a variety of foods, good sources are beans, brown rice, nuts, whole grain breads, soy foods Omega-3 fatty acids-flax seeds/oil,walnuts,canola oil Zinc-pumpkin seeds (best source), beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals Selenium-Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium, so try to eat a couple every day. Eating a small bag of mixed unsalted nuts can be a convenient way to get your daily selenium intake, but make sure it contains Brazils. Bread and eggs also provide some selenium. Vitamin D- Vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin, is another common deficiency in those not drinking vitamin D fortified milk. Synthetic vitamin D is added to both cow’s milk and most brands of soy milk today. Vitamins A (beta carotene),C, K, E and Folate-variety of fruits and veggies Iodine-Iodine is a trace mineral that's important for healthy thyroid function. Table salt is the most common and reliable source of iodine in Americans' diets. (However, sodium in processed foods usually does not contain iodine.) If you don't consume table salt, you can get iodine from a multivitamin or from kelp tablets.|||Supplements, Supplements, Supplements. I simply can't stress there importance enough if you are going to eat an exclusively vegan diet. There are just so many things that you are restricting yourself from on a vegan diet that it is virtually impossible to get all of the vitamins and nutrients you need to ensure good health. Most long term vegans that claim to have good health actually cheat a little now and then. If you intend to strictly follow the diet, for your own well being I hope that you will consider vitamin supplements. I was vegan for the better part of a year, had a wide and variety of foods that would be considered healthy and desireable on a vegan diet, yet still ended up deficient in key vitamins and minerals. Upon seeking the advice of my physician, I was advised that this was a direct result of the vegan diet.. I added egg whites and a little dairy to my diet and was good as new in short order. Please look at the link below. It's scary stuff, but unfortunately, a strict vegan diet can lead to a great number of negative health issues. I am fully recovered now, and have adopted a "vegetarian" diet that has worked quite well. As far as becoming vegan, I simply would not recmmend it due to the negative health issues that you will quite likely encounter at some point. Good luck to you. http://www.wysong.net/health/hl