veganism: I recently (about two weeks ago) became a vegetarian, and am so glad I did. I've heard a lot of good things about veganism (and a lot of bad things about milk and egg production) and want to try to eat animal by-products less and less, starting with three days a week, I think. So my question is: As a vegan, what do you eat on a typical day? Also, did you do it gradually, or cold turkey? Thank a lot!|||I'm glad that you are making this decision for the animals, not to mention your health, and the environment! =) On a typical day, here is what I eat.. Breakfast: I always have a protein drink in the morning, along with any of the following, cereal with soymilk (be sure to check the cereal ingredients) or toast with Earth Balance (vegan margarine; I use the nonhydrogenated kind) and sugar and cinnamon or, if I have time, scrambled tofu and pancakes =D mm :) Breakfast is probably my favorite part of the day; I wish I had more time to make it. hehe Lunch: brown rice with stirfry vegetables or a sandwich o whole wheat bread (usually consists of Tofurkey, lettuce, tomatoes, Vegenaise [I use the Follow Your Heart brand], and avocado; you can do whatever you'd like) or sushi (rice, seaweed, avocado, cucumber, carrots, seasoned tofu, and soy sauce to dip it in) or a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread. Dinner: whatever my mom's making (my family is vegan) today I am having pho (vietnamese dish that has noodles and soup, mm)..most of the time we have rice with vegetable dishes and soup, or sometimes we'll have noodles of different varieties. It's probably because I live in an Asian household, haha. For dinner, you can still eat whatever you're used to but just substitute with vegan ingredients; it's not too hard, well it is hard at first, but you get used to it and it is fun to cook, although I don't cook dinner often. In tenth grade, I became vegan cold turkey, but after the first semester, I started eating cheese again. :( Afterwards, I gradually started giving up cheese and I really am not sure when I decided that I was going to become 100% vegan, I just remember it was at least a year and a half ago. Also, the transition was not very hard for me because I already avoided eggs (I was a lacto-vegetarian) and I also hated milk and never drank it...so the only thing that was really hindering me was the cheese. I still miss cheese but some of my cravings are satisfied with the following recipes: Creamiest Mac'n'Cheez EVER: http://yeahthatveganshit.blogspot.com/20鈥?/a> Baked Mac'n'Cheez: http://yeahthatveganshit.blogspot.com/20鈥?/a> You should get this cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vengeance-De鈥?/a> (It has a couple of awesome pizza recipes)|||I quit cold turkey. I went from omnivore to vegan overnight. In a typical day: PB + cinnamon + banana + whole grain bread Workout Post-workout shake (wheat protein isolate + fruit/veggie powder + rice milk + coffee + vegan DHA powder) Some kind of lunch Some kind of snack Some kind of dinner Typically, I'll have a stir fry, Italian-style pasta dish, or veggie wrap/sandwich for lunch or dinner just because it's easy and portable. Sometimes I'll do a Mexican-style pizza, burgers made with portabello mushroom caps, or some chili. I add a lot of things to my meals to pack in as many nutrients as I can. For example, if I made spaghetti, I'd use buckwheat or quinoa noodles, canned tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, yellow squash, kale, zucchini, fresh spinach, fresh basil, fresh bell pepper, fire roasted bell pepper, olives, flax seed...you get the idea. The more nutrition, the better...and that holds true no matter how you choose to eat! For snacks, it can be anything from a vegan protein/food/snack bar, half sandwich, soup, whatever.|||I did it gradually as I learned about the healthiest diet. I discovered that most convenience foods and processed foods contain additives that can be dangerous to some people. I also discovered that most contained fat, salt, sugars, and artificial ingredients to add to the foods taste and appeal. The ideal diet from a health perspective is a low-fat, low-refined carb vegan diet. I achieve this by rarely eating at restaurants or eating prepare foods. My diet consists mostly of: + The equivalent of one teaspoon of oil, usually eaten as raw nuts. + Beans and Brown Rice to provide all the protein building block. + Whole grains. (Not bread, because of eggs and other additives.) + Vegetables (raw, steamed) + Fruits (raw, never juiced or processed. I like the fiber) This is a very simple diet, and it is very easy to track calories. I'll eat a little bit of anything, but in very modest amounts. If you have a more typical diet, I'd try to avoid too many fats and sugars. I'd also avoid artificial additives like aspartame, MSG, genetically modified foods, and artificial colorings.|||I was a Vegan for a day, my friend and I decided to try it and let me tell you it was hard. Maybe because I didn't have many Veganish foods in or because I am not a Vegetarian yet. This page has 20 Vegan meals, or so it says, so I hope that they help you! http://webecoist.com/2008/09/01/20-delic鈥?/a> http://webecoist.com/2008/10/14/20-delic鈥?/a> I hope that these two websites help you! ^^|||well, i was a vegetarian for about 8months. i just started to go cold turkey to be become a vegan. its only been a week as a vegan for me. on a typical day i'll either eat cereal w/ soymilk or oatmeal for breakfast, baby carrots and a PBJ for lunch, and a salad for dinner. some fruit like grapes for snacks. when i checked out peta2.com it's not very hard to be a vegan for me ;D|||I went vegan after being veg for many years. It's easier if you like to cook, I think it does take a little more effort but it's so worth it! Some great cookbooks are Vegan with a Vengeance and Veganomicon. There are great websites out there too. Check out fatfreevegan.com, she is also amazing. Typically I eat a lot of seitan (homemade from above books), tofu, tempeh, nuts, and of course veggies. The chickpea cutlet recipe from Veganomincon is the best ever (I had that for lunch today). Her tofu ricotta recipe is also a staple in my cooking (think lasagne, stuffed shells, eggplant stacks or rolls). If I'm in a hurry I'll just saute up some veggies. I always snack on fruit throughout the day.|||Cold turkey. I love that phrase. (its a john lennon song) Anyway, yes I went cold turkey and I just eat everything I would eat before, just with vegan substitutes. Soy ice cream is a huge staple, in my dieat, lol. Good job on becoming a vegetarian and great job on wanting to be a vegan!|||I wing myself off very slowly. Eat nuts,grains lots of veggies and fruits also at the health food stores they have lots of vegan meals/products you can eat pack with all you need. you know just research it first, but really its not that hard I'm still learning and its a blessing. Here a site you can order vegan products and trust me this stuff is the bomb! www.vegieworld.com|||gradual should be good, leaving probably fish to last. rmemeber to eat nuts, and take vitamins as well. If youre a vegan make sure you dont wear leather!|||I became a lacto ovo vegetarian with every intention on going vegan- eventually. I looked at a calender, set a date for the transition, and went for it! I said my final goodbyes to the cheese, eggs, ice cream, milk, honey, caramel, etc, etc. the week before I set the date to become fully vegan. As I was doing the lacto ovo thing, I went shopping for my vegan commodities such as hygiene products, beauty products, clothing (no leather, wool, silk, cashmere, suede..) and accessories. Basically, I switched out and gave away all of the things that I used on a daily basis so that by the time my diet was pure vegetarian, I had vegan alternatives available. I used the internet to do my research, and it has helped me make choices in the things that I now use and buy. So yeah, it was a gradual thing, but it was over the course of only 8 months from being an omnivore to a vegan. But you know, I have to say, some ppl comment that they could never do it, but I thought the transition was smooth and not very difficult as they or I would have imagined. I never had any meat cravings, but I did MISS things like butter, milk chocolate, many baked pies, cakes, cookies. I've only faultered ONCE, when I ate a McDonalds french fry, but it backlashed because the taste of beef was repulsive! Bleh :/ On a typical day, I have a cold or hot cereal with a fruit or fruit smoothie for breakfast. Some nuts, granola, dried fruit, or tofu smoothie for snacks. Maybe a soup, salad or sandwich for lunch. And dinner is a stirfry, beans and rice-type dish, a mock-meat, tofu, or seitan dish. I eat alot more ethnic meals because they tend to have more vegan choices. I also have greatly EXPANDED and broadened my spectrum of whole foods. I now eat more seaweed, a bigger variety of grains like barley, wheat berries, quinoa. I love hemp milk and almond milk. I cook with alot more veggies than before. That's not to say that those foods mentioned are the only things I eat, but I don't want to bore you with ALL the things that I eat. I've never felt better.