New and looking to change my ways...
Posted by Kotyonok on Jun 24, 2010 · Member since Jun 2010 · 4 posts
Hello all, names Alex,
I'm completely new here and I'm currently an omnivore, but for many reasons I want to change that and I need a little bit of accountability backing me up. I have no idea where to start and the idea is overwhelming, but all in the same it's a huge priority to me.
I have a food processor and blender. I'm really excited but intimidated... and I know my girlfriend is going to take it kind of badly because she loves cooking such a big variety of things >,<
Regardless, it's something I have to do and I need someone's help. I don't know any vegans in the area, but I know they're about (I live in south Florida).
Hello and welcome! You will find pretty much everything that you need here as well as a bunch of really helpful people!
I think if you show your girlfriend this site than she won't be too upset about it, when you're vegan you usually end up eating a wider variety of foods than you ever would have (that happened to me anyway). You really don't need special foods, prodcuts or machines/equipment but if you're really into cooking than you might get really into it. With that said, there are a lot of lazy vegans, simple vegans, college vegans, etc...who go without getting into super fancy foods and stuff like that.
Do you have any specific questions?
If you take a look around the forum you will find lots of reviews on food products, recipes and other vegan non-food products.
Really what it comes down to is looking for a grocery list to start with for myself and then I'll go from there. Like I said, it's a bit overwhelming and I'm not sure where to start.
Have you looked at any of the recipes on the site yet? You can save recipes by adding them to your recipe box (you can find the option at the top of the recipe) and you can also make a grocery list and weekly planner using it, I really just use the recipe box though and draw up my own grocery list.
What kind of food do you like?
Mmm, I forgot to mention that I also want to try sticking to a raw meals rather then cooked ones
There's an entire section for raw recipes :)
Also, there's this ongoing thread: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23616.0
AND, if you use LiveJournal there is a group/community called Vegan Raw (or Raw Vegan, something like that).
You can also invest in some raw vegan books. If you look on Amazon used you can find some for under $5. Sometimes I get books for 99 cents!
Welcome!
Search the term 'why go vegan', and read til you're motivated enough to see it through! ;-) There's a lot of support here... take advantage of it at will! Any change (diet or otherwise) takes effort at first... but being a planteater is easy & very satisfying, once it's a habit. I think vegan cooking is WAY fun -- maybe your gal will like vegan recipes even *better* than the other stuff, given a little bit of familiarity with the world of plant-based possibilities!
Leaving animal junk behind is the best diet change I've ever made, and (for multiple reasons) is WELL worth the initial effort. Ask for help here, as needed, and enjoy your food journey! Glad you're here.
:)
Hi Alex...good luck to you!
It is a bit overwhelming at first. Soon it becomes a natural lifestyle. I'm like your girlfriend in that I like to cook a variety of things and I rarely cook the same meal twice, as there are so many meals out there.
I would say that going from omnivore to mostly raw would be overwhelming to me too.
There's lots of good raw vegan blogs out there. A real good cookbook for the beginner is Ani's Raw Food Essentials.
Well my girlfriend has a good amount of vegan recipes under her belt, but she knows what she loves, and one of things is very much steak and potatoes. haha
Aside from that I'm looking forward to the endeavor
eat lots of fruit s. florida has great tropicals. personally, i would suggest reading "the 80 10 10 diet" by dr. douglas graham if you are thinking about raw
I'm sure there are plenty of vegans in South Florida, I use to stay in Ft. Lauderdale, in the Tamarac area. I think that your new diet will be a huge influence on your girlfriend and she may convert soon after witnessing your success. There is plenty of scientific, medical, and animal rights information available on the web and in books to give to her as reasoning for your decision. A processor and blender is helpful but not required, I go weeks or months without using one sometimes.