MY FAMILY IS BECOMING VEGAN

Question

HELLO! 
I am a mother to two beautiful children, a boy six months old and a little girl two years old. I am also a wife to a wonderful man that I love very much. We've recently decided to become Vegan and need help beginning. It is very important that we do this correctly for the health of our children. I don't want to accidently malnourish them. Our daughter is unique in the way that she eats everything. Kale, Chard, Tofu, Edamame and nearly every fruit available. There isn't much she honestly dislikes. I don't see it being too difficult of a transistion for her. 

As for my husband, maybe a bit more difficult. I know I'll miss fish the most. Along with cheeses. 

I need a shopping list. I shop one month at a time except for fresh veggies. 

Can anyone Help?

MHiii · Answer

www.chooseveg.com/vegan-health-tips.asp

I find lettuce, spinach and watercress where i live, i prefer watercress and spinach over lettuce, i think they are better.

happycowgirl · Answer

hi Kaly, Wow! I'm so impressed that your whole family is going vegan. Your children are very lucky to have such a great mom! Making the transition to a vegan diet, especially for your entire family, can seem like a lot. One thing you absolutely do not have to worry about is accidentally malnourishing them. That is very old thinking. Feed them a well-rounded diet full of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, pastas, nuts and they will live very long, healthy lives. The only thing you have to supplement is B-12. Many foods like soy milk and cereal are fortified with B-12 making supplementation unnecessary, but I take a multi-vitamin with B-12 just to be sure I'm getting enough. MHiii's link above is great! Here is another article you may like about how to stock your vegan pantry: http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/vegetarian-pantry/ Here's a fun "go vegan" guide including a vegan shopping list: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/02/oprahs-staff-goes-vegan-and-so-can-you.html Here's a vegan shopping guide: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/vegetarian-shopping.aspx

VeganSally · Answer

My advice is to break out the crockpot!

Buy the book "Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson. You can get it for $12 on Amazon.  Delicious, easy recipes your family will love.

KalyHouse · Answer

Thank you so much for the links you added. I am doing all my research pre-grocery day. So much information. 

Oh Chia Seeds, can you help me with the value and usage of these little slimy things. I know they are a good source of Omega 3's but that's it. 

I am so excited about this change we are making. I suspect that we will be healthier and I will be protecting my children from all the harmful additives in the food supply nowadays. 

Oh VeganSally, I am so thrilled to hear about a VEGAN SLOW COOKER book...being a mother of two and a caretaker to my own mother and grandmother I am partial to quick and easy food that cooks while I take care of other things. :)

KalyHouse · Answer

Oh.. please excuse my many questions and bare with me, Nutritional Yeast. Is it necessary, why and how do I use it?

seanubs · Answer

I was 'scared' into being vegan. Yes, cheese is delicious, but after I saw how bad they mistreat animals and watching a video that struck fear right into me, I never again touched it again and it made me sick after seeing it in grocery stores. 
To me, being vegan is like researching a puzzle and how can I solve it or make myself healthier? You will find tons of resources, but be aware that the internet has its flaws and you can't trust EVERY site and everyone's opinion. I used to ask people on Yahoo! answers, but they were people that had different views. 
The key to being vegan is eating healthy and moving up to a healthier lifestyle than the way we were told to eat. Once you don't need to rely on animals for nourishment, you become spiritually inclined to helping yourself and others see that you are a happy person. With this, people can see it as jealousy and fear because of your differences. And with this acquired tool, you can see yourself as a positive example for humanity. 

Seanubs~

kenneth03 · Answer

For your kids it will be very difficult if they start eating like what you eat.They will surely get starve and lead to always eating.

DuncanDixon · Answer

Hi Kaly. There is a few websites that I go to in order to get the information about health. I think the biggest one I go to, is http://nutritionfacts.org/ This is my overall health bible. It is important to say, that when we were kids, we were taught that we had to get calcium from milk and protein from cows etc. I can tell that you are smart enough not to believe that tripe, but now it always leaves me with that "who to believe?" question. On that website, you will find a video worth watching called "uprooting the leading causes of death" and it shows that government will say and do anything to defend the meat and dairy industry (for profit). Although it sounds like another conspiracy theory, it makes sense, and if you want to know any information on health, to ask many people and not just one. (just like you are asking everyone now). If you are living in the USA, I believe they have a "mock cheese" called Daiya? Worth checking out.

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