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  Posted by Kimberley J at 06/03/14 08:51:51

  You can only change your own beliefs and actions. As you move forward, you may be surprised at how this causes a ripple effect on those around you. Once you gain insight into something (e.g. the way animals are treated in the food industry) then you cannot un-learn that knowledge. It changes you permanently. I believe that most people continue to use animal products because we are so separated from the origins of our food. Linda McCartney once said "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian".
  As far as how you go about making the change - just take it one meal at a time, start thinking about what is in your food (does it have animal products? (meat, cheese, milk etc.) You may find it easier to just stop meat first as that tends to be more accepted & easier to accommodate when eating with others. However, if animal rights is at the base of your choice, this may not be sufficient for you. When I first became vegetarian, my mother was quite concerned about my health & what we could possibly eat when we were together. It didn't take too long to figure out that there are lots of things that are veggie or can be made veggie quite easily. If you're cooking for others, you can make a veggie version for yourself by simply omitting the meat &/or substituting "fake" meat.
  If you have children, consider what they are learning - it has taken me & you years to realize the lies that we were told as children. Just think of all the commercials showing "happy" animals that promote the meat & diary industries - all marketing & all b.s.
  Most importantly, don't be hard on yourself as you move forward. You are embarking on a significant change in your approach to eating & living, one that most people never begin. So, if you make choices, at times, that you later regret, be kind to yourself, acknowledge that this change is a process, try to determine what led you off the path that you have chosen, and move then forward without guilt.
  Welcome to the veggie world!!

  
  
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  Posted by evasjourney at 06/04/14 01:37:35

  Thank you,Kimberley those where very kind words. Yes i noticed meat has not been to difficult because i was not use to eating a lot of meat. so far i been good but i keep falling for the cheese and i eat it i feel bad remember the images of the torture cows and their babies taken away. See i have heard of this torture but i always put off watching stuff like this because it would change the way i loved food i was young and i kept thinking oh no i cant stop eating all this things i love eating that had meat. Now that im older i grown more curious and watched it and it was the saddest thing i seen. I know im just starting and i know a lot people stat and give up but im hopping i could keep it up. i want to be one less person that animals get torture for.I joined here to get support because i been very quiet about my diet change with people i know. I just hope i find people like you nice and not judge mental. i will force myself to watch a documentary on netflix about animals in the big farms where its shows everything but im giving myself some time.tnank you so far this veggie world has brought my creative cooking. i love it.

  
  
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  Posted by The Hammer at 06/04/14 23:32:09

  congrats!
  Always remember it is a very personal journey. Don't let other people, especially other vegans tell you what to do or not, go in your own rythm. Lastly, it is better to be a happy 99% vegan than a frustrated 100% vegan.
  cheers!
  

  
  
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  Posted by DunkiesandDimeys at 06/18/14 13:19:25

  Veggie burgers, veggie dogs, etc. may really help the transition, since there are many products out there that taste just like real meat. They also have cheese substitutes, egg substitutes, etc.
  
  Good luck,
  Angela
  
  www.cafepress.com/dunkiesanddimeys

  
  
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  Posted by happycowgirl at 06/20/14 21:51:09

  Hi evasjourney,
  How is your transition coming along?
  
  One thing I wanted to comment on: you mentioned you keep falling for cheese. I had the same problem. I was addicted to dairy. I mean, addicted as though it was a drug. When I first tried to go vegan, I couldn't even sit across from someone having a milkshake or a slice of cheese pizza b/c it would trigger my cravings. Making the transition from vegetarian to vegan was tough for me.
  
  I found that it takes 3 weeks of eating vegan and your taste buds make the transition. I learned that if I went a week being vegan and then gave in and had even a few sips of someone's milkshake that was enough to trigger my cravings again and send me right back to the starting line. After the second week being vegan, I felt my dairy cravings leaving. After the 3rd week, they were gone. And I'm not kidding you when I say that after the 4th week, dairy seemed disgusting to me! I did a complete turn around. In just a month I went from craving ice cream and cheese to tasting a bit of cheese and thinking it was repulsive.
  
  As others have said, go at your own pace. If/when you decide you're ready to ditch the dairy, remember, you can do it! Give yourself 3 weeks.
  
  Congrats on going veggie and welcome to Happy Cow! : )

  
  
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  Posted by StephenS at 07/13/14 12:57:13

  Yah Eva (& any other transitioning veg/ans!!) Congrats!!
  I agree with all that was said here. Remember, your diet and lifestyle are your personal means of expressing yourself and relating to the world around you. With that in mind - you should never let anyone else make you feel bad about what you are doing, as long as your conscience is good. But beyond that - it is very important to accept yourself as an actual human being, which means learning, growing and adjusting, often times much slower or more problematically than we hope. That's okay. Every life change is an often long and arduous process. A child does not learn to walk overnight, we don't learn a new language in a day, etc. etc. Recognize that you are undertaking a progression of life, just like any other learning endeavor, and go at the pace that feels most comfortable to you and your situation.
  - As to diet; I was vegeatraian for many years before going vegan, and truthfully, it was mainly because I didn't have access to, or didn't know about a lot of the alternatives available. One thing I think is so sad about a meat eating, and even a vegetarian diet - is the lack of diversity you get in your meals. Once you start to educate yourself as to the amazing array of choices out there as a substitute to a "normal" diet, you'll be amazed and the plethora of interesting and exciting foods and flavors out there. When your meals start to go from a plate full of shades of brown and white to these vibrant rainbows, and the tastes you experience reflect this - it is awesome. Before Vegan, I never ate some of the delicious nuts, plants, herbs, fruits, sprouts and things I now have. What a delight. And as for missing any of those old standbys like lunch meat, cheese, milk, burgers, fish sticks, etc. - Guess what - these are all available vegan style - to help with that transition period.
  - So, I would recommend browsing the recipes section here on Happy Cow, and also browsing thru the forums section for things like books (I recommend "Healing With Whole Foods"). And Enjoy! If you stick with it and continue to research and learn, you will find yourself amazingly healthy, energetic, clear of mind, and enjoying insanely tasteful and vibrant meals.
  Cheers!! Happy Veganism!!

  
  
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  Posted by evasjourney at 07/13/14 22:49:46

  Hi everyone I wanted to say thank you so much for the kind words. Yes this is happening before slow my transition specially because with my family is a little hard. I mention to them how to my mom specially she is he one im closest to and the one that i would think that would understand about changing my eating habits. yet she is the one always offering meat to me. sometimes i feel so alone doing this. This weekend I ended up going on a date where is basically meat lover place. but i was glad they had a vegetarian plate yea not vegan but at least no meat. Today I watched Earthling and wow I cant believe what I saw is so sad what a human can do to this poor animals. I remember when I decided to to stop my meat eating and i would think of all the things i would miss and im not going to lie (dont judge me) I sill think about it and how it would be hard for me to be around meat eating people. but i dont want to be another person eating meat from torture animals I dont crave it anymore. I have ot how to make really good veggie burger and not too long ago like last week :) i made seitan if thats how you spell it,wow it was great. I just want to say thank you to everyone here. i will try to be on more often maybe i wont feel so alone.

  
  
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  Posted by The Hammer at 07/15/14 00:43:20

  i recently did hear advice from somebody how to deal with family and friends who don't seem to accept you changing your diet.
  Often these people make your life hard but they are not aware of it. Best is to ask some private time with such a person and privately talk about it, why you did go vegan, how important it is for you, and most importantly ask for their support and ask to be treated normal and not make jokes, etc.
  
  If you talk seriously to people in private, they will change their attitude towards you, if they don't at least you know that person is definitely not a friend and should be avoided in your life for the sake of your own hapines.

  
  
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  Posted by evasjourney at 07/15/14 20:26:54

  Friends are not so much a problem I dont seem to have many and the few I have I hardly go out with. I will try it again with my mom to have a private talk. Since i already had one.I see she is trying to understand. But she like to brag about her food and now I wont taste it.Im pretty sure she thinks is a face. I also think the person that im dating think the same way. at some point i thought it too but I feel great, my body feels great, and honestly i dont want to contribute to the punishment the animals go through for me to have a Burger. seems selfish now that i have been opening my eyes little by little.

  
  
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  Posted by Jonathan2712 at 07/17/14 02:49:38

  I have only been a vegetarian for 3 weeks, which is not long at all, but it has been the easiest transition to make. Don't get me wrong, every now and then I will have an internal instant response when I hear someone describing a meal they've had such as "Wow that sounds good", but this is immediately followed in my head by a mental recoil at the meat products contained, as soon as I think about the unbearable crulety inflicted on another living being with feelings and a nervous system, just so they could eat that meal.
  
  I love the taste of Quorn and have no problem with eating any of it. At the moment I still eat dairy and eggs, and I honestly don't know if I will ever make the full transition to vegan due to the work I am in and the views of my family; I travel a LOT and it is very difficult to get vegan food on the road when others are cooking for you. Vegetarian food is easy though. My other half was raised by vegetarians but she is an avid meat eater. We have talked at length about the issue - she has her views, I have mine, and we are respectful of that. But I don't think veganism would work for us.

  
  
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  Posted by ahimsa32fa at 07/17/14 06:24:32

  If it's your convenience vs. considering the lives of dairy cows and calves and laying hens, then it's a question you must answer for your self.

  
  
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  Posted by evasjourney at 07/18/14 13:46:12

  Im glad to hear that, that you dont find it as easy.This week I have been having dairy its not good but its so hard to resist sometimes.Last night I made my whole family portabella mushroom burger and they loved it im so glad they are open minded sometimes.I just feel awesome with this way of eating. I eat late at nigh that I love doing and i eat bread and i keep seeing my body getting slim too.I was thinking what if i tried not to consume meat all the time since my partner and I love eating new food. We travel to just go eat. But every time we go out he also points out the vegetarian plate only thing that sucks is just one plate.so far I been in this transition for about umm 2 months i believe. But i did have about maybe 4 meals with meat and my stomach felt horrible and i felt a little guilty.maybe one day i will just finally transition. But ill be patient.