How to Be a Vegan

If you thought a vegetarian diet deprived people of food, vegans take it one step further. Only vegans don’t see it as deprivation whatsoever—and it’s more than a diet, it’s a lifestyle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• The will

1. 

   Cut out dairy (milk, butter, yogurt), meat, eggs, and even honey from the diet—anything that was produced by animal or insect.

2. 

   Check out all the products you currently consume. Your loaf of bread probably contains eggs, or even honey. Common items might not be vegan-friendly.

3. 

   Cut out other animal products, such as leather: shoes, belts, bags, and other animal-based products.

4. 

   Cut out some cosmetics and health products. Look for “Cruelty free” on the label or “Not tested on animals,” sometimes with the icon of a rabbit.

5. 

   Look into vegan-friendly foods. The king of these is soy—it can be a protein-rich alternative to meat, milk, cheese, even chocolate. The list of soy-based food is growing. Other types of beans are also a good protein source. Tofu and veggie burgers are soy-based. Also try rice milk, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and other grains.

6. 

   Get some vegan cookbooks. A lot of ethnic cooking is perfectly suited for vegan cooking—especially Asian, Indian, and Italian.

7. 

   Find some vegan-friendly restaurants.

Tips & Warnings

• The need for a steak and eggs-type protein diet is a myth. There’s a large amount of protein in pasta, bread, and other non-meat alternatives.
• Find meat-like foods. There’s faux sausage and bacon that may even fool meat-lovers. Some vegans swear against meat-like food, others can’t live without it.
• Be sure to get all the nutrients you need, such as Calcium, Vitamin B12, and Iron. Some soy or rice milk will be enriched with calcium and other vitamins.
• Watch out for the fat content in some vegan food—just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s not fattening. However, vegetable protein is easier for the body to digest than animal protein.
• If you doubt the use of any of this, read up on slaughterhouses or animal testing. It may just change your mind.
• Check with a doctor before changing a diet abruptly. People with anemia can have trouble with veganism.

[RoseyP]

on 5/26/2007 All of the vegans I know also want organic items. The internet is a great place to find products (food and toiletries, etc.) suitable for vegans, whether you are vegan yourself or buying for someone who is. Try putting in a search engine something like 'vegan organic toiletries' and you will get lots of results. Make sure the webshop you browse round can take your currency and ship to your country - there's nothing worse than putting loads of stuff in your cart and then finding out you can't have it.