Going vegan can sometimes create a bit of an aftershock without realizing it. You decide, “Hey, I no longer want to simply say I love animals, but I want to show it too. I no longer want too feel like crap without realizing I feel like crap, and start to feel healthy. I no longer want to drink tainted water and breath polluted air, when I think I’m drinking and breathing the good stuff.” So you become vegan. Great! Welcome! But then after a little time has passed, it could be a day or two, or it could be a few weeks (the timing and intensity also depends on the time of year you choose to make the world a better place). You realize, what about all those comfort foods that I love so much that can’t possibly be made without milk, eggs, cheese, etc.? This aftershock is especially brutal around holiday time. But fear not…there are tons of vegan cookbooks out there, and many recipes on this site (and others) that will help you through those awkward (sometimes annoying) family food moments. With a little help from your vegan friends (whether online, in person, or in your head), you can actually blow omni’s out of the water with your tasty vegan goodness. Mashed potatoes – no problem! Pecan pie – easy as, well, pie! Chocolate cake – it’s icing! So start experimenting with the milk alternatives like Hemp, Almond, Oat.. Earth Balance is a great vegan butter, and there are vegan soy sour creams, soy yogurts, etc. Sometimes all you need is a little imagination, and learn what you’re doing when you cook – like what eggs are actually doing in a recipe, and it’s not leavening I can tell you that. Think cohesion with eggs. So you’ll want something that causes cohesion within the dish. Good things are bananas, flaxseed and water combo, canola oil and nut-milk combo, and my personal favorite: mashed potatoes! They work wonders in dishes like cinnamon rolls. I won over our omni dad with my vegan cinnamon rolls using mashed potatoes – and he’s quite the cinnamon roll connoisseur.
Here’s some things to be aware of when crossing over to veganism (or even if you’re already here), things to look for in the foods you buy, information on how to make the transition easier on you and those around you, etc. Education is the key to making a successful conversion. The more you know, the easier it will be to avoid those things which would otherwise make you “not vegan.” Label reading is something that will become second nature, like reading road signs..
*It is easy to avoid meat (including poultry and fish), eggs, milk, cheese and honey – and foods listing these as ingredients. This achieves most of the potential benefit to animals.
*Other names that animal products go under include: gelatine (gelatin) – from animal bones; whey and casein – from dairy; and carmine – a red colour from crushed beetles.
In Defense of Animals (IDA) provides a vegan starter kit!
On our Links page, there is a list of really good books to also help get you started. You Don’t Need Meat by Peter Cox, as well as Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World by Bob and Jenna Torres are good places to start.
The Vegan Society has a page dedicated to listing the various hidden animal ingredients in foods. Another site, VegFamily, has an alphabetical list of ingredients that are animal-derived.
If the force is not with you to go it alone (as nobody should have to), there are vegan blogs and forums and various websites to help you reach out and find the support you need! Also remember, going vegan is not about the things you can no longer have, it’s about all that you will have: better health, better environment, and compassion for those with whom you share this world!!
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