(Part 2) Best products from r/Vegan

Damn, reading this is like reading my mind when I when vegan. I was so angry as well about being taught that meat and taking from animals was normal and alright. I felt like I had been brainwashed my entire life, and in truth, I had. I also used to be someone who made fun of vegans. How stupid I was being.


But the biggest thing that struck a chord with me is that I feel the same way about thinking of myself as a caring, compassionate, and empathetic person. I though I always tried to do the right thing. Somehow I just completely missed farmed animals.


I've been thinking lately, and we really are brainwashed into not caring about farm animals or even thinking of them as animals. We are taught that they are stupid, dirty, hard-headed, and common. We are taught that they are not worth saving or even caring about. We care about endangered animals but couldn't give two shits for pigs. It's depressing as fuck when you realize it.


I just want to say thank you for coming here and letting us know your thoughts and feelings. It's immensely important to me to read about other people learning and changing their behavior. It gives us all hope and it's another person standing up for the animals.


I appreciate you showing the posts that made you think. That's cool too.


Anyway, tips on becoming vegan- just know that it's actually a lot easier than you think it will be. And you don't have to be a health nut to be vegan either. There are tons of awesome vegan junk foods that will help you get through the change.


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Some of my tips:

1. Spend as much time in vegan online communities as you can. You learn a lot about nutrition, how to handle questions from non-vegans, tips on cooking, humor, commiseration, and other very important things. I prefer this very reddit sub r/vegan, but some people join facebook groups as well. Check out facebook or meetup.com to find other vegans in your area. I dig the facebook group ‘what broke vegans eat’ for meal ideas on the cheap.
   
   
   
   
2. Use cronometer.com- it's a free website that lets you track your food and it shows you how much of each macro and micronutrient you're getting. It's based on your height and weight, it calculates your RDI (recommended dietary intake) from that, and most foods are pre-loaded with nutrition info, though you can enter new ones that aren't found- you just need the nutrition facts section from the box. It really helps to know what your RDI are, even if you don't feel like using cronometer, though I suggest using it for the first 4 weeks of being vegan- honestly, lots of new vegans simply don't eat enough calories. I still use it, have been off and on since being vegan, almost 12 months ago.
   
   
   
   
3. Along the same line, if you don't really want to use cronometer, at least look up your RDI here. It helps to know your targets for calories, protein, etc. It is also a helpful aid when non-vegans give you shit about protein, you can ask them, "How much protein do you need in a day, in grams?" They won't have a clue most of the time.
   
   
   
   
4. One last nutrition tip: You'll probably want to start taking a B12 vitamin. There are tons of vegan B12 vitamins on the market, in pills, sprays, etc. It's the one nutrient that doctors agree on is not available on a vegan plant-based diet (although it’s actually from bacteria, and lots of livestock are given B12 shots anyway). I started off with one I got at Whole Foods, by Garden of Life which is a mouth spray and I also bought a D3 one while I was there because I had read somewhere that it was a good idea. They last a long time, I still have them. But I recently decided that I didn’t need to prove that I needed very few supplements just because I was vegan (which is true), but I don’t always eat a perfectly balanced meal 3 times a day, so I grabbed a vegan multivitamin and take that now.
   
   
   
   
5. Recommended reading: The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell, How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.
   
   
   
   
6. Recommended viewing: Dr. Michael Greger's Nutritionfacts.org videos, especially this one. This one is a long one, but extremely worth it and a good preview of what you’ll learn when you read his book, How Not to Die. But his nonprofit website has tons of amazing videos on youtube. There is a short version of the first one I linked but I can’t find it right now. Anyone want to help me out? Dr. Melanie Joy's video on the psychology of eating meat. This one in particular will make you feel a lot better about how you’ve been able to think you’re a good, compassionate person and still eat meat. Seriously, it’s 14 minutes, give it a watch! Good documentaries: Cowspiracy (on Netflix- environmental impact of eating meat), Veducated and Forks Over Knives (both on Netflix- health aspects of veganism), and most people suggest Earthlings for the ethical/moral aspects. I… would only recommend this when you’re craving meat. I also highly recommend this Gary Yourofsky vid though some vegans find his attitude distasteful and off-putting. Hell, I think it’s an excellent video.
   
   
   
   
7. You might want to look into joining the Veganuary campaign, it's going on right now and has access to lots of helpful info/resources, as well as daily emails of support if you want them. Another helpful website is ChooseVeg.com as they have tips, recipes, free guides, meal plans, etc.
   
   
   
   
8. You will possibly experience some extra gas during the first two weeks of eating more fiber and beans, but that’ll ameliorate itself soon as your gut flora change. Also, you will probably crave cheese more than anything else. Some good vegan cheeses: Daiya Cheezy Mac which I get at Kroger in the ‘health food’ section, Follow Your Heart Mozzarella shreds, and Chao slices by Field Roast (both of which I get at Whole Foods or the local co-op. Beware that ‘Go Veggie’ is apparently not really a vegan cheese.
   
   
   
   
9. Get yourself a pinterest account if you wish to find lots of awesome vegan recipes, but if you don’t feel like searching through a ton, I recommend the following websites: Minimalist Baker , Reddit r/VeganFood , r/VeganFoodPorn, r/ShittyVeganFoodPorn, It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken , Where You Get Your Protein , and The Edgy Veg .
   
   
   
   
10. Check out Happy Cow to find vegan restaurants in different cities. There’s also an app. And if you want to order, you can easily get vegan food at pizza places , taco bell , and other fast food restaurant chains.
    

Start reading :)

• http://yourveganfallacyis.com/en
  
• http://www.godfist.com/vegansidekick/guide.php
  
• http://logicalveganism.blogspot.com/p/fallacies.html
  
• Is there such a thing as ethically acceptable milk? Eggs? Honey? Doesn't "organic" mean that the pig is "treated well"? Many times non-vegan who make these arguments will also be very unaware of how intensive factory farming works and what it is. They may be highly misled (Bite Size Vegan has >300 informational videos on veganism, and is a great place to begin learning facts about animal agriculture that you can use in your defense of veganism) by what these labels mean, if they are legally required to mean anything at all. Even if such things could be produced (according to some various definitions of "acceptable"), they are often so prohibitively expensive that no one would be able to afford them anyway.
  
  Facts on Nutrition:
  
  
• Many major world Nutrition or Dietetics organizations say that a well-planned vegan diet can be healthy.
  
• There is no essential nutrient that cannot be found from a vegan source (plant, fungi, bacteria, inorganic material): phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, histidine (amino acids of protein), alpha-linolenic acid, linoleic acid (Omega Fatty Acids), Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, C, D, E, K (Vitamins), calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper (Minerals), as well as choline, inositol, taurine, arginine, glutamine and nucleotides in infants. You don't have to memorize this list, just know that there is nothing we know of that we need for survival that can only be found in animal sources and not plant, bacteria, fungi, or inorganic sources.
  
• Here is a more detailed introduction to vegan nutrition.
  
  Some quick memes:
  
  
• desert island
  
• canines. Individual physiological characteristics taken one at a time in isolation are not a good indication of whether we can (or should) eat meat or other animal product foods. The length of our teeth or the size of our brain or the length of our intestines don't, alone, tell us what we are capable of digesting. What we are capable of digesting, as an entire organism, tells us what we are capable of digesting. (and none of that says anything about whether something is ethical to eat).
  
• Veganism is not a cult or a religion. Not all vegans agree with each other about every aspect of veganism. It's a diverse and dynamic group with a lot of on-going discussion. You don't have to have any sort of specific politics or other beliefs to begin making vegan decisions.
  
• "Humane slaughter" is an oxymoron and fundamentally still the wrong direction of thinking about the issue
  
• A person doesn't have to be an "animal lover" to understand and support veganism. You don't have to be completely infatuated and in love with every new animal you see to know that it's wrong to kill them, just like you don't have to be completely infatuated and in love with every human stranger you walk past, to know it would be inherently wrong to kill them. Veganism is not even asking for some sort of overwhelming compassion for animals. It's asking for the bare minimum of treatment you would show anyone, even a stranger... or the bare minimum of what you would want anyone to show you.
  
• Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. For those who reject veganism because they don't accept all parts of it, or think they would have to stop their lives and change "everything at once": 1). Veganism isn't always as hard as people make it out to be, especially after the beginning when you get into the habit of it. 2). Even partial reductions in the amount of animal products people use helps animals and reduces animal suffering in the world. Eliminating 10% of the meat they eat is better than 0%. Eliminating 50% is also better than %0. Eliminating 90% is better than 0%, even if it isn't 100%. Any amount that these products are bought and used less, is better than it not happening at all.
  
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  > like a gentlemam with smashing arguments? I don't want to lose my temper or keep discussing the matter with them and ruin the road trip because they are very stubborn on the matter.
  
  It's one thing to memorize a lot of information about a topic (like veganism), but it's a whole different thing (it's a different set of skills) to keep your composure when talking to people who are being stubborn (or even purposefully obnoxious). That's a different problem, with a different solution and set of skills required.
  
  You can handle it a couple ways. What will work best for you will depend on who you are: on what your personality is and on how you communicate best.
  
  
• Joke back. Are you someone who likes making jokes back at what other people say? Then joke back. You can use whatever humor you like (witty, dark, sarcastic, observational). They joke about you not getting enough protein, joke about them dying young from a heart attack. They start bragging about how they would totally kill an animal with their bare hands if it gave them a steak, joke about not wanting to leave your pet dog with them because they'll slit its throat while you're not looking. They joke about needing cow's milk, joke about them not being a X-year-old man who isn't weened yet or about how you didn't notice the were a baby cow all this time. Or you can use humor to divert or end the conversation if you want. If they joke about not being able to give up meat, joke about how you're not able to give up their mom (I'm so funny). But if you're aren't the type of person who likes joking, you don't have to.
  
• Stick to the facts. If you find yourself getting upset, for some people it's helpful to just stick to the most dispassionate, logical responses to whatever they say, no matter how silly or frustrating or stupid it seems, even if they're joking. You can sometimes start with just saying back to them what they said, so they can hear it, and then politely but thoroughly pick what they said apart, small piece by small piece. But again, if you don't feel like that approach, you don't have to.
  
• You can also simply excuse yourself from the conversation. It doesn't seem like they're the kind of people that this approach usually works with, but it might. You can simply say "Yes, yes, very funny, can we talk about something else, like ___, instead?". or "I don't know, if you're interested in veganism you should read about it. I don't have all the answers." (it's completely fine to admit you don't know absolutely everything about veganism, just that you know enough about it that it looked better to you than what you were doing at the time). Or you can refer them to other resources (websites, books, documentaries, etc.) that deal with the issue more comprehensively than you can or even just feel like doing on any given day.
  
  Final Thoughts on Having Contentious Conversations and Practical Change:
  
  When you go into these conversations, try to be prepared with factual information, and do you best to remain polite, and educate when you can. If you find yourself getting angry, frustrated, or sad, try to keep calm and stick to the evidence you know. Keep in mind that other people may be listening to and benefiting from your conversation, even if the person you're speaking directly to isn't. It is okay to admit you don't know something, you've been wrong about something, or that you want to stop talking about the topic.
  
  Try and maintain reasonable expectations. Not everyone is going to go vegan overnight. If it's helpful to, think about it as "planting seeds" rather than forcing immediate and total change.
  
  Finally, you may fall into the bad habit of talking only about "Why everyone should be vegan", rather than the "How", as in, "How do you go vegan?"
  
  Practical tips for how to do something are just as important or even more important as knowing why to do it.
  
  You could challenge your friends "I bet you couldn't go vegan for a week", but if you do, then be sure to also recommend some resources to help them start:
  
  
• Ingredient substitutions or good vegan brands that substitute for common animal food products (plant milk for milk, vegan butter for butter, etc.)
  
• Habits to get into, like reading ingredient labels before buying food, or material labels before buying clothes.
  
• Apps or websites like barnivore.com for alcohol or https://cronometer.com/ for tracking nutrition in the beginning
  
• Vegan cooking blogs, websites, youtube channels, or cookbooks for recipes
  
• Email them links to things like a vegan food plate, meal plan, or pics of grocery hauls, to see what kinds of things and in what proportion to aim for eating.
  
  Don't just drop all the ethical vegan information on them and expect them to know what it means to, or how to, use it in practical everyday life.

I had some time, I hope this helps, sorry that it made me pretty mad the farther in I got =)

>A vegan diet never sustained any traditional culture

This is an extremely selective take on the source material. Weston Price reported that several healthy groups of people who were lacto-vegetarian or pisco-vegan. At most this would be an argument for vegetarianism, not the omnivore diet that the author is now advocating. More importantly, the logic is terrible, even setting aside whether or not we should be taking Weston Price and his legacy foundation seriously.

There is no necessary connection between the supposed fact that no ancestral diets were vegan and the idea that a vegan diet is unhealthy. Just as there is no necessary connection between the fact that no traditional culture had a lifespan over 60 years and the fact none of them listened to the radio. Without a solid argument of why a vegan diet is unhealthy this claim only lends the appearance of providing evidence when, in fact, it relies on subsequent claims that should be accepted or dismissed on their own merit. So this ought to be dismissed entirely until the claims are established independently and then only accepted as a tenuously possible interesting explanation of other known facts.

> Vegan diets do not provide fat-soluble vitamins A and D

So she readily admits that you can get enough vitamin A by eating vegan foods, but tries to dismiss this as difficult and undone by various disorders. Well, vegan sources worked for impoverished children in Mozambique well enough. Vitamin A can also be supplemented easy enough, like for these children in Venezuela. As for the disorders, sure, lots of disorders can interfere with proper nutrition. That is why we should all go to the doctor regularly for checkups and tests, regardless of our diet. Personally, I've never even heard of a vegan being deficient in vitamin A, but anything can happen.

As for vitamin D, this is actually more important. Yes, it should concern vegans. However, it should in fact concern most everyone because tons of people in northern climates or who work indoors are deficient. It is extremely easy to supplement with vegan sources and can be readily obtained just by spending enough time in the sun. The "useable" vitamin D bit is a canard. Yes D3 has been shown by some studies to be better absorbed than vegan D2, but D2 is definitely absorbed and the solution when necessary is simply to supplement at a slightly higher level for vegans who are deficient. As above, I recommend visiting a doctor for this, they can test your blood for D levels and give a recommendation based on their findings.

>Vegan diets often rely heavily on soy

Sure, so if you have any problem with it don't eat it. There are a ton of complete sources of protein out there. I'm actually surprised that she mentioned soy protein powder and bars, because other than a couple athletes, none of the vegans I know rely on these to get enough protein.

On the other hand, if you have no problems with soy whatsoever, (and most people do not) then this is another non-issue. The last person I talked to who was having problems with soy was drinking ~2 gallons of soymilk a day. That is probably way to much, don't consume that much.

>Vegan diets do not provide vitamin K2

As someone else pointed out in this thread, the Japanese traditional food natto does provide K2 derived from its creation process. Still, having lived in Japan I wouldn't personally want to eat natto on a regular basis, or ever again. However, from what I've read this also isn't a problem for most vegans, human gut bacteria produces K2 on its own. As the blog linked to above notes, if this were a problem for vegans it would show up in the studies comparing clotting rates, but it doesn't.

> Ethical omnivorism supports a healthy planet

I can't even begin to get into how inane this argument is, which seems focused on this weak claim, "vegan diets ten[d] to demand a higher quantity of cereal grains and soy."

Once we get to the point where 70% of US grain is not going to feed livestock and all the major fisheries are not in the process of being entirely wiped out, then we can talk about the fantasy world in which bison roam freely through the towns of Kansas and all the meat we eat comes from free-range goats locally sourced in New Zealand.

I can't even tell you the number of times I hear this argument from people who I later find eating a hamburger at a local restaurant without a second thought as to where it came from, or putting a picture of sizzling bacon they got from the grocery store on their blog. The simple fact is that eliminating meat from human diet would be such a titanic reduction in environmental carrying cost to the planet that whatever fractional gain might theoretically be had from occasionally supplementing with seasonal and local free range meat to avoid complete reliance on plant matter is quite insignificant in comparison.

> Real Food > Fake Food

This isn't even an argument. It is just superstition and cultural bias wrapped up in the shell of an argument. Who cares what humans have been doing for thousands of years? Are we to bring back slavery cause it was functional much longer than the industrial wage system? For that matter, what the heck makes imprisoning cows, artificially inseminating them, machine milking them, homogenizing the milk, then churning the product until it hardens into a semi-solid state more "natural" than combining a bunch of plant based material to produce something that looks and tastes similar? If she is so worried about this "natural vs artificial" false dichotomy, she can go eat an apple (genetically modified by humans for millenia) and avoid both forms of processed food altogether.

> Vegan isn’t the answer to autoimmune disease

Right... if I only had a nickel for every time someone told me a story of two separate phenomena which they have linked as essentially causal in their mind, but which we don't even have the data yet to establish so much as a correlative link, then I wouldn't have much money cause nickels aren't worthy much. Still, this is seriously going off the deep end. She actually links to a book that claims you can treat Autism and Dyslexia by managing the gut bacteria. I don't even know for a fact that these claims are false, only that no scientist on the planet yet knows that they are true.

> You must take life to have life

Wow. Yes, field mice are killed in harvesting grain. If she is so concerned about this, why doesn't she advocate for methods of driving field mice out of their burrows before harvesting, rather than simply accepting their death? Or no longer ever feeding a single grain to cattle whose conversation to the protein that winds up for dinner is so inefficient that it requires the death of an order of magnitude more mice?

The fact is that veganism isn't about no living thing dying. My skin cells and the bacteria in my stomach are dying as we speak. Who cares? I don't believe in magical plant and amoeba souls that are somehow more important than or equivalent to the thinking, feeling, caring, sentient creatures that meat eaters kill, maim and imprison for luxury food.

Also, just to be clear, plant communication has nothing whatsoever to do with intelligence. They don't have nervous systems, they don't have brains, they don't have anything with which to cognate. The "communication" being referred to by the sourced she cites is an intentional misreading of a scientific term meant to indicate transmission of chemicals. Then again, maybe they think the Earth is intelligent because there is communication between the mantle and the core.

> Vegan diets are deficient in vitamin B12 and iron

Getting bored with her at this point. Yes, these are two vitamins of which vegans should be aware. Both can be tested, both can be supplemented if found short. You almost get the impression from this article that most meat eaters are not deficient in various nutrients. Heck, since less than 1% of people in the US are vegan and B12 is a problem specific to vegans, why are 20% of people over 50 borderline deficient in B12?

> Animal fats offer unique nutrients

Omega 3, yet another nutrient that is low for almost everybody. This is the same argument over again. Everyone in my family takes an Ovega-3 to avoid this EPA and DHA issue altogether. I'm not remotely convinced that it is necessary, the studies certainly are not conclusive. Most likely, bodily conversion of flax seed will do you fine as well as chia seeds, beans, cabbage, mangoes, wild rice, etc.

The whole "saturated fat is great" bit is still a fad not established by science. Yes, there have been a couple exploratory studies suggesting the possibility, but credible institutions like Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical and the American Heart Association still advise against it. And the bit about cholesterol is purposefully obtuse, the human body manufactures more than enough cholesterol on its own. The idea that dietary cholesterol is a "key part of wellness" is based on nothing but hot air.

haha i don't know if you would say it's 'open' as such, i'm certainly no spiritual guru by any means but what I would say is that going vegan made me more conscious of the world around me and helped me become more compassionate in aspects which i wasn't aware of previously!

We're all on a journey and at different stages, but what I can say is that veganism certainly won't bring you any negatives as long as you do it right.

If you're also interesting in healing your pineal gland you should also stop and completely avoid products with flouride in them; toothpaste and mouthwash (if you use mouthwash) are the primary culprits of flouride. If you're from the UK this toothpaste is great and I would recommend getting this one or any flouride free fennel toothpaste as it tastes the best (imo); http://www.naturalcollection.com/shop/fluoride-free-fennel-toothpaste-by-kingfisher/?PCode=DSGPESS15&gclid=CjwKEAjwwOvABRC08aedoZ_lnTMSJACs_cbu4oHygX2JziWoQffp5AviI1caU8_RekW3ieZeIHp_3xoCwwvw_wcB

ALSO TAKE A B12 SUPPLEMENT; this is my one of choice as it's easy to use and tastes pretty decent https://www.amazon.co.uk/Garden-Life-Organics-Methylcobalamin-Raspberry/dp/B00K5NEPJY

Some good ideas for things like smoothies to incorporate spirulina into your diet could go like;

2-3 bananas

Some almond or whatever nut milk you come to enjoy or water

1/2 tablespoon of spirulina or wheatgrass powder

1 tablespoon of hemp/flax/chia seeds

cup of frozen berries of your choice.

Some good breakfasts could be
2 cups or 40 grams of oats, almond or nut milk of choice with banana and/or brown sugar.

avocado and marmite on toast.

fruit platter; watermelon, bananas, apples etc

Lunch time
Sandwich with avocado, carrot, watercress, tomato, cucumber onions whatever you feel like chucking in there.

Dinners;

Curries; rice, sweet potato/normal potato, portabella mushrooms, broccoli, courgette and corn with vegan curry sauces (if you're from the UK sainsbury's have the best variety)

Noodles; soba, rice, udon or wholewheat noodles with mushrooms, kale, courgette, broccoli and corn, accompanied with a good sauce you can find.

There are so many recipes and options available I don't really know where to start to be honest haha, but just look around this subreddit, youtube and the internet there's so much info and interesting food recipes.

Regarding your question about helping the environment: http://thevegancalculator.com/ <-- Go here and put in "1 year" into the calculator. Just one year, you're saving almost half a million gallons of fresh water, 15 THOUSAND pounds of grain, 11 THOUSAND square feet of forest and 7 THOUSAND pounds of carbon dioxide (compared to a typical animal-including diet). The calculator is supported by sources. Just by changing a few minor things about your lifestyle, you can have an incredibly drastic impact on the world.

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TL;DR regarding expense and difficulty - if you live in a very rural area in the USA, it can take some difficulty to find a good source of cheap bulk beans / lentils / vegetables / bulk (by weight) dried veggies. But they're sooooooo cheap; normally you can eat for $1-2 a day, plus B12 vitamin expenses ($5 a month).

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Longer explanation regarding expensive/difficult: Expense is very low; I pay much less now for food than before going vegan. Difficulty may vary depending on where you live. I happen to live in Denver, and it's very easy for me to find pretty much any substitute/vegetable I want. If you cook your own meals, there's really nothing different about cooking vegan - just use vegetable oil/avocado oil instead of butter, and buy veggies instead of meat. That's about it. Just make sure you eat a lot of beans or lentils or tofu.

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When I first became vegan, I was hit with the reality of vitamin/protein differences - I needed to purchase some vitamin supplements. Here's the list I have:

• Vitamin B12 (vegan source) - $5 a month - https://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Vitamin-Dissolve-Lozenges/dp/B001GAOHTS
  
• Protein Powder - $22 a month - https://www.amazon.com/Orgain-Organic-Protein-Chocolate-Packaging/dp/B00J074W94
  
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  These two made a big difference in my life. About 3 months after going vegan I started having some troubles related to protein (I work out a lot and my body wasn't used to the lower intake). I try to hit about 90g of protein a day (I am a reasonably athletic 6' male). I think a lot of vegans downplay the issues involved with protein - it's the source of a TON of jokes in the vegan community - but the truth is a lot of vegans simply don't get enough protein. And then they fall back into eating meat because they didn't know better. Which is really pretty silly because it's incredibly easy to supplement if you can't get it in your diet.
  
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  Other than what I've mentioned above, here's some things to consider (this list is HEAVILY biased towards a lazy, no-cook approach. If you have any cooking skill, just cook your own veggie meals, they're awesome, cheaper and fresher than anything listed below, but this is for the lazy days):
  
  
• If you like cheese, vegan cheese substitutes cost about the same as dairy cheese
  
• If you like milk, vegan milk (ANY type) is typically cheaper, better for you, and better for the environment than dairy milk
  
• Most oils, spices, salts, flavorings - are already vegan. There's no real change needed here. Butter costs more than vegetable oil anyway.
  
• Most BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, spicy sauce, etc - all vegan generally.
  
• Most chips and junk food is already vegan. Except for the "flavored" sour cream/cheese type chips.
  
• If you like easy food/frozen food, Target sells a whole boatload of vegan microwave stuff (Gardein and others). "Chicken" nuggets, Fried "fish" sticks, "Chicken" wings, etc. Even Ben & Jerry's has a bunch of dairy-free vegan ice cream.
  
• Speaking of dessert, vegan desserts are cheaper and easier to make (and safer!! you can lick the spoon - no eggs!). And they taste way better.
  
• If you like burgers/hot dogs, check out Beyond the Meat. It's now cheaper than beef and is freaking amazing. They even sell it at Target now.
  
• Most bread is already vegan (just check the label). Vegan bread is generally cheaper than non-vegan.
  
• Most cereal is already vegan (just check the label).
  
• Most restaurants in the US charge less for veggie-based items. Although it is VERY true that you'll have a much more restricted menu choice.
  
• Fries are generally vegan, except for a few places (McDonalds, Buffalo Wild Wings, Smash Burger are the only ones around here that don't have vegan fries)
  
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  Finally, there are a few things I'd like to point out in MY PERSONAL OPINION that might turn you "off" of vegan foods if you try them off the bat (a lot of people buy terrible choices and then say "vegan alternatives are bad". No, they are just poor choices lol)
  
  
• Avoid buying Daiya products if you want a realistic cheese/dairy alternative. They are the lowest common denominator. They are readily available everywhere for cheap, but they don't taste very good. Try to find Miyoko's or Follow Your Heart instead.
  
• Some substitute items are coconut based, or cashew based, or oat based, or whatever-based. There is a reason that 50 alternatives exist. Some people like some, some people like others. You know how you go to the store, and there are 50 different BBQ sauces, and the ONE you like is sold out, and you're super bummed? Yeah, same thing for vegan items - brand differences, tastes, and preferences exist - just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's any different than other products. Too many people say "vegan food" when really that lump-category doesn't exist.
  
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  The best advice I can give is to JUST TRY IT. Just go a few days making vegan food. You don't need to say "I'M GOING VEGAN", you don't need to have some public moment - you can just privately try it out. It's pretty fun!

I worry about what it is going to be like being pregnant and vegan all the time, since I figure it's going to happen sooner than I think! So, I tend to remember some of the resources that I come across.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, doctor, or medical professional, so these are suggestions for further resources, not scholarly advice.

When you say your diet is "pretty simple," does that mean simple as in a lot of "whole" foods where most of the preparation is done at home? If this is the case, eating a varied, calorically-sufficient diet will do a lot of good--that "well-planned" diet thing. Of course, processed isn't necessarily a bad thing--remember that basics like fortified nondairy milk, tofu, and even seitan are "processed." However, each of these can still be healthy (especially because baked tofu, rice, and veggies is easy and healthy for those nights you/your wife won't want to cook).

As far as supplements, B12 is of course the big one. For a complete look at general vegan nutrition, and some discussion both of vegan pregnancy/raising vegan kids, take a look at Vegan for Life, which is an accessible but science-based look at how to manage macro and micronutrient consumption while being vegan (including a look at supplements.)

You may want to take omega-3, but consult your doctor; I think research is pretty clear these days that they're good for you, but YMMV, especially during pregnancy. Ovega-3 has both DHA and EPA from algae sources; the conversion rate of ALA omega-3s, found in plants, is pretty low and not well understood, so flaxseed oil (while great) is probably not going to suffice.

Colleen Patrick Goudreau discusses supplementation and makes some suggestions for resources.

Pocket reference! The Vegan Guide to Pregnancy is pretty well-reviewed, from what I know, and I hear it recommended. Also, poking around Amazon from there will help you find some additional references. Probably worth it to have a few books on hand, as well as the internet.

Other thoughts:

• Find a supportive doctor! (This you'll probably have to Google.) While I/Reddit/the rest of the internet may kind of know what's going on, a doctor who knows you and your wife and isn't sneering at your diet will be invaluable. Veganism has become (somewhat more) mainstream lately, so you may be able to find resources for that.
  
  
• The people telling you/your wife that the baby needs eggs, milk and dairy probably (at least sort of) mean well, and everybody has a way they did it when they were pregnant, and just look at their little angel--it must be the best way! But most of them probably just don't know any better. So try not to get too upset with them (though if they carry on in such a way for the duration of the pregnancy, no one would blame you.) You can tell them that your doctor disagrees, your wife is in good health, the baby is fine, or something along these lines, and if they continue to harangue you, end the conversation. Arguing about it probably won't end well.
  
  
• Final note: The American Dietetic Association (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), which is a large network of qualified medical professionals, publicly takes the position that a well-planned vegan or vegetarian diet is appropriate for all people in all stages of life, including pregnancy and infancy. The full statement is here. Long story short? The science/research is on your side here. Do your due diligence and get good prenatal care, and you, your wife, and baby will be fine.
  
  
  Good luck, and congratulations!

My staple dishes are curries, Indian and Thai most recently. I love some curry! You can use tofu, chickpeas, beans, lentils, etc. It's a great way to use up the rest of your veggies and clean the fridge. Curries are so flavorful and easy to make. There are even premade sauces if you don't want to make them from scratch.

• Patak's
  
  
• Archer Farms Curry Sauces
  
  
• Kitchens of India
  
  
• Thai Kitchens Curry Pastes
  
  My favorite cookbooks have been:
  
  
• Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like you Give a F*ck
  
  
• Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook Her blog is really great as well: http://www.veganricha.com/
  
  
• Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen
  
  Some other blogs/youtubers I would recommend highly are:
  
  
• Hot for Food Lauren Toyota also has a blog: http://www.hotforfoodblog.com/ (My favorite recipe youtuber)
  
  
• Edgy Veg
  
  
• Mary's Test Kitchen
  
  
• So You're Dating a Vegan
  
  
• Sweet Potato Soul
  
  
• Show Me the Curry
  
  I am always branching out to new foods, Ethiopian is great for vegan cooking as is Indian, Thai, Italian, and Vietnamese. Soon you will take recipes you love and veganize them. Google search recipes you love and just preface it with vegan, the possibilities are endless.
  
  Build up your spice rack! Amazon is great for this, a great suggestion made to me was buy 1 new thing each time you grocery shop to expand your recipes and cooking.
  
  Thanks for your compassionate choice to join us and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

A B12 and vitamin D3 supplemented whole foods plant based diet is the healthiest diet for humans. We aren't suppose to consume dietary cholesterol, as it raises our LDL cholesterol levels and puts us at risk for atherosclerosis. Only herbivorous animals can develop atherosclerosis.


Whole-foods tend to be much more nutrient dense and have fiber and antioxidants (incredibly important nutrients for your intestinal and arterial health) whereas no animal products do. You can get every single nutrient you need from a vegan diet.


Main things you should be concerned with:

• Eat enough dark leafy greens. Buy a lot of kale, collard greens, spinach, broccoli, etc. This is how you will get the majority of your calcium (dairy doesn't actually give you calcium so you should be eating greens anyways)
  
  
  
• For your omega 3 fatty acids, you will want to consume 2 tablespoons of flax seeds or chia seeds daily, and limit your consumption of omega 6 fats from refined vegetable oils (safflower oil, olive oil, etc) you don't have to worry about your ALA to DHA conversion rate, as it will naturally buffer as you eat more and more plant based. When you are approaching 50-60 years old, your conversion rate will start to decrease, so I recommend 250 mg daily of pollutant free (yeast- or algae-derived) long-chain omega-3’s (EPA/DHA) supplements, but you don't have to worry about that for a while probably ;) good to keep in mind.
  
  
  
• Center the bulk of your diet around legumes (black beans, kidney beans, lentils, etc) and whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, etc) this will ensure your wallet and body are happy. Legumes are incredibly healthy for you, and in population studies are the most highly correlated with longevity. You will get the majority of your carbs, fiber, and minerals from these two food groups. I recommend Ezekiel whole grain low-sodium bread for a good whole grain bread that is quite delicious.
  
  
  
• Eat berries everyday. If you can't afford them that's okay, but seriously consider investing in being able to consume a few cups of berries everday. You will get a shit load of vitamins and antioxidants from them.
  
  
  
• Fill in the rest of your diet with any vegetables and fruits you like, I for example love orange sweet potatoes and corn. Medjool dates and bananas are a delicious snack, especially with some peanut butter (watch those omega 6s tho)
  
  
  As for supplements:
  
  
  
• Take 250mcg of cyanocobalamin daily or 2500mcg a week. Here's 110 weeks worth of B12 for $8.54 on Amazon.
  
  
  
• Take 2000IUs of plant-based vitamin D3 everyday. Here is two months worth of D3 supplements for $9.87 on Amazon.
  
  
  If you have anymore questions let me know, happy to answer anything you're curious about. A vegan diet is good for any stage of life, for any form of athleticism, and isn't hard to gain/lose weight with.

Looks like you got a jump on the basics but depending on how much you've researched the ethical topics below are some great resources to help keep you motivated. And once you understand the ethical necessity of a vegan lifestyle you'll find it is really a breeze!

earthlings - very graphic film but helpful to remove any doubts one might have regarding how we treat animals

eat like you care - a short and concise framing of the logic behind the ethical rational for veganism

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows - another relatively easy read which lays out a bit broader argument

There are loads of other great books and films out there and I really suggest taking the time to educate yourself about the way we use animals as it will make the transition so much easier.

Good luck and welcome!

I have a 5-year old son who has been breast fed/vegan since the womb. You are in some sense lucky it's an allergy, because the social aspects are the hardest. Being able to say "I'm Allergic" is MUCH easier than "I'm vegan".

Some things my son likes:

• Anything made with seitan (Stir fry typically): Fry some seitan in olive oil (Iron pan adds some more taste), then mix with veggies such as bok Choy, Kale, etc., as well as tamari or soy sauce. Once cooked, add toasted sesame oil.
  
• Chinese food in general. Other than egg, if it's vegetarian, it's typically vegan.
  
• Peanut butter and jelly (Though we rotate through various nut butters such as Almond, Hazelnut, Walnut, etc.)
  
• My son loves pancakes and waffles. I have found one way to help make it a little healthier is to substitute flax oil for butter when serving (but NOT when cooking, since flax goes rancid instantly when cooked!)
  
• Easy French Toast: Put bread in toaster - Serve with Earth Balance, Flax oil, nut butters, and maple syrup. Amazingly, my son likes this just as much as something that takes forever to prepare.
  
• Tofu scramble is a hit, and easy. Basically add some oil to a pan, dump in some tofu, pour in about a teaspoon of garlic salt, and another teaspoon of turmeric and you have the base. Add veggies or soysauge, mushrooms, potatoes, etc. to customize to your kids taste.
  
• Baked Sweet Potato - AKA "Spiderman Food".
  
• Amy's Rice Macaroni mixed with hash browns is awesome. By it'self it's pretty good macaroni, but mixed is 100x better. Add some soysauge to add even more flavor.
  
  If you are doing a birthday party, or otherwise need desserts, let me HIGHLY recommend the book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. You will absolutely not miss dairy from this book, I promise!
  
  

• • Off topic stuff below - -
    
    I didn't pay attention to the OP's question before I started to make a list of non-fresh items. But since I already did so, below are some of my kids favorites anyway:
    
    

• Amy's soups in general are mostly vegan and tasty, and conveniently say "Vegan" in the ingredients making it easy to shop.
  
• Daiya cheese - especially the wedges. Nonvegans even like this cheese.
  
• Gimme Lean Sausage is a hit.
  
• ZenSoy Soy Pudding is another favorite
  
• Hemp Milk - especially vanilla and chocolate is a staple. The Brand Tempt is our favorite, though Manitoba Harvest is also excellent, but maybe harder to find (though you can buy online.)
  
• Tempt also has some awesome ice-cream bars.
  
  Hope this helps.
  

Firstly: Good luck! You're doing well already, and you'll get to where you want to be in time.

Have you got any vegan recipe books? Easy Vegan and 500 Vegan Dishes both have fairly simple but tasty dishes. I don't think they tend to need very exotic ingredients.

Easy Vegan:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Cookery-Ryland-Peters-Small/dp/1845979583

500 Vegan Dishes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/500-Vegan-Dishes-Deborah-Gray/dp/1845434161

And do you feel that vegan meat alternatives aren't as easy to buy, or maybe aren't as good, as the vegetarian ones? You say that you eat the Linda McCartney pies, so I guess you've seen other products in that range too. But Fry's Vegetarian is great, and I've recently heard really good things about Vegusto meat alternatives - their Farmhouse sausages in particular, but also their burgers (you'll probably have to order off their website though).

Fry's Vegetarian:
http://www.frysvegetarian.co.uk/

Vegusto:
http://vegusto.co.uk/

I guess you probably know about Holland and Barrett stores? They're good for getting some of the more exotic ingredients, but they also have meat alternatives and such. Also, they have a few microwaveable meals - pasties and that sort of thing - which are quite nice. You can also often get microwaveable burritos, and probably other similar things, in the frozen section.

Also here are a couple of easy meals I like:

(1) Buy refried beans (http://www.oldelpaso.co.uk/products/refried-beans/975cedfc-f177-4eda-a689-192c4ec346af/) and put it in tacos (along with corn, lettuce, tomato, and whatever else you like). (The refried beans are seriously good.)

(2) You can make falafel easily (http://www.alfez.com/moroccan_lebanese_cuisine/products/all-products/falafel.html) and eat it with houmous, because everyone likes houmous.

If you're mainly looking for sweeter things:
Co-operative custard donuts and jam donuts are both apparently vegan (and delicious). You can buy vegan ice cream in the frozen section of Holland and Barrett (and maybe at Tesco or other supermarkets) - Swedish Glace is pretty incredible, and most people say it's as good as ordinary ice cream. You can also get vegan cheesecake in Holland and Barrett, again in the frozen section. Also buy Lotus Caramelised Biscuit Spread and put it on Tesco Oaties (well, that's a combination I like, but I guess you could mix it up...).

Or if you wanted to bake, these are three really good books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Pie-Sky-Out-This-World/dp/0738212741

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Cookies-Invade-Your-Cookie/dp/160094048X

(The cookie book is by far the easiest, and uses the least exotic ingredients. On the other end of the spectrum is the pie book, which uses things like coconut oil and agar agar - the first of which you can get at Holland and Barrett but the second of which you'd have to order online.)

Also, just by the way: 'What Fat Vegans Eat', a facebook page, gives you a constant stream of delicious-looking vegan food.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/194567900666819/?fref=nf

Yes, much advice!

First, the initial 6mo-1 year is really hard, you're changing your lifestyle and not getting a lot of support for it. Feeling depressed happens, however just because it happens doesn't mean it shouldn't be looked into. Please be mindful to check you're getting enough to eat, plenty of water, and allow yourself some time to sleep, rest and recharge. Plus, a little bit of this it's a great way to get b12. Also, go out and make some vegan friends. If you don't have anyone where you live then get a pen pal! The lonely vegan is a reality and I'm here to support anyone going through it because I know how much it sucks.

Simply put, I've got your back!

Now onto food

If you want to be healthy you have to prepare your own food. Now a lot of great meals take less than 20 minutes, you just need to know what you're looking for. From what you posted it sounds like cheese was your flavor of choice, so lets break out the nooch Here are three recipes which get that flavor and are easy to put together.

Vegan Nacho Cheese I recommend also throwing in 1/4 to 1/2 of an Anaheim pepper.

Tofu popcorn chick'n

Recipe number three: try sprinkling nutritional yeast on a small portion of whatever your eating to see if you like it as an addition. Yeah ok this isn't a recipe, but you'll discover a lot of great uses that are too many for me to even pretend to name.

Umami is a flavor that really helps those who have cut out cheese. Things with that flavor profile include:

Soy Sauce, Tamari sauce, mushrooms, cumin, paprika, rosemary, thyme... in fact here's an entire article. Easy recipes that I find really capture this are:

Marinated mushrooms**** Very highly recommend this one

Veggie stir fry's: fry up any veggies you like to eat with some garlic, ginger and douse on the tamari (or soy sauce). Serve with rice of your choice.

Roasted veggies are always a classic albeit they can take a while to cook.

Really though start out simple. Figure out two days a week where you can try something new. Search for recipes that only take 20 minutes to make and use foods you know you like already. Only buy a couple of new things a week. Like pick up one new spice each week or every other week. From your comments your spice profile is probably something your mouth is really bored with, give it something new. Start with the recipes I recommended, and if you like them hit me up and I can share some of my other easy go to's.

Remember you're learning a new way to cook so keep an open mind and try new ways of enjoying your food. Going vegan took my already awesome cooking skills onto a level that fucking blows people's minds now. You only have up to go from here, you just gotta put in the time.

The Vegan Activist's "Complete Guide To Vegan Food" should be really helpful. For recipes, his "Top 3 Vegan Recipe Channels" video is pretty good. TheVeganZombie, and CheapLazyVegan both have relatively simple recipes on their channels as well. It's not needed, but the cookbook "But I Could Never Go Vegan!" is definitely worth getting as well. It talks about some of the different ingredients vegans use, how to prepare things like nut butter, veggie broth, cashew cream, etc., and has 125 different recipes.

I personally don't usually go too crazy with recipes, most of the stuff I eat is super simple.

For breakfast, I always have some sort of nutrient shake. I'm currently trying naturade's vanilla VeganSmart powder, it tastes like a bannana milk shake when blended with a banana and almond milk (I dilute the almond milk with water to save $). Sometimes I'll also eat hash browns, oat meal, or cereal as well.

My go-to dinner is just a bag of mixed vegetables that comes with sauce packets, and a box of new orleans-style long grain & wild rice. Rice goes in a rice cooker with water, veggies are steamed in a pan with water and the sauce packet. If I'm feeling a little crazy, I'll add some more mushrooms, siracha, and soy sauce. Rice and veggies are done in about 20 mins, low effort, and tastes great. The rice takes longer to cook than the veggies, so start cooking the rice sooner if you want them done at the same time. Also feel free to cook the rice on the stove if you don't have a rice cooker, there really isn't too much of a difference.

I also typically eat a lot of gardein products, you can find their stuff everywhere. it's relatively cheap, and tastes great. Other than their gravy, I've loved everything I've tried from them. Their beefless ground/meatballs taste almost exactly like real beef, and their chick'n tastes spot on when cooked right. I'll literally just fry up their Crispy Chick'n in oil, use the sauce it comes with for dipping, and call it a meal. Unhealthy, simple, and tasty :).

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck. Stick around and ask any questions if you need help, I know it isn't easy being vegan in a non-vegan world, especially when you're new.

Welcome!!

If soul food is what you know & want, look into Bryant Terry's cookbooks. Vegan Soul Kitchen has gotten some amazing reviews. I've actually been thinking of picking up his most recent one, Afro-Vegan which is African, Southern, & Caribbean inspired recipes. Plus it looks like some good food porn for my coffee table book collection!

This subreddit is what inspired me to go vegan myself so I can attest that there are a lot of great resources around here. The people are friendly and helpful so never hesitate to ask questions!

My one piece of advice is this: patience. I know you've experienced this revelation of sorts and it's exciting and you want to share it with the world! I know I did. But sometimes the world is a few paces behind. My friends and family are still slowly coming around to the idea about a year and a half after the fact. So don't be discouraged if they don't hop on the vegan train with you right away. Have no expectations, don't take it personally, and enjoy the small victories.

Good luck! You're doing a great thing :)

I've only seen one part (which I thought was sort of bullshit) but I've heard it's for the most part a good advocate for a plant-based diet. Have you seen either Cowspiracy or Earthlings? The former covers the environmental impacts of the livestock industry, and the latter covers the ethics. I would whole-heartedly recommend both, with a warning attached to Earthlings because it can be genuinely shocking and/or traumatizing to watch. Cowspiracy can be found on Netflix, and Earthlings is free to watch here. If you want some ideas for how to execute the actual transition, I found this page to be a useful resource. IMO a whole foods diet is the way to go, it's made me feel so much better physically. But always remember there's plenty of junk food like chips, frozen veggie nuggets, and ice cream you can buy at the store if you want to have an unhealthy day. If you want a crap-ton of fancier, more complex recipes and good guides on substitutes and such, try a cookbook like this one or this one. Both are great resources, and if you want to make the switch I would definitely recommend getting one of them. Lastly, check out www.happycow.net! You can find what restaurants in your area are either fully vegan or have vegan options. Makes it a lot easier to eat out with friends and such. Anyway, hope I haven't rambled on too long or overwhelmed you with information! Hopefully some of that helps you come to a decision on this. It really is up to you, but like I said, make sure to watch those documentaries! And don't shy away from researching them afterwards to learn more about how destructive the livestock industry is.

Awesome, great job of getting out of bad habits.

I'm also not really into the raw thing but a couple of quick tips. Buy a blender and get your smoothy on! You can throw as many fruit and vegetables in that thing as you like. Just find out what combinations you like.

If I eat smoothy as a breakfast I usually put in a banana, some frozen berrys, a fist full of spinach, an inch of ginger, a cup of rice or almond milk, some lemon juice and some flax seeds.
But they can be much simpeler, just a banana or mango, rice milk and some cinnamon is also great.

To make just plain old veggies a little more exciting try eating them with humus, peanut butter or sriracha if you're in to that. Thats great with carrot, apple, bell pepper, cucumber or whatever.

But I do encourage you to learn a bit about basic nutrition and how to encorporate it in your daily life.
This is supposed to be a very good book on raw veganism. I have the same book for a normal vegan diet and it is very thorough and helpfull.

Vegan athlete here who bikes, runs, rock climbs, and lifts. I get about 90-100 grams of protein a day (I'm also very small) and it's not hard.


There's a ton of brands that make plant based protein powders instead of whey. Vega is a very common one, but the consistency is a little thick. Orgain protein powder is tasty but doesn't have the best protein to carb ratio for my macros. I'm currently working through the Kaizen vanilla vegan protein powder which is 140 calories a scoop and 25g of protein I think. I also have a ride based protein powder that's 110 calories a scoop with 31g of protein but does need to be mixed with some fruit to make it taste good. Also make sure to mix your drinks with plant/nut milks for a better taste. You can buy large bags of protein powder off myprotein and there's a few vegan options. A lot of these protein powders list amino acid ratios on the tub and all of them are fairly decent. I've used a variety of brands and they've all done the trick.


I drink a lot of cashew and soy milk (2-3 cups a day, mostly cashew milk) so I tend to get my calcium and what not from that. I also take a daily vegan multivitamin, but you only really need to suppliment B12. I've also always taken a D3 suppliment in the winter for emotional support and there's even vegan versions of that just make sure it's from lichen sources.


It can be hard getting in omega-3s but luckily there's lots of options. One option is Gardein fishless fish which is fortified with an algae based omega blend. Another option is adding ground flax or chia seeds to a protein shake. There's also hemp seeds which not only have omega fatty acids but also have a decent amount of protein.


I get my iron from leafy greens. I like making green smoothies with lots of spinach and some berries for vitamin c to boost absorption. I track my intake daily with myfitnesspal and tend to meet my iron goals, if not go over them. Lots of greens in general have iron, even broccoli which is fantastic roasted with a little nutritional yeast. You can also get iron from beans.

Congrats on the incoming munchkin!

Now, I don't have any first hand experience myself, but I've researched this issue for family members before.

The prenatal vitamin you'll probably want is this: http://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Light-Prenatal-Multivitamin-150-Count/dp/B00115BJ30

It's food-based so it should sit well with your tummy, and it's totally vegan. Best to take it during meals. Personally I'd recommend splitting each tablet in half, take one of the halves(The larger one if you cut unevenly) at breakfast, and the other half at dinnertime. Otherwise probably just in the morning.

You definitely want to avoid Fish Oil, the mercury content does more damage than the Omega 3's can do good. I recommend this instead: http://www.amazon.com/Ovega-3-Vegetarian-Softgels-500-Count/dp/B004LL7AXE/

Direct source of DHA sourced from golden algae(Which is where a lot of fish get it from in the first place!), grown in algae factories so there should be no fear of mercury contamination. Since you're pregnant I'd probably say take one at breakfast time, and another at dinner time, as their content isn't quite as high as Fish Oil pills.

Finally, definitely want to make sure you're getting enough B12, so I wouldn't rely on the multivitamin for that. I'd say get this: http://www.amazon.com/Aerobic-Life-AdvantageTM-Methylcobalamin-500mcg/dp/B0014JOBXS

Take a spray once per day in the morning with breakfast(You can even spray it into your drink/food). Little bit overkill, but with B12 that's not a problem, and since you're nomming for two, it can only help!

Good luck parenting! :D

The reason they found it expensive is because they looked for easy replacements for their Standard American Diet Foods.
If you get a box of corndogs for $6 every month, then find it's the same price for half as many vegan corn dogs, you're gonna have a hard time. If you want junk food, think onion rings or tater tots instead, which are $2-3 for a huge bag.
If you are used to getting a Krispy Creme dozen for $10, finding a single vegan donut costing $3.50 is going to shock you. Instead, buy a box of Oreos for $3.


A lot of vegans will just be like "expensive? lolol rice and beans." But no one (or most people) don't want to eat bland sadness every day. As a new vegan, you just don't understand the "accidentally" vegan foods. You don't know the cheap vegan. You just know that Daiya Cheese costs more than regular cheese- I totally get that.


junk food that is vegan:

https://www.peta.org/living/food/accidentally-vegan/
https://www.peta.org/living/food/top-accidentally-vegan-foods/
https://vegnews.com/2018/7/25-accidentally-vegan-snacks-that-you-can-find-at-a-convenience-store
https://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/foods-you-wont-believe-are-actually-vegan?utm_term=.itjGe7dB4#.yyP47Xb9G


Some (kinda expensive but lasts a LONG time) vegan staples:
https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Diners-Club-Beef-Ground/dp/B00T3LW20I/ref=sr_1_8_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1535965270&sr=1-8&keywords=dixie+diner (rehydrates to 3.4lbs of ground 'beef' for $10. Add to pasta sauce, or a packet of taco seasoning and use in taco/burrito/etc.)
https://www.amazon.com/Anthonys-Premium-Nutritional-Flakes-Verified/dp/B06Y1JPZ4F/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1535964474&sr=8-5&keywords=vegan+nutritional+yeast (Used in TONS of vegan recipes to make cheesy sauce, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese, etc., or to add a cheesy-nutty nuance to many dishes. Top popcorn or pasta with it. $13 for MONTHS worth of servings.)
https://www.amazon.com/Planters-Fancy-Whole-Cashews-Salted/dp/B00ADX5WZ2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1535964626&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=cashews&psc=1 (you'll find the bulk of vegan pasta sauces, dips, sour cream, cream cheese, lasagna, and tons of other shit require soaked cashews. $16 is again, months worth.)
https://www.amazon.com/DEEP-Black-Salt-3-5-oz/dp/B003WLZXBU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_lp_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YPJCRC11RX5ZJBTKHCEP&dpID=51EigfPKPIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail Kala Namak/black salt. It adds a sulfur-eggy flavor to anything (i.e., tofu egg scrambles, ramen.) It's a giant bag of salt for $4. Almost as cheap as regular salt.


Easy cheap vegan meals:
Biscuits and gravy (Bisquick is vegan.)
Pancakes (Again, Bisquick. Also maple syrup and margarine.)
Burrito (rice, beans, the vegan beef I mentioned above, gauc/salsa/fake sour cream/corn/onions or wtf ever you like on burrito.)
Spaghetti + garlic bread (use margarine instead of butter, that's it.)
PB+J
Grain bowls (they are super easy and cheap and have a million varieties, you'll find one to your taste.)
Curries (use tofu instead of chicken. Simply Balanced by Target has a few different good, cheap vegan curry sauces if you don't like to make your own.)
Tofu scramble (tons of different varieties if you google for recipes.)
Falafel (almost all falafel mixes are vegan.)
Salad (Italian dressing is usually vegan. Bac'n Pieces are vegan.)
Veggie stir fries
Pesto pasta
Oatmeal (top with nuts, PB, fruit, cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, whatever.)
Pasta salad, omit the salami/pepperoni.
potato salad, vegannaise instead of mayo.
Anything you can imagine with potatoes + sweet potatoes - grilled, hashbrowns, fries, hassleback, baked, tots, mashed.
Smoothies (vegan flavored protein powder is more expensive than whey, I know. But soy and pea protein isolate are very cheap. Add plain protein, banana, ice, plant milk, peanut butter, cocoa powder and sweetener/sugar.)
Chili
Caramel rice cakes topped with coconut/almond reddi-whip and nuts.





Here's some more outside of the box but cheap meals:
Jackfruit pulled pork (I just use slowcooked jackfruit and storebought BBQ sauce.)
Fried plantains
Fried zucchini
Tempura veggies
Baked acorn or butternut squash with margarine + brown sugar
Zucchini fritters (there's recipes everywhere and they're amazing.)
Chow mein
Pan fried bean sprouts
Chia pudding
Ceviche omit the shrimp/fish
Roasted eggplant
Mujaddara
Mushroom shawarma


Plant milk is more expensive than cow's milk, but you can make cheap-ass oatmillk at home*. There's tons of baking egg replacers (banana, applesauce, etc,) but I highly recommend flax egg** for some easy omega-3s.


Some life-saving cheap recipes:
https://avirtualvegan.com/oat-milk/ *
https://lovingitvegan.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/ **
https://ohsheglows.com/2017/11/08/all-purpose-vegan-cheese-sauce/
https://cookieandkate.com/2018/vegan-sour-cream-recipe/
https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/cashew-cream-cheese/
https://www.cearaskitchen.com/vegan-yogurt/
https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/vegan-chickpea-cookie-dough/ (the semi-sweet chocochips at Trader Joes are vegan, so are their marshmallows. I recommend adding both.)



I realize how big my post is now that I'm finished.. Hope you find it helpful haha.

Super good and cheap. Plus prime shipping. 👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿

Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein Powder, Creamy Chocolate Fudge, Vegan, Gluten Free, Kosher, Non-GMO, 2.03 Pound, Packaging May Vary https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J074W94/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6KsvCb1YG2DE4

Not an expert at all, but I've read/heard several times that including the child in the food-making progress can help it overcome pickiness as it is in direct contact with what it will later eat and will have more of a connection to it.

Also, apparently it helps to let children play with the food as well, before it's prepared and after.


>He tells me he doesn't want to be vegan

Does he know what veganism is? And what chicken nuggets are made out of?

Maybe if you can't get through to him on a food basis, take him on outings to go see farm animals and then explain to him what he's eating (there are some good children's books out there for that sorta thing. Like this one, or that.). Show him that veganism is more than just a dietary choice but a compassionate and kind outlook.

The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak is a great book with tonnes of clever ideas and substitution advice, all of her books are pretty great. Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen would be a great one as well, same with Bryant Terry's Afro Vegan. If you are looking for something easy and cutesy, the vegan stoner cookbook is a good bet too.

I just checked out Minimalist Baker's cookbook and the Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give A Fuck Minimalist Baker was meh, but Thug Kitchen is amazing. A lot of the recipes use cheap, simple ingredients and the dishes are pure deliciousness. I'm currently borrowing these books from the library, but I think I definitely need to add Thug Kitchen to my collection.

I also have the Seitanic Spellbook by the Vegan Black Metal Chef. It's ok for some basic stuff, but I don't care for how it's organized. Also, he doesn't use measurements in any of his recipes, which is ok if you like to improvise a lot, but it kinda leaves me in the dark if I'm trying a new recipe.

Then there's Happy, Healthy Vegan Kitchen by Kathy Patalsky which is ok if you can get past her narratives and obscure ingredients. Like, bitch, I'm not getting six different unicorn salts to put on my toast.

I also have The Joys of Vegan Baking (meh), and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (haven't tried it yet).

EDIT: damn amazon links

2 weeks ago I made a spreadsheet comparing the value of 40+ deals for vegan DHA supplements. The best deal I could find anywhere was DEVA Vegan algae DHA 200mg 90-Count from Amazon. It comes out to 24 cents a pill. The Spectrum Essentials was a little less per pill but with much less DHA per pill, making the DEVA a much better value.
I have Amazon Prime and free shipping so this is part of what made it a good deal. The prices at VitaCost are somewhat comparable, but the shipping makes it a lot pricier. You can get free shipping there too if you spend over 50$.

Here is PETA's Vegan College Cookbook. It's an alright cookbook but I personally think Vegan on the Cheap is way better. I'm sure there are plenty of other good cookbooks too. I also recommend the Vegan Stoner blog, like rockmeahmadinejad said. It's a great site even if you don't smoke!

I don't really have any tips for going raw, but Dr. Greger suggests this book for people that do. I thought about doing it, but it seemed like a big hassle for little reward so never ended up doing it lol. Good luck :)

1. The answeres would vary. For welfarists, they want laws in place that promote 'happy meat'. The [problem with this demand is that even if it gets to be where there are laws in place to protect the animals, they're unlikely to work. Heavy abuse would still happen because it's the interest of property v. interest of property owners. New welfarist have the same goal of reforming current animal abuse in factory farms and other such places but want to slowly approach animals being recognized as nonhuman persons [and thus not property]. Abolitionists want to forgoe the animal abuse problem and get animals to be recognized as nonhuman persons in the eyes of the law [again, and thus not property, therefor enabling them to have rights] and want to get as many people as possible to go vegan.
   
2. Your answer presupposes that everyone will go vegan overnight. Unlikely. The supply will slowly go down with the demand and it will get to be to where there's few farms left. The remaining animals [should there be some when animals are recognized as nonhuman persons] will more than likely not allowed to be killed and either could be kept as pets [some rights activists insist on saying companion animals. I don't see much problem with the label pet, besides implied ownership of the animal] or released into the wild.
   
3. The fact that we don't have to eat meat is what makes it morally wrong. If we care about animals and recognize them as beings and not thing, we have a morale obligation to go vegan.
   
4. I am inclined to agree with your friends. You seem more or less like a welfarist and would be content with eating 'hapopy meat'. The thing of it is, you are still taking a life for no other reason than palette pleasure. That animal, regardless of how happy it is on one farm or another, valued its' life just as much as you did. Claiming to care about animals, yet killing them because you enjoy the taste is blatant hypocrisy. In the human context, we would never talk about humane enslavement or humane child abuse. It's lip service to the animal to say we love it, but we just love bacon more.
   
5. I'm not sure if I understand the question fully but. Indeed, more people should listen to the vegan side. The reason some vegans have stopped listen to the opposing side is because we've heard all the same excuses and sometimes flat out stupidity over and over again. Read any animal rights book and you'll find all the BUTS that we've heard too many times to care. Yet we have to be patient and listen to these objections to get others to go vegan.
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DLTN43C/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d1_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1ZRVNQNR6DRS6R7SD8JZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
   If you would, please buy this book. It explains with clarity why you either need to go vegan or you are treating animals as merely things

This is amazing, I am so glad you are starting your journey to becoming vegan. My best suggestion is using cronometer.com to track your food for a good portion of time in order for you to get a handle on what foods have what properties and nutrients you need from them. Vegan diets can easily cover all your nutrients, I get all of the FDA's recommended doses of micronutrients daily and almost double their recommended protein amount. Here is a quick rundown of nutrients and vegan foods that are abundant in them

Macronutrients:

• Fat- Avocado, coconut, oils, nuts, seeds, and soybeans (tofu, tempeh, edamame)
  
  
• Carbohydrates- Fruit, Legumes, Grains, Vegetables
  
  
• Protein- Beans, Lentils, Faux meats, Green Vegetables, Grains
  
  

• amino acids are all present in all food just at different rations so eat a variety.
  
  You will meet all your macro-nutrient needs eating 2100 calories of any variety of foods. (eat and don't eat only fruit or drink oil for your calories, super easy)
  
  Micronutrients: (These are only the ones some lack on a vegan diet, take in consideration that less then 1% of the world eats all of their proper micro-nutrients and eating more vegetables and beans almost always makes people get more)
  
  

• Omega 3- Ground Flax Seed, Chia Seeds, and, Dark Green Vegetables (roughly 10% per serving of dark green veggies)
  Omega 3's are the most challenging to get at the start of a vegan diet, basically you add in a tablespoon of chia seeds or flax seeds to your diet daily and it covers you or you take an algae based supplement. Omega 3 is not a necessary nutrient but it does greatly help you.
  
  
• B12- Supplement this, here's a great article on it with recommended supplements www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12 you likely are already getting it from meat that got it from being heavily supplemented with b12, its a bacteria and we eat less bacteria now then throughout evolution so it's not exactly a vegan issue.
  
  
• Vitamin D- The sun, supplements, or mushrooms left in the sun. I take this in the winter and in the summer I use the sun. Here's an article about it
  
  
• Calcium- Nut Milk, Vegetables (Dark green especially), Chia seeds, Fruit, and Nuts.
  
  
• Vitamin E- (which is less of a problem for vegans but still not easy) Nut Milks, Almonds, Vegetables.
  
  
• Iron- It is a misconception that this is challenging I actually get more now then over, anyway Green veggies, Beans, Lentils, Grains
  
  
• Selenium- Only an issue if you don't get a few servings of grains especially whole wheat, or eat one brazil nut, or 400 kiwis
  
  
• Zinc- Beans, Grains, Nuts and Seeds. This is one most people don't expect.
  
  In short eat a few servings of grains, beans, fruit, green veg, nut milk, nuts, and seeds and you got it covered. Two servings of each daily will likely cover all your nutritional needs.
  
  Edit: I suck at formatting
  
  Ps. Also when doing your method I highly suggest doing the simple things on top of the x number of days a week you are vegan. By this I mean using plant milk instead of normal, and trying to have almost identical vegan products like chao instead of cheddar, and gardein and beyond beef instead of meats. The products I mentioned are best known for their phenomenal ability to replicate the original.

Yeah 100%, i'm at work now but i'll scan in a bunch of recipes from the book tonight.

It's this book, which on kindle or paperback is super cheap and super worth it. All the recipes I have tried have been amazing and it does everything.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/But-Could-Never-Go-Vegan/dp/1615192107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526462459&sr=8-1&keywords=but+i+could+never+go+vegan

edit - pt1 of response

\> "An entirely plant-based diet without supplements isn't sustainable or at least doesn't allow humans to live at our full potential."

​

But it is sustainable, and we can live at our full potential to an even further degree. D3 supplements DO exist, and I take one every day. And they absorb just fine.

​

D3 (Cholecalciferol) comes not from mushrooms, but from lichen, and this is where my supplement comes from. here is my supplement: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CYA8HD6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Deficiencies are not a vegan exclusive problem, you can find them in all diet groups. According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, many Americans are not getting enough: calcium, potassium, magnesium fiber, vitamins A, C, and E.

​

before you mention it, B12 - does not originate in animals, it comes from bacteria. many years ago we could get all the b12 we needed from water, but the sanitation rules in place allow no B12 to exist in water and in most plant foods. So, a B12 supplement is sufficient, it's even fortified in products nonvegans and vegans eat (cereals, tofu, energy drinks particularly come to mind). but a 2 month supply is measly $6-9. You're spending your money somewhere anyway.

​

\> "Plants are at least equal to insects when it comes to lifeforms"

​

again in what way? scientific evidence does exist that insects feel pain and are sentient, where is this evidence for plants?

​

Like I said earlier, humans HAVE to eat plants to survive and be healthy, so its still so odd you are trying to find flaws in eating a plant-based diet. If necessity is involved, it is okay. Some indigenous tribes need meat, this is a necessity, this is okay. Some populations in extreme climates of the world need meat/animal products, this is a necessity, this is okay. This does not apply to 99% of the modern world, or your average Joe wearing Timbs going down the block in Manhattan to eat a pizza or a boat of wings. Necessity is NOT involved with animal products for mostly everyone, the animals suffer entirely unnecessarily. Plants can't scream, cry, suffer, or build friendships, or think, or feel emotions. They dont get moral consideration like a COW or a PIG or a CHICKEN or a FISH or a DOG or a CAT or a DOLPHIN or a TURTLE deserves.

​

\> "I disagree that the poor societies eat the least animal products."

​

You can't just say you 'disagree' that the poorest societies eat the least animal products. This is a matter of fact and common sense! Since it requires much more resources to produce meat/feed livestock, meat can N E V E R be cheaper than plant foods (excluding subsidies). In many countries, the government subsidizes these products (eggs, meat, dairy) which make them look cheaper but you are still paying more for them in the form of taxes. (honorable mention to healthcare - these products lead to disease and healthcare for treating obesity, diabetes, cancers, etc are not cheap down the line)

​

Also, many foods like wheat, peanuts, lentils, rice, potatoes, oats, and most vegetables are STILL cheaper than animal products while they aren't even subsidized, which is why in most poor countries, meat and dairy are considered luxury foods, while plant foods are staples for their diets.

​

Find me ONE organization that feeds the hungry - and gives out heavy amounts of meat/animal products. You won't find one, because it IS ALWAYS CHEAPER TO JUST PROVIDE THE VEGETABLES/FRUITS. From an energy standpoint, the animals burn many of the calories off that we feed them. it is inefficient. Check out Vegan Gary Yourofsky explain this further: https://youtu.be/WIkC4OJEx3c?t=544

​

as he says shortly before this timestamp, ONE acre of land can yield 30000 LBS of carrots, 40000 LBS of potatoes, and 50000 LBS of tomatoes, ALL AT ONCE. Yet, that same acre for cows, it only gets us 250 LBS of Beef. Source: http://www.earthsave.org/environment.htm read more about the other inefficiencies of animal product production here.

​

Do the math, it isn't rocket science.

​

\> "Getting a balanced diet from veganism is what's expensive. As is the time needed to cook a vegan diet." I assume you meant vegan meal

​

Why would it be expensive? What are vegans missing that would make our diets unbalanced? If anything, the animal eaters diet is less healthy I'd say! They get fewer antioxidants, less water, less fiber, fewer vitamins and minerals, MORE saturated fat, ALL THE CHOLESTEROL (none in plants - dietary cholesterol consumption is 100% tied to heart disease - plaque development in heart arteries begins at age 10) MORE calories etc.

​

It takes time to make food containing animal products too? What is your point here? I can even make meals faster than if I were cooking steaks, chicken thighs and omelettes with 10 ingredients. It doesn't take me long to whip up a stir fry of brown rice/quinoa, peas, corn, green beans, tofu/tempeh with soy sauce, or wheat pasta with frozen vegan meatballs, or a baked sweet potato. I just throw in the oven for 50 minutes, forget about it and go and do something else, and come back to a deliciously healthy meal ( sweet potatoes are a very complete food in terms of nutrition ).

​

\> "It would be very hard for me to go vegan because I hate beans and most vegetables"

​

What matters more, taste or life?

​

Fine, go vegan and DON'T eat beans, and DON'T eat the vegetables you dislike. (whats your qualm with beans? just curious - never met anyone in my life who does not like them)

​

You can still survive and eat such an abundance of other plant foods WITHOUT harming innocent animals. So many people are still vegan while they still have soy, nut allergies, etc. You can do it too, don't doubt your potential. Check out this link for a guide to vegan eating: https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/64yp1g/new_vegan_survival_guide/

>I will pick up a b12 supplement as soon as I can.

Deva makes a really good one, and all their vitamins are vegan.

>And today I'm making steps to schedule an appointment with a university counselor.

Wonderful! I hope it goes well. I don't know if you've seen a counselor before, but a couple of things to keep in mind: 1) It will take time to make progress, so stick with it, but 2) don't be afraid to find a different counselor if you don't mesh with them or feel uncomfortable for whatever reason.

>I am an ethical vegan as well, and recognize its effects on the environment. I don't plan on leaving veganism for any reason.

-) Glad to hear it.

I'm not too knowledgeable about raw/mostly raw diets but I recommend checking out http://veganhealth.org/ to make sure you're aware of what nutrients you need.

If you can get a hand on a copy of Becoming Raw that might help.

In my smoothies I use different foods at different times to keep things varied. I vary the base (water/soy/rice milk), use different frozen fruit, then add stuff like white beans, avocado, olive or coconut oil, oats, pumpkin seeds, flax, and maybe a scoop of protein powder. It depends on how many calories or how much protein I want in there.

Here are some low-cost raw recipes:

http://plantbasedonabudget.com/?s=raw&s_submit=

In general, ethics is a very complex territory so it's natural to have a hard time. I highly recommend the book Eat Like You Care which covers this matter surgically. I find this video very enlightening if you want something faster.

I hope those can be helpful, good luck!

Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed by Bryant Terry

Lots of veggie-centric recipes from scratch without being too labor-intensive; hardly any "specialty" ingredients. There's a whole section on spice combinations and sauces, which you can adapt for so many other recipes (I will never run out of ways to make yams). He likes coconut oil and peanuts a lot (I hate coconut oil and my good friend is allergic to peanuts), but I think the substitutions are not insurmountable. Other frequent ingredients are millet, black eyed peas, and mustard greens.

I use ppk.com all the time as a reference and love Isa Chandra, and I'm sure people will recommend Veganomicon as a kind of vegan "tanakh" ;), but Bryant Terry is who I'd recommend if someone is overwhelmed by their CSA.

Any of these books are great for beginners. I would recommend checking out these amazon links and skimming the reviews...

• Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets by Brenda Davis
  
  
• Going Raw: Everything You Need to Start Your Own Raw Food Diet and Lifestyle Revolution at Home by Judita Wignall)
  
• Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet
  
• Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes by Ani Phio
  
  Goneraw and Rawfoodtalk are good for recipes.
  
  EDIT: Broken links

This is great advice and a welcome article. Some really nice links leading to other links like this one for what looks like a terrific cookbook from a vegan activist.

>the only person to reverse heart-disease in the world" makes me think you're full of shit.

Fair enough, it is a bold claim, so I do apologise for presuming you have heard of him.

• Here is his research publication where he saved the lives of 20 patients by putting them on a oil free vegan diet:
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2100124/
  
  
• He then went on to do the study again with 200 patients which had 1 year expected life span, most of them are still alive 20 years later (the ones that followed his diet!). And he writes about it in his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002 and this contains references to all of the studies he based his work on (there's hundreds in there)
  
  
• There is a documentary about him called Forks Over Knives on Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/au/title/70185045
  
  
• here is his talk summerising his research (long version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1varIImYec) (short version TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqKNfyUPzoU)
  
  He's also not the only person to recommend no oil consumption, and all of these plant-based doctors speak against oil too their books or talks: Whether it's Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Pam Popper, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Garth Davis, Dr. T.Colin Campbell, Dr Michael Klaper and the other 700 of them :-)
  
  
  Anyway I'm a huge fan, as you can probably tell, because if the general public followed his advice, we'd have approximately 14 million fewer heart-attack deaths each year! It blew my mind, because I always assumed that heart-disease was a result of getting old, and it turns out it's generally not. I hope it blows your mind too :-)
  
  

I take this for DHA: http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vitamins-Softgels-90-Count-Bottle/dp/B002XDQSSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414533054&sr=8-1&keywords=vega+dha

I think $20 for 3 months is pretty affordable and I don't take it every single day because sometimes I forgot so it lasts longer. I didn't want to give up fish for a long time because I wanted to make sure I got heart healthy nutrition due to my own personal health situation and I'm happy with these supplements so far.

Bryant Terry's Afro-Vegan is great! Simple recipes with bits of history, humor, health and music (each recipe has a suggested soundtrack song) mixed it. And, it's a beautiful book with lots of pictures and a lovely printed cloth binding.

Check out vegan richa's cookbook. If you like indian food, you'll love it. Most of the recipes are simple-medium complexity, and they make a lot of servings. Plus you don't feel bad for stuffing yourself with them since it's almost entirely really healthy food. Plus some of the desserts (especially the doughnuts) are unbelievable in how good they taste.

Try to find some black salt, "Kala namak", if you can. It has a very eggy taste that will make your scrambles tofu really resemble eggs! I like making mine with a firm silken tofu; it sounds like an oxymoron, but I promise it's actually a thing. 😊 It has that soft texture of eggs!

Here are some vegan baking tips from Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the Post Pink Kitchen: Vegan baking 101 from PPK.

Another good vegan baking primer from the Kitchn.

I'd say Isa and her co-author Terry Hope Romero are the authorities on vegan baking. Check out their baking cookbooks on cupcakes, cookies, and pies.

For a 1-volume comprehensive vegan baking cookbook and traditional recipes, check out Colleen Patrick Goudreau's Joy of Vegan Baking.

For a vegan baking cookbook with unique and creative flavors, try the Cheers to Vegan Sweets cookbook.

Hope this helped! Happy baking!

I'd really recommend checking out some children's books on veganism, especially when she gets a little bit older, to explain why you live the way you do. Here's a list of some that I've found:

The Girl Who Could See Stories

We're Vegan!

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals

Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action

V Is For Vegan: The ABCs of Being Kind

Her book, Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen is really good, she has a vegan "paneer" recipe in there and pretty much everything you could want. Even sweets, there's a good gulab jamun in there too!

Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen might help make the transition a little easier. I've made a few things from there that have all been great. Her Rockin' Ricotta is really yummy.

I haven't tried them unfortunately :( I'm in Canada and they're only available in the US from what I know. But apparently they're amazing and taste like the real thing.

Yeah unless you do it well tofu tastes bland. You've gotta wrap the tofu in paper towels, and place some heavy stuff on top (e.g. textbooks) to press it in for around 20-30 mins, so that you get all the water out of it. That way it'll soak up all the sauce.

Try out some bean curries and stir fries too, those are my favourite. In fact if you wanna get a cookbook, I recommend this or this times a million. Not a single recipe I've made in those books that all my meat-eating friends haven't loved.

I hope he recovers! Moreover, I hope he changes his diet so that he doesn't need further bypass operations. Maybe the work of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn would convince him.

EDIT: Particularly the book: "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn"

I have made Isa's chocolate cupcake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and it was fabulous. Really, you can't tell it's vegan because it's just delicious, with a very soft texture and a moist, fine crumb. Here's the recipe.

Now, I'm not sure this will make a sheet cake though. Can you try making cupcakes instead?

EDIT: Needless to say, the cocoa powder will be key in this recipe. I used Valrhona, and it was wonderful.

I take the spray linked below. Once a week under the tongue, my blood checks have always come back great. I notice a difference between the methyl- sourced and the cyclo- or whatever sourced. The methyl- sublingual ones I've always noticed benefits. Body stores what it needs, expels the rest. Gives you a boost, they put b12 in energy drinks, so I like to take it on Mondays.


Garden of Life B12 Vitamin - mykind Organic Whole Food B-12 for Metabolism and Energy, Raspberry, 2oz Liquid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K5NEPJY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fAexCb55QVTJK

When you decide to go vegan you put yourself in a position that is against the mainstream and you will almost certainly be asked to defend that position at some point.

At that point I think it's important to have your facts straight and your arguments as solid as possible, be aware of the logical fallacies that will be used against you, and have answers prepared.

I think the majority of people here were persuaded by someone else's good argument. So maybe "we want to have solid arguments" would have been a better way to word it. The end result of these solid arguments would be changing public opinion and having more people go vegan.

I recommend the book Eat Like You Care, which covers many of the "But... where do you get your protein?" type questions that will come up:

https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Like-You-Care-Examination-ebook/dp/B00DLTN43C

Edit: totally changed my answer after thinking about it for 5 minutes. My bad. :)

Happy I could help.

These aren’t vegan cookbooks, but they are vegan children’s books you might be interested in.

Vegan is Love

V is for Vegan: the abc’s of being kind

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals

They could be a useful tool if children have questions about veganism.

When I don't have the cookbooks with me I've had great success just doing a google search since the book is popular. Also if you just go on the amazon page, click on the "Click to Look Inside" button, then search for the cupcakes, you should find them. It worked when I just tried it for the tiramisu ones.

I've come across a few great vegan cooking resources that you may be interested in:

• minimalist baker
  
  
• vegan richa site
  
  
• vegan richa indian cookbook
  
  please share others!

Wow that is really pink! If I was buying my own I would get this:

Pressure Cooker/Rice Cooker

But if I was receiving as gift I would be totally thrilled with:

Rice Cooker

Are nuts and avocados oils? NO! Oils are olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc. Dr. McDougall is not the only one to recommend no oils. Dr. Esselstyn, who has done extensive research on the prevention and reversal of heart disease also recommends no oils.

Nuts, seeds, and avocados are all okay on the diet in small amounts. It is only recommended not to overindulge, as they're very calorically dense and it can impede weight loss (if that's the goal).

John McDougall is a very respected vegan doctor, author, and personality.

I just finished reading the Starch Solution, and I would say it is pretty good info. I eat a whole foods plant based diet, which is the healthiest type of vegan diet. On r/vegan there's a lot of junk food vegans.

Here's a couple I found!

http://www.amazon.com/Hubert-Pudge-A-Vegetarian-Tale/dp/0763619922/ref=pd_sim_b_17?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QY46SG9VYZ2WTWEPY9N

http://www.amazon.com/Thats-Why-Dont-Eat-Animals/dp/1556437854/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=16D1S2MA82P23BNVWXGF

I couldn't find any that are like "Here are the facts. Do what you will."

Both of these encourage a vegan diet and some articles have said that they're too brutal for kids... but I think that especially the first one looks very sweet and to be a nice story even without the message.

I make a baked pasta dish that is appealing to just about everyone, even (especially?) omnivores.

I use 50% whole wheat pasta, cooked, and pour on some marinara sauce. In a baking dish or lasagna pan, I pour half of the saucy pasta. On top of that, I add a layer of vegan ricotta cheese, which is just mashed tofu with lemon, a little nutritional yeast, salt, and oregano. Sometimes I mix some sliced fresh basil in with the ricotta, or a package of cooked frozen spinach. On top of the cheese goes the rest of the pasta. I usually top the whole thing with Daiya mozzarella, some red pepper flakes, dried oregano and basil. Cover with foil, bake at around 400 degrees until it starts to bubble, then uncover and let the Daiya melt. Serve with a salad and vegan garlic bread. Everyone loves it! It's based on a recipe from Vegan on the Cheap.

I have found the two following books to be very helpful on the subject...

The China Study

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has done amazing work in reversing Heart Disease in severely sick people. He has the arterial and vein scans to show exactly what his nutritional plan can do. Both books are must reads in my opinion.

Chiming in here with the most fantastic Italian vegan cookbook- Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (it's an Amazon link, fyi)! I've made so many recipes, including homemade pasta from her cookbook and it's awesome.

I just purchased doctors best D3, in the ingredients it says as Cholecalciferol / vitashine D3. I hope it's vegan lol.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E816ROU?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

B-12 is the only vitamin that you cannot get by eating a plant based diet. Everything else you can.

The only reason B-12 is found in a meat eaters diet (in todays world) is because the factory farm cows/pigs/etc are force-fed B-12 supplements themselves. Then omnis get B-12 second hand through eating meat.

Vegans just get it first hand from taking the supplement themselves, instead of waiting to get it from a cow that took the supplement. You can get B-12 in pills, chewies, spray, weekly pill. You can also get it from B-12 fortified vegan milks (oat, flax, cashew, almond, coconut, soy, etc), nutritional yeast, fortified cereals and orange juices, and some fortified faux meats.

I have this one:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00K5NEPJY/ref=pe_3034960_233709270_TE_item


Also, everyone on the planet should take vitamin D. Everyone, because we all don't get enough sun. But that has nothing to do with veganism.

Well, you could get this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cheap-Robin-Robertson/dp/0470472243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404636748&sr=8-1&keywords=inexpensive+vegan

I've only browsed it at my girlfriend's place, but it looks pretty good. But I'm the same as you. I cook a lot, but I almost always just wing it. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

This is the absolute bible on the subject:

https://www.amazon.de/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002

Forks over Knives is also a good resource, as is anything by Dr McDougall (The Starch Solution, The McDougall Plan) and Dr Greger (How not do die).

All the best!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476736073/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1476736073&linkCode=as2&tag=chechl-20&linkId=S6J36OAGZZ7OH3H5

This is definitely the one me and my family most often use. Delicious and easy meals.

This seems to be the book you were talking about. I'm honestly surprised that there is such a book! I figured most would be for older children. This is great though! I will be getting this and be on the lookout for anything similar.

/r/veganfitness

I do, I usually have a scoop or two a day. I like blends. True Nutrition vegan protein optimizer is my favorite (45% pea, 45% rice, 10% hemp). And it's cheap, $9/lb. You can also build your own blend on their website, it's super easy. And they have a coupon that saves you 5% off site-wide, never expires "GOVEGAN"

I also hear good things about Orgain, but haven't tried it. Saw it on amazon earlier for $17 ($8.50/lb) https://www.amazon.com/Orgain-Organic-Protein-Powder-Chocolate/dp/B00J074W94/?th=1

As a vegan parent I do find it important to be able to explain to my child why we have made the choice to be vegan and books like these help do that on their level and give them something to identify with. I have not seen this book before but my daughter has two of Ruby Roths books and she demands that we give a copy of That's Why We Don't Eat Animals to her teachers on the first day of school (she is in 2nd grade). For that I am glad they exist so when they become "moral agents" it will be based on a more solid foundation.

I use this rice and this rice steamer.

I made my rice (add rice vinegar, sugar and some salt after it cooks) and put sweet potatoes, mushrooms and asparagus in the steam tray while the rice cooked. Super easy. I then also cut avocado, red pepper and cucumbers. I then left my family choose their insides so they are all different. I also used regular and black sesame seeds. I can't really explain how to roll the sushi since I am so new at it but youtube has a bunch of good videos.

> Sabra

Actually that is the only hummus I've tried. After I ate it I almost gagged, so I'll try another brand.

> rice cooker

Yes I've been hearing this suggestion frequently around here. Does this one look ok? I'll order it now if it does. It looks pretty awesome. Assuming your right about just throwing stuff in there and putting some water in that is. So veggies will be cooked in there too without external help?

Reposting my message for 2 weeks ago, so the prices may have changed in that time:

**

There actually are a number of vegan EPA/DHA combined supplements:

Name|Approx cost per serving|DHA|EPA
-|-|-|-
Deva DHA & EPA|$0.22|120-140mg|60-80mg
Ovega-3 DHA EPA|$0.32|320mg|130mg
Opti3 EPA & DHA|$0.66 †|400mg|200mg

Ovega-3 seems like the best deal at the moment unless you really want EPA.

† If you take their 3 for 2 offer, otherwise it's $29.99 rather than $19.99 per bottle.*

These are the ones on my wishlist:


The Vegonomicon


Everyday Happy Herbivore


Thug Kitchen


But I could never go vegan!


Oh She Glows Cookbook


I personally own The Vegan Stoner Cookbook and I like it a lot.

Here is the paper - http://biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2016/03/06/042549.full.pdf

Basically, there are three types of omega-3 fatty acids - ALA) (found in plants, nuts, seeds), EPA and DHA. Under normal conditions, animals (including humans) metabolize ALA from plant foods into EPA and DHA. However, some people may be at a genetic disadvantage, and not be able to elongate ALA to EPA-DHA efficiently, or one consumes a diet rich in omega-6 fats, trans or saturated fats and blocks the omega-3 receptors. This is why fatty fish is "recommended" for heart health - the essential fatty acids EPA-DHA are already preformed, thereby bypassing genes or otherwise unhealthy eating.

From the paper:

> Balanced consumption of precursors would be particularly important for I/I genotype carriers. I/I carriers consuming excess 18:2n-6 may particularly benefit from consumption of EPA and DHA which bypass the desaturation steps, as a direct balance to ARA. Further, D/D individuals may also benefit from EPA and DHA consumption in pregnancy and in development when neural and other tissue dependent on omega-3 LCPUFA are rapidly develop.

So, eat your dark greens and other foods with a high omega-3 to omega-6 ratio (flaxseed, chia seed), low in saturated and trans fat. You can also take EPA-DHA directly, made from algae. I take these twice daily, after a meal - http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vitamins-Softgels-90-Count-Bottle/dp/B002XDQSSK/

First, sorry for your loss. Let her know that if she needs any advice or support in regards to the miscarriage there's resources at the Star Legacy Foundation.

Her therapist is correct -- Kind of. Omega-3 oils have some indication of increasing fertility but she doesn't need to eat fish. There's a vegan Omega-3 DHA supplement available.

Truthfully all vegans should supplement with this, it's under recommended.

People are recommending Veganomicon, which is a great book and you should pick it up (along with everything else by Isa Chandra Moskowitz), but since you mentioned finances, allow me to recommend Vegan on the Cheap. Every recipe is ≤ $2 per serving.

Yeah that's the only thing you need. But honestly just get a daily multivitamin that has it in there. I left a link for the one I like below.

https://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Vitamins-Multivitamin-Supplement/dp/B01FRJTSW4/ref=sxin__sxwds-bia-wc1_0?crid=H8184JLF9TCK&keywords=vegan+multivitamin&pd_rd_i=B01FRJTSW4&pd_rd_r=a8426285-2b85-461c-b1c1-a0303478c2e9&pd_rd_w=qHnsx&pd_rd_wg=jB9Pu&pf_rd_p=39e7c2a0-69e1-4a3f-8d8f-4c4ee1aefdb5&pf_rd_r=210RXNKX693594K46TEP&psc=1&qid=1569265770&sprefix=vegan+mul%2Caps%2C224

It's in Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook. The book came out earlier this year, and it's great.

https://smile.amazon.com/DEEP-Black-Salt-3-5-oz/dp/B003WLZXBU/

Here you go, Lazybones. $3 and free shipping with Amazon Prime. :)

This is a good cyanocobalamin b12 by nature's way. Deva also makes great vegan supplements, and they have a methyl b12 that's cheap.

Just wanted to recommend vegan algal oil DHA and EPA capsules. All the benefits of fish oil without the fish! Here are the ones I get: Ovega-3 Plant-Based Omega-3 Daily Dietary Supplement | 500 mg Omega-3s, 135 mg EPA, 270 mg DHA, | Supports Heart, Brain, Eye, Overall Health* | NO FISH = No Fishy Aftertaste | 60 Vegetarian Softgels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LL7AXE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yrl-BbZZJ80GZ

It's Omega 3 DHA/EPA oil without the fish, instead produced by algae. Prevents/slows brain related aging, and there's some science to suggest it helps with heart health.

https://www.nutrasea.ca/product-info/nutravege/nutravege-2x/

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vitamins-Softgels-90-Count-Bottle/dp/B002XDQSSK

You can get it at Indian grocery stores, or online.

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Spices-Black-Salt-3-5/dp/B003WLZXBU/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3TVYSUAX2NK3H&keywords=black+salt+kala+namak&qid=1558907305&s=gateway&sprefix=black+salt%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-7

It's really an amazing flavor boost for tofu scrambles, quiches, and all things faux-egg.

All home-made last weekend, using the recipes from Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen - the book is full of excellent recipes, highly recommend picking it up!

I've been taking this one for a while. It has a good EPA/DHA amount for the price per serving: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N5JZK8

I've also heard this one is pretty good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LL7AXE

Unfortunately, you'll find the algal supplements are noticeably pricier than their flax seed counterparts.

np \^.^ how's being vegan so far? (i started jan. 1, and it's been great, i just learned how to make mapo tofu)

Edit: also, maybe check out bryant terry's cookbooks, eg:

https://www.amazon.com/Afro-Vegan-Farm-Fresh-African-Caribbean-Southern/dp/1607745313

This book changed everything for me... delicious and simple recipes. Its my go to cookbook and a lot of my omni-friends have received a copy and adored it.

Your primary mistake is in making the assumption that the group "raw foodists" is a homogeneous group. While it is true that some raw foodists subscribe to the theory that enzymes found in raw foods supply significant aid in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, this assertion is not supported by science. These enzymes play a minor (if any) part in aiding digestion. This is not why I am a raw foodist.

Another fallacy you launched was the idea that raw food diets are environmentally destructive. Sure, I can eat coconuts and other tropical fruits, but I do not eat them in any greater quantity than I did when I was a cooked vegan. In fact, I strive to eat as locally as possible, getting as many of the fruits and greens I eat from local farms. If anything, I would say that my environmental impact has gone down since going raw. I am no longer using energy to cook my food and the amount of packaging waste that must be discarded or recycled is practically nil. The average family produces hundreds of pounds of food packaging waste per year. What I produce in a year could probably fit into a backpack.

Beyond that, I am a raw foodist because I like it. I have completely lost the taste for cooked food and after 7 years of being 100% raw vegan, I feel and look better than I ever have. I love the simplicity and ease of it. I waste no time preparing and cooking food. Being raw also forces me to eat really well all the time. I am also free from the horrific effects of several autoimmune diseases for the first time in decades...conditions that lingered despite a whole food vegan diet. The elimination of gluten, refined foods and cooked starches does make a difference in some cases. All I'm trying to say is that if you're going to attack raw foodism, attack the diet on the facts, not some weird BS you've read online. If you want a fully fact based intro on the world of raw foods written by a registered dietitian, I would recommend reading the book "Becomming Raw" by Brenda Davis. She explains the fallacies like the enzyme myth, but also explain the real, science based benefits of a raw foods diet.

For some base recipes and staples, you can rent this from the library (if available): https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cheap-Robin-Robertson/dp/0470472243

It's pretty helpful.

My favorites are Afro-Vegan, Vegan Soul Kitchen, Alternative Vegan, and The Inspired Vegan.

The one you linked is the "Tiny Tablet" version, which I've never tried. But I've been taking the full sized version for about two years now, and I really like them. I don't pay too much attention to what I eat, and I haven't gotten deficient in anything, that I'm aware of. :)

Veganomicon is less than $10 on Amazon if you get it used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/156924264X/ref=sr_1_6_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1486674904&sr=8-6&keywords=vegan+cookbook

Afro Vegan is solid, and is less than $20 new:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607745313/sr=8-31/qid=1486674985/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1486674985&sr=8-31

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews is like $4 used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/076793072X/ref=sr_1_5_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1486675176&sr=8-5&keywords=nava+atlas


Vegan Without Borders is $5 used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1449447082/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

Hey if you're eating raw/mostly raw you might want to read this:

http://veganhealth.org/articles/cooking

As the above link mentions at the bottom, you might want to get your hands on a copy of Becoming Raw. It's a great book.

My Beef With Meat

The Starch Solution

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

A few gadgets can help. Get a rice cooker with a steamer basket, microwave, and mini fridge. I could cook probably half my diet with just those things. With the rice cooker you can do rice, quinoa, lentils, pasta, steamed veggies, oatmeal, and some simple soups. A small nutri-bullet style blender will let you make smoothies and some sauces. And never underestimate the classic PB&J.

Edit to add some more:

Vegan rice cooker recipes: http://www.peta.org/living/food/vegan-rice-cooker-recipes-that-arent-just-rice/

Rice cooker recommendation (not an affiliate link- I've just used it for years and like it): https://www.amazon.com/Aroma-Housewares-ARC-914SBD-Cool-Touch-Stainless/dp/B007WQ9YNO/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1484017119&sr=1-1&keywords=rice+cooker

I got this one a few months ago and I love it!

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cheap-Recipes-Simple-Strategies/dp/0470472243
best book i've found

I use Ovega-3 as a fish oil replacement and love it.

I take Doctor's Best Vegan D3 Capsules 2500IU ($0.11/count) at https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Vegan-Vegetarian-Capsules/dp/B00E816ROU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_121_lp_t_3

doctor's best d3 is vegan and cheap.

Of course, here's a few! I bought several for my 5 year old niece but she doesn't speak English yet (I'm her cool American auntie but unfortunately she lives on the other side of the world in Russia). I'm actually pissed at my brother because growing up, him being 17 years my senior, he would literally HOUND me about eating animals until I was about 9 years old and saw the light. But any time he'd bring home pizza he'd be like "you know what you're eating is a dead animal right" and now when I talk to my niece about he's like SHE'S TOO YOUNG LEAVE HER ALONE. Like, bro, what happened to you. Anyway! Here's a compilation:

​

Here's a little list from ChooseVeg

A very cute book at Barnes & Noble

Vegan is Love

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals

Steve the Vegan

Another great summary of Vegan Kids books!

Not to be "that guy" but buy this stuff instead. Good protein sources, FDA approved, solid amino's in it. It also tastes bomb and is fairly cheap for a vegan protein.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J074W94/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1484845424&sr=8-1&keywords=vegan+protein+powder

Have you tried this stuff? It's what I use. It doesn't blend as well as Whey did, but it's much better than Vega IMO.

Canned Jackfruit was recommended a meat sub in But I could never go vegan! if anyone wants a good book rec.

As a college student cooking for one (completely off a dining meal plan), my go-to recipe last semester was the following:

1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn (not creamed corn)
handful of chopped green onion
dash of salt and cumin
throw it all in a skillet and heat until mixed, and eat with tortilla chips. No access to a stove? Throw it in one of these: rice cooker/food steamer with some water, and press 'steam', stirring occasionally. This thing saved my sanity.

Other than that magic recipe, my advice is don't get home from class hungry. Have something waiting for you, be it fruits or veggies or some hummus and chips. Also, because pizza tends to be a main food group in college, try and find a local pizza place that offers no-cheese options, or Daiya (fake cheese) - it's getting more and more common. :)

Does this work as a good omega 3 supplement? It seems to be the cheapest I can find from a reputable brand?

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vitamins-Softgels-90-Count-Bottle-x/dp/B002XDQSSK/ref=sr_1_sc_1_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1549384458&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=vegan%2Bomega%2B3%2Bdvea&th=1

Deva makes vegan DHA supplements, and it costs about $20 on Amazon for a 3 month supply. I just ordered them today so I don't know how well they'll work.

Make sure you try to do little brain exercises too. Supplements may help, but trying to improve your memory will take effort as well.

If someone has a better suggestion or more suggestions, I'm open to them. I also have an awful memory :(

Everything I've made from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World has been amazing.

There is only one place for you to go then, and that's a recipe from this book. I made these during the holidays last winter, Golden Vanilla Cupcakes and Chocolate Buttercream frosting. You can't go wrong!

https://www.amazon.com/But-Could-Never-Go-Vegan/dp/1615192107/ref=cm_sw_em_r_cawdtod_wxe3wb1BW1S5H_tt

But I Could Never Go Vegan!

This book helped me believe I could actually go vegan. Creative, tasty recipes and every last one is an absolute hit!

garbanzo/ Chickpea egg?
here some recipes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a62y52IKMxo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu8am92PwlE

there is also that stuff they sell vegan egg

https://www.amazon.com/Follow-Your-Heart-VeganEgg-4-Ounce/dp/B0182XQRIU/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522707993&sr=8-3&keywords=vegan+egg


also if you make the tofu maybe she can try it ? This black sea really makes it taste like eggs here the one I use.

https://www.amazon.com/DEEP-Black-Salt-3-5-oz/dp/B003WLZXBU/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522708110&sr=8-3&keywords=black+salt+indian

I got this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1941252095?keywords=vegan%20richa&qid=1452442977&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Has a ton of recipes in it, all are pretty damn good.

For the workout stuff, I would check out Jon Venus on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/TheQuestForFitness. He's awesome.

For the Omega 3 stuff I take these https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vitamins-Softgels-90-Count-Bottle/dp/B002XDQSSK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1499872927&sr=8-3&keywords=vegan%2Bdha&th=1

They're derived from Algae which is where the fish get their Omega3. So you're cutting out the middleman.

It's also a good idea to get some DHA and EPA Omega 3s. This is like the vegan version of a fish oil capsule.

Our bodies don't easily convert ALA to DHA.

It's also important to pay attention to the ratio of omega 6 to 3. That number should be low. So any food with significantly higher levels of omega 6 than 3 (e.g. avocados, walnuts) should be avoided or countered with foods higher in omega 3 (e.g. flax, chia).

Vega Multivitamin

Try this link. This is the one I use. (:

If they have this book at the library, check it out and copy down some of the recipes. It's got a lot of really good advice in there, and if you are doing veggie burgers, there are plenty of recipes out there to make your own that are substantially cheaper than the frozen ones. Basically just black beans, bread crumbs, and spices, with a little hummus to get them to stick together.

Have you read that AfroVegan cook book? It's meant to be good

https://www.amazon.com/Afro-Vegan-Farm-Fresh-African-Caribbean-Southern/dp/1607745313

I recommend this or this.

I like these sprays (from Amazon):
D3
B12

Lots of good advice here, B12, plant-based milks, calories etc

But if you're somewhat overwhelmed by too much information and don't know what to do you have to option of just buying a vegan multivitamin and be done with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Vitamins-Multivitamin-Supplement/dp/B01FRJTSW4/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?keywords=Multivitamin+vegan&pd_rd_i=B01FRJTSW4&pd_rd_r=a1792494-7027-40d8-b6a7-1c86cc6ff369&pd_rd_w=cTP0p&pd_rd_wg=ujGxp&pf_rd_p=d006b618-5fac-44e6-850d-a0fdd19f7847&pf_rd_r=YV4C1N5M7MHM41K64VPH&qid=1558521863&s=gateway

Sounds interesting. I will have to check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Like-You-Care-Examination-ebook/dp/B00DLTN43C/

Yes, some of the others are made with sheep wool I believe. You can also order them on line. https://smile.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Vegan-Vegetarian-Capsules/dp/B00E816ROU/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1482094673&sr=8-3&keywords=vegan%2Bd3&th=1

If you like Indian food, this cookbook is pure gold.

Sounds like this person lacks intrinsic factor. The only way to GET b12 with someone who has pernicious anemia is by INJECTIONS. Not rectal injections just has to be intramuscular.

These are all notes from my hematology class.
Total body content of b12 is 5 mg.
minimal daily requirement is 1-3 MICROGRAMS.
The avg daily diet in western countries supplies 5-30 ug, of which 1-5 is absorbed.

http://i.imgur.com/4yzvEQa.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-mykind-Organics-Organic/dp/B00K5NEPJY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420497110&sr=8-2&keywords=b12+food+for+life

This is the kind I take, and my b12 was nearly over the reference range even after a month of not taking it.

I've never heard of Ritual but I just buy vegan vitamins on Amazon.

Multi and DHA from Deva.

I buy these, which seem to work well! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E816ROU

A year's supply of sublingual B-12 pills.

For example, here's the Deva Vegan B-12 supplement with 2500 mcg. There are 90 tablets for $13, and since you only need one tablet per week, that means it lasts 90 weeks (1.7 years). This comes to $7.50 per year. The brand I have was cheaper but I cannot find it now. There are also cheaper brands on Amazon and at local grocery stores.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

It's worth it.

People say d3 is easier for your body to absorb. Vegan D3 is harder to find but it exists. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E816ROU/ref=psdcmw_6936848011_t1_B009MHS9RI

Hey, if you're craving the egg taste, get some black salt aka kala namak! Look in the spice section of an international grocery store near you if you have one. Otherwise, you can order it online (like this or this). It imparts an eggy taste. It's popularly used in tofu scrambles and you can add it to deviled potatoes, too.

Definitely watch out for that, but there is vegan D3 available :D

http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Vegan-Vegetarian-Capsules/dp/B00E816ROU/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=05H5QSWS2Y905XJHC8Q2

Fish oil also doesn't contain B12. It's a source of omega-3s, which are another important nutrient that you should probably also be supplementing. Vegan sources are flax oil (not as good), or algae (which is actually where the omega-3s in fish oil come from to begin with -- fish eat algae).

I recommend B12 in general, but this is the one I use personally.

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-B12-Vitamin-Metabolism/dp/B00K5NEPJY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=garden+of+life+b12+spray&qid=1574127485&sprefix=garden+of+life+b&sr=8-3

Edit: I've had bloodwork done since I started using it and my B12 is normal.

>omega-3 which can only come from fish

Long-chain omega3s (EPA and DHA) in fish comes from the algae they consume... you can get vegan algae-based EPA/DHA supplements. Short chain omega3, ALA, is found in many vegetables, and especially in flaxseed, chia seeds, hempseeds, and walnuts. Our body can convert ALA to EPA/DHA.

> we must not try to look, hypocrite, when pouring that follow your heart dressing on our salads.

Bad wording aside, FYH dressing is vegan, containing flaxseed-oil and hempseeds for it's omega3 content. Check the ingredients.

I bought it in one of those health stores. You know, the ones that sell that weirdo organic, gluten free and healthy shit (here they often have vegan stuff. Can be downright treasure troves sometimes). Idk, I live in a small town, so it shouldn't be too hard to find? Worst case order it online.

It's obviously kinda pricey, but since I only use it for these egg kinda dishes, it lasts forever.

Sublingual or oral doesn't matter. You can swallow or a chew sublingual if you want, or get a capsule to swallow. I use Deva but there are tons to choose from.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Just because you are vegan doesn't mean you don't want a god damn cupcake every now and then.

she deserves your money

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739 buy this book

But I Could Never Go Vegan

You can also make it yourself. There's a recipe in the book But I Could Never Go Vegan!.

Thug Kitchen.

But I Could Never Go Vegan!

Also, look up some high-rated vegan restaurants or restaurants with vegan options on this site.

There are also many vegan cooking channels on YouTube, check out some of those.

I know Deva has this but I don't know anything about pre-natal vitamins.

https://smile.amazon.com/DEEP-Black-Salt-3-5-oz/dp/B003WLZXBU/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1527706512&sr=8-4&keywords=kala+namak&dpID=51EigfPKPIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Not expensive.

I take these :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LL7AXE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

diet mostly, but i also take a Ovega 3

and i eat a brazil every few days or so. walnuts and flax powder in my morning oatmeal.

my advice is to write down what you eat in a typical week, keeping in mind portions / weight. at the end of the week do a little research and see if you're covered. supplement as necessary or add a few things in.

This is what I use.

I use this one:

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E816ROU/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_1_s_it?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=9ddc66f6-9fc0-49ff-b2fa-06a39d9859e6&pd_rd_wg=hzGvB&pf_rd_r=NMHCMKKMH0BTJT3WMZC7&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00E816ROU&pd_rd_w=vWPG3&pf_rd_i=vitamin+d3&pd_rd_r=3750071d-0fe3-46e0-afe5-f1d2e28e2cc8&ie=UTF8&qid=1539024610&sr=1

My apologies, that still wasn't the correct link, jeez. Here is the vegan D3, $8/60 caps