A while back, a member left our group because of anger that we don't allow smoking and drinking at events, yet we allow dairy, which he strongly condemned. Initially I wrote the member's comment off, but then did some research and found what goes on in the egg and dairy industries to be disconcerting . But I was in chronic crunch-time mode in my work and the time wasn't auspicious for me to give going vegan a try.

But now I just read Marco Borges (he advises big-name celebrities on health and nutrition) article 22 days for the best of your life! Among other things, in the article he challenges the reader to go Vegan for 21 days to see how they feel. He predicts they will feel better. So I have decided to do it, starting June 1st, which will give me plenty of time to prepare. I am getting a juicer ready and going to finish all the milk products in my refrigerator by then.

I am looking at this as a 21 day experiment to see how a vegan diet works out for me.

If you have thought about trying vegan, why not commit to starting June 1st? If you do, say so here and let's share what we learn.

Report on week one--

So I took the challenge and have been vegan for one week now. Since then I have eaten a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables, mostly blended or run through a food processer. That part I have finally gotten down so that I can mix some cool stuff and be happy with it. Sprinkling sunflower seeds on after the rest has been processed makes it taste fuller.

The week started out with a certain amount of hope. I bought all these fantastic veggies and fruits; it was a very colorful and healthy collection of food items. But the depressing side to it was that as a vegetarian I had figured out perfectly what foods would satisfy me. As a vegan, going without skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and regular fat cheeses--this was miserable for me. Soy milk seemed too bizarre to consider and I never thought of it until I was sufficiently miserable. Then I decided that I must try it. I originally found it to be palatable, but only mildly satisfying. Certainly it was an alien food for me. But it was better than going without. I bought three brands to see if I could find one I liked. But now they all taste okay to me, but still somewhat alien. I will try a lower fat version when I buy some next time.

At a certain point I realized that we are designed to be vegetarian or omnivores, since B12 doesn’t come from plant products. And calcium is readily available from non-vegan sources. That had me wondering about whether going vegan was healthy or unhealthy. But now I have fortified soy milk, that covers some of the concerns I had.

I just played soccer. I want something satisfying to eat, but I am not inspired by my vegan options. And I don’t yet know what kind of food to eat before a grueling game so that I have optimal energy throughout my play.

So, at the end of week one, going vegan isn’t the worst thing in the world, but I it isn’t a satisfying experience for me either. But I will continue to learn and try to make the experience and my choices during this experiment work out well.

I did find some inspiration two days ago when I learned that Carl Lewis was vegan when he did some of his phenomenal athletic feats.

From my recent experience doing a 28 day raw vegan food detox, I learned a lot about myself. So I think you should see this experiment as the same for you. It doesn't need to be an immediate 100% diet change forever. There are different levels of eating on the path to veganism.
You can also try almond or hemp milk - they might be more satisfying.

The almond milk is wonderful. I noticed that Whole Foods now carries Coconut milk as well, but I have not tried it yet. It is also low in calories (50 calories per glass of the unsweetened version). The Blue Diamond almond milk unsweetened version has only 40 calories per glass, and it works great with my whey protein mix.

Hi Reid,

For some people becoming vegan is a process, some can do it cold turkey and never look back. It took me 15 years to go from vegetarian to full vegan and 10 years in before I even considered it and learned the truth about the factory farms where eggs and dairy is concerned. Of course, 20 years ago when I went vegetarian there weren't the resources we have today. Just some books. It is much easier now and the veggie burgers tasted horrible 20 years ago! :)

I could send you tons of links of horrible YouTube videos that will make you never want to go eating commercial dairy again. But I am sure you are probably familiar with them. There are health risks involved in eating too much dairy too.

Getting used to the alternatives is a bodily and psychological process - just like giving up meat. I am sure you know this. If you just had real cheese yesterday, the vegan cheeses you eat today aren't going to cut it for you. It takes time for your body to adjust. You will be surprised how rich and creamy, soy, almond and hemp milks will taste once you acclimate to them and you won't miss the dairy. The trick is not to go back to eating the dairy milk again to compare because that will put you back a step.

I had the same experience especially with eggs. When I decided to stop eating them, it was a quite a while before I decided I wanted to try them again and when I did they tasted weird to me. Good thing because than I didn't want them anymore! Never went back.

Mayonnaise was hard for me than they invented Veganaise and I swear my prayers were answered. It is the vegan answer to heavy mayo. :)

Another thing is that many people believe that the calcium in dairy isn't the proper one for the human body and isn't as well assimilated by the bones as plant calcium. Plant calcium is of higher caliber and a better calcium to have than dairy and you would be surprised how many vegan foods have calcium. Almonds is a good one. A 8oz glass of almond milk has 30% of the RDA of calcium. Bok Choy also has calcium.

Regarding the B12, I recently just learned that it apparently takes a vegetarian person 20 years after they give up meat to become deficient in B12. I am at my 20 year mark so I take a supplement (get the sublinguial one) but hemp milk contains B12 as does a new Coconut milk beverage that is out by Soy Delicious (comes in the boxes like the almond milk) has 50%. I just bought a box so I am getting around to trying it myself.

If you are having trouble with cheese, Whole Foods sells a vegetarian cheese that is rennetless. Many vegs don't know that most commercial cheeses are made with rennet that comes from the lining of the cows stomach - obviously the cow has to die for this. So if you are a vegetarian for ethical reasons, commercial cheese isn't really in line with those beliefs. The Rennetless is very tasty - I have had it - it contains cow's milk without the hormones. It might be a good stepping stone for you. I didn't learn about what rennet really was until that 10 year mark.

For me, vegan cheeses satisfy what I want if I start thinking about cheese but I have a strong willpower when it comes to giving stuff up and I realize it might not be the same for others.

Point is that don't worry too much about the changes in nutrition you can still get what you need and if you really want to get there, you'll get there eventually. Incorporating raw vegan food into the mix adds more variety too.

Need any advice let me know. I've had a long journey with this and I have tried everything. Good Luck! :)

Oh forgot to add: Robert Cheeke is a vegan athlete. He has a book out. I haven't read it but many vegans are very impressed by it. If you are interested in energy for your games, he might be a good vegan resource. http://www.robertchee...

Congratulations Reid on your first week into veganism. There are now so many dairy alternatives to enjoy it will not take you long to find wonderful subs for those things you thought you could never go without. Just be kind to yourself and read as much as you can to educate yourself to the unhealthy side of dairy. Not just to us humans but to the animals themselves. Just think of all the pain and suffering you are not injesting by no longer supporting the veal industry. Remember the dairy and veal industries are one and the same. Just take a drive to Wisconsin and you will see all the veal crates hiding behind the dairy barns. They have to do something with the male calves....

Greetings Reid, All:
Here are some of the "un-dairy" and other things that I like. My apologies and please let me know, if I've listed something that isn't vegan. I'll want to drop it, if I've been making a mistake.

My happy "gathering-grounds" are Whole Foods and farmers' markets (I'm in Wheaton), and occasionally other big chain grocery stores, but with less luck and selection. Trader Joe's may have some stuff.

- "Follow Your Heart" brand un-cheese, and
- Tofutti's "Better Than Cream Cheese" - try on sandwich with your favorite jelly/jam.
- I favor Rice Dream ("milk") over the soy-based ones (but I like rice); the soy drinks are mostly OK. Don't think of them as cow juice, but as a "refreshing soy/rice/almond/coconut/... beverage".
- Nasoya's "Nayonaise".
- Some margarines have whey, but not my favorite, Earth Balance. Smart Balance _Light_ is not as much fun for me.
- There are soy (Silk Live), rice and coconut-based "yogurts". (One brand, sigh, admits to using milk-based cultures.)
- Agave syrup light does nicely in place of honey.
- Don't forget Fair Trade vegan chocolates.

If you come north in Chicago, consider Chicago Diner (3411 N Halsted) (http://www.veggiedine.... They say "All vegetarian, mostly vegan menu". They had a gyros at Chicago Green Fest ... uhm, curled my toes.

Watch out on breads, many have dairy or honey.

I'll echo the advice of others, it's a process, and not everyone can, or did, go "cold tofu". My process was about 3-6 months, starting around the end of 2007, and a few times I fell off the veggie wagon (circumstantial, where my choices were either eat it, or waste the food _and_ stay hungry.)
Try not to compare, but ask: "Do I like this thing in front of me?" If not, don't force yourself into hating it. A very wise friend would revisit foods he didn't "love at first bite"; he came to enjoy many foods after re-trying them.
When I'm really wanting something that I no longer choose to eat, well, I take a deep breath, remember all the reasons why I went vegan, and then it's not such a craving anymore.
There is also learning how to be vegan, and we can proceed with more confidence when we're sure we are not hurting ourselves.

One last thought. Us humans have flat molars and big hearts, so that we _can_ be vegans, and big brains so we can do vegan well, and enjoy ourselves!

Thanks Kim for mentioning the B-12 issue. I didn't know that. I've been eating B-12 supplements for the past several years. Maybe I don't need that much. Maybe I'm overdosing on it, but it's water soluable, so I guess it passes without causing toxicity.

I second the almond milk. We also didn't care for the soy much, and were relieved to find the Blue Diamnd Almond. Silk also makes almond milk, too, now, found in your regular grocer.
If you can hit a Whole Foods or health food store/co-op, you should find lots of satisfying non-dairy options.

I also really like the Follow Your Heart brand cheeses - when you use this SHREDDED on top of a casserole or pizza, whatever, be sure to put it under the broiler on high for the last 1 - 2 minutes of cooking.

I highly recommend you get a vegan cookbook or two. I like THE VEGAN TABLE by Colleen Patrick- Goudreau, as well as cookbooks by Robin Robertson.

Some things to stock your pantry with that will help fill you up and be more "satisfying" - extra-firm tofu, aseptic pkgs of silken tofu (for making dressings, dips, and desserts, etc.), tempeh, nutritional yeast flakes, BEANS, all kinds. The tofu and beans, especially, have fat and protein to help fill you up. Make sure you're getting your whole grains, too.

Good luck! I know it seems really daunting and inconvenient at first, but after the first couple of months, esp. if you learn to cook for yourself, it'll get easier.

Gerry,

No, you can still take your B-12 (the sublinguial one is the best goes under your tongue). I wouldn't worry about toxicity for that. - there is no documented toxicity for it. I have taken it before my 20 years and no problems. I guess it can possibly take the 20 years before you could develop problems that would point to a B12 deficiency - but there is agreement and disagreement on this point. For me, I find it help gives a bit of an energy boost so I might be deficient. It is mostly available in organs meat but vegan wise you also have algaes and some fermented prodcuts in addition to the nut milks etc. Some veggies have B12 too.

I like this link:
http://whfoods.org/ge...