Flirting with Vegetarianism/Veganism

[Laurlo82]

I've been interested in becoming Vegetarian/Vegan for awhile now. Over the course of a year I eliminated all meat other than seafood from my diet but now am thinking of eliminating seafood as well. The only problem is I have no idea how to go about it... in terms of what to cook instead. I also have absolutely no support from my carnivorous friends and family who are fearful I will not get enough protein or that they will feel bad if they cannot feed me...

So I am hoping I can find a bit of support through these forums to help me make the commitment to at least vegetarianism.

[des]

Hi there - I'm in a similar situation as you. I eliminated red meat from my diet two decades ago, and just recently cut out poultry and fish and trying to transition to full vegan. None of my friends are vegetarian/vegan and don't really have an interest, which is why I joined the BAV site. I'm trying to attend as many events as I can, to learn and hopefully gain a new social network.

There are a ton of cookbooks with great and easy vegan recipes, I actually started with Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet (it's actually very educational and some easy-to-start with vegan recipes). Though I've only been on this list for a short time, there are a lot of opportunities to meet others and seems to be strong support for newbies!
- Desiree

[Laurlo82]

thanks so much Desiree!

I actually have read Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, but I have yet to successfully make anything in the cook book. I'm hoping to take lessons on how to cook vegetarian, but have yet to find anywhere. (I cannot make the one class listed on the BA Veg site.)

I'll have to check out an event to actually meet up with some supportive people. I feel as if my friends and family are just annoyed by how I am inconveniencing them now.

[Warren]

I think getting some good easy vegan cook books is one of the best ways to go about trying to cook vegan food. There are many vegan cookbooks available. If you just type in vegan on the amazon website you will find that many vegan cookbooks come up. One you might want to try to look for vegan versions of your favorite foods. So for example if you like burritos, look for recipes for how to make vegan burritos. There are also a lot of good meat and dairy substitutes out there that make things easier. If you have a natural foods store in your area that will definitely be a good place to shop although you can certainly find everything you need to make many delicious vegan meals.
Not sure what area you are in but Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco is a great place to shop for vegan food. They have many meat and dairy substitutes. a great website that has many vegan items is veganessentials.com
Going to bay area veg events is definitely a great way to meet other veggie folks.
Good luck and I hope that you can find some supportive friends.