Vegan Lives & Vegan Vibes

I am so sorry, but somehow I did not see this message until just now! 

To answer your question, I actually have not been vegan my whole life! Just like the majority of the population, I grew up eating a balanced diet that included a lot of fruit, vegetables, some lean meats, dairy, etc. When I turned twelve/thirteen I just lost the interest to eat meat and dairy, I guess. It’s complicated lol. But, I’ve been vegan for over six years now so wooooooo!

Also, congratulations on becoming vegan! It is a commitment that you should be proud of:) To help with the meal prepping aspect of this, I recommended searching popular recipes blogs like Oh She Glows, Neurotic Mommy, Vegan Richa, and a ton more! I, too, have many recipes that you are able to browse through:) I addition, be patient with yourself and do not beat yourself up if you accidentally eat something that contains an animal product (we are all human and make mistakes). It is very important to embrace this lifestyle and all of the beautiful (or challenging) events that may come with it. Good luck!

Hey! I have never actually made vegan protein powder on my own, but I found a few recipes that you could try!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/diy-vegan-protein-powders/

https://www.thekitchn.com/the-homemade-vegan-protein-mix-i-add-to-smoothies-239300

https://greenpress.co/blogs/news/you-need-to-make-your-own-protein-powder-learn-how

https://www.ticklingpalates.com/homemade-vegan-protein-powder/

https://theplantphilosophy.com/diy-3-ingredient-vegan-protein-powder/

If you try any of these recipes and enjoy one let me know! Good luck!

Thank you! I am personally not a big cheese fan in general, but here are a few brands that I do enjoy at times (in no particular order).

Daiya

Kite Hill

Field Roast

Treeline Treenut Cheeses

Violife

Follow Your Heart

Annie’s 

Give these a try, and I hope this helps!:)

I’ve never been asked this question before, but I do know that some plastic items have animal fats in them. Unfortunately, we live in a non-vegan world, where many products are manufactured with animals products. Although it is sad, I would not get too caught up in this, and continue to do the best that you can to make the world a better place!

Hi there! For beginner vegans, I recommend to take it slow and be positive! We are all human, therefore, will make mistakes from time to time:) (WHICH IS PERFECTLY FINE AND NORMAL BTW) I also think that it’s super important to try a bunch of different foods, and to have fun trying new dishes and cooking new recipes! As for blogs and such, I really love Oh She Glows and Vegan Richa (healthyliveshealthyvibes hehe). Lastly, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!☺️ Transitioning to veganism is not always a breeze, and should be a lifestyle change! So please take it easy on yourself, so that is possible👍 I hope this helps! xx

Hi there! I love how you’re trying to become vegan! It’s awesome! I know it’s a cliché, but the saying “Everything in moderation” applies perfectly to this situation. Soy products are great, but like anything else, can be detrimental if you consume too much of it. Your best bet is to enjoy/ learn to enjoy whole, healthy foods like fruits, grains, veggies, etc. In women, soy has been known to increase the production of estrogen. This can lead to many dangerous health problems such as various cancers, and hormonal/skin problems as well. I still think that you can enjoy your favorite soy products, but be wary to not overdo your consumption:) I hope this helps😊

Hi! Congratulations on deciding to go vegan:) When transitioning to veganism, I do not recommended quitting “cold turkey”. This can lead to binging and feelings of guilt later on. I think that you should start cutting animal products out little by little. Yet, keep your consumption in moderation. This will allow your body to adapt to the changes within your diet, and will respond well to the new products. I recommend eating nondairy cheeses such as Daiya and others to satisfy your taste for cheese ( or even nutritional yeast). As for weight loss, healthy foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits will suffice. However, veganism is not just about losing weight, and I encourage you to study more about it (if that is the case). Good luck!💛

Don’t listen to what those people are saying. Clearly, they don’t understand the point of veganism, if they are encouraging you to consume dairy! Yes, the nutritional benefits from most nut milks are not as high as the benefits you would get eating them raw. But, that does not mean that it is completely void of all vitamins and nutrients:) Drink whatever nut milk you like, and I recommend you try rice milk or coconut milk💛

I am not a medical professional, so please just take this as advice:) The amount of weight you will gain depends on how long you were restricting your calories, and starving your body. I recommend seeing a dietician and your doctor to determine how many calories you should be eating to get back to a healthy weight. There are calculators that you can use online as well, yet they only provide you with a VERY rough estimate, and do not take into consideration other factors like metabolism, etc. I commend you for wanting to get better, but YOU HAVE TO WORK ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD. It will take time, but it is so worth it in the long run. Learn to love yourself, love food, and get in a healthy mindset💛 Good luck and don’t be afraid to eat veggies, fruits, grains, etc!

Congrats on going vegan!🤗 I’m sorry but I cannot give you medical advice because I am not a doctor, but I recommend that you eat until you are satisfied! Do not deprive yourself of healthy foods, and make sure that you eat vegetables, fruits, grains, and healthy fats. The amount is different for every individual, so just eat intuitively! You can also take calcium, B12, and iron (but I do not recommend this very much because too much iron in the blood can lead to hemochromatosis). Even a daily multivitamin may help. Best wishes!

I don’t think that it is possible to cut ALL sugar out of your diet. Glucose fuels your body with energy, and is what allows your body to reproduce cells to stay healthy. However, if you are worried about the amount of ADDED SUGARS into your diet (which are not from whole, natural foods) then I recommend cutting the processed foods from your diet😊 You can also make your own versions of those processed foods, and make them healthier! I also think that vitamin drinks are sugar traps, so I recommend drinking water, tea (unsweetened), and real fruit juice (so you don’t feel deprived:)). I hope this helps!

First off, congrats on turning vegan!🎉☺️ Second, I KNOW. THE CRAVINGS SUCK. However, don't be discouraged because they're perfectly normal! When you first cut things that you normally ate, out of your diet, it is only expected that your body will kind of freak out, and wonder why your eating habits have suddenly changed. In order to help your cravings, I recommend buying dairy free cheese! The most popular ( and one of my personal favorites hehe ) is Daiya! But brands like Follow Your Heart, Go Veggie, Vegan Gourmet, etc. are all great brands! Along with this, it's okay if you cannot quit eating cheese "cold turkey". Becoming vegan is all about taking baby steps, and doing whatever you can to help the animals after all🤗 Just take it day by day and don't give up💪 I hope this helps and good luck!

I know that the original recipe sadly is not:( But when I make them, I use vegan cheese (Daiya), butter (Earth Balance), and don’t use sour cream because it’s not my taste lol! It’s so easy to substitute non-vegan products nowadays. Hence why going vegan is awesome!

Hi! I definitely know how you feel. It can be really hard and especially awkward to be that one person who doesn’t want to eat what everyone else is eating. Some of the best foods you can eat to get protein are (no particular order:))1: Nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Brazil, PEANUTS, Hazelnuts)2: Tofu3: Beans (Kidney, Black, Pinto)4: Peas5: Broccoli 6: Chia Seeds7: Ground Flaxseed8: Lentils9: Whole Grains (Oats, Oat Bran)You can also incorporate a daily protein smoothie with fruit or anything you desire with hemp protein power, rice protein powder, pea protein powder, etc.

THERE ARE A CRAP TON. So just try out a few and find what you like!

Once again, these are just my favorites and what I eat daily😄 I hope this helps!

While I do appreciate your opinion, I only suggested SUBSTITUTES for honey; agave happening to be one of the most common such as maple syrup, to those who wish to not consume honey any longer.

However, I am questioning where you found the information that persuaded you to believe that too much honey is detrimental to bees. Please link the source.

I do know that the extra honey that is stored gives the bees more room to make it through rough winters, summers, or a very prolific season where they happen to swarm multiple times and don’t have a high population during the summer flow.

Along with this, how are bees supposed to know how much honey is too much or too little? Everything that we consider “excess” they will turn into swarms for the upcoming year. They are preparing for upcoming generations. HONEY DOES NOT EXPIRE.

http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/why-do-bees-make-honey.htmlhttp://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

There is also little information known about the environmental impacts of agave nectar production. If you are talking about the impact of it on a smaller scale, manufacturing agave nectar does require the farmer to kill the plant completely; which is a problem because the plants are not a quickly renewing resource. (I actually love tequila so this is depressing me lol.)

BUT, I find your argument very poorly researched. Thanks for your opinion though, and the free laughs.

Good question! A controversial topic for sure. I personally believe that honey should not be eaten if one is vegan. However, I also believe that one shouldn’t freak out and hate themselves if they accidentally eat it! 

For example, a friend of mine recently went vegan a few months back. Turns out, she didn’t see that honey was in one of the cookies she ate. As you can infer, she called me and was pretty much bawling her eyes out! Clearly, I find that this kind of behavior over a minor slip up is totally unnecessary (and even quite funny)! The meme below was my reaction to a tee lol.

As most of us know, honey bees have recently been added to the endangered species list. This is definitely awful because these small creatures play a very powerful role in our environment. However, I feel like it must be mentioned that the extinction of these poor bees is not the direct result of people cultivating their honey. Yes, many bees may be squashed on or stepped on in the cultivating process by the farmer, but they are not all dropping dead around the globe because of this. 

Rather, the major causes of their decline is due to

As claimed by Green Peace here!

All in all, the cultivation of honey is not the main cause of the decline of bees! Yet, it does contribute to it and can (and should) be stopped. 

If you read this and decide that you do not want to buy and use honey any longer (yay!) then here are some alternatives that are awesome to use:)

Please remember that this is just my personal opinion:) Remember that being vegan is not about judging others who are trying to benefit the planet and themselves just as much as you are! Even slowly starting to cut more and more animal products out of your diet, and even stopping wearing and supporting clothing companies, makeup companies, etc. that contribute to the suffering of animals is doing a lot of good. Once again, do not beat yourself up for being human and making mistakes. We all do it, and you should use that experience and learn so you can grow from it:)