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Home › Expert Q&A › Vegetarian Issues › My family is considering going vegan. Any tips?

Expert Q&A

 

By Melanie Wilson
Vegetarian Cooking and Lifestyle Expert

My family is considering going vegan. Any tips?

Deciding to become a vegan family means that you will not only be leaving behind all meat, but also eggs, dairy and honey, and moving away from the use of animal by-products like leather and silk. It sounds like a tall order, but don't let the size of the task dishearten you! Just as you may have once felt that meat was an indispensable part of your diet, you also will reach a place where you are happy not eating any animal products and choosing non-animal alternatives for clothing and accessories is second nature to you. You will find that your thinking changes from "what we cannot eat or buy" to "what we can eat and buy" and, finally, to "what we choose to eat and buy." Following are some practical suggestion for beginning your journey.

  • First and foremost, set your mind right. This doesn't have to be an all or nothing venture right from the start. Gentle World, the producers of Incredibly Delicious: The Vegan Paradigm Cookbook, advise that you go easy on yourself and try not to think of the transition as forever, if that's too much for you. Tell your children you want to give this new lifestyle a try; that you're going to take it slowly and give them a finite amount of time to begin with. You can extend that time later. Set whatever time goal feels achievable to you. As the old saying goes, take it one day at a time.
  • Start out simply. Ask yourself: What are the easiest things to change in our diet and wardrobe? The items with obvious substitutes should go first. Use butter instead of margarine. Try switching soy, rice, oat or almond milk for cow's milk; first in your baking, then for drinking. If your family is really addicted to the taste of dairy milk, mix it at a 25/75 ratio and gradually increase the vegan milk until they like the taste. Remember how hard it was to switch from whole milk to 2 percent or from 2 percent to skim? This is much the same – you do get used to it. Buy an egg replacer (Ener-G is a good choice), a powdered substance that works wonders in baking. Buy maple syrup instead of honey. As for your wardrobe, take the less-expensive and easily replaceable items to Goodwill and pledge to replace the more expensive leather shoes, belts, etc. with vegan alternatives when they wear out. These are changes that probably won't upset the balance too much, and you can make family projects out of cleaning out the closets and visiting the health food store with new goals in mind.
  • Brave your local health food market.
I know these places can be daunting – full of strange items you've never even heard of, herbs that you can't imagine ever using and bin upon bin of bulk items you're accustomed to buying measured and packaged. You don't want to waste money buying a bunch of things you aren't going to use, so you need to set out with clear list and an open mind. You should already have purchased a good vegan cookbook and made note of a few recipes you and your family are willing to try. Make your shopping list based on these recipes and buy items in the smallest amounts possible (that's where those bulk bins come in handy). Don't be shy about talking to the workers. Health food markets often employ people who are knowledgeable in using the items you are considering. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find out about good products. Ask others to recommend a trusted brand of falafel mix or a tasty vegan cookie.

  • Expand your food horizons. Many children (and adults!) find change hard to take, so try introducing new foods in combination with old favorites. And keep in mind that you don't have to serve new foods every day. In fact, it may be better not to if you don't want to risk mutiny! Try having an entirely new vegan meal only once or twice a week in the beginning. An idea adapted from Virginia and Mark Messina's book Total Health for You and Your Family the Vegetarian Way is to list several foods your family enjoys that are already vegan. Can't think of any? How about spaghetti with crumbled veggie burgers, a green salad and bread? Or tofu-vegetable stir-fry over rice? Then make small changes in a few recipes your family already enjoys to make them vegan. Try bean burritos with shredded lettuce, homemade tomato salsa with corn chips and sauteed onions and zucchini on the side. You could even get adventurous and add a simple tofu sour cream. Finally, the Messinas suggest you add a few new menu items. Your kids are sure to enjoy falafel-filled pitas with hummus, and you can throw in a tomato and cucumber salad to round it out. If they don't take to the new foods right away, don't fret it. Just keep trying and experimenting.

  • Educate yourself on vegan nutrition. This is another area where your choice of a vegan cookbook or manual can serve another useful purpose. Contrary to common belief, it is not difficult to get the nutrition you need from a balanced vegan diet. The key to that statement is balanced. Anyone with children knows that task can be challenging, and if you've just cut out another food group, you may be worried. Rest assured that families all over the world are meeting their families' protein, iron and zinc needs by serving a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils and other delicious vegan foods, ensuring adequate consumption of vitamin B12 and vitamin D by including enriched items like packaged cereals in the diet, and meeting their calcium needs by serving lots of greens, tofu, nuts and enriched non-dairy milks. Make the most of snacks by opting for choices that are high in nutrients. Rid your cabinet of empty calories – make every bite count!

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