Guest guest Posted January 23, 2005 Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 Hi everyone, My name is Jill, I live near Chicago, and I have recently become a Vegan for the past month and prior to that I was a Lacto Ovo Vegetarian for about 10 years. I thought giving up cheese would be the hardest thing for me (I swear I always believed it was addictive), and I was concerned about what I would be able to eat, but I am definitely eating better than I ever have. I do eat my favorites still (which also happen to be Vegan) Luna bars, Gardenburgers Riblets and G.B. Buffalo Wings~Yum, but I do make alot more fresh fruit and veggie protein smoothies as well as eat alot of tofu and wheatgluten. I still have to watch out not to eat too many candies and cookies or Very Vanilla Silk or Silk Nog although(I found my favorites were on PETA's accidentally vegan list), but I feel I have more energy now, and I have started graduating from long distance walking to shorter (but more difficult for me) slow jogging as well as weight training. Since I like to eat I need to exercise fairly often which keeps me in the best shape of my life. Otherwise, I would be a fat Vegan. But my gastrointestinal issues have eased, and I am definitely more regular (if you know what I mean) now. Luckily, I am in an area and I work by the areas, too, where they have Vegan Meetups, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Wild Oats, Fruitful Yield and the dollar store, Deals, in Downers Grove even has an overstock of Vegan Turtle Island PB Frozen Soy dessert...(for a buck) Yum! This week I even found a fairly good and passable nondairy "cheese" pizza which I bought at the Downers Grove Fruitful Yield~Tofutti's "Cheese" pan pizza slices..I added extra veggies, spices and hot sauce but the texture, crispy crust and consistency reminded me of my favorite yummy pizza! And three decent size slices only cost about $3..I would definitely bring them to my next pizza party. BTW, what I have found to work and help me is at any health or special grocery I ask to talk to any employees who are Vegan so I can ask them questions. Everyone has been very nice so far although some places confuse people who only eat poultry with Vegans..LOL By the way, I found an awesome discounted website for Vegan Vitamins...www.vitanetonline.com. My biggest issues is that even Vegetarian vitamins aren't all suited for Vegans and many foods are not marked clearly as being Vegan. Frustrating! I get super frustrated when I relaixze to be truly 100% Vegan I couldn't drive my vehicle ( the tires, you know), ride on the roads, use engine oil, use camera film, etc etc. so I do my best with what I eat, drink, wear, and try not to get too hung up on hidden ingredient with code names. I just try to live as humanely as possible..Thank God fo rmy friends who cater to my needs for meals at their homes and for my sweet husband who helps support me emotionally. I am married to a very supportive (and super cute...lol) animal friendly man for the past 12 years, too, and although he isn't Vegan he eats moslty Vegetarian and will eat anything I buy...He was my inspiration to be super healthy and he has been my personal trainer...I feel truly blessed by God! Nice to meet you all~ Peace & Blessings, Keep living as humanely as you are & sharing the knowledge! Jill P>S> Thanks to my brother in law, Luke's friend Murray (a Chicago Meetup member, I believe) for showing my Veganism is truly something possible for me to do to live more humanely ~I saw him on Christmas, and he inspired and challenged me... Thanks, bro (My Vegan Bro!!)! Jesus is my Rafting Guide in the River of Life!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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