Hi all

Bran

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Oct 8, 2016
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37
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North London
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  1. Vegan newbie
Hey all,
figured id introduce myself here,
I'm Bran I'm 30 and iIlive in north London,

I have been vegetarian, vegan and omnivore,
when I tried to go vegan a few years ago it caused many arguments at home, then I fell ill from trying to transition too quickly and my body went into detox, at the time I didn't know why I was ill, so to ease the pressures at home I went back to the old ways, and have been living a stressful life.

now I am back doing more research on how to transition gently, and regain my health as I have put on a lot of weight recently.

my reasons for choosing the vegan life is for ethical reasons of the modern farming practices, and the ECO side of life as mother earth provides for us we need to look after her as she does us

Bran
 
Hey Bran :)

Sounds like your first transition was an awful experience, hopefully this time it's about smoother for you!! Xx
 
Hey Bran :)

Sounds like your first transition was an awful experience, hopefully this time it's about smoother for you!! Xx


many thanks :blush:
it was hard, my mother does not know how to listen

hopefully, this time will be better o_O
 
many thanks :blush:
it was hard, my mother does not know how to listen

hopefully, this time will be better o_O

I wonder if that's a mum thing "well it never did me any harm" attitude!!

How's it going so far?? Xx
 
His Bran, I'm new here too. Vegan for around five months now and the first three to four weeks was pretty grim. I didn't want to transition gently, after my eyes were opened I couldn't stand the thought of consuming any more animal products. I allowed the kids to finish the last of the milk, cheese etc and then that was it. I would've thrown a the stuff out but that in itself seemed so wasteful and disrespectful in a way. I'm hoping to find some fellow vegans to chat to on here as I don't know any irl!
 
His Bran, I'm new here too. Vegan for around five months now and the first three to four weeks was pretty grim. I didn't want to transition gently, after my eyes were opened I couldn't stand the thought of consuming any more animal products. I allowed the kids to finish the last of the milk, cheese etc and then that was it. I would've thrown a the stuff out but that in itself seemed so wasteful and disrespectful in a way. I'm hoping to find some fellow vegans to chat to on here as I don't know any irl!

hi, thanks for the reply,
I understand what you mean, factory farming and slaughter practices are terrible, not to mention the environmental impacts of the conventional way of life.

the reason I am transitioning gently this time is to give my body a chance to adapt slowly and more importantly, to help with getting my mother onboard with my life choices, if it's a little slower and gentle she can adapt too, and so it will minimise family arguments etc whilst I am living at home.

may I ask where you are from? I am sure you will find comfort and plenty of like-minded people here to become friends with including me =D

Bran
 
I wonder if that's a mum thing "well it never did me any harm" attitude!!

How's it going so far?? Xx


I guess it is a mum thing, the frustrating part is my mum is a disabled woman with many complaints and last time I was trying to educate her about some things and how cutting down on meat and going more plant based will do wanders for her health or even cure her of something if she can keep it and reduce her meds but she just won't listen ='(

so far she's fine with cleaning chemicals to be cruelty-free, so things like shampoo and loo cleaner etc I have bought and are vegan-friendly and currently she's treating me as a vegetarian so, it's a step in the right direction just a little more work and I will be fully vegan =)
 
Welcome Bran!

I have been vegan almost six years and went vegan overnight, but to be fair I had an intolerance to dairy for years before hand so had already been avoiding it since 1999 with the exception of plain Greek yogurt, and in the beginning of my intolerance I would try lactose free milk but it still made me sick. I had never been much of a meat eater, and I had already loved to cook healthy alternative types of foods (I was introduced to beans, millet, buckwheat groats and so on long before I knew what vegan was), so the transition wasn't too hard for me. I went vegan for ethical reasons, but also environmental, so it was a great motivation to start fresh as a vegan and get rid of the chemical cleaners and toiletries in my house. Transitioning away from my leather, silk, wool, and other animal bags, clothes etc took a few more months.

Do you have more support with family this time around? How do you plan to work around this issue or do you live alone now? I live with a mostly vegetarian partner. We have been together over 18 years. He was not happy about my veganism at first. We had some arguments. I put my foot down and made it clear I would not buy or prepare animal products, but would happily make vegan meals. If he wanted to buy his own animal products he could, as we share our house. All along I have kept separate cupboard space for my own foods (that I gladly share), and we have separate areas in the refrigerator and freezer so his dairy does not come close to my stuff. My Blendtec blender is off limits to any animal food, and I have separate pots, pans, dishes etc. For the most part he finally gave up meat, though once a month or so he still eats fish, and when we travel to visit his parents two or three times a year they feed him meat. :/ He cut out eggs completely but can not seem to let go of his dairy, otherwise he eats largely plant food which is a huge deal because he was a big meat eater before I became vegan. I did try him on all kinds of plant milks but he doesn't seem to like them. At any rate, it has taken a long time and a lot of patience for him to come around, and now he admires my convictions and that I walk the walk no matter the situation. Though I eat largely whole plant foods, I do compromise some and buy and prepare some processed vegan foods because he seems to love those and it keeps him eating more vegan. It also challenges me away from too much restriction (I used to be severely underweight). I am the bread winner and quite independent. I think it would be harder living in a family where you have less control over stuff. But not impossible. Making clear boundaries and making your needs and wishes clear is very important when you live with others who do not share your way of life. You really have to stand up for yourself and what you believe in, and you need to believe in it strongly and faithfully. There will be social pressure, and people will want to argue, and learning how to deal with these types of situations will help greatly. It doesn't mean you have to win every argument. You can choose not to partake in baiting and insults, or in having to prove your lifestyle. It can go the other way too, and too much preachiness can drive others away or cause even more conflict. There is definitely a learning curve!

Best wishes on your transition!
 
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I guess it is a mum thing, the frustrating part is my mum is a disabled woman with many complaints and last time I was trying to educate her about some things and how cutting down on meat and going more plant based will do wanders for her health or even cure her of something if she can keep it and reduce her meds but she just won't listen ='(

so far she's fine with cleaning chemicals to be cruelty-free, so things like shampoo and loo cleaner etc I have bought and are vegan-friendly and currently she's treating me as a vegetarian so, it's a step in the right direction just a little more work and I will be fully vegan =)

That's really good, something is better than nothing :) Shame she won't listen to you about the health benefits, especially if she could reduce her meds, you've got a kind heart for thinking of her like that!!

I think going from veggie to vegan was incredibly easy, you've done the hard part, be proud!! Xx