New transition, support/help needed

Kizzy

Newcomer
Joined
May 13, 2016
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Age
34
Lifestyle
  1. Vegetarian
Hello all, i'm new here and fairly new to veganism. I looked into it last year but had a dozen thousand other things going on I didn't have time to focus on it.
I'm not really sure what I am in regards to 'vegetarian, felxi' etc. I was raised on all the wrong foods and most bland. Chicken nuggets etc. Yuck! Anyway, in my adulthood I took more control of course, I never liked red meat much anyway (it was always picked at or left on the side of my plate) for reasons both moral and taste or whatever.

I have an 8 year old boy now and I regretfully fed him similar diet to mine when I was a child (spaghetti hoops/meatballs in a tin etc). That's all stopped within the last year or 2 (yay!), his favourite meal seems to be tuna and pasta for now.
Anyway, I am seriously wanting a better lifestyle and wanting to bring my son up healthy happy and vegan but I am so uneducated and so far removed from anyone who has a similar lifestyle to the vegan.

For the past month now i've been trying to gather information and making sure to pick up ingredients for vegan meals only in the stores. The only thing I don't know how to change is the fish. I always eat salmon and no other fish. I can eat vegetables like spinach, sweet potatoes etc. Should I just try getting used to not having the salmon? I've been eating mostly well but i'm getting terrible stomach cramps lately :pensive:

I tried giving my son Alpro hazelnut milk (he tried Almond milk but wasn't keen) with his cereal this morning and he loved it better than cow milk so I was pleased with that but is that good for him really? I am so unsure but really don't want to eat dairy products at all anymore.
Another concern of mine is my budget. I am currently on benefits so whilst i've been out shopping ive noticed how much more money I spend on this food. I don't want to get bored of the same meal over and over but I really don't want to go back. I've come pretty far (for me) in 1 month in comparison to my diet before.

I have Aldi pretty close by and Tesco is a little further away but I very rarely go there but i'm willing to make more trips there if I can't get certain things in Aldi for my vegan lifestyle.
Eesh if you read all that then I absolutely appreciate it and your time!
One more question, is it possible this diet can help with anxiety in the longrun?
This transition is huge for me.
Thank you :)
 
The only thing I don't know how to change is the fish. I always eat salmon and no other fish. [...] Should I just try getting used to not having the salmon? I've been eating mostly well but i'm getting terrible stomach cramps lately :pensive:

I tried giving my son Alpro hazelnut milk (he tried Almond milk but wasn't keen) with his cereal this morning and he loved it better than cow milk so I was pleased with that but is that good for him really? I am so unsure but really don't want to eat dairy products at all anymore.
Another concern of mine is my budget. I am currently on benefits so whilst i've been out shopping ive noticed how much more money I spend on this food. [...]
One more question, is it possible this diet can help with anxiety in the longrun?

Have you tried smoked hummus, or kelp? Better yet, crumbly seaweed flakes mixed in with smoked hummus - it probably comes closest to a salmon pate. There are fish substitutes you can buy, made from processed soy, but I think this more natural option tastes better. I have also written-up a vegan tuna recipe here on the forum.

The cramps - many transitioning vegans get this, either as part of a Herxheimer(1) reaction(2) or they find out they are actually soy-intolerant. I am one of them, which I didn't know until going vegan and getting lots of cramps! This is because I didn't really eat soy before then suddenly it was in almost every stop-bought vegan product.

Nut milks are generally healthier than dairy milks. However it is important to make sure you still get iron and iodine, in particular, into your diet. Calcium is good, too, though lots of people mistakenly believe that dairy milk is an excellent source (for acidic reasons, it's not, so don't worry about not getting calcium by cutting out dairy milk - just be sure to eat dark leafy greens too).

As for the cost, I recommend buying more whole foods - not processed foods - and, if you can, buying these from local farmers' markets. This will definitely be the cheapest option.
http://www.localfoods.org.uk/home
https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/

A plant-based diet has been proven to help with mental health issues. :) There's plenty info about it here on the forum.
 
Thank you so much for your reply :blush:.
I was so worried that my body was just far too late to transition and i'd have to go back to my old diet which is really boring and unsatisfactory. I've spent more time in the kitchen now as I transition but I find it quite fun and i'm actually looking forward to eat! I'm glad this is normal. Hope it doesn't take me too long to settle down!