Psychology Psychology of the vegan diet

[Dora the explorer]

Hi Everyone

I am new to this forum and I came here to ask for your help fellow vegans. I am a health psychology student and I have the chance to create an intervention for obesity, cholesterol and heart disease. So I dreamed up a non- profit, vegan organization whereby vegan volunteers would "train" or help unhealthy people with the above described problems to understand healthy eating and to teach them how they could make awesome meals with healthy ingredients.

However, I am planning to create a theory basis or "training regime" . Therefore I was thinking that anyone here who is vegan and happy to share their "procedure" as how they transitioned, how they motivated themselves, hardships and how they have overcome those. Because I believe that many of you had different ways to do it. I would be massively grateful if you did write it down for me and help to create a possibly implemented (well if they accept my intervention and fund it) health intervention.

If you are interested, please let me know it private message and I will give you an email address to send your story. I would need you to write it in word or open office (whichever you use) and attach it to the email so I can print them

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your time reading this and your help

 

[Second Summer]

Hello Dora!

I will suggest that you allow for people to share their stories here in this thread rather than the convoluted process of private message + Word + email. I think that way you will get more replies. You're free to copy and paste any replies you get here into your assignment.

Another thing, I suspect most vegans here are primarily motivated by compassion towards animals and/or animal rights rather than health benefits of a vegan diet. I think someone who is fond of animals, or is philosophically inclined, or is into justice and fairness might be persuaded to try veganism, but I suspect people who are primarily motivated by wanting to fix their immediate health issues might not be as easily persuaded. For this group you'll have to emphasise the health benefits of a healthy wholefoods, fibre-rich, low fat / no cholesterol vegan diet. So I'm not sure how valuable the VV members' experiences might be.

 

[Andy_T]

I fully agree.

There are many healthy diets ("healthy" as defined as furthering the bodily health of the person eating) out there, that are not vegan and not compassionate.

If I was only motivated by my own health, I would not need to eat a 100% plant-based diet (although it might help), and I certainly would not have to wear plastic (instead of leather) shoes, or use cosmetics not tested on animals, which is what the term "vegan" normally means.

Best regards,
Andy

PS: How did I "transition"? I stopped eating animal products.