Going from being a lacto-ovo vegetarian to a vegan?

[blueberry]

So, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (i.e., I don't eat meat, but dairy and egg products are okay to eat). I'm aware of the awful conditions in factory farms, and I've been contemplating for some time making the jump between being a vegetarian and being a vegan (duh duh DUH!).

I'd love the input of vegans on these questions:
1. How did you switch diets? Did you start with gradual changes, or just go cold turkey? I did a semi-gradual switch to vegetarianism - I gave up fish first, since I never really liked it anyway, and then all other meat in one go.
2. How do you eat out? Do you only go to vegan restaurants, or do you avoid eating out altogether? Is it okay to ask a restaurant to change something from vegetarian/non-vegetarian to vegan, or is it rude (and would you trust the restaurant to do it well)?
3. How picky are you? It's hard enough avoiding bits of meat/skin/bones in food; how do you spot the "aeytwioply" or the "myehgis" in food? Or do you just figure that it doesn't matter if you eat a itsy bitsy tiny bit of animal product?

[Hhbean]

Congratulations on attempting to become a vegan! I considered becoming one but chose instead to just be a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I try to get free range eggs and limit the milk and cheese products but am not willing to give it up completely at this point. Good luck!

[blueberry]

Congratulations on attempting to become a vegan! I considered becoming one but chose instead to just be a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I try to get free range eggs and limit the milk and cheese products but am not willing to give it up completely at this point. Good luck!

Thanks! A diet without any animal products is going to be very strange - but I hope I can get used to it.

[Hhbean]

I think they make an egg substitute but I'm not sure what they use to make it, hopefully not milk! My friends and family ask why I still wear leather shoes. I wish I could but since I had my ankle fused I have to wear MBT shoes which are leather and most of them are down right ugly!

[kananaka]

Before going vegan please make sure you know how to get all your B vitamins and essential fatty acids! Supplements if you can't find the balance in your diet will be your best friend!

Eating out for vegans is really hard and most restaurants will not know everything that is in their food (packaged products they use). People also forget something simple like wisticher sauce has anchovies in it!

[CritterLuvva]

I'm in a similar boat as you, but not the same. First, I was born and raised vegetarian. As a young adult, I did have some meat, but it was never a regular occurrence and I don't eat meat now. I would like to go from being vegetarian, however, to being vegan simply because it's healthier for you any way.

1. How did you switch diets? I went cold turkey for one month, following a plan my friend gave me from the book The Seventh Day Diet. (We're both Adventists also. Vegetarianism is popular with our members. ) However, I started missing cheese on my pizza and, at the time, we were struggling just to get food on the table. So I ate what I had to to survive. However, I was a vegan long enough (a couple of months) that my system was able to clear itself of the impurities. We learned that I'm actually lactose intolerant! If I've had dairy, you might want to find cover.

2. How do you eat out? I've never been to a vegan restaurant, although my Dad has told us about an expensive one in a town near us. We'd like to go check it out some time as a special treat. However, I have gone to restaurants all my life. Some places you literally had to educate about how to make the food vegetarian, especially when I was younger. (ie: At work one day, I described exactly the sandwich I wanted- McDonald's Big Mac with all the fixings but the meat- and they gave me a grilled cheese sandwich! I'm sorry folks, but there's more to the Big Mac then the meat! What's so hard about figuring out how to leave the meat off any way?)

At any rate it is NOT considered rude to ask for no meat or dairy or a sandwich any way you want it for that matter. As I said, I also worked for the store, and they tell their employees to give the customer what they want. I've seen some pretty wacky combinations put together that way before.

NOTE: Some foods come prepackaged and they can't add/subtract to what's already there, but the sandwiches and some other foods are put together at the location. Just ask them if something can be taken out or if it comes prepackaged that way, and if it does, order something else. It'll take some experience, but it is possible.

You should go to Burger King and find out if they are selling the BK Veggie Burger. I don't know if there's any dairy in that or not (in the "meat" part of it, I mean), but you can ask for no cheese. It's good! Yum! Another of my favorites has been Taco Bell.

3. How picky are you?

It does matter if there's meat in your sandwich. If they made it wrong, there will be meat juices in the meal and you might as well have purchased it with the meat/dairy product/etc. When you go to restaurants, never leave until ensuring you got what you asked for. They're not doing you a favor- you just purchased a product a certain way. If they did it wrong, it's not impolite to quietly (you don't have to scream ) let them know they messed up your order and expect them to fix it. Most stores want to make sure their customers leave satisfied. So pay close attention to your food and "complain" (let them know) about it right away.

[CritterLuvva]

@Hhbean 1 Tablespoon flaxseed to 3 tablespoons water makes a good egg substitute.

[CrazyMom]

Here are my two cents, take it for what it is worth. Go easy on yourself. I am a vegetarian and often people ask me "can you eat this or that" I tell them I can eat whatever I want, there isn't a vegetarian police. I have started baking vegan and I found out that white sugar isn't considered vegan because of the way it is processed. So I am pretty sure that unless it clearly states vegan many processed food would be out.

[GuineaPigLady_]

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian too, since the past two years. I really want to be a vegan, but is difficult living with my family, you know. I try to avoid dairy products whenever I can. Anyway, I can answer the questions I just go cold turkey when I started with vegetarianism. In the city where I live theres no vegetarian restaurants, so when I go I finish starving, I always complain about this, because they don't give us options, but theres not much to do about it, nobody cares. I am very careful with food, i don´t trust, I always read the product labels, and if is anything doubtful i dont eat it. Always is a good option cook your own things, like cookies for example.