Hi! I have been vegan for a week. I gave up dairy 5 months ago though and decided to take a leap of faith. My family are all meat eaters BUT they are all extremely supportive of this change in my life. I have some health issues, I’m a T2 diabetic and I have PCOS. If anyone has any advice for this transition I’m a great listener!
Congratulations! Vegan cooking is a lot of fun. I try to use organic veggies, agave, beans, and eat lots of ethnic foods like vegan burritos, or thai food. Good luck!
* Fat-free and sodium-free broth (Use this as a cooking liquid for vegetables and grains, or chop some fresh veggies into broth and use as a fast no-calorie snack.)
* Sparkling water and seltzers (With a squeeze of lemon or lime, these make a good "hydration" break.)
* Unsweetened cocoa powder (Add 1 Tablespoon to pudding mixes, hot cereals, or soymilk.)
* Unsweetened fresh or frozen cranberries and rhubarb (These are very sour-chop and use sparingly in fat-free salad dressings, cook with rice, barley, or couscous, or add to fresh salads.)
* Mustard, horseradish, ketchup (1 Tablespoon), vinegar
* Unsweetened pickled vegetables, including okra, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, etc. (Although there is no limit on these, if you are on a sodium restriction, try to have no more than a couple Tablespoons of these per day.)
* 1 cup raw vegetables: cabbage, celery, cucumber, green onion, garlic, hot peppers and chilies, mushrooms, radishes, summer squash (You can make a great "extra" salad or relish by combining a mixture of these veggies with some vinegar or nonfat salad dressing.)
* Greens: up to 4 cups of fresh endive, radicchio, chicory, head lettuces, romaine, spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens, and beet greens per day.