Animal Rights Bulletins

Making The Transition To Veganism




Many people find the transition to veganism easy, but some people have a hard time with it. A few make the transition overnight; for others, it will be a gradual process spanning weeks, months, even a year or more. Old habits are hard to break, and new habits can be hard to form. I went vegetarian for a year in 1995 before I went vegan on July 24, 1996. The only thing to keep in mind is to get to the state of total veganism sooner rather than later. The animals are counting on it, especially cows on dairy farms and hens on egg farms. As I've already said on countless occasions, and on this website, the beef and dairy industries are inextricably linked, as are the chicken and egg industries. Dairy cows who can no longer produce milk profitably, and hens who can no longer lay eggs, are sent IMMEDIATELY to slaughter. And that's not even to account for their misery while they're imprisoned, tortured, inseminated, and forced to act as egg- and milk-producing machines. Therefore, even if you consume no meat, there is NO way you can cause little impact when consuming milk and eggs. Don't be fooled by claims to the contrary.

Furthermore, don't buy into the agriculture industries' self-contradicting language suggesting that their products have been "farmed humanely." Terms like "free-range," "cage-free," "grass-fed," and "organic" are only advertising scams to trick people into buying cruel, deadly products. The aforesaid labels don’t benefit the animals; they only make meat-eaters sleep better, by making them think that these murdered animals were happy and well cared for.

Start eating a variety of fruits in the morning for breakfast. Or go buy some TOFUTTI cream cheese and some bagels. All bagels at the bagel store (Panera, Bruegger’s, etc.) are vegan except for the egg, cinnamon raisin, and cheese bagels, obviously (frozen bagels at the grocery are rarely vegan). I like to eat several different berries in the morning: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. At some point during the day, I also try to eat a banana, watermelon, peach, plum or orange. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a bagel is a great way to start the day as well. PB&J works for lunch, too. For lunch, have a veggie burger instead of a hamburger. The soy meats are easy to cook. Put the same toppings on them as well. Tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers, pickles and mustard or ketchup or MY FAVORITE— VEGANAISE! It is soy mayo and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD! For dinner, eat some ethnic foods. Get the Aloo Gobi (cauliflower) or Aloo Palak (spinach), or Chana Masala (chick peas) at an Indian restaurant. Make sure there is NO cheese or cream, of course. Or get some falafelhummus and tabouli and fatoush at a Middle Eastern place. Eat pasta or spaghetti at an Italian restaurant. Just inquire which noodles have NO eggs in them. And of course add vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms with some garlic, too. Hit those Asian places and substitute tofu for the meat. Make sure to tell them to cook it without fish and oyster sauce. Check out the Veg-Friendly Restaurants page on this site as well. and

Sometimes it takes extra effort to care, but I am always willing to put in extra effort to make sure OTHERS don’t suffer and die for me. If the cafeteria at your school isn’t offering enough veg food, get some students together and walk into the cafeteria office and ASK for more veg food. No need to scream or yell or protest, just peacefully demand that they cater to you and your fellow vegetarians/vegans. Rice and beans are super cheap, too, and easy to cook. And so are lentils. You might sometimes have to bring to school a lunch or dinner that you made at home, thereby consuming valuable time that you might have spent studying, or partying; but consider the victim’s point of view. If YOU were destined to be imprisoned, enslaved, tortured, and finally killed, wouldn’t you pray that somebody else would make that effort so you don’t have to suffer and die?

Don’t forget about the veggie sub at Subway (order it on Italian bread). Order the bean burrito without cheese at Taco Bell, too. It is the cheapest fast-food item around, and it’s vegan. The veggie sub at Subway is also the cheapest item on their menu. If you order a cheeseless pizza at Papa John’s (their sauce and dough are vegan), it is the same price as a pizza with cheese. When eating at ethnic restaurants, you'll find that their vegan items are the same price or cheaper than the meat entrées. So there is no extra expense there.

Veganism is easy as pie once you get used to it. So keep thinking compassionately and logically about this issue and you will be vegan before you know it.

Let me just add this for clarity's sake about dealing with people who might give you a hard time with your new lifestyle. Unethical people—whether they are friends, family members, or strangers—should not be advising ethical people on how to live their lives. You need to do what you now know to be true. So don't let others bring you down. Misery loves company; those who still eat flesh are drowning in misery, and would love some company. So stay strong. The animals are counting on you to make compassionate decisions.

I do have some bad news, though. Friends and family ARE the toughest people to talk to about veganism. Naturally, this hurts the most because they are the closest to us. But there is hope. My sister, who is now vegetarian, and my father, who made the transition to total veganism, changed their lifestyles years after we stopped discussing the issue. So you never know when logic will break through.

First and foremost, you MUST learn the facts about veganism. I recommend using my website to get all the info—and all the arguments—you will need to refute the lies that people will throw your way. Start with the articles on this webpage, All About Veganism. And then you can peruse the Other Animal Rights Issues page to find info about all the other issues involving animals.

I lost every meat-eating friend I had along the way, except ONE! My best friend for the last 28 years, Darin, is still my best friend, even though he still eats meat. You will find out quickly who your REAL friends are. Darin never argues with me, and always likes to eat vegan food with me. He looks me in the eye and tells me I am right about EVERYTHING, and that he has no arguments at all. And then he honestly admits that he is just "too lazy to change." I despise that type of apathy, but at least he is being honest about why he still eats flesh, instead of using trite lies and excuses like "God says it’s okay" or "it’s healthy." Just so you know, some vegans allow others to eat meat in front of them. I choose not to. My table is always veg. I, for the record, do not condemn fellow vegans who want to let others eat flesh in front of them because they want to show them how good vegan food truly is, and make them (subliminally) feel guilty about their flesh sandwich. This will be your decision.

I do not have a magical remedy for making friends, strangers or family listen. But if you ALWAYS speak the truth, know your facts, and let your passion come out, people WILL listen. Please do NOT hide your passion, or your emotions. Passion and emotion get a bad rap, but that’s only because people respond to both, so the unethical people in our society are always trying to mock people for being passionate and emotional. Remember, Susan B. Anthony, Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and many, many others, were ALL passionate and emotional about the causes they embraced.

A website called VegFamily Magazine might offer some help with friends and family. Let me also offer this advice: Don’t drive yourself insane with people who refuse to listen. Try and try and give it your best, and give them a chance to comprehend everything, but if you see NO progress at all, then STOP banging your head against the wall with those people, and MOVE ON to someone else. I guarantee that OTHERS are thirsting for knowledge, insight, and enlightenment. Your job is to find those people, and inform them. I stopped talking about veganism with my sister and my dad YEARS before they switched because they NEVER listened (or they apparently weren’t listening), and then one day it made sense to them. So don’t think your words can’t make a difference even many years later. Plant the seed, then hope it grows.

As Gandhi once said, “Even if you are only one person, the TRUTH is still the truth.” The strongest people stand alone. And no matter how many others you convert, you HAVE made a difference by going vegetarian/vegan. You might want to memorize a few quotes (on the Other Animal Rights Issues page) from prominent vegans/vegetarians, and use these quotes to introduce your new conversations.