1. I'm vegan
2. It was my plan along when I went vegetarian which I did for a combination of reason health*, environment and the animals

* Not the typical health reason "veggies are healthier" but as a way to deal with my eating disorder.

3. Vegan since April last year, went lacto/ovo on June 1 2004

4. Check out the vegan communities on LJ you can find a couple in my LJ info.

5. Check out www.vegpeople.com I can give you more websites if you want to, or just the addy to my delicious profile where you can find a bunch of addresses that might be of interest. I'm willing to answer any questions you might have but to tired to think much right now.

I have been vegetarian since I was 17. (I'm 30 now) It was originally for ethical reasons, increasingly also for ecological reasons.
But last year, I decided to begin what I think of as a middle path of vegetarianism-- I eat fish occasionally for my health.

I've been lacto/ovo for about a year and a half now. I watched my brother struggle with cancer and made a decision to get healthier. I stopped eating meat, stopped smoking, stopped (mostly) drinking soda, stopped (mostly) drinking caffeinated beverages. I still have the occasional soda/coffee/tea, but not nearly like I used to. There's a lot of obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease in my genes, so I had to do something, you know?

I considered going vegan, but I travel for work and have to eat out a lot. And when eating out, it can be a bit more difficult to control what's in your food. So, I allow myself eggs and dairy when I'm traveling and try to refrain (especially from eggs) when I'm home. I'm sure, even when traveling, if I tried, I could find acceptable food, but, well, to be honest, I'm lazy and don't want to. Hell, if being a vegetarian had been a real inconvenience for me, I'd probably have given up on that a while ago. Luckily, along with quitting smoking last year, it just felt natural to me. Like it was the right thing for me to do.

lacto/ovo,

Why did you make the change? Health/cruelty free.

How long have you been lacto/ovo, or vegan, or other almost 10 years.

- Suggestions

Some health food/soy products/protein subs really sucks! Once you know what brands and types of foods you like it gets easier.

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/

http://www.vegcooking.com/searchRecipes.asp

http://www.vegsoc.org/index.html

I'm lacto-ovo simply 'cos I'm a cheese-oholic. I've been vegan and I don't eat milk and if it weren't for the girl I'd not eat eggs.

Oh - yogurt is your friend. Always eat 2 spoon fulls a day.

Um...made the change in 1999...um...I had been one and lapsed and then I found I had health and environmental and to a lesser extent I think I had a huge crush on a pretty little vegan girl.

I'm full-fledged carnivore, though I'm trying to cut way back on my meat consumption for health. However, my sister is vegan, primarily for animal welfare reasons. I know she has a really tough time going out, and generally limits herself to restaurants that advertise as vegan-friendly or that end up on some of the published lists of friendly restaurants (for example, I believe Taco Bell beans = OK but Burger King french fries has some animal fat in them). And because she lives on a grad-student kind of budget, I don't think she gets enough protein in her diet and looks a little undernourished most of the time.

We also have thyroid problems in our family, and there is debate in the world about whether soy (I believe unfermented, specifically) can jack up thyroid levels. So I try to stay away from too much soy, which can leave vegans with even fewer options.

Hey, I'm a vegan and the owner of a vegan community portal, www.VeganAdam.com

We're a grassroots community that is non-profit and non-donation. Come on to the site and talk in our forum or look through our resources. Everything is free and run through the community.

As for you or anyone else, VeganAdam.com also runs a wiki site at

www.TryVeganism.com

Anyone can read, write, or edit on this page. It is meant to be a starter page for people who are thinking about going vegan.

Hope this helps.

- Are you lacto/ovo, or vegan, or other?
i'm vegan
- Why did you make the change?
Because I had a really intense revelation about animals and their feelings.
- How long have you been lacto/ovo, or vegan, or other?
I went ovo-lacto when I was 17 and vegan when I was 19, so 11 years with no meat and 9 years with no animal products at all (except for an egg sandwich once, and a quesadilla once, both of which tasted disgusting and made me violently ill).
- Any suggestions?
Be patient with yourself when learning to cook tofu. It took me a couple of years to learn how to cook it so that I liked it. On the other hand there was no internet and I didn't know any other vegetarians then, so... Also take the opportunity to explore new foods rather than focusing on what you "can't" have.