My Vegan Planet

How to Become a Vegan

My Vegan Planet — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 03:16:47 +0000

Here at My Vegan Planet, we try not to judge too much. But if you’re looking for how to become a vegan, we are definitely here to help!

Taking the plunge into veganism is a healthy, rewarding, and eco-conscious move that you will not regret. Over the years we’ve talked to hundreds of people who have made the move for a variety of reasons, be it health, ethics, or fitness. But we still hear from others who are scared, or have mixed feelings about making the jump.

We’re not here to judge, or try and convince you to do something you don’t want to do. My Vegan Planet is here to provide you with the recipes and information you need to live a health vegan diet if you are looking to become Vegan in a comfortable, neutral space!

Step One – Identify Your Reasons

It’s far easier to give up your regular diet if you know your reasons upfront. Make yourself fully aware of what you are doing, and the reasons why ahead of time. It will make it far easier to not only resist any lingering temptations. It will also make you prepared for when you end up talking to a critic (and that will happen) who wants to questions your decision.

There are a few main reasons for becoming vegan:

Animal Ethics
Personal Ethics on Eating Meat
Health
Weight Loss

If you looking up how to become vegan for a different reason, let us know in the comments!

One thing to be careful of, there are instances when you may be criticised by other vegans for the reasons you became vegan. There is not much that you can do about this, but we implore you to avoid criticising others for their own personal beliefs and reasons.

Step Two – Empty the Home

It might sound weird, but meat can be addictive. If you’re looking to stop eating meat and dairy, first clean out your house to avoid temptation. You wouldn’t be the first fresh vegan to slip, so don’t make it easy for that to happen.

Spend an hour or two going through your home and cleaning out any animal based products. Just doing this can help you feel better!

Step Three – Stock Up on Snacks and Do Some Meal Prep

Hunger is a primal driving force, and most vegan meals are fairly healthy, less stodgy, and may leave you feeling a little hungry, even after a full meal. Prepare some filling dishes that you can eat when you get hungry, and leave snacks such as nuts or sunflower seeds to satiate any hunger pangs early on.

Meal prep can be a handy habit to pick up anyway, it can save you a tonne of time during the week!

If you’re looking for filling meals we have quite a few under American, Irish, and English dishes )

Step Four – Never Stop Learning

There’s a reason you decided to become Vegan, and it’s important you don’t forget it. Keep learning about the facts and reasons for your decision, it provides a purpose that really does help you stay focused, especially early on

Revise what you have learned, and keep an eye out for new information, facts and even stories from other vegans.

Step Five – Choose Where You Meet Friends

Some friends may support you, others won’t. But early on you really want to be careful where you go. Break old habits and try new places that have a vegan focus. You won’t have to do this forever, although you may want to if your focus on veganism is animal ethics, but it definitely helps at the start.

Don’t forget that many beers are vegan, so make sure you know which local and national drafts you can drink!

And Finally – Don’t Give Up!

If you’re reading this article you’re probably (if not already) well on your way to becoming Vegan. We just wanted to say, don’t give up! We know it can be tough, and we know that society and many cities do not make life easy for the vegan lifestyle. Veganism is a healthy, ethical, and delicious way to live, and we welcome you aboard!

The post How to Become a Vegan appeared first on My Vegan Planet.

The Three Best Juicers for a Juice Diet and your Budget

My Vegan Planet — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 16:01:54 +0000

I love juicing. A green juice in the morning is better than coffee, and way more healthy. The problem is that living a juice lifestyle gets expensive fast. Making your own juice can be a little time consuming, but it can definitely save you a few dollars!

Buying a juicer sounds like an expensive proposition, but it doesn’t have to be. There are juicers out there to suit any budget, and while a $300 juicer is always going to be better than a $50 juicer, it will still get the job done!

Click on your budget to find the best juicer for you!

Entry Level Juicers - $25 - $50

Entry level juicers are great for those who just want to create basic juices with simple veggies or fruits. They are not the best for those who want to juice daily or with harder ingredients such as beets or ginger. If you want to include these kind of ingredients you will want to dice them finely first.

Black & Decker JE2200B

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B003ZDNKSS” key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Black and Decker Fruit and Vegetable Juice Extractor is an easy to use juicer at one of the cheapest price points around. Usually $40 this is going for $30 right now. This is a great juicer for the price, and includes nifty little features like “pulp control” for those who want some fresh orange juice in the morning!

At 400 watts of power this juicer isn’t going to be able to handle anything too tough (you don’t want to burn the motor out). Things like spinach, kale and other greens should however be fine. Be careful using sturdier ingredients such as beets, dice these first if you want to use them.

Cuisinart CCJ-500 Pulp Control Citrus Juicer

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B004VS32HA” key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]Cuisinart is known for it’s high quality kitchen utensils, and at $30 instead of $55 this pulp control juicer is a bargain.

Easy to clean and with a few extra features this citrus juicer is only made for use with citrus fruits, it’s limited power and design makes it unsuitable for much else. If you are looking for a morning fruit juice though this is an ideal low cost solution.

Hamilton Beach 67601A Big Mouth Juice Extractor

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B00E0IBKLQ” key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Hamilton Beach Juicer is a fantastic juicer for such a low cost. At 800 watts of power it can handle the toughest of vegetables, and it’s “big mouth” lets you put pretty much anything in whole, saving you a ton of prep time in the morning!

While it may have some great features, the low cost does come with a price. This juicer is not the most efficient, and you may end up going through more veggies than a higher quality juicer.

Mid Range Juicers - $50 - $250

Mid range juicers are perfect for those who seriously want to get in to juicing but don’t have the budget for a high end juicer. They are generally at a near level to the more expensive juicers and can handle most ingredients. They do generally have a lower level of power as high end juicers, and can a little less reliable

Jack LaLanne’s PJEB Power Juicer Express

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B00472MGR2″ key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]Jack LaLanne’s PJEB Juicer Express is at the lowest price point of the mid range juicers. It does have some problems that come along with that. It’s not the most efficient or powerful, but it is cheap, effective and easy to clean!

The biggest complaint always seems to be that the spout won’t fit many standard glasses due to it’s size, though this isn’t in reality a huge deal.

Breville BJE200XL Compact Juice Fountain 700-Watt Juice Extractor

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B000MDHH06″ key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Brecille BJE200XL is an entry level juicer from Breville. It was one of my first juicers and I still use it occasionally to this day. This is a centrifugal juicer, so it’s not the best for leafy greens, but it still does the job.

What I did like about this juicer is that it came with everything a newbie like myself needed. It was dishwasher safe, and came with a cleaning brush which was immensely helpful in saving time keeping the utensils clean.

Cuisinart CJE-1000 1000-Watt 5-Speed Juice Extractor

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B0030EH7S6″ key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Cusinart CJE-1000 is an excellent juicer for the price. 1000 watts, five speeds, foam reduction , and dishwasher safe, it’s hard not to love this juicer.

Though you might still need to cut larger fruits and veg in to smaller pieces, this is only down to the design of the blender, not it’s power (so don’t worry too much about burning out the motor).

High End Juicers - $250+

High end juicers get you more juice from your ingredients with better juicing techniques. These machines can easily cost around $300, but if you want to drink juice regularly they are definitely the way to go.

I’d only recommend getting a juicer this expensive if you are serious, and intend to make juices daily.

Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B001L7OIVI” key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Omega Nutrition Center is a low speed juicer that has a dual step process to give you the most juice possible from your ingredients. It’s quiet operation is pretty nice, but what really makes this an amazing addition to your kitchen is the wide variety of other things it can be used for.

The Omega J8006 not only gives your juice an outstanding 72 hour shelf life (without separation) but with it’s capabilities you can create nut butters, frozen desserts, grind coffee, process food and even make spaghetti (nozzles for this are included).

Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B0002VAFVG” key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Breville 800JEXL is an excellent juicer for making juices in a hurry, and with quick clean up to boot. It’s titanium edged blade makes quick work of nearly anything you would want to blend. It’s large one liter container means you have plenty of space to store the juice as well (so you won’t need to created your juices every day).

Though it only has two speed settings, this is more than enough for most people, giving you speeds for softer greens, and harder ingredients such as lemon grass and ginger.

Breville BJE820XL Juice Fountain Duo Dual Disc Juicer

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B002S51RRA” key=”image” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”myveganplanet-20″]The Breville BJE820XL takes things a step further with a dual disk system. This might not sound like much for a heftier price tag, but it is perfect for making delicious smoothies.

This nifty Juicer comes with a 3 liter container for pulp ejection and a 1.2 liter juice container. This makes large juice storage a breeze, as well as your cleanup afterwards. This is definitely a high end juicer, but well worth the money if you drink your juices and smoothies several times a day!

The post The Three Best Juicers for a Juice Diet and your Budget appeared first on My Vegan Planet.

Three Fantastic Vegan Summer Treats

My Vegan Planet — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:05:29 +0000

Summer is well and truly here. In Austin we are seeing 100 degree + weather, and right now all we want is something cool, refreshing and tasty to eat.

To help others who are in the same situation as me I have pulled together three great summer vegan recipes from this site to help you deal with the summer heat with a few tasty snacks!

Ten Gorgeous Vegan Smoothies

A cool refreshing smoothie will help give you some energy and beat the heat. These ten recipes are great for the hottest of days, when you just want to sit outside and relax.

Vegan Summer Rolls

These summer rolls are better as apps, but if you just want something light to snack on you cannot go wrong. They take minutes to make, and if you use fresh vegetables they are very refreshing.

Roasted Shallot Hummus

Fancy something a little more Mediterranean when the heat starts to hit? This gorgeous hummus goes great with crackers or vegan pita bread. While it is a little heavier than a smoothie or a spring roll, it is still light enough for a hot summers day, and this vegan recipe can be prepared in less than 15 minutes!

Hopefully these simple recipes will give you a little relief over the summer, but if you have any other summer vegan recipes you find delicious, let us know, we would love to post them!

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