vegan cheese: So I do eat chicken, turkey and fish but I do so in moderation (small portions per day) and a few times per week. For example, I eat fish one time per week. If I do eat chicken, I only eat drumsticks and I will only eat two per day. I eat turkey but its only like ground turkey and I will eat 1 pound over the course of 3-4 days. So I do eat them in moderation. I don't eat any diary products, but instead drink soymilk, eat vegan cheese, etc. I do eat eggs, but only 2-3 times per week and I only eat the organic brown ones. I've realized that it would be best for me to switch to a complete vegetarian diet mainly for health reasons. Although I only eat turkey, fish and chicken in moderation, I've noticed that they have a lot of fat (especially saturated fat-which can lead to heart disease and other complications). I am very very health conscious and consume as much foods as I can that are organic. The only foods I eat that are not organic are the ones that are not available in organic. I'm 22 years old and 145 pounds so I want to do as much as I can to live a healthy lifestyle. I just want to know if I cut out the chicken, fish and turkey from my diet but keep the eggs (they will be the only animal product I will be consuming) if I will be on a complete vegetarian diet. What foods can I use in place of those products and how will the transition be for me? I'm scared that I will go back to eating those products. I know there's meat substitues like imitation chicken,etc. Are those really healthy? Apart from fruits, veggies and other organic products, are foods such as veggie burgers, veggie based cheeses and meat substitutes really healthy? Will I get all the necessary nutrients I need to be healthy? Thanks!|||it might not be super easy, but keep your goals in mind and your reasons for doing it and it will get easier over time. you'll be a full veg if you don't eat any meat but eat eggs, once you cut out eggs (if you do) and any other animal products then you'll be a vegan. i'm a full veg, but i have vegan tendencies ;) try the imitation meats. i love them and it makes my life much easier. try different ones different ways til you find what you like. i like some brands better than others and different cooking styles better than otehrs. experiment. i foudn when i went veg i opened my eyes to sooo many new foods and dishes because i sought them out instead of always eating what i'm used too. it's difficult when i go out sometimes but i can usually get atleast one dish anywhere. good luck!|||it was very easy for me . i buy morningstar and boca products . and i make my own veggie burgers . i have been a vegetarian since january and i just became a vegan today . if you have any questions you can email me . :)|||You will definitely be healthy (probably much healthier) if you become vegetarian as long as you eat a wide variety of foods. If the imitation foods and substitutes you are referring to are tofu-based they are very healthy and nothing is wrong with veggie burgers, they are much healthier than the meat equivalents. The only real issue for vegetarians in the long term is B12 but you get that in eggs so you're covered. After a few months make sure to get a blood test to check your levels of iron as this sometimes becomes low when you become vegetarian (although with the right foods it should never be a problem). I've been a vegetarian for over a year now and I can safely say that I've had no health problems and my sports haven't been affected. Being vegetarian has been scientifically proven to significantly reduce the risk of common cancers, heart disease and neuron disorders as well as increase your life-span.|||The ease of the transition is going to be related to how much you enjoy meat (and dairy/eggs, if you do go vegan). I had no problem giving up meat, because I didn't like it. Milk and eggs weren't so hard to give up when I went from vegetarian to vegan because I had lost my taste for them, but 4.5 years later, I still miss cheese (although, that is becoming less frequent). There are a couple of things to get as you transition: 1) Veg/vegan cookbooks: Isa Chandra Moscowitz is the queen of veg cooking. She has 3 books (Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and Veganomicon). Some of her recipes can be pretty time-consuming, but they are delicious. Garden of Vegan and How It All Vegan are two other good cookbooks to have around (co-authored by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer). 2) Books on veg/vegan nutrition: Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina is a wealth of information on the nutritional needs of vegetarians/vegans and how to meet them on a plant-based diet. It is somewhat technical, so it can get a bit dry, but with your interest in healthy living, you will probably enjoy it (I did!). What I found hardest was watching out for all of the hidden animal ingredients in foods. I was amazed by how many things had meat broth or fish components (Caesar salad dressing, for one). When/if you make the switch to being vegan, you will have to watch out for eggs, and hidden milk products as well (whey and casein are two big ones that show up in things like bread and crackers). If you are just going veg for health reasons, you don't need to worry about having animal rennet in your cheeses (an enzyme that comes from the stomach of dead calves, so isn't really vegetarian). I didn't notice any huge health benefits when I went vegetarian, but noticed a big difference when I went vegan. I lost 15 lbs over the course of a year (although at 150 lbs I am by no means a skinny vegan). Although I always had bad seasonal allergies, I haven't had them at all since going vegan. I also have higher iron levels than I have ever had before, and I feel I have more energy than I ever did as a vegetarian. All in all, going vegan was the best thing that ever happened to my health.