on the protein thing, there is protein in practically everything. oatmeal,
tofu, you name it. there just isn't necessarily complete protein in single
plant foods. to get enough protein, you've just got to try to eat some
grains and some legumes sometime in the same day, like with peanut butter on
whole grain toast, or soymilk on oatmeal, or lentils & rice, you get the
picture. it's not a difficult thing. how do people think that cows and
horses get so big from eating plants?
as for people who give you greif, just try not to let it get to you. stay
chill, and they'll come around if they can't get a reaction out of you. one
of the best things i've found to counterbalance the idiots is a good support
system. finding a vegan buddy to share your transition is great. also,
forums can be really supportive (like how this one would be, if it weren't
filled with anti-vegan sentiment). i find that the veganism board on
vegsource (www.vegsource.com) is a great source of support - folks go there
to ask questions about products & food, or to vent when they're dealing with
idiots, and get advice about stuff. also, the board's moderator, joanne
stepanik, writes a whole bunch of articles on vegan topics that i have found
really useful (you can get the archives through the veganism board) and
there's also a list of animal ingredients linked to from that page. the
whole site is great for recipes and all sorts of stuff (chef deb can get you
any recipe that you could dream of in short order) and the new veggies board
is also helpful. highly recommended for a non-hostile environment.


"Rattyboy" > wrote in message
...
> Hello all.
>
> I've recently gone to a vegan diet. The #1 gripe I get from everyone
> around me (friends, family, etc) is, "What? No protein?"
>
> There seems to be a misconception that plants don't have proteien and
> that the only way to get it is from meat.
>
> So.... how do you guys deal with people who are hostile towards you
> because you've decided to go vegan?