We have a member by the name of Steve whose screen name is beforewisdom. Steve has done a lot of research and is very knowledgeable about veg*an nutrition. He became our nutritional welcome-wagon volunteer and made up a statement that he has posted every time a newbie created an intro thread. He believes this statement is useful for all who are considering making or have recently made the switch to, or returned, to vegetarianism or veganism. The idea is that educating oneself in veg*an nutrition is essential for making a lasting commitment to veg*anism.

Steve is on hiatus from VB until, I think he said July or after July. With his approval, I've started posting his statement in his absence. Now that we have this New to Vegetarianism Forum, I thought it would also be a good idea to post the statement here (and Krista - FreshTart, or Darth Tart to some of us :p reminded me that I had a nifty idea) in order to make it more accessible to everybody.

Without further ado, here is Steve's statement:

Vegan Outreach has a stellar starter kit.

Please do not let the word "vegan" in it scare you.

The information applies just as much to vegetarians as
vegans. Just add milk and eggs if that is what you are into.

Vegan Outreach will mail you a very nice printed copy for
free. You can also download a pdf version for free or read
it on the web for free.

The kit includes unique and thoughtful essays by
Vegan Outreach founder Matt Ball that will help you
make vegetarianism a rewarding and lasting commitment.

It has a better recipe section than most starter kits that
I have seen. Best of all it also has an up to date,
complete, easy to understand, and brief nutrition section by
Jack Norris, a vegan Registered Dietician.

Assuming you have a solid reason for starting veg*nism,
the two best things you can do to make your commitment to it
last are to learn good nutrition and to learn to cook a small
set of recipes you really like.

Here is the URL:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack

Vegan Outreach also hosts a web site of health articles
for people on plant based diets:

http://www.veganhealth.org

Be careful of whom you take nutrition advice from on the web.

There are a number of web mavens who sound as if they know what
they are talking about and they really don't.

Learn to ask people how they know what they know.

Animal Rights sites, even some of the more well known names, are known for
giving out of date or incomplete information on vegetarian nutrition.

If you are interested in more information I have articles and descriptions
of books by well known, well respected, and well credentialed authorities
on my web site at:

http://www.geocities.com/beforewisdom/index.html

*bumping for slut-mama* :love:

***Not a Moderator Post*** :p

May I suggest moving further discussion of BW's information elsewhere? This is a newbie support forum, and I don't think this line of discussion is encouraging for those new to VB.

I would suggest continuing this in Community Assistance, or via PM. I would also hope that whatever is decided by Michael and the mods will be respected by all.

* * * This IS a Moderator Post

This is NOT the place to discuss the definition of veganism or what Steve does or does not say. Please take it elsewhere.

***Not a Moderator Post*** :p

May I suggest moving further discussion of BW's information elsewhere? This is a newbie support forum, and I don't think this line of discussion is encouraging for those new to VB.

I would suggest continuing this in Community Assistance, or via PM. I would also hope that whatever is decided by Michael and the mods will be respected by all.

You're right Tame. This isn't a support topic.

Except me..I was told Im not interested in no learn'n. And Im a dummy bad speller and my life experiances dont count fer knot.

Yer nutz! :rockon:

I wanted everybody to know that all this time I've been posting a broken link to Steve's homepage, :doh: but I fixed it in my OP.