Have you seen this handy book for new vegans or the veg-curious? 
How to be Vegan by Elizabeth Castoria is a fun, playful book packed with information. If you’re new to veganism, it’s a fantastic primer. If there are veg-curious family or friends in your life, it’s a fabulous, non-threatening intro to the veg world. I had the chance to chat with Elizabeth about the book and now admire her more than ever. Take a moment t read what Elizabeth has to say about her book – and her vegan journey – and then be sure to enter the giveaway for this terrific book below!
JL: When did you go vegan? Why? What was the transition like for you?
Elizabeth: I was 17 when I switched from vegetarian to vegan. After I found a vein in a piece of chicken, I decided to ditch meat when I was about 14, and then when my rebellious-teenage phase took hold (and, you know, I actually learned more about how non-meat animal products were made), I decided to give veganism a try. To be honest (and sound old), that feels like it was so long ago that I don’t really remember the transition very clearly. I can say for sure that these days, I hardly think about the fact that I’m vegan. Though I think that it’s easy to do something that you want to do (as opposed to doing something because you feel pressured or guilted into it), it’s definitely the case that being vegan is easier than ever these days, and becoming more so by the minute.
JL: What motivated you to write this book?
Elizabeth: A phone call from Artisan (my publisher) offering me the opportunity! Seriously, I very much lucked out. Of course, as a writer I had always dreamt of writing a book, and it was amazing to get to write one about something that’s so important to me. The publisher reached out because I had been working in the vegan world for so long, so it was sort of a perfect marriage of passion and profession.
JL: You are the former editorial director of VegNews. What advice do you have for people who want to move their veganism into their career path (I ask because I have a series called Professionalize Your Passion and many of my readers and trying to find ways to incorporate their vegan activism into a viable career path).
Elizabeth: There are two things that I’ve learned that are useful in any kind of professional move: know what you’re good at and ask for what you want. When I was fresh out of grad school, I happened to move to Rhode Island for a few months. I didn’t have a job at the time (which was driving me not-so slowly insane), and I was really struggling with how to put my mastery of the fine art of fiction to work. A friend put me in contact with the editor of the local alternative weekly, and I asked her if I could start writing a (non-fiction, as it happened) column about vegan food. To my utter shock and delight, she said yes. When I decided to leave the East Coast and come home to California, I applied for an internship at VegNews, and they were impressed enough with my work on the column that I got the gig. The catch to this advice is that what we’re good at changes almost as rapidly as what we want!
JL: What advice do you have for someone who is flirting with veganism?
Elizabeth: I kind of like the idea of flirting with veganism, since flirting is inherently fun (and often rewarding), so flirt away, I say! Go on fun dates with veganism (as in, try new restaurants or take a vegan cooking class). Grab a bunch of vegan cookbooks from the library to see which one suits your tastes best. Don’t get married too quickly to one particular brand of vegan cheese or ice cream—play that delicious, delicious field for all it’s worth!
Elizabeth Castoria is the former editorial director of VegNews, where she shared the fun, ease, and variety of the vegan lifestyle with readers around the globe. She’s now a freelance writer living in San Francisco. 36 thoughts on “How to be Vegan: A Q&A with author Elizabeth Castoria”
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My biggest obstacle in becoming vegan is the fact that I’m really not much of a cook. I have some inspired moments where I cook something, but most of the time I am eating out or buying pre-prepared foods. It gets expensive and boring.
Victoria, I have always considered myself a busy, lazy non-cook. LOL I made a love of “hippie bowls” when I first went vegan – layered bowls of beans, greens, and grains. If you start with that base you can take these simple staples and mix and match different beans, grains, greens and spices!
I wish I knew I didn’t have to be perfect in the beginning
Oh, I know just what you mean, @disqus_HcaCuUOCWk:disqus! I was so hard on myself. I found it liberating to hear Colleen Patrick-Goudreau talk about progress vs. perfection. We do the best we can!
I wish I knew that I could make amazing plant-based foods, that I could’ve reversed my hives before it started and I could’ve made my change five years ago. But you know what? It’s not what you wish you knew: it’s what you’re doing now.
Indeed, @tamikat:disqus!
I’m iron deficient and when I try to lessen my intake of red meat, my Hgb plummets.
Maddy, Ginny Messina, my coauthor of Vegan for Her, has this to say about iron:
Though iron deficiency is common among people eating many different types of diets, Messina says when vegans develop it, it can be tempting to get discouraged and return to eating red meat. Stay on track by eating plenty of whole grains and legumes, along with good sources of vitamin C at meals (citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers, broccoli, leafy greens, cauliflower, and cabbage). Vitamin C dramatically improves iron absorption. And, the best way to cure a deficiency is with supplements, not meat.
Also, after spending a season eating a lot of kale, I developed kidney stones. Kale is full of oxalates
Too bad! But how great that there are so many other leafy greens to consume!
I honestly wish that I had known how easy it would be, how much better I would feel physically. I wish I would have known how easily I would lose the weight that was crippling me. But mostly? I wish I would have known that living a compassionate life would heal a part of my soul that I didn’t even know was wounded.
Love this, @terrijonescole:disqus.
I wish I’d known to be much more assertive and knowledgeable about how to explain my dietary choices to others.
I really felt like I stumbled through explanations in the beginning, too, @disqus_2hWKJSFNCY:disqus Reading books and blogs sure did help me fine-tune my message!
I was a vegetarian for 16 years through 2 pregnancies and started eating local meat 2 years ago for “health concerns” we are now trying to shift back into a vegan lifestyle. But I know it will be hard to give up our raw goats milk we get daily from our 2 goats
Hope the transition is going well, @laurenharrisoncarroll:disqus!
I like the reminder that this should be a fun adventure!!!
@laura_podrasky:disqus, me too! I like to call my cooking “kitchen adventures”! LOL
I love the advice to flirt with a new endeavor. People get so overwhelmed trying to change everything all at once and give up before they can discover the best way for their lifestyle.
Yes, @resourcefulcookie:disqus! I was just saying in a class last week that the world is grey and that we should enjoy that. We live in an all or nothing/black and white world and we need to understand that are moving, on a journey, and that means lots of grey on our way!
I haven’t eaten meat in over 3 years but my biggest obstacle is giving up fish! I love it
Have you found any good substitutes, Paige? I like to make chickpea salad seasoned with dulse flakes (for a sea smell) and the Sophie’s Vegan Toona is pretty amazing. Are the new Gardein fish filets. Lots of compassionate options out there to try!
I wish I knew just how easy it can be to be vegan, and that I wouldn’t miss cheese or eggs!
Yes, Julia! In the same way that we do 30-day challenges someone should develop a 21-day no egg and cheese challenge, filled with lots of dairy alternatives help vegetarians make the transition!
Going vegan is one if the best decisions I’ve made. It took over a decade to transition to veganism, but I feel so much happier now that I have. Trying to switch my sister over (she’s a pastry chef, so she’d be great to have helping the cause!)
Love this, @disqus_T6Wd6jx4qH:disqus! Keep me posted on how things are going with your sister!
Keep it simple! Beans, rice, fruits and veggies. No need to break the bank (still working on this).
Yes, Susan! I like to tell people that going vegan means nothing more than going to the exact same store you’ve always shopped in and simply purchasing fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts and seeds. EASY!
I wish I knew how hard it would be to talk to people about being vegan and how rude some people can be. It’s really the only annoying thing about being vegan.
Kill ’em with compassion, @juliarodney:disqus! 😉
I wish I had known to be prepared ahead of time with food, so that I would have made better choices when in a hurry.
@disqus_kuwcrbCsqm:disqus, that’s exactly why I cook in bulk on the weekends. I want to know I am ready!
Sweets are my biggest downfall for not being 100% vegan. That and time. I know I work too much and it’s just too hard to cook dinner at 7 or 8pm, so I eat out a lot.
@disqus_11IeUXEE1I:disqus, have you tried bulk cooking? It’s a great way to have food ready for reheating and eating on busy days!
I’d rather not eat anything with a face.
I’m with you, Karin!