If your family did not reach the conclusion to become vegan by unanimous vote then you may have to do some convincing. Then again maybe not! Whatever the situation here are a few reasons to share with your family why going vegan is good.

1. You will save money. Replacing meat with more vegetables and fruit is estimated to cut food bills by an average of $4,000 a year. That’s a family vacation a year or some other type of fun.

2. You are saving your heart. Heart disease is running rampant; not only among adults but children as well. Children as young as age 3 who are raised on fast food and junk food show early signs of heart disease, according to the Bogalusa Heart Study done at the Louisiana State University. Cardiovascular disease is found in one in nine women aged 45 to 64 and in one in three women over 65. The average American male eating a meat-based diet has a 50 percent chance of dying from heart disease. So heart disease is now targeting everyone in your family.

3. Longer life. According to a study done by Loma Linda University, vegans live about 15 years longer than meat eaters. I don’t know about you but I look forward to living and enjoying life as long as I can.

4.  You can eat the cookie dough raw and not worry about salmonella. Now that is a plus for the kids and well, maybe the adults too. The one thing I love about preparing vegan meals is the option to taste before I cook to make sure that it is just right.

5.  For the children this one is a biggie. You can help save animals. I would demonstrate this by watching Animal Planet, going to a nice zoo, or just talking about it because kids love animals. If you have a pet that helps as well. Tell your children that by going vegan you are eliminating animals and that going vegan will help save them. Ask them if they want to see their favorite animal killed and eaten.

There are many reasons to become vegan. What you have to do is decide which ones are best to share with your family. Visit vegan and vegetarian sites like Vegan Society and GoVeg.com and allow your family to learn more about becoming vegan. You can even order their free Vegetarian Starter kits to share more information with your family.

In my experience in working with vegan families, I have found that the adults tend to be more resistant than the children. So in the event of a spouse or other adults in the house, I suggest that you gather the research and plead your case.

If you have a hard time convincing your spouse to go vegan seven days a week, see if he will be okay with eating vegan a few days of the week. If he challenges that the kids will not get the nutrients they need, then show him the “Get Your Nutrients” section of this e-book and direct him toward the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine where he can read about a group of doctors, (not quacks, but real doctors), who encourage the vegetarian/vegan diet and provides information and resources for those seeking to know more.

For the life of me I will never figure out why it is so hard for people to accept change, but it is. Being a vegan is no different than being a meat eater. Meat eaters do not get their proper nutrients just because they eat dead flesh. It is the live food that matter most.

Of course you can share that as well.

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This article is an excerpt from Transitioning Your Family With Ease. For more ideas and advice on moving your family to a healthy vegan diet, including a sample meal plan, recipes, and planning tools. check this e-book out today.

The fact is that it isn’t a secret at all. It was actually good planning and preparation on their part. If we follow suit and heed the non-verbal actions of our savvy mothers then we too can see our dollar stretch further.

What we have on hand will determine how far our food will go. Filling your pantry with a few useful staples can be the difference between a trip to the grocery store every week versus once or twice a month. With a few key staples you can create wonderful meals.

Flour. Flour is a starter item for many recipes. You can add it to some water or vegetable broth and make gravy in the pan for many vegan meat dishes. Flour is also used to make bread (biscuits, rolls, loaves). During lean times or to just save a few dollars, you can make dumplings with flour or fix some brown rice and top it with gravy. If you choose to make the dumplings you can add some apples, cinnamon and brown sugar for a very yummy desert.

Rice. When we think of rice, we think of a plain side dish. While it is true that rice is a side dish, it doesn’t have to be plain. It can be me the main attraction in a vegan meal depending on what you do with it. It can be jazzed up with veggies to accompany dinner. You can steam some broccoli and mix it with brown rice, vegan butter, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and a little sea salt to taste. It is an economical meal that tastes great and goes a long way. Rice can also be mixed with tofu or Boca crumbles and a vegan friendly cream soup to form a casserole. Rice has many uses and you’re sure to find a few that your family will love.

Pasta. There are many different pasta choices and all have great uses. Manicotti can be stuffed with tomato sauce and vegan cheeses. Macaroni can be used to make a creamy salad and also is great combined
with nutritional yeast or spaghetti sauce. Spiral pasta is used in many different pasta salads. Spaghetti
can be used in a casserole topped with vegan cheese or in the traditional way with tomato sauce and a vegan meal alternative or a lot of chunky veggies.

Spices. There are other ways to season food besides salt and pepper. In fact, many spices taste better than salt. Even die hard salt-a-holics won’t miss the salt in foods if other seasonings are used. Cayenne pepper, chili powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, oregano, and garlic powder are all useful tools in your flavor arsenal to give foods a fresh new taste.

Beans. There go those beans again. Beans can top your salad, fill a taco shell make an awesome dip, and go well with grilled foods. They provide a good source of protein with very little fat. Beans are good in soups, stews, and over rice for a simple yet filling meal.

Do you have these staples in your kitchen? You can probably think of several more that you can add to your pantry that will help you save money. Start with the ones listed and expand your own list of basic kitchen staples that are versatile and economical.