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Tips for going Vegan-Vegetarian:

1) Do it one step at a time. Cut out non-cruelty free products first and consuming dairy. Then cut out meat, or red meat and then white meat. And then the rest. Taking it a little at a time will be easier on your body.

You can do all of this in a matter of 1-2 weeks instead of over-night. Or, take as long as you need. Most people, i find, are able to do it within 4 weeks no problem.

2) I suggest buying only cruelty-free products and such right away, replace everything you use that comes from companys that test on animals. For example: switch from Johnson & Johnson to Kiss My Face products. And from using the regular oil you use in cooking, to Organic Olive Oil.

3) Go through everything you own that has animal material in it, such as wool and suede and beauty products ( except for things you can't afford to just get rid of, like new boots than have leather in them) and throw them out.

Your parents/family may not want to convert to that lifestyle and that is okay, but that doesn't mean you can't. :)

"The word 'veganism' denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to end the idea of animals as property and exclude all forms of intentional exploitation of, use of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, research or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, including people and the environment.

In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

This should give you the info to help start off veganism a lot easier:

Here is a list of animal ingredients to avoid:

http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients....

More things to avoid:

Animals as clothes:

Leather, skins, furs, wool, silk, down, feathers...

Animals as entertainment:

Circuses, rodeos, zoos, aquariums, animal fights, animal races, hunting...

Companies that DO NOT test on animals(however CHECK INGREDIENTS they only verify testing not ingredients):

http://www.leapingbunny.org/indexcus.php

Vegan products:

http://www.veganstore.com/ (I know them well and they aren't doing as well in this economy but they are a great source for awesome hard to find stuff and they are very friendly and giving even if they really don't have much if anything to give)

http://gentleworld.org/vegan-evolution/products/

Vegan recipes:

http://vegweb.com/

More info on veganism:

http://animal-rights.com/

http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm (I get the honey question a lot)

http://www.youcanhelpstopthis.com/

If you need more personalized help just PM me and I can help mentor you through the process : )

There's no need to think of it as something complicated. Just simply stop using any foods/products that came from or in any way used animals in their production. It means reading a few labels and asking questions at restaurants at first, but you'll get the hang of it. When you go to the grocery store, only buy vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, seeds & nuts. It's really a no-brainer. ;)