Hello. I'm Melanie, a 32-year-old vegan mother to Kalli, age 2. We are currently living in Papua New Guinea where my husband works as the Peace Corps Medical Officer. We move from country to country every couple of years. My career is one I can do from just about anywhere in the world -- I publish a newsletter called Vegetarian Baby and Toddler.

I started on the road toward veganism years ago in college. But I was doing it for all the wrong reasons, mainly to lose weight. I wasn't truly concerned with my long-term health, and I made little effort to create a well-balanced diet. Add to that the fact that I didn't know how to cook for beans, and you have a recipe for failure! (pardon the pun) It wasn't long before I added lots of eggs and high fat dairy products to my diet, then eventually went back to my old ways altogether. For years I kept the goal of vegetarianism in mind, but I never thought I could go vegan again. It was too hard the first time, because I had no idea about all the delicious alternatives out there, much less how to prepare them.

I became pregnant with my daughter in 1997. I decided then and there that I would have to start seriously making some changes in my diet, to start taking steps toward healthier eating. My husband and I agreed that we wanted to raise Kalli vegetarian, so I began reading and researching and slowly made the change to a vegetarian diet myself. Kalli was a dairy-free vegetarian right from the beginning. Six months ago we finally became vegan. She never really liked eggs much, so the switch was nothing for her. For me it was liberating -- the final step toward a long-time goal. I haven't regretted it for a minute! My husband still occasionally eats meat outside the house, but at home, we all eat a vegan diet.

Join me while I share with you my experience of maintaining a completely animal-free diet for my family. Whether you are just wondering what vegetarianism is all about or a long-time vegan that's shared similar trials and tribulations, I hope you'll join me on my journey in raising a healthy vegan family.

Melanie