That's one of the most exciting news I've read here on hubski. Congratulations for making the connection between compassion, environment and health and not stopping at the half-hearted contradiction that is vegetarianism.

I was vegetarian for about 6 years and gradually phased out animal products before becoming 100% vegan about 2 years ago. I'm not a nutritionist but have done some research and date a long term vegan nutrition student who's finishing her course this year. I'll fill in what I can think of from the top of my head and will perhaps come back later with further advice from my partner to fill in the gaps.

I don't want to stop eating animals products without any knowledge of how to do so.

That's a very wise approach. I know vegans who's values changed for animal-rights reasons and without any consideration for their own health, which is a dangerous affair and probably end up stopping being vegan after some time blaming the diet. This isn't an issue specific to Veganism alone by the way. Any type of diet can be dangerous without paying attention to the nutrition needs of the body, as high levels of obesity and countless other omnivore diet based illnesses prove. However, while it is socially acceptable to die of a stroke (which can be the first symptom of over consumption of animal fat), vegans health is put under the microscope by non-vegans who blame the diet for their condition.

Can you give me some recommendations (web pages, articles, books) on how to start?

In nutritional terms, you're not giving anything up, you're simply substituting. To start of with, if you miss the flavour of animal products, you can try some processed foods to make the transition easier. I don't know what the state of vegan products is in Poland but here in the UK there's quite a selection of flavoured tofus from smoked to tomato, olive and herbs to suit any taste. There are also vegan cheeses, yogurts and fake meats such as seitan. There are a handful of plant based "milks", almond and coconut are my favourites. Health stores usually carry some of these more alternative foods. Pack up on seeds, nuts and fruits for snacking on and be adventurous trying vegetables, pulses and algae that perhaps you haven't tried before. Becoming vegan definitely opened my flora horizons.

Consider investing in a good blender and a good slow juicer. Smoothies are awesome and an easy way of making a quick, tasty, nutritious breakfast or snack. The slow juicer is great at getting the nutrients out of all those veggies. Add some fruit for sweetness but I wouldn't advise drinking a lot of fruit juices.

From a nutritional point of view (this is actually useful for anyone interested in healthy living) check out this nutrition tracking tool. This way you can learn as you go along about what gaps you need to fill in your diet. There's also this incredibly useful reference resource on Nutrition Data to check the nutritional value of foods. Here's an example for kale and here for a cruel example of lamb. These two tools can be invaluable in giving you some guidance at this stage.

Things to watch out for

If you're doing a balanced vegan diet, protein is the last thing you need to worry about unless you're doing lot's of exercise. This is because most foods contain the building blocks of protein. Yes, even greens contain protein. As you can see in the link above, kale contains all the 9 amino-acids, which your body will use to build protein. So have a diverse diet and add some nuts and pulses once in a while such as lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas.

If you're female you should pay particular attention to Iron and consider supplementing. Lot's of green vegetables are a must for Iron and Calcium. Get Selenium from a couple of Brazil nuts a day. And Iodine from algae once in a while. Vitamin D is generated by your skin from sunlight. So if you don't get a minimum of 20mins of sunshine a day you should supplement. This is true for any diet since vitamin D is not available from animal products either.

One thing that you will need to supplement every 2 or 3 days is B12. B12 is generated by a soil bacteria. Herbivores eat some bacteria with their grass and assimilate B12 that way. These days, with factory farming, few animals enjoy a life in the green grassy fields. In fact most of them never get to even see or taste grass. They are re fed grain (usually GM) and so they must get B12 shots along with the growth hormone dose. Actually an interesting fact is that we generate B12 in our gut but it's too far down to be assimilated. Some apes solve this by eating some of their own poop. Something which I do not advise : )

I would advise you to find and join a local vegan group for support and sharing of ideas. If one doesn't exist, create one. You might be nicely surprised to find out that there are more vegans around you than you thought.

Finally, there are countless resources online. YouTube can be a good resource if you know what you're looking for. I have built a documentary website with a health section which contains some nutrition videos. A Diet for All Reasons is probably the best for nutritional advice. But there are many others on the subject. A few from the top of my head are Cowspiracy, Vegucated, Food Matters, The Future of Food, Earthlings.

Good luck with your transition and please let me know if there's anything you need more in depth info. I'm happy to help where I can.