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alexlynn7
Big brother to be!
Member since 9/06 6314 total posts
Name:
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Is anyone a vegan?
Recently I've been learning a lot about the meat industry and I'm not too happy with what I'm finding out...
So I'm considering becoming a vegan. This is actually my eighth day of no meat, dairy, or eggs, and I'm feeling fine.
If you're a vegan, do you have any tips for me?
What are your favorite things to eat?
How do you make it work around people who aren't vegans?
What are the biggest challenges?
Could use all the help I can get - thanks!
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Posted 3/5/10 7:32 PM  |
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pandaworm
LIF Adult
Member since 8/08 1125 total posts
Name:
bethany
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Re: Is anyone a vegan?
i'm not a vegan. dh, dd, and i are vegetarians (we try to buy egg and dairy products from trusted sources as much as we can to offset the negative treatment of animals). things that you should watch out for are:
get enough protein. duh, but vary the sources of where you're getting it from. beans, soy, wheat gluten, quinoa, etc. not everything has to be tofu and soy milk.
omega-3s - you usually get most of these from fish, so vegetarians/vegans can be deficient. flax seed is a great source for these.
b vitamins - especially b12. get a good multivitamin.
iron - try to up your intake of iron-rich foods. dark greens, beans, beets, etc.
watch out for hidden sources of animal products. i don't know how strict you're trying to be, but animal products are everywhere! clothing, vitamins/medicines, gelatin, beauty products (even if they don't contain it, they can be tested on animals). being a strict vegan or even just a vegetarian will cut out a lot of commonly used things that you'll have to find replacements for.
and last but not least - good luck! it can be hard at first but after a while it's second nature. i can't imagine eating another way!
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| Posted 3/5/10 10:05 PM |
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diane123
LIF Zygote
Member since 3/10 16 total posts
Name:
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Re: Is anyone a vegan?
I am a vegan.
I do not eat any animal or any animal by-products. I do not wear any leather, suede, silk or anything like that either.
There are alot of books and websites that can help you.
You can shop at Wild By Nature, Whole Foods and Trader Joes. There are alos alot of mom pop stores that carry vegetarian and vegan food.
Good luck!
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| Posted 3/6/10 4:10 PM |
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Re: Is anyone a vegan?
Posted by alexlynn7
Recently I've been learning a lot about the meat industry and I'm not too happy with what I'm finding out...
So I'm considering becoming a vegan. This is actually my eighth day of no meat, dairy, or eggs, and I'm feeling fine.
If you're a vegan, do you have any tips for me?
What are your favorite things to eat?
How do you make it work around people who aren't vegans?
What are the biggest challenges?
Could use all the help I can get - thanks!
Get Skinny B*tch! Great book!
I have been a vegan for 14 years - although I have slacked a bit in the last few years (I will have soy cheese with casein in it, and will have honey in my tea although I usually use agave nectar)
My favorite things to eat are:
Edamame
Quinoa (a grain you should become fast friends with!!!)
Hummos
Nuts
Raw veggies
Salads
Tofurkey turkey slices
Steer clear of living on pasta or a lot of processed soy foods.
With people who aren't vegan:
Tell them not to worry about what you will eat. I make no one accomodate me. If I eat at their house, I eat the side dishes - salad, veggies, etc - I remind them to leave out butter or cream but that's it. Going out to dinner, you can do: Japanese, Indian, Thai, Chinese - remember to ask them if there is shrimp, meat, etc in any of the dishes.
14 years ago being vegan was a challenge. Now that it's trendier and there are more stores and restaurants that carry vegan food, I see no challenges anymore!!!!
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| Posted 3/7/10 6:54 PM |
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alexlynn7
Big brother to be!
Member since 9/06 6314 total posts
Name:
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Re: Is anyone a vegan?
Posted by lipglossjunky73
Posted by alexlynn7
Recently I've been learning a lot about the meat industry and I'm not too happy with what I'm finding out...
So I'm considering becoming a vegan. This is actually my eighth day of no meat, dairy, or eggs, and I'm feeling fine.
If you're a vegan, do you have any tips for me?
What are your favorite things to eat?
How do you make it work around people who aren't vegans?
What are the biggest challenges?
Could use all the help I can get - thanks!
Get Skinny B*tch! Great book!
I have been a vegan for 14 years - although I have slacked a bit in the last few years (I will have soy cheese with casein in it, and will have honey in my tea although I usually use agave nectar)
My favorite things to eat are:
Edamame
Quinoa (a grain you should become fast friends with!!!)
Hummos
Nuts
Raw veggies
Salads
Tofurkey turkey slices
Steer clear of living on pasta or a lot of processed soy foods.
With people who aren't vegan:
Tell them not to worry about what you will eat. I make no one accomodate me. If I eat at their house, I eat the side dishes - salad, veggies, etc - I remind them to leave out butter or cream but that's it. Going out to dinner, you can do: Japanese, Indian, Thai, Chinese - remember to ask them if there is shrimp, meat, etc in any of the dishes.
14 years ago being vegan was a challenge. Now that it's trendier and there are more stores and restaurants that carry vegan food, I see no challenges anymore!!!!
THANK YOU everyone, for the input!
skinny b!tch is the book that got me started on this in the first place...
right now, as i learn more about how to cook veggies and grains, i am unfortunately living on pasta.
but i have a cookbook coming in the mail tomorrow (moosewood? it came recommended by several friends?) so i need to start branching out.
and i NEED to get better at cooking tofu - my first experiment with it went horribly wrong...
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| Posted 3/8/10 7:46 PM |
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pandaworm
LIF Adult
Member since 8/08 1125 total posts
Name:
bethany
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Re: Is anyone a vegan?
Posted by alexlynn7
Posted by lipglossjunky73
Posted by alexlynn7
Recently I've been learning a lot about the meat industry and I'm not too happy with what I'm finding out...
So I'm considering becoming a vegan. This is actually my eighth day of no meat, dairy, or eggs, and I'm feeling fine.
If you're a vegan, do you have any tips for me?
What are your favorite things to eat?
How do you make it work around people who aren't vegans?
What are the biggest challenges?
Could use all the help I can get - thanks!
Get Skinny B*tch! Great book!
I have been a vegan for 14 years - although I have slacked a bit in the last few years (I will have soy cheese with casein in it, and will have honey in my tea although I usually use agave nectar)
My favorite things to eat are:
Edamame
Quinoa (a grain you should become fast friends with!!!)
Hummos
Nuts
Raw veggies
Salads
Tofurkey turkey slices
Steer clear of living on pasta or a lot of processed soy foods.
With people who aren't vegan:
Tell them not to worry about what you will eat. I make no one accomodate me. If I eat at their house, I eat the side dishes - salad, veggies, etc - I remind them to leave out butter or cream but that's it. Going out to dinner, you can do: Japanese, Indian, Thai, Chinese - remember to ask them if there is shrimp, meat, etc in any of the dishes.
14 years ago being vegan was a challenge. Now that it's trendier and there are more stores and restaurants that carry vegan food, I see no challenges anymore!!!!
THANK YOU everyone, for the input!
skinny b!tch is the book that got me started on this in the first place...
right now, as i learn more about how to cook veggies and grains, i am unfortunately living on pasta.
but i have a cookbook coming in the mail tomorrow (moosewood? it came recommended by several friends?) so i need to start branching out.
and i NEED to get better at cooking tofu - my first experiment with it went horribly wrong...
get the extra firm tofu - the silken one is great for putting in things (smoothies, etc.) but for cooking, the firmer the better.
take it out of the package, cut it in slices, then put the slices in between two towels with a weight on top (your cutting board, etc.) and let it drain for a while (usually 15 minutes will do it, but the longer the better) then you can either cook it or marinate it in whatever (vegetable broth is good, but experiment) and then cook it. it'll hold together much better like this, have a better texture, and absorb more flavors. also try wheat gluten. i like it much better than tofu as it has a chewier texture (more meat-like i guess... more substantial). it's harder to find depending on your supermarket, but worth it.
here's one of my favorite recipes for tofu. not the best for you (it's fried) but good!
1 package of tofu, cubed and drained
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
put all the ingredients into a container (bag, tupperware, whatever) and shake until the tofu is coated. let it marinate (the longer the better, but i've used it right away and it's still good) then pan fry in extra virgin olive oil. serve with rice or quinoa and veggies. simple and yummy!
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| Posted 3/8/10 9:08 PM |
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alexlynn7
Big brother to be!
Member since 9/06 6314 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Is anyone a vegan?
Posted by pandaworm
Posted by alexlynn7
Posted by lipglossjunky73
Posted by alexlynn7
Recently I've been learning a lot about the meat industry and I'm not too happy with what I'm finding out...
So I'm considering becoming a vegan. This is actually my eighth day of no meat, dairy, or eggs, and I'm feeling fine.
If you're a vegan, do you have any tips for me?
What are your favorite things to eat?
How do you make it work around people who aren't vegans?
What are the biggest challenges?
Could use all the help I can get - thanks!
Get Skinny B*tch! Great book!
I have been a vegan for 14 years - although I have slacked a bit in the last few years (I will have soy cheese with casein in it, and will have honey in my tea although I usually use agave nectar)
My favorite things to eat are:
Edamame
Quinoa (a grain you should become fast friends with!!!)
Hummos
Nuts
Raw veggies
Salads
Tofurkey turkey slices
Steer clear of living on pasta or a lot of processed soy foods.
With people who aren't vegan:
Tell them not to worry about what you will eat. I make no one accomodate me. If I eat at their house, I eat the side dishes - salad, veggies, etc - I remind them to leave out butter or cream but that's it. Going out to dinner, you can do: Japanese, Indian, Thai, Chinese - remember to ask them if there is shrimp, meat, etc in any of the dishes.
14 years ago being vegan was a challenge. Now that it's trendier and there are more stores and restaurants that carry vegan food, I see no challenges anymore!!!!
THANK YOU everyone, for the input!
skinny b!tch is the book that got me started on this in the first place...
right now, as i learn more about how to cook veggies and grains, i am unfortunately living on pasta.
but i have a cookbook coming in the mail tomorrow (moosewood? it came recommended by several friends?) so i need to start branching out.
and i NEED to get better at cooking tofu - my first experiment with it went horribly wrong...
get the extra firm tofu - the silken one is great for putting in things (smoothies, etc.) but for cooking, the firmer the better.
take it out of the package, cut it in slices, then put the slices in between two towels with a weight on top (your cutting board, etc.) and let it drain for a while (usually 15 minutes will do it, but the longer the better) then you can either cook it or marinate it in whatever (vegetable broth is good, but experiment) and then cook it. it'll hold together much better like this, have a better texture, and absorb more flavors. also try wheat gluten. i like it much better than tofu as it has a chewier texture (more meat-like i guess... more substantial). it's harder to find depending on your supermarket, but worth it.
here's one of my favorite recipes for tofu. not the best for you (it's fried) but good!
1 package of tofu, cubed and drained
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
put all the ingredients into a container (bag, tupperware, whatever) and shake until the tofu is coated. let it marinate (the longer the better, but i've used it right away and it's still good) then pan fry in extra virgin olive oil. serve with rice or quinoa and veggies. simple and yummy!
THANK YOU for these tofu tips!!!!
i did NOT dry it before i cooked it so the consistency was GROSS. i will try this next time!! 
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| Posted 3/10/10 5:02 PM |
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