Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian To Vegan...Tons Of Q's?!
Any Tips?
How Do You Cut Food Expenses?
What Do You Use In Place Of Eggs?
Is There Any Fux-Chicken That Doesn't Have Milk Or Eggs?
What's A Good Brand Of "Yogurt?"
& Dark Chocolate?
Eventhough I'm A Vegetarian I'm Kinda Freaking Out, But I Do For Most Big Choices.
Are Their Any Foods That You Think Vegans Shouldn't Be With Out? Or That You Plain Old Wouldn't?
*Anti-Vegs Need Not Answer*
Answers: I'v Been A Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Since The Age Of 10 (I Am Now 19) & Lately I'v Really Been Thinking Of Making The Jump To Becoming Vegan, Though I'm Not Sure Yet.
Any Tips?
How Do You Cut Food Expenses?
What Do You Use In Place Of Eggs?
Is There Any Fux-Chicken That Doesn't Have Milk Or Eggs?
What's A Good Brand Of "Yogurt?"
& Dark Chocolate?
Eventhough I'm A Vegetarian I'm Kinda Freaking Out, But I Do For Most Big Choices.
Are Their Any Foods That You Think Vegans Shouldn't Be With Out? Or That You Plain Old Wouldn't?
*Anti-Vegs Need Not Answer*
LOL I know what you mean by "kinda freaking out". I did the same thing. And it happened a few times after I became vegan...like what I was doing was too big, but you know what, I love it sooo much.
Food expenses: I stopped buying cheese and eggs, that saved me lots of money right there.
You can buy egg replacers, like ener-g....you find it at most health food stores and they work well (for baking that is).
Faux Chicken - lots of faux meats have egg whites or modified milk ingredients...you just need to read the package (whey, casein....both dairy)...the good thing...you will only ever need to read it once, you always remember what you can eat :) the bad thing....some of your fav. substitutes will have some egg or milk...and that can be sad :)
I don't eat lots of yogurt now...I use silken tofu...I never used it when I was a vegetarian, but now I use it lots...in smoothies etc. and you can blend it with fruit./....very good.
Chocolate: I just look for pure chocolate....I buy pure chocolate chips and make almond bark...then just keep it around for when I need it. But there are chocolate out there for you.
Tips:
I thought that I couldn't ever live without cheese, but I think that the salt in the cheese was clogging my taste buds because everything tastes better now. The first few days I would come home (my guy still ate cheese at the time) and I would make myself a sandwich...and I really wanted to put cheese on it, but I will just make it without it and found that I really didn't miss it...but I SO wanted to put it on before I started eating.
Margarines have whey and casein, you need to find one that doesn't have dairy...most do.
Find some staples like: Hummus...SO easy to make, and it has iron and lots of protein, AND the lemon juice in it helps your body absorb the iron....
Quinoa...full protein and sooooo good....
Spinach - Baby spinach salad is one of my staples....
Carry vegan snacks around with you at first so you don't get caught starving out somewhere.
I was so happy being a vegetarian, it was so easy for me...but I like being vegan better, I think more about what I eat and really am enjoying different foods.
Good luck :)
i was a veg a couple of years ago i believe you should buy a veg/vegan book they really help
Tip: read "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina for thorough coverage of vegan nutrition and get one of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's cookbooks for delicious food and inspiration.
Cut food expenses by minimizing your reliance on prepackaged, processed convenience foods. Cook mostly from whole goods and there's no reason it has to be expensive. A lot of vegan pantry staples can be purchased in bulk and eating produce in season is cheaper than importing stuff from South America in the off-season.
What you use in place of eggs depends on what you're doing with the eggs to begin with. If you're baking, Ener-G egg replacer, ground flax seeds, silken tofu and mashed bananas can all replace eggs. If you're talking about scrambled eggs, try scrambled tofu. If you're hoping to make a souffle or meringue, you might just be out of luck (although I know of at least one food sciences person working on the perfect vegan meringue.)
Morningstar Farms makes "chicken" strips that are suitable for stirfrying and are vegan. I don't know which others are vegan-friendly so you'll just have to read ingredients (Quorn is a no-go due to egg whites.)
There are several soy and rice yogurts available, but I was never a yogurt fan so apart from a carton I bought for making muffins, I have no input.
Lots of dark chocolate still has milk in it, unfortunately. Several of the Endangered Species varieties are vegan and Green & Black make vegan dark chocolate as well. There are several others.
It is a big choice. I was vegetarian for 20 years before I committed to veganism because I was really worried that it would be hard. It's been great and I don't regret it a bit. As for foods that vegans shouldn't be without, there's not too much specifically. It's mostly important to eat a balanced, varied diet with lots of produce, legumes and whole grains, but there are a few foods that pack a lot of punch. Of course, a lot of vegan cooking incorporates tofu and it's a great source of protein (and is really versatile, including luscious desserts that you would NEVER know contained it.) Quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse - a complete protein, plus a good source of iron and an excellent source of calcium; it's also really versatile and easy to prepare (comparable to rice.) I couldn't live without chickpeas personally. I use them in everything from casseroles to soups to salads to curries and even use chickpea flour to make eggless french toast. Flax seeds and flax oil are another good thing to keep on hand; both are a good source of omega-3 (don't cook with flax oil, keep it in the fridge and use it for dressings and the like.)
If you are worried about food costs...first, just buy conventionally grown foods until you can afford organic, make sure you buy whole foods...if your store has a bulk/dry food area, take advantage cuz it's a lot cheap than prepackaged goods.
Definitely do research online, that's where I got all my info on how to make a smooth transition. Don't remember which site specifically though.
There are many ways to use egg replacements, you can fry or scramble mashed tofu. For baking you can use egg replacer powder, banana, applesauce, tofu, ground flax seeds and water, etc. http://www.vegcooking.com/vegcooking-egg...
Some of the Boca chi'ken patties are vegan, you just gotta look around because some of them have egg whites and some don't. At my local Whole Foods, they have a ton of vegan chicken. But I don't know if you have access to a store like that....
There are many good soy yogurt brands out there but they are quite expensive. They're like $1.50 for just one small cup.
For dark chocolate I love the Lindt Excellence brand
http://www.lindt.com/2865/2870/3159.asp?...
There are a lot of foods that I couldn't live without, namely my condiments and herbs/spices. They are so good to me. I also love hummus but I don't buy it that often because it can be expensive. I use garlic in almost everything.
o.k.. i only know a few answers.. so sorry in advance.. i know you can use like apple-sauce as an egg replacer.. or there are Vegan egg replacers.
There are vegan yogurts out there.. Just have to shop at a "Health-food store". Cutting food expenses are hard going to vegan because they do cost a lot more to make, and there are not a lot of manufactures of vegan products. However if you contact some of the manufactures i bet you could get some coupons.
I know you can make your own Vegan "Cheese". There is a website for great vegan recipes...
http://www.vegweb.com
I hope i helped a little bit.
"How Do You Cut Food Expenses?"
Buy whole foods and cook. Avoid processed, packaged and convenience foods.
"What Do You Use In Place Of Eggs?"
Ener G egg replacer- available at health food stores, or online.
"Is There Any Faux-Chicken That Doesn't Have Milk Or Eggs?"
You can always make your own:
Vegan Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
1/2 cup textured soy protein
1 tablespoon vegetarian bouillon powder
1/2 cup vegan pancake mix, dry (approximately)
2/3 cup crushed cornflakes (approximately)
Salt, pepper, other seasonings
Oil for frying
Directions:
Put 1/2 c hot water in a bowl. Stir in bouillon powder. Soak textured soy protein in this liquid for 10 minutes. Mix in just enough pancake mix to make a cohesive mixture that can be formed into patties. Mix in salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste. Put crushed cornflakes in a plate. Dip patties into cornflakes, covering them completely. Heat some oil on medium heat in a heavy frying pan. Fry patties in oil until crispy, turning occasionally.
"What's A Good Brand Of "Yogurt?"
So Delicious Soy Yogurt
"& Dark Chocolate? "
Endangered Species Chocolate.
Foods I wouldn't be without?
I don't buy any processed foods, but I always have to have shoyu, nutritional yeast, baby carrots, frozen bananas, and raw cashews.
Relax. It's a process. You don't have to do it all at once.