How to survive being Vegan?!
Please teach me how to eat?
Answers: Just started a week ago, and it's killing me already. Honestly, I've been living off of plain white bread and grapes.
Please teach me how to eat?
Good gravy, how did you eat before you were vegan? Just remove the meat, dairy, and eggs, avoid items that contain those, and you'll be fine.
Many organizations have a vegetarian starter guide. Order one or more of those. www.cok.net has one and also puts out a simple vegan recipe guide.
www.vegweb.com has tons and tons of vegan recipes.
But in a pinch, dude, two words: Stir and Fry. Get some Morningstar Farms starter strips, your favorite veggies, a bottle of stir-fry sauce, and make a stir fry.
you should try eating beans,pasta,nuts,veggie chilli,tofu,veggie burger,soup, and try the morningstar brand !!!
Get creative, you know that you can eat more than bread and grapes. Go out and buy a simple recipe book, and some beans, veggies, spices, fruit, pastas, rice, whole grains. White bread is rarely vegan anyway. You can do it!!
Get yourself to a library.
"Becoming Vegan" by Davis & Melina is the vegan nutrition bible. Read it!
Get yourself some cookbooks, and get your @ss in the kitchen. I highly reccomend Vegan With A Vengeance, and Veganomicon.
Also, check out the forums at theppk.com - lots of cool helpful vegans there!
Best of luck!
wow. You really are going to kill yourself if you keep eating like that. No joke. There is far too much to tell you in this small amount of space. There are tons of books out there. Go get one. There's even a "Dummies" guide.
Here is a website with some ideas to get you started:
http://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/eating_...
But seriously, you need to start eating lots of veggies, grains, beans, lentils. There is no point to being vegan if you are going to eat like you are.
Try Boca burgers. It's an alternative to ground meant and it's pretty tasty.
Tofu is also pretty good is you season it up enough.
My sister was vegan for a while and she was able to eat all types of things liek french fries, she ate seafood (not sure if you're eating fish or not), and lots of veggies.
also,walmart carries Morning star (it's green) they have "crumblers" (about 2.50 or so) which is like ground meat. It's good for tacos, pasta, whatever.. The morning star sausage patties are soooooo good too! these are about 2.50 or as well and chicken patties, great for chicken parm, or sandwiches.again same price.. Morning star also carries nuggets which are yummy as well. the pack only has 12-15 nuggets but these are good as is, or to add to salads. or baked poataoes.
My jaw just dropped. Seriously.
Sounds like you just don't know where to start so I'm going to throw some meal ideas at you and you can find recipes on the internet or just get creative with what you have in the kitchen.
BREAKFAST
cereal with soy milk
fruit
scrambled tofu
LUNCH
veggie pattie/burger
salad (there are soooo many options there)
soup
stir fry
toasted sandwich with soy cheese
salad sandwich
DINNER
Veg chilli with cous cous
Indian or Thai style curry with rice
Dhal
Stir fry with noodles
Pasta! So easy!!
Veg lasagna - white sauce made with soy milk
Roast veg with mashed potato (potato made with soy milk and dairy free marg)
Falafel & tabbouli in turkish bread
Tacos/burritos made with mexebeans & refried beans instead of mince
Grilled vegetable salad with hot chips
SNACKS
Hommus / other vegan dips + crackers
Fruit
Nuts/seeds
Soy yogurt
Vegan chips/chocolate
To have a healthy vegan diet, you should:
1). Eat enough calories to maintain your body weight. Your caloric needs are still the same, and it's not healthy to starve yourself.
2). Include a variety of fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and grains in your diet.
3). Make sure you have a reliable source of vitamin B12. You can do this by either taking a supplement or eating fortified foods (like cereals and soymilks).
Here are some links with more information.
NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Vegan sources of protein, iron, and calcium:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc...
The four vegan food groups:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f...
Optimal vegan nutrition:
http://www.goveg.com/optimal_vegan_nutri...
FOOD IDEAS:
Meal ideas:
http://www.vegcooking.com/everydayliving...
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07menu
Recipes:
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.a...
Popular non-dairy and vegan faux meat products:
http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp
GENERAL TRANSITION TIPS:
http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetrans...
Good luck!
why? Vegan is healthier than meat, and vegans live longer than meat eaters, and have a better chance of not getting cancer. So stay vegan, you'll adapt to it. It's been two weeks, so what.
You need to learn how to cook! Get yourself a couple of great cookbooks for inspiration. I've been vegan for 6 months and I've never eaten so well in my life.
Get to a bookstore or library and get yourself a copy of Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. They have sections on the basics like cooking grains, cooking legumes and cooking vegetables and they have a ton of mix-and-match recipes you can build easy meals from. While Veganimicon should be your first stop, there are LOTS of other great vegan cookbooks out there. Vegan with a Vengeance is fabulous, any of Sarah Kramer's books are great, Yellow Rose Recipes (which is available online from Herbivore clothing) looks incredible, too.
Also, look for a copy of "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. It's great coverage of vegan nutrition.
Also, visit the forums here: http://www.theppk.com/ and check out the "Kitchen" and "Food Porn" sections (not what it sounds like!) You'll see a whole world beyond bread and grapes!
Boca Burgers are great!
I have the same diet, but I mix it up a little. Toast one week and add salt another. ooohhh mix it up a little !!!! and every other week mix them together. WOW you do learn some thing new a everyday.