Vegans, can you help me?!
I'm finding it really difficult to go vegan, but I have made small changes like cutting out dairy gradually. Cutting out eggs may be a problem! It's annoying that stores sell omni/veggie options but less or no vegan options in my area! lol
Any support & tips you give me will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!!
scottie x
Answers: I'm veggie at the moment, but I'm struggling to make the transition.
I'm finding it really difficult to go vegan, but I have made small changes like cutting out dairy gradually. Cutting out eggs may be a problem! It's annoying that stores sell omni/veggie options but less or no vegan options in my area! lol
Any support & tips you give me will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!!
scottie x
Scottie - It's so great to hear you want to go vegan!
If you live in an area where it's hard to get some of the "specialty" pre-packaged vegan foods, it's probably pretty important that you take a DIY approach to this! Most mainstream groceries these days have tofu and soymilk, and all of them have a wide variety of grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, etc. In other words, all the makings of a very healthy diet! All you need to do is learn to cook them in a way you find appetizing.
Tofu scramble is a wonderful alternative to scrambles eggs for breakfast! http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/...
If you can't get nutritional yeast where you live (I get mine from the bulk bins at the local co-op or Whole Foods) that might be one of the few things I'd recommend you internet order. Most brands are fortified with vitamin B12 and it adds delightful cheese-like flavor to recipes. I make vegan mac n "cheese" with it.
Baked goods are sometimes tricky, so learn to bake! You can make your own delicious vegan muffins, cookies, cakes, pies, sky's the limit just get yourself in the kitchen!
Get a good vegan cookbook or two, Veganomicon is one I recommend to beginners because it has sections on the very basics of vegan cooking, such as how to cook beans, vegetables, and grains. http://www.theppk.com/nomicon.html
If you don't want to or can't afford to I think it's ok to use any leather or wool items you might have until they wear out and you need to replace them. I'm still phasing out some of my stuff, I just don't see the point in adding to senseless consumerism in buying all new stuff if I don't have to. But that's a personal choice, do what you feel comfortable with.
Join an online community of vegans for support. I like to hang out at http://www.veganrepresent.com/ I also like to listen to the Vegan Freak podcast http://veganfreakradio.com/
You can do it. Go vegan, stay vegan! Good luck
yep. very hard indeed.
have you tried to search on line for companies that will deliver vegan stuff to your house? bit more expensive perhaps but at least you know it is vegan.
there are a LOT of eggs put into almost every processed item so stay away from any processed food. this includes biscuits, cakes, even some veggie burgers.
you can replace dairy with soy(milk) and soy(cheese). i do not think you should be 'cutting out' rather 'exchanging for'.
there are 'non-egg/egg replacement ' powders you can use to bake your own recipies with like quiches and stuff.
you know you will have to throw away all leather, not use silk, skip gelatine (in almost all sweets/lollies and yoghurts/ cheesecakes/birthdaycakes etc) and not even use glue nor cellotape as the sticky stuff is made of crushed hooves...
ah well.
good on ya and good luck!
ps also, stay away from food colouring as red dye is often made of crushed red beetles. lovely eh.
Hey!
Yeah it is hard to start being a vegan because there are so many foods that you can't have.
But just remember the pain you are saving from the poor little animals.
If you have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes in your area, they have so many vegan options and alternatives.
Soymilk is really good, I would start out with chocolate soymilk first though because its the best, then go to vanilla then regular. Thats what worked for me :)
There is also alot of soy cheese out there that is really good.
Try Vegan Gourmet Cheese, its the best.
And you should try Newmans Own brand foods because they are mostly vegan
Not the guy on the Salad Dressings but there is another one.
There are chocolates and oreos and popcorn that he has and they are all vegan.
And there are alot of recipes at vegweb.com
I've tried several of their recipes and I haven't been able to complain!!
Good luck hun!!!
<33
hi scottie, its sometimes easier to make your own vegan food until you can find a good store that sells vegan alternatives.
try this website for some easy and tasty recipes
http://www.eighth-day.co.uk/recipes.htm
and good luck! :) x
Heya Scottie,
Fluffy's right. There are pretty limited vegan/health food stores where I live. So I generally bake my goodies on the week end and save them for when I have a sweet tooth through the week.
Try eliminating eggs and dairy first directly. By directly I mean, don't make yourself and scrambled egg omelet or cheese sandwich. Then when you feel your comfortable with that, you can start avoid things with eggs and milk as *ingredients*. Finally, when your ready you cant eliminate honey.
Yeah exchanging is a good idea too. Like instead of making a cheese & tomato toastie this morning I made and avocado & tomato toastie instead. It's all about experimenting with ingredients.
It may take a bit of time, but I'm sure you can do it.
good luck. =)
If there's Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or Trader Joe's in your area, you should be able to find vegan options easily.
Also check out www.happycow.net or www.vegdining.com, both of which will help you find restaurants and natural foods stores all over the world.
Amy's kitchen, a line of convenience foods, has many vegan options. They're all vegetarian and use no eggs whatsoever (they do use dairy and/or honey), and all their vegan items say so by the ingredient lists. Gardenburger has a handful of vegan items. Really, you should ask your local grocery store to carry vegan items. If they get enough demand, they may carry them.
There are also tons of vegan online retailers, at least here in the U.S., that sell all sorts of goodies. Sweet and Sara S'mores--mmmmmm.
And you don't have to throw out your silk, wool, and leather if you don't want to. If you can't bear the thought of wearing them, take them to a shelter. But many vegans will wear their old pre-vegan stuff and when it wears out, replace it with an animal-friendly option. The decision is up to you.
And the red dye another poster referred to is carmine (cochineal), made from the crushed bodies of cochineal beetles. Red Dye #40 is vegan, although not necessarily healthy. And avoid products that say "confectioners glaze" or "food glaze," as many are made from insect secretions. It always pays to ask.
Did anyone tell you you're going to have to read labels obsessively?
If you don't know how already, learn to cook, dude. While processed convenience foods may not be vegan, EVERY store in EVERY area has hundreds of vegan ingredients (the entire produce section, at least 95% of the bulk goods section, etc...) Pick up a couple of cookbooks from the library and make your own food. You can cook up a couple of entrees on the weekend and freeze them to eat throughout the week. "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero is great, especially if you're something of a beginner cook. Lots of their recipes lend themselves well to freezing. Can't find a vegan burger in your stores? Make up a big batch of black bean burgers and toss them in the freezer. Cutting out eggs is only a problem if you really want a fried egg because there's just no substitute; if you're using them as ingredients in baked goods, though, there are a lot of options.
I'm a vegetarian and eat eggs and other dairy products. I just get them in the organic section. go to youtube and search slaughter houses and animals. if that doesn't make you stop then heaven don't help you.