how hard is it to be vegan?!

[melissamstanford42]

ok so i've been a veggie a few years hoping one day to go the full hog (pardon the pun) and so far i've been eating veggie roast with vegan butter instead of gravy and of course without meat. fried rice with veg, cous cous with veg, beans and tortilla, cheesey ristotto.

these are my go to meals but i vary it, including chips. mainly how many ways can i cook a potato. i admit it sometimes feels like its boring not eating meat esp. when i get comments like "oh, something's missing". i don't feel like that as i know my diet is varied and my cupboard full of foods i can cook and eat.

i don't much buy vegan alternatives as i feel they're processed food. i'm not against them and eat them occassionally. but i feel the alternatives aren't always that nice tasting, like vegan cheese.

i hope to continue my veggie/vegan cooking as its creative and i enjoy it. its hard though to eat three times a day or know what to cook for an evening, not eating meat. so really i need to expand my meal ideas in ways that are still cost effective. its funny though as i think i've put on two stone!!

[Skinnyblue]

You are so sweet and young. Not even 40.

Since you are in UK,

find an Indian friend or neighbor. Go eat at Indian restaurants, go to library or book store to find Indian Food Receipe book.

CUT DOWN potatoes.

[Mensch001]

You can do it! I was a vegetarian since childhood and wanted to become vegan for ethical and health reasons. Before that we had backyard hens, drank nondairy milk ... but we loved cheese. Honestly, it just takes 2-3 weeks for your body to become adjusted to not having dairy. After that, when you eat or drink dairy you'll be able to taste the chemicals in it ... and it will start to taste like something doughy and salty ... and not so good as you remember it tasting. I gave up eggs and milk first. The eggs were starting to cause indigestion and I noticed the difference. For awhile I kept eating baked goods with eggs in them. But when I went full vegan I cut those too. The process took about six months. Learning how to bake without eggs was a little bit of a challenge, but a good solution is to just buy a package of egg replacer for a few dollars. You will eventually learn how to use pantry substitutes like bananna or tapioca starch. If you live in the UK, finding vegan desserts (especially chocolate) shouldn't be too hard. My family of three made the switch together and it was easier than we expected.