to not eat meat as a vegan for a reason.

[melissamstanford42]

food is so mental. i choose not to eat meat. and thats a mental choice. its not because of the taste, its how i think and feel. theres not a lot on the market for veg. even though more veg is seen as a healthy choice. just eating veg as i diet is ok for me. i find i enjoy being creative with veg, herbs, spice and sauce. either making my own or buying the raw ingredients. my veg is quite meaty when cooked but cooking options are all there to reinvent meat consumption.

like tonight i'm cooking veggie shepherds pie, and excited about it.

i still need to know more about cooking technology before i'm happy with what i eat. its not just about meat replacement but the taste of meat is fine and so can be veg, taste. learning the different breads, breadcrumbs, coating, batter, pastry etc are all skills i need to aquire, first.

[Subtle_badger]

Caveat: I'm an omnivore and sometime flexatarian but currently eating a fair amount of meat.

I am noticing a lot of vegan products on the shelves. In fact, much to the annoyance of my vegetarian friend, who finds it's getting harder and harder to find ovo-lacto dishes, as they are being replace by vegan choices.

I don't think this is necessary a good change for anyone. Most of the new foods are highly processed and far removed from the plant origin they all boast. Eg all the vegan "meatballs" and sausages I see, not to forget Impossible and Beyond burgers, and I see KFC is selling something vegan in breadcrumbs.

It's very possible to get enough calories as a vegan, but I think you have the right idea - if you are interested in nutrition, you have to prepare things from scratch.

[IndigoBlue61]

A vegan lifestyle is a serious commitment and to ensure you are getting all the right nutrients I’d double check with the Vegan Society.

Also, as others have said, being Vegan (or vegetarian) does not automatically mean your food is healthy, I know more than one vegetarian who lives on chips and cheese with the odd highly processed burger thrown into the mix. ☹️

However, as you say Melissa, with a little effort, planning and cooking it’s quite possible to enjoy a varied and balanced diet, 😊

[Pachyderm1 3kg]

I also try to stick to a vegan diet, although I occasionally eat a bit of cheese when away from home if that's all I can find. Despite the enormous growth in vegan foods available now in supermarkets, I wouldn't touch most of it with a barge pole - it is junk food and no healthier than highly processed animal products such as burgers, chicken nuggets, salami etc despite being 'plant based'. Good to see you are cooking from scratch and finding new recipes which inspire you.

The only problem I have is sticking to low carb options since a standard vegan diet tends to include a lot of grains and starchy roots. Protein is easy - if you haven't already explored the possibilities of tofu, tempeh and seitan, I suggest you check out the internet for recipes.

Good luck with your new lifestyle and let us know how you get on. How exciting it all sounds!

[Lilaclady24 Restart Sept 2024 in reply to Pachyderm1]

I am vegetarian n close to vegan. Even tho I make an effort to incorporate fat into every dish, I can’t abide it really and don’t want food slathered in cheese at every meal. If you know of a good site for low carb veg meals, I’d greatly appreciate it. A separate post on this would help many of us and allow us to contribute our own links. Thanks in advance!

[Pachyderm1 3kg in reply to Lilaclady24]

This is one of the most useful sites I have found: dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vegan for general advice but if you look at YouTube, there are loads of videos on low carb veggie/vegan meals. I dip in and out regularly.

[Lilaclady24 Restart Sept 2024 in reply to Pachyderm1]

Thanks. I had looked at diet doctor but perhaps at the vegetarian rather than vegan sector of the site. I didn’t like the vegetarian options as too loaded in fat, cheese, eggs etc. I’ll give this a go. I have browsed around the Internet for low carb meals but find it very time consuming so I was hoping for a quick fix. Thanks a lot!

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Lilaclady24]

Virgin coconut oil and palm oil are excellent fats for people who aren't keen on cheese/butter. You can get organic/sustainable palm oil from the usual online sources.

[Lilaclady24 Restart Sept 2024 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thanks for these tips and all the info your generously post here!

[melissamstanford42 in reply to Lilaclady24]

I am vegetarian before vegan because dairy is so incorporated into the food market chain. To eat without worrying about weight is difficult. Even vegan.

I went on counterweight course for a year while turning vegetarian and the weight loss advice was mostly potion size.

I did lose over 2 stone but I was disappointed that what I was eating wasn’t helping me lose weight and to lose weight was more about exercise.

That was last year and although I’ve heard of negative calories which are foods eaten that use more calories to digest than consume, I was being advised to skip butter, not use any salt, and ration oil.

This is where the taste is. I do find my mood has improved but I want my food to taste nice and my meals are medium size. I don’t snack unless I get a craving and then I’ll have to wait until I next shop.

[melissamstanford42 in reply to Pachyderm1]

Hi. Don’t get me wrong I’m no angel. I still have dreams where I eat meat and an advert from kfc made me hungry.

I think it’s fast food culture and anything devianting from lunch, dinner, tea and breakfast in the shop.

Lunch we go to the super market for a sandwich or salad and all other meals are catered in restaurants or do it yourself at home.

Most dishes that aren’t claimed by a restaurant or brand or typically associated to a culture ie takeaways are seen as elite or different or experimental.

Maybe it’s me but change is slow like habits, socialisation and fear. It’s hard for me to choose an apple but turning vegan helps me choose my food differently.

Like milk in chocolate. It’s surprising what we take for granted in our food. One things good. My food is cheaper, and lasts the week. Admittedly I eat bread rather than rice. So I’m still guilty of carbohydrates.

I find fruit isn’t as appealing as a meal but It means I have to cook every day for a minimum of 1 hour for dinner and lunch the next day.

I do want to train myself to eat fruit for breakfast as I believe the sugar will help my fatigue first thing.

As for drinks. I’d like to increase water. Again hard to do without salt(!) as I drink a lot of tea. Coffee as an alternative is smelly but it’s the taste of other teas and the cost of other coffees. That means hot drinks are limited.

[melissamstanford42]

I am know buying alternative cheese, mayonnaise , milk and butter. It’s surprisingly not as expensive as I feared.