Transitioning to Veganism/Vegetarianism

StarSong said:
Those look scrumptious. I believe our Sprouts market carries So Delicious ice creams. If not, some other local grocers surely do. Los Angeles has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to plant based foods. :love:
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I love So Delicious ice cream, especially salted caramel. It’s one of my favourites.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
I never did answer you. I’m no longer on this diet. My husband is a meat and potatoes man who takes his diet seriously . It was too hard being vegetarian with him around. Someday I’d like to become vegetarian but not now.
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As a life long vegetarian whos wife was not it certainly presents some challenges for cooked meals not the least of which is room on the stove top however if everybody cooperates it can work out just fine. With my wifes passing I found myself in the kitchen rather than out at the BBQ a lot more, and my son has also become very good assembling such dual meals. But then the whole family has been working together in this way for over 50 years now!
Its somewhat easier now with the increased choices of 'meat substitutes' on the grocery store shelves........
 
RuralKanuck said:
As a life long vegetarian whos wife was not it certainly presents some challenges for cooked meals not the least of which is room on the stove top however if everybody cooperates it can work out just fine. With my wifes passing I found myself in the kitchen rather than out at the BBQ a lot more, and my son has also become very good assembling such dual meals. But then the whole family has been working together in this way for over 50 years now!
Its somewhat easier now with the increased choices of 'meat substitutes' on the grocery store shelves........
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Aren’t those imitation meats expensive?
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Aren’t those imitation meats expensive?
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They're a little pricey, but not horribly so (at least not in the US, not sure about Canada). But the truth is, I don't miss meat. At most, I eat 3-4 lbs of plant based meat substitutes per year.

Plant brats at summer BBQs and for sausage, peppers & onions and ground beef substitutes for Italian meatballs. That's it.

Quite surprisingly, meat was the easiest thing for me to both give up and avoid when I moved to plant-based eating.

Cheese and other dairy has been the most difficult on both counts. Some plant-based dairy substitutes like Tofutti sour cream and cream cheese can be expensive, but I don't use them every day so 🤷‍♀️ . Imitation cheese has a very long way to go, so I'd rather do without. PB ice cream is pretty good.

For new recipes, I lean heavily toward Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean and similar Asian foods. No dairy in them (with the exception of occasional eggs). I sub tofu for meat.

Indian food is surprisingly dairy heavy, as are most American and European meals.
 
Messy said:
I'm raised vegetarian, but never liked these things. I rather eat cheese or Tofu.
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I would be very had pressed to go vegan and do without cheese it is a large part of my protein intake, there are very few of the 'burger substitutes that I really enjoy and the one canned peanut based product that has been my staple for decades is now only available in Australia.
It is a product called Nuteena / Nutolene previously made by Worthington / Loma Linda then bought out by Kellogs and discontinued by them when the whole allergy thing went down.
 
RuralKanuck said:
I would be very had pressed to go vegan and do without cheese it is a large part of my protein intake, there are very few of the 'burger substitutes that I really enjoy and the one canned peanut based product that has been my staple for decades is now only available in Australia.
It is a product called Nuteena / Nutolene previously made by Worthington / Loma Linda then bought out by Kellogs and discontinued by them when the whole allergy thing went down.
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I'm quite lactose intolerant, so giving up cheese isn't nearly the sacrifice for me that it would be for my husband (who still eats dairy).

Impossible and Beyond Burgers aren't perfect, but they're certainly pretty good.

I follow a whole food plant based diet (WFPB), so use meat and dairy substitutes sparingly.
 
RuralKanuck said:
I would be very had pressed to go vegan and do without cheese it is a large part of my protein intake, there are very few of the 'burger substitutes that I really enjoy and the one canned peanut based product that has been my staple for decades is now only available in Australia.
It is a product called Nuteena / Nutolene previously made by Worthington / Loma Linda then bought out by Kellogs and discontinued by them when the whole allergy thing went down.
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Never heard of it. Here's the recepy:
Screenshot_20260323_202216_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20260323_202223_Chrome.jpg
 
I eat less meat mainly because there just isn’t enough WoW for the money.

I’ve tried various meat substitutes and found them to be disappointing for the money

I would encourage anyone that wants to transition to a plant based diet to start with the foods that many of us grew up with and enjoy that just happen to be vegetarian and then gradually reduce and omit the meat from some other family favorites.

Something simple like pasta with marinara sauce and a salad makes a great meatless meal.

Chili might be an example of a family favorite that could be made without meat.

Better to make small sustainable changes that you and your family can live with than to introduce too many new foods and cause a mutiny.

Make sure to keep plenty of peanut butter handy in the beginning! 😉🤭😂

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I'm never giving up meat but will say that poor quality meat which is a lot of what is out there these days, I can take or leave.

That certainly doesn't mean though that I don't eat a lot of days with no meat. Because I do.

I also don't understand, and I hope it is taken right, why is it those that quit it, that are trying to emulate a burger and other meat products? Why not just use those ingredients for other things, instead they are trying to make plant based everything based on an original meat product?

Anyhow I go a bit both ways but good meat I am not giving up anytime soon.

But I'm very big/heavy on veggies too and with something like a pizza, I'm often happy with no meat on it at all, especially if greasy or poor quality.

However if you don't grow your own veggies or live somewhere you buy them fresh year round, they can be pretty bad too. I hardly will touch Wmart meat or veggies for instance. I don't need that fake fast grown not ripe no taste chemical stuff.

Sorry though, I do like meat. That grilled steak looked great to me. But with it I'd have a ton of veggies.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I eat less meat mainly because there just isn’t enough WoW for the money.

I’ve tried various meat substitutes and found them to be disappointing for the money

I would encourage anyone that wants to transition to a plant based diet to start with the foods that many of us grew up with and enjoy that just happen to be vegetarian and then gradually reduce and omit the meat from some other family favorites.

Something simple like pasta with marinara sauce and a salad makes a great meatless meal.

Chili might be an example of a family favorite that could be made without meat.

Better to make small sustainable changes that you and your family can live with than to introduce too many new foods and cause a mutiny.

Make sure to keep plenty of peanut butter handy in the beginning! 😉🤭😂

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Is there honey on that? Because that's the ultimate imo. :)

Good on a toasted English muffin too.

I have to stick to a budget at least for now. And I won't buy certain things at what price. Like the price of roast or steak right now. On sale, yes, I might.

Happily though I love things like this plus I know how to cook.

Some products are just cr*p today. Both meat and veggies and fruits. If I buy it once and it has no flavor etc. you aren't seeing me again.

That goes for any kind of eating or diet. Not all products are good everywhere with either.
 
AutumnGal said:
I also don't understand, and I hope it is taken right, why is it those that quit it, that are trying to emulate a burger and other meat products? Why not just use those ingredients for other things, instead they are trying to make plant based everything based on an original meat product?
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Those who leave meat behind are motivated by personal health concerns (how are these foods affecting my my heart, arteries, cancer risk, etc.), animal cruelty concerns (the horrors of factory farming are well documented), and environmental concerns (the ecological disasters of pig waste "lagoons," the 1.5 billion cows on the planet belching and tooting methane, etc.). Many become vegetarians or vegans for a combination of the three concerns.

It's a win-win-win, if you will.

Most vegans and vegetarians grew up eating meat and occasionally want a burger or meatball. Plant based substitutes meet the need.

Same for me with cream cheese, for instance. Dairy cream cheese wreaks havoc with my digestive system, but Tofutti makes a terrific substitute, so I still enjoy a lifelong breakfast favorite of bagels and cream cheese.
 
StarSong said:
Those who leave meat behind are motivated by personal health concerns (how are these foods affecting my my heart, arteries, cancer risk, etc.), animal cruelty concerns (the horrors of factory farming are well documented), and environmental concerns (the ecological disasters of pig waste "lagoons," the 1.5 billion cows on the planet belching and tooting methane, etc.). Many become vegetarians or vegans for a combination of the three concerns.

It's a win-win-win, if you will.

Most vegans and vegetarians grew up eating meat and occasionally want a burger or meatball. Plant based substitutes meet the need.

Same for me with cream cheese, for instance. Dairy cream cheese wreaks havoc with my digestive system, but Tofutti makes a terrific substitute, so I still enjoy a lifelong breakfast favorite of bagels and cream cheese.
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I'm not knocking it, believe me. To each their own.

And I've had to change my diet a whole lot in the last few years, however, meat hasn't been one, in fact I've been told I am not getting enough of such.

I hate animals being killed or raised just for food, however, in some areas and if you were ever a farmer or grew up in a family that was, it isn't looked at the same. From the beginning of time whether it was the fish or what that fed the masses... Depending on what believes.

I had chickens and could not face after that eating chicken for a long time. I could never kill them for food. I DO get it. But guess what, a chicken will eat chicken.

Anyhow, I'm new and don't want to disagree. I love beef. I love pork. Not sure why people these days think chicken and turkey are the be all and end all.

To what you say about the digestive system, I have been through some of that as well. Rich foods, oils, more. Too much cheese or cream.

I don't have much problem with decent meat.

Anyhow, I really believe in whatever works for anyone but I'll go back to what I originally said. I love veggies (not the fake chemical sprayed ones) and I love meat.

There is a cycle of life and a food chain.

Try to get a meat eating animal to just eat greens.

Humans of course are different and have choices. I don't know if it is best we are the "top"of the food chain who don't know how to live by our instincts honestly. Animals do. At least until humans breed, domesticate or mess with them.

Now I am getting carried away though.

I have no problem with vegetarians or vegans or meat eaters. None at all.

And I like meat but can say I don't eat it daily. Price is too high these days for a lot of it. Must mean it is in high demand.
 
@gruntlabor
We're actually omnivores so we should eat whatever we want or can get.
We generally eat herbivores such as cattle, sheep, deer and goats. We also eat omnivores such as pigs, chicken and duck.
Our appendix is proof that we're no longer herbivores.
 
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