Transitioning to Veganism/Vegetarianism

StarSong said:
Less so than it used to be though. Of course, that probably depends a lot on where one lives. In large cities like LA, and smaller cities with a high percentage of young people (Austin, TX), most restaurants and grocers offer a nice array of vegan selections.

Even so, there are thousands of websites, books and cookbooks, Facebook groups, forums and other social media options, YouTube videos, etc., that support and advise about veganism and Whole Food Plant Based diets.

Is your daughter still a vegan?
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Lots of people don’t understand that vegan means no egg, milk, animal products of any kind. When she married her husband became vegan as well, about five years ago they switched to vegetarian as he was dying for some eggs.

My son was vegan as well and last year started to eat meat again-girlfriend, lol. He does not eat much meat though.
 
Aneeda72 said:
Lots of people don’t understand that vegan means no egg, milk, animal products of any kind. When she married her husband became vegan as well, about five years ago they switched to vegetarian as he was dying for some eggs.

My son was vegan as well and last year started to eat meat again-girlfriend, lol. He does not eat much meat though.
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You're right about the definition of strict veganism, which often extends to clothing, medicine, pet food, etc. No leather, wool, silk, etc.

On other hand, a vegan diet isn't always healthy - it can include plenty of junk food.

That's why many people, myself included, describe ourselves as whole food plant based. We try to avoid the junk as well as animal based foods and products.
 
I don't know that we have a lot of products available where I am that haven't been tested on animals.
 
Vegan GF Nachos

Mock Cheese Sauce
I medium sweet potato ( cubed )
1/4 cup coconut milk
3 tbsps. Nutritional yeast flakes ( used 1/3 c. sour cream instead)
3 tbsps. olive or other preferred oil
2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsps. soy sauce
1 tbsps. sriracha sauce or hot chilli sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt to taste

Refried Beans
1 tbsp. olive oil
I medium onion
2 gloves garlic
1 ( 14 oz ) pinto beans drained & rinsed
2 tsps. cumin
1 tsp. dry oregano
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. chilli sauce
salt to taste

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1 medium tomato peeled and diced
1/4 cup red opinion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. lime juice
1 jalapeño pepper: seeded and minced
1 garlic clove crushed
salt to taste

Nachos
Tortilla chips
Tomatoes diced into cubes
Sliced olives
Green onions
Black beans drained and rinsed
Jalapeño or hot peppers
Cilantro
Salsa sauce

Mock Sour Cream

These have been something I’ve craved all week so I was happy to come in from gardening to make these for dinner.

This recipe had some substitutes and some things I eliminated. Coconut milk was deleted , nutritional flakes were substituted with 1/3 mock sour cream. Hot peppers replaced jalapeño pepper and hot chilli sauce in place of sriracha. Left out all salt since I never add salt. The chips are salted.

This was far better than I expected. While eating I couldn’t stop thinking about how clean & fresh it all was. My taste buds were dancing with delight at all the mixed flavours I was tasting.

The mock cheese sauce was a surprise. I’ve bought a variety of vegan cheeses and this was a huge surprise even without the nutritional flakes. Nutritional flakes are like a staple in the vegans kitchen for cheese flavours but since I didn’t have any the mock sour cream worked well. Hot chilli sauce and lemon juice really gave it a tangy kick.

The refried beans were also a pleasant surprise. Never again will I purchase canned refried beans after making these. It’s the first time I made them and it was so worth it. They were very tasty.

The tortilla chips were white corn and stone ground yellow corn. All the fresh flavours blended together were very good. I highly recommend this.

Plenty of leftovers sauces for more vegan nachos later. This is seriously enjoyable and I am LOVING this new way of eating. This works for me.


These are all the ingredients minus the mock sour cream.
185DFF85-E3DD-41FC-AAD3-4462CEC124F9.jpeg

Layers of nachos with stuff between them, topped with mock sour cream and cilantro.
A1D477AE-02D5-4E26-90F7-F30DC37A9673.jpeg
Note: taste far better than it looks.
 
Yes. That’s mock sour cream on top. It’s pretty good. It tastes like sour cream without the sourness. Lol. You know that tang you get when you taste sour cream? It doesn’t really have that. It’s more bland.

The home cooked retried beans taste more like humus but far cheaper. Next I’m going to make hummus. I like things made from chick peas and beans.

I’m very fortunate to find most supplies I need.
This was really filling. I’m stuffed.
 
MarciKS said:
Medicine StarSong? There's medicine made of animals?
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I don’t know them all but here are some medicines made from animal products.


Pig derived products-dessicated thyroid , heparin , pancreatic enzymes
Horse - Premarin
Animal cartilage- gelatin capsules ( many drugs made from gelatin including acetaminophen , gummy vitamins , chondroitin
Animal bones - calcium
Animal blood - heme iron - Proferrin
Shellfish - glucosamine , oyster shells
Fish - omega 3 fatty acids
Sheep - ( sebaceous gland extract - lanolin ) vitamin D3

Vaccine preparations ( grown in eggs )
Flu vaccine
Measles, Mumps, Rebella Vaccine
Rabies vaccine
Yellow fever vaccine


MarciKS said:
Have you tried the mock sour cream? If so, was it good?
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Here’s a picture of the mock sour cream i use. Treeguy also has a variety he uses which he posted a picture of a page back
45DB62E4-E80E-45A9-B02F-E51485DCBB9D.jpeg
 
I don't have to worry about the premarin. I had no idea it had all that in it. I take Estrace now. I don't have a lot of leeway with meds because I have too many allergies.

Thanks...I'll look at the store next time I go.
 
MarciKS said:
I don't have to worry about the premarin. I had no idea it had all that in it. I take Estrace now. I don't have a lot of leeway with meds because I have too many allergies.

Thanks...I'll look at the store next time I go.
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Neither did I Marcik. I know you were asking Starsong but since it’s my thread I feel like it’s my responsibility to try and answer so I looked it up.
 
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StarSong said:
You're right about the definition of strict veganism, which often extends to clothing, medicine, pet food, etc. No leather, wool, silk, etc.

On other hand, a vegan diet isn't always healthy - it can include plenty of junk food.

That's why many people, myself included, describe ourselves as whole food plant based. We try to avoid the junk as well as animal based foods and products.
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She went strict vegan, we had leather seats and she wouldn’t ride in our car with us. She was a real pain in the-for several years 😂
 
Keesha said:
Neither did I Marcik. I know you were asking Starsong but since it my thread I feel like it’s my responsibility to try and answer so I looked it up.

************************************************************

The thing is I’m not an expert in any of this. In fact I’m not an expert in anything. I’m merely transitioning to a diet which I think I’d benefit from and thought posting about my journey would help me stay on track.

Since I’m trying to discipline myself to commit fully I figured my best bet would be to post about my food discoveries and experiences here as I make my own mistakes and discoveries. In doing this I thought it could serve as a reference to others if I added recipes, substitutes used along with pictures. My journey is gluten free / vegan .

My intention was NOT to educate, inform or change anyone’s else’s mind about their food preferences. For those who have questions about vegetarian or vegan diets, your best people to talk to are treeguy, who has decades of experience as professional chef / cook ) and Starsong. I’m not a professional at anything.

This topic should have been started in journals. That was my main mistake. If my writing style is too self absorbed that it makes nauseous , then I’d suggest putting me on ignore or don’t read my posts
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Well, I probably eat a cow a year and my husband 2 1/2, so how we ended up with vegans is beyond me. But it never make me nauseous just poorer. 😂
 
MarciKS said:
Oh ok. Sorry.
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No. You did nothing wrong at all. You asked a great question that I was more than happy to research since I was also interested and while I’m not on medication I do take supplements that aren’t vegan like Krill Oil and gelatin capsules so it was actually very helpful. I’m not sure what I’ll do so that is a question I’m going to ask about.

The only reason I wrote the other stuff is that I don’t want my ego taking over a good idea. Changing my diet to vegan IS the lifestyle change I needed and I’d rather focus on sharing what I’m doing than feeling like I’m trying to educate because that’s not what I want to do at all.

I asked this thread to be put into the journal section since that’s the type of style I’d like it to be. What I thought I’d do is write a weeks worth of vegan diet recipes or what I ‘ve had and at the end of the week ask all my questions for that week and I DO have many. These questions are probably best answered by these two since they’ve been doing it for years while I’m still new.

I considered PM’ing you but I have that turned off. Sorry if that sounded personally directed at you. It wasn’t. 🙏 ☺
 
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Aneeda72 said:
She went strict vegan, we had leather seats and she wouldn’t ride in our car with us. She was a real pain in the-for several years 😂
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This is the type of vegan I don’t want to become. I’m doing this for me and me alone. I’m not the least bit interested in trying to convert my husband or my dogs into vegetarians nor would I want to. I’m perfectly happy claiming this lifestyle as my own personal health journey.
Aneeda72 said:
Well, I probably eat a cow a year and my husband 2 1/2, so how we ended up with vegans is beyond me. But it never make me nauseous just poorer. 😂
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LOL! You’re a riot. My husband eats more meat than anyone I’ve ever known. It’s only been a year ago since he went from doing shift work and working overtime to working full time days . Then the pandemic hit and he’s home most of the time so my lifestyle HAS changed drastically. It was easier for both of us to eat at the same time etc., and it really threw me off my regular eating habits. Most of my meals were vegetarian from Monday to Friday. Then he’s home and my regular diet got chucked. ( my fault not his. )

You must be going through similar struggles since your mans home more often. It took a while for me to realize this but proclaiming that I’m vegan is the push I needed so I can continue to eat the foods that are best for me.

Also when I visit others, I don’t expect them to cater to my preferences. I will take gluten free for myself and share with anyone else who wants any nor would I ever dream of commenting on their personal preferences. We have leather coaches. I just realized that now. Haha. I can just imagine my husbands face when he comes home and I tell him that we have to change all our furniture because I’m vegan. 😂🤣
( kidding ) 😅

I share my life with others ( husband, 2 dogs and a cat) and respect their choices to not have the same preferences as me.
 
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Keesha said:
This is the type of vegan I don’t want to become. I’m doing this for me and me alone. I’m not the least bit interested in trying to convert my husband or my dogs into vegetarians nor would I want to. I’m perfectly happy claiming this lifestyle as my own personal health journey.
LOL! You’re a riot. My husband eats more meat than anyone I’ve ever known. It’s only been a year ago since he went from doing shift work and working overtime to working full time days . Then the pandemic hit and he’s home most of the time so my lifestyle HAS changed drastically. It was easier for both of us to eat at the same time etc., and it really threw me off my regular eating habits. Most of my meals were vegetarian from Monday to Friday. Then he’s home and that all charged.

You must be going through similar struggles since your mans home more often. It took a while for me to realize this but proclaiming that I’m vegan is the push I needed so I can continue to eat the foods that are best for me.

Also when I visit others, I don’t expect them to cater to my preferences. I will take gluten free for myself and share with anyone else who wants any nor would I ever dream of commenting on their personal preferences. We have leather coaches. I just realized that now. Haha. I can just imagine my husbands face when he comes home and I tell him that we have to change all our furniture because I’m vegan. 😂🤣
( kidding ) 😅

I share my life with others ( husband, 2 dogs and a cat) and respect their choices to not have the same preferences as me.
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All that fresh vegan food is expensive. She wouldn’t eat honey cause it can have bee parts in it.
 
In reading the latest posts, in this thread, I have to say that the hair splitting on animal ingredients in this or that, is precisely what I referenced in my original post, here: If I had to plan every move I made in my life to make sure I wasn't in violation of some "Vegan Manifesto," I strongly doubt that I would have been as successful as I've been over these past, many decades, in my dietary choices.

Yes, glycerine comes from animals, as does leather. Ditto, some medicine ingredients. I don't worry about that. Rather, I eat no animal products, about 99.9% of the time. Occasionally, at a party, I will have a slice of cake that contains eggs. I don't care.

I view my dietary choices as better for me, better for other species, better for the planet. That's it, that's all I need. I'm happy.
 
MarciKS said:
Medicine StarSong? There's medicine made of animals?
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II. Preparations: Derived from animal products
  1. Pig-derived products
    1. Dessicated Thyroid
    2. Heparin (pig Intestine)
    3. Pancreatic enzymes
  2. Horse
    1. Premarin (pregnant mares urine)
  3. Animal cartilage
    1. Gelatin capsules or gummy Vitamins
    2. Chondroitin
  4. Animal bones
    1. Calcium
  5. Animal blood
    1. Heme iron (Proferrin)
  6. Shellfish
    1. Glucosamine
    2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fish oil)
    3. Calcium (oyster shells)
  7. Sheep (Sebaceous Glandextract)
    1. Lanolin
    2. Vitamin D3
https://fpnotebook.com/Pharm/Adverse/AnmlDrvdPhrmctcls.htm
III. Preparations: Vaccinations (grown in eggs)
  1. Influenza Vaccine
  2. Measles Mumps Rubella Vaccine
  3. Rabies Vaccine
  4. Yellow Fever Vaccine
 
Aneeda72 said:
All that fresh vegan food is expensive. She wouldn’t eat honey cause it can have bee parts in it.
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Most of my food I make myself since I really enjoy cooking and baking and since I’m celiac, I’m used to paying more for the food I eat. Things like vegan cheese is pricey as is anything organic so yes I can see your point however the other day I made refried beans , mock cheese sauce and guacamole and it cost a fraction of the price you pay for it pre- made.
 
treeguy64 said:
In reading the latest posts, in this thread, I have to say that the hair splitting on animal ingredients in this or that, is precisely what I referenced in my original post, here: If I had to plan every move I made in my life to make sure I wasn't in violation of some "Vegan Manifesto," I strongly doubt that I would have been as successful as I've been over these past, many decades, in my dietary choices.

Yes, glycerine comes from animals, as does leather. Ditto, some medicine ingredients. I don't worry about that. Rather, I eat no animal products, about 99.9% of the time. Occasionally, at a party, I will have a slice of cake that contains eggs. I don't care.

I view my dietary choices as better for me, better for other species, better for the planet. That's it, that's all I need. I'm happy.
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Those were my thoughts too actually. When I first was diagnosed with Celiac Disease , it was back in 1990 when gluten free food was rarely heard of and the selection sparse but that was what pushed me to research different products and recipes which was how I learned. Isn’t experience the best way to learn anything? It’s the things we deem mistakes which we learn the most from. I think the worst thing we can do is expect too much from ourselves and give up. Then we accomplish nothing.
 
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