Any vegans out there?

[kathycam]

Oh and have a look in Holland and Barret, lots of veggie food in there. The dried soya is great. Put it in a bowl add boiling water and a stock cube, leave for a minute. Then cook as you would meat. So maybe chilli con carne, or bolognese.

[KittyColdNose]

I have been vegetarian for years and have a friend who is vegan. I eat cheese only occasionally now but would find it hard giving up eggs. I'm slowly but surely moving over to vegetable spread instead of butter in my baking (which I do a fair bit of) and am toying with trying egg substitute too. Has anyone tried this?

[ladylottie]

Thanks everyone you've all been very helpful (knew you would!) - lots of ideas for me to think about.

I'll pop into Holland & Barrett next time I'm in town and see what they have to offer. T*sco today was rubbish - and everything I looked at seemed to contain some sort of animal product
Looks more and more as if I will have to make everything from scratch, but that's not really an issue.

It's only from a health point of view that I'm looking into becoming a dietary vegan - up to now I've eaten anything and I don't want to make a big thing about it. I just want to eat more healthily and that seems to discount animal food products.

Very disappointed though to find that most veggie items contain animal products.

[veggiechicken]

Why don't you go veggie first LL, get used to that and gradually cut out the things that aren't suitable for vegans.

[kathycam]

I've used egg substitute and it worked fine for some things, less well for others. Have a look at the link for the vegan chocolate cake- no eggs and tastes great! Think it's mainly quorn that contains eggs and dairy, others not so bad. Have a look at tofu as well.

[rabbit]

I've been vegan but it's not for me. I could probably say I'm addicted to dairy products and back when I first went veggie (was not much out there marketed to us) I had to pour over every food package and I don't miss questioning every thing I eat.

I hope it goes well for you though.

I think you just need to point out that vegans don't wear leather. End of.

While technically you are probably right, there are other issues to wearing leather and the choice not to. Personally I do have a pair of leather shoes, it's biodegradeable, a natural product unlike plastic, it's a byproduct of a huge industry, it probably is more environmentally sound as long as the meat isn't bred especially for the leather. I agree with a previous poster that says there are a lot of different reasons for being vegetarian and vegan, religious, health, environmental, animal welfare etc etc.

[mandyballantyne]

I've been veggie 30+ years but not Vegan.......cheese!

I love Tartex for bread or toast, it is a vegan pate in a tube from health food stores yummy. Lots of types/flavours etc

It takes a bit of sqeazing from the tube straight from the fridge though. Mandy

[ladylottie]

Why don't you go veggie first LL, get used to that and gradually cut out the things that aren't suitable for vegans.

VC - well the main reason why I'm looking into this is because my blood sugar level is 5.9 and I've been led to understand that a non dairy, non animal products diet is the very best to get my sugar levels right down without medication. So that's the only reason I'm cutting out all the animal products. And I have to say that even from just the last couple of days of doing so I feel much better in myself. (Is it all in the mind? - who knows).
Perhaps I'm just being too drastic but I'd like to give it at least 3 months until I'm due for another blood test to see what the effect is.

Ps I've just got a book from the library - "Vegan Cooking for Dummies" and it seems quite comprehensive. Lots of useful information as well as loads of recipe suggestions.

[veggiechicken]

LL - I know absolutely nothing about blood sugar levels - I was just concerned that the sudden change in diet might make it difficult for you to adjust. If you feel better already.....

[zazen999]

While technically you are probably right, there are other issues to wearing leather and the choice not to. Personally I do have a pair of leather shoes, it's biodegradeable, a natural product unlike plastic, it's a byproduct of a huge industry, it probably is more environmentally sound as long as the meat isn't bred especially for the leather. I agree with a previous poster that says there are a lot of different reasons for being vegetarian and vegan, religious, health, environmental, animal welfare etc etc.

I know all about the issues; I was responding to G4's comment and if you are a vegan you don't wear or eat animal products. Otherwise you aren't a vegan. A vegan abstains from the use of animal products. You can have as many different reasons for being whatever, but if you are whatever and don't follow it to the letter, then you aren't a whatever. So vegans who wear leather aren't vegans. There's no get out clause!

[Two_Sheds]

Very disappointed though to find that most veggie items contain animal products.

Do you mean most processed products?

I guess I'm Neargan (nearly vegan), though it's not something I'm consciously trying to be. Since I went on these painkillers I've lost what was left of my appetite (which I don't mind, I'm one of those weird people that don't live to eat).
Belvita biscuits are just about all that I'm tolerating right now, plus I have a bowl of chocolate soya porridge for either breakfast or lunch, then a jacket potato with chilli-non-carne or similar. I eat cheese if it's in the fridge, I don't really like eggs. I take my coffee black, and I'm off alcohol.

I don't feel deprived at all; I've lost a dress size without trying; I'm saving money (mostly from not buying booze, but I also don't buy meat or processed foods). I don't look my age (I'm told, but that's by 8 year olds in my class!).

If you can get a control of your eating, and don't fret about it, it's all good, nothing but benefits to a meat-free lifestyle.


(PS, much as people want to pick a fight with me about my diet, I don't preach veggie, nor do I force it on anyone else: I made fish soup for the OH tonight, and stripped the skin off the poor dead wee fishie for the dog).

[ladylottie]

Do you mean most processed products?

Yes TS, it was the processed stuff I was looking at in the supermarket which surprised and disapponted me - I've now decided it's easier(and better!) to just prepare everything myself.

[Prince of Durham]

Apologies for butting in as im neither veggie or vegan, i just wonder why there is a market for things that taste and look like meat?? It's something that does genuinely puzzle me. I tried quorn mince once, it was like eating the rubbers off the ends of pencils...

[veggiechicken]

I don't eat meat (although I do eat fish) so I'm not a veggie - just want to be clear to everyone here!!
My take on the pseudo meat stuff is that it is to help people who are finding the transition from meat to non-meat easier - by having something that looks vaguely like meat and has a similar texture. My memory of some beef mince was that it was like eating pencil rubbers too - It is over 25 years since I ate any meat so maybe its softened up since then!!

[SarzWix]

Not that I want to dissuade/persuade you in any way, but, if blood sugar is your issue, wouldn't you be better off eliminating as much carbs as possible, rather than sources of slow-release energy like proteins?