Going VEGAN, please help!

janejellyroll

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

I'm just commenting so I can find this discussion again in the future. Hopefully the bashers can cut it out so those of us who would like the advice can find it.

I'd like to go veg, but I'm struggling with figuring out how to. I can't see myself going vegan, but instead focusing on animal products that are humane.

I'm using eggs from local hens who I know have really awesome lives (I eat eggs from my mother in laws hens, those hens have an amazing life, and I know they will get broody if I don't eat their eggs) and I've switched to non-dairy milk...but struggling with getting rid of the actual meat, even though I don't want to eat it. I also don't want to give up honey. I go to Cuba twice a year to pick up my honey supplies, and those bees are really happy and they don't seem to mind me taking their honey. So really, I'd like to be ethical, but I'm deciding what is ethical instead of letting someone else decide for me.

I'm thinking of getting an indian cookbook or something. They seem to do vegan without shoveling tofu into their face for every meal quite well. I hate tofu.

What do you find challenging about giving up meat?

Indian food is a great place to start exploring meatfree cooking. If you're interested, "Homestyle Vegan" is a recently published cookbook that has tofu-free recipes.

The part that is challenging is that I cook for my family, and they don't want to give up meat and I really love the taste of it, I just don't want to eat it because of the environmental impacts. It's not really because I'm a bleeding heart for animals as individuals, but more for the earth as a whole.

I also grew up on a beef farm, so I have the mindset that these animals are for eating which I am working to get past. For me, it comes down to concern for global warming, how we could be using our farmlands to feed more people if we ate less meat...and so on.

I want to be ethical, but I have my own ideas of what is ethical. For me, eating less meat and consuming less dairy is ethical for the whole world. Cows are one of the major contributors to methane emissions. It's not just meat, I try to consume less of everything, whether it's buying less clothing but better quality to last longer or using bulk purchases with my own containers. Eating less meat fall into those goals.

I'm also part Aboriginal, and meat is part of my traditional diet, there is no denying that. So there are many sides to the coin.

So far I've cut out dairy and I've cut red meat down to one serving a month. I don't eat seafood that isn't farmed, because it isn't sustainable. I'm an avid Scuba diver and ocean lover so I am very concerned with the states of our oceans.

Anyways, good for OP for finding something she cares about and making changes in her life to reflect that. I wish more people would. If each of us meat eaters just had one or two meatless days a week the environment as a whole would be better off.

It's absolutely challenging when cooking for other people is involved. I wish I had an easy solution for you there.

I think it's awesome that you're actively think about your goals and what you consider to be ethical behavior that aligns with those goals. It's something that I think almost everyone should do more of and I agree that all our consumption (not just that of animal products) is something we should think about more.

timtam163

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

I'm just commenting so I can find this discussion again in the future. Hopefully the bashers can cut it out so those of us who would like the advice can find it.

I'd like to go veg, but I'm struggling with figuring out how to. I can't see myself going vegan, but instead focusing on animal products that are humane.

I'm using eggs from local hens who I know have really awesome lives (I eat eggs from my mother in laws hens, those hens have an amazing life, and I know they will get broody if I don't eat their eggs) and I've switched to non-dairy milk...but struggling with getting rid of the actual meat, even though I don't want to eat it. I also don't want to give up honey. I go to Cuba twice a year to pick up my honey supplies, and those bees are really happy and they don't seem to mind me taking their honey. So really, I'd like to be ethical, but I'm deciding what is ethical instead of letting someone else decide for me.

I'm thinking of getting an indian cookbook or something. They seem to do vegan without shoveling tofu into their face for every meal quite well. I hate tofu.

It's great that you're giving vegetarian cooking a shot and seeking ethical options. You do you!

Indian is fantastic, I recommend starting with yellow dal (it's the only Indian dish I can kinda make). I'm also a big fan of Mexican rice and beans with fajita veggies and maybe some avo. Middle eastern cooking has plenty to offer too; chickpea fritters (falafel) and sabich are two sandwich options I'm a fan of. Sometimes I just add canned beans to pasta and sauce of choice. There are lots of easy ways to try beans if you're not into tofu.

Re my previous entry using honey: yes you can use other sweeteners. That recipe is more vegetarian than vegan... I'm still learning/transitioning/figuring out what I'm comfortable with.