Anyone Vegan or Vegetarian?

fuzzyslipperz

I've been a vegetarian for five years now. I have my own pet free range chickens so I have LOTS of eggs!

I want a pet chicken so bad, but I live in the city :-(

They are so much fun! (although I have a sick one right now, circling the drain.. that tends to make me sad... =()..

As for 'labels', I don't care what folks call themselves. The ONLY reason that it kinda bugs me when someone eating fish calls themselves a vegetarian is at restaurants - seems all restaurants think vegetarians eat fish because of that. Even when you say 'no meat', that doesn't seem to ever mean fish to them. :P But I don't eat out much, so it's all good!

Other than that, who cares? If we are so rigid it doesn't come across well to others - I've seen on another veggie forum posts from people who 'accidentally' ate meat and had to run out and vomit. I'm sorry, that's just silly. LOL. If I accidentally ate meat, I just shrug and move on. It hasn't happened yet (that I know of, but probably will at some point) ..No one is perfect! I've also seen folks 'morally opposed' to 'faux meat' because it's no different than eating the real thing.. eh?

I'd never be a good vegan because my happy chicken eggs are yummy. And I buy local people's honey and occasional free range/grass fed milk products. But I respect those who choose that path.

keem88

vegetarian for almost 10 years, feel free to add me. i have lots of recipes if you would like, you can substitute any of the dairy and egg for the vegan products.

RyleeNoelle

Vegan!

Wilmingtonbelle

Hi, veggie eater here! No dairy, no eggs and no bananas, those things gross me out, lol!

Feel free to add me :flowerforyou:

Slainte!

redcat17

Labels are like numbers on the scale. It indicates a general ball park, but is not an accurate measurement by any means. Most of the time, labels are just a source of unnecessary conflict!

I applaud everyone who eats vegan but on an odd day eats a slice of cheese. I applaud everyone vegetarian who sometimes just really wants a slice of bacon. I applaud everyone who eats fish but is not afraid to say he or she supports vegetarianism.

Animals, the environment, and your health benefit more from an imperfect long term commitment in the right direction, than a perfect short term commitment under the right label.

So forget labels, call yourself what you will, and eat what makes you feel good about your food.

^^^this!!!^^^ Right on, OP!

Yes, this. I eat a mostly plant-based diet, but I don't like labels at all. I think if someone eats a mostly plant-based diet and a litte fish, or has the occasional cheese pizza it isn't the end of the world. There are all sorts of plant-based diets and anyone who makes the effort helps the animals and the environment. So vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian...its all good to me.

Cocochickdeleted

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I, too, get stuck in ruts with regards to mixing things up. I so need help finding simple and nutritious meals. Any of you 'seasoned' veggies who have found the panacea of variety in veggie cooking, please add me! And I'm always up for adding new friends here as well, so anyone else who wants to add me, feel free. :-)

fuzzyslipperz

Yes, this. I eat a mostly plant-based diet, but I don't like labels at all. I think if someone eats a mostly plant-based diet and a litte fish, or has the occasional cheese pizza it isn't the end of the world. There are all sorts of plant-based diets and anyone who makes the effort helps the animals and the environment. So vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian...its all good to me.

/agree!

on foods..

I'd give up most commercial dairy if someone could just come up with a vegan greek yogurt that actually has protein. Most of the vegan yogurts have hardly any protein (1-2g) and the consistency is 'meh'. Even tried making it myself with my own organic soymilk (I have a maker and a big bag of beans I'll never get through) - no dice.

I had some vegan cashew icecream in NYC a few months ago. OMG was that delicious!

Just had a P28 high protein bagel for (part of) dinner. Expensive but yummy.

carld256

I'm mostly vegetarian (I eat fish, yogurt and the occasional egg) slowly transitioning to veganism just by making more vegan meals and dishes. I just made an awesome banana-quinoa-cashew quick bread that was only 108 calories per serving

This would make you a pescatarian, not a "mostly vegetarian", as there is no such thing. :-)

Thank you, I appreciate your opinion, but I think "mostly vegetarian" describes my diet just fine I'm actually mostly vegan. Most days, I don't consume any animal products. I'm not morally opposed to eating seafood and do so about two or three times per month, but 80+ meals per month are entirely plant-based and often free of animal products altogether.

Not everyone means "vegetarian" to describe a political identity.

I also don't recommend soy-based meat substitutes, as for the most part, they're loaded with sugar, sodium and preservatives to make them taste edible. If you're looking for extra protein, I recommend experimenting with legumes and whole soy products such as tempeh, tofu, edamame and soy nuts. Organic and GMO-free only, though! But that's just me.

being vegetarian isn't a political identity. Hitler was a vegetarian and didn't use his diet as a means of gaining political standing or kudos. Being a vegetarian is a a lifestyle choice..I don't see how it makes people 'political.

Hitler was not a vegetarian. He never stopped eating meat. His favorite dishes were roast squab and sausages. Vegetarian meals were a medical prescription for stomach problems at the time. He ate "less meat" which historians have incorrectly labelled as vegetarian, and the myth has prospered as an easy slam on vegetarians.

mkrainville7409

I'm mostly vegetarian (I eat fish, yogurt and the occasional egg) slowly transitioning to veganism just by making more vegan meals and dishes. I just made an awesome banana-quinoa-cashew quick bread that was only 108 calories per serving

This would make you a pescatarian, not a "mostly vegetarian", as there is no such thing. :-)

Thank you, I appreciate your opinion, but I think "mostly vegetarian" describes my diet just fine I'm actually mostly vegan. Most days, I don't consume any animal products. I'm not morally opposed to eating seafood and do so about two or three times per month, but 80+ meals per month are entirely plant-based and often free of animal products altogether.

Not everyone means "vegetarian" to describe a political identity.

I also don't recommend soy-based meat substitutes, as for the most part, they're loaded with sugar, sodium and preservatives to make them taste edible. If you're looking for extra protein, I recommend experimenting with legumes and whole soy products such as tempeh, tofu, edamame and soy nuts. Organic and GMO-free only, though! But that's just me.

From Webster:
veg·e·tar·i·an   [vej-i-tair-ee-uhn]
noun
a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.

pes·ca·tar·i·an \ˌpe-skə-ˈter-ē-ən\
noun
: one whose diet includes fish but no meat

And, by the way, Quorn products do not contain soy. Please do your research before you respond to a post.

who cares... why are we being so critical here.. its not really that important... is it?????

lilmisfit

It is important to me to deliniate between the 2, because as fuzzyslipperz stated, this causes issues for me in restaurants. Many items will be labeled "vegetarian" when they contain some sort of fish (or God forbid, poultry!) product. This is not only misleading to true vegetarians like myself, but also to the rest of the world. The carnivores of the world get confused by what true vegetarianism is because of these willy-nilly labels like "mostly vegetarian", "almost vegetarian", etc. That's just like being "a little bit pregnant". You either are or you're not. End of story.

I don't care what you or anyone else eats. If you're not a vegetarian, so what. Be proud of who you are and don't try to mislead people into thinking you're something that you're not. There's no special club. You won't get any special privileges. If you are a vegetarian, be proud. If you're a pescatarian, be proud. I personally am proud to be a vegetarian.

Stepping down off my soap box now.

bluefox9er

It is important to me to deliniate between the 2, because as fuzzyslipperz stated, this causes issues for me in restaurants. Many items will be labeled "vegetarian" when they contain some sort of fish (or God forbid, poultry!) product. This is not only misleading to true vegetarians like myself, but also to the rest of the world. The carnivores of the world get confused by what true vegetarianism is because of these willy-nilly labels like "mostly vegetarian", "almost vegetarian", etc. That's just like being "a little bit pregnant". You either are or you're not. End of story.

I don't care what you or anyone else eats. If you're not a vegetarian, so what. Be proud of who you are and don't try to mislead people into thinking you're something that you're not. There's no special club. You won't get any special privileges. If you are a vegetarian, be proud. If you're a pescatarian, be proud. I personally am proud to be a vegetarian.

Stepping down off my soap box now.

No,stay on the soap box..this is EXACTLY RIGHT. As a vegetarian, I reject COUNTLESS dishes in restaurants when I ask if they contain fish oils, meat stock etc..all of these dishes marked as ' Vegetarian'. Being a'Vegetarian' is NOT THE SAME as someone who is *mostly* vegetarian and enjoys eating fish or a steak at christmas. There is absolutely nothing wrong with people who choose to eat less meat, but you are NOT a vegetarian.

TheFunBun

The restaurant defense is so tiresome. Saying something about mostly vegetarian to indicate that your food diary would be of interest to the OP is a lot different than going into an eatery and saying, "I am a vegetarian and I will order the salmon!".

That said, my BFF swears by the veganomicon. She's always making stuff from that book and raving over it. Plus a lot of the recipes are already in MFP. I am pesca, and most of the time fish is unseen in my diary, so you can add me if you want to someone really take down a lot of peanut butter.

I also love seitan-tvp mixtures as the most delicious of meat substitutes. Making fakemeats at home eliminates the junkiness of them and usually you can get them to be tastier... unless they originally contained msg, then good luck.

shaynak112

I'm vegetarian! Not vegan - I will eat eggs, milk, cheese - although I do limit all these things a LOT. I don't want to go vegan just because I feel it would be difficult - I mean, no baked goods, I could never order pizza, I dunno just things like that. I don't do them much but it would be so inconvenient if I'm with friends or coworkers and stuff.

Anyway.

BEANS! Chickpeas - oh my gosh soooo many recipes with chickpeas! Rice, almonds, that will help get protein (although not too many almonds! they are high in calories ... I usually eat just 5 in a day). I've been eating a ridiculous amount of veggies lately aha. A lot of veggies and beans, really.

kayemme

I eat a local, seasonal diet which is more vegetarian than not. I make everything from scratch. you can add me if you want, but my diary is open if you just feel like peeking in every once in a while

also the last week or so has been all kinds of salad because we harvested 2lbs of lettuce from the garden which needed to be eaten. it's not normally this salad-heavy.

lilmisfit

The restaurant defense is so tiresome. Saying something about mostly vegetarian to indicate that your food diary would be of interest to the OP is a lot different than going into an eatery and saying, "I am a vegetarian and I will order the salmon!".

It is tiresome every time I go to a restaurant, for sure. And it's people who claim to be vegetarian who really aren't that are the root cause of this. That was my point. No need for everyone to get all defensive. Sheesh!

Ravenesque_

vegetarian here!

blasiansrus

I'm a pescatarian, but I get my protein from egg whites or dry roasted edamame! Yummy

damnedlady

I've been a vegetarian for 6-7 years. I eat some dairy and the occasional egg. When it comes to dairy, it's mostly cheese for me. I use plant based butter, milk and yoghurt.

I'm always looking for more veggie friends! I love to find new staple meals and insipirations. Feel free to add me!

NGMama

Vegan here! Just got a new bottle of Vega protein. It used to be called the optimizer and was kind of chalky. This one is so smooth and so chocolate-y, it's awesome! I think it has 15g of protein and has a whole compliment of vitamins and minerals.

Don't forget, fruits and veg all have protein too. I like info from PCRM and Eat To Live. I'm actually following EaT To Live right now and loving it. The Thrive Diet is really a great read too. Brendan Brazier is the author, he's an Ironman triathlete.

I'm always open to new veggie friends, although I tend to prefer if my friends are choosing healthy foods as opposed to surviving on veg'n junk food. :bigsmile:

fuzzyslipperz

Someone above mentioned seitan/tvp. Love seitan, although most of my homemade stuff isn't so good. yet. :P I got some tvp 'chunks' recently, thinking they would come out a bit like quorn 'chicken' when rehydrated - instead they came out like wet sponges. Eww. Any tips on fixing that appreciated - or are these just meant to turn out that way? :P

Plain TVP is also good in oatmeal to bulk up the protein - although I generally add vegan protein powder to my oats.

lilmisfit

Someone above mentioned seitan/tvp. Love seitan, although most of my homemade stuff isn't so good. yet. :P I got some tvp 'chunks' recently, thinking they would come out a bit like quorn 'chicken' when rehydrated - instead they came out like wet sponges. Eww. Any tips on fixing that appreciated - or are these just meant to turn out that way? :P

Plain TVP is also good in oatmeal to bulk up the protein - although I generally add vegan protein powder to my oats.

Yea, my homemade seitan hasn't been very good yet either. It always tastes too "yeasty" even though I've cut down on the amount of nutritional yeast I use. If anyone has a tried and true seitan recipe I'd love to see it!

I have only used the Bob's Red Mill TVP and mixed it with veggie broth and some "not beef'" or "not chicken" boullion and it turned out pretty good. More like crumbles than chunks, though.

TheFunBun

Try working both beans and coarsely ground tvp nibbles into the seitan recipe y'all are using. I tried to find the recipe I used since it's been a while, but I've been having issues with bookmark purging.

It goes something like wheat gluten, soy flour, crushed beans or bean flour, tvp nibble for better texture, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, spices.. and broth or water.

fuzzyslipperz

These are the chunks I mean:

http://www6.netrition.com/now_tsp.html
Would be curious if anyone has made these edible. :P

I love nutritional yeast! I use a few different seitan recipes and love the taste, it's the consistency I haven't gotten correct. I've boiled it, baked it, whatever.

temsabi

Vegetarian represent!!!!!