Opinions? vegan/vegetarian

vegetariantimes has a good website also wholeliving.

you are making your kids eat a vegan diet? make sure you consult with a doctor. eliminating food groups comes with certain deficiencies that you will need to counteract.

you can be a healthy meat eater and an unhealthy vegetarian. a lot of people confuse not eating meat or the by-products with health and that is not always the case. make sure you do your research. i am not anti veg. i have to put that in, but i just wanted to point those things out.

Firstly yay! Congratulations on making the best decision of your life (; I'm vegan (for moral reasons), have been vegan for 3 1/2 years and vegetarian my whole life (: Feel free to message me with any specific questions/recipes/tips you'd like, I hate talking about veganism on forums as I hate vegan debates haha. All i'm going to say here is that vegan food can be delicious, it doesn't have to be boring. I don't eat many meat/dairy replacements except for soy/rice milk, soy yoghurt and I do occasionally have textured vegetable protein (tvp)/soy mince/tempeh in things like bolognese or in fajitas. I don't feel the need to put fake cheese on homemade pizzas/whatever, it's something that you'll realise isn't needed and you can load up on veggies instead! You could take a look at my food diary for ideas but I eat pretty boring actually haha

Definitely invest in some cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and follow her website theppk.com - she made going vegan ridiculously easy with a billion amazing recipes (and her cookbooks are just as brilliant to just read because they're so funny). There will be plenty of recipes and ideas to keep your children/family happy (:

I eat vegetarian and manage to be vegan about 4 days a week. I think the best advice I have is to say don't worry about rules or what label you apply to yourself. Just eat good whole food that you make yourself and when you find yourself at a dinner party or a restaurant, just make do with what you've got in front of you. If you eat a chicken breast every now and then because it was the healthiest protein source available, or buy a loaf of bread that has milk or egg product in it once in a while, who cares? The veggie police aren't going to arrest you. You are more likely to succeed at significantly reducing your animal product intake if you take it easy on yourself, and give yourself a chance to get used to a new way of cooking and to develop a new palate that enjoys your new foods. Eventually, you'll find that you've learned a new way of eating and cooking such that making veggie or vegan choices is habitual. Plus your friends will like you a lot better if you aren't that crazy "OMG IS THERE BUTTER IN THIS" person when you eat at their house.

I think fake veggie/vegan foods are generally terrible and not worth it. Most "fake" foods are full of sodium and crap and weird chemicals and that is exactly what they taste like. I would also avoid recipes that use vegetarian protein sources to simulate meat products. Like, "tempeh chicken nuggets" or "seitan pot roast". I like tempeh and tofu and seitan for what they are; they have their own flavors and textures and taste best in recipes that are designed to bring out the best in them. If you bite into a chunk of tempeh expecting something that resembles chicken, you are going to be disappointed.

I second the recommendations for Veganomicon; I also like the Oh She Glows recipes. I make these burgers all the time and keep them in the freezer; I change the recipe, though, by adding a diced bell pepper and a minced jalapeno, and omitting the almonds. I pulse everything together in the food processor so it is well combined and not as chunky as in the pictures. If you bake them for half an hour on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then freeze, you can store them in a big ziploc in the freezer and pull them out to cook under the broiler or on the grill as needed.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/13/our-perfect-veggie-burger/

Also, here is my secret for tofu: remove from package and drain liquid. Cut into cubes or slabs. Bring a pot of water to boil and drop the tofu pieces in. Boil for a few minutes until the tofu is floating/bobbing at the surface of the water (3-5 min?) Remove with slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels for several minutes. Then brown in a dry nonstick pan, grill, or broil as needed for your recipe.

Weirdly, boiling and then being left to steam removes more of the water from the tofu than the usual recommendation for draining and pressing. Drier tofu holds together better and browns/grills more easily.

2 of my favorite blogs!
And buy the cookbook Cookin' Crunk
http://vegancrunk.blogspot.com/
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/

And this blog is good too
http://www.feedmeimcranky.com/

When you say "which is best" it depends on what your reasons are. Environmentally, local eating is best. If your issues are compassionate living vegan is best, but if you are a very selective vegetarian it can also be (debatably) as compassionate. As far as health goes, this might depend on the person but both (vegetarian and vegan) are statistically healthier than the average omni.

ETA buy the Veganomicon cookbook either way

I am vegetarian and know no other way. You decide what is best for you.

Vegan is pretty extreme in my opinion.

Youd be surprised how many things have animal products. I had a vegan friend who was pretty hardcore. He wouldnt even eat Skittles or Starburst because they contained gelatin.

I think it would make life much more difficult doing the vegan lifestyle versus vegetarian.

Congrats. It is hard to do. We made it a month and have backslidden, and it is hard to get back on the wagon. Family of 7, so, yes, especially using MFP you can know you are getting your protein, etc. It can work just fine with kids, even better than standard American fare for kids with allergies, ADHD, etc.

Really wishing I could get back on board. I have gained back a bunch of the weight and my motivation has gone down the tubes.

Almond milk is awesome. I try to stay away from the vegan products, though, and just worked on developing a taste for a whole new type of eating. Vegan products are pricey, but they can also make a big difference in the outcome of a dish, so there will be some times that you will use them. Just be choosey.

Hopefully I can get back on the wagon. I totally support you. Just don't start with all white pastas and non nutritive foods. Find things that have value.