New to Veggie/Vegan - Need Help!

SamanthaD1218
SamanthaD1218 Posts: 303 Member
in Getting Started
Hi all! I just had my annual physical, and my doctor is getting ready to throw me out the window if I don't lower my cholesterol. He says he's finally done with the threats and that if I don't get it down within the next month, he's going to put me on medication to lower it.

I may not know much, but I do know that being on medication when I could handle the issue in a healthy way is just plain silly. And probably quite unhealthy. So I officially have 30 days to lower my cholesterol and I need your help!

Does anyone know any good vegetarian/vegan recipes or where I can find a good grocery shopping list? I usually do pretty well during the day but want to be able to have an actual dinner when I get home - not some microwaved fake meat thing. I also want to be healthy about it and be sure I'm still getting all the right nutrients. Any food suggestions or recipes would be greatly appreciated! Even snack ideas would be awesome. And if you're eating clean or vegetarian or vegan, please be my friend because I know I'll need the support ;)

Thanks, and be well!

Replies

  • OliveWH
    OliveWH Posts: 11 Member
    Vegan and vegetarian food blogs are your friend. Check out Fat Free Vegan, Post Punk Kitchen, Oh She Glows, 101cookbooks. They all have great recipes and will give you ideas for tweaking your favorite dishes. Look at it like a new adventure instead of something you have to do. Make it fun!
  • SummerLovesPhil
    SummerLovesPhil Posts: 242 Member
    Pinterest, baby! Just search and you'll be up to your eyeballs in vegan recipes you didn't know existed. My vegan board is here: http://www.pinterest.com/infiniteearths/vegan/
  • faradaysdream
    faradaysdream Posts: 91 Member
    It depends on what kinds of things you like to eat. I have a lot of mexican veggie dishes I can share...veggie pasta sauces that won't make you miss meat...

    If you tell me what you like to eat, I can link you recipes :)
  • wyodawn
    wyodawn Posts: 217 Member
    My favorite cookbook is Simply Vegetarian. I pretty much learned to cook with it when I was a teenager. My mom was pissed that I became vegetarian & wouldn't eat her food, so she decided I just needed to cook for myself. I'm a fan of making casseroles, so when I get home at night and am tired, I still have a good dinner. Grains like brown rice and quinoa make great casseroles and are high in protein. I also get protein from dark, leafy veggies like chard & kale. I do eat dairy and eggs and fake meat, but usually only for 1 or 2 meals a day.

    I sent you a friend request, let me know if you want more ideas. Good luck!
  • dellaquilaa
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
    I'd look into the Happy Herbivore series - I use a lot of her recipes and I just modify them a little each time to suit my cravings.

    I sent you a request too - I'm a vegan and I keep my diary open. I'm not perfect, especially since I've gotten better at veganizing my favorite desserts - but at least you can see from my log that eating vegan can be far from boring :-)
  • mapenguinkeeper
    mapenguinkeeper Posts: 191
    I know you're not going for Gluten-Free, but "Gluten-Free girl and the chef" has some delicious and nutritious veggie/vegan recipes made from real food and the book is about their cute love story.

    Oh, and good "meaty" mushrooms are always a go-to.
  • awackywabbit
    awackywabbit Posts: 10
    I've been plant based completely since February 2012. It was a huge change for me but now I absolutely love it. The following are all things I've used in the last year or so to build myself a huge list of great healthy meals I enjoy.

    My all time favorite and most used recipes come from Happy Herbivore. I have all 3 of Lindsay's cookbooks. http://happyherbivore.com/

    The Engine 2 books have some great recipes as well. My favorites are found in Rip's latest book My Beef with Meat.
    The Engine 2 websites also have recipes from time to time. http://engine2diet.com/

    The Starch Solution is the main book I read that explained what to eat on a plant based diet. The recipes at the end are great. Also Dr. McDougall's website has a TON of free recipes and new ones are always included in his free monthly newsletter.
    http://www.drmcdougall.com/

    Aside from that google is your friend. If you are looking to lower cholestorol then avoid oils in recipes. Either omit it or use a substitute. For instance applesauce/mashed banana are great oil/egg replacers in baking recipes.

    Susan's blog Fat Free Vegan is also a great source of awesome recipes!

    Good luck and enjoy!
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    I have an app on my phone called the 21 day veg kickstart. It has some terrific ideas and recipes. My favourite, and my daughter's is the curried lentil quinoa soup.
    This is just a suggestion but why not eat mostly vegan and have some lean meats like Chicken breasts, lean beef or fish once a week? I am a vegetarian who also tries to limit animal products and I find getting enough protein difficult on those weeks when I am just a little to lazy to prepare vegan stews, soups, seitan, and veggie burgers.

    At times like this and when I want a quick source that is high in protein I often have cottage cheese, greek yogurt or whey protein powder ( all dairy ) to add lean protein to my diet.
  • danomyte66
    danomyte66 Posts: 7
    My wife has been a vegetarian since 12. She usually uses Pinterest (as suggested above). I think some of her favorite cookbooks are veganomican and vegetarian epicure.

    One think I'll say about being vegetarian (I've been off and on since 15 - most recently for the last 3 years): it gets MUCH easier. And you'll feel better. And it's better for the environment than anything else you can do (including giving up driving).

    Good luck!
  • smoofinator
    smoofinator Posts: 635 Member
    Mushrooms baby! Yummy, meaty mushrooms! Also, are you committed to going full veggie/vegan or are you considering pescatarianism (still eating fish and shellfish)? Seafood might make you feel like you're getting your "meat and veg" for dinner.
  • VeganLexi
    VeganLexi Posts: 960 Member
    Forks over knives

    The thrive diet

    The kind diet

    Add me and check my diary :smile:
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    Thanks to this thread I just made (and loved) the hippie loaf from happy herbivores. I just put everything in my chopper and one egg.
    It's awesome!
  • baconandwaffles
    baconandwaffles Posts: 11
    Ohsheglows.com
    Happyherbivore.com
  • sami_83
    sami_83 Posts: 161
    Post Punk Kitchen is amazing! I love her Mushroom Hotpot recipe... I make it all the time. So comforting and delicious.

    Anyway you can convert most omni recipes to veg*n ones quite easily. Spaghetti or lasagne can be made in exactly the same way but substituting the mince for a couple tins of lentils. Easy and yummy. Mexican food: nix the meat and have beans instead (refried or otherwise). Pizza: anything goes on pizza! I have potato, zucchini and mushroom on mine.

    Remember that legumes and mushrooms are your friends :smooched:

    I really should start logging my foods in here so that I can have friends :frown:
  • Miffylou
    Miffylou Posts: 307 Member
    Mushrooms baby! Yummy, meaty mushrooms! Also, are you committed to going full veggie/vegan or are you considering pescatarianism (still eating fish and shellfish)? Seafood might make you feel like you're getting your "meat and veg" for dinner.

    ^^^
    This, fish especially salmon is really good for you, lots of omega 3 which is great for lowering cholestrol.
  • dellaquilaa
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
    Mushrooms baby! Yummy, meaty mushrooms! Also, are you committed to going full veggie/vegan or are you considering pescatarianism (still eating fish and shellfish)? Seafood might make you feel like you're getting your "meat and veg" for dinner.

    ^^^
    This, fish especially salmon is really good for you, lots of omega 3 which is great for lowering cholestrol.

    Don't be fooled. Fish has cholesterol in it, it definitely doesn't lower your cholesterol. The omegas in fish oil help to reduce the inflammation around your heart that is caused by eating meat (fish included) in the first place.
  • sarah456s
    sarah456s Posts: 98 Member
    You should look into eating vegan AND low carb.

    I went vegan to drop my cholesterol, did a ton of research and was surprised when my cholesterol went up. I had gone on carb overload, which raised my triglycerides, and from there I believe that in turn raised cholesterol. [As far as I understand, the body has to increase LDL to transport the triglycerides out of the bloodstream, but don't quote me on that!] I went back to look at the research that I had previously read, and found I'd glossed over the "and sugar" part of "reduce consumption of animal products and sugar".

    On triglycerides: http://my.americanheart.org/idc/groups/ahamah-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_425988.pdf

    ALSO, exercise, which will increase your HDL "good" cholesterol.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    Google search for Vegetarian and/or Vegan recipes. There is LOTS of info on line.

    What has worked for me is to add in a couple of ingredients with my search.

    As for sources.
    Forks over Knives
    Engine2 Diet
    Happy Herbivore
    http://sharan-india.org/
  • faradaysdream
    faradaysdream Posts: 91 Member
    Oh!! I just remembered one of my favourite vegan recipe sites EVER...thugkitchen.com So awesome. I love that guy. I haven't seen a picture of him...but I kind of am crushing on him.
  • foxruddellc1
    foxruddellc1 Posts: 65 Member
    Yay for you!!! All of these are great suggestions, I'm a life-long vegetarian and just recently a vegan,

    canned beans of any variety
    soymilk, (I just use of on cereal or in shakes but before I went vegan I rarly drank milk anyway)
    veggie broth (for cooking)
    canola spread, olive oil spread, ect.
    sushi, made with tofu or jsut veggies
    any regular dish you would normally have, minus the meat, (you have so many choices even at steak houses!!!)
    healthy fats like olive oil, peanut butter and avocados

    transitions take time, but good luck! if you need any support please feel free to friend me!
  • hannahpistolas
    hannahpistolas Posts: 290 Member
    This is surprisingly easy. There's basically a meat-free version of most meat staples (including sandwich meat, hamburger crumbles and, yes, even fish!); you can use most of your main meals and just replace with a veggie-friendly version of the meat.

    If you're doing vegan, it takes a little bit more work. But, there are numerous websites out there that have recipes. For lists of vegan-friendly foods, PETA used to offer one.
  • SamanthaD1218
    SamanthaD1218 Posts: 303 Member
    Thanks so much!!
  • SamanthaD1218
    SamanthaD1218 Posts: 303 Member
    I love love love Italian food! And Mexican is great.

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