Vegans please :)

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JaydedMiss
JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Im looking for people who follow a vegan lifestyle.

Im interested in it but feel unprepared no matter how much research i do, I feel like i need someone who already does it to help me. I have spent countless hours in the past week researching and still have some questions. Like staple foods and go to meals and making sure you get all the nutrients you need and what a vegan grocery shopping list looks like, And where to look in the stores for some of these weird vegan stuff i see in some recipes iv never heard of XD !

Anyone interested in helping me out? Send me a PM :)
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Replies

  • nikkxjohnson
    nikkxjohnson Posts: 70 Member
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    Feel free to add me. I have been vegan since the beginning of the year and would love to help in any way I can. I have to say, I have never felt better since transitioning to this lifestyle!
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    Awesome ^_^
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I highly recommend the book "Vegan for Life" by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina for newer vegans. They're both RDs and their book is full of science-based nutritional information, sample menus for different lifestyles, and ideas on how to get started. Messina also has a book, "Vegan for Her," along the same lines written specifically for women.
  • mylifeisbeautiful
    mylifeisbeautiful Posts: 292 Member
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    I eat vegan meals several times a week- not necessarily for ethical reasons, but just because I like vegetarian food :) Extra firm tofu smashed (rather than cut), seasoned with turmeric and fried (optionally with an onion) makes a nice alternative to scrambled eggs. I also eat a lot of temphe - super cheap at trader joes (it's near the hot dogs at my location). I also would experiment with different olive oils. Some are quite sweet and buttery and make a nice alternative to butter for popcorn and other treats. Good luck!
  • danaanne5
    danaanne5 Posts: 10 Member
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    You are not alone, Vegan Sister! Like you, I did a lot of research before committing to a full vegan lifestyle. I have several people who I would consider my daily inspiration for this way of life: Anja Cass from Cooking With Plants, The Edgy Veg, and High Carb Hannah. All three have YouTube channels and websites which I highly recommend. I get many of my recipes from Anja as she believes in no-fuss, easy recipes and they are DE-LISH!

    One of my go to meals is quite simple: rice with steamed veggies and beans. I like it because you can steam any veggies you have on hand and use any kind of bean. I typically like veggies such as cabbage (any color), broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and zucchini. I like black beans but will use kidney beans, too. For added flavor, I'll add hummus (got this idea from The Edgy Veg) or some other type of sauce that I usually find from Anja's website.

    Here's my advise based on my new experience with this lifestyle: don't make it harder than it needs to be. Find a few go-to recipes that you really like and you can always fall back on those when you just don't know what to make.

    :) Dana
  • danaanne5
    danaanne5 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thought I'd share my go-to sites:

    Cooking With Plants website
    Cooking With Plants YouTube

    The Edgy Veg website
    The Edgy Veg YouTube

    High Carb Hannah website
    High Carb Hannah YouTube

    Enjoy!
  • gem_t_86
    gem_t_86 Posts: 40 Member
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    Glad to find this - I've recently committed to a vegan lifestyle and am also re-signing back up to mfp because I'm trying to drop about a stone of weight. I also thought I'd sign up to mfp to track my food intake and make sure I'm getting all of the necessary vitamins (frankly, I'm pretty sure I'll do better than I did pre-veganism). Thank you for these links, they look so helpful!
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    You guys are awesome! so glad to see im not alone, And it really helped me to think about simplicity. don't make it hard, I can still have go to meals to eat over and over aslong as i make them nice and healthy!

    Im going for it guys, I will finish up my current stuff but no more buying meat/ processed stuff for me (already havent been doing processed, but still have some laying around XD
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I have a question for any of you, Iv noticed rice is defnatly a staple in most of your guys meals, Im wondering why. I know its considered unfairly unhealthy as a starch like potatoes. But what about potatoes? I LOVE potatoes they make me feel great and satisfied forever, Could i use potatoes as a staple in atleast one meal a day and be okay still?

    also are there any items i may not realize arent vegan, or may surprise me that are?
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
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    I eat french fries every day... .no joke. I personally find starchy carbs satisfying, meet my protein and fat macros, and enjoy the carbs to fill the rest of my calorie goal.

    Also, have you checked out the group sections? You'll probably find some like minded people there as well.

    Here's a link to the most active plant based dieter group that I've found 'round these parts.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Can't resist mentioning but without my glasses on I read post as 'Virgins please ' lol
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    Thank you so much @BecomingBane
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Can't resist mentioning but without my glasses on I read post as 'Virgins please ' lol

    Hahaha! That made me spit my coffee out LOL @RunRutheeRun
  • gem_t_86
    gem_t_86 Posts: 40 Member
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    @JaydedMiss if I have rice, I only ever have brown rice, which is much better for you than white rice. I'm more likely to go for beans or quinoa (have finally managed to find an ethical source of quinoa, hurrah - http://quinola.com/stockists/)
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
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    gfctmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    @JaydedMiss if I have rice, I only ever have brown rice, which is much better for you than white rice. I'm more likely to go for beans or quinoa (have finally managed to find an ethical source of quinoa, hurrah - http://quinola.com/stockists/)

    This is actually not entirely true. There is very little difference betwen the nutritional makeup of white and brown rice. Brown rice has a slight bit more fat, more fiber and about 1 more gram of protein per serving, and a slight bit more micronutrients.... but by and large, they are the same.

    This is from Lundberg with brown on the left and white on the right.

    jue36zxbd5lr.jpg
    rice.jpg 149.1K
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    ^ thats very interesting to see XD i will use brown though, Pack in the nutrients where i can get em :p
  • ABBear13
    ABBear13 Posts: 3 Member
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    I switch back and forth between rice and potatoes. My Asian market has so many kinds of rice I love to try them all. One of my go-to meals is a microwaved potato and frozen veggies with spicy brown mustard. It takes about 5 min so it's perfect when I'm in a rush. I've been vegan since 1/1 and have lost 25lb. With out counting cal. I am starting to count now because I have stopped losing and though I
    This would help me understand what's going on.
  • bumsa2016
    bumsa2016 Posts: 12 Member
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    Cooking with Plants..amazing website and great recipes. She also does great videos. The Happy Herbivore is another of my favorites. I use a lot of her recipes when cooking.
  • VegAna22
    VegAna22 Posts: 3 Member
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    I am a vegan and would love to help any way I can. I don't just eat vegan, I live vegan, meaning house hold products, clothing, cosmetics etc... I do not purchase unless free from animal products and animal cruelty. (:
  • pfreeme
    pfreeme Posts: 42 Member
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    Ive been transitioning for a while now to a vegan lifestyle. Ive never been a big meat eater for ethical reasons and the more I learn I remove replace w an alternative if possible. I got serious last fall. The biggest suggestion is to have nuts/fruit and food in your fridge so if ur out or at home and other food is being served it really sucks to be hungry and not able to eat. Im mostly raw vegan and having salad making and grabable food is a must.

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