Vegan Pals

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Charlieneedles
Charlieneedles Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Are there any vegans here, new or veteran to the lifestyle, who want to chat about our fitness journeys. We can add each other and talk about food choices! Here’s hoping :)
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  • blackthumbnails
    blackthumbnails Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm vegetarian and am in transition to veganism. Would love some vegan buddies to share meals and whatnot with! I just restarted MFP today so it's really cool to find this post! :3
  • Charlieneedles
    Charlieneedles Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi guys thanks for posting! I definitely am ready to share meal recipes and ideas! I cook all the time so I’ll post everything I can!
  • Charlieneedles
    Charlieneedles Posts: 15 Member
    edited December 2017
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    I’m still only 80%
  • fhall242
    fhall242 Posts: 4 Member
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    How long have you been vegan?
  • whhuynh90
    whhuynh90 Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm vegan (since sept 2017). so im still new and adjusting was interesting. I was an omnivore and then I was like, I'm gona try veganism, and here I am :) some changes to regular things I used to eat so it makes transitioning easier. soy creamer instead of cream (works well in cream of corn, mash potatoes, coffee), and if you like/ use almond milk, but dont like the aml;mondy hint it leaves in the coffee add some soy creamer and it omits the almond taste :) tofu fingers or tofingers lol are excellent, use the soy creamer/ almond milk and spices as to help hold the bread crumbs to the tofu. tastes great with Ketchup. and check labels when buysing/ eating food to ensure there isnt any milk or eggs etc. :)
  • postgrunk
    postgrunk Posts: 1 Member
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    vegan for almost 4 years now, love to meet some others on here with like-minds :) adding you now girl, excited to share in the veg health!
  • Charlieneedles
    Charlieneedles Posts: 15 Member
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    I’ve been vegan for all of 2months, but I’m in it for the long haul! I’ve really fallen in love with tofu and want to try my hand at seitan meats, but so bar I’m just having troubles with non soy proteins.

    I’m not afraid of soy, but I don’t want to eat tofu for every meal. I do love it but I love variety more ;)
    Suggestions?
    I don’t buy packaged faux meats except for treats.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Charlieneedles wrote: »
    I’ve been vegan for all of 2months, but I’m in it for the long haul! I’ve really fallen in love with tofu and want to try my hand at seitan meats, but so bar I’m just having troubles with non soy proteins.

    I’m not afraid of soy, but I don’t want to eat tofu for every meal. I do love it but I love variety more ;)
    Suggestions?
    I don’t buy packaged faux meats except for treats.

    I do eat soy, but I also get a lot of protein from seitan and beans. The protein in grains, vegetables, and nuts/seeds rounds it out, along with sometimes some protein powder (usually pea protein).
  • blackthumbnails
    blackthumbnails Posts: 2 Member
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    Question... How did you guys eliminate cheese? Cheese is like the main thing I'm struggling with. :/ I also love sweets but that's another conversation. Haha.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    blackthumbnails wrote: »
    Question... How did you guys eliminate cheese? Cheese is like the main thing I'm struggling with. :/ I also love sweets but that's another conversation. Haha.

    The first step for me was figuring out why I wanted to avoid cheese. For me, it's an ethical decision: I am not comfortable with what others must endure so I can eat cheese. Once I was clear on that, it was much easier.
  • Kay2Wavey
    Kay2Wavey Posts: 4 Member
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    blackthumbnails wrote: »
    Question... How did you guys eliminate cheese? Cheese is like the main thing I'm struggling with. :/ I also love sweets but that's another conversation. Haha.

    I’ve only been vegan since September and the thing that helped me was finding alternatives to cheese. You can soak cashews to make vegan cheese (which is delicious). Homemade Cashew cheese is my favorite alternative but there are plenty of cheese replacements to choose from. Wegmans has a large selection.
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
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    I am transition to a vegetarian diet (not for weight loss) but this is my first week so I'm not ready to label myself just yet. Tried tofu for the first time today. Eh.. I probably won't have it again unless I find new ways to eat it. It was in soup so it was just mushy and no flavor to it even though the soup was full of flavor! I don't think I want rely on substitutes just yet.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    alondrakayy wrote: »
    I am transition to a vegetarian diet (not for weight loss) but this is my first week so I'm not ready to label myself just yet. Tried tofu for the first time today. Eh.. I probably won't have it again unless I find new ways to eat it. It was in soup so it was just mushy and no flavor to it even though the soup was full of flavor! I don't think I want rely on substitutes just yet.

    Tofu is capable of many different flavors and textures. If someone doesn't like it the first time they try it, I always encourage them to try it someday again -- usually in a different type of dish.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I don't think of tofu as a "substitute" (unless chicken is a substitute because it's not beef, lentils are a substitute because they aren't meat, etc.). It's a food with a long history of use in some cuisines and, as janejellyroll said, can be used in lots of different ways.

    Back in the early '80s, my dad read about tofu and was excited to try it, but had no idea how to prepare it (and my mother who was not adventurous about food was extremely skeptical, so my sister and I were too). He had no clue and served basically a big slab of unseasoned baked tofu, as if it were a plain white slab of meat. Unsurprisingly, it was not tasty and put me off tofu until I had it in some pad thai a few years later and really enjoyed it (as part of the overall dish). Now I often prepare it really simply, but with seasoning (it seems to me to soak up seasoning and the taste of the surrounding ingredients really easily). One easy way is in a stir fry sauted with vegetables (I think this is great with Japanese 7 spice), but curries are also good options (thinking Asian curries as I'd normally do an Indian curry with different forms of protein, like chickpeas or lentils, but who knows). I'd also thumb through some tofu recipes in a vegan or maybe a Thai or Japanese cookbook.
  • adammay93
    adammay93 Posts: 14 Member
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    I've been vegan now for a good 3/4 months and have really enjoyed the health benefits. The biggest problem I find is eating out with non vegans, as not all restaurants accommodate to us! But that said, planning always helps. Here in the UK there is more and more alternatives to pretty much everything, which is great when organising a diet that can be (at times) quite strict!
  • kelimcd808
    kelimcd808 Posts: 5 Member
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    Hi! I just started today.... am about 90% wfpb.... want to go 100% SOON. Sooooo glad to see this group of people!
  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
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    Here is a pal for you.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFp1tQttgAo
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
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    I've been vegetarian for two years and I'm now ready for the final push to get rid of the last of my dairy (basically cheese). I'm kinda letting the holidays wrap up before making it official and calling myself a vegan, just because I don't want to have THAT awkward conversation over the holidays. The house is vegan now (well, there may still be some non-vegan cookies) and I will make it official after the New Year.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
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    blackthumbnails wrote: »
    Question... How did you guys eliminate cheese? Cheese is like the main thing I'm struggling with. :/ I also love sweets but that's another conversation. Haha.
    My brother has been vegan for well over 5 years now and he and I recently talked about the cheese thing, because I know that was a hang up for him. He said you just have to commit to doing it and do it. Keep in mind that cheese triggers similar things in your brain that hard drugs do. It is literally addictive. Keeping in mind WHY you want to kick dairy helps. And there are more and more great plant based cheese options on the market.

    As for sweets.....ummmm, you can still have PLENTY of sweets and be vegan! You just do it without eggs and dairy! Unless you're doing a whole good, plant based thing, you don't have to eat nothing but veggies as a vegan. You just don't use things that exploit animals.

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