Any vegans or vegatarins have advise?

mejustsmaller316
mejustsmaller316 Posts: 134 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm thinking about trying a vegan or vegetarian life style. I'm leaning toward vegan. How do you get started? How do you get protein? How can I make it on a limited budget? Any other advise.

Replies

  • ThomasFMendiola
    ThomasFMendiola Posts: 38 Member
    There's alot of vegan resources out there, I too am a new vegan along with my wife and kids. Believe it or not there is protein in vegetables, also we eat tofu and some veggie crumbles to simulate ground beef. Anyway we are using the "Engine 2 Diet" cookbook because it is primarily a plant based diet. Add me and we can talk more if you'd like.
  • Channing
    Channing Posts: 617 Member
    My best advise would be to make the transition at your own pace. It can be overwhelming to charge full force into becoming Vegan. Maybe go vegetarian first and continue from there.

    Great sources of protein would be Tofu, Tempeh, edamame, Greek yogurt(not Vegan obviously)

    There are more and more options out there for meatless diets, and it makes cooking more interesting! Have fun with it!
  • tmos512
    tmos512 Posts: 119 Member
    I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I still eat eggs and dairy on occassion. I've actually found eating this way is less expensive than my normal meat diet. I usually eat the same thing everyone else does minus the meat. A lot of rice and beans and you should get a good amount of protein. I found that I did need to take a few supplements, nothing fancy though (multi-vitamin, B comples and Calcium and Vitamin D). I just had my blood work done and everything came back just fine. I've never considered going vegan, but I'd imagine it'd be difficult (for me at least) to give up eggs and dairy on top of meat all at one time. I'm sure someone's done it, I'm just not that strong. :bigsmile:
  • tmos512
    tmos512 Posts: 119 Member
    Oh, and buy a vegetarian cook book. That helped me a lot.
  • mejustsmaller316
    mejustsmaller316 Posts: 134 Member
    Thanks, I want to get started, but my husband refuses to not eat meat at every meal. I will have to find a way to cook his food with meat. As for my daughter, she can't have milk so this will be a good this would be an easy transition.
  • erinhayley
    erinhayley Posts: 10
    I'm not vegetarian but tofu is a huge part of my diet, if you go to an asian supermarket instead it's usually significantly cheaper but usually the same brand (well, this is in Australia anyway).

    Vegan cooking is great as you really get to know flavours more, you just have to put a bit more thought into it.

    Also if you have access to a farmers market for a weekly veggie trip that's usually much more budget friendly than the equivalent in store, even if it's a bit more of a hassle.
  • mejustsmaller316
    mejustsmaller316 Posts: 134 Member
    Oh and if you watch the movie vegecated, you will never want to eat eggs and cheeses again. I watched it yesterday and could not eat the hard boiled egg I made for breakfast. lol
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
    Oh and if you watch the movie vegecated, you will never want to eat eggs and cheeses again. I watched it yesterday and could not eat the hard boiled egg I made for breakfast. lol

    lol, I'm so glad I think eggs are disgusting xD

    I really recommend a good "plan" to follow. There's a lot of meal plans that are free that can prep you for a month or at least a couple weeks. I also think it's really affordable if you cook from scratch and purchase mostly produce and fruit. I was paying a lot for faux meats, cheeses, and other things. It wasn't bad just too much money and seemed kind of artificial to eat every dinner.

    You should try these faux meats with your husband. It's very convincing and he might be able to move over easier that way.
  • SouthernSkylark
    SouthernSkylark Posts: 128 Member
    Check out Rose Elliott's vegetarian cookbooks - they are awesome, also Sarah Kramer for vegan loveliness! :-)
  • ThomasFMendiola
    ThomasFMendiola Posts: 38 Member
    Oh and if you watch the movie vegecated, you will never want to eat eggs and cheeses again. I watched it yesterday and could not eat the hard boiled egg I made for breakfast. lol

    Indeed, also if you watch "Forks Over Knives" it contains some compelling evidence to go to a plant based diet.
  • brigara
    brigara Posts: 10 Member
    Marilu Henner has a great book to introduce you and guide you to reduce animal sources of food and makes it pretty easy. I also enjoy many of her recipes.

    Start slow, don't replace meat with carbs. That is my best advice.
  • lisasays
    lisasays Posts: 142 Member
    I'm a soy-free vegan and LOVE http://ohsheglows.com for recipes. Easy and really good. Protein: beans, nuts, seeds, quinoa, vegetables, tahini, hummus, I could go on and on. Love making cashew cheese and you can find a lot of recipes online.

    I was vegetarian for 25+ years when I went vegan, so the transition wasn't too hard, plus my teenage son had been doing it for a year before that. Just think whole and fresh and focus on veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds and everything else will fall into place.
  • amanda_ataraxia
    amanda_ataraxia Posts: 400 Member
    If you are trying to lose weight, definitely check out,"Appetite For Reduction," and,"Happy Herbivore."
    They are both low fat (or no fat) vegan cookbooks aimed at helping you lose weight.

    My advice is do not all into eating lots of faux meats. It is absolutely possible to be a vegan and eat trash (I am living proof). I am not saying don't eat faux meats, but make your own! It is so easy to make your own faux veggie burgers, hamburger crumbles, meatballs, chicken strips, etc. And you control the ingredients and sodium. It makes a huge difference.
    Or opt for things like tofu and tempeh. Seitan is also tasty at the most protein filled vegan food you can eat- also so easy to make your own.

    Good luck to you!
  • MrsODriscoll
    MrsODriscoll Posts: 127 Member
    Loads of great replies here. The internet is your friend - check out happyherbivore.com, fatfreevegan.com and theppk.com. Lots of sites have resources for going veggie/vegan too - PETA, Viva, Animal Aid, The Vegetarian Society etc.
    Good luck!

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