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09
Vegetarian Going Vegan– What’s The Best Way To Start?
BySo, here it goes. I’ve been a vegetarian since April 15th of ’08, and I’ve decided that I want to try veganism. I’ve cut out milk and replaced it with soy milk, and I read the nutrition labels on products before I eat them to make sure they’re alright. I go food shopping on Tuesday. What should I get? I’m not too great at cooking, but I’m trying to learn. Can you share maybe some simple tofu recipes to start off with?
Congratulations! This is an awesome choice, and it’s really easy. I found no trouble transitioning from veg to Vegan.
I recommend : http://veganyumyum.com/ , http://blog.vegcooking.com/ and http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/. As well as http://www.vegcooking.com/VegCooking.asp
Lots of great recipes and stuff. Find a few you like, and see what ingredients it would require.
I also recommend trying almond milk, if it’s available. It’s a lot tastier than soy milk, and goes well with anything – baking, cereal, etc.
I like to bake a lot, and I use an egg replacement mix, which works great, you can also use this chart as a guide:
• 1 egg = 2 Tbsp. potato starch
• 1 egg = 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
• 1 egg = 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or squash
• 1 egg = 1/4 cup puréed prunes
• 1 egg = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg = 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed simmered in 3 Tbsp. water
If you’re in the U.S. , and can find them in your area, try shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, they have a lot of vegan friendly food like margarine, egg replacements, and faux meats, if that’s your thing.
Anyway, good luck. E-mail me if you want more info, or need help, but again, congratulations!
I just eat tofu raw lol. With a lil barbecue sauce.
I love sauteed tofu with veggies. You just put oil in a pan, throw in some tofu mixing occasionally then add the veggies. It’s really good.
Then there’s some Vegan food at Kroger (well, that’s where I get them from).
They have vegan ice cream (by the organic frozen foods section), and vegan burgers and such =)
Just have to check the ingredients cause some of it contains dairy/ eggs.
You can also check the peta website. They have some good recipes =)http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp
I’ve always sucked at cooking tofu, but Vegan sausages (made from tofu, veggies etc) are really ice, and v. easy, they’re sold in most super markets, try to include more veggies and more fruit. If you have a slow cooker, chop up any veggies, add vege stock and cook on medium low for a few hours to make a stew, but you might want to experiment a bit with quantities
Good Luck and Congratulation!
I hope your motivation is at least partially for health.
Cutting milk and dairy is very important because milk protein is believed to leach calcium from the bones of adult women. It’s not a required food, and it’s not even a healthy food. In the US, milk and dairy contain genetically modified bovine growth hormone (thanks Monsanto), antibiotics, and proteins that cause allergic reactions. There are better sources of calcium, like leafy green vegetables.
You do need the building blocks for protein so you will want to eat beans, brown rice, and whole grains. I prepare my beans from dried sources because I cannot stand the sweet syrup in canned beans.
Eat whole foods when you can, like whole fruits and vegetables. They contain fiber and do not contain additives in packaged products that are of questionable value. Avoid fructose/sugars/refined carbs.
You do need some oil/fat in your diet, but carefully control the amount. Even so-called healthy fats contain bad fats (saturated fats). The better fats have a higher percentage of unsaturated fats.
Avoid sodas, juices, and prepared drinks. Drink fresh water instead. Commercial products often are over processed, pasteurized, preserved and contain toxins that may poison us over the long term. MSG and aspartame have been shown to cause brain damage in laboratory animals.
To answer your main question, I’d buy a steamer and steam vegetables or eat them raw. Avoid soy sauce that likely contains MSG. “Natural flavors” is how MSG and MSG like substances are labeled in many cases. Avoid adding extra oil, butter, margarine, or too much salt.
You can also use a sauce pan to fry vegetables with Pam or a very small amount of vegetable oil. If you slightly burn carrots and other veggies for a sweet taste.
Avoid white breads and commercial bread products that are refined carbs. It’s better to prepare couscous or another whole grain.
Get a rice cooker and prepare brown rice.
Get a pressure cooker. You can cook beans in less than an hour with this and you don’t need to consume the sugarly syrup that comes with canned beans.
The best way to go is to eat whole foods and avoid commercial food-like products that are made with cheap ingredients with flavor enhancers that are toxic to you in the long run.
As a Vegan you have to look at all of the ingredients and make sure they’re not animal derived in any way, a lot of fortified foods have been fortified using animal derived ingredients like lanolin(wool).
I’d recommend adding in more fruit and some greens to your diet. You could always have a salad for lunch or dinner or just a side salad with dinner and fruit is a great snack and you can have it for breakfast or with breakfast.
I haven’t had any experience with egg replacers, was never really big on baked goods, ice cream was a little tough but tofutti’s cuties are pretty good.
Also look into vegan friendly toiletries, chances are most of what you use in the bathroom isn’t vegan friendly, lots of cosmetics/shampoos/gels are tested on animals, some might even contain animal ingredients, most if not all commercial soaps aren’t vegan friendly as they’re made with animal fat.
You’ll also have to look through pretty much everything that you own, your mattress and pillows probably aren’t vegan, your clothes may not be vegan, your shoes are probably not vegan, most belts are made out of leather, etc. Some of this stuff you may want to keep as it would be too expensive to replace, just keep in mind that they aren’t vegan the next time you go shopping for clothes/mattresses/whatever, if you can afford to replace them or you only have some clothes/whatever that are vegan and you feel you can live without one shirt/outfit/pair of shoes/whatever you should try to give it to a friend or to a foundation instead of throwing it away.