hello i'm new, am going vegan

[revol]

hello all i'm new, not sure if this is the right place to post this thread but i thought i'd give it a go.
i've decided to go vegan, i'm only buying vegan things and i eat vegetarian since a about a week ago, i am in catered accommodation and there is no proper vegan alternative so that's why but i'm looking into it.
just thought i'd join this forum for some tips etc so i don't end up messing up not eating all the things you have to etc. i'm in the uk and i'm a student.
cheers

[harpy]

Good for you revol :thumbsup: Shout if we can help. The Vegan Society website has a booklet you can download and give to caterers, I think

[Blueberries]

Heya Revol, welcome to the forum! i remember there being a thread or two about eating vegan in halls. It is possible and maybe if you have a chat to your caterer they might be able to provide you with basics like soya milk etc.

[revol]

thanks for the welcome guys,
i don't think i can request special vegan food but i have got a list of which dishes, that they serve, contain milk etc and well it's nearly all but there are always side dishes you can have - every day there's a few alternatives, like chips, rice, roast potatoes, potatoes - the problem is they're never wholegrain so basically no protein or anything else useful. we also get salad - cucumber, tomato, lettuce, sometimes beans or carrots, so what i am wondering is, if i only have the chips/potatoes/white rice with the vegetables for dinner, will this be fine? for lunch i have my own stuff so that's fine, and there's soya milk at breakfast a few times a week, otherwise i have juice, wholegrain toast or rolls and jam... also i exercise every day, swimming running etc and i am about to take up doing weights. any ideas, like what i should do? i am feeling a bit skeptical about dinner but i really wanna do this, now, and not wait til next year when i'm out of catered accommodation.

[sandra]

Hello and welcome from me too Revol, we are all here to help so feel free to ask any questions. :)

[EmmaC]

hi. I've only been Vegan for about 8 weeks now & it's been much easier than I thought it would be.

[MagicMegyn]

Welcome.... And good for you :-) xx

[Gattona]

Hi, a big welcome from me too. Do your caterers not have an obligation to provide food suitable for peoples' religious beliefs and allegies if not their morals. A quick conversion to Jainism or some knewly discovered allergies might be in order. Seriously, I realise that could be difficult for you, wishing you all the best in making the most of the situation you are in and not waiting till next year.

[harpy]

If you have a good lunch then I reckon having a 100% balanced meal at dinner is less important, some people don't even eat 3 meals a day after all. However, I agree with Gattona - if they're taking your money they surely ought to provide food that meets your needs - even if it's just making sure you have some beans or nuts to go with your salad. According to some people this charter means that ethical vegans are entitled to have their needs met like people whose religions require particular diets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_Fundamental_Rights_of_the_European_Unio n - but you would need to research it a bit more before trying that tack.

[Jivattatva]

Revol

Welcome to the forum. Please explore the forum; there are many threads on here that can help you transition without too much pain to a vegan lifestyle.

[BellaTanie]

Yay! Welcome Revol!!!!!

[revol]

hey again all, thanks for welcoming me :)

the problem about the catered accommodation is that when i applied for it, it said that people with severe food allergies and such should choose self-catered... at the time i thought i'd just wait another year before i go vegan but it has since become more urgent. so i don't think i have the right to demand anything of them, really, as they said in the application not all demands will be met when it comes to specific allergies etc.
i think i'll try and have proper meals outside of dinner and just see how i can manage with chips and salad, and go with it if there are no bad effects. thanks for the advice and encouragement all!