is it okay to stick with your favourite foods?

[LucyB]

I have been vegan for 10 days now (:D) and I'm really enjoying the peace I feel from knowing that I'm not eating another living soul (my basis for turning vegan is primarily spiritual). However, I'm finding my natural food preferences are quite basic, in fact as they were when eating omni-style. But, this seems too easy? :confused:

I always liked toast for breakfast, and with vegan marg or jam, I still have this. Everyday. No problems. And I got used to soya milk pretty quickly for my cups of tea :)

I used to eat sandwiches with deli meat or soft cheese for lunch most days. Now I eat pittas, tortillas or bread with tofutti 'cheese' spread & spinach, or avocado & salsa, or hoummous & spinach, or jam, or peanut butter. Or beans on toast ;)

For dinner I used to eat meat plus potato/pasta/rice plus veg. Now I mostly eat falafel or nutty dishes or soya mince/burger/sausages with potato/pasta/rice plus veg. I eat a lot of kidney beans too, with my lunch or dinner.

I used to snack on crisps, chocolate and biscuits. Now I snack on nuts and regular or dried fruits, or a piece of toast. I used to drink pepsi and other fizzies, now I prefer water or soya drinks (I don't do booze at all). But generally I feel I'm eating similarly to before but with less fat, more protein, less junk and plenty of peace of mind.

Is it wrong to have boring eating habits as a vegan? It somehow feels wrong... perhaps because of the stigma attached to being vegan... even though I had boring (and unhealthy) eating habits as an omni. I take a multi-vitamin as I always did before and I just switched to the vegan one, so I'm not worried about that.

I suppose I'm worrying that others might think my diet is boring because I'm vegan, whereas in reality it's boring because I like eating the same stuff over and over :o

[harpy]

Hello Lucy - actually that sounds quite varied apart from the breakfasts?

I am a bit of a creature of habit as well and a lot of my meals have a similar format I suppose - but I try and ring the changes a bit by including different types of fruit, veg, nuts, beans etc. As well as making us less boring :D I think this helps to ensure you get all the nutrients you need.

If later on you find you want to vary things a bit more you could investigate different "ethnic" cuisines - Indian, Mexican, middle eastern and so on. There are a lot of vegan cookery books around.

[puffin]

I have the same breakfast everyday, and usually the same lunch except at weekends. I eat the same because i like what i eat. I do have something different for dinner everyday though ;)

[sugarmouse]

i know what u mean about it somehow feling wrong and i sometimes feel i should set a better example to carnivores!!but there are probably about ten foods i eat mostly and that is basically it!for me it is more abou twhat i dnt eat, than what i do!!

im a pretty boring vegan.lol

[urbandryad]

I usually keep a couple different options in my kitchen at a time. Right now I have 3 types of cereal in my cupboard, tea and cakes, that I may have to toss, they aren't vegan. *cries*

For lunches and suppers I keep pasta noodles around, sauce, bread, condiments like ketchup and what not, lettuce and veggies for sanwhiches, soups, and snacks of all sorts, potatoes for cutting up my own french fries, oil and pizzas usually, but now I don't have any, I have to buy vegan pizza making stuff. ^^ I want a KitchenAid mixer. XD Thats my biggest Christmas wish. :3 A kitchenaid with TONS of excessories. XD

http://www.tabletools.com/tabletools/showdetl.cfm/3088/kitchenaid-artisan-5-qt-stand-mixer-empire-red.html

Know I'll never have it though. Dang thing costs more than my rent. But maybe I can settle for this...http://www.tabletools.com/tabletools/showdetl.cfm/3091/kitchenaid-7-speed-ultra-power-hand-mixer-empire-red.html

[eve]

LucyB, you're doing fine, though perhaps it would be beneficial to have fruit before your toast for breakfast. Plenty of fruit and veggies and you can't go wrong, though as I say, you're doing just fine. :D

[Roxy]

LucyB I think you're doing fine as well. And congratulations on becoming vegan! :D

[rujoon]

Yea, I think u r doing fine too. As long as u like what u r eatin, I think its ok even if u or others find it boring:) . For me, its kinda boring too, my lunch and dinner are chinese-style most of the time, with ocassional indian curry or laksa etc. Otherwise, its just soup-based, stir-fried or fried. And I havent had any vegan cheese and chocolate bars and pizza and lots of sweets since I went vegan:D .

[my3labs]

As long as you're happy and getting proper nutrition, then you're fine.
I'm a creature of habit as well and my eating habits are pretty predictable. Same thing for breakfast and lunch just about every day.

[Peas'nHominy]

Hi LucyB! :) Are there any other fresh raw fruits that you like?

Are there any other veg's you like? (maybe you make your hummus with carrots in it?)

Have you tried nutritional yeast?

Anyway, I think you're eating very well. Just keep in mind that variety is healthy.

Great job!! :)

(You drink plenty of water, yes?)

[LucyB]

I do drink tons of water, about 2-3 litres a day plus juice, tea, soya milk. I can't face pepsi etc any more, seems like my tastebuds are changing :confused:

Also I do eat about 3 pieces of fruit a day, I like all of them I just buy whatever's cheaper when I'm shopping ;) I'm getting a real thing for spinach, a favourite lunch for me is a couple of wholewheat pittas with tofutti cheese spread and spinach :D

I'm not so bothered now, I realise I always ate the same stuff, it just felt like more choice when choosing between 30 flavours of crisps and 100 types of chocolate bar. But it's no bad thing that I'm not eating these!!

[screamingcarrot]

ur doing great by the sounds of it!

the only things i found i needed to watch for were:

B12: i now take a supplement
Omega 3s: I have about a teaspoon or two of flaxseed oil every day. you can get it in capsule form but i find the oil is more economical.

nutritional yeast which is an excellent source of protein and vitamins and is very tasty..maybe you should give it a go!

good luck! :)

[harpy]

it just felt like more choice when choosing between 30 flavours of crisps and 100 types of chocolate bar. But it's no bad thing that I'm not eating these!!

You will probably find after a while that there's more choice of these things for vegans than you think - unfortunately for the waistline!

By the way I wouldn't overdo the Tofutti cream cheese if you are at all health-conscious because I think it's made with hydrogenated vegetable oil (there may be an alternative version now but I haven't seen it). Again though with time you will probably find there are other things that you like just as much.

[LucyB]

Hmmm, I'm not sure if I'm health conscious.... what I mean is, I will try to get used to this way of eating and then worry about fats etc. - though I am trying not to eat avocado & nuts all day long. For me, finding that cheese spread meant I am able to keep eating similar types of food that I'm used to eg. a sandwich for lunch, while I spend time planning my dinner!

I do take a multi-vit from Holland & Barrett for vegans, I have always taken a supplement and don't feel comfortable yet dropping it. I will look out for nutritional yeast - I hope it's nicer than the vegan parmesan!

[harpy]

Avocado and nuts contain "good" fats though, whereas hydrogenated vegetable oil doesn't seem to have anything to be said in its favour at all! It clogs not only your arteries but also your brain apparently :eek:

I think you're right not to worry about these details in the short term because becoming a vegan is a project in itself but the subject is worth reviewing later. Despite being a long-term vegan I had a cholesterol "scare" a while back which is when I got interested in these matters.

Nutritional yeast is a bit of an acquired taste in my opinion, but it is a good ingredient for making cheese-style sauces. There is a whole book of this type of recipes and I think some have been posted on here (or will be soon!). The author's name is Stepaniak so you could do a search.

Do you like hummus?...oh yes, I see you do. I find that, and other bean pates, make good alternatives to cheese as a spread.

[strawberry]

Hey all :)

Yeah it def. looks like you're eating healthy. But I personally have a question. Do most vegan packaged foods have hydrogenated oils? I'm worried b/c I like tofutti cream cheese etc. but I dont want to harm my health. How common is it in vegan foods? :confused:

[harpy]

Over here it's fairly common in stuff like biscuits/cookies and pastry (where it's substituting for "traditional" hard fats such as lard). Other things such as fake cheeses vary according to the brand. It's best just to look at the label - manufacturers have to mention if there's hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oil in a product here and I imagine it's the same in the US.

Also I think in the US there may be an alternative version of some Tofutti products without the hydrogenated oils.