[Several multi-question threads, closed]

[RedWellies]

he asserted that no animal eats salt voluntarily.

Well, that's just rubbish! As well as elephants which you mentioned, horses eat soil to obtain salt and minerals if they feel they need them (mine also lick my palms because they like salt!). Butterflies do a similar thing. I guess maybe carniverous animals don't because they get their salt from eating other animals.
(Sorry Ben, I think we've gone a bit off topic!)

[rianaelf]

You need to eat some more solid food.
i went thru a dried fruit and nuts stage but i was also hungry all the time and have had to totally give up dried fruit cos it gives me toothache (sigh, not fair!!)

A bowl of rice is always a good filler, along with some lightly cooked veg.
I know wen i first became a vegan i wasn't eating enuf cos it just took me a while to sort out what exactly i could eat and how much of it i actually needed to eat.

Fortunately there are so many yummy vegan foods and im sure it won't be long before you feel properly filled up

[Bonobo]

I found the best thing for me was to sit down and write out a weekly menu. I also made a chart to mark off that I was eating enough of everything from the food pyramid!
Look up some new recipes on the internet and try new foods so you don't get bored... and when you cook dinners, make enough so that you have left overs the next day which you can always have for a late breakfast. There is no rule about what you have to eat for breakfast! And try to choose more filling foods like other people have said.
Way to make the change - there seems to be a lot of vegan places to eat in Austin... try the whole foods market too. That place is AMAZING!

[Iron Clad Ben]

Thanks for the support everyone! It's been almost a week now. Had some flub ups, I ordered corn on the cob at restaurant as a side and they had already put on butter Well I wasn't going to waste it.

My girlfriend bought me some granola bars and was like "look they are vegan friendly". They were "honey-oat" flavor. I told her about cruelty to bees and she said she thought that was ridiculous and that vegans were taking things too far. Well whatever, I'm not going to eat any honey.

I've been taking a multivitamin regularly now and eating much more fruits and veggies now. I'm no longer always hungry. I'm glad I've lasted this long. I think I can keep going indefinitely.

In regards to whole foods, that place is headquartered out of Austin. Luckily for me there's a farmer's co-op just a few blocks from my house:
http://wheatsville.coop/

They are always awesome. Tons of fresh food from local farms, all organic and very veg friendly

[Marie]

Hi Ben! Keep up the good work. When I need something filling I use gravy with my vegies. I use grinded cashew nuts, tahin, coconutmilk or soy milk and tamari and you can also add some tomato puree.

[rianaelf]

Yeah, people often find it difficult to understand the honey and wool part like the bees are only there to make honey for everyone else and the sheep 'like' being sheered every spring!!
as if

[tacp18]

For the last couple of years I have been getting more and more repulsed with eating beef (all others not on this list obviously). It wasnt until I saw that video of the chickens in that factory (the one with the guy stomping on them), I started to get sick after meals. Not physically mind you, I would jsut feel...well...like I wanted to throw up, but not really. I joked with my wife a couple of months ago telling her that if I didnt have as strong of a personality that I have, I would be bulimic. I always thought it was just me feeling "guilty" for eating unhealthy food (not BAD food, just fattening, sugery etc etc). A couple of weeks ago I was put in the hospital due to extreme abdominal pain (that took 3 shots of morphine to ease!!). The pain went away after 2 days and they said it was either food poisoning or my appendix (I had consumed a vast quantity of crab legs and shrimp about 6 hours before I got put in the hospital).. Now even thinking of seafood I literally start getting sick to my stomach and I think it my body telling me what really happened. So TODAY I went to the grocery store with my wife and bought nothing but healthy foods. dairy, meat, seafood, pork etc etc free everything. I guess you could call it cold turkey, but I have done some research on the matter this morning before going (lots of searches, peta reading and I think it was called veg.org or something like that) in order to get a little educated on what I should look for. I am 26, and have been a meat eater my entire life.. the kind of meat eater that makes meat eaters cringe.


ok.. just wanted to give a little back story.

so some questions..

1. So long as I have a PRETTY much balanced diet (minus the crap) will I really have to worry about deficiencies? I normally would'nt be concerned about this, but I see ALOT of posts regarding this very issue and I worry. I have started this to become a healthier, "cleaner" individual

2. How vegan can one really become? I am in the military and there will be instances where I have NO choice in what I do/eat/wear (though I would rather go hungery then eat something that was once alive). A good example--leather boots... Obviously, sacrifices will have to be made in this regard to continue supporting the family :/

3. Is there a store/s that sells ONLY crap free foods? Currently all I have is Hy'vee with a section for these items..

4. What is a good way to try and convice spouse to join in(not force by anymeans, just try it)? My wife is EXTREMELY picky in what she eats and I dont think I'll ever be able to get her to try what I am working on doing. I have read to much at this point and watched to many videos to ever eat anything that was alive again and obviously seeing my wife eat/drink those items is going to be tough! (and my 3 children.....).

whelp.. I would appreciate any help in the matter and know that I will never truely be able to be a vegan until I get out of military next year, but figured this was a good place to start. All responses are appreciated.

J

[Korn]

1. So long as I have a PRETTY much balanced diet (minus the crap) will I really have to worry about deficiencies? I normally would'nt be concerned about this, but I see ALOT of posts regarding this very issue and I worry.

Hi J,

There is a common misconception that vegans need to worry about more nutrients than non-vegans, which is one of two reasons why we have quite a few questions about this topic. The other reasons is that people see these posts, read the answers, and then ask the same question again (like you just did? ). My humble suggestion is to start with having a look at the existing threads about this topic (personally I often refer people to this thread:Nutrient deficiencies more common in meat eaters than in vegans)...

I'm sure you'll get very useful answers from our members, and if I'm not mistaken, we have threads covering most of your questions already. Good luck!


K

[yum]

Hi tacp18!

My boyfriend eats meat and i would never cook him meat- he knows this and is considerate about it which meant i would cook him veggie and now vegan meals and he loves them! I don't outrightly say i won't cook you meat becoz of this reason or that i just subtly said i would prefer to cook in veggie sausgaess etc. That way i was able to introduce him to healthy and animal-friendly meals - this introduces him to veganism etc so that he is more supportive becoz he knows i get a good yummy and healthy meal in my tummy and that i don't even have to abuse animals to do it! So perhaps you could do that for your wife and children ...just introduc them to all the great vegan food your learning to cook.

Inregards to the leather i think u can only try your best. Surely the military should cater for people with various beliefs/ food requirements eg. dairy allegies, kosher meat, so why not for vegans!

As long as you eat a balanced diet you should be fine with the defiency. A a vegan i never ate so many veggies and fruit which give loads of nutrients. You can for instance get calcium from green veg. When i first became a vegetarian i had low iron levels and this sorted its self out once i realised i couldn't just eat processed meals. Now a vegan i can't see that happening again since i cook most of my meals from scratch and can choose what i put in them

Good luck, sounds like your off to a good start

yum
x

[Artichoke47]

I almost got tears in my eyes from reading that, the way you care about animals and how sick it has made you to think of the death and pain caused by omnivorous foods. Congrats and just take your time, do what you feel is comfortable.

As far as the military is concerned, I think you always have a choice in what you do. You chose to be in the military, after all, I assume? Are you concerned that they will not have vegan food available? Just talk to whoever the provider of the food is. Tell them what you will and will not eat and that salad will not fill you up. Not sure about the shoes...maybe someone else can help.

No crap-free stores that I know of as far as local shopping. Even health-food stores sell meat and dairy.

How about telling your wife that you care about her, her health, adn that you want to grow old together?

[tacp18]

well. I got the wife to try a drink of soy milk She didnt mind that to much, though there was a lot of resistance. I like the

How about telling your wife that you care about her, her health, adn that you want to grow old together?

though I have never really been to touchy feely, and my wife would prob look at me funny if I said something like that. Just going to have to offer to cook supper I guess

I just got a new vegan cookbook too, so I'm going to have to check that out and find ways to cook that tofu I bought

I just wanted to add, that I like this website.. TONS of information to digest around here. Hope my work doesnt block it :P

[fiamma]

Hi tacp18, I think it's so cool that you have decided to go vegan and I really like your spirit, I'm sure your wife will love your cooking!
It's impossible to be 100% vegan, we just have to do the best we can. You don't really need special foods, just lots of fruit, veggies, legumes, grains...
A good balanced diet, perhaps get some bloodwork done every once in a while to check that you're doing OK. But I'm sure you'll find all the answers you need on here, just look around...

All the best with your new life

[rmz]

Hello everybody, I am new to these forums! I am 21 and I am thinking about becoming a vegan. I am a vegetarian currently (only 9 months into it and loving it!), I don't eat any flesh whatsoever. I do eat cheese, free-range eggs, and I have a leather coat. I believe that capital punishment is wrong, I am pro-choice, I believe in God but I don't practice in an organized religion. The reason I became a vegetarian to begin with was my concern with world famine (i.e. the pork industry) and the murder of sentient (physical and emotional) and conscious (complex or simple) beings, and thanks to one of my freshmen ethics courses I was able to read some of Dr. Peter Singer's essays which ultimately put me on the road to becoming a vegan. My parents were very confused when I told them of my decision, and because I live with them while I go to university it has made me a little uneasy watching them eat meat. I do have some questions however!

Could someone offer some links to good vegan recipes, product brands, etc?

Does anyone else feel uneasy around family and friends while they eat flesh?

What clothes are vegan safe?

Any other input would be greatly appreciated, especially any on where to gather my proteins and necessary vitamins etc.

[harpy]

Hello - welcome. There's a lot of information about nutrition (and other things) here.
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/

Forumers in the US will be able to provide information about products over there but as far as food goes you might be better off thinking in terms of making your own from basics like fresh vegetables, nuts, beans and so on. If you have a hunt on the forum you'll find recipes.

Re clothes, there is always cotton and linen, and there are also an increasing amount of clothes made of hemp around as well. Most of us resort to synthetics for shoes I think.

[twinkle]

Welcome

...

Could someone offer some links to good vegan recipes, product brands, etc?

Does anyone else feel uneasy around family and friends while they eat flesh?

What clothes are vegan safe?

Any other input would be greatly appreciated, especially any on where to gather my proteins and necessary vitamins etc.

- Links all over the site! Depends what you're looking for - better to ask for links to specific things as you need them, but the search function is very good. Google or similar is also your friend

- I'm not usually around flesh eating family, it makes me feel a bit weird seeing friends at a barbecue or eating pork rinds in the pub or whatever, fortunately a lot of my friends are veg*n, so it doesn't happen that much. I try not to think about it too much

- Clothes - I guess anything that doesn't have wool, leather or silk in, for a start. Watch out for things like leather tags on jeans. If in doubt, contact manufacturer or buy from dedicated ethical companies. Many of us do not replace non-vegan clothing until it is worn out, it's down to individual choice if you want to keep the jacket

- Vitamin and protein - eat a balanced diet! It might help to research what kind of nutrients you should be getting for your age and level of exertion and doing some meal plans to begin with, if you're not confident.

[Herbidacious]

Here are some vegan recipe ideas to be going on with:
http://www.simpleveganrecipes.co.uk/
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/kitchen.html

I'd recommend the 'Vegan with a Vengeance' cookery book by Isa Chandra Moskovitz which you can order from Amazon.

This site may be of help to you:

http://www.americanvegan.org/

[flutterby]

Hello rmz.

If you haven't already, you may wish to look at the threads in the 'No animal products - why?' area http://veganforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=98 , the Vegan recipes area, http://veganforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17 , including the 'Links to vegan recipe sites' thread, http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5 , the 'Favourite Vegan Food Products - USA' thread, http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2776 , the 'Online vegan shopping links' thread, http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=857 , the 'Clothing - what should I be aware of?' thread http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8494 , and the 'Dealing with non-vegans' area, http://veganforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42 as well.

[pavotrouge]

Welcome rmz!
My very first vegan recipe site was www.vegweb.com- it's great!
As suggested by flutterby, you can also find lots of info on this forum.

A good read for new vegans is also "Vegan Freak" by Bob and Jenna Torres.

[rmz]

Thanks a lot for the information! Any of you follow the work of Dr. Peter Singer? I think he poses many ethical questions that helped me make my decision, was curious if there were any others!

[flutterby]

Any of you follow the work of Dr. Peter Singer?

I'm sure you'll find him mentioned a few times, give the search a go.

[skeletalstage]

Hello!
I'm new here, and I'd appreciate any help I can get.
I've been a vegetarian for almost 2 years, and last year I was vegan for Lent. I continued the diet for about 3 months, until my mom became concerned that it was a health risk and told me I should get more info. on it and try again in a healthier way.
So, I decided to be a healthier vegetarian first. The problem is that a lot of the vegetarian and vegan products here are pretty expensive, and my family has a tight budget. Not to mention, my mom, step dad, and brother are all heavy meat eaters. I own two vegetarian cookbooks, take B12 and calcium pills, and I eat ALOT of vegetables and fruits. The problem is finding alot of protein, but I usually can find some vegetarian products to eat for dinner, and peanut butter for lunch.
About a week ago, my mom noticed that part of my hair (in the back) turned gray. She looked it up online, and saw that it could be signs of anemia, or various other bad signs, since I'm only 15.
Since this discovery, she's been very against me going vegan, but I really want to try again. She thinks I'm going to get very sick because of lack of protein, since I can't find soymilk i like, and I don't like raw tofu. I'm visiting the doctor this coming Monday, and if the news is bad she's going to be pretty angry.

Overall, my main questions are:
1. How can I maintain a protein-packed diet without spending alot of money?
2. What supplments/vitamins do I need to take?
3. Are there any simple reciepes that I can make for myself?
4. What should I say to help convince her that I'll be healthy?
Thanks

[Korn]

Hello!

The problem is that a lot of the vegetarian and vegan products here are pretty expensive, and my family has a tight budget.

There are lots of vegan products out there that are vegan, but which doesn't have the label 'vegan' on them; you don't need to buy or use any vegan specific products at all (I don't). There's a strong tradition of plant based food in many parts of the world, and if you have a chance to buy some food at immigrant grocery stores, it will easy to live on a vegan diet on a lower budget than you otherwise would. Tahini sauce, tofu, seitan, soy sauce and many other products that are commonly used by vegans aren't "vegan products" - they have been around for hundreds of years, and are not expensive. Even if you just buy food in normal stores, it doesn't need to be more expensive to be a vegan than a non-vegan - my experience is that it's cheaper wherever you buy your food. Organic food is more expensive than non-organic food, but that's a different story, and affects non-vegans who want to eat organic as well.

I own two vegetarian cookbooks, take B12 and calcium pills, and I eat ALOT of vegetables and fruits.

If you eat plants containing calcium, you don't need calcium. Check out these threads:
Vegans and calcium
Calcium requirements

Calcium without supplements

The problem is finding alot of protein

If you find it difficult, it's probably because your mind is trained to look for animal based protein sources. It's easy to get enough protein on a vegan diet:

What are your favourite vegan protein sources?
Vegan protein
Can you suggest a very high protein food?

About a week ago, my mom noticed that part of my hair (in the back) turned gray. She looked it up online, and saw that it could be signs of anemia, or various other bad signs, since I'm only 15.
Since this discovery, she's been very against me going vegan

It's totally understandable that she's against veganism if she thinks that vegans will start getting grey hair when their 15! We have a subforum in the Member are called 'Personal Health Issue, where special cases like your are discussed, with a disclaimer reminding people that they shouldn't use our forum as a substitute for professional consultations, and I think it's great that you're seeing a doctor if you have signs of anemia. Many vegans eat vegan food without supplements for years without signs of anemia or anything else, but both vegans and vegans have so many options of what to eat and what not to eat, so vegans can become anemic like everyone else. You mentioned B12, and for the reasons described here, vegans are more likely to develop low B12 levels over time than non-vegans - just like non-vegans are more likely to become deficient in other nutrients. We simply don't live in a natural world, we don't all eat a perfect, balanced, organic diet, which means that we - or some/most of us needs to supplement with whatever we are lacking.

I'm visiting the doctor this coming Monday, and if the news is bad she's going to be pretty angry.

It has been found that only circa 1% of the (non-vegan) population have sufficient levels of all the nutrient they need, and there's no need to be angry on a non-vegan or vegan because they lack certain nutrients. My guess is that you have low levels of B12, not of protein, but that's just a guess, because I don't know what you eat and haven't sen your blood tests (which should include B12, MMA and homocysteine).

There's just so much stuff that most people don't know about food and nutrition, because nobody taught then anything about it.

One example: the soil in certain parts of the world is low in iodine. This means that if you only eat vegan food from in this soil, you'll get low levels of iodine, and need a supplement. Now, this isn't an argument against eating vegan food, because people who eat animals grassing in the same, low-iodine soil will also become iodine deficient, but animals in factory farms are getting supplements of iodine, B12 and various other stuff when/if they need it. Some of them hardly eat regular food, they live on artificial junk with a lot of supplements added.

If you could convince that your mother should take a blood test as well, you would probably find that she is short in antioxidants, phyto-chemicals and nutrients like folate than you are (if you eat a normal, varied vegan diet) - which probably would solve that thing about her being angry at you.

Vegans and non-vegans who don't want to take blood tests to monitor their nutrient levels are in most cases better of with supplementing with nutrients people on their diet normally are short in - even if this will never guarantee that they are safe (since some people have absorption problems or just consume too many 'nutrient killers'.).

Vegans (and non-vegans) normally pay attention to vitamin D (in the winter / depending on where they live and how much sunlight they get). Iodine has already been mentioned. Some pay extra attention to iron as well; even if it's easy to get enough iron from plants, it doesn't happen on it's own. Circa 90% of the world population apparently are low in Omega-3, which means that you probably want to start using plants / plant products containing essential fatty acids.

I also started eating vegan around your age, and even if my mother weren't really skeptical, it took a little time before she started to ask me for advice about nutrients. It helped a lot that her doctor told her to stay away from animal products due to her arthritis. (When she did, she almost got 100% rid of it). Parent's are concerned about their childrens' health, and later in life, children are concerned with their parents' health. Nothing's wrong with that.

What should I say to help convince her that I'll be healthy?

Become healthy. Make sure you get the nutrients you need. Read a little about vegan nutrition. Show her this.

Here's the guy who invented the word 'vegan', and were celebrating his 91st. birthday by climbing a mountain (he became 95), and the only supplements he got was from fortified foods.

"At 93," he said in 2004, "and never having taken medicines, orthodox or fringe, I am proof that after a weak childhood in a meat-eating family, veganism works. Are there any other nonogenarians who have never taken medicine?".

[harpy]

Hello -

Overall, my main questions are:
1. How can I maintain a protein-packed diet without spending alot of money?
2. What supplments/vitamins do I need to take?
3. Are there any simple reciepes that I can make for myself?
4. What should I say to help convince her that I'll be healthy?
Thanks

1. Just eat a good range of ordinary non-animal foods like nuts, seeds, beans, peas, lentils and vegetables and you won't go short of protein. If you plan ahead a bit you can use dried beans and lentils which are very cheap.

2. This is a controversial one and some people will say you don't need any supplements. Personally I would take a vitamin b12 supplement, and you might want to consider taking vitamin D in the winter when you can't make it from sunlight. I would also try to eat flax seeds or something like that for omega 3 oils. You can read about these matters on various websites such as http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/ and decide for yourself.

3. There are a lot of recipes on this very forum. The simplest things to make are probably salads, stir-fries, soups and stews.

4. Ask your mother to read this - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg...3_ENU_HTML.htm - she may find it reassuring as it's not from a pro-vegan organisation.

[skeletalstage]

Thank you alot, both of you.
I'm planning on showing her the links after I've read up on the threads myself.
It's be great if I could convince my mom to take a blood test, but she faints when she gets blood drawn so that doesn't seem to be a great idea.
This all has really helped alot, and if I can convince her I'll be sure to tell you the good news.

[finalmatrix]

Try to drink canned orange juice every day. I found its cheap and works to help iron obsorption.. When I started became vegan, I was not experienced with cooking, I spent around $180 per month. Now I am getting to know the food better and I am healthy by spending $150 per month. I normally eat whole wheat bread with peanut butter, oatmeal, noodles with green leaf vegies, brown rice, beans, peanut, walnut, raisin, fortified soymilk. I add pieces of ginger to vegies when I cooking, this is to cancel the coldness in vegies according to chinese medicine. If you only eat lots of "cold" food, it's not good. The result is that I lost 3lbs and I never lose more weight and a big plus is my skin is so much better, smoothier and not as dry as before. It's been one and half months since I became vegan. I was an omnivour before.

Don't give up because you run into problems, when I started, I didn't know I need Vitamin C rich fruits, juice every day, and my first was pale and weak. Now I found the fix.

and don't give up because people around you ask you to.
A lots of my friend say to me: you became so skinny, bagofbones etc.
I don't care what they say. It's because they're all fat, overweigh that it seems I am thin. That fact is I am healthy weight. My Body mass index is 20 which is in the normal range of 18.5 to 24.9. So whatever they say, I know I am doing fine.

if you feel sick, try to find solution to why and how to fix it.

[enderbean]

Hi there... I've decided to go vegan.. I know there are things out there that people do to animals that they wouldn't do to their children (and make money doing it) so that's a big turn-off. I don't go looking for those things, and I don't like hearing them (they're really depressing!) but I know they go on and I've decided for myself that I'd rather not be supporting it.

I'm of the opinion that one vote doesn't count and one more vegan may or may not make the difference to change the world.. but I know for myself I'd feel much better and probably sleep better at night knowing that I'm doing what I do for the better. I know it's kind of backwards mentality but I know what I'm doing is right in my mind and makes me feel good, so to hell with those who don't agree, right? Anyways...

I just wanna have a couple questions answered before I do this cause I wanna know what I can't get right off the bat. I think I may just quit my animal eating cold turkey (no pun intended) but I wanna research things first so I don't starve in my first week.

Sorry for such a long introduction, here are my questions:

Is there anything I have to watch out for in tortillas, pasta, or any spices? I don't think there will be anything... but I want to clear it up so I don't mess this up. I'm gonna browse through vegan recipes to get a good idea of all the different types of things I can eat. I know I'm supposed to watch out for lard in beans.. are there any other foods that occasionally have something I need to watch out for?

Thanks so much... I guess I'll go post in the Say Hello forums now. Looking forward to finding out more about the new me.

[enderbean]

I posted this a few days ago and since then I have found answers for my questions.

I have found (correct me if I'm wrong) that flour tortillas can be made with lard and thus fat-free ones would be OK (providing they don't add something else randomly into the mix). I have a vegan friend that says he has never seen corn tortillas made with lard. Can I rely on this information? Or should I always check just in case?

Pasta and spices seem like very silly questions to me now.. I thought this whole post was rejected for having asked that (which made me go search for my own answers and save the embarassment of such a silly question).

In my first few days now (I believe I typed this last friday) I have been pretty hungry but I visited my local Trader Joe's (which is within walking distance, yay!) and picked up some veggies, vitamins, bread and snacks.

Can anyone specifically recommend a cookbook with quick and easy (and preferably cheap) recipes? My vegan friend recommended looking for books with fewer recipes of a more specific type instead of the broad "1,000 Best Vegan Recipes" idea because in the latter case you end up 975 things you never cook.

[flying plum]

get vegan with a vengence. it rocks some of the recipes require 'special' ingredients, but if you're going to trader joe's already, you probably won't find them hard to get. i recommend the tofu and potato stew with miso gravy. miso isn't 'cheap', but last AGES in the fridge, and makes tasty soup.

amanda

[flying plum]

oh, and if you want to play with tortillas, this is a recipe for a veggie chilli i make:

1/2 cup each of red and green lentils
can of kidney/pinto beans
small can sweetcorn
can of chopped tomatoes
1 small chilli
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne pepper

cook the lentils until ALMOST cooked (about 30 mins).

add the chopped tomatoes, corn, beans and spices. i like to also add a splash of red wine, but that's optional

simmer on a low heat for about 15 mins.

serve with rice/tortillas/whatever.

tis cheap and tasty - that recipe makes enough for about four people, and of course you can used dried beans...i'm just lazy.

amanda

[Marrers]

Might be worth searching the internet for some recipes and printing them out to start with.

Cherry from this forum has a website http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk.

(Watch out for eggs in pasta.)

[Tigerlily]

Watch out for l-cystine in conventional, mass produced flour tortillas (Old El Paso brand contains it, I think).

[journey]

I'd read the labels until you come to know which brands are vegan and which are not. You really shouldn't be hungry on a vegan diet, there's so much good food that's not animal based. I'm always surprised when someone says that. Don't just be thinking what to cut out of your diet.

Also think about whether you'd like to replace each item with an alternative that serves the same purpose (tofu instead of meat, veggie burgers instead of hamburgers - check for a vegan brand tho as many use cheese, egg replacer instead of eggs, etc.)

Or you might want to go a different route and make vegan dishes that stand on their own instead of just trying to replace meat and animal products. I'm thinking ethnic foods here, those fantastic vegetable and rice dishes, etc.

Most vegans end up with a far more varied diet than most omnis - lot more exciting too.
Good luck.

[yum]

Watch out for l-cystine in conventional, mass produced flour tortillas (Old El Paso brand contains it, I think).

I went on the isitvegan.org website ( i think thats the address?) and searched for the old el paso tortilla wraps and they say they r vegan. Could someone please check that i got that right because i just ate them this lunchtime ( very nice by the way ). What is l-cystine?

Enderbean: hello and welcome

i go for the dried pasta which just has durum wheat in it. Normal pasta stuff
Nearly anything you use to eat can be vegan-ised- whilst discovering new foods. I have the Leah Leneman book 'easy vegan' which is fab! If you go the vegan society website (google it) they tell you the ingredients to avoid and where you might find them.

And of course... this forum has loads of tips and recipes posted.

Let us know how you are getting on

Yum

[littlewinker]

You know you said about the "one vote doesn't count" thingy, if you have that frame of mind you might feel like quitting if you ever find being vegan difficult (it won't be difficult at all if you do it well). You need to think of it like this: animal-farming is the cause of most major troubles in the world. By being a vegan, you aren't doing anything generous or charitable or making a sacrifice for others - you just aren't supporting the most evil industry in the world and paying for the deaths of millions of people, billions of animals, the extinction of species, and ruining the environment.

I'm not meaning to be a twat but I feel like everyone needs to think of it like this

You're making an intelligent choice and I hope you enjoy all the lovely vegan foods you'll find in time

[Pob]

l-cysteine used to be made only from feathers or hair (including human). It is an amino acid.

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystein...strial_sources

It can now be made by microbial fermentation - which would be a vegan source.

[yum]

Cheers Pob. So if the is it vegan says it is vegan then it is likely to be vegan? I checked the ingredients and they had glycerol in them and so checked isitvegan.

x

[Cumin]

Yum - funny you should be asking about OldElPaso. I'm just doing a search myself and found your post!
To answer your question, I do tend to trust that site (isitvegan) as I know they are very picky about how the data is collected. However - like all similar sites, it relies upon people updating it with any changes etc.
I would say trust it for now, but I'd like to get the real answer from OldElPaso, so I'm going to try and contact them myself today.
I'll let you know what I find.

[yum]

Yum - funny you should be asking about OldElPaso. I'm just doing a search myself and found your post!
To answer your question, I do tend to trust that site (isitvegan) as I know they are very picky about how the data is collected. However - like all similar sites, it relies upon people updating it with any changes etc.
I would say trust it for now, but I'd like to get the real answer from OldElPaso, so I'm going to try and contact them myself today.
I'll let you know what I find.

Thanks Cumin- that's great. Mmmmmm faijtas!

[RubyDuby]

I'm of the opinion that one vote doesn't count and one more vegan may or may not make the difference to change the world.. but I know for myself I'd feel much better and probably sleep better at night knowing that I'm doing what I do for the better. I know it's kind of backwards mentality but I know what I'm doing is right in my mind and makes me feel good, so to hell with those who don't agree, right? Anyways...

right. as long as you can truly reconcile your actions with yourself, thats all that really matters.

when I don't really believe I'm making much of a difference I think about the idea that each veg*n saves 95 animals/year from being bred for slaughter... I bet it makes a difference to each of those animals.

also, for inspiration, there's the old Margaret Mead quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

I just wanna have a couple questions answered before I do this cause I wanna know what I can't get right off the bat. I think I may just quit my animal eating cold turkey (no pun intended) but I wanna research things first so I don't starve in my first week.

You might want to take a look at this thread. It made me feel better.

Is there anything I have to watch out for in tortillas, pasta, or any spices? I don't think there will be anything... but I want to clear it up so I don't mess this up. I'm gonna browse through vegan recipes to get a good idea of all the different types of things I can eat. I know I'm supposed to watch out for lard in beans.. are there any other foods that occasionally have something I need to watch out for?

your best bet is to do the research yourself. there is too much for us info for us to just hand over to you. You'll have to read ingredients for a while when grocery shopping. but to name a couple things to check for when eating out: egg in pasta? cheese, meat, cream in pasta sauce? lard in beans? chicken broth in rice? mayo or dairy in guacamole?

good luck and hope to see u around.

[ellaminnowpea]

I'd watch out for:

whey protein, milk fat/ solids, honey, and eggs in sweet snack foods
whey, cheese/ milk solids in salty processed foods
chemicals are questionable, but usually appear last in the ingredients list
some grain products like bread, wraps, and pastas have eggs
a lot of candy has gelatin or milk derivatives
obviously dairy, eggs, meat
look out for allergen statements underneath the ingredients list. that'll help you with eliminating eggs and dairy

there are a lot of resources on the internet that provide lists of animal derivatives, including this one, which you put onto your ipod and take with you.

there's whey and egg in freaking everything!

[Risker]

I would say trust it for now, but I'd like to get the real answer from OldElPaso, so I'm going to try and contact them myself today.
I'll let you know what I find.

I recently tried to get some info out of old el paso regarding the veganness of another of their products, I made 2 seperate calls and was told that they couldn't tell me, the info they had was pretty much just what's written on the packets. Decided to write them an email instead so that I wasn't putting someone on the spot with a question that probably requires some research on their part to find out that they don't have an email address.

Have sent 2 emails to their USA CS which they've completely ignored, nice.

@enderbean - of course one vote counts!

[Korn]

I'm of the opinion that one vote doesn't count and one more vegan may or may not make the difference to change the world.. but I know for myself I'd feel much better and probably sleep better at night knowing that I'm doing what I do for the better.

I agree with Risker: not only does one vote count, a person who doesn't use animal products saves hundreds of animals' lives during his lifetime, and that definitely counts, especially for these animals!

With millions of vegans in the world, we're not even talking about 'one vote': if each of all those who at some point decided to go vegan would think that one vote didn't count, and use it as a reason to not go vegan - there wouldn't be any vegans out there...

[sandra]

Watch out for l-cystine in conventional, mass produced flour tortillas (Old El Paso brand contains it, I think).

It might be different in Canada but when I wrote to El Paso some months ago they assured me their tortillas were completely vegan.

Hi enderbean, I'm sure you will find the longer you are vegan the more it becomes second nature. Try starting off with a few meals/foods you really like and build on those. I like getting recipes from the internet and even adapting non-vegan recipes.

[RubyDuby]

I agree with Risker: not only does one vote count, a person who doesn't use animal products saves hundreds of animals' lives during his lifetime, and that definitely counts, especially for these animals!

hey! i just said that.

...well sort of.

[sandra]

Yes you did RubyDuby! I saw that!

[RubyDuby]

hehehe

[littlewinker]

RubyDuby your avatar always confuses me. I takes me at least 5 seconds every time I see it to work out it's a shiny dog

[Cumin]

FYI - I got a reply in the post.

OldElPaso said the following are vegan: "Cooking Sauces, Dinner Kits, Refried Beans, Spice Mixes, Salsa&Dips, Slice Jalapenis , Taco Shells and Tortillas."

That sounds like pretty much everything, and I know from their website that they do Salsa and dips with Cheese in.
So I've called them, pointed out how pointless this information is, and asked for a more specific and detailed reply.
I'll let you know what I get.

sigh..

[RedWellies]

RubyDuby your avatar always confuses me. I takes me at least 5 seconds every time I see it to work out it's a shiny dog

How insulting!

[RubyDuby]

was it? i didn't notice.