Hitting a wall?

[aliaslotte]

I have hit a wall and need advice.

I am at the stage where I am completely zapped of energy. I haven't the motivation or desire to eat, especially given the preparation required for the likes of chick peas and I am bored of lentils etc. I have been living off bread, fruit and occasionally cooked veg.

I know I need to make more effort to ensure I get all my nutritional requirements met but I don't have the energy to do so.

How do I get passed this stage?

[Ruby Rose]

Get a takeaway. Indian, Chinese whatever. Get someone else to cook for you. Go to a vegetarian restaurant or cafe.

You can't live on bread and fruit - you need to eat a healthy diet if you want to feel well and energised.

[Korn]

Hi,
you may miss out on certain nutrients - and it's very likely that yoy did that already when you went vegan 5 weeks ago, because most people have too low level of several nutrients - vegans or not

Read something about nutrition, eat more varied (more fresh food, less proecssed food etc), and see if it may be a psychologocal barrier: preparing chick peas, for example (the example you mention) doesn't take much effort really, if you cook your own chick peas, just soak them first.... but to put them in water only takes a minute.

You are posting this in the recipe section - have you tried out any of the recipes or food tips on this forum? If not - just do it. And - please check out our threads about vegan protein sources...

[RubyDuby]

Buy an awesome cookbook, like Veganomicon.

Canned chickpeas are even easier, if it's chickpeas you want.

get out in the sun, drink more water, take a multi-vitamin and eat!

[aliaslotte]

I think it has just taken me by surprise as I've always loved cooking and am pretty darn good at it [even if I do say so myself].

I am glad to hear that about the chick peas - I was informed that I must soak them for around 8 hours [!] and then boil for 3 before cooking with them which is a complete nightmare. If that is not necessary, then I am very pleased.

That said, I am still not "into" food atm. I just don't want to eat. It probably doesn't help that I am unwell with a chest infection at the moment and pain caused by a suspected ovarian cyst...

I don't tend to use take aways - both for cost reasons and because I am never sure what is and isn't vegan at them. Can you name some good vegan Indian dishes [I am always worried about the use of butter or cream in the sauces] etc?

[harpy]

Sorry you're not feeling well.

You really need to check with the specific Indian restaurant but a lot of them seem quite happy to use vegetable oil rather than ghee, and may even do as a matter of course (cheaper). I think kurma dishes tend to have cream in them and obviously anything with paneer in is out, but dhal and bhaji type things are often/usually vegan, also they often have a variant of biriani which can be made vegan. There are quite a few things really.

I would try canned pulses if you're not into cooking at the moment, they obviously save messing about. Dried red lentils are also a godsend because they don't need soaking and cook quickly so you can quickly make soup (if you don't want to buy ready made it!) or a stew. ETA sorry, scrub the lentils as you said you're bored of them!

Salads are also good, there is more and more stuff around at this time of year. If you include some nuts, seeds and/or tofu as well as raw vegetables they can be quite substantial.

[Ruby Rose]

My suggestions for an Indian feast:
Onion bhajis with mango chutney
Brindal bhaji
Bombay potato
Chana massala
Dhal tarka (double check no ghee in the tarka)
Mushroom rice

Personally, I haven't soaked and cooked chickpeas from dried in years - life's too bloody short! - I just buy them in tins from the supermarkets.

Do you like meat analogues? If you're feeling out of inspiration for cooking from scratch, how about buying some lovely beanburgers from the supermarket, or veggie burgers, or Vegideli Fishless Fingers, or Taifun hot dogs and having some vegan junk food for a change?

[cobweb]

check out Cherry's website, it's full of lovely and reasonably simple recipes which don't cost a fortune to prepare:

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sou...gUYTXFfv3QpZpQ

[Risker]

If it's a low cost Indian meal you want then Wetherspoons do 2 different curries marked as vegan on the menu.

[Jippia]

I can relate to your feeling of being zapped of energy. I sometimes get that after a busy week with little sleep. Do you get enough sleep? Eating several small meals during the day helps me stay energized. It can be as simple as a wholewheat sandwich with margarine and hazelnut/almond butter, a apple and an orange, a bowl of soya yogurt with fruits & nuts muesli. There are several types of beans available in tins and jars and can be added to soups, stir fries and salads. I am not always the one for cooking from scratch, so I try to have curry pastes (Thai and Indian) and some other condiments and sauces in my fridge or pantry for a quick meal. When I feel unwell, I do not fancy cooking or eating either, so I can relate to that, too. I hope you will feel better soon.