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Thread: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

  1. #1
    frazzle
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    Default Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    I'm a newbie here and hoping for some love and advice.

    I've been a vegetarian for, wow, I guess about 14 years now, since I was 17. For about the past 5+ years, I've been totally grossed out by eggs but haven't been able to figure out how to do away with them all together. I don't eat anything that tastes like eggs, but I haven't been able to eliminate them completely. While I would love to be a vegan, I have a meat-eating husband and two kids who eat meat (please, no flames!). Just my personal beliefs: I want their diet to be their choice. Please don't hate me for that. I also live in a very small town. There is a very small Vitamin Cottage about 30 minutes away from my house, but that's it, and they are pretty limited on vegan food. Grocery store doesn't have much at all as far as substitutes, and even their produce section is pretty sparse.

    I recently saw the Oprah about veganism and got to thinking long and hard about my diet. I went to Vitamin Cottage today and got lots of vegan staples (vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, vegan butter, some vegan frozen meals, etc.), and by the way my vegan lunch was delicious! My plan is to try it for at least a week and see how I feel and whether I think I can do it. I'm really excited about it.

    My question is, are there any of you out there that have a meat-eating family and if so what do you do? I really feel that I need to cook meat for them, although I really don't want to get into the morality of that. As a vegetarian, I've been cooking about half and half, full-on vegetarian meals some nights and meat meals other nights when I just eat left-overs or a salad or some frozen veggie pizza or something along those lines. My kids really love tofu and veggie meals and I feel that I'm at least exposing them to both diets. Hubbie will eat veggie meals that I cook as long as that's not what I cook every night.

    Are there any vegan moms out there with advice? Maybe in the same position as me or maybe your family only eats vegan? Many times I am able to find a recipe that can be vegetarian but I can have meat available to add for those who want it. How hard would that be to cook that way as a vegan? Do you have any recipe book ideas for me? Please give me some kind advice. I've hesitated to go on a message board like this in fear of being hated on and scared away.

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Hi and welcome to the forum

    I'm not a vegan mom, but hopefully I can be of some help. I think it's great that you're managing to substitute some meat-based meals with veggie meals; if you want your family to go vegan (and trust me, it IS the healthier option!) then I would keep on experimenting with simple and tasty recipes and hopefully you can keep increasing the number of vegan meals you cook while decreasing the meat ones.

    I'm a bit surprised you refer to vegan cheese/sour cream etc. as "vegan staples"; to be honest you should be considering things like rice and grains, fruit and veggies, cereals, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes your staples. They are cheaper, healthier, more readily available and are what you should ideally base your cooking on. Not to say you can't use processed foods, but they often have a lot of salt and/or sugar added.

    I would also highly recommend getting a cookbook. I love Sarah Kramer's books; her recipes are simple and tasty, don't take long to prepare and don't use exotic ingredients. I have "La Dolce Vegan", and I like it a lot.

    Best wishes and keep us posted!

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Hi, our circumctances are different as my partner and I are both vegan and raised our children that way. The children, independant little darlings that they are have decided to be veggie which isn't the choice I'd have made for them but they have to make these choices themsleves as they get older. I now do sometimes cook with cheese, maybe do two pizzas, one with vegan 'cheese' and one with dairy but mainly any cheesy cooking is done by my daughter.

    (I too could do without being flamed here) Baking is second nature here - cakes never have egg and while they might long for light fluffy sponges. tough, it doesn't happen in our house. Any recipes that work for light fluffy sponge cake gratefully received.

    Its great that your family don't insist on meat all the time. Perhaps the people who really want non vegan foods could take on more responsibilty for cooking that themselves? Dunno if it would work in your family but maybe something like one or two nights a week they have meat and/or dairy stuff and do it themselves? Perhaps if you explained just why you feel as you do about veganism they would understand why you weren't so keen on cooking animal foods for them? But fine if you are happy to continue.

    Welcome to this forum, 'specially with your worries.

    xxx

  4. #4
    frazzle
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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Thanks for the advice, guys! I'm starting day #3 and the more I do it the more I love it. I sort of need to go gradually with my family, I think, by still allowing them meat, at least for a while, and slowly adding some vegan meals in. So far this week I'm only cooking vegan and they can add cheese or meat if they want to. We've had vegan chili, veggie/vegan enchiladas, vegan burritos, and lots of fruits and veggies.

    You're right about what I called vegan "staples." I didn't mean they were the main course; I think I just meant things I can add in as substitutions in my recipes. But you're totally right, they aren't necessary and I should focus more on the other things. So far they've just been sort of an "enhancement" to our meals as I'm easing into this, to make it taste more like what I'm used to eating.

    Thank you for the cookbook recommendation; I will pick that up!

    Also, one more question. I think part of my hesitation/fears with regard to my kids being vegan is that I was a vegetarian throughout my pregnancies and I now have a very small daughter who has growth hormone deficiency. They have actually done blood tests and found that her body is making little to no growth hormone (she's not just small; this is a real medical condition), which affects other parts of her health, too, and she has to see an endocrinologist every three months. She didn't grow between the ages of 3 and 4 at all! I hear from all the meat-eaters around me that vegetarians/vegans are "sickly," though I really did watch my nutrition very carefully in my pregnancies, and in my heart I know that's not true, but the fear gets to me. The doctors have me serve her very calorie-rich and nutritious foods because she's also very underweight. I'm scared for her to go vegan. I think what I need is some support here. Do you know of any studies I could read that show vegan kids are just as healthy or healthier? I know it's true; it's just hard because I don't know any vegans, so I'm only getting unwanted advice from meat-eaters, who don't really know what they're talking about.

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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Hi Frazzle!

    I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter's medical problem; that must be very worrying for you. Best wishes to you and your family and hopefully everything will work out.

    I posted the piece below a while back; unfortunately the link is no longer working, but this is what was posted. Have you checked out the Health subforum here? Please let us know if you can't find what you're looking for. I understand your fear about your daughter, but please try not to be swayed by meat-eaters' talk about vegetarians/vegans being "sickly"... it does happen, but only because they don't eat a balanced diet, just like anyone!!!

    Best wishes, and do keep us posted!!

    "Abstract
    It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs."

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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    My family is vegan (me, my partner and my little girl of 3), but this wasn't always the case. As my daughter has been vegan from the start, my partner was omni when I met him. I've never cook anything non-vegan, so he sometimes used to prepare something with meat, fish or eggs, but he did it less and less. I've never asked him to change his ways because I don't believe in being able to change him, but I'm always there to answer any questions and to cook and bake really nice vegan foods. I love cooking and made things regularly for his family as well. Over the years my partner ate more and more vegan and decided to be vegan himself now. It took him some years to come round, but it's much nicer having an entire vegan household now.

    When you cook meat seperately I think you can make any vegan meal out there, then add meat on the side for your family if you wish to do so. There are lots of threads on here on cooking and baking and also on cookbooks, so I'm sure you'll be able to find some ideas here. Good luck!

  7. #7
    Bad Buddhist Clueless Git's Avatar
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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Quote frazzle View Post
    Also, one more question. I think part of my hesitation/fears with regard to my kids being vegan is that I was a vegetarian throughout my pregnancies and I now have a very small daughter who has growth hormone deficiency ...
    Sorry to hear about that Frazzle

    Just in case it helps ease your mind on that one at all ...

    First, the ex-missus stunt was a vegetarian through all three of her pregnancies and all three children are perfectly fit and healthy. So a vegetarian diet does not cause growth deficiency.

    Second, unless it can be shown that growth deficiency never arises in the children of meat eaters then it is safe to say that eating meat does not prevent it.

    On that simplistic basis it is safe to say that if growth deficiency is going to arise in a child then either diet neither causes nor prevents it.
    All done in the best possible taste ...

  8. #8

    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Hi Frazzle, I'm vegan with vegan 7 year old and meat eating husband. He was veggie for a bit but slipped back into carnivorous ways when he was ill and receiving medical treatment. I never cook him anything but vegan food but I suppose it's easier because I was already a vegan when we got married. Also, the question of raising my little one as a vegan was never an issue because he knew that I just couldn't have it any other way.
    I had a really sh*t pregnancy with constant sickness and only put on 2 kilos in weight but daughter was born healthy and fine. She is now a super fit, taller than average child and silences anyone who insists that all vegans are sickly and under nourished. That is just a pathetic line trotted out by people with no imagination and certainly no experience of actually meeting any vegans in real life. I've been vegan for 24 years' (I am sooooooo old!) and I can bench press my own body weight ))
    Take one day at a time, stick to your guns, ignore ignorant meat eaters, and I assure you it will get easier.
    Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!

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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    It's great to hear your experience veganprin - you're an inspiration!

  10. #10

    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    I've been called many things fiamma (mostly unrepeatable!) but never an inspiration
    Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!

  11. #11
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Newbie in need of vegan moms' advice

    Quote frazzle View Post
    Are there any vegan moms out there with advice?
    What's wrong with us vegan dads?

    Quote veganprin View Post
    She is now a super fit, taller than average child and silences anyone who insists that all vegans are sickly and under nourished. That is just a pathetic line trotted out by people with no imagination and certainly no experience of actually meeting any vegans in real life.

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