Making food tasty

[Daren]

Hi, Im new to being vegetarian, about a week, and trying to figure out how to enjoy this new eating lifestyle. Im so used to using milk, eggs, oil, chicken or beef broth in recipes that now I dont know what to use. Just watched a video on how olive oil really isnt good for you and also read an article on how soy is really bad for males because it has estrogen properties in it. There is so much out there that I am afraid that this is going to be extremly hard to enjoy being a vegan. Just watched the movie "earthlings" and I am still sitting here stunned by what I just watched so I wont have a problem with giving up meat and dairy. I do love fish which will be hard to give up for me, but I guess my question is on recipes to make enjoying the vegan lifestyle enjoyable. Thanks for your help

[Risker]

Olive oil and soya are perfectly fine.

[Firestorm]

Hi Daren and welcome to the forum.

As Risker said there is nothing wrong with olive oil, but there is a thread here which discusses some of the alternatives.
With regards to soya there are a couple of threads which discuss it here & here, but personally I can't see it being a problem, however there is a wide range of alternatives available.

There is a website here which lists ready made vegan foods, you can also buy chickenless stock, vegan fish etc from shops such as VeganEssentials but I often find using herbs, spices, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke etc a healthier way to make food tasty.

There are also several thousand vegan cookbooks available which should help to give you some ideas and there are a couple of food related threads that you may also find inspiration from:
http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...-ve-eaten!-(2)
http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...eat-today-(15)

[Muvesz]

Too much of anything is 'unhealthy'.
Olive oil is amazing for your skin and hair, but if you really feel the need to avoid it, use coconut oil instead (refined coconut oil can be heated higher than olive oil, anyway).
I personally don't use a lot of soy products, but if you get organic, non GMO soy, it is fine.
There are plenty of alternatives, as well, depending on what you want to use it for.
Almond, oat, and rice milks are delicious.
Honestly, if you just think of a favorite recipe of yours and google a vegan version of it, there will almost always be delicious options (ie. I just made amazing vegan pecan sticky rolls. My father couldn't tell the difference between them and not vegan ones).

Just experiment.

- - - Updated - - -

Too much of anything is 'unhealthy'.
Olive oil is amazing for your skin and hair, but if you really feel the need to avoid it, use coconut oil instead (refined coconut oil can be heated higher than olive oil, anyway).
I personally don't use a lot of soy products, but if you get organic, non GMO soy, it is fine.
There are plenty of alternatives, as well, depending on what you want to use it for.
Almond, oat, and rice milks are delicious.
Honestly, if you just think of a favorite recipe of yours and google a vegan version of it, there will almost always be delicious options (ie. I just made amazing vegan pecan sticky rolls. My father couldn't tell the difference between them and not vegan ones).

Just experiment.

[Risker]

I personally don't use a lot of soy products, but if you get organic, non GMO soy, it is fine.

It's fine whatever, no need to waste money.

[vegan_mama9211]

When I first started eating vegan I didn't like the taste of most of the food I ate, like soy milk and other fake dairy products, but I quickly learned to love it. A clean conscience makes everything taste better in my opinion. Look for some recipes online or get a vegan cookbook, there's thousands to choose from (I like Vegan Cooking for Carnivores). If you put the right spices and garnishes on your fake meat it is possible for it to taste almost exactly like the real thing. It's not meat that tastes good, it's what's in/on the meat. I don't even miss eating animal products now because I've learned to cook some really good meals. You can eat almost anything you could before, just substitute the animal products for vegan alternatives. It's easy
As for your concern about estrogen in soy, personally I don't believe it. I think that it was a rumor started by the meat industry, or if it's not a rumor it's probably exaggerated a lot. BUT even if there is estrogen in soy, you'd be getting waay more hormones through meat and dairy. It's disgusting how much hormones people give to animals and then feed to humans.
Most people don't realize that if done properly a vegan diet is the healthiest diet there is. Meat eaters will argue about this til they're blue in the face, but think about it.. it has been proven that you can get every single nutrient you get from animal products by eating plants. Even B12. But when you get your nutrients from a plant based diet, you don't get all the cholesterol, saturated fats and all that other crap you get from eating meat, eggs and dairy.
I don't use olive oil for cooking, I use flaxseed oil now (good source of omega)

[Blueberries]

I don't use olive oil for cooking, I use flaxseed oil now (good source of omega)

Just to say that you're right that flaxseed oil is a great source of omega 3, heating it to high temperatures deatroys its nurients so its generally not recommended that you cook with it, rather use it for garnishes and dressings.

[Jamison Pollitt]

Unless you're paying over $20 an ounce, the olive oil you're using (which is never for cooking) is saflower or canola oil, with olive flavor.

Soy, if it's a GMO soy, it's poison. If not, it's still a soil destroying, invasive plant, that does contain to much estrogen for men and also, through subsidies is being used to destroy the smaller farmers out there.

So, I think the OP is right.

[Risker]

Unless you're paying over $20 an ounce, the olive oil you're using (which is never for cooking) is saflower or canola oil, with olive flavor.

$20 an ounce?! I have litres of it in my kitchen, I'm rich!!!

[njschmidt]

Unless you're paying over $20 an ounce, the olive oil you're using (which is never for cooking) is saflower or canola oil, with olive flavor.

I'd like to see where you got this info. Not that I'm any big WalMart supporter, but according to their customer service representatives, "Our olive oil is not cut with any other type of oil. It is 100% pure Extra Virgin olive oil." I believe you can buy the 17 oz. bottle listed on their website for around $6-7 USD (again, though, I don't shop there and am not 100% positive on their pricing... Point is that it isn't > $20 / oz.).

[Jamison Pollitt]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/fo...ml#socialLinks

The $20 an ounce comment is just a basic guideline I use. There is no special health benefit to EVOO either, so why spend so much on it?

[njschmidt]

Very interesting article! I liked this comment, and will try it out the next time I buy some EVOO.

Put your bottle of EVOO in the refrigerator and wait two or three days. If it congeals you have quality oil. If it is still as clear as the day you bought it on the shelf then it almost certainly isn't.

[deniselynn]

I highly recommend the book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller. Really educated me about olive oil and the way it's adulterated. Here is his site: http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/

[yo-yo]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/fo...ml#socialLinks

The $20 an ounce comment is just a basic guideline I use. There is no special health benefit to EVOO either, so why spend so much on it?

I wouldn't trust anything the Daily Mail says

[njschmidt]

Well, for as long as I can remember I've been cooking with olive oil. I had assumed it was healthier, plus I just like the taste. After some reading it looks like I've been loading up on free radicals this entire time. What kind of oil do you guys cook with? Based on some comments in the articles posted above, I'm thinking I might switch to coconut oil? Usually when I cook with oil it's just to sautee' garlic/onions/veggies, or possibly to make a roux base for a soup/gumbo. Suggestions?

[yo-yo]

Well, for as long as I can remember I've been cooking with olive oil. I had assumed it was healthier, plus I just like the taste. After some reading it looks like I've been loading up on free radicals this entire time. What kind of oil do you guys cook with? Based on some comments in the articles posted above, I'm thinking I might switch to coconut oil? Usually when I cook with oil it's just to sautee' garlic/onions/veggies, or possibly to make a roux base for a soup/gumbo. Suggestions?

I use vegetable oil (mainly because of cost, where I shop in Co-op, the cheapest are vegetable and sunflower and the veg. oil is slightly lower in trans fats so I figure it's better for me?). I get so annoyed by the fact that there seems to be conflicting info out there on oils and cooking. Like people have said certain oils aren't so good when heated. If olive oil is on special offer I'll buy that but don't really use to stir fry, roast etc, more for salad dressings etc.

[Clueless Git]

... also read an article on how soy is really bad for males because it has estrogen properties in it.

A few comments on that ..

1. High Soy consumption hsn't stopped China becoming the most populace nation on Earth.

2. The fall of sperm count in males started about 50 years ago.

3. The massive push to consume more milk and dairy products started about 50 years ago also.

4. Soy may or may not have natural Estrogen like properties.

BUT!

5. Dairy herds, and thus dairy products, are pumped full of Estrogen as Estrogen boosts lactation.

6. The bovine-buggerers of the dairy industry have a clear reason to not want people switching from dairy to Soy.


Accusing a competive product, that threatens your profits, of causing the exact damage that your own product actualy causes is a classic marketing ploy.

[Robinwomb]

If you google "foods with estrogen like properties", there are many many foods that fit this bill, not just soy. That doesnt make them bad, including soy. I have yet to see any scientific evidence that men who consume soy have too high estrogen levels or feminine effects. That is just ridiculous.

Also, soy (the highly processed GMO variety) is second only to corn in the United States as a crop grown to feed livestock. Soy lecithin is also found in cottage cheese and other processed dairy products, crackers, breads, mayonaise and other omnivore foods. It isn't exclusive to a vegan or vegetarian diet. However, organically and responsibly grown high quality soy, especially fermented, can be very nutritious and useful in the human diet, and isnt damaging to the environment. There are many misconceptions about it.

Personally I limit my soy intake only due to being on thyroid medication that it interferes with if eaten daily or too close to taking those meds (that I have been on for 23 years). I also need to pay attention to certain other foods and chemicals for this reason, knowing from experience that my meds do not work as well and my TSH goes sky high otherwise. I rarely use oil unless baking/cooking something for a special occasion. Things like avocado or pure nuts/nut butters work well in place of oils as do things like pumpkin, banana, flaxseeds or applesauce in baking in place of oil. Simply using water or lemon juice or vinegars etc in stir frying works too in place of oil.

And my vegan diet is quite enjoyable and satisfying without loads of soy or oil. My Mother is also vegan and eats gluten free and she has never had problems either finding an abundance of vegan suitable food.

[charliko]

Hi, Im new to being vegetarian, about a week, and trying to figure out how to enjoy this new eating lifestyle. Im so used to using milk, eggs, oil, chicken or beef broth in recipes that now I dont know what to use. Just watched a video on how olive oil really isnt good for you and also read an article on how soy is really bad for males because it has estrogen properties in it. There is so much out there that I am afraid that this is going to be extremly hard to enjoy being a vegan. Just watched the movie "earthlings" and I am still sitting here stunned by what I just watched so I wont have a problem with giving up meat and dairy. I do love fish which will be hard to give up for me, but I guess my question is on recipes to make enjoying the vegan lifestyle enjoyable. Thanks for your help

Darren:

Some sites say to avoid soy products that are not fermented. Most soy sauces are fermented. Tempeh is also fermented. These fermented foods have been eaten for eons.

The argument against olive oil, must be one encouraging a more fat free diet.

Just my two cents,

Charlie

[road2cairo]

The estrogen in soy is a phytoestrogen, which is different than the estrogen found in animals...Phytoestrogens are also found in wheat, barley, corn, alfalfa and oats. Make sure that the sources where you get your information from are scholarly resources, with information backed up with lots of references. Also note that studies that use animals for human statistics aren't the most reliable, because though rats and other animals used for testing are similar, they are not the same. The only way one can get reliable, useful information about human nutrition is to do clinical trials using human subjects...