Vegetarianism and Veganism

[aaliyahplz]

I've been vegetarian since birth and vegan 5 years this summer- obviously never eating meat before the transition into veganism may have been easier but trust me I did find it hard to give up soooo many dairy products or crisps/chocolate bars (and 5 years ago veganism wasn't as mainstream as it is now, you'd be lucky to find a vegan option in any restaurant/coffee shop) however since the day I decided to go vegan I haven't cheated or stopped, I do it for the animals but I am definitely also an unhealthy vegan that eats a lot of junk food I hate the stereotype that veganism is a trendy diet and everyone wants to eat vegetables or healthy foods for every meal (I'm a healthy weight with quite a small frame so it annoys me when people think i'm vegan to be healthy/skinny like nooooo I love junk food)

Being vegan now is so much easier than it was 5 years ago with places like greggs, subway, costa, starbucks, domino's, papa john's etc all doing vegan options and all the supermarkets having their own vegan ranges, and I think you can find an alternative for anything you're missing (I do still get cravings for things I know I can't eat) and you can now go out to dinner pretty much anywhere and not have to miss out or just order chips, so i think for anyone considering it it's definitely easy to try eating a few vegan meals a week to help with the transition, I did do it overnight but as I already didn't eat meat maybe that made it easier but I did have so much fun just replacing everything with vegan alternatives and trying out new vegan products and cheeses and seeing which one's I liked, in fact that was a really fun part of the transition

 

[Moira Rose]

I'm vegan and it's changed my life dramatically. I will never eat meat or an animal by product again. We're all so horribly disconnected from where our meat comes from, I thought I knew it all but I got a real shock when I properly looked into it. We shouldn't be so ignorant to that then say we don't condone cruelty to animals.

If you're worried about the health side of it, there's a documentary called The Game Changers which gives alot of info on a vegan diet and shows experiments on how our body reacts to the change after just one vegan meal vs a meat meal. Most top athletes are vegan, it's super interesting.

 

[Jc456]

@aaliyahplz we love a Greggs sausage roll and ring doughnut

 

[Purrrrrrr]

The cheese recipe I can't remember it being a Camembert but my daughter insists it was.

https://www.yummly.co.uk/recipe/Garlic-_-Rosemary-Baked-Vegan-Camembert-2336752?prm-v1

 

[Magnolia4]

Hi everyone, trying to perhaps revive this thread a bit we eat mostly vegetarian at home, we’ll have meat/fish perhaps once a week or so (even though my husband was strictly vegetarian for a few years). I really struggle sometimes with what to cook, always have a feeling it’s very rice/pasta +sauce based (tomato/ veggie/cheese sauce, curry, chili etc). Does anyone relate? Especially with small kids it’s hard to have a good variety of foods that also include enough protein and that my husband can take to work the next day. Some ideas would be appreciated

 

[Tangent Tiger]

Hi everyone, trying to perhaps revive this thread a bit we eat mostly vegetarian at home, we’ll have meat/fish perhaps once a week or so (even though my husband was strictly vegetarian for a few years). I really struggle sometimes with what to cook, always have a feeling it’s very rice/pasta +sauce based (tomato/ veggie/cheese sauce, curry, chili etc). Does anyone relate? Especially with small kids it’s hard to have a good variety of foods that also include enough protein and that my husband can take to work the next day. Some ideas would be appreciated

It's quite similar here, I'm pescetarian and over the last few days have eaten things like vegetarian chilli, cauliflower cheese, fish fingers with horseradish mash and vegetables etc.

I do like lentil/pulses casserole with sweet potato, added marigold swiss bouillon stock and a star anise, really adds flavour. Do you like jacket potatoes?

 

[Grizzlybear]

This time of year I like cottage pie, or make Quorn chicken/steak pieces pie base with filo top and a selection of veggies?

Other than that it’s very curries/stews/pasta based til it’s salad season. As long as everyone is fed.

 

[HotesTilaire]

Burritos!

 

[Kikini Bamalam]

I've been veggie for about 18months now and am transitioning into vegan currently. The only thing I have to eliminate is cheese, I've been trying a lot of vegan cheeses but I just cannot get on with them so am just going to do without from now.

I cook from scratch a lot, I follow some really good vegan cooks on insta and really recommend Maya @fitgreenmind Her sweet and sour tofu is gorgeous, as well as her tofu katsu curry. I am also experimenting with seitan more. On Friday I made these vegan doner kebabs and they were amazing!

chillitsvegan.com - chillitsvegan Resources and Information.

chillitsvegan.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, chillitsvegan.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!

chillitsvegan.com

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

I make lentil shepherd's pie, using pretty much the same recipe my mum used for lamb or beef. I make cornish pasties with mushrooms as the meat substitute. I make stir fries, just with out the meat, bulked out with loads of vegetables. Occasionally we'll have a full English using meat substitutes for bacon and sausage but I'm not hugely keen on them. I do root veg soup, pea soup, tomato soup and potato and leek soup. I also make Italian dishes, such as pasta pomodoro, carbonara with mushrooms instead of bacon, lasagne. I do curries, lots of North Indian curries are vegetarian anyway. I'm making a roast dinner today and the star of the meal is a pimped up stuffing with mushrooms, nuts and chestnuts added to it. I've always found vegetarian gravy hard yo make from scratch so I started using Aldi onion gravy granules as the base and I add herbs, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and a teaspoon of smooth cranberry sauce, so much easier than making a veloute. Veggie cooking is easy when you realise you can take short cuts if you want to.

I do like to cook from scratch most nights but sometimes I'll shove a couple of Pizza Express Margherita pizzas in the oven and do a side salad or I'll have a vegan Pukka pie with chips and peas or beans

 

[ScotsWildCat]

Hi everyone, trying to perhaps revive this thread a bit we eat mostly vegetarian at home, we’ll have meat/fish perhaps once a week or so (even though my husband was strictly vegetarian for a few years). I really struggle sometimes with what to cook, always have a feeling it’s very rice/pasta +sauce based (tomato/ veggie/cheese sauce, curry, chili etc). Does anyone relate? Especially with small kids it’s hard to have a good variety of foods that also include enough protein and that my husband can take to work the next day. Some ideas would be appreciated

Been a vegetarian for about 25 years now and get what you are saying...I never really liked the taste/texture of meat so don't eat many replacements, prefer to cook from scratch and as you say a lot can be sauce based, although some nights I just fancy a council tea like chips and eggs or veg sausage rolls, chips and beans hahaha...I like summer as I love a good salad, home made coleslaw with celeriac and a quiche...always have roll of pastry in freezer so can add whatever you have...I love a goats cheese, tomato and walnut one, blue cheese is nice in too...and always handy to take a slice for next days dinner at work!

 

[Run 101]

Not a Vegan myself but i have had dealings with a few - generally a nice lot exceot one - this is going back to the few comments about activism she DEMANDED that our factory ban the eating of meat in the canteen as it offended her - was very vocal about her opinions to the point of actually getting into shouting matches - she lasted 4 weeks, in that time no one liked her - the other vegans i have worked worked with were much nicer

 

[Hyacinthsquash]

Hi guys. Vegetarian of 16 years and vegan of a few months here 🫶. Could never go back to eating meat as I don’t miss it, never liked the taste. But have been exploring more and more into vegan the past few months. Mainly the animal welfare side of things just devastates me completely. My kids and husband are meat eaters but I only tend to do 1/2 meat dishes for them per week. Just thought I’d pop my head into this thread.

 

[People-huv-tae-know]

Hi, fat unhealthy vegan calling 







Been vegan for a decade, went veggie about 8 years before that during my "leftie" student stage. Gone through two pregnancies whilst vegan and all health checks came back fine. A little issue with absorbing iron but I've always had problems with that.







Right now my biggest issue is being overweight but that's because of my love of junk food  Vegan for the animals.

I've been vegan for over two decades now. It's always been about the animals and environment and I apply my beliefs to everything I purchase or support.
I think it's easier to go vegan now than it was when I started due to ask the big brand names joining in.
I've got very similar experiences to you. Vegan pregnancies included. It's the junk food that gets me. I want to be healthier but find it hard. I'm not a massive fan of nuts, seeds and pulses. I know wholefood vegan diet is probably the best thing but I still love snacks and things like crisps and biscuits.
I do comfort eat due to past trauma and have always been a fussy eater which doesn't help.