Thinking of going vegan. Advice?

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Have a look at freelee the banana girl on YouTube. She's certainly abrasive at first, but if you can see through that, she has a lot of information on veganisms. She's the reason I'm considering going vegan.

How come you're only considering temporary and not long term?

My parents don't really like the idea of me going vegan because they're all veggies. They said no at first then I convinced them to just let me try it for a while.

Reply 101

Hann95

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

My parents don't really like the idea of me going vegan because they're all veggies. They said no at first then I convinced them to just let me try it for a while.

Fair enough. They're probably concerned about the bull you hear that vegans aren't healthy and they're malnurished. So long as you do it properly, it seems to be a very healthy lifestyle, although I'm only speaking from the research I've done so far

Reply 102

MrsSheldonCooper

Original post by Hann95

I've checked out a vegan account but it honestly doesn't seem to be vegan at all :/ They use eggs and eat meat so they're probably vegan wannabes. I've found so vegan recipes I'm going to try out after my birthday :biggrin:

Reply 103

Hann95

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

Yeah using eggs and meat is definitely not vegan, it's not even vegetarian! 😂 I think experimenting and trying different things progressively seems to be the best advice. Swapping things out one by one. I think if you try and drop all animal products out of your diet at once it would be much harder to sustain than if you do it gradually, good luck :smile:

Reply 104

MrsSheldonCooper

Original post by Hann95

"If you don't make it I'm not scraping your body off the floor"

My sister said that after I told her I wanted to be vegan. Nice to know she has faith in me.. Thanks! :smile:

Reply 105

Hann95

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

"If you don't make it I'm not scraping your body off the floor"

My sister said that after I told her I wanted to be vegan. Nice to know she has faith in me.. Thanks! :smile:

I'm sure she's just jesting but I know it's difficult to enter into something without family support. I went veggie when I was about 7 and although my mum supported fully, my dad didn't (mainly because he couldn't be bothered having to cook a different meal for me when I went to stay with him). He made it very difficult and as a result I didn't end up giving up fish and eventually went back to eating meat. But I'm sure if you really enjoy it and it becomes important to you they should see that in time :smile:

Reply 106

She-Ra

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

So I'm a vegetarian and I've been really interested in veganism. After my final exam next week I'm going to try going vegan but I'm nervous I'm going to have a mental breakdown because I love cake from Tescos way too much and I won't be able to have it. And since it's my birthday the week after, I'm a bit nervous because my parents will most probably get non vegan food.

So because I'm starting out I'm considering going vegan only on the weekends and then building my way up. So if there are any vegans are there, any helpful advice?

NOTE- I'M ONLY DOING THIS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. IT'S NOT A LONG TERM THING.

I went vegan 18 months ago and I love it, before I ate meat so I know what it's like to make the transition.

The first thing I'd recommend is share that you're trying out a plant-based lifestyle - when you say vegan people freak out!!! Plant-based sounds gentler IMO. Party food can be tricky, especially because they'll be catering for everyone and assume everyone else eats meat/ veggie etc.

I love stir-fries and they are so easy to make, I make a dressing from peanut butter, tamari (or soy sauce) garlic, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice, it tastes incredible.

For lunches try falafel and hummus salad. I also eat a lot of veggie curries - so easy and everyone else enjoys them.

I have loads of other ideas, I could go on and on and on! Are you doing this for health reasons? Let me know I have lots of other recommendations if you're interested :h:

Good luck with it :smile:

Reply 107

MrsSheldonCooper

Original post by She-Ra

Good luck with it :smile:

Yup doing it for health reasons! I will do thanks! I was worried about not being able to eat cake but I found a vegan cake recipe book online so I'm happy :biggrin:

Reply 108

bethwalker85

Original post by JavaScriptMaster

Humans have sharp teeth for a reason... Veganism is for deer and cows

umm humans don't have sharp teeth we have flat teeth which are designed for grinding e.g like a herbivore

good luck

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

Yup doing it for health reasons! I will do thanks! I was worried about not being able to eat cake but I found a vegan cake recipe book online so I'm happy :biggrin:

There are lots of delicious cakes you can have! Don't worry :h:

I did it for health reasons to and seen a huge difference in my energy levels, skin and overall fitness. Also my flexibility. Overall I feel more in tune with my body. I try to stay away from gluten if I can, generally because everything feels better when I do.

Things you have to try:

Vego bar - hazelnut and chocolate - like Cadbury's whole nut but better
Hummus chips - lemon and chilli - insane!
Spiralizar to make your own noodles, a great way of eating more veggies. Try carrot, courgette, beetroot and squash
Oh she glows website - so many cakes!
Deliciously Ella
Recently discovered Hot for food
Aldi now do sweetened and unsweetened almond mylk. I get all my veggies from there! So cheap!

Are you on Instagram? My pal @LinnyPinny77 recommended that I join as soon as I made the transition and it's helped me so much and really opened up my eyes to plant-based food and all the possibilities. The vegan community on IG is very supportive, definitely worth a look :h:

Reply 111

MrsSheldonCooper

Original post by She-Ra

There are lots of delicious cakes you can have! Don't worry :h:

I want to actually try making courgetti but does it really taste like whear spaghetti? I was looking at Tescos and they do have vegan pasta and stuff but I want to try with other vegetables.

Reply 112

bethwalker85

Original post by TheDescendant

DO NOT GO VEGAN
I'm a vegetarian (never tried meat) and have to take occasional supplements to ensure that I am getting enough protein etc. With veganism you get nothing. You need some animal products. Also alternatives e.g. soya milk have no where near the required amount of nutrients- it was in a BBC program a few days ago. It's already hard enough for me as a vegetarian finding places to eat. Being vegan it's very very difficult. I can only think of one restaurant that serves prior vegan food

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Most people are deficient in vitamins such as B12 and protein, even meat eaters. Things like lentils and chickpeas are great sources of protein. Soya milk might not have as many nutrients but it also has less hormones and fat in it. Milk from a cow is designed to help a 200 odd pound calf grow into a big strong cow, hence why it's so full of fat and calories.

I'm not vegan but I try and eat as plant based as possible and there's loads of restaurants that do vegan food. Wagamamas, Handmade burger do amazing vegan burgers, Las iguanas, Giraffe and the Zizzis pizza is so good with the vegan cheese. Pizza express also do a vegan pizza. Supermarkets like Tesco and Morrisons are growing their vegan range day by day and labelling it better. You can get vegan cornettos and choc ices or ice cream splits.

M&S do loads of jelly sweets that are vegan and they're pretty cheap. Yes these aren't healthy alternatives but for someone who's wanting to celebrate their birthday these are great ideas. Mr Kipling are pretty good for sweet treats too I know their jam tarts are vegan. You can soya or coconut coffee from Starbucks. You can get bloody vegan sausage rolls for £1 at The Pound Bakery! These are junk food ideas but still, the range is endless.

As for vegan cakes there are loads of recipes online and instead of buying one you could always ask your mum to make you one?

Reply 113

She-Ra

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by MrsSheldonCooper

I want to actually try making courgetti but does it really taste like whear spaghetti? I was looking at Tescos and they do have vegan pasta and stuff but I want to try with other vegetables.

It's a lot lighter than pasta but really filling. I usually have a whole courgette to myself and sometimes I eat it raw.... it needs very little cooking.

Reply 114

Airbear

Meat eaters actually contribute to much more killing of plants, because it has to be fed to the animals which you get your food from. So if you are going to use the killing of plants as an argument, that's invalid because meat eaters contribute more to that than plant eaters.

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Reply 115

Airbear

Obviously you weren't being serious about caring about the plants, but plenty of people ask why vegans aren't concerned about the plants- so that's why

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Reply 116

The Epicurean

Original post by idontknowmedoyou

Do your research. I can't believe people don't know how bad the things they are eating are.

Eating meat or eggs isn't bad in and of itself. It is peoples diets and lifestyles that are bad. For example, the Okinawa people in Japan are known to be some of the longest living people in the world and Japan, and it is often put down to their diet and lifestyle. They however consume more pork than the average Japanese person. It is all about quantities, quality of the meat, how you cook the meat, how many portions of fruit and veg you eat, how varied your diet is, your lifestyle and how much exercise you take. Pork, in small quantities, can actually make some useful contributions to ones diet in vitamin B12 and iron. But it shouldn't be consumed in excess and should be eaten as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.