Advise-Trying to go vegan, having a few problems.

[Sashiku]

So. I've been interested in going vegan for years now. It wasn't possible till recently due to living with very selfish meat eaters that would always buy what they wanted except they let me have almond milk. Now that I'm finally on my own again *two weeks now* I'm finally happy that I will be able to pursue the vegan lifestyle. I'm lactose intolerant so dairy is a no go anyway. *even though I LOVE diary everything.* My doctor also wants me to try a gluten free diet as I have digestion issues still even though I'm mostly diary free. *I have trouble giving up the occasional mayonnaise.* Now the main issues I'm facing trying to eat a full vegan diet are the following.

#1: I absolutely HATE squishy textures. I have my whole life, no matter how many times I try to get over it. I'm talking jello, most fruits and some vegetables, like tomatoes. I have found that I can eat them fine if I dry them or puree them to the point of being liquid and then add them to other foods*

#2: Its hard to give up certain things. Mayonnaise being one of the biggest ones. Also Calimari, ham, and fish/seafood.

#3 I grew up in a meat eating household so that is all I know. I've never been taught how to make much with veggies. Mostly my family just took them out of the can and heated them up... boring. I don't know many recipes for vegetables and even though i have a vegan cookbook, a LOT of strange things are listed that I have no idea about. Ex: Rolled Oat Flakes, Hemp, Coconut Flour, flax seeds, celery seed and lentils. Maybe I should order a beginners vegan cookbook...

#4: I just moved to a small town from a big city. The major reason behind that is I'm simply tired of city life. I've always longed for a more simple existence. One problem with that is, there aren't really many shopping options. We have no health food stores. Just Walmart and G and W foods. How do I get the thngs I need with so little options? Back in Tulsa we had a fresh market and a whole foods. Of course, I wasn't able to shop there since everybody saw it as *too expensive* and *unnecessary overpriced fad foods.*

#5: I am low income. I don't know how to get all the things I need for a good price. I already know that faux foods should be avoided and are better made from scratch. But MAN do I love those sunflower seed and black bean faux burgers...

#6: What am I supposed to do to replace eggs?! I need eggs to make blueberry muffins. What do I do to replace that?

My reasons for going vegan are simple and uncomplicated. I have many food allergies and my body always feels so much better when I eat vegetables and some fruits regularly.

My whole life, Meat has made my digestion suffer and I always feel so sluggish and uncomfortable after eating it. Plus, I honestly don't like the taste or texture of much meat.

Also, I LOVE animals. I never have been very comfortable with eating them. And I always thanked the animal for the food it provided for me when I had no choice but to eat it. I wish more people did that. Now people just eat it and don't think about the fact that a life was taken to provide them that meal.

I don't think being vegan is for everyone however. I just think EVERYONE needs to think more about where their food comes from. The way the current meat market is ran is horrifying, sad and it shouldn't be like that at all.

Well, that's all really. I could really use some tips. And if you don't agree with my perspective, that isn't an invitation for debate. I'm just living my life the way I want to live it. I want nothing less than for you to do the same.

 

[amberfunk]

I think you are just over thinking it and making yourself worry needlessly. Beans, rice and pasta are great for low budgets and that's what we've been eating mostly for the last few months along with potatoes. Spices will be your friend. I use a lot of garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, onion powder and of course nutritional yeast for b 12 (can be found at walmart). If you like butter I would suggest earth balance (also at walmart). A great mayo substitute is called just mayo and can be found by the hellman's in walmart. Veganaise is the best mayo by far but very expensive. Just mayo is about the same price as hellman's.

As for muffins you can use ground flaxseed also called milled flaxseed. It can be found in the baking aisle at walmart. It's a tablespoon of flaxmill to two tablespoons of warm water. Mix it up and let it sit for about two minutes. It keeps the muffins moist just like eggs and also has omega 3's and other vitamins. You won't taste a difference. Best to keep opened flaxseed in the fridge since it can go rancid in a cabinet.

My favorite cookbooks by far have been Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking and Betty Goes Vegan. They do use faux meat in some of their recipes but the Art book has lower income recipes in it and also tips to keep food longer. You can also try out your local library for vegan recipe books. I also suggest a website called Budget Bytes. She makes recipes on a lower budget and has a vegan section. My favorite recipe dal nirvana came from there with a few changes to make it vegan. Any recipe can become vegan with practice.

Also want to add that walmart sells gardein, quorn and beyond meat in the freezer section. Gardein has fishless filets that are amazing. They taste just like white fish. Yes, they are a little pricey but worth it once in awhile.

 

[Sashiku]

Thanks for the tips. I actually DID go to Walmart last night and was extremely surprised to find a good selection. I got quite a lot of things I can eat that are vegan friendly and also a few things that were gluten free. Including some lemon wafers. I didn't have time to lurk in the freezer section long but next time I'll look for those. Ever heard of sunshine burgers? I'm pretty well addicted to those things. They don't taste like burger at all and I love it. And perhaps you're right. I do tend to overthink things. I will try those cookbooks and check out that website too. I really do appreciate it.

 

[amberfunk]

Glad to help

 

[Forest Nymph]

1) If you don't like squishy textures drink your fruit in smoothies or juice, and stick to whole crunchy fruits like apples, and crunchy raw veggies, like broccoli or carrot sticks.

2) For mayonnaise you can try Just Mayo (I think they even sell it at Wal Mart or Target), Vegenaise, and if you absolutely cannot find those two, Hellman's just came out with a new plant-based mayonnaise. You'll notice it says "vegan" right on the jar, although Hellman's is not a vegan company, the mayonnaise doesn't contain animal products.

3) If you have trouble thinking of things to eat to replace meat, stock up on Boca veggie burgers, Gardein 7 grain "chkn" tenders and fishless filets, Tofurky roasts or sandwich slices. A lot of new vegans depend on these at first, and even those of us who have been vegan for a while like to eat them sometimes. I get really excited about Tofurky roasts at the holidays, and I love veggie burgers on a toasted bun with Vegenaise, ketchup, pickles, onion, lettuce and a nice vegan sliced cheese like Follow Your Heart or Chao melted on it.

4) If you live in a small town, look up "accidentally vegan food" for mainstream brands in supermarkets that have vegan products. For example, Rosarita makes vegetarian refried beans, Rice a Roni Spanish rice is ok, Hormel's makes a vegetarian canned chili, Smart Balance Light contains no dairy and would be a good butter-substitute if you can't get Earth Balance - you can probably also find Hellman's Vegan mayo at Wal-Mart. I know for a fact that most Targets sell Gardein and Boca in the freezer section, and you should also be able to find Silk Soy or Almond milks at both Wal Mart and Target.

5) If you're on a budget, you can eat old-fashioned oats with peanut butter and maple syrup and soy milk for a filling breakfast, try mashed chickpea salad sandwiches on whole grain bread with raw veggies and salted sunflower seeds for lunch, and have a bean and rice dish for dinner (or noodle dishes or tofu stir fry....there are actually many many affordable options). Vegan Zombie did a video on YouTube about vegan shopping on $30 a week, and if you go on Pinterest you might get more ideas. Remember that canned and frozen vegetables are still vegetables if you can't always afford the fresh produce. You also get more mileage from dry beans than canned beans (I usually have both - canned for convenience and dry for those lean times when you run low on groceries). Always keep staples like dry beans or lentils, rice, oatmeal, nutritional yeast, condiments, herbs, salt, tea or coffee, and peanut butter, so that you won't run out of nutritious food. Potatoes, garlic and onions are cheap and last for a while, and make a great backbone for many dishes.

6) As for eggs, if you bake a cake or cookies, just use applesauce or canned pumpkin in place of the egg (yes I'm serious) and for savory dishes you can use soaked ground flax seeds instead, or splurge on Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg - they're so good you can make omelettes out of them.

Good luck!

 

[Sashiku]

@Forest Nymph

Thanks for the tips. I actually DID find earth balance!

I love veggie burgers, I will look for them next time. Never had Tofurky but I bet it's amazing. Vegenaise huh? I'll have to look for that. omg cheese! :O I'll check that out too.

There is another problem though.
The past week I've been sick so I haven't been able to eat hardly any of my produce. How can I keep it good till I'm better? *no appetite at all* All I've had the will to eat was a sandwich made up of hummus and green onions.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Refrigeration definitely helps some produce last longer - kale will last up to a week or two if fresh when purchased, in the fridge. Carrots seem to last months in the refrigerator.

Apples, oranges, lemons, pineapple, potatoes, onions, garlic, turnips, beets, yams, squash and several other root vegetables will last weeks or months without any refrigeration at all!

If it's only for one week I'd mostly worry about soft fruits and soft vegetables, and possibly lettuce, parsley, herbs and celery.

 

[Sashiku]

All of those tips everyone gave were very helpful. I'm going on month 2 of eating vegan and no, it hasn't been super easy, but I feel great and I feel good about what is going into my body. I found Just Mayo and I love it! It's so similar to mayo that I didn't notice much of a difference. My diet has mostly consisted of rice lately however since I couldn't get to s store for a bit. Heading to one today and hopefully will get more interesting things to try. I think I'll buy a tomato and puree it too. I've never bought one before cause I hate the texture. I'm going to look into some of the other things you guys suggested and we will see how it goes.

 

[Vegangal]

To keep strawberries longer, wash dry slice and put in airtight container will last throughout week
wrap celery in foil (not a fan of foil) but keeps celery for up to two weeks
also cabbage, carrots, zucchini, and cucumbers
a lettuce spinner is a great tool to make sure lettuce is dry and keeps longer
good luck