Being Vegan Isn't Simple Anymore

[Lou]

I have been thinking of posting something like this for a while now but I couldn't figure out how to phase it to make it a fun post.

in some ways vegan life is getting more complicated - there are more choices than there used to be. And maybe that isn't totally positive. So I decided to go ahead and start this up and see if it goes anywhere. Or goes anywhere close to where I expect or intend.

One of my original ideas was going to about which kind of milk do you buy. Natural, organic, free range, grass fed? Well if you are vegan you don't have to worry about that kind of choice. You just don't buy milk. But that was before plant based milks took off. It used to be the only choice was soy milk. or maybe rice milk. but now there are dozens of plant milks on the shelf.

or what kind of eggs to buy. Cage free, or natural, or antibiotic free, or organic, or humane? Well if you are vegan you don't have to worry about that kind of choice. You just don't buy or eat eggs. Except now there is plant based eggs. Although there aren't too many choices there.

Same thing with meat. Free range or grass fed. Antibiotic free or organic. So if you are vegan you don't have to worry about that either. You just don't buy meat. But now we have almost a dozen makers of plant based meats.

then there is fast foods. it used to be it was an easy decision - there was no vegan fast food. but now BK sells impossible whoppers and McDs has the McPlant. And other fast foods have plant based foods, too.

In a way I'm nostalgic for the good ol' days when decisions were simple because there were no or few choices. or maybe I'm grateful that now I can have choices.

 

[Emma JC]

I hear you @Lou

I personally am grateful for the options as if they weren't there it would have been much tougher for my male spouse to stay vegan.

I would be happy eating beans and starches and veggies and fruit, all day every day, for him, not so much and so the Fieldroast sausages and Gardein options are vital to a happy household. Soy curls go a long ways to satisfying the 'meat' desires and I am grateful for them, however, the other alternatives do play a role even though we try to stay 'whole foods' as much as possible.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Danielle]

Makes it easier when you can live in a rural area and can go to those fast food places for vegan meat alternatives.
I've been eating the meat alternatives since 2009 and I don't see myself stopping.

 

[Tea]

I personally like having all of the choices we have now, particularly around group events or parties. It feels...normal? I guess, to not have to be the person defaulting to a single thing all the time. Variety is the spice of life and all that.

I guess the downside is that, because veganism has become somewhat "trendy" I now have to be extra careful about reading labels. It's so incredibly disappointing to see something labeled "vegan" only to find out that it isn't. I've been to restaurants that offered "vegan" dishes that contained eggs. I've ordered vegan sandwiches that came covered in cheese or mayo. I remember being sad to learn that the beyond breakfast sandwiches at Starbucks weren't vegan. It's a bit of a double edged sword.

 

[silva]

Well, the only thing that impacts me is now I buy oatmilk, and love all the meatless choices. I don't want eggs!
I kinda wish our McDonalds had the McPlant, but we don't. I still don't find fast food choices I want

My main wish is that things that don't need animal products would just give them up, and not charge more because it's a niche market!

 

[silva]

Hey, being vegan was only 'simple' if you were all wfpb anyway!
I grew up loving meatless things, my kids liked Boca chik'n way more than chicken patties

 

[Danielle]

I don't think I'd be satisfied without meat alternatives, since I don't really like beans.
The meat alternatives are easy because they're filling and tasty

 

[Tom L.]

@Danielle I sort of like beans, although I find them boring if I don't use a proper combination of seasonings. I think I'm doing something wrong when I cook them. When I have vegan beans other places, they usually taste quite good. This week, I went through a can of Amy's Black Bean Chili that I bought at the local supermarket. I read the ingredients, but STILL can't quite figure out why they taste so much better than when I make it!

 

[silva]

@Danielle I sort of like beans, although I find them boring if I don't use a proper combination of seasonings. I think I'm doing something wrong when I cook them. When I have vegan beans other places, they usually taste quite good. This week, I went through a can of Amy's Black Bean Chili that I bought at the local supermarket. I read the ingredients, but STILL can't quite figure out why they taste so much better than when I make it!

You go to Trader Joes? Try mixing the soy chorizo with pintos, perfect seasoning IMO. I also add soy chorizo to most chili, using 3 different beans and red lentils
Penzeys spices Chili 3000 is now my go to for chili seasoning- not too spicy,very complex.
But then I didn't like Amy's chili, so.....

 

[silva]

Aldi brought back their vegan bowls and I bought 2 each--General Tsos chik'n, Beef & broccoli, Orange Chik'n
I had them some time back and they're the best vegan entrees I've had yet! Much better for a special work lunch than anything I could get out

 

[Danielle]

Used to go to Trader Joe's all the time before I moved. They aren't here yet. Need it to come to Jackson, MS.

 

[Lou]

@Danielle I sort of like beans, although I find them boring if I don't use a proper combination of seasonings. I think I'm doing something wrong when I cook them. When I have vegan beans other places, they usually taste quite good. This week, I went through a can of Amy's Black Bean Chili that I bought at the local supermarket. I read the ingredients, but STILL can't quite figure out why they taste so much better than when I make it!

Probably the salt.

 

[Hog]

"Being Vegan Isn't Simple Anymore"​

I am a simpleton.

Actually, I am an ignoramus.

The zookeeper even offered me free room and board in exchange for being the main attraction at the zoo. I would be star of the new ignoramus display.

=====

The convoluted point of my bad joke is that anyone can be a vegan.

 

[Tom L.]

@Lou @silva Trader Joe's recently opened up in my area, but I haven't shopped there yet. Salt is definitely tasty, and is a required nutrient- but canned foods (actually almost all convenience foods, from my observation) are ridiculously high in salt- so when I prepare my own foods from scratch, I tend to leave it out completely- and maybe that's going too far to the other extreme.

I often add a bit of lemon or lime juice to something instead of salt- definitely not the same, but sometimes quite good. If I were trying a recipe for the first time, I'd probably leave out the salt and add a little juice to a cup of it when it was done to see how it tasted. If it didn't work, I might add the recommended amount of salt to the rest instead.

 

[silva]

@Lou @silva Trader Joe's recently opened up in my area, but I haven't shopped there yet. Salt is definitely tasty, and is a required nutrient- but canned foods (actually almost all convenience foods, from my observation) are ridiculously high in salt- so when I prepare my own foods from scratch, I tend to leave it out completely- and maybe that's going too far to the other extreme.

I often add a bit of lemon or lime juice to something instead of salt- definitely not the same, but sometimes quite good. If I were trying a recipe for the first time, I'd probably leave out the salt and add a little juice to a cup of it when it was done to see how it tasted. If it didn't work, I might add the recommended amount of salt to the rest instead.

The soy chorizo is kinda high in sodium I guess

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[PTree15]

I love all the options, even for the nondairy milks. I really like only a few: unsweetened regular and vanilla almond milk and unsweetened soy milk. I have tried oat and rice milks, and don't like either one. I haven't tried too many flavored varieties, such as chocolate almond milk. I never was a big chocolate milk fan in my dairy days, despite my love of chocolate. That said, I put coffee syrup in my almond milk.

I also love all the protein options, especially Boca, Gardein and Beyond brands, even though I make a fair amount of my meat subs such as seitan, black bean burgers and chickpea cutlets. And now I'm loving the soy curls, so they will be in regular rotation. I do love the proliferation of vegan cookbooks and vegan YouTubers. It's great to have so many resources when you want to try something new or just get tips on preparing some of my regular dishes.

 

[Lou]

I guess there is a cost to all things. The cost of more options is more time spend in the grocery store trying to decide on what item to get.
Things were so much simpler when it was just soy milk and boca burgers.

There used to be a lot more types and brands of soy milk. Now the options are a lot less. but that is because the diary section is filled with Next Milk, Not Milk, Soy milk, almond, oat and at my local supermarket Califia has a whole shelf.
And in the frozen section - we used to have just a little section - now its expanded - and its not even all in one place. Impossible Foods just had a big roll out of some new products and they got a prime location.

since I got the new air fryer I've been checking out the chicken -like nuggets. I'm going to count how many there are next time I go. but its got to be at least 6.

 

[silva]

I guess there is a cost to all things. The cost of more options is more time spend in the grocery store trying to decide on what item to get.
Things were so much simpler when it was just soy milk and boca burgers.

There used to be a lot more types and brands of soy milk. Now the options are a lot less. but that is because the diary section is filled with Next Milk, Not Milk, Soy milk, almond, oat and at my local supermarket Califia has a whole shelf.
And in the frozen section - we used to have just a little section - now its expanded - and its not even all in one place. Impossible Foods just had a big roll out of some new products and they got a prime location.

since I got the new air fryer I've been checking out the chicken -like nuggets. I'm going to count how many there are next time I go. but its got to be at least 6.

I hadn't even thought about the lack of new soy milk brands! I've only bought the plain TJ's though, and now oatmilk

You don't know the time I could spend in a store trying to find something I craved! I have such a fond memory of first going vegan at an Aldi with the worst craving for some kind of dessert. I was reading everything, and when I picked up the strawberry jel 4 pack I happily saw "locust bean gum" instead of gelatin! I was so happy!

 

[Danielle]

I'd rather have more choices than less but I'm a horrible spender. Really want those vegan donuts from whole foods, maybe when I'm paid.

 

[Tomas]

Being vegan wasn't easier when there were less options. 30 years ago, living in a rural area in Europe, there was really no way to actually get any options. Now any supermarket anywhere has options aplenty. Choose to your liking. It also makes it easier for others to transition and not feel like they are optionless. (although the meat section of the supermarket is still about 50 times the size of the alternatives to meat).