Hello everyone. My name is Cody, I'm 28 years old, and I'm new here. I'm not new to veganism, but currently my diet is omnivorous and I hate it.
I've been wanting to go vegetarian since I was a child, the first time I found out that meat comes from animals. Then, I found out about the dairy industry and egg industry later in life, and that veganism is a thing.
Since then, I've been trying (and failing) to go vegan permanently. I've been cycling between an omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan diet for years, and the change hasn't stuck. (Note: I don't wear or use animal products already, and am learning more about what I should look for and avoid. It's just my diet that needs help.)
First, I have a moderate (not life threatening, but sucky enough) allergy to both dairy products and wheat. The dairy is obviously not an issue in going vegan, but wheat certainly is. It takes a lot of otherwise good options away from me. Wheat free alternatives for things like bread are more expensive than the wheat based varieties (EDIT to add: and all except one type of dense German bread have egg so not vegan), and almost ALL of the mock meats (for those "I miss the taste of meat" days) that I've seen have wheat. They're more expensive too. Plus, a lot of wheat free food isn't vegan, like corn based cereal that has Vitamin D3.
Secondly, I have gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying). High fiber and high fat is a problem for me, and I have to eat small and often to minimize pain and vomiting, especially to get my produce in. Eggs and soft lean meats are a rich protein source that I don't often vomit. Beans and nuts cause vomiting more often than eggs and lean meats. I do like tofu, and use that where I can, but I haven't found it as versatile as eggs thus far.
Finally, I'm autistic and have issues with texture, so some foods that other people love, I just cannot stand (even if they taste fine). This makes cooking difficult at times, because if things aren't JUST RIGHT, it's very hard for me to eat... And there's a lot of trial and error in vegan cooking for me, at least with fancier things. (I also have cerebral palsy, which affects my ability to cook.) I've thought about going raw vegan to combat the texture and cooking issues, but my gastroparesis won't have it. Most of my food needs to be cooked to minimize the pain and vomiting.
How can I go vegan - and STAY vegan - with these issues? I've asked my doctors and they're not COMPLETELY adverse, but not really approving of a vegan diet...and the dieticians that I've seen were completely useless in regards to my gastroparesis, let alone a vegan diet.
I really don't want to contribute to animal cruelty anymore, and I want to minimize my impact on the planet. Please help. Thank you so much.
I've been wanting to go vegetarian since I was a child, the first time I found out that meat comes from animals. Then, I found out about the dairy industry and egg industry later in life, and that veganism is a thing.
Since then, I've been trying (and failing) to go vegan permanently. I've been cycling between an omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan diet for years, and the change hasn't stuck. (Note: I don't wear or use animal products already, and am learning more about what I should look for and avoid. It's just my diet that needs help.)
First, I have a moderate (not life threatening, but sucky enough) allergy to both dairy products and wheat. The dairy is obviously not an issue in going vegan, but wheat certainly is. It takes a lot of otherwise good options away from me. Wheat free alternatives for things like bread are more expensive than the wheat based varieties (EDIT to add: and all except one type of dense German bread have egg so not vegan), and almost ALL of the mock meats (for those "I miss the taste of meat" days) that I've seen have wheat. They're more expensive too. Plus, a lot of wheat free food isn't vegan, like corn based cereal that has Vitamin D3.
Secondly, I have gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying). High fiber and high fat is a problem for me, and I have to eat small and often to minimize pain and vomiting, especially to get my produce in. Eggs and soft lean meats are a rich protein source that I don't often vomit. Beans and nuts cause vomiting more often than eggs and lean meats. I do like tofu, and use that where I can, but I haven't found it as versatile as eggs thus far.
Finally, I'm autistic and have issues with texture, so some foods that other people love, I just cannot stand (even if they taste fine). This makes cooking difficult at times, because if things aren't JUST RIGHT, it's very hard for me to eat... And there's a lot of trial and error in vegan cooking for me, at least with fancier things. (I also have cerebral palsy, which affects my ability to cook.) I've thought about going raw vegan to combat the texture and cooking issues, but my gastroparesis won't have it. Most of my food needs to be cooked to minimize the pain and vomiting.
How can I go vegan - and STAY vegan - with these issues? I've asked my doctors and they're not COMPLETELY adverse, but not really approving of a vegan diet...and the dieticians that I've seen were completely useless in regards to my gastroparesis, let alone a vegan diet.
I really don't want to contribute to animal cruelty anymore, and I want to minimize my impact on the planet. Please help. Thank you so much.
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