Once I ate great!

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Feb 8, 2021
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60
Location
Brazil
Lifestyle
  1. Vegan
I was very fortunate to be the daughter of someone passionate for cooking and for challenges.

When I became a vegetarian my mother had the 2 things she most liked: cooking challenges.

Every single recipe that would be impossible to make without non veg ingredients, she was able to make. She was proud of it, and we loved it.

But we did eat dairy. My brother and I and all our friends were connected to hindu culture, and vegetarian dishes are full of dairy products.

So, we all new how to cook and we cooked very tasty. Besides the exquisite Indian dishes, we also had mom cooking brazilian dishes without meat or eggs.

My transition process to veganism and to my present difficult diet situation was in fact very slow.

It started when mom started becoming old and couldn’t cook any longer. At the same time I became lactose intolerant.

But it was only when my mom passed away that I decided to become vegan, because I read more about cow suffering on milk production. It became unbearable to me to belong to groups that say they love animals but still accept this kind of torture.

Anyway, I lost my mother, who used to cook rich and great, I am away from that community, who also cooked rich and great, I am living by myself, and even though I know how to change the recipes that used dairy vegan dishes I am not doing it right. It is taking me ages to cook, I don’t have this kind of time, I am not like my mom that lived for cooking.

I am living a millennial life and I want to learn from millennials how to eat easy, rich and tasty.

I also entered in menopause, my metabolism is very slow, I feel very weak because last months I live by eating bread, potato and rice. Last months, no, last 2 years!

I am killing myself because I am lazy and can’t cook.

I need urgently to change this, my health is compromised, I am low in all nutrients you might imagine. I need help.

I don’t know if it is lack of motivation or actual knowledge. I thought I knew about it, but I see I don’t.
 
Thanks for sharing.

I am going to be enthusiastic about how to work things out. I am not minimizing your concerns and issues.
OK?

My own personal story is almost opposite of you. The very first step I made on the path to veganism was giving up dairy. Although I did it for compassionate reasonings having just been exposed to the plight of dairy cows, I also did it because it seemed to me (at the time) to be the easiest step.

dairy and eggs are not necessary or essential for good health. So you can just give it up. there are lots of recipes that don't even call for milk or cream. And if you find you need milk or cream - there are so many altenatives - in the store or some you can just make yourself. Eggs aren't that hard to replace either.

I know she of the people on this forum are good at veganizing a recipe. so you might ask them for advice. but what I do is just take the name of the recipe, add vegan to it, and google it. So far I have been finding vegan versions of everything.

I'm reading a little bit between the lines but it sounds to me like maybe you have bit off more that you can chew. Like you seem to want to learn how to cook like your mom but at the same time you don't have the time to devote to leaning how to cook like your mom. That is a dilemma.

Its not just a lack of knowledge or a lack of motivation but the combination of the two. Perhaps the solution is to take a shortcut.

So instead of trying to learn how to cook like your mom, why not just concentrate on cooking simple and easy meals. (you can work up from there)

There are people who eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast. You can be one of them. Oatmeal is not hard to cook. In fact, you can make overnight oats which is pretty much fool-proof. And by using variations of toppings you can make a different version every day.

There are also people who eat salad every day for lunch. I make a few days worth of salad at a time. It doesn't take much longer to make 3 - 5 days worth of salads than to make one day's worth. and I use lots and lots of ingredients. for me the key for salad eating is to have a really big salad for lunch. Like 3 cups per serving.

Dinners don't have to be that complicated either. Beans and rice are easy, cheap and excellent nutrition. I also like stir fry. and this winter I have become a big fan of soup and stews.

Here at the VF a lot of us have favorite YouTube cooking channels. The Cheap and Lazy Vegan is very popular. Check out her channel. and down below I'm going to include links to a a couple of recipes.



 
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Hello @Old New,
First off, my condolences on the loss of your mother...
@Lou above gave you Lots of Great ideas, hope that you find them useful...
For myself I find that I don’t need to eat fancy, rich or complicated food daily - once a month or so is enough for me...
On a daily basis I keep things simple - always some fresh fruit and veggies with potatoes, pasta or grains...
not too much Vegan junk food...
As for the metabolism slowing down after menopause - I can Definitely commiserate! I think that exercise is As important as what we eat...Have you tried being more active ?
Hopefully soon you will start to have a bit more balance in eating well and feeling well...
 
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welcome @Old New

I hope coming here will be helpful for you.

Lou has given you some great youtubers to watch and you may also wish to try:


Remember that spices are the key - as long as you put the spices you love into the tofu, tempeh, potatoes and rice and beans and vegetables, then you will love the food the same.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
 
I think that exercise is As important as what we eat...Have you tried being more active ?
oh, yes. I left out that half of the equation. Exercising is as important as nutrition.

Thirty minutes a day is a good minimum. Walking is available to everyone. Nowadays I find a 30 minute walk to the store and back is nice chore. and I enjoy grabbing an audio book and taking long walks when the weather is nice.

Exercise also releases some Neuro-chemicals that will make you feel better, too.
 
Thank you everyone, and specially to @Lou for the recommendations.
I've been thinking about it all and I see I am finding myself in this new life, so it all seems new, even though these things are so old in my life.
Veganism is not that new, because being vegetarian was not that different from being vegan.
What is really different in my life now is cooking by my own.
If I had any other kind of diet I would be facing the same problem. I know veganism is not just a diet, and for me this is what made me not be just vegetarian and become a vegan.
But now, my problem is being by myself and having to cook simple.
And I am thankful for the recommendations. I could understand how to program and schedule my meals in a more easy way, instead of getting lost as I was.
I think I could see better that that was my problem. I used to have my diet well taken care of, and now I have to find this easy way to take care of it. And there is lots of ways, as you showed.
I also agree that being more physically active will help. I know I have been neglecting this side, which will help.
It is a new phase in my life, I am still adjusting.
I am thankful young vegans can inspire me with these creative meal's ideas!