Switching to Veganism

[ksmith1998]

Hello Everybody!
My name is Kate, I am 20yrs old and I live in PA. I have been a vegetarian for about 4 years now; the only animal products I consume are eggs and dairy. I was thinking bout switching over to a vegan diet as I have severe gastro issues and my dietician recommended cutting out dairy. Once I cut out dairy, all I have left is eggs (which I find kind of disgusting anyway). With that said, cutting out dairy is a big switch for me. I did not realize how much dairy I consume. I feel overwhelmed, I worry that when I go out with my friends/family I am going to suffer from lack of options. I am also transferring to live on campus at my college in fall so I am nervous about cooking and eating vegan at school. I really am looking for any advice, recipes, tips, tricks, nutritional info, etc... I want to make sure im stilling getting a balanced diet. I already began to make small changes such as swapping things like milk for almond milk and greek yogurt for soy yogurt. Another big worry is cost of the diet.
Sorry this is fairly brief but if you have any questions please ask! I am an open eater, always willing to try new foods and expand my pallet. Please any advice about anything!!!

 

[Lou]

So much stuff. Well..... where to start?
OH!
Welcome and congratulations!

I think cutting out dairy is the best. The very first thing I eliminated from my diet was dairy. and completely on the animal cruelty issue. It also (IMHO) happens to be the easiest thing to cut out. Have you looked at the plant milk aisle in the stores? there are so many choices.

A lot of people like the taste of almond milk the best but please give soy milk a chance. It has the most protein, is sometimes less expensive than almond milk. It takes less water to produce. And then there are the bees. but that is sort of controversial.

The only problem that I encountered (and still do) is bakery items. The use of eggs or milk or butter in almost everything. But not everything. Lots of breads are vegan. There are even some special vegan cookies, cakes and candy. It will take a little more effort at the beginning but after a while, it will be second nature. And if you make a mistake don't worry about it. the amount of eggs and milk and butter in store bought bakery items is still pretty small.

For me eating out isn't an issue. But I know some vegans have problems. I think it is just a matter of practice. If you go out for Pizza just order your own personal pan without meat or cheese. Or just stick to the salad bar. Any vegetarian dish at a Mexican place can be made vegan just by saying "no queso". Asian places are the easiest. They rarely use cheese or egg. and they almost always have tofu.

There are some other members who are in college. They can probably give you better tips. but this IS the 21st century. I think college campuses are going to have lots of vegans and vegan options. It might take some time to learn how to navigate the cafeteria but hey you wanted a learning experience - that is why you go to college. I bet there is some kind of PETA like organization you can join. And someone there can help you learn the ropes. Oh, and speaking of PETA, they have some articles on their website for college students. They even have a cookbook. Hardcover, paperback, and Kindle versions.

And you have nothing to worry about as far as cost goes. It's a common misconception that vegan food is expensive. Oh sure, soy milk runs a little bit more than cow's milk. I think tofu might be more expensive than chicken. And the Impossible Whopper costs a buck more than the BK Whopper. but that is about it.

Per gram of protein, oatmeal is about a third the price of eggs.

Cost of Vegan Protein vs. Animal Protein

A cost breakdown of meat and plant proteins, plus the cheapest vegan sources of protein

plenteousveg.com

 

[mavrick45]

hello and welcome!

if you're ever feeling the craving for nachos, you can make cheese out of cashews!

 

[Emma JC]

hello and welcome

I think you will find that once you stop eating so much cheese (it is addictive, by the way) and dairy that you will not crave it so much.

Keep your meals simple, at college, lots of breakfast beans with potatoes, fruits and veggies. Pastas and rice in soups or stews with lots of veggies, not expensive. @Lou has given you lots of good advice for eating out choices and you can always eat before you go so that you will be less tempted.

Remember it is a journey, not a race, and do it gradually, if that is easier for you. Personally, after playing around with it for years, once I made the decision, almost three years ago, it was simplest to just 'do it' and not look back.

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

Remember it is a journey, not a race, and do it gradually, if that is easier for you.

That's a good line. I would steal it but I like this one better: It is a journey, not a destination.

 

[Emma JC]

Maybe we could combine the lines: It is a journey, not a race to a destination.

?‍
Emma JC (why are the runners backwards in the emojis?)

 

[Lou]

Maybe we could combine the lines: It is a journey, not a race to a destination.

?‍
Emma JC (why are the runners backwards in the emojis?)

I think it was Colleen Patrick Goudreaux that said something like its a journey and the destination is compassion. But that doesn't make sense to me anymore - isn't compassion where you start?

They are running the wrong way. That is odd.

OMG!
Everyone is going the wrong way.

?‍?‍?‍?‍??‍??‍??‍??‍?‍??‍⛷?

 

[ryanshelley]

Hello Everybody!
My name is Kate, I am 20yrs old and I live in PA. I have been a vegetarian for about 4 years now; the only animal products I consume are eggs and dairy. I was thinking bout switching over to a vegan diet as I have severe gastro issues and my dietician recommended cutting out dairy. Once I cut out dairy, all I have left is eggs (which I find kind of disgusting anyway). With that said, cutting out dairy is a big switch for me. I did not realize how much dairy I consume. I feel overwhelmed, I worry that when I go out with my friends/family I am going to suffer from lack of options. I am also transferring to live on campus at my college in fall so I am nervous about cooking and eating vegan at school. I really am looking for any advice, recipes, tips, tricks, nutritional info, etc... I want to make sure im stilling getting a balanced diet. I already began to make small changes such as swapping things like milk for almond milk and greek yogurt for soy yogurt. Another big worry is cost of the diet.
Sorry this is fairly brief but if you have any questions please ask! I am an open eater, always willing to try new foods and expand my pallet. Please any advice about anything!!!

Hey, good to hear you're giving veganism a go! The transition can be quite tough but I found The Vegan Filter to be a great help (now 7 months vegan). It's a free internet extension which turns shopping sites vegan and works on grocery, beauty and fashion sites amongst others.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Extension - https://www.theveganfilter.com/join/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheVeganFilter

 

[Vegan Chef]

I went from being a carnivore to a vegan and haven't looked back. I used to drink a gallon of whole milk every two days. My favorite substitute is Silk vanilla(not reduced sugar) it's my opinion that the sweetness gives the closest palatability to the bovine stuff. Cheese, look into buying the cookbook The homemade vegan pantry. Or look for her cheeses in the supermarket, but they are expensive. She also has an egg substitute that's amazing based on boiling flaxseeds, but I'm not gonna give her secrets away for free. Daiya also sells some decent cheeses.
My own substitute for eggs in baked goods is ripe bananas pound for pound.
Butter substitute is coconut oil. It is saturated fat(same as butter) but is medium length and easier for your body to process, a common misconception that is turned to propaganda by those who want to sell you butter. I'm not saying it's healthy, but either is butter

As far as healthy eating goes, proteins are amino acids. To get complex amino acids(complete proteins) consume foods from two or more of the catagories in the same meal. All four is best
Nuts and seeds
Dark leafy greens
Grains
Legumes

For Omega 3; broccoli, melons, seaweeds, berries, to name a few

B12; seaweeds and fermented soy are good sources contrary to everything you read about the fact that the only vegan source is supplements.

Iron; dark leafy greens, beets, nuts, legumes

The most important thing is variety of whole foods. Just eating the same(healthy vegetable) is still unhealthy. Also know that your body can only absorb about 30% of your required daily intake at any given time. Your body needs time to process and absorb the different nutrients, so you need to consume them throughout the day/week otherwise any excess just ends up in the toilet.

 

[Emma JC]

welcome @Vegan Chef - thank you for a great first contribution!

I add very little to no oil to my meals and so my substitute for oil, in a recipe is apple sauce. It works wonderfully in pancakes and anything baked.

For eggs I substitute aquafaba occasionally, more often ground chia seeds or ground flax (no need to boil) - one tablespoon ground chia/flax to 3 tablespoons water, let sit for a bit.

For sauting/frying, I use water or vegetable stock or olive brine.

Looking forward to more contributions from you.

Emma JC

 

[Dizzy]

I find chickpea flour (gram flour) a great substitute in things like quiche - add in a spot of kala namak and I have a quiche that quite honestly you wouldn't know the difference.

The Gourmet Vegan 'Can't tell the difference' Quiche - The Vegan Household

http://www.psychicprime.com comments

www.theveganhousehold.com