Why is vegan back to front for me....

Another idea: Have you visited any vegan restaurants? Since you live in London, there should be quite a few to choose from. That might give you some ideas for dishes you can later try to make at home.


So do you like your overnight oats? I think oats are so much better and fulfilling when warmed up, i.e. oatmeal. Maybe with cinnamon and raisins ... Chia seeds sound good, I haven't had that in a while.
I do like them but at the moment im struggling to eat them, so unstead ive been having jam and peanut butter sandwich for breakfast.
i dont have heating facilties at work either so cold lunches mon-fri. :(
 
I haven't really found my staple go to food yet, or a comfort food ( vegan style ).
If i fancy something naughty i will make some mushroom and lentil burgers, with vegan mayo and gerkins. and some chunky cut potatoes/chips with some oil and herbs.
Pasta with a pesto sauce ( shop bought vegan one ) or one from scratch.
i love peanut putter and jam on toast with banana and flax seeds & chia.
i love olives and cheeses with breads and crisps.

:)👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

Your favorite foods are exactly what the rest of us eat!
.
 
i dont have heating facilties at work either so cold lunches mon-fri.
That sucks. I'm lucky to have 3(!) microwave ovens and a water heater all just on my floor.

I've found that oatmeal can be made in a coffee mug with hot water from the water heater - I actually prefer it made this way now. (Regulars here will have heard me rave about it ad nauseaum ...) You have to let it sit for a while, but it's perfect for me - I think it works a bit like how coffee works for other people. It's a nice, warm, comforting thing in a cup to calm my nerves when I come in to work in the morning :)

Anyway, if you have a water heater (e.g. for tea or coffee), perhaps you can make warm simple things occasionally, like noodles, couscous or soups.
 
The good thing is you can veganize a ton of omni food, the alternatives are yummy, have improved greatly over the last ten years. I do wish that some of them were more affordable, Just Egg is delicious but a bit too pricey. I prefer it over tofu scramble.
 
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Just Egg is delicious but a bit too pricey.

Not for long apparently. This article is dated December 13, 2019:

Currently, it costs JUST approximately 20 cents to produce one vegan egg and with its new facility, the company plans to bring that cost down to 4.7 cents per egg in the next two years.

 
Howdy, I've been eating vegan for just over a year and know it can be rough. All of the advice you've been given is good; the health ailments you describe could be a coincidence, or it could be a deficiency in your diet.

I've never really bought into the 'toxins leaving the body' angle.

Carbohydrates are really important - they are the principal fuel. Fats are also important.

Salads are all well and good complimenting a meal but you could eat a huge bowl and get little in the way of calories. Eat whatever you like in an effort to maintain your weight (and mood), then tweak it to suit your goals.

I have a maintenance calorie target of 3,500 but aim for 4k when possible. Most of that is obviously carbs and fat.

Breakfast smoothies are a winner for goodness, and you can squeeze 1k calories into a normal shaker.

Wholemeal pasta as suggested earlier is an excellent staple for lunches or dinners. Throw in some beans, broccoli, kale, cranberries, whatever. Sweet potatoes and the like are great.

Vegan food is not as calorie dense as one that includes meat and dairy, so it takes a while to get used to eating more.
 
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That sucks. I'm lucky to have 3(!) microwave ovens and a water heater all just on my floor.

I've found that oatmeal can be made in a coffee mug with hot water from the water heater - I actually prefer it made this way now. (Regulars here will have heard me rave about it ad nauseaum ...) You have to let it sit for a while, but it's perfect for me - I think it works a bit like how coffee works for other people. It's a nice, warm, comforting thing in a cup to calm my nerves when I come in to work in the morning :)

Anyway, if you have a water heater (e.g. for tea or coffee), perhaps you can make warm simple things occasionally, like noodles, couscous or soups.

I know it’s rubbish, and how lucky to have 3 I’d be making a 3 course meal with that hahah :)
thats a good idea I might give that a try tomorrow I’m much preferring the warmer foods in this cold weather. Last night I made some warm apples with maple syrup, mushed banana and a almond cream so yummy. :)
 
The good thing is you can veganize a ton of omni food, the alternatives are yummy, have improved greatly over the last ten years. I do wish that some of them were more affordable, Just Egg is delicious but a bit too pricey. I prefer it over tofu scramble.
Wooooah hold the phone.... there’s such thing as a vegan egg.... i am totally new to this lol.
your right some alternatives as super pricey.
To get a nice tasting chcoclate seems exspensive too....:(
 
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Howdy, I've been eating vegan for just over a year and know it can be rough. All of the advice you've been given is good; the health ailments you describe could be a coincidence, or it could be a deficiency in your diet.

I've never really bought into the 'toxins leaving the body' angle.

Carbohydrates are really important - they are the principal fuel. Fats are also important.

Salads are all well and good complimenting a meal but you could eat a huge bowl and get little in the way of calories. Eat whatever you like in an effort to maintain your weight (and mood), then tweak it to suit your goals.

I have a maintenance calorie target of 3,500 but aim for 4k when possible. Most of that is obviously carbs and fat.

Breakfast smoothies are a winner for goodness, and you can squeeze 1k calories into a normal shaker.

Wholemeal pasta as suggested earlier is an excellent staple for lunches or dinners. Throw in some beans, broccoli, kale, cranberries, whatever. Sweet potatoes and the like are great.

Vegan food is not as calorie dense as one that includes meat and dairy, so it takes a while to get used to eating more.
Hey, thanks for sharing.
your right it does take some getting used to and I’m hoping to get my fuel foods and go to meals all in order. I got some whole wheat pasta and it was delish so I don’t mind adding that from now on. With sweet potatoes do you have any suggestions for cooking them as I find them a bit bland, and much prefer going for a normal white potatoe. I’ve got my blender in post so I can start having some smoothies I got a pea protein also.
I made some tempah bacon this weekend and I was so proud it tasted so good :) so I’m feeling positive again.
how did you find managing snacks at first did you struggle adapting.
Do you take your b12 as I’ve cut down on mine for my skin. Just to see if it helps. :)
 
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With sweet potatoes do you have any suggestions for cooking them as I find them a bit bland, and much prefer going for a normal white potatoe.


Hi DeePee,

Normal white potatoes are healthy foods. It's much preferable to eat the potatoes with the peel, of course.

Potatoes are low in calories - a medium potato only contains about 100 calories.

There are conflicting peer-reviewed studies about white potatoes and diabetes risk. If white potatoes are eaten as part of a diet that lowers body weight, the overall effect should be to reduce the likelihood/severity of type 2 diabetes.

Peer-reviewed study #1:

Peer-reviewed study #2:
.
 
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Wooooah hold the phone.... there’s such thing as a vegan egg.... i am totally new to this lol.
your right some alternatives as super pricey.
To get a nice tasting chcoclate seems exspensive too....:(
No. You have an Aldi-or I guess it would be Lidl? Or Superdrug? I'm in US but many in the UK talk about the same chocolate I get at Aldi- the Moser Ross dark chocolate. Just be sure dark chocolate is without any source of dairy, like lactose or butterfat. Doesn't have to be labeled vegan
 
Hi DeePee,

Normal white potatoes are healthy foods. It's much preferable to eat the potatoes with the peel, of course.

Potatoes are low in calories - a medium potato only contains about 100 calories.

There are conflicting peer-reviewed studies about white potatoes and diabetes risk. If white potatoes are eaten as part of a diet that lowers body weight, the overall effect should be to reduce the likelihood/severity of type 2 diabetes.

Peer-reviewed study #1:

Peer-reviewed study #2:
.
Thank you :) :)
 
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No. You have an Aldi-or I guess it would be Lidl? Or Superdrug? I'm in US but many in the UK talk about the same chocolate I get at Aldi- the Moser Ross dark chocolate. Just be sure dark chocolate is without any source of dairy, like lactose or butterfat. Doesn't have to be labeled vegan
ill have to give aldi a go :) :) thank you
 
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Hey, thanks for sharing.
your right it does take some getting used to and I’m hoping to get my fuel foods and go to meals all in order. I got some whole wheat pasta and it was delish so I don’t mind adding that from now on. With sweet potatoes do you have any suggestions for cooking them as I find them a bit bland, and much prefer going for a normal white potatoe. I’ve got my blender in post so I can start having some smoothies I got a pea protein also.
I made some tempah bacon this weekend and I was so proud it tasted so good :) so I’m feeling positive again.
how did you find managing snacks at first did you struggle adapting.
Do you take your b12 as I’ve cut down on mine for my skin. Just to see if it helps. :)

Ah we are opposites! I find white potatoes the blandest food on the planet, I much prefer the colourful sweet potatoes.

I almost always roast them dry and toss them into whatever I am making - be that pasta or on the side with other vegetables. I love dhal, especially because it's easy to batch cook and refrigerate or freeze. This is one of my go-to recipes, although I often substitute the potato for butternut squash.


Seitan is another good thing to batch cook once you have a method you like. I tend to make it plain, portion it out and freeze it - then throw it into whatever I'm making. You can slice it thinly and have it in sandwiches. I don't have it that often, as I'm not sure that much gluten is ok too frequently.

Most of our meals tend to be casserole-style dishes; a big pan of beans and vegetables. Easy to prepare and good for lunches with leftovers.

Dr Greger is my go to guy when I'm looking for advice online, and he always recommends whole foods. His book 'how not to die' is excellent, and you can get it on audible with a free trial.

I do take b12, and I think it's probably a good thing for most people to supplement.
 
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Ah we are opposites! I find white potatoes the blandest food on the planet, I much prefer the colourful sweet potatoes.

I almost always roast them dry and toss them into whatever I am making - be that pasta or on the side with other vegetables. I love dhal, especially because it's easy to batch cook and refrigerate or freeze. This is one of my go-to recipes, although I often substitute the potato for butternut squash.


Seitan is another good thing to batch cook once you have a method you like. I tend to make it plain, portion it out and freeze it - then throw it into whatever I'm making. You can slice it thinly and have it in sandwiches. I don't have it that often, as I'm not sure that much gluten is ok too frequently.

Most of our meals tend to be casserole-style dishes; a big pan of beans and vegetables. Easy to prepare and good for lunches with leftovers.

Dr Greger is my go to guy when I'm looking for advice online, and he always recommends whole foods. His book 'how not to die' is excellent, and you can get it on audible with a free trial.

I do take b12, and I think it's probably a good thing for most people to supplement.

haha i guess they pretty dull compared to sweet potatoes, i will have to give this a try.
i have ideas up to my ears so thank you so much. :)
 
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