The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: Malaysia41 on December 31, 2017, 12:34:17 AM
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A vegan diet can be way cheaper than the Std Western Diet (SWD). But that's not all. A vegan diet is up to 3x more sustainable for CO2, (http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator) and up to 10x more sustainable from a land use perspective (https://www.elementascience.org/articles/10.12952/journal.elementa.000116).
Who wants to join me? Who wants to pledge to eat a plant based diet (e.g. no animal products) in January 2018?
You can sign up here: www.veganuary.com (http://www.veganuary.com)
In addition to saving money vs the SWD, there are many reasons to try going plant-based: Health (https://smile.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B005K23RS0) . . . Environment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUSpsT6Oqrg) . . . Ethics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI) . . . Comedy (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HmqzhKttrc5bGQVjkGcHom06_ObwdgJ9/view) .
Here's an article I wrote to my extended FB and LinkedIn networks:
WHO’S DOWN TO SIGN UP FOR VEGANUARY 2018? (http://www.lauramariereese.com/whos-veganuary-2018/)
I've gotten one person to sign up with this article - and it shocked me who it was... MY SISTER! Dude - if my sister can commit to this, anyone can.
edit: removed 'January' from the title - let's make this thread about going plant-based / vegan for all of 2018
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Late to the party, but I'm in! I've been a vegetarian for a long time, and while the ethical and environmental aspects of veganism appeal to me, I'm not ready to go all in. But a month seems do-able.
I've actually gone vegan and given up anything with added sugars for January. The combination is challenging, but the goal is to disrupt my eating habits, forcing me to examine what I eat, when and why. Among other thing, I've realized I'd been snacking on cheese almost every day. Also, sugar is in everything, including many fake meat products (but not Tofurky!).
Have you found any good vegan recipes so far? This is one I tried and really liked, even though I don't have a grill and had to cook them in my toaster oven:
https://kalynskitchen.com/spicy-grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-red/
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Late to the party, but I'm in! I've been a vegetarian for a long time, and while the ethical and environmental aspects of veganism appeal to me, I'm not ready to go all in. But a month seems do-able.
I've actually gone vegan and given up anything with added sugars for January. The combination is challenging, but the goal is to disrupt my eating habits, forcing me to examine what I eat, when and why. Among other thing, I've realized I'd been snacking on cheese almost every day. Also, sugar is in everything, including many fake meat products (but not Tofurky!).
Have you found any good vegan recipes so far? This is one I tried and really liked, even though I don't have a grill and had to cook them in my toaster oven:
https://kalynskitchen.com/spicy-grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-red/
Yeah SlowlyButSurely!
You're pretty much doing 'whole food plant based' (WFPB) diet, which, IMO is way better than just vegan. It's how my family eats 99% of the time. (The other 1% - mega sugar/oil based vegan cakes on a birthday or special occasion for example).
RECIPES: these are my two go-to sites:
https://minimalistbaker.com/
http://ohsheglows.com/
For WFPB in general such as shopping tips:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/
Dr. Greger's NutritionFacts.org (http://www.nutritionfacts.org). Here you can watch short, well researched videos that give advice on everything from fiber to how/why anti-oxidants. On fiber: rule of thumb for bread or whole-grain pasta: Strive for fiber content >= 20% of the total carbohydrate content, or (e.g. 1:5 ratio). A whole grain pasta with 20g total carbs should ideally come with at least 4g fiber. (and no added sugar obviously).
Check in when you can, will you? I'd love to know what recipes you tried and how you liked them.
Tonight I made mesir wot. Last night, black bean soup. Tomorrow - prolly split pea soup. It's all healthy, full of nutrition, and totally cheap. The slow cooker is in regular rotation.
Good luck and thanks for giving it a go. I started going vegan for health, then as I learned more, I doubled down for the environment. Then I learned more, and became committed. Why? Yes - the ethics. When I learned about the uh, well, to be honest - the rape and infanticide of the dairy industry (here's a snarky but brief overview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI)), not to mention all the stuff detailed in Earthlings (http://www.nationearth.com/), I still held on to the idea that these conditions were the exception and not the rule.
Then I researched further and discovered that this is standard industry practice. In the US at least, upwards of 90% of meat sold (depending on the meat) is from this type of brutal, industrial factory farming. When I realized that, even if I could imagine some sort of happy farm operation, the meat & dairy at grocery stores comes from industrial factory farms - no matter the pretty language like 'cage free' or 'organic' (https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44292/10992_eib43.pdf?v=41055), I couldn't pretend any longer. And the abuse in these places isn't just from a few jerk-bob workers. When you watch the inside footage at these places - look at the machinery. The maceration machines, the gestation chambers. Fucking horrid.
Anyhoo - good luck!
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Have you found any good vegan recipes so far? This is one I tried and really liked, even though I don't have a grill and had to cook them in my toaster oven:
https://kalynskitchen.com/spicy-grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-red/
My favorite website go-to is https://www.veganricha.com --lots of tasty meals, she uses a lot of spices and can transform dishes with them.
I can't commit to the challenge since my SO is our part-time cook and he would not be on board. We have significantly reduced animal product consumption in the last year for all the reasons (health, ethics, environment), so I am trying not to push him too far, too quickly.
Lately I've been making oat milk with vanilla (easy, economical & tasty) and that has easily replaced buying milk products.
I soak beans overnight (every 2-3 days) and cook them in the mornings, then can make soups, curries, chili's, etc.
Much of the difficulty for me was getting the initial rhythm of things, now it seems like a no-brainer.
We are probably eating vegan 85% of the time.
Good luck with the month!
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My favorite website go-to is https://www.veganricha.com --lots of tasty meals, she uses a lot of spices and can transform dishes with them.
Thanks for the recommendation. The first recipe on there is calling to me. I think we'll have the PEANUT BUTTER CAULIFLOWER BOWL WITH ROASTED CARROTS tomorrow. pea soup can wait.
We have significantly reduced animal product consumption in the last year for all the reasons (health, ethics, environment)
That's fantastic. If everyone went mostly plant based with meat or animal products just 1x or 2x a week, that'd create a lot of positive change for chronic illness, the environment, and of course for the animals.
Lately I've been making oat milk with vanilla (easy, economical & tasty) and that has easily replaced buying milk products.
Do you have a favorite oat milk recipe? I've never made oat milk. Please advise.
Much of the difficulty for me was getting the initial rhythm of things, now it seems like a no-brainer.
We are probably eating vegan 85% of the time.
Good luck with the month!
It's kind of like dialing in the monthly spending - adjust habits, develop systematic processes and bammo - you're most of the way there.
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I went vegan per January 1st - with some ups and downs, but 85% successful. That's a good score and I'm not going to beat myself up for not getting a full 100%.
I adore www.pickuplimes.com she has the best tasting and easiest recipes. Her youtube channel is also very good! Big shout out to Pick Up Limes!
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Well, going vegetarian/vegan is my february challenge, so I will be lurking here until I am ready.
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I'm going to be here cheering everyone on! I went vegan 2 yrs ago, and at this point strive for a WFPB diet.
I have some recommendations, based on my experience.
Vegans get much more nutrition than most people, however there are a few common vegan efficiencies. B-12. Omega 3's. And IMO low protein. (This one is controversial). I take a B-12 vitamin, I eat 1Tbsp ground flax most days, and often walnuts and chia for the Omega 3. I also take a vegan (algae based) Omega 3 supplement. And I try to eat a lot of beans or tofu. At every meal. If you are hungry, eat more. The volume can be quite large and there is no reason to be hungry. You will probably be eating less fat, so treat yourself to avocados and seeds and nuts.
You have to plan more, but you get used to it. When I travel, when other people are getting McDonalds I am looking for the Walmart, to buy hummus, veggies, and grapes. Also - when desperate, a can of chick peas with salad dressing is good.
If you make a salad, make it huge. Add a can of beans, frozen peas, frozen corn, walnuts, etc, etc. make it gorgeous.
I enjoy bean pasta. I just bought some penne made with only red lentil flour. And rotini made with black bean flour. (Haven't tried it yet).
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Joining in. So far I'm a mostly plant based omnivore but would like to challenge myself by going vegetarian for a full month. This will be close to vegan for me, as the only animal based products I otherwise consume will be eggs and honey (and occasionally some butter in a cookie I guess).
My ultimate goal would be to go WFPB vegan at home, but to be flexible when surrounded by others. That's gonna take a lot more time though. At least every time I don't consume animals I'm reducing my impact on the environment and animal wealth already :)
Will have a look at the recipes and am excited to try some of them!
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I went vegan per January 1st - with some ups and downs, but 85% successful. That's a good score and I'm not going to beat myself up for not getting a full 100%.
I adore www.pickuplimes.com she has the best tasting and easiest recipes. Her youtube channel is also very good! Big shout out to Pick Up Limes!
I'm checking out pickuplimes now. Thanks for the recommendation.
Nederstash, what are some of your reasons for moving toward a vegan diet?
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Well, going vegetarian/vegan is my february challenge, so I will be lurking here until I am ready.
Yeah Bee21!
Joining in. So far I'm a mostly plant based omnivore but would like to challenge myself by going vegetarian for a full month. This will be close to vegan for me, as the only animal based products I otherwise consume will be eggs and honey (and occasionally some butter in a cookie I guess).
My ultimate goal would be to go WFPB vegan at home, but to be flexible when surrounded by others. That's gonna take a lot more time though. At least every time I don't consume animals I'm reducing my impact on the environment and animal wealth already :)
Will have a look at the recipes and am excited to try some of them!
Cool. I'm loving seeing so many people pop in here setting a goal to move toward eating more plants and fewer animal products!
So, Bee21 and Hirondelle, Would you mind sharing: what are some of your reasons for moving toward a vegan diet?
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I'm going to be here cheering everyone on! I went vegan 2 yrs ago, and at this point strive for a WFPB diet.
I have some recommendations, based on my experience.
Vegans get much more nutrition than most people, however there are a few common vegan efficiencies. B-12. Omega 3's. And IMO low protein. (This one is controversial). I take a B-12 vitamin, I eat 1Tbsp ground flax most days, and often walnuts and chia for the Omega 3. I also take a vegan (algae based) Omega 3 supplement. And I try to eat a lot of beans or tofu. At every meal. If you are hungry, eat more. The volume can be quite large and there is no reason to be hungry. You will probably be eating less fat, so treat yourself to avocados and seeds and nuts.
You have to plan more, but you get used to it. When I travel, when other people are getting McDonalds I am looking for the Walmart, to buy hummus, veggies, and grapes. Also - when desperate, a can of chick peas with salad dressing is good.
If you make a salad, make it huge. Add a can of beans, frozen peas, frozen corn, walnuts, etc, etc. make it gorgeous.
I enjoy bean pasta. I just bought some penne made with only red lentil flour. And rotini made with black bean flour. (Haven't tried it yet).
Yes, yes and yes. In line with all of Meadow Lark's advice, you can pick up further nuggets of wisdom at nutritionfacts.org.
A couple of apps to consider:
cronometer (track everything and rapidly learn all about the micronutrients contained in the broad range of veggies, beans and grains by putting them in here). This takes more data entry but IMO it's totally worth it, even if for just one month.
daily dozen (this is a check list for 12 things you should make sure to eat every day. It's handy).
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So, Bee21 and Hirondelle, Would you mind sharing: what are some of your reasons for moving toward a vegan diet?
Mostly environmental and animal welfare. I think we do use a massive amount of animals (just look up the stats of how many animals we keep for food vs how many animals are out there in the wild - numbers are quite shocking!) that we do not need and on top of that they're treated badly. Also ofcourse lots of trees/forests are cut to become soy plantations which then becomes pig food. Then there's us emptying the oceans - but as I really really really love fish that's a tough one for me.
Regarding health; I do think there's a lot of benefits from eating mostly plant based but due to deficiencies vegans can/do get I don't mind eating some animal based foods for the necessary B12, omega fats and easier proteins.
I don't know all the exact numbers and stats, but I do think the world will definitely be a better place if people would reduce their meat and dairy consumption.
I am far from a saint (lots of flying, working with experimental animals) so I also try to compensate some of my 'bad habits' by adopting more good habits.
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Mostly environmental and animal welfare. I think we do use a massive amount of animals (just look up the stats of how many animals we keep for food vs how many animals are out there in the wild - numbers are quite shocking!) that we do not need and on top of that they're treated badly. Also ofcourse lots of trees/forests are cut to become soy plantations which then becomes pig food. Then there's us emptying the oceans - but as I really really really love fish that's a tough one for me.
The numbers are shocking indeed. ...
(https://i.redd.it/5h8e3j2tmftz.png)
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Wow. I have never seen that statistic.
My opinion on veganism - if done with care, it is one of multiple healthy ways to eat. It is ethically a good thing, but I can say it is better than some other diets without saying I am better. I could easily list 10 other things I do worse than others. (I travel a lot, I don't donate very much, etc, etc.)
Do other people do batch cooking?
I eat oatmeal every day so I tend to make around 5 servings at a time in my Instant Pot. Sometimes I add a can of pumpkin. After it is cooked I add a Tbsp flax and a Tbsp chia seeds for each serving. And a 1/2 c mashed white beans for the protein. (If you want to do this start with 2 Tbsp and work up, so it doesn't bug you.). And cinnamon, etc. the day I eat it I add 1/2 tsp amla and a 10 oz bag of frozen berries.
Today I made lentils for the week. Soups taste better if you sauté your onions and garlic first in oil. Also your spices. I stopped using oil, so I do it a super easy way - I start by throwing a quartered onion, garlic cloves into my blender with some homemade veggie stock. When it is puréed add a bunch of celery and carrots, and anything else you are too lazy to chop. Put in Instant Pot (or regular pot) add a can of tomatoes or tomato sauce. Add 1 lb lentils. I soaked then sprouted them for a few hours but that's not actually necessary with lentils. I cooked in the Instant Pot (set to 12 minutes). Then added 2 baked sweet potatoes, semi mashed, and 2 baked white potatoes, cubed. (Cleaned out my fridge.). Added 1 Tbsp miso (my salt substitute, that is actually high in sodium but is not supposed to raise BP), liquid smoke, a bit of apple cider vinegar (lime juice would be even tastier) cumin and a Mrs Dash equivalent. Was very tasty.
I also currently am roasting a cauliflower broken into florets with paprika, cumin, and a teeny tiny bit of low salt soy sauce.
What are you eating?
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Have been vegan for 2+ years now. Mostly PTF and to offer support, encouragement, and any resources for recipes if people need ideas.
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http://www.isachandra.com/recipes/
Isa is one of our favorite vegan chefs - her website is above and she has published 10 cookbooks (some of those recipes are in the link above).
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Do other people do batch cooking?
What are you eating?
Your lentil soup sounds fantastic meadowlark!
I make a coconut curried one-- I will write the recipe out for you guys later.
I don't batch cook breakfast since I always work afternoons so I have time to make my meals..
often it's overnight oats, or some mix of berries with loads of additions such as chia, amla, cinnamon, lavender, cut up fruit, flax, etc.
I do however make batches of veggie chili's, or soups, sometimes falafels or roasted veg for the week. It's so helpful to have pre-prepped stuff in the fridge so I try to do this at least once a week.
Just about to make a big batch of homemade hummus.
And Malaysia41 --you asked about oat milk
I combine 4 cups water with 1 cup of oats in the blender. Sometimes some vanilla extract. Blend and strain through a nut milk bag. Super, super easy and mroe economical than making nut milks all the time.
I also love Dr.Gregor & nutrition facts. His book "How Not To Die" was pretty influencial for me.
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http://www.isachandra.com/recipes/
Isa is one of our favorite vegan chefs - her website is above and she has published 10 cookbooks (some of those recipes are in the link above).
thanks for the link, haven't seen her stuff before!
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I wish I would have seen this sooner to be able to possibly fully commit to it. I won't commit to a full vegan diet for January, but I will commit to eating way less meat. In fact we were already working towards that goal for health and ethical reasons. I bought DW a book for Christmas about a plant based diet. We had bean tostadas for dinner last night with some spanish rice. Looking to add more vegan days to the menu as the year progresses.
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https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall
Don't know if anyone saw last week, but U.S. News & World Report came out with their rankings of some 38 diets for 2018. They had a panel of nutritionists and doctors rank all of the diets in different categories.
As some of you might know, doctors get very little dietary training in med school in the U.S. It's simply not a core tenant of medical school here despite how incredibly important it is for one's health. It's quite tragic, imo, to leave out such an important part of our health.
Overall, you'll see pretty good marks on the plant-based diets - I would recommend Engine #2 Diet over straight vegan. That is what we try to follow (WFPB, which has been mentioned here). The big holdup is how easy it is to follow, which is kind of BS. That speaks more to our society relying on meat and dairy.
I think there may be cross over user interested in the keto diet thread - the keto diet ranked last or almost last in every category except for short-term weight loss.
I love learning new information via documentaries, usually on Netflix. I will say that "What The Health" came off more as a "Michael Moore" style film and has some info presented that isn't necessarily 100% true. Some better ones are Cowspiracy (environmental impact), Forks Over Knives (health), Vegucated (transition from vegetarian to vegan - this is the documentary that convinced my SO to go from vegetarian to vegan about 4 years ago), Earthlings (animal abuse - I haven't been able to watch as I've heard it's horrifying), and Plant Pure Nation (part community activism, part health, and part governmental conflicts). I'm sure there are others but those are the ones I know off the top of my head if you're looking for some info, help, inspiration, etc.
Good luck to all my new vegan buddies out there! I may have posted this once here before on this forum (maybe not) but I went vegan on 1/1/16 and haven't looked back. The above documentaries changed my life and I decided vegan (then ultimately WFPB) was the way for me. I lost nearly 20 pounds (I wasn't overweight but the weight just...disappeared) and 2+ inches off my waist. My skin cleared up. My stamina increased. Every aspect just felt better and it wasn't like I was super unhealthy before. I was also one of those "animal lovers" who didn't really think about all of the animal cruelty that went into my diet.
So if anyone needs encouragement, ideas, tips/tricks, recipes, or resources let me know!
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PTF. And, looking to move closer to WFPB this year, by reducing meat and dairy. Why? Health is the #1 reason - shooting for ideal Blood Pressure, and a long healthy life :-)
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I think it is fabulous to try to eat a few less meals with meat. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good, and all that.
Do people want to do a 'what I ate today' post to help others get ideas? I enjoy this topic (I am sure that is obvious!)
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I'm in. I started a WFPB diet (mostly) mid-last year. I had good weeks & bad weeks with sticking with it, but it went completely out the window during my 6-week vacation (Europe.. food.. drink... 10+kgs...).
But I'm back & recomitting!
I use the Daily Dozen app, which I love to use. It really makes me think about how to incorporate different food groups into my diet, and makes me reconsider food choices when I'm running out of calories for the day. For example, if I'm low on greens, I make sure they're part of dinner rather than something else.
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I'm n the Dr Greger Facebook group. There is a lot of OCD craziness, but also some good info. Like today I made popcorn with balsamic vinegar (and nutritional yeast) after reading it on that group. It was tasty, and I didn't feel the need for salt.
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https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall
So if anyone needs encouragement, ideas, tips/tricks, recipes, or resources let me know!
Thanks for sharing your story! Those docs have been inspirational to me as well.
As for what I have eaten today
Morning : turmeric milk
overnight oats with oatmilk, flax, lavender, amla, chia, blueberries & orange
Lunch : salad with roasted squash, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds
Dinner: we are about to eat tomato, kale & chickpea stew :)
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Yesterday, for dinner, we made the https://www.veganricha.com/2018/01/peanut-butter-cauliflower-bowl-with-roasted-carrots.html
I think the peanut sauce needs 1/3 less flour, and 2x more water. Other than that, the flavor balance was delicious.
+1 to Meadow Lark's "don't let perfect be the enemy of good."
May I share personal story about this? (WARNING- skip if you don't want to read about the systematic cruelty inherent in our animal ag food supply)
In the journey to where I am now, I've traipsed/trudged through the 3 chair-legs of veganism - health, environment and ethics. For my whole life I've felt a slight discord between not wanting to eat animals, and yet eating them. I've always thought drinking cows milk was weird. Even so, I poured 2% on my cereal. In retrospect, I used the three Ns (coined by Melanie Joy) to support my cognitive dissonance: "natural, normal, necessary." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnism)
We came to WFPB/veganism first through health, then the environment, and lastly, the ethics. Through it all, I questioned the normalcy of eating animals. I recognized that an appeal to nature is a logical fallacy (e.g. rape is natural, does that make it right?). I came to learn that nutritionally, animal products are not at all necessary.
As I researched more and more, I retained a notion that 'ethics' were the least of my reasons for being vegan. Perhaps it was because they set in last? Or, perhaps, it was because ethics seem to be the least socially acceptable reasons of the three. You start talking ethics, and carnists, with bellies full of bacon or butter or beef, feel personally attacked. But talk about health or the environment, and most are a little more willing to hear you out.
Even after watching Earthlings, Dairy is Scary (Erin Janus), Lucent, Land of Hope and Glory, Gary Yourofsky, Earthling Ed, James Aspey, etc. Even after all discomforting, heart-breaking revelations uncovered in my journey, I still clung to the idea that I was vegan first for health and environment.
It was when we ate at an Indian restaurant with friends that I realized how wrong I was. I'd made it clear (nicely) to the waiter that we wanted no dairy in our food. He signaled that he understood, guiding us toward some dishes and away from others. We ate merrily, avoiding the one dairy dish on the table that our vegetarian (not vegan) friends had ordered. I loved the benghan bartha (sp?) so ordered another dish of it for take away, reminding the waiter that we wanted no dairy.
At home, I opened our benghan bharta and found it was clearer, more red, than what we'd eaten in the restaurant. It didn't have milk/cream/yogurt in it. The dish at the restaurant had dairy. And we'd eaten it.
What happened next was a surprise to me. I was beyond angry. I was livid. I stewed in it, silently. For hours! I couldn't get over it. I even cried a little. I knew better than to rage-text about it to my friends, or worse, call the restaurant. So I just sat and thought about how I never want to be a part of the brutal dairy industry, and felt the anger of being suckered back into it. It's not normal. It's unnecessary. And I don't want to support rape, infanticide, nor 1-2 day old calves being stripped from their mothers only to never see them again. ~95% of dairy calves are taken from their mothers within two days (~63% within 24 hrs). In the words of Erin Janus, this happens because, referring to the milk, "That shit's ours."
After eating at that Indian restaurant, I was a part of this brutality again, and I was fucking beside myself. I was devastated. I went to bed angry, and woke up, well, still angry, but it was a little softer at that point.
The thing that got me back to being okay was exactly the phrase that Meadow Lark wrote: "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good."
We live in a society where consuming dairy is not only normalized, but our government encourages consuming three servings a day. Dairy is an industry built on brutal enslavement. Even if we can imagine some sort of humane treatment of animals on small-scale farms somewhere in the world, the reality is that the $4 gallon of milk at Whole Foods Market is from a factory farm where the cows live for 4-5 years, fully enslaved, losing their precious babies after every forced, anal-fisted pregnancy. Then, as thanks for all their suffering, they're sent to slaughter in their young adolescence.
This new reality of mine is full of challenges. But the phrase 'don't let perfect be the enemy of good' is handy to remember. That and 'be the change you wish to see.'
I hope that wasn't TMI. If anyone wants sources for any of the statements I made, I'll be happy to provide them.
Time to make split-pea soup now.
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For those struggling with options eating out, download the Happy Cow app! They also have a website you can peruse. But it's a large (worldwide? maybe?) database of vegan, vegeterian, veg-friendly restaurants. So if you're unsure of what's in your area, you could take a look there and see what others have reported.
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I've pretty much been vegan so far in January (except one time at a friends place for lunch I had some cheese). So I think I can join in. I was going to make a cheesy lasagna this weekend for a dinner party but I'll make a vegan lasagna instead! Anyone have a recipe for a good vegan lasagna they have tried and like? Looking for something easy to put together.
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I've pretty much been vegan so far in January (except one time at a friends place for lunch I had some cheese). So I think I can join in. I was going to make a cheesy lasagna this weekend for a dinner party but I'll make a vegan lasagna instead! Anyone have a recipe for a good vegan lasagna they have tried and like? Looking for something easy to put together.
Haven't tried these yet but here are a few options (I have mentioned the website before but keep plugging it ONLY b/c it's my go-to) ha
https://www.veganricha.com/?s=lasagna
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Soy yoghurt was on sale, so instead of normal yoghurt I got the soy version. Another dairy product avoided for this week :)
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I've been eating vegan for five years now, so if anyone wants help, feel free to message me!
Breakfast today was homemade granola with flax milk. Lunch is a super hearty potato soup with added red lentils. They disintegrate, so they just end up thickening the soup.
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Red lentil potato soup sounds delicious.
I made pasta (made from red lentil flour) for lunch today. I wish there was a cheap ready made pasta sauce that fit the whole 'no salt, no sugar, no oil' thing. I did my usual go to for lazy pasta sauce - threw an onion, 3 cl garlic, and a can of no salt tomato sauce in the blender, then cooked it down for about 30 min. Added fresh basil, oregano, marjoram. Then plated with chopped walnuts (has a meaty texture), tiny bit of miso for salt, and nutritional yeast.
I might consider canning ready to eat pasta sauce. Or maybe find a recipe that doesn't cook it so long.
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I made this jalapeño “cream” enchilada casserole that was delicious! I think I’ll put it in the regular rotation.
https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/vegan-enchilada-casserole-jalapeno-cream-sauce/
I used red enchilada sauce instead of green and topped it with some roasted salsa.
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I’ve been vegan for a little over two years now, but I’ll join in for this month from the perspective of working to be a bit more diligent in ensuring I’m not eating animal products. And refraining from eating the occasional office cookie I KNOW is not vegan. :)
Prior to going vegan, I was vegetarian for >15 years. For me, the motivating factor to make the switch was the ethics of animal treatment, even “just” for eggs and dairy- previously I’d been willfully ignorant of this. I watched many of the same documentaries already mentioned in this thread.
It wasn’t a huge change to my diet, but I did realize I actually used cheese and dairy WAY more than I would have estimated. And I’ve noticed my tastes have adapted a lot over the last two years- now if I eat something containing butter or dairy, it honestly doesn’t even taste very good, moral objections aside. It’s definitely a personal journey for everyone individually, and I’m encouraged to see so many in this thread taking steps toward consuming less animal products!
I still don’t particularly like identifying as a vegan in public because of the strong reactions even mentioning the word seems to provoke in people. I’m definitely not one to lecture or even share my choice or reasoning unless asked, but I’ve found that doesn’t stop others from trying to lecture ME about my choices. Have others ran into this challenge? How do you handle it?
A few of my favorite recipe resources that I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
- Thug Kitchen books (all 3) and blog
- America’s Test Kitchen Vegan for Everybody book (love this one- might be my top rec for newer vegans now)
- Purple Carrot recipes (vegan boxed meal delivery service that is as overpriced as other similar services, but they also post their recipes online for free. Just Google to find the right page. Even the recipes that sounded kind of strange to me have been so delicious!)
And don’t forget- if you are going full vegan (great!) pick up a bottle of B12 supplements. This is the one thing you really can’t go without or get sufficient quantities of from a plant only diet.
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Joining in!
I've been mostly WFPB for years, but am recommitting after a couple of years in the wilderness.
Even my Texan-as-hell, meat-loving partner decided (on her own, with no pestering from me, I swear) to go vegetarian, which is something I never thought would happen. She watched What The Health? with me and is obsessed with maxing out the Daily Dozen app checklist. We have a copy of How Not To Die on the coffee table as well for reference.
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Oh wow, I came here to lurk some threads and saw this and registered. It's exciting to see that people are interested in switching to a vegan diet and there's a lot of positivity in this thread. I have been eating vegan/plant-based since August 2017 (my partner, too!) and have been enjoying it. Before that, I ate animal products still but was slowly starting to feel less and less interested it (in wanting to eat healthier). When I learned more about the environmental impact, I thought, "Okay, I'm done. I don't need this." It was been really easy, personally, and I couldn't imagine going back. It helps that I really enjoy cooking and find that to be a creative process.
I still don’t particularly like identifying as a vegan in public because of the strong reactions even mentioning the word seems to provoke in people. I’m definitely not one to lecture or even share my choice or reasoning unless asked, but I’ve found that doesn’t stop others from trying to lecture ME about my choices. Have others ran into this challenge? How do you handle it?
I agree! When I "went vegan" I didn't tell anyone. I didn't even think of myself as "going vegan," I just didn't desire to eat meat anymore (and never was a fan of dairy products, so that was easy). People started to catch on based on observation, and honestly, sometimes it's just easier to say "vegan" instead of saying, "I don't want/like to eat meat. Or dairy. Or just... that," since I'm a very picky eater in general. At work functions it's hard, like catered dinners where you have to request a specifically vegan option because there isn't one by default. However, annoyingly enough, I do notice that even if people hear "vegan" they ask questions anyway, like, "So no meat? No cheese? Nothing fun?" So it really doesn't matter what I say. People will just observe and make comments. I have had lots of comments on my work lunches, for instances, even when not vegan (generally to be complimentary).
While the reactions can be annoying and I'm definitely not the type to want to waste my time answering these questions, lecturing, or persuading, I try to be patient and think about it this way: Even if I didn't want this, I somehow became "that office vegan," perhaps the only vegan person in their lives that people know personally. Whether or not they're standoffish or legitimately curious, how I act will affect the way others view veganism as a whole, whether or not I mean to act a certain way or not. It's all about perception. It's easy for people for filter and stereotype; conduct yourself like you're facilitating a positive perspective in their eyes.
My advice? Be positive, patient, no matter what. In a way, by being vegan, you're different by the perspective of others, and if they're curious, they have a lot to learn and you unwittingly take on the role of an educator. It's kind of... a responsibility of sorts. Should you care what people think about veganism? Sure. If more people were patient as this type of thing becomes more popular, less and less people would feel as awkward as we currently do. Is it fair that people always have to pick out what's different about others all the time? No, but again, hopefully, the more they learn about it, the more this type of behavior will become mitigated. Some people are downright rude about it, but in that case, they are projecting - don't let them monopolize your time. You don't have to listen to it. Walk away.
(Edited for typos.)
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Thanks for all of your stories! I love learning what brought people to plant based vegan diet, hearing how social circles reacted, and what insights and tips people have developed for responding. It’s weird we need strategies for talking to people about something as simple as eating without demanding victims ( the ‘victims here include animals and ourselves).
These stories often illuminate the many ways our system reinforces the status quo. As imadandylion noted, whether you want to or not, you represent a movement... just by choosing to eat plants ! It’s weird isn’t it? But it goes to show how pervasive the carnism ideology is. And so we find ourselves fielding what seem like goofy questions. Personally, I strive to retain unlimited positive regard for whoever I’m talking with. I try to stick to my story and my discoveries and revelations. That way the carnist feels less attacked. I’m not coming at a person when I stick to ‘my side of the street’.
I’ve used the term carnism to describe the pervasive ideology of consuming animal products. I’ve used the word carnist to label people who follow this ideology. I’d like to know - What do you think of each of those terms?
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However, annoyingly enough, I do notice that even if people hear "vegan" they ask questions anyway, like, "So no meat? No cheese? Nothing fun?" So it really doesn't matter what I say. People will just observe and make comments.
This is so ridiculous. Why would eating meat and cheese be more fun? It's similar to people judging others for not drinking alcohol but to me even worse as with alcohol I can get the fun part but for meat and cheese? How am I less fun if I eat sth else than you. I've never heard anyone blaming anyone for not eating tomatoes, or carrots, or celery. It's really fascinating how not eating meat (and dairly) leads to such strong judgements.
When I talked to a friend last week about eating more plant based he was like 'Oh please don't turn vegan, then I have to break our friendship' and I was like WTF why? His reasoning: 'Then how can I take you to my favorite steakhouse?'. Darling, I don't even like steaks... even as I kid steak was like my least favorite meat. I know he's joking, but come on, why so extreme?
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I've been eating vegan for five years now, so if anyone wants help, feel free to message me!
Breakfast today was homemade granola with flax milk. Lunch is a super hearty potato soup with added red lentils. They disintegrate, so they just end up thickening the soup.
clarkai - what keeps you committed to eating vegan after so many years? (if you don't mind me asking).
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My advice? Be positive, patient, no matter what. In a way, by being vegan, you're different by the perspective of others, and if they're curious, they have a lot to learn and you unwittingly take on the role of an educator. It's kind of... a responsibility of sorts. Should you care what people think about veganism? Sure. If more people were patient as this type of thing becomes more popular, less and less people would feel as awkward as we currently do. Is it fair that people always have to pick out what's different about others all the time? No, but again, hopefully, the more they learn about it, the more this type of behavior will become mitigated. Some people are downright rude about it, but in that case, they are projecting - don't let them monopolize your time. You don't have to listen to it. Walk away.
ahh...I really like this paragraph!
"Be Positive, patient, no matter what" is a brilliant motto
We invited some foodie friends over for dinner last night and I mentioned to them beforehand that our main dish would be veggie (I guessed her boyfriend might not be on board with that, but he was). It led us to a really interesting discussion over our appetizers and we all agreed that reducing animal products is the way of the future. These friends were ones I did not expect to have this discussion with...
Has anyone seen the movie Okja?
It is quite moving and my friend, who wasn't stirred by the documentaries we've all stated before, said that seeing that film woke her.
Something different will capture each individual.
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I've been eating vegan for five years now, so if anyone wants help, feel free to message me!
Breakfast today was homemade granola with flax milk. Lunch is a super hearty potato soup with added red lentils. They disintegrate, so they just end up thickening the soup.
clarkai - what keeps you committed to eating vegan after so many years? (if you don't mind me asking).
A lot of reasons, actually. Some of them are really simple and reasonable, and some of them probably verge on paranoia.
1. One of the first things I realized when I started my own month-long challenge 5 years ago is that clean up in the kitchen is way, way, way easier. I don't have to worry about raw meat or meat juices contaminating surfaces or ready to eat foods. There is no gristle or fat to clean off of my cutting boards. Baked on vegan food is way easier to clean off than baked on omnivore food.
2. My acne (I was almost 25 at the time) got much better. My asthma reduced in severity dramatically.
3. Once I got away from eating animals long enough, I realized that I'd never actually been able to kill anything, aside from mercy killings, and I grew up on a farm. Gutting and butchering I've done plenty of (easily thousands, because I worked on a chicken farm at one point), but the number of animals I've personally killed I can count on one hand. When I'd been at that moment of killing things before, my own moral compass was not comfortable with the trade off of ending a creature's life for what amounts to a different flavor profile.
4. After I did a pile of research, I learned that animals are not actually a necessary part of the human diet. Growing up, I thought they were, and that you had to eat animals to be healthy.
5. By not eating beef, I avoid the specter of variant CJD/BSE/Mad Cow disease. (This is one that verges on paranoid)
6. Getting my amino acids from legumes is way cheaper than getting them from animal products.
7. I don't have to support confined animal feeding operations.
8. I'm not contributing to fisheries collapse, or the slavery involved in shrimp farming. (And I actively work to avoid similar ethical issues with bananas, tomatoes, chocolate, etc)
9. Soy bean and corn production is one of the leading causes of dead zones and Rainforest deforestation. A great majority of these crops go to feed cows, pigs, chickens, etc, instead of people. By not eating animals, I'm reducing the demand for soy beans and corn.
10. By eating lower on the food chain, I'm not exposing myself to as many bioaccumulating toxins as people who eat tuna, salmon, etc.
11. I've never been about to find a single scientific study recommending that humans eat less legumes, nuts, vegetables, or fruits. It just so happens that this is what my diet is based on. On the other hand, there is lots of debate about meat, dairy, and eggs, and whether they are ok, or actively bad for you.
12. By eating plants and fungi, I'm eating at a lower trophic level, which means that my diet is way more efficient and uses up way less land and other resources than it would if I were eating animals.
13. Every food scrap from my kitchen can be composted.
14. My food is automatically halal and kosher.
15. My diet has diversified so much- I eat so many more species than I used to.
16. The smell of omnivore leftovers than have gone bad is way worse than vegan leftovers that have gone bad.
17. I'm able to be a really healthy and active person while being vegan, and that's what eating is about for me. (Well, that, and how tasty everything is)
18. I actually stopped eating chicken and eggs long before I went vegan because for a while I worked on a non-cafo chicken farm, that was organic, run by a local family, and supposedly pasture raised their chickens (that is to say, they weren't pasture raised by my standards, but they were by the farmers, regulators, and so forth). Having grown up on a small farm, where we only grew for ourselves, I couldn't stomach the difference in how the chickens were raised on one of the best farms in the area, and how we'd done it when I was a kid. The lack of care for them as living creatures was clear. Broken bones left to "heal" on their own, fatty tumors in the meat, deep tissue necrosis, and what the butcher called acidosis where all common occurrences, and we just cut out the obviously affected bits and sold the rest of the chicken- for over $6/lb. These guys weren't really chickens any more- just fat blobs that only moved when they had to, laying in their own filth, and started dying of heart attacks around 8 weeks of age. That's just the meat birds, we also raised laying hens, which had their own problems.
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Hope everyone is still going strong this month. Not a vegan myself but we did try the no meat thing for a bit. It wasn't for me unfortunately. Lost too much weight and felt weak and lethargic. But we do still actively try to reduce our meat consumption.
I wanted to share by far, our favorite vegan recipe. It's a 10-spice vegetable soup from "Oh She Glows." It's loaded with veggies and has a little spicy kick to it. It's absolutely wonderful and everyone we have shared the soup with has asked for the recipe. It makes a ton of leftovers as well.
Here ya go:
http://ohsheglows.com/2014/10/02/10-spice-vegetable-soup-freezer-friendly-vegan-gluten-free/ (http://ohsheglows.com/2014/10/02/10-spice-vegetable-soup-freezer-friendly-vegan-gluten-free/)
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My son is vegan, but I am not....although I try to cut meat consumption and buy from local butcher who ethically sources meat.
If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend this very healthy brownie recipe from detoxinista
https://detoxinista.com/date-sweetened-flourless-brownie-recipe/
I am gluten free, so it has no wheat and is sweetened with dates and is vegan...
She has lots of great vegan recipes on her site
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While the reactions can be annoying and I'm definitely not the type to want to waste my time answering these questions, lecturing, or persuading, I try to be patient and think about it this way: Even if I didn't want this, I somehow became "that office vegan," perhaps the only vegan person in their lives that people know personally. Whether or not they're standoffish or legitimately curious, how I act will affect the way others view veganism as a whole, whether or not I mean to act a certain way or not. It's all about perception. It's easy for people for filter and stereotype; conduct yourself like you're facilitating a positive perspective in their eyes.
This part really resonated with me- I’ve often used this line of thought when living abroad or traveling, but for some reason never thought to apply it to veganism!
Loved hearing everyone’s thoughts- thanks for the feedback everyone. I need to focus on being patient and kind instead of getting annoyed when others try to tell me how I should eat.
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Following. Been a (99%) vegan for roughly 5 years now. I was very strict WFPB / Forks Over Knives when I started out and have been a bit lazier the past few years. So my challenge isn't staying vegan so much as it is staying away from convenience foods (especially as the vegan options have exploded the last few years - but it makes me want to try them all!). My diet is still mostly whole foods, and I've been eating out a lot less lately so that helps!
And yeah I will admit to sometimes eating the occasional office cookie or donut when I'm feeling weak. (damn my coworkers) Definitely not perfect! Meat/cheese doesn't really tempt me though.
Good luck with the challenge everyone!
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local butcher who ethically sources meat.
What does this mean?
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I blew it this past weekend. Had friends visiting and ate some eggs and dairy. Going back to vegan today and don’t have any plans with friends for the rest of the month so I should be able to be vegan til Feb. Actually I have a stretch goal to be vegan through July 4 but we’ll see how that goes.
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local butcher who ethically sources meat.
What does this mean?
I was wondering the same thing.
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I blew it this past weekend. Had friends visiting and ate some eggs and dairy. Going back to vegan today and don’t have any plans with friends for the rest of the month so I should be able to be vegan til Feb. Actually I have a stretch goal to be vegan through July 4 but we’ll see how that goes.
Hey, it happens.
Funny how easy it is to eat vegan in your own home, but out in the world it can be tough to find options.
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I'm curious what are people's opinion on honey?
I get not wanting traditional commercial honey but is this something that can be ethically sourced from a local farmer? There are a few local beekeepers that sell their honey that seem very willing to do private tours and talk about their operations and DH used to work for one back in Home State and I know I can get the details on his operations.
If it is something that can legitimately be ethically done what questions should I be asking? What should I be looking for?
I use very little honey, I still have the small container I bought a year or so ago so this isn't a big deal but I'm curious about other vegan's opinions
Honey is one of the weird categories. My understanding is that commercial honey is problematic because it crowds out diverse species of bees, there’s quite a bit of fraud with honey being cut with, for example, rice syrup, and then there’s the whole thing where we’re taking their food. Ethically for animal welfare, it’s not clear cut to me.
I personally don’t eat honey. where I live now, I only have access to grocery store honey so that’s an easy choice. Near our home base in the states, our friends maintain a colony - possibly like you describe.. I taste their honey when I visit. But I don’t consume much. I’ve cut out added sugar from my diet anyway, so I don’t have a desire to eat much honey, even honey I think is ethical.
That probably doesn’t help much though. I think strictly speaking, most vegans would say no to honey. But it doesn’t seem as ethically a cut n dry case like dairy, for example.
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local butcher who ethically sources meat.
What does this mean?
I was wondering the same thing.
Ethically sourced meat is meat that is sourced from animals raised in a traditional manner, where animals can maintain their natural behaviour ...grazing, free range, hormone and antibiotic free. I know, I am still eating animals, not cool by a vegan standard, but I know the farms they come from, they are darn near in my backyard. I pay a premium and it’s worth it. I eat very little meat and have many vegan meals (thanks to my grown son who is an amazing cook and shares his recipes).
Please don’t bite....
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local butcher who ethically sources meat.
What does this mean?
I was wondering the same thing.
Ethically sourced meat is meat that is sourced from animals raised in a traditional manner, where animals can maintain their natural behaviour ...grazing, free range, hormone and antibiotic free. I know, I am still eating animals, not cool by a vegan standard, but I know the farms they come from, they are darn near in my backyard. I pay a premium and it’s worth it. I eat very little meat and have many vegan meals (thanks to my grown son who is an amazing cook and shares his recipes).
Please don’t bite....
For me personally, if you are NOT participating in the industrial factory farming supply chain, you are miles ahead of people blindly eating a Standard Western Diet (SWD).
Usually, when people cite ethical farming as a justification for continuing to eat meat, they seem to then make the completely incorrect assumption that most meat comes from nice places. When in truth, the fact that local natural farms exist is no justification for eating a Wendy’s double cheeseburger.
If people making this argument looked into the stats from USDA ( I can link the study later - something like ‘transformation of US livestock ‘), they’d see that almost all meat in the us market - like 96% of pig meat for example- is from industrial farms. So the fact that ‘nice’ farms exist is really no justification at all. And to me, this line of argument is obtuse and made in bad faith. It's irritating to say the least.
Of course I'm not talking about you here - as you don’t buy grocery store or restaurant animal products.
There’s still the issue of consuming food that requires a victim. No getting around that. But if all the SWD carnitas* in the world ate meat infrequently, and only of the kind you describe, the world would be a better place.
So I can’t bite you too hard.
Edit: ha ha autocorrect turned ‘carnists’ Into carnitas. I’m keeping that.
Edit #2:
relevant chart of pig population across various farm sizes (https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/75wstl/why_everyone_knows_a_nice_little_farm_where)
The USDA report (https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44292/10992_eib43.pdf?v=41055) I referred to earlier in my comment.
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For the lazy, here are some screenshots of graphs about our meat animal supply:
Broiler (meat) chickens: (From the USDA Livestock Transformation report (https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44292/10992_eib43.pdf?v=41055))
(https://i.imgur.com/0RxiEh5m.png)
Cattle for meat: (From the USDA Livestock Transformation report (https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44292/10992_eib43.pdf?v=41055))
(https://i.imgur.com/YSUcWejm.png)
Pigs: (from reddit post 'Why everyone knows a nice little farm where things aren't so bad, but eats factory farmed meat (https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/75wstl/why_everyone_knows_a_nice_little_farm_where/)'):
(https://i.imgur.com/i4Yghn2m.png)
And lastly, antibiotic use for pigs - just cuz it's alarming: (From the USDA Livestock Transformation report (https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44292/10992_eib43.pdf?v=41055))
(https://i.imgur.com/ac4qhnRm.png)
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I was just skimming through "What to Eat" by Marion Nestle last night and she lists data on how many cows, pigs, chickens there are in the U.S. and it's shocking! She also brings up some of the other issues like antibiotics, etc. There are a lot of reasons to quit eating other critters.
I went WFPB after I got to hear T. Colin Campbell speak a few years ago, but I've been thinking of transitioning to actual veganism this year because while most of my meals are extremely healthy and usually vegan, there's always that non-vegan treat (sticky buns, cookies, I could go on) that sneaks into my diet and keeps me 10-15 lbs overweight. I think the only way to beat is it quit it. However, I am baking non-vegan muffins right now, so I guess I have a ways to go on this.
I think folks who cut way back on meat but don't want to go vegan are still to be applauded. It still reduces the demand for animal products which is a good trend. This is a nice, civil thread. Thanks everybody!
Last thing: have you checked out the vegan section of Budget Bytes? Some pretty yummy looking and easy vegan recipes there. https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/vegan/
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I think we are all doing the best we can, and that is as good as it gets. And man, it would be so easy for someone to look at my life and pick apart all the less than optimal things I do.
I am glad others here seem to have the same attitude here. There are some actions that are right vs wrong, but, except for possibly? IDK an incredibly small amount, there are no right vs wrong people.
I eat honey. I don't have a good argument for it, and that may change, but I haven't been convinced. Although - the amount I eat is really, really small and infrequent, because I try not to eat sugar and I don't love the taste.
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I'm curious what are people's opinion on honey?
I get not wanting traditional commercial honey but is this something that can be ethically sourced from a local farmer? There are a few local beekeepers that sell their honey that seem very willing to do private tours and talk about their operations and DH used to work for one back in Home State and I know I can get the details on his operations.
If it is something that can legitimately be ethically done what questions should I be asking? What should I be looking for?
I use very little honey, I still have the small container I bought a year or so ago so this isn't a big deal but I'm curious about other vegan's opinions
Honey is one of the weird categories. My understanding is that commercial honey is problematic because it crowds out diverse species of bees, there’s quite a bit of fraud with honey being cut with, for example, rice syrup, and then there’s the whole thing where we’re taking their food. Ethically for animal welfare, it’s not clear cut to me.
I personally don’t eat honey. where I live now, I only have access to grocery store honey so that’s an easy choice. Near our home base in the states, our friends maintain a colony - possibly like you describe.. I taste their honey when I visit. But I don’t consume much. I’ve cut out added sugar from my diet anyway, so I don’t have a desire to eat much honey, even honey I think is ethical.
That probably doesn’t help much though. I think strictly speaking, most vegans would say no to honey. But it doesn’t seem as ethically a cut n dry case like dairy, for example.
My wife and I both went vegan just under two years ago, but we both still use locally sourced honey. I have a specific supplier who works with local beekeepers across the Phoenix valley and sells the honey by location for people who want it for allergies. For me, buying local honey really alleviates the ethical issue of it, especially in such a heavily populated area as Phoenix where there isn't a lot of space for wild colonies. While captive colonies aren't the best, they are the next best thing in this case.
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Here's a few more websites for folks looking for recipe ideas:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/) If you have a sweet tooth and don't plan to give it up, she has some great recipes! Also a decent amount that require no oil (I try not to use it when I cook) or can sub it with nut butter. My absolute favorite that I've made several dozen times is her blondies... the secret ingredient is chickpeas (no flour at all!) but no one that I've fed them to has ever guessed. My (non-vegan) friends request them often. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/)
http://thevegan8.com/ (http://thevegan8.com/) Also a favorite for both quality and simplicity (8 ingredients or less). This week I made her "cheesy mexican tortilla bake" and it turned out delicious (and it was easy)! I just finished the leftovers tonight and I found myself wishing there were more. http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/ (http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/)
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Thanks for the recipe link SCUBAstache,
I also recommend the Happy Pear. Here's an example of a carbonara recipe I plan to make:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_qUHFx-jCI
Also the honey discussion kaleidoscopical, meadow lark and aerynlee. It's yet another topic where I think willful research, as opposed to willful ignorance, can only improve our choices, and the impact those choices make.
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I just saw this thread but I've been doing this in January. I have failed already but it's minor. I bought a burrito bowl and it had some cheese sprinkled on it.
One thing I'm really struggling with though is creating tasty meals. It's really hard.
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Here's a few more websites for folks looking for recipe ideas:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/) If you have a sweet tooth and don't plan to give it up, she has some great recipes! Also a decent amount that require no oil (I try not to use it when I cook) or can sub it with nut butter. My absolute favorite that I've made several dozen times is her blondies... the secret ingredient is chickpeas (no flour at all!) but no one that I've fed them to has ever guessed. My (non-vegan) friends request them often. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/)
http://thevegan8.com/ (http://thevegan8.com/) Also a favorite for both quality and simplicity (8 ingredients or less). This week I made her "cheesy mexican tortilla bake" and it turned out delicious (and it was easy)! I just finished the leftovers tonight and I found myself wishing there were more. http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/ (http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/)
We made the chocolate chip blondies this morning. I used a bit less sugar than the recipe called for. Usually we don't bake sweets, but I thought I'd give it a shot.
I forgot to take a picture before we dug in, but here's a picture of the remains...
(https://i.imgur.com/QdBZLVNm.jpg)
Thanks again for the suggestion SCUBAstache.
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I just saw this thread but I've been doing this in January. I have failed already but it's minor. I bought a burrito bowl and it had some cheese sprinkled on it.
One thing I'm really struggling with though is creating tasty meals. It's really hard.
One thing that helps me is remembering to soak a lot o beans every other day, then cook them up with a ton of spices and veggies. Then we eat the leftovers for a couple days. Cuban black bean soup (use allspice and cloves), split pea soup (use a dash of liquid smoke and smoked paprika). Or, if you don't want to soak, a big batch of Ethiopian lentils as mesir wat.
All of these dishes are easy, full of nutrition, and can last for days.
It's all about learning one recipe at a time, and pulling it into regular rotation.
But then again, almost all of everything we eat is home-cooked. If you eat outside of the home a lot, that can be challenging.
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I'm so glad you liked the blondies! I confess I usually double the recipe because we like them so much... that way it makes a full 9x13 pan's worth! And all the ingredients still (barely) fit in my food processor so it's still super easy to make. Though the sugar is a bit of an indulgence, I feel a lot less guilty about eating these than most other desserts!
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I just saw this thread but I've been doing this in January. I have failed already but it's minor. I bought a burrito bowl and it had some cheese sprinkled on it.
One thing I'm really struggling with though is creating tasty meals. It's really hard.
One thing that helps me is remembering to soak a lot o beans every other day, then cook them up with a ton of spices and veggies. Then we eat the leftovers for a couple days. Cuban black bean soup (use allspice and cloves), split pea soup (use a dash of liquid smoke and smoked paprika). Or, if you don't want to soak, a big batch of Ethiopian lentils as mesir wat.
All of these dishes are easy, full of nutrition, and can last for days.
It's all about learning one recipe at a time, and pulling it into regular rotation.
But then again, almost all of everything we eat is home-cooked. If you eat outside of the home a lot, that can be challenging.
Thank You.
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I just saw this thread but I've been doing this in January. I have failed already but it's minor. I bought a burrito bowl and it had some cheese sprinkled on it.
One thing I'm really struggling with though is creating tasty meals. It's really hard.
One thing that helps me is remembering to soak a lot o beans every other day, then cook them up with a ton of spices and veggies. Then we eat the leftovers for a couple days. Cuban black bean soup (use allspice and cloves), split pea soup (use a dash of liquid smoke and smoked paprika). Or, if you don't want to soak, a big batch of Ethiopian lentils as mesir wat.
All of these dishes are easy, full of nutrition, and can last for days.
It's all about learning one recipe at a time, and pulling it into regular rotation.
But then again, almost all of everything we eat is home-cooked. If you eat outside of the home a lot, that can be challenging.
Thank You.
One thing I do is create a meal plan on the weekend, and do my major shopping trip then, too. I have a 21-day rotation that I add or subtract meals from as I get cravings or get sick of them. We eat 99% of our food at home, so it did take me awhile to pull together enough different recipes.
This is an example week:
Sunday: Chickpea potato salad; Lentil basil squash curry
Monday: Moroccan Black Eyed Peas & pancakes; Thai Tempeh Salad
Tuesday: Kale salad with ginger tahini & tofu; Lentil spaghetti
Wednesday: Blackeyed pea pasta; falafel salad
Thursday: Orca bean soup; Tempeh meatloaf cupcakes
Friday: Teriyaki seitan tacos; Brownie granola
Saturday: Chickpea flat bread; Red Lentil Dal
Sunday: Anna's Black-Eyed Peas; Quinoa Avocado Salad Jar
Monday: Tempeh Taco Salad; Seitan Roast
We usually have two big meals per day, and then snack on fruits and veges.
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Here's a few more websites for folks looking for recipe ideas:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/) If you have a sweet tooth and don't plan to give it up, she has some great recipes! Also a decent amount that require no oil (I try not to use it when I cook) or can sub it with nut butter. My absolute favorite that I've made several dozen times is her blondies... the secret ingredient is chickpeas (no flour at all!) but no one that I've fed them to has ever guessed. My (non-vegan) friends request them often. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/)
http://thevegan8.com/ (http://thevegan8.com/) Also a favorite for both quality and simplicity (8 ingredients or less). This week I made her "cheesy mexican tortilla bake" and it turned out delicious (and it was easy)! I just finished the leftovers tonight and I found myself wishing there were more. http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/ (http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/)
thanks--Love all the recommendations for different sites--it is so helpful!
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I want to eat at your house! Mine is a lot simpler. Basically oatmeal and fruit every morning, cook a pot of beans and veggies (right now I have red beans and rice with sweet potato). Then I fill in around that with a salad, or veggies, or whole grain toast with PB and fruit on top (my fav I see apple slices or raisins. That will cover about 5 days.
I think I am going to try making 'refrigerator chia jam' tomorrow. I normally just place sliced fruit on my sandwiches, but I am gonna get fancy. I think I will Blend up some thawed blueberries and some chia seeds and cinnamon and see how they taste on PB toast. It guess if they aren't sweet enough I will add a couple dates. I don't know if I should cook it or not. I'll probably try it.
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We have been doing WFPB for several months (for the most part - we do have cheat meals when socializing). We are doing it for health reasons. My husbands blood work has improved and his blood pressure is better. My biggest benefit has been that my joint pain has disappeared. I was having constant pain in my elbows and knees. It has completely disappeared.
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Well, I thought I'd been ok about paying closer attention to choosing foods with no animal products, but...
I picked up a bag of chips at work to go with my Curried Chickpea Salad (from Oh She Glows cookbook, though looks like it's reproduced here: http://thetaste.ie/wp/curried-chickpea-salad-recipe-from-oh-she-glows/). Apparently this brand of salt and vinegar chips contains both lactose and buttermilk?!? I never even thought to check before, and I only read the ingredients after I already consumed the small bag.
Oh well, lesson learned. :) I'd guess some versions of salt and vinegar chips might be vegan? Obviously not a health food or whole food plant based- but I do enjoy chips as an occasional indulgence. I'll have to choose a better flavor next time.
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That recipe looks delicious! I see I have most of the ingredients already at home, so may look into trying it later this week.
Why would salt/vinegar chips NOT be vegan? It totally doesn't make sense it contains lactose/buttermilk. Sure, it might add to the flavor or durability, but it doesn't seem essential to me?
My vegan attempts haven't been very succesful yet unfortunately. Friday turned into nacho night and I spent the weekend at my parents who don't believe in "less meat is good for you/the world", let alone veganism. I did manage to not eat any meat there, which is an accomplishment an sich. Plus I've got my brother on board for one meat-free day a week.
Other failures were the chocolate milk we made at work today, the nutella I bought (OOPS) to make my favorite Indonesian snack and the fact that I still have quite a lot of eggs to finish - but they were bought before I committed to the challenge.
The successes? I've consistently been eating soy yoghurt and haven't used any animal products for home-cooked dinners in about a week. I think I'll try to finish all non-vegan products (except for the nutella - that's just too much in one week!) in my house this week and start the challenge again in February.
Recipe wise this was the first ever vegan recipe I tried (without realizing it was vegan!) and I've made it many times for all my friends. It actually fits with almost every allergy or restriction (no gluten, no lactose, vegan, no peanuts and the cashews are optional). It's in Dutch but Google Translate will do a proper job: http://www.smulweb.nl/recepten/1399028/Romige-wortelcurry#recipe_bottom_1399028
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If you need recipe ideas, check out this thread - https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/what-vegetarianvegan-food-are-you-eating-right-now/550/?topicseen
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If you need recipe ideas, check out this thread - https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/what-vegetarianvegan-food-are-you-eating-right-now/550/?topicseen
Thanks!
I think my problem right now is mostly unawareness. It's easy to avoid meat/fish/dairy products, but for me it's harder to avoid products that are not directly animal related (in my brain), like nutella or coffee with milk, even if there's plenty of alternatives.
I did make some vegan friends in town though and apparently there's a lot of good vegan restaurant options in this city! Will be trying out one next month (very unmustachian).
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I'm improving my recipes but one thing I've had to do is use more oil. I was moving away from this but it simply didn't work. That doesn't mean that I use too much oil but I use it because it makes food taste better.
I have an issue now that I'd like some advice on. People seem to be told that eating meat is healthy and that we need to eat meat. I've changed to eating more plant based because I'm 100% convinced the scientific evidence is clearly stating plant based diets are healthy. My wife for instance just went to the doctor who told her that she has to eat some meat. How do you guys handle this ?
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I have an issue now that I'd like some advice on. People seem to be told that eating meat is healthy and that we need to eat meat. I've changed to eating more plant based because I'm 100% convinced the scientific evidence is clearly stating plant based diets are healthy. My wife for instance just went to the doctor who told her that she has to eat some meat. How do you guys handle this ?
Why did the doctor say she has to eat more meat? Probably there's some vitamin or nutrient she's deficient in? Figure out what particular nutrients he was talking about (B12, Iron, Protein, could be anything) and try to find other ways to increase intake without adding extra meat to your diet.
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I have an issue now that I'd like some advice on. People seem to be told that eating meat is healthy and that we need to eat meat. I've changed to eating more plant based because I'm 100% convinced the scientific evidence is clearly stating plant based diets are healthy. My wife for instance just went to the doctor who told her that she has to eat some meat. How do you guys handle this ?
Why did the doctor say she has to eat more meat? Probably there's some vitamin or nutrient she's deficient in? Figure out what particular nutrients he was talking about (B12, Iron, Protein, could be anything) and try to find other ways to increase intake without adding extra meat to your diet.
I agree with Hirondelle - the thing to do is ask the doctor what specific nutrients are lacking. Medical doctors in the US receive very little nutrition training - we're talking like 10-20 hours. While they're often happy to tell you how to eat, they often have no clue themselves beyond the same old conventional 'wisdoms' we all hear.
My understanding at this point, is that the medical evidence is very convincing that at least 95% of your calories should come from veggies, fruits, funghi, grains and legumes - aka 'plants' in the everyday language. 0% should come from dairy, and maybe 5% could come from animal sources, eggs probably being your best bet*.
But in the case of your doctor, I'd just start asking open ended questions like, "what specific nutrients are you concerned about/ you think are missing?" then ask, "what other nutrients" and "what else" etc. You'll find out real quick whether your doctor knows much about nutrition.
Lately, I've been listening to Dr. Garth Davis. He's totally vegan, but he concedes that if 5% of your diet (but no more than 5%) comes from animal products - preferably eggs - then you're going to avoid a lot of the chronic disease that come with eating say, 20% of your calories or more from animal products. But no dairy. None. Given the sum of everything I've learned so far, I've developed the most antipathy toward dairy out of all animal products. But that's just my opinion, man.
*regarding eggs: take care to not eat egg yolk with anything that has saturated fat because saturated fat is like a key that tells your body to dump all 200-300mg of cholesterol contained in the yolk, straight into your bloodstream. Acting together, the sat fats and excess cholesterol build plaques and cause lots of problems.
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So - we're in the home stretch of Veganuary. How are you all doing? Have you learned anything new? Experienced any key insights? Found that your body feels different in some way after nearly 30 days of eating only plant-based foods? Plan on making any of the changes permanent?
One thing I did this month was to relax my total ban on sugar and processed food. And my choco cereal addiction came back in full swing. Oops. As a result, I've put on about 5 lbs. holy shit. I've returned to the total ban.
Here's the plate of green yummy stuff my husband whipped up for us a few hours ago:
(https://i.imgur.com/RCBiDcxl.jpg). Mmmmm.... kale, beets, avocado.
So - how are you feeling as we approach the end of the month? What changes will you continue through into February and/or beyond?
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I have an issue now that I'd like some advice on. People seem to be told that eating meat is healthy and that we need to eat meat. I've changed to eating more plant based because I'm 100% convinced the scientific evidence is clearly stating plant based diets are healthy. My wife for instance just went to the doctor who told her that she has to eat some meat. How do you guys handle this ?
Why did the doctor say she has to eat more meat? Probably there's some vitamin or nutrient she's deficient in? Figure out what particular nutrients he was talking about (B12, Iron, Protein, could be anything) and try to find other ways to increase intake without adding extra meat to your diet.
It was honestly just general advice. Basically everyone has to eat meat or they aren't healthy. There was no deficiency in anything or anything tested.
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I have an issue now that I'd like some advice on. People seem to be told that eating meat is healthy and that we need to eat meat. I've changed to eating more plant based because I'm 100% convinced the scientific evidence is clearly stating plant based diets are healthy. My wife for instance just went to the doctor who told her that she has to eat some meat. How do you guys handle this ?
Why did the doctor say she has to eat more meat? Probably there's some vitamin or nutrient she's deficient in? Figure out what particular nutrients he was talking about (B12, Iron, Protein, could be anything) and try to find other ways to increase intake without adding extra meat to your diet.
It was honestly just general advice. Basically everyone has to eat meat or they aren't healthy. There was no deficiency in anything or anything tested.
In that case I'd say, just ignore...
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It's Veganuary 31st! What are you all eating? How did the month go? Please share!
A few things for me:
I learned how to make freaking rad chickpea 'blondies' (thanks SCUBAstache). I even made them twice! But maybe it's time to let up on 'em a bit.
I let myself eat more processed foods and added sugars than I'd been having in the months leading up to Veganuary. (I've a terrible weakness for granola cereal with dark choco nibs and almond milk as in I can't just have one bowl). What happened? Gained 3-5 lbs. So now I'm back to WFPB. We've banished that cereal from the home.
It's not just that I put on a few lbs. Just that small amount of processed foods made me feel - IDK how to describe - maybe a little more sluggish? I just didn't feel as good as when I'm really sticking truly with whole foods. (Vegan Wine counts as whole foods by the way - just want to clarify).
Blondies will be a few and far between special treat.
My afternoon snack. Homemade hummus and raw broccoli on wasa bread. Dreary day and daffodils:
(https://i.imgur.com/pM3Y7IEl.jpg)
A loaf of banana bread I made this afternoon since we had a few rotters going:
(https://i.imgur.com/qC7KzV8l.jpg)
So - stand and report. How'd it go? What are your plans for Feb 1 +?
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The month went very well in our household but I've been on a chocolate tear for the last 2 weeks. Will have to pull back a bit on that.
I found a brussel sprout recipe that has me eating them like they are going out of style (basically cooked with cumin seeds, corinader seeds, sesame, yum)
and my partner is still eating yogourt but he is happy with the oat milk so it's helping with cutting down on that.
Our friend has a shop with a fantastic vegan ramen and it's becoming very normalized to be able to find great vegan options in our town--there is a growing demand which is amazing.
As for what we are eating: I made a peanut curry last week and have frozen batches of soup/chili. I have been roasting veg and then it's so much easier to grab that as a snack when I am hungry. Also, I just soak bean every few days and then find recipes to use them with--today will find one for kidney beans..any recommendations?
:)
Still doing heaps of berries, fruit, seeds and granola for breakfast, or overnight oats.
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I'm in.
I spent the last 2 years on a low carb high fat/protein diet (I did lose 60 lbs, so that was a huge plus). Started reading/studying Nutritionfacts.org and Dr Greger's work and was finally persuaded my diet was very unhealthy. Began eating Vegan this year, and love it. Not sure yet if I'll be able to give up seafood 100% permanently, but I think my diet is now 10 times better than it was.
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I'm improving my recipes but one thing I've had to do is use more oil. I was moving away from this but it simply didn't work. That doesn't mean that I use too much oil but I use it because it makes food taste better.
I have an issue now that I'd like some advice on. People seem to be told that eating meat is healthy and that we need to eat meat. I've changed to eating more plant based because I'm 100% convinced the scientific evidence is clearly stating plant based diets are healthy. My wife for instance just went to the doctor who told her that she has to eat some meat. How do you guys handle this ?
There is no scientific or medical evidence that we "need" meat. It's a fallacy that has been passed on through the generations, largely because of the marketing of big ag.
As long as you are aware that you need to getting enough protein, B12, etc. it's not a big deal. If you aren't, then you are at risk of developing anemia. I take a multivitamin every day, and rotate between an additional B12 and iron supplement every few days. Even that is probably overkill.
Both my parents went through med school. They said dietary training/learning was a joke...as in less than 1% of their overall training. My doc I go to now knows I'm vegan and literally had no concerns.
https://www.thedavisclinic.com/dr-garth-davis.html
^Here is Dr. Garth Davis. He wrote a book about our society's obsession with protein and why we worry way too much (unnecessarily) about it. You could check out his website, book, etc. if you want an MD's opinion on it.
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I'm in.
I spent the last 2 years on a low carb high fat/protein diet (I did lose 60 lbs, so that was a huge plus). Started reading/studying Nutritionfacts.org and Dr Greger's work and was finally persuaded my diet was very unhealthy. Began eating Vegan this year, and love it. Not sure yet if I'll be able to give up seafood 100% permanently, but I think my diet is now 10 times better than it was.
I'm pretty committed to being vegan for all the reasons (health, ethics, environment), but there's one 'meat' I'll eat if and when I find myself in a seaside town that's known for its seafood. That 'meat' is bivalves - e.g. clams. Here's why:
HEALTH: Bivalves are loaded with B12 and iron. Being low on the trophic energy pyramid, they aren't contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants to the degree that fish are.
ETHICS: It's doubtful there's any sentience in a clam. There's no central nervous system. This is where I personally draw my vegan line ethically.
ENVIRONMENT: Bivalves aren't endangered, farming them doesn't damage their surroundings, and as far as I know, are generally a sustainable food (if you're not transporting them half way around the world).
I'm writing all of this because you say you're not sure if you want to give up seafood. IMO, clams pass all three vegan tests - health, ethics, and environment. So you can still eat your seafood and be hitting any of the criteria for vegan diet.
Gary Yourofsky, or other super-mega-ethical vegan activists would disagree of course. And you may disagree too. But I thought I'd share my thinking here, since seafood is your remaining item you want to eat.
Good luck dustinst22. Here's to the planet, the animals, and your health!
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My reflection on the month:
I haven't even been close to eating vegan, but I've made some steps and raised my own awareness. I haven't eaten any meat for the whole month except for one shared pizza (friend insisted on ham) and a small piece of a wrap (didn't know there was meat in it). I've had fish three times. That's one non-vegetarian meal a week, so not too bad. Planning to cut the meat out completely and leave a little fish in there.
Regarding dairy I've made bigger steps. Rediscovered soy yoghurt. Did eat a lot of eggs but finished them this week and will try to not buy any new. I do still consume a lot of dairy that's used in processed products like cakes and cookies and coffees. Need to cut out those foods as a whole actually as they're not healthy regardless of veganism.
Wondering how you guys think of "vegatarian meat"? I wanted to make a typical local dish this week that isn't "complete" without the meat part and I substituted using a vegetarian alternative (they were on sale, yay!). I know they're rather highly processed foods and this one wasn't fully vegan (some eggwhite powder), but I think they're a good replacement in dishes where you'd miss the meat and a good way to get some B12 and iron :)
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I am brand new to MMM (and being more conscious of my finances in general) but I have been vegan/WFPB for closed to 2 years. Glad to see this thread on the board!
I am very passionate about this subject and have spent a lot of time researching it and tweaking my lifestyle. One of my goals, once I am out of debt and am closer to financial independence, is to go back to school to study nutrition in depth.
I am pretty adherent to the lifestyle - all the food in my house is unprocessed whole plant foods. In-fact, the only exception, which is the only food in my house with a food label and more than 1 ingredient, is almond milk. The only time I eat oil or sugar is if I am out of town and would starve otherwise (I never eat animal products). All this to say, I have the diet down pat. I love how I feel eating this way and couldn't imagine going back to any other lifestyle.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask! I love talking about this stuff, but don't get the option to much IRL.
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If anyone has questions, feel free to ask! I love talking about this stuff, but don't get the option to much IRL.
Do you use any supplements? Thoughts on Omega 3 EPA from Algae? B12 supplement?
Anyone here do any fasting? This is another area that I've been experimenting with (I currently do 2-3 18-24 hour fasts a week).
Thanks
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My reflection on the month:
I haven't even been close to eating vegan, but I've made some steps and raised my own awareness. I haven't eaten any meat for the whole month except for one shared pizza (friend insisted on ham) and a small piece of a wrap (didn't know there was meat in it). I've had fish three times. That's one non-vegetarian meal a week, so not too bad. Planning to cut the meat out completely and leave a little fish in there.
Regarding dairy I've made bigger steps. Rediscovered soy yoghurt. Did eat a lot of eggs but finished them this week and will try to not buy any new. I do still consume a lot of dairy that's used in processed products like cakes and cookies and coffees. Need to cut out those foods as a whole actually as they're not healthy regardless of veganism.
Wondering how you guys think of "vegatarian meat"? I wanted to make a typical local dish this week that isn't "complete" without the meat part and I substituted using a vegetarian alternative (they were on sale, yay!). I know they're rather highly processed foods and this one wasn't fully vegan (some eggwhite powder), but I think they're a good replacement in dishes where you'd miss the meat and a good way to get some B12 and iron :)
Nice work Hirondelle. Soy yogurt is so good. If it's unflavored with no added sugar,you can add lemon juice, salt, and minced garlic to make a nice aioli / sour cream sauce for anything from potatoes to cuban black bean soup. Discovering a basic minimally processed soy yogurt seriously improved many of our meals from breakfast through dinner.
My personal take on replacement products such as imitation soy protein meats and imitation cheeses is that I'd rather go without them. A. They're unhealthy and 2. You can usually find a decent whole food plant based substitute. That said, I was amazed by the Beyond Burger when I was visiting my folks in the states. If I lived there, I'd probably mack down on one of those big-baddies once a month or so. Just for the sheer delight of eating a juicy burger with all the fixins.
For B12 and iron. I'm not too concerned about getting B12 from food. I take a supplement 1x per week and my B12 levels were on the high end when I got a blood test 3 months into eating a fully vegan diet. For iron, I'm cautious about supplementing because I know that too much iron can cause problems. Using cronometer showed me that I get plenty of iron from eating a wide variety of plant based foods even when I'm not intentionally trying to maximize iron intake. It just happens.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I hope you continue making positive progress regarding what you eat. Any plans for #Februdairy?
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I am brand new to MMM (and being more conscious of my finances in general) but I have been vegan/WFPB for closed to 2 years. Glad to see this thread on the board!
I am very passionate about this subject and have spent a lot of time researching it and tweaking my lifestyle. One of my goals, once I am out of debt and am closer to financial independence, is to go back to school to study nutrition in depth.
I am pretty adherent to the lifestyle - all the food in my house is unprocessed whole plant foods. In-fact, the only exception, which is the only food in my house with a food label and more than 1 ingredient, is almond milk. The only time I eat oil or sugar is if I am out of town and would starve otherwise (I never eat animal products). All this to say, I have the diet down pat. I love how I feel eating this way and couldn't imagine going back to any other lifestyle.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask! I love talking about this stuff, but don't get the option to much IRL.
Welcome to MMM DanTheYogi. This is a special community. I'm on and off here, but whenever I return, I re-discover what drew me to the MMM forums in the first place: the thoughtful dialogue, the gentle encouragement, and yes, the 'I'm punching you in the face right now but only because you need to be punched in the face right now" comments.
It was because of this forum that I was able to formulate a plan for FIRE, and then have the confidence to go through with it. That was - wow - 4 yrs ago? Seems like yesterday.
I have a question: What was your transition like - from going from (I assume) standard western diet to whole food plant based?
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Nice work Hirondelle. Soy yogurt is so good. If it's unflavored with no added sugar,you can add lemon juice, salt, and minced garlic to make a nice aioli / sour cream sauce for anything from potatoes to cuban black bean soup. Discovering a basic minimally processed soy yogurt seriously improved many of our meals from breakfast through dinner.
That sounds amazing! I'm putting it on my to-try list. I was thinking about making aioli sauce for some potato dish lately but thought I couldn't as I didn't have any yoghurt - but I actually had soy yoghurt in the fridge! Looking forward to the next time it's on sale. This week there's a discount on almond milk, yum!
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DanTheYogi I have been lurking, but I am curious what your typical day looks like, menu-wise.
Pre-kids, we ate 75% vegan, just because we preferred those options. Now, we have some picky kids. My son will eat beans with a LOT of "woe is me I have to eat beans" drama, and my daughter loves beans, but only with cheese sprinkled in excess. Lunch boxes are a huge issue. My son will eat almost any sandwich, so I have some good options for him. Daughter hates bread of any kind. Pasta salad is the only vegan dish they will both eat. They will both eat hardboiled eggs, but beyond that they normally get a small portion of meat. I'm open to ideas from other parents on how to slowly open them up to different cold food options for lunch. They VERY begrudgingly will eat a small portion of nuts, but now that I'm thinking about it they both like guac (with chips)
They are old enough that they will just not eat rather than eat something they don't like, so "just pack it anyway" is not an option. They are home alone for about 30 minutes each afternoon, so that would only result in them eating weird stuff when they get home to combat hunger.
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If anyone has questions, feel free to ask! I love talking about this stuff, but don't get the option to much IRL.
Do you use any supplements? Thoughts on Omega 3 EPA from Algae? B12 supplement?
Anyone here do any fasting? This is another area that I've been experimenting with (I currently do 2-3 18-24 hour fasts a week).
Thanks
The only supplement I use is B12. Based on what I know to date, I do not believe there is any reason to supplement anything else unless someone is showing signs of deficiency, and then even if they are, they should consult a medical professional and get tested to be sure it is an actual deficiency and not some other issue. In-general, I think people focus far too much on under-nutrition. Nobody is dying from deficiencies in 1st world countries. OTOH, millions are dying from dietary excess.
There are some cases where people may need to supplement Vitamin D, though too much may actually cause the exact problems it is usually trying to prevent:
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/911792/vitamin-d-deficiency-supplement-hypercalcaemia-skin-cancer
I see no reason to take Omega-3's. For a thorough and in-depth explanation of why, I recommend this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4TNhU3HR3o&t=2482s
I have skipped to the relevant portion of the lecture, though I highly recommend watching the whole thing. It is loaded with useful information.
I have experimented with water-only fasting! I did it for 4 days and it was rather uneventful, though that is to be expected for someone that eats the type of diet that I do. However, for someone that is seriously ill and follows a SAD diet, a water-only fast can literally be life saving. There are some good books on fasting - "fasting and eating for health" by Joel Fuhrman and "The Pleasure Trap" by Alan Goldhammer and Doug Lisle. I have also heard good things about "The Longevity Diet" by Valter Longo, though I haven't read it myself.
Welcome to MMM DanTheYogi. This is a special community. I'm on and off here, but whenever I return, I re-discover what drew me to the MMM forums in the first place: the thoughtful dialogue, the gentle encouragement, and yes, the 'I'm punching you in the face right now but only because you need to be punched in the face right now" comments.
It was because of this forum that I was able to formulate a plan for FIRE, and then have the confidence to go through with it. That was - wow - 4 yrs ago? Seems like yesterday.
I have a question: What was your transition like - from going from (I assume) standard western diet to whole food plant based?
I have really had 2 "transitions."
My first one, May 2016, from meat/dairy/eggs every meal to vegan overnight, actually wasn't that eventful. Even though I was an omnivore, I was already avoiding processed foods mostly, and ate plenty of veggies and whole grains. I felt lighter, but didn't notice a huge change. I was also still eating added oils and sugars at the time.
However, this past fall I developed an auto-immune disorder (IBS). I ended up going on an elimination diet. I completely cut out all processed grains (even whole pasta and bread), oil, sugar, and even herbs and spices. I was eating nothing but intact whole grains, fruits, well cooked veggies, and some beans. The results were remarkable. It was truly a "spiritual awakening" of sorts - for one, I eliminated my IBS symptoms. What I wasn't expecting - my skin cleared up, my "seasonal" allergies that I have had since I was a child have vanished, and my anxiety plummeted. I wake up every day feeling completely and totally refreshed, have loads of energy and live a very active and fulfilling lifestyle. I sometimes get giddy just thinking about it - I feel lucky having stumbled upon this way of eating, and knowing that I am setting myself up for decades of a healthy, disease-free life.
This is what has me so excited about FI/RE - I am not in a great situation financially right now. I have loads of student debt (you can see the details in my case study). However, even if I can't FI/RE until 40, I know that I will still have many, many healthy years ahead of me to enjoy a nearly stress-free lifestyle. It seems hard to believe, but despite how good I feel now, things are only going to get better. :)
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DanTheYogi I have been lurking, but I am curious what your typical day looks like, menu-wise.
Pre-kids, we ate 75% vegan, just because we preferred those options. Now, we have some picky kids. My son will eat beans with a LOT of "woe is me I have to eat beans" drama, and my daughter loves beans, but only with cheese sprinkled in excess. Lunch boxes are a huge issue. My son will eat almost any sandwich, so I have some good options for him. Daughter hates bread of any kind. Pasta salad is the only vegan dish they will both eat. They will both eat hardboiled eggs, but beyond that they normally get a small portion of meat. I'm open to ideas from other parents on how to slowly open them up to different cold food options for lunch. They VERY begrudgingly will eat a small portion of nuts, but now that I'm thinking about it they both like guac (with chips)
They are old enough that they will just not eat rather than eat something they don't like, so "just pack it anyway" is not an option. They are home alone for about 30 minutes each afternoon, so that would only result in them eating weird stuff when they get home to combat hunger.
I am a single 24 year old, so I can't help you with kids. Though there are some good resources out there!
My menu is incredibly simple. It keeps my stomach happy, I love the food, and I feel good eating it.
It is also very mustachian. I buy giant bulk bags of beans and all types of whole grains, as well as bulk potatoes and frozen fruit/veg. The bulk grains/beans/potatoes come out to cents per serving.
I eat the same "outline" of foods pretty much every day, just rotating different veg/grains, etc. I rarely eat out.
Breakfast:
2.5 cups cooked oats (either rolled, steel cut, or whole groats)
1 cup fruit (blueberries lately, but also cherries, mango)
1 sliced banana
2 TBSP raisins (sometimes)
2 TBSP nuts/seeds (sometimes)
Lunch:
1.5 cup cooked whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat)
1 cup cubed potatoes (sweet or regular)
1 cup frozen veg mix (my primary veg mix is a 5.5 pound bag of frozen veg from Costco that contains peas/carrots/corn/green beans)
.5 cup beans (black, pinto, etc)
Dinner: (usually the same as lunch but more food... I eat a lot :))
2 cups cooked whole grain
1 - 1.5 cup cubed potatoes
1 cup frozen veg mix
1 cup beans
a HUGE heaping pile of greens, quickly steamed in my instant pot (kale or spinach usually)
I cook my foods in bulk to have enough for 4-5 days at a time. I got an Instant Pot for Christmas, and now I couldn't imagine living without it. I quite literally cook all my food in it. From batches of grains, to batches of beans, to potatoes, to veg. It is used anywhere from 1-3 times per day.
I usually eat about 6 hours apart. So say 6am, 12pm, 6pm. My meals are extremely satiating, very low in calorie density, high in nutrient density, very fast, very cheap, and I really do love the food. It is quite amazing how quickly your taste buds adapt once you stop overloading it with SOS (sugar, oil, salt). I could easily sit down to a pound of steamed kale plain and go to town like it's a dessert.
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On the topic of supplements, I generally agree, but I think if you're taking a "normal" amount of supplements (as in, not overdoing it/going overboard/overcompensating) it couldn't "hurt" to have your bases covered, although you should get a snapshot of your vitamin/nutrient levels, if you can.
I recently got my blood test results and they came out normal, thankfully, except Vitamin D levels are still a little low, despite taking a daily liquid supplement.
Vegetarian meat - I don't really like these that much, to be honest. When my partner and I first went vegan, we bought a few of these to try them out. I thought I liked them, but it was just a matter of a couple weeks where I decided it wasn't for me. They tasted good at first, but now I really don't like the idea of them (thinking specifically about Beyond Meat strips, Gardein, etc.). The Beyond Meat burger version that most closely resembles meat was pretty good, and I don't think I would mind that, but I haven't been hankering to get it or anything. Plus, it's much more inexpensive to eat less processed/whole plant proteins, like quinoa, beans, etc. I can handle seitan as a meat substitute and have made that a few times because my partner loves it. It's also very inexpensive and easy to make. If anyone wants to try, this is the recipe I used:
http://www.thatwasvegan.com/2012/01/30/my-favorite-chicken-style-seitan-recipe/
Mostly, I prefer tempeh and tofu if I want to buy something "meat-y" for convenience. Also, mushrooms are amazing if you are looking for something "meaty" - although I don't really think of them in that way, some people think their texture is "meaty." (Same with eggplant.)
Since other people are sharing food/recipe ideas, I also tried this snickerdoodle cookie recipe a couple times and I love it:
https://avirtualvegan.com/perfect-vegan-snickerdoodles/
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On the topic of supplements, I generally agree, but I think if you're taking a "normal" amount of supplements (as in, not overdoing it/going overboard/overcompensating) it couldn't "hurt" to have your bases covered, although you should get a snapshot of your vitamin/nutrient levels, if you can.
I understand your line of thinking, but I disagree with the bolded.
Supplements are not food. While there may be some occassional medical instances where they are beneficial, they are usually useless (read: a waste of money and NOT mustachian) or even worse, harmful.
The supplement industry is completely unregulated. Many independent labs have tested various different popular brands of supplements only to find that what the company claimed was in the supplement, was a mixture of different substances and sometimes didn't even contain any of the supposed product.
In many cases, our bodies are not equipped to handle substances in their isolated forms. It is impossible to overdose on a vitamin/mineral when you get it from foods (EDIT: with a few exceptions, like heme iron). OTOH, many supplements carry overdose risks, and some are linked to increased risks of chronic disease and all-cause mortality.
I am not saying that supplements are evil and you should never take them. However, the thinking "just to be on the safe side", is misguided, IMO.
Dr. McDougall has a great newsletter on the exact subject:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/may/vitamins.htm
Another great read I would recommend that delves even deeper into the same topic is "Whole" by Colin Campbell.
On another note, I will share a recipe as well:
http://www.straightupfood.com/blog/2011/01/29/oatmeal-lemon-pancakes/
These are easily the best pancakes I have ever had. Making them has become a Sunday morning ritual for me. I have some pictures that I will upload when I get home.
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I think you might be looking to argue against things you feel strongly about, yet I haven't asserted any of those things you're mentioning... Like I said, I agree with you. I take Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3 as my only supplements. I never stated anything about people needing over-supplementation (I wrote about the opposite, shortly), buying a multivitamin, nor would I ever try to assert supplements as a replacement for food. I understand both lines of thinking. I'm in the middle. If someone is vegan, I advise education and supplementing with what is difficult to get (B12) and what can be, for some people, difficult to absorb (Vitamin D). These are two commonly recommended supplements for vegans, which is only what I am referring to now and in my last post about supplements. Sorry if that wasn't clear. Those points in the article you linked are great and valid for anyone who supplements for anything else, but it's not what I'm talking about. Like I said, my post is for the context of vegan and very specific supplements.
Edited for typo.
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Great thread. I haven't made the full transition to veganism yet but I've been trying to substantially reduce my intake of animal products. I'm down to about 3 servings a week of dairy or eggs and poultry/seafood maybe once a month.
Does anyone here have young kids? I have an almost 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, and I've struggled with how much animal products to allow them to eat. While in I believe it's possible in theory for toddlers to get all necessary nutrients from a vegan diet, in practice it seems difficult, and is complicated by the fact that they're in full-time daycare. Currently they eat whatever is served as daycare (which generally includes chicken or beef about 3 times a week) and eat what we eat at home, although I do buy cow's milk for them. The baby still nurses a couple times a day but I'd like to wean her in the next few months.
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Great thread. I haven't made the full transition to veganism yet but I've been trying to substantially reduce my intake of animal products. I'm down to about 3 servings a week of dairy or eggs and poultry/seafood maybe once a month.
Does anyone here have young kids? I have an almost 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, and I've struggled with how much animal products to allow them to eat. While in I believe it's possible in theory for toddlers to get all necessary nutrients from a vegan diet, in practice it seems difficult, and is complicated by the fact that they're in full-time daycare. Currently they eat whatever is served as daycare (which generally includes chicken or beef about 3 times a week) and eat what we eat at home, although I do buy cow's milk for them. The baby still nurses a couple times a day but I'd like to wean her in the next few months.
My son is 12 and is totally vegan. He's fine.
My take is that if you're able to get a high dose 1x per week B12 supplement into your kids, are somehow making sure they're getting adequate vitamin D (esp in winter), (pretty much the whole discussion betwixt imadandylion and dantheyogi on bottom of page 2 of this thread), and are eating a wide variety of whole food plant based foods at home, they should be okay.
That said, I'd test their blood levels every few months early on to make sure you're not missing anything.
Regarding cow's milk: I'd be cautious. There's some evidence that cows milk consumption in early childhood can trigger Type 1 diabetes. Plus it comes with baggage: saturated fat, hormones, sugars. Studies are of course mixed on the diabetes link, but there's some evidence that it's the particular kind of casein present in normal dairy cows that's a problem. The casein in cows from other countries seems to not be a problem:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-bovine-insulin-in-milk-trigger-type-1-diabetes/
Whether it triggers T1 diabetes or not, given the baggage I listed, I don't know of any reason why a person should favor cow's milk over say, almond milk or soy milk, rice milk or hazelnut milk, oat milk or split pea based milk like Ripple. Well, there could be allergies, but given the variety of options it would be hard to imagine at least one couldn't work. Another objection could be too many additives or processing, but again, there are so many options, if you do your homework, you can probably find a minimally processed plant based milk that works for your kids.
Plus, I don't know if your motivations have anything to do with ethics, but the life of a dairy cow is brutal. Here's a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI&t=2s) - but keep in mind it's snarky and punchy-in-the-facey and may come off as vegan propaganda if you're disinclined to believe the dairy industry is problematic. So if that's the case, I'd nudge you toward doing your research. As I did my own research, I couldn't find any credible evidence to debunk the claims Erin Janus makes. These are all, AFAIK, industry standard practices and in fact, necessary requirements of generating milk.
Are there particular reasons for giving your kids cow's milk? Genuinely curious (even as obviously you have clear evidence I've every reason to oppose the consumption of dairy milk :) ). Don't worry, I won't bite.
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@Malaysia41 primarily for the fat, which is important for toddler brain development. I'm sure the 3-year-old would be fine without it (and she chooses almond or flax milk as often as not), but I'm not really sure how else for the baby to get enough fat once I wean her. She doesn't like avocado and can't eat whole nuts or nut butters yet due to choking hazards, though I guess I could add more nuts to smoothies and stuff. I've only just started researching this stuff and will research further.
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I think you might be looking to argue against things you feel strongly about, yet I haven't asserted any of those things you're mentioning... Like I said, I agree with you. I take Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3 as my only supplements. I never stated anything about people needing over-supplementation (I wrote about the opposite, shortly), buying a multivitamin, nor would I ever try to assert supplements as a replacement for food. I understand both lines of thinking. I'm in the middle. If someone is vegan, I advise education and supplementing with what is difficult to get (B12) and what can be, for some people, difficult to absorb (Vitamin D). These are two commonly recommended supplements for vegans, which is only what I am referring to now and in my last post about supplements. Sorry if that wasn't clear. Those points in the article you linked are great and valid for anyone who supplements for anything else, but it's not what I'm talking about. Like I said, my post is for the context of vegan and very specific supplements.
Edited for typo.
Hmmm, this wasn't what I took from your post, but no worries then! I do stand by my assertion that there is no reason to supplement vitamin D unless you have discussed it with a medical professional and established a clear medical deficiency, as well as weighed the pros and cons of supplementation.
@Malaysia41 primarily for the fat, which is important for toddler brain development. I'm sure the 3-year-old would be fine without it (and she chooses almond or flax milk as often as not), but I'm not really sure how else for the baby to get enough fat once I wean her. She doesn't like avocado and can't eat whole nuts or nut butters yet due to choking hazards, though I guess I could add more nuts to smoothies and stuff. I've only just started researching this stuff and will research further.
Hi nessness
I linked this video earlier up thread, but I'm going to share it with you again. It is long, but it is also one of the most thorough/in-depth lectures I have seen on fats/essential fats/oil/nuts, etc. It certainly gave me a new perspective on how much fat is actually necessary in any person's diet, regardless of what stage in the life cycle they are in.
https://youtu.be/g4TNhU3HR3o
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Thanks @DanTheYogi , I'll try to get to it this weekend.
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Thanks @DanTheYogi , I'll try to get to it this weekend.
Right on! I will also add, that while it may seem long, and the video looks a little bland/boring when you first start, I personally find the speaker (Jeff Novick) incredibly entertaining and humorous. He also does a great job of appealing to lay persons with no scientific background whatsoever through easy to understand, common sense explanations. Perhaps I am just weird, but I often lose track of time when watching his presentations and am a little said when I realize they are over. lol
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Hmmm, this wasn't what I took from your post, but no worries then! I do stand by my assertion that there is no reason to supplement vitamin D unless you have discussed it with a medical professional and established a clear medical deficiency, as well as weighed the pros and cons of supplementation.
No problem. I can understand the confusion because I didn't explicitly write either way in my original post, but that's what was in my head, and I tend to be really short about what I say. For Vitamin D, yes, I respect your advice and agree – it's optional in that one needs to educate oneself and gather qualitative information about if they personally need it or not. Personally, I'm glad I did supplement with it (1000 IU once daily since becoming vegan, if anyone is curious) because I reasoned I don't get out much, and pretty much always cover up or wear sunscreen on my face, ruining any chance of any Vitamin D gains. (Office job setting and staying in constantly to 'side hustle,' as they say, doesn't help.) As it turns out, I actually do have a deficiency.
Milk: Ugh.
I feel like I have no proof, but I believe there is strong evidence of hormones and definitely a high amount of sugar in cow's milk. I was fed a lot of cow's milk and even still consumed it sometimes as a teenager. I had the worst acne out of everyone in my family growing up and didn't eat really junk-y or anything, since meals were almost always homemade and we didn't live on typical American cuisine. I thought it was just genetic, but all my siblings grew up elsewhere (not the U.S.) and weren't fed cow's milk or grew up under the influence of needing it to be a healthy, happy child... and their skin is amazing by comparison. My skin cleared up and looks better than it's ever been since quitting dairy. Can't even imagine the consequences of anything internally. For any other nutritional benefits you are seeking, I'm sure you can find them from another readily available source. (I have no genuine nutritional background, this is just my two cents.)
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A little late, but here is the pancake picture I promised. :)
Not sure if I am imbedding the image correctly so let's see what happens.
EDIT: Can't figure out how to imbed the image properly, so I'll just post a link to imgur.
https://imgur.com/a/RKS26
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Had a really interesting discussion with a sports med MD who I met through a friend (we were all going on a mini ski-trip together).
She was flummoxed since she didn't know what to prepare (food-wise) for the 2 vegan-ish ladies on the trip...she said she actually had to ask at the grocery store exactly what that meant.
Fascinating.
Most people in my social circle are on board with reducing animal products so it was very interesting to chat with her about this. She was open, but not super interested on a personal level. But I think it was great to introduce her to some tasty meals and have non-judgemental conversations about why people are choosing this lifestyle.
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Posting to follow and offer advice. I’ve been vegan for 18 years so I’ve seen a lot of changes. The good news is that it’s easier to be vegan now than ever before. Unfortunately there’s a lot of vegan junk food out there too, so you can be an unhealthy vegan and subsist on soy ice cream or whatever.
Anyway, good job to all the people who made it through January. Any questions, ask away.
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Milk: Ugh.
I feel like I have no proof, but I believe there is strong evidence of hormones and definitely a high amount of sugar in cow's milk. I was fed a lot of cow's milk and even still consumed it sometimes as a teenager. I had the worst acne out of everyone in my family growing up and didn't eat really junk-y or anything, since meals were almost always homemade and we didn't live on typical American cuisine. I thought it was just genetic, but all my siblings grew up elsewhere (not the U.S.) and weren't fed cow's milk or grew up under the influence of needing it to be a healthy, happy child... and their skin is amazing by comparison. My skin cleared up and looks better than it's ever been since quitting dairy. Can't even imagine the consequences of anything internally. For any other nutritional benefits you are seeking, I'm sure you can find them from another readily available source. (I have no genuine nutritional background, this is just my two cents.)
I had horrendous acne as an adolescent - TWO rounds of accutane actually made it WORSE - and well into adulthood.
Went plant-based at age 26 and skin has cleared up significantly. It's not "perfect" but I no longer need weekly injections for cysts. I'm guessing skin will continue to clear as I "detox" from dairy but we'll see.
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Amazing thread! So nice to see it 3 pages in and not degraded to a vegan vs meat eater brawl.
I'm still kind of shocked that MMM, with his "against the grain" lifestyle and critical thinking to nearly everything he does, hasn't gone vegan yet, or at least given it a shot.
I've been vegan over 2 years now, and the biggest game changers are the Vitamix blender and the Instant Pot. With the blender, you keep frozen bananas on hand at all times. Just by a crap ton and either eat them fresh when they're ripe or freeze them if you start falling behind and they are on the verge of going bad. Throw in some strawberries, kale/spinach, chia/flax/hemp seeds, peanut butter (or PB powder), almond milk, and you've got a cheaper, healthier smoothie than anything you can get at smoothie king. It's also a great coffee replacement, although I still drink coffee for fun with Silk caramel almond creamer.
The Instant Pot is the bean prep master. Just toss in dried beans, cover with water, about 30-40 minutes plus the depressurize time and you are golden. No more canned beans.
I also enjoy stir frys in the Wok, hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
If you ever need a treat I would suggest ben and jerrys and breyer's dairy-free ice cream, the various mock-meat stuff from Gardein, Oreos (if you're in the US, I think European oreos aren't vegan), "Just Mayo" mayonnaise, and dates (the fruit) taste so damn sweet (because they're like 99% pure sugar) they might as well be Snickers bars.
The protein myth is so ridiculous. No one that eats enough calories to subsist on is protein deficient. I take a B12 pill every couple of days (which is due to our sanitation methods and not veganism, since farm animals have to be supplemented with B12 in their feed, which is the only reason why meat eaters get it), eat your fruits/veg/legumes/grains, get some exercise (bike/run/lift weights) and you're good to go.
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Amazing thread! So nice to see it 3 pages in and not degraded to a vegan vs meat eater brawl.
I'm still kind of shocked that MMM, with his "against the grain" lifestyle and critical thinking to nearly everything he does, hasn't gone vegan yet, or at least given it a shot.
I've been vegan over 2 years now, and the biggest game changers are the Vitamix blender and the Instant Pot. With the blender, you keep frozen bananas on hand at all times. Just by a crap ton and either eat them fresh when they're ripe or freeze them if you start falling behind and they are on the verge of going bad. Throw in some strawberries, kale/spinach, chia/flax/hemp seeds, peanut butter (or PB powder), almond milk, and you've got a cheaper, healthier smoothie than anything you can get at smoothie king. It's also a great coffee replacement, although I still drink coffee for fun with Silk caramel almond creamer.
The Instant Pot is the bean prep master. Just toss in dried beans, cover with water, about 30-40 minutes plus the depressurize time and you are golden. No more canned beans.
I also enjoy stir frys in the Wok, hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
If you ever need a treat I would suggest ben and jerrys and breyer's dairy-free ice cream, the various mock-meat stuff from Gardein, Oreos (if you're in the US, I think European oreos aren't vegan), "Just Mayo" mayonnaise, and dates (the fruit) taste so damn sweet (because they're like 99% pure sugar) they might as well be Snickers bars.
The protein myth is so ridiculous. No one that eats enough calories to subsist on is protein deficient. I take a B12 pill every couple of days (which is due to our sanitation methods and not veganism, since farm animals have to be supplemented with B12 in their feed, which is the only reason why meat eaters get it), eat your fruits/veg/legumes/grains, get some exercise (bike/run/lift weights) and you're good to go.
I also love Gardein mock meats.
I was pescatarian from 2009 until last year (ethical and environmental reasons) but I'm trying to get back on the wagon (ethical, environmental and health reasons). I'm following Dr. Greger's vegan site (https://nutritionfacts.org) for tips on what to eat. My wife and kids are omnivores.
My gut tells me that a plant based diet should be healthier than a diet based on animal products but I've been reading about the good results people have been having on the zero carb diets (meat and eggs and cheese all day) and am a bit confused on what to eat.
FWIW, I'm trying to lower LDLs and don't have any issues with weight, blood pressure or diabetes.
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Amazing thread! So nice to see it 3 pages in and not degraded to a vegan vs meat eater brawl.
I'm still kind of shocked that MMM, with his "against the grain" lifestyle and critical thinking to nearly everything he does, hasn't gone vegan yet, or at least given it a shot.
I've been vegan over 2 years now, and the biggest game changers are the Vitamix blender and the Instant Pot. With the blender, you keep frozen bananas on hand at all times. Just by a crap ton and either eat them fresh when they're ripe or freeze them if you start falling behind and they are on the verge of going bad. Throw in some strawberries, kale/spinach, chia/flax/hemp seeds, peanut butter (or PB powder), almond milk, and you've got a cheaper, healthier smoothie than anything you can get at smoothie king. It's also a great coffee replacement, although I still drink coffee for fun with Silk caramel almond creamer.
The Instant Pot is the bean prep master. Just toss in dried beans, cover with water, about 30-40 minutes plus the depressurize time and you are golden. No more canned beans.
I also enjoy stir frys in the Wok, hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
If you ever need a treat I would suggest ben and jerrys and breyer's dairy-free ice cream, the various mock-meat stuff from Gardein, Oreos (if you're in the US, I think European oreos aren't vegan), "Just Mayo" mayonnaise, and dates (the fruit) taste so damn sweet (because they're like 99% pure sugar) they might as well be Snickers bars.
The protein myth is so ridiculous. No one that eats enough calories to subsist on is protein deficient. I take a B12 pill every couple of days (which is due to our sanitation methods and not veganism, since farm animals have to be supplemented with B12 in their feed, which is the only reason why meat eaters get it), eat your fruits/veg/legumes/grains, get some exercise (bike/run/lift weights) and you're good to go.
Hey cobbb11 - welcome! Yeah - I'm surprised by many environmentally-minded people like MMM who even identify meat eating as unsustainable, and yet continue eating meat! Take Nate Hagens for example. That guy studies our imminent collapse due to unsustainable fossil fuel and resource usage, quantifies it, proposes all these solutions, and he still eats 'spa beef'. Does not bode well for my son's future when the guy who sees what coming continues taking part in accelerating toward collapse.
Yeah it's cool we haven't gotten in a shouting match over carnist bingo.
(https://78.media.tumblr.com/2483d0347b138cca3f23b041be676c40/tumblr_nwh5kwSgTb1rfwuxko1_500.png)
As I'm developing my vegan legs (I'm about 9 months plant based, 5 1/2 months vegan), I'm learning how to navigate vegan conversations in a carnist world. Mostly people are curious, but holy shit, my Bernie Sanders fanatic friend from HS about lost his mind one night out drinking when he overheard me chatting freely with another plant based diet person.
You know - when you talk with someone who has researched a lot of the same material as you, you can let yourself get excited discussing the details rather than navigating landmines of carnist resistance. So my HS buddy overhears us and just explodes about how we're pussies and humans are meant to eat meat and incisors, and well, all the shit in that bingo card. I love the guy, so it was easy enough to divert him into plotting a totally unrelated prank on his roomate and he quickly forgot the vegan convo. Since then, we've PMed a bit and he's asked a few questions. We'll see. Anyway, it's a long winded way of saying that I know the conversation can get heated and non-productive really quick. But this is a special forum. There are a few trolls in the political threads, but for the most part, people are measured, or at least properly label their rants.
hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
^^ couldn't agree more.
Congrats on 2 years. That's great! So how did you come into becoming vegan? Story please !
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Amazing thread! So nice to see it 3 pages in and not degraded to a vegan vs meat eater brawl.
I'm still kind of shocked that MMM, with his "against the grain" lifestyle and critical thinking to nearly everything he does, hasn't gone vegan yet, or at least given it a shot.
I've been vegan over 2 years now, and the biggest game changers are the Vitamix blender and the Instant Pot. With the blender, you keep frozen bananas on hand at all times. Just by a crap ton and either eat them fresh when they're ripe or freeze them if you start falling behind and they are on the verge of going bad. Throw in some strawberries, kale/spinach, chia/flax/hemp seeds, peanut butter (or PB powder), almond milk, and you've got a cheaper, healthier smoothie than anything you can get at smoothie king. It's also a great coffee replacement, although I still drink coffee for fun with Silk caramel almond creamer.
The Instant Pot is the bean prep master. Just toss in dried beans, cover with water, about 30-40 minutes plus the depressurize time and you are golden. No more canned beans.
I also enjoy stir frys in the Wok, hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
If you ever need a treat I would suggest ben and jerrys and breyer's dairy-free ice cream, the various mock-meat stuff from Gardein, Oreos (if you're in the US, I think European oreos aren't vegan), "Just Mayo" mayonnaise, and dates (the fruit) taste so damn sweet (because they're like 99% pure sugar) they might as well be Snickers bars.
The protein myth is so ridiculous. No one that eats enough calories to subsist on is protein deficient. I take a B12 pill every couple of days (which is due to our sanitation methods and not veganism, since farm animals have to be supplemented with B12 in their feed, which is the only reason why meat eaters get it), eat your fruits/veg/legumes/grains, get some exercise (bike/run/lift weights) and you're good to go.
Hey cobbb11 - welcome! Yeah - I'm surprised by many environmentally-minded people like MMM who even identify meat eating as unsustainable, and yet continue eating meat! Take Nate Hagens for example. That guy studies our imminent collapse due to unsustainable fossil fuel and resource usage, quantifies it, proposes all these solutions, and he still eats 'spa beef'. Does not bode well for my son's future when the guy who sees what coming continues taking part in accelerating toward collapse.
Yeah it's cool we haven't gotten in a shouting match over carnist bingo.
(https://78.media.tumblr.com/2483d0347b138cca3f23b041be676c40/tumblr_nwh5kwSgTb1rfwuxko1_500.png)
As I'm developing my vegan legs (I'm about 9 months plant based, 5 1/2 months vegan), I'm learning how to navigate vegan conversations in a carnist world. Mostly people are curious, but holy shit, my Bernie Sanders fanatic friend from HS about lost his mind one night out drinking when he overheard me chatting freely with another plant based diet person.
You know - when you talk with someone who has researched a lot of the same material as you, you can let yourself get excited discussing the details rather than navigating landmines of carnist resistance. So my HS buddy overhears us and just explodes about how we're pussies and humans are meant to eat meat and incisors, and well, all the shit in that bingo card. I love the guy, so it was easy enough to divert him into plotting a totally unrelated prank on his roomate and he quickly forgot the vegan convo. Since then, we've PMed a bit and he's asked a few questions. We'll see. Anyway, it's a long winded way of saying that I know the conversation can get heated and non-productive really quick. But this is a special forum. There are a few trolls in the political threads, but for the most part, people are measured, or at least properly label their rants.
hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
^^ couldn't agree more.
Congrats on 2 years. That's great! So how did you come into becoming vegan? Story please !
Carnist bingo! Love it! I'm stealing it!
Yea I've been on a couple other threads regarding veganism here and one in particular was a total nightmare. Some guy named Maizeman I think. Just couldn't talk logic with him, which of course ends up frustrating me and I'm sure I ended up sounding like a raving lunatic, but whatever.
The incredible thing is so many meat-eaters try to talk about the virtues of it like I've never eaten meat before. It is THEY who have never tried OUR lifestyle. Finding a vegan from birth is like finding a unicorn.
I was just pursuing, as I normally do, one day in January of 2016, and came across that infamous Gary Yourofsky speech (Titled "Best speech you will ever hear" on Youtube), and the Q&A video he did after that lecture. After watching and being completely honest with myself, I realized he makes irrefutable points, I've been a hypocrite my whole life claiming to like animals and detaching myself with how meat gets to my plate, and I had to at least try. So I finished up the rest of the animal products I had in the house (being a bachelor at the time, my fridge/pantry were usually pretty sparsely filled anyway), and went vegan cold turkey after that (pun intended). It was supposed to just be 2 weeks, and that is pretty much what I'm still doing: just a 2 week experiment going past 2 years that I never found a good reason to quit. I dropped 30 pounds by the summer of that first year, no other changes besides the diet at the time. I was never obese, but at 5'11 and 230, I was a bit more sluggish than I used to be. I was 192 last year, but then I got a girlfriend and the struggle is real. Luckily she's slowly going full vegan, but she found ways to make vegan brownies and stuff so I'm 206 as of this morning. Training for my first 10K in 3 weeks so that will be fun.
The interesting thing is that it SO easy to topple the vegan argument. Just name me ONE nutrient we need that we exclusively get from animals. Even if we could synthesize it in a plant-based supplement form, there is nothing special about meat/dairy. B12 is from bacteria, we used to get it from well water and unwashed vegetables.
Don't forget veganism also excludes leather, wool, etc as well. It's not just the diet. So whatever stuff I currently have is "grandfathered" in, but I haven't found any issues finding synthetic replacements. I happen to be a gun enthusiast and found the nylon gun belts work better than leather, for example. It's just a matter of doing a bit more research into things that we didn't do pre-veganism, and to me, it's worth the extra effort to save innocent beings.
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Just went for a lovely Valentines Day lunch of creamy vegan ramen with fried brussel sprouts.
So flipping tasty.
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Carnist bingo! Love it! I'm stealing it!
Yea I've been on a couple other threads regarding veganism here and one in particular was a total nightmare. Some guy named Maizeman I think. Just couldn't talk logic with him, which of course ends up frustrating me and I'm sure I ended up sounding like a raving lunatic, but whatever.
The incredible thing is so many meat-eaters try to talk about the virtues of it like I've never eaten meat before. It is THEY who have never tried OUR lifestyle. Finding a vegan from birth is like finding a unicorn.
I was just pursuing, as I normally do, one day in January of 2016, and came across that infamous Gary Yourofsky speech (Titled "Best speech you will ever hear" on Youtube), and the Q&A video he did after that lecture. After watching and being completely honest with myself, I realized he makes irrefutable points, I've been a hypocrite my whole life claiming to like animals and detaching myself with how meat gets to my plate, and I had to at least try. So I finished up the rest of the animal products I had in the house (being a bachelor at the time, my fridge/pantry were usually pretty sparsely filled anyway), and went vegan cold turkey after that (pun intended). It was supposed to just be 2 weeks, and that is pretty much what I'm still doing: just a 2 week experiment going past 2 years that I never found a good reason to quit. I dropped 30 pounds by the summer of that first year, no other changes besides the diet at the time. I was never obese, but at 5'11 and 230, I was a bit more sluggish than I used to be. I was 192 last year, but then I got a girlfriend and the struggle is real. Luckily she's slowly going full vegan, but she found ways to make vegan brownies and stuff so I'm 206 as of this morning. Training for my first 10K in 3 weeks so that will be fun.
The interesting thing is that it SO easy to topple the vegan argument. Just name me ONE nutrient we need that we exclusively get from animals. Even if we could synthesize it in a plant-based supplement form, there is nothing special about meat/dairy. B12 is from bacteria, we used to get it from well water and unwashed vegetables.
Don't forget veganism also excludes leather, wool, etc as well. It's not just the diet. So whatever stuff I currently have is "grandfathered" in, but I haven't found any issues finding synthetic replacements. I happen to be a gun enthusiast and found the nylon gun belts work better than leather, for example. It's just a matter of doing a bit more research into things that we didn't do pre-veganism, and to me, it's worth the extra effort to save innocent beings.
Yeah - that Gary Yourofsky video is powerful. I was already pretty well down the path when I watched it. Also James Aspey's 'most inspiring speech ...' is quite powerful too. I also like Earthling Ed because he uses the socratic method to get people thinking about their own beliefs. He asks questions like, "should culture and tradition dictated ethics?"
As for clothing. I've still been wearing some old shoes that TBH I love and they have really stiff soles so they protect my janky toe. But my husband has been pestering me to get vegan shoes. Finally this last weekend I went out and bought a pair of Chuck Taylors - exactly like I used to wear in high school.
I just learned about the practice of mulesing with sheep. Ugh. Capitalism. So powerful and awesome in so many ways, but often, when we're only focused on increasing profits, it can turn ugly. It just takes one group of a-holes to decide they don't GAF about the sheep - to only see them as a commodity, and you get these inhumane practices. Yep - not wiling to be a part of it.
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Amazing thread! So nice to see it 3 pages in and not degraded to a vegan vs meat eater brawl.
I'm still kind of shocked that MMM, with his "against the grain" lifestyle and critical thinking to nearly everything he does, hasn't gone vegan yet, or at least given it a shot.
I've been vegan over 2 years now, and the biggest game changers are the Vitamix blender and the Instant Pot. With the blender, you keep frozen bananas on hand at all times. Just by a crap ton and either eat them fresh when they're ripe or freeze them if you start falling behind and they are on the verge of going bad. Throw in some strawberries, kale/spinach, chia/flax/hemp seeds, peanut butter (or PB powder), almond milk, and you've got a cheaper, healthier smoothie than anything you can get at smoothie king. It's also a great coffee replacement, although I still drink coffee for fun with Silk caramel almond creamer.
The Instant Pot is the bean prep master. Just toss in dried beans, cover with water, about 30-40 minutes plus the depressurize time and you are golden. No more canned beans.
I also enjoy stir frys in the Wok, hummus is the best dip ever (making your own is super easy, plenty of youtube recipes), and best of all you are living healthier and victim-free.
If you ever need a treat I would suggest ben and jerrys and breyer's dairy-free ice cream, the various mock-meat stuff from Gardein, Oreos (if you're in the US, I think European oreos aren't vegan), "Just Mayo" mayonnaise, and dates (the fruit) taste so damn sweet (because they're like 99% pure sugar) they might as well be Snickers bars.
The protein myth is so ridiculous. No one that eats enough calories to subsist on is protein deficient. I take a B12 pill every couple of days (which is due to our sanitation methods and not veganism, since farm animals have to be supplemented with B12 in their feed, which is the only reason why meat eaters get it), eat your fruits/veg/legumes/grains, get some exercise (bike/run/lift weights) and you're good to go.
I also love Gardein mock meats.
I was pescatarian from 2009 until last year (ethical and environmental reasons) but I'm trying to get back on the wagon (ethical, environmental and health reasons). I'm following Dr. Greger's vegan site (https://nutritionfacts.org) for tips on what to eat. My wife and kids are omnivores.
My gut tells me that a plant based diet should be healthier than a diet based on animal products but I've been reading about the good results people have been having on the zero carb diets (meat and eggs and cheese all day) and am a bit confused on what to eat.
FWIW, I'm trying to lower LDLs and don't have any issues with weight, blood pressure or diabetes.
Hi Yankuba
In regards to your confusion, maybe I can help put some things into perspective for you.
First, I'm going to post a quote from RD Jeff Novick from a separate forum. He is talking about fruit juice/juice fasting, but it applies to other "fad" diets as well, such as zero-carb (which he points out):
Yes, we all have heard these success stories related to juicing. So, lets put that in proper perspective.
1) The fact that people may use juicing and get better does not in anyway make juicing healthy. People get better on many diets and programs, short-term. If you head on over to the Paleo crowd, or the Atkins crowd, or the Zone crowd, or the MED diet crowd, etc etc, you will hear the same proclamations. Yet, I would not recommend any of these programs. I have even showed you a well done, published, peer-reviewed study where one of the diets was 47% white sugar, yet the DB subjects, lost weight, lowered their cholesterol, LDL, blood sugars and insulin all very quickly but I would not recommend that either.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6854&p=48020&h#p48020
There is more to this than just some short-term "results" but also putting it all into proper perspective and understanding the how and why about what is happening. Juicing is a highly processed food, even if you make it at home. Of course, juice is much better than the SAD and anyone who moves from the SAD to a healthier diet, especially if it is a whole foods plant based diet, which includes juices will do better. However, there is a reason why not one of the clinical programs that have published evidence over the last 60 years on a lower fat, minimally processed, lo/no SOS diet diet used liquid calories, juices or smoothies as a main part of the program. And, if any did use any, it was nothing more than an occasional condiment or flavoring or occasional treat or in rare and limited special instances (i.e. prune juice for constipation)
To make the point, you would now have to show that the same lower fat, minimally processed, lo/no SOS diet with juices is superior to the same lower fat, minimally processed, lo/no SOS diet without juices. Never been done, nor will it. On the other hand, we have over 60 years of clinical experience where for many people, we have to remove juices to get them to fully recover. The only exception to this is with the therapeutic initiation phase of the rice diet, where he was working with extremely ill people, on a very low calorie diet with extremely limited food and calorie options and was just trying to get a few extra calories in them.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=26106&p=495831#p495831
Is it really any surprise, that anyone who goes from eating a SAD diet (highly processed flour, processed meat, sugar, excess fat, saturated fat, sodium, no fresh/whole foods, etc.), to being more conscious about what they eat, sees short term improvements?
Even in these people who are eating nothing but animal products, the most likely "benefit" they are seeing is that:
1) They are usually cutting out processed food.
2) As a result of such large amounts of restriction, their calories naturally go down, and they lose weight.
3) They may be implementing other life-style changes at the same time that could also be playing a factor.
We know from countless studies that regardless of what you eat, if you lose weight, there is a good chance your bio-markers will improve (having said this, I have read about/spoken with many people who lost weight doing one of the low carb iterations but actually had their bio-markers worsen).
Personally, I am not interested in these short term results. I want to know, what diet is going to be best for my short-term and long-term health? What is happening to all these people doing low-carb/paleo 5, 10, 15 years down the line? I am not interested in anecdotes either; otherwise, the uncle who lives until 99 smoking 2 packs a day and eating eggs and bacon is good justification to adapt those lifestyle habits. :)
This is why it's important to stick to peer-reviewed evidence. Otherwise, I could go online and find somebody who has found positive results with any diet. Shoot, I don't have the reference on hand, but I know there was a university professor who went on a twinkies-only diet for a month just to prove that you can lose weight as long as you restrict calories (which he did).
Having said all that, I have not seen any well-done studies that put low-carb diets in a positive light long-term when you actually put the studies into proper perspective. Certainly there are plenty of studies out there that might "appear" to make certain diets look good. But this is usually the result of a study that was either poorly done or was intentionally set-up in some way to achieve certain results.
On the other hand, there are numerous studies on plant-based diets with long term follow-ups going out to 5, 10, 15+ years (I know of one with a 50 year follow up). While I am not saying this evidence is perfect, it is the best we got. Until I see results similar to the results that Ornish, Esselstyn, McDougall, Barnard, etc. have gotten, it is no contest. When you combine this evidence with everything we have learned from epidemiological studies, it starts to become pretty overwhelming, IMO.
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Here's a few more websites for folks looking for recipe ideas:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/) If you have a sweet tooth and don't plan to give it up, she has some great recipes! Also a decent amount that require no oil (I try not to use it when I cook) or can sub it with nut butter. My absolute favorite that I've made several dozen times is her blondies... the secret ingredient is chickpeas (no flour at all!) but no one that I've fed them to has ever guessed. My (non-vegan) friends request them often. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/)
http://thevegan8.com/ (http://thevegan8.com/) Also a favorite for both quality and simplicity (8 ingredients or less). This week I made her "cheesy mexican tortilla bake" and it turned out delicious (and it was easy)! I just finished the leftovers tonight and I found myself wishing there were more. http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/ (http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/)
Thank you so much for turning me on to Katie!!! I have made 4 batches of her chocolate blender muffins, and the whole family loves them. We all eat them every day. Sweets were something holding me back because I didn't want to make anything with "weird" ingredients. I already had everything to make these, and luckily they were fantastic. I want to make other recipes of hers, but so far I've only gotten requests to repeat the chocolate muffins!
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Here's a few more websites for folks looking for recipe ideas:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/) If you have a sweet tooth and don't plan to give it up, she has some great recipes! Also a decent amount that require no oil (I try not to use it when I cook) or can sub it with nut butter. My absolute favorite that I've made several dozen times is her blondies... the secret ingredient is chickpeas (no flour at all!) but no one that I've fed them to has ever guessed. My (non-vegan) friends request them often. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/)
http://thevegan8.com/ (http://thevegan8.com/) Also a favorite for both quality and simplicity (8 ingredients or less). This week I made her "cheesy mexican tortilla bake" and it turned out delicious (and it was easy)! I just finished the leftovers tonight and I found myself wishing there were more. http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/ (http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/)
Thank you so much for turning me on to Katie!!! I have made 4 batches of her chocolate blender muffins, and the whole family loves them. We all eat them every day. Sweets were something holding me back because I didn't want to make anything with "weird" ingredients. I already had everything to make these, and luckily they were fantastic. I want to make other recipes of hers, but so far I've only gotten requests to repeat the chocolate muffins!
I'm so glad you're happy with her recipes! :-) Makes my day. And now I'm off to check out her chocolate blender muffins, because I've been craving muffins and they must be healthier than the vegan donuts I've been wanting (to buy at the shop, again!).
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Hirondelle made it to Verona, where I live, and we had vegan pizza. :)
I keep seeing the keto & low-carb 'throw down the gauntlet' thread pop up and occasionally I peek in and I just don't get it.
This whole 'all carbs are bad' thing is out of hand. Also - unless you're modeling your keto regimen after the inuit, I don't think you would be eating such a high percentage of meat, and you certainly wouldn't be consuming dairy. At least that's my understanding based off of various readings of history.
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Hirondelle made it to Verona, where I live, and we had vegan pizza. :)
I keep seeing the keto & low-carb 'throw down the gauntlet' thread pop up and occasionally I peek in and I just don't get it.
This whole 'all carbs are bad' thing is out of hand. Also - unless you're modeling your keto regimen after the inuit, I don't think you would be eating such a high percentage of meat, and you certainly wouldn't be consuming dairy. At least that's my understanding based off of various readings of history.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there.
I recently listened to this podcast which addresses some of the clashing perspectives between whole food/plant-base & keto/high meat viewpoints.
Of course, everyone has to come to their own conclusion and live the life that feels right for them.. but for me, the Blue Zone studies of longevity are good indicators that high plant based diets are a key to long & healthy lives, regardless of short-term effects of Keto..can also do plant-based keto/intermittent fasting for similar weight-loss results (which they address toward the end of the podcast)
http://www.richroll.com/podcast/joel-kahn-349/ (have to skip 10-12 minutes in to jump over the ad portion!)
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Are we keeping this up for February and March? I had dairy three times in February (desserts and mac and cheese) but was otherwise vegan. I'm cooking pretty much the same thing for my husband and I every week and we feel pretty satisfied.
Mon/Wed lunch and dinner: Vegan Enchilada Casserole - https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/vegan-enchilada-casserole-jalapeno-cream-sauce/
Tue/Thu lunch and dinner: Indian veggie and potato stir fry, Indian lentil soup (sambar) with greens, and a mix of brown and white rice.
Friday lunch and dinner: Vegan bean and tofu chili and mashed potatoes (with soy milk no butter).
Saturday: Veggie burgers and salad for lunch. Pasta and sauce with greens, mushrooms, onions and veggie ground soy meat or seitan and steamed broccoli for dinner.
Sunday: Leftover chili for lunch. Tofu banh mi sandwiches (from a local Vietnamese restaurant) for dinner.
Also we sporadically add a side salad to lunch or dinner several times during the week. This with a nut-based salad dressing like Cashew Mustard or Walnut Balsamic.
It's nice eating the same stuff each week, because it makes grocery shopping and cooking a no-brainer. So we'll keep doing it unless we get bored of something then we'll switch it up.
I'm going on vacation for a week in March so I might end up eating some dairy or eggs if I go out with friends or if my family cooks it but hopefully I'll be able to avoid it.
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Are we keeping this up for February and March? I had dairy three times in February (desserts and mac and cheese) but was otherwise vegan. I'm cooking pretty much the same thing for my husband and I every week and we feel pretty satisfied.
Mon/Wed lunch and dinner: Vegan Enchilada Casserole - https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/vegan-enchilada-casserole-jalapeno-cream-sauce/
Tue/Thu lunch and dinner: Indian veggie and potato stir fry, Indian lentil soup (sambar) with greens, and a mix of brown and white rice.
Friday lunch and dinner: Vegan bean and tofu chili and mashed potatoes (with soy milk no butter).
Saturday: Veggie burgers and salad for lunch. Pasta and sauce with greens, mushrooms, onions and veggie ground soy meat or seitan and steamed broccoli for dinner.
Sunday: Leftover chili for lunch. Tofu banh mi sandwiches (from a local Vietnamese restaurant) for dinner.
Also we sporadically add a side salad to lunch or dinner several times during the week. This with a nut-based salad dressing like Cashew Mustard or Walnut Balsamic.
It's nice eating the same stuff each week, because it makes grocery shopping and cooking a no-brainer. So we'll keep doing it unless we get bored of something then we'll switch it up.
I'm going on vacation for a week in March so I might end up eating some dairy or eggs if I go out with friends or if my family cooks it but hopefully I'll be able to avoid it.
thanks for the link to the enchilada casserole. I'm tiring of our same-old recipes and I think I'll try this in our rotation. Thanks.
Yeah - I'll start a march thread. I suppose I could change the title of this thread to "Go Plant-Based (Vegan) in January 2018", and we could keep it up for the year. What do you think? That - or start a new thread?
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Okay - I've altered the title and made this thread for all year - all 2018.
Tell me if you have a strong preference to start a new thread instead. Otherwise, let's carry on with this one!
I saw this live video stream from Earthling Ed this morning. I shared it on my FB feed for a few hours - while the majority of my US based FB network slept. After a few hours, I changed the visibility to 'Only Me'. I know people don't like to see this stuff. But I think people need to see this stuff.
But - a few months ago - I made the decision to not try and 'show the truth' to my close friends and family. The reason is this: if I show, say, my brother, everything that has me convinced to protest the industrial animal ag system, and he sees it, understands it, feels it, and then goes on eating meat and diary from the grocery store, well, I'd be devastated. And I don't want to put myself through that.
So,instead, I'll volunteer at the cube of truth in bologna in March, and head to Berlin Alexanderplatz for the huge Cube of Truth June 23. I'll continue to sponsor Earthling Ed on Patreon, and look for other ways to show people what's really going on.
Here's the Earthling Ed video (https://www.facebook.com/earthlingedpage/videos/2076965712549227/?q=earthling%20ed) if you're interested. Keep in mind the pigs are babies really. They typically go to slaughter between 12 and 18 months of age. :(
I didn't start out really caring much about the animals and their suffering. But the more time I've abstained from eating animal products, the more I find myself caring. It's not that I object to eating meat per se. It's this system of cruelty and environmental destruction that I oppose.
Anyhoo - if y'all would rather start a new thread, I'm down with that. But I think continuing with this one works too.
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Hirondelle made it to Verona, where I live, and we had vegan pizza. :)
I keep seeing the keto & low-carb 'throw down the gauntlet' thread pop up and occasionally I peek in and I just don't get it.
This whole 'all carbs are bad' thing is out of hand. Also - unless you're modeling your keto regimen after the inuit, I don't think you would be eating such a high percentage of meat, and you certainly wouldn't be consuming dairy. At least that's my understanding based off of various readings of history.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there.
I recently listened to this podcast which addresses some of the clashing perspectives between whole food/plant-base & keto/high meat viewpoints.
Of course, everyone has to come to their own conclusion and live the life that feels right for them.. but for me, the Blue Zone studies of longevity are good indicators that high plant based diets are a key to long & healthy lives, regardless of short-term effects of Keto..can also do plant-based keto/intermittent fasting for similar weight-loss results (which they address toward the end of the podcast)
http://www.richroll.com/podcast/joel-kahn-349/ (have to skip 10-12 minutes in to jump over the ad portion!)
Thanks for the podcast. I'll check it out. I'm personally experiencing this conflict, since I would love to be plant-based for ethical reasons but only feel satisfied with a high-protein-high-fat diet. This week I've made a vegan bean salad and a vegan soup with broccoli and tofu. Tomorrow I will make vegan whole-wheat fermented sourdough bread. All of these are delicious and nutritious. But while trying to maintain or lose weight, I find that unless I eat most of my calories in protein and fat I feel hungry and unsatisfied. And there's only so many meals I want to have free-range eggs as my main food. So it's a constant fight for me.
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Hirondelle made it to Verona, where I live, and we had vegan pizza. :)
That pizza was soooo good :)
I'd prefer to keep up this thread. There's already a ton of information in here that'd be lost or has to be reposted if we'd move.
Despite the vegan pizza in Verona most days in Italy I managed to eat vegetarian but not vegan. Upon getting home I bought a ton of veggies so this week I should be good eating (almost - ate cookies/cake at work) vegan. I did realize I haven't bought eggs in a long time and that used to be one of the few animal products I'd actually struggle with to not consume.
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Hirondelle made it to Verona, where I live, and we had vegan pizza. :)
I keep seeing the keto & low-carb 'throw down the gauntlet' thread pop up and occasionally I peek in and I just don't get it.
This whole 'all carbs are bad' thing is out of hand. Also - unless you're modeling your keto regimen after the inuit, I don't think you would be eating such a high percentage of meat, and you certainly wouldn't be consuming dairy. At least that's my understanding based off of various readings of history.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there.
I recently listened to this podcast which addresses some of the clashing perspectives between whole food/plant-base & keto/high meat viewpoints.
Of course, everyone has to come to their own conclusion and live the life that feels right for them.. but for me, the Blue Zone studies of longevity are good indicators that high plant based diets are a key to long & healthy lives, regardless of short-term effects of Keto..can also do plant-based keto/intermittent fasting for similar weight-loss results (which they address toward the end of the podcast)
http://www.richroll.com/podcast/joel-kahn-349/ (have to skip 10-12 minutes in to jump over the ad portion!)
Thanks for sharing the podcast. I'm trying to get serious about my health (I'm almost 40) and have been confused with diet. My gut tells me Dr. Greger, Dr. Furman and the plant based people are right, but there are doctors and scientists who promote the zero carb, high animal product diet.
I listened to the first hour of the podcast and took notes. the guest was Dr. Joel Kahn, a vegan cardiologist:
All foods have protein, fat and carbs
Zero carb diets have been shown to age the body (bad). You may lose weight and gain energy but you increase mortality.
People in Okinawa are 90% plant based and are considered some of the healthiest people on earth
Animal products (beef, chicken, fish, dairy) age you. They contain Lucien (bad).
One patient of the guest cardiologist went zero carb and his cholesterol went from 250 to 750.
Keto has been shown to be beneficial for epileptic people
Virta Health is making noise - it promotes a Keto diet and claims the diet can reverse type II diabetes. Dr. Kahn said their data is junk science - a 10 week study printed in a bad journal. Dr. Kahn said the main 6 or 7 big health studies that covered 100,000s of people show low carb, high fat diets increase mortality.
Dr. Kahn doesn't recommend the keto diet and there isn't a keto death rate study yet.
Dr. Kahn recommended the Longevity Diet by Dr. Longo.
Increased protein consumption leads to increased mortality. Protein becomes more important when we age - bad to be frail and old (more fractures and pneumonia).
The American diet - everything in moderation - is dangerous. Animal products are dangerous.
It is a myth that sugar causes diabetes. Excess calories which leads to weight gain causes diabetes.
Refined sugar is bad. Fruit sugar is fine. May want to limit fruits to three per day. Fruit doesn't cause diabetes.
If you're going to cheat on your diet, cheat with desserts (sugar) and not fats, oils, dairy
Heart disease is still the #1 killer in USA (#2 in Canada). Cancer is #2 in USA and #1 in Canada.
This part is scary:
Some seemingly healthy people drop dead of heart attacks when young. Many have high Lipo Protein A (LPA/sticky cholesterol). This isn't checked on your routine lipid blood test when you get a physical. 20% of Americans have high Lipo Protein A. It's genetic and can't be reduced by diet. Niacin helps. It's not a bad idea to ask your doctor for a LPA blood test - it's only $25.
Additionally, Dr. Kahn recommends everyone over 40 to get a prescription and go to the local hospital for a heart cat scan to get a calcium score that measures hardening of the arteries. People can have high cholesterol numbers but low calcium scores and vice versa. High calcium scores are another scary silent killer.
There are about 19 things that can lead to heart disease - Lipo Protein A, cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, excess weight, genetics, age, smoking, etc. The cat scan mentioned above cuts to the chase.
Ironically, ultra endurance exercise can make hardening of the arteries worse.
I will post the second half of the podcast later on....
EDIT:
30 minutes to go, but here is what else I picked up:
Ultra endurance exercise (marathons) may be worse than moderate exercise or even no exercise at all
10 minutes of exercise is better than 0 minutes of exercise
Heart and blood metrics post marathon aren't good but they may snap back in 24 hours.
It is false and dangerous to say that consuming saturated fats is okay and consuming saturated fats do not impact cholesterol levels. Dr. Kahn wants everyone to limit saturated fats - including olive oil. Saturated fats are associated with hardening of the arteries and heart disease. This has been known since the 1950s - early studies that cardiology patients who cut saturated fats did better than those that didn't.
Since 2014 it has been confirmed that butter and lard are bad (again)
It's hard to find pure food scientists who do not receive funding from food companies/industries
Completely remove coconut and palm oil from your diet
They chatted about this movie called "What the Health" - it is recommended
Processed meats (pepperoni, salami, sausage, hot dogs) increase risk of getting colon cancer.
If you're going to eat a "bad food" (e.g. hamburger) eat it with "antidotes" (leafy greens, avocado).
A bunch of stuff on fasting that I didn't really pay attention to
I will post the rest tomorrow!
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Keto is garbage, imo. It has only been proven to help with short-term weight loss (every diet does, basically) and epileptic seizure reduction. Other than, over the long term it's not any better than any diet.
It was ranked among the lowest in all categories except short term weight loss by US News & World Report back in January.
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Although I'm a long-time ethical vegan, I'm not convinced that a vegan diet is that much healthier than any other. The reason is that we are descended from millions of years of what are basically primate garbage disposals. Any of our ancestors whose systems freaked out if they ate some slightly non-optimal food would've been eliminated from the gene pool a long time ago. Our bodies will tolerate and thrive on a lot of different things, and I think this is evidenced by the existence of such a wide variety of allegedly-best diets: if there was one diet that was clearly and definitively better than all others, then the others would have fallen by the wayside.
The basics of health and nutrition are well known and not especially complicated, despite the popular breathless media narratives about nutritionists constantly changing their minds about everything: Get most of your calories from a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you eat anything else, do it in moderation. Get lots of low-level physical activity.
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we have been doing "mostly" whole foods plant based for about 4 months. We do eat meat when we go out with other people. My joint pain is gone. My husband's plantar fasciitis hasn't bothered him. His blood work has gone from prediabetic to normal. My cholesterol has gone from 225 to 190. I plan to stick with it for the most part. We do cheat, but we are eating way healthier than we were before.
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Posting to follow. Almost vegan. Trying to get my partner to quit cheese, eggs. Any recommendations for
-- cheese substitutes. Did not like Daiya.
-- best plant substitute that comes close to cow's milk. I've tried soy and almond but no success yet with the taste.
Thanks.
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-- cheese substitutes. Did not like Daiya.
Hard to recommend, because cheese is a very versatile food. A vegan version that is good on pizza will not be good spread on crackers. I've heard good things about Teese but haven't tried it (I am happy enough with Daiya so I don't branch out much). For gourmet cheeses, Miyoko's is really good but pricey. If you really like cheese, you will probably not be happy with anything currently out there if you need an exact substitute. If you can be happy with something that is not cheese, but fits the basic flavor profile of "creamy plus tangy" then you'll have better luck.
-- best plant substitute that comes close to cow's milk. I've tried soy and almond but no success yet with the taste.
Oat and hemp are good.
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Posting to follow. Almost vegan. Trying to get my partner to quit cheese, eggs. Any recommendations for
-- cheese substitutes. Did not like Daiya.
-- best plant substitute that comes close to cow's milk. I've tried soy and almond but no success yet with the taste.
Thanks.
My parents watched 'Forks over Knives' with me. While my mom resisted most of the conclusions, she was willing to switch up her milk and coffee creamer to plant based ones. ( I think she was more open to replacing the milks because i'd mentioned it a few times to her before she watched the movie - everything else like the ideas of giving up meat and eggs seemed to offend her).
I had her do a taste test for her creamer. Here she is: FUD 4 - Mom tries Plant Based Creamers in Blind Taste Test (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3j-2Uwhfx0)
Since choosing ripple (it's pea protein), she and dad have swapped their milk for ripple too. They love it.
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@Yankuba - thanks for that write up!
You may also enjoy the Rick Roll podcast with Dr. Garth Davis. Similar depth and message. He's quick to point out areas where studies are insufficient for him to make health claims like 'don't eat eggs', but he goes into a lot of detail about various meats and dairy products. He also describes his personal journey studying nutrition - it's really interesting.
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Thanks for the summary Yankuba! I think I want to listen back to get into more detail about some of the points you've pointed out. Does he go into more detail (eg mention studies) when talking about cheat with sugars instead of oils? That's an interesting point to me and I'd be curious to learn more about it.
I've never understood the rave about keto diets. I get the point of low carb and know many people that do well on it, but as extreme as keto? Keto has been developed for epilepsy patients, not for overweight people. It's not a natural state of your body to be in and isn't healthy long term. Paleo does make sense to me as long as it's done right. Many people see it as an excuse to eat tons of meat while to me the main message is "WFPB + some meat/fish, no processed foods".
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Posting to follow. Almost vegan. Trying to get my partner to quit cheese, eggs. Any recommendations for
-- cheese substitutes. Did not like Daiya.
-- best plant substitute that comes close to cow's milk. I've tried soy and almond but no success yet with the taste.
Thanks.
Miyoko's Creamery has some delicious "cheeses", things like English smoked farmhouse and Mt Vesuvius Black Ash, more artisanal than basic shredded. Good vegan "cheese" is hard to find. Agree with Malaysia that ripple might be closer to cows milk than the others, but you'll definitely still notice a difference.
I've been vegan for about 5 years now, after reading things like Eat to Live, The Blue Zones, and The China Study. Family history of heart disease/high cholesterol, my numbers are now fine on plant-based diet, and feel so much better.
My biggest challenge is simply eating enough and maintaining weight, doing more nuts, seeds, avocados.
Great thread!
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Thanks for the summary Yankuba! I think I want to listen back to get into more detail about some of the points you've pointed out. Does he go into more detail (eg mention studies) when talking about cheat with sugars instead of oils? That's an interesting point to me and I'd be curious to learn more about it.
I've never understood the rave about keto diets. I get the point of low carb and know many people that do well on it, but as extreme as keto? Keto has been developed for epilepsy patients, not for overweight people. It's not a natural state of your body to be in and isn't healthy long term. Paleo does make sense to me as long as it's done right. Many people see it as an excuse to eat tons of meat while to me the main message is "WFPB + some meat/fish, no processed foods".
I don’t believe he mentioned any studies re: refined sugars.
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-- best plant substitute that comes close to cow's milk. I've tried soy and almond but no success yet with the taste.
Thanks.
I think cashew milk tastes the closest to cow's milk.
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Hirondelle made it to Verona, where I live, and we had vegan pizza. :)
I keep seeing the keto & low-carb 'throw down the gauntlet' thread pop up and occasionally I peek in and I just don't get it.
This whole 'all carbs are bad' thing is out of hand. Also - unless you're modeling your keto regimen after the inuit, I don't think you would be eating such a high percentage of meat, and you certainly wouldn't be consuming dairy. At least that's my understanding based off of various readings of history.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there.
I recently listened to this podcast which addresses some of the clashing perspectives between whole food/plant-base & keto/high meat viewpoints.
Of course, everyone has to come to their own conclusion and live the life that feels right for them.. but for me, the Blue Zone studies of longevity are good indicators that high plant based diets are a key to long & healthy lives, regardless of short-term effects of Keto..can also do plant-based keto/intermittent fasting for similar weight-loss results (which they address toward the end of the podcast)
http://www.richroll.com/podcast/joel-kahn-349/ (have to skip 10-12 minutes in to jump over the ad portion!)
Thanks for sharing the podcast. I'm trying to get serious about my health (I'm almost 40) and have been confused with diet. My gut tells me Dr. Greger, Dr. Furman and the plant based people are right, but there are doctors and scientists who promote the zero carb, high animal product diet.
I listened to the first hour of the podcast and took notes. the guest was Dr. Joel Kahn, a vegan cardiologist:
All foods have protein, fat and carbs
Zero carb diets have been shown to age the body (bad). You may lose weight and gain energy but you increase mortality.
People in Okinawa are 90% plant based and are considered some of the healthiest people on earth
Animal products (beef, chicken, fish, dairy) age you. They contain Lucien (bad).
One patient of the guest cardiologist went zero carb and his cholesterol went from 250 to 750.
Keto has been shown to be beneficial for epileptic people
Virta Health is making noise - it promotes a Keto diet and claims the diet can reverse type II diabetes. Dr. Kahn said their data is junk science - a 10 week study printed in a bad journal. Dr. Kahn said the main 6 or 7 big health studies that covered 100,000s of people show low carb, high fat diets increase mortality.
Dr. Kahn doesn't recommend the keto diet and there isn't a keto death rate study yet.
Dr. Kahn recommended the Longevity Diet by Dr. Longo.
Increased protein consumption leads to increased mortality. Protein becomes more important when we age - bad to be frail and old (more fractures and pneumonia).
The American diet - everything in moderation - is dangerous. Animal products are dangerous.
It is a myth that sugar causes diabetes. Excess calories which leads to weight gain causes diabetes.
Refined sugar is bad. Fruit sugar is fine. May want to limit fruits to three per day. Fruit doesn't cause diabetes.
If you're going to cheat on your diet, cheat with desserts (sugar) and not fats, oils, dairy
Heart disease is still the #1 killer in USA (#2 in Canada). Cancer is #2 in USA and #1 in Canada.
This part is scary:
Some seemingly healthy people drop dead of heart attacks when young. Many have high Lipo Protein A (LPA/sticky cholesterol). This isn't checked on your routine lipid blood test when you get a physical. 20% of Americans have high Lipo Protein A. It's genetic and can't be reduced by diet. Niacin helps. It's not a bad idea to ask your doctor for a LPA blood test - it's only $25.
Additionally, Dr. Kahn recommends everyone over 40 to get a prescription and go to the local hospital for a heart cat scan to get a calcium score that measures hardening of the arteries. People can have high cholesterol numbers but low calcium scores and vice versa. High calcium scores are another scary silent killer.
There are about 19 things that can lead to heart disease - Lipo Protein A, cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, excess weight, genetics, age, smoking, etc. The cat scan mentioned above cuts to the chase.
Ironically, ultra endurance exercise can make hardening of the arteries worse.
I will post the second half of the podcast later on....
EDIT:
30 minutes to go, but here is what else I picked up:
Ultra endurance exercise (marathons) may be worse than moderate exercise or even no exercise at all
10 minutes of exercise is better than 0 minutes of exercise
Heart and blood metrics post marathon aren't good but they may snap back in 24 hours.
It is false and dangerous to say that consuming saturated fats is okay and consuming saturated fats do not impact cholesterol levels. Dr. Kahn wants everyone to limit saturated fats - including olive oil. Saturated fats are associated with hardening of the arteries and heart disease. This has been known since the 1950s - early studies that cardiology patients who cut saturated fats did better than those that didn't.
Since 2014 it has been confirmed that butter and lard are bad (again)
It's hard to find pure food scientists who do not receive funding from food companies/industries
Completely remove coconut and palm oil from your diet
They chatted about this movie called "What the Health" - it is recommended
Processed meats (pepperoni, salami, sausage, hot dogs) increase risk of getting colon cancer.
If you're going to eat a "bad food" (e.g. hamburger) eat it with "antidotes" (leafy greens, avocado).
A bunch of stuff on fasting that I didn't really pay attention to
I will post the rest tomorrow!
The end of the podcast:
Not every vegan has perfect lab numbers, blood pressure or weight, so there is more work to be done. One hack that has been showing good results is fasting a few days a month, cutting calories and limiting food intake to certain windows during the day.
The body can heal itself on a plant based diet.
Malcolm Gladwell hates plant based diets.
The host and cardiologist feel we passed the tipping point and plant based diets are now mainstream. Medical students are starting to come around. Food companies are starting to come around. Dr. Kahn spoke to a group of medical school students and half the class was vegetarian or vegan.
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Thank you everyone for all of the suggestions for the milk. I will look to see if I can find Ripple locally. And the video taste test was great. These have to go in an Indian Chai.
I also saw that Daiya had changed its formulation. So maybe I will try it again.
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@Hirondelle - here's a video where the doctor discusses studies linking cow milk consumption to type 1 diabetes among other diseases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT5IczyhFGQ
Here's a screenshot of the study he discusses:
(https://i.imgur.com/QN44cCjl.png)
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I've been PlantBased for about 5 weeks now. Full disclosure: I do have 2 exceptions. 1) bone broth: because I have a bunch and haven't been good about collecting scraps for veg broth. 2) whey protein: because I have 3-4 containers to use up
That said, on week three I got a little indulgent with the nuts. Basically I skipped lunch, got darn hungry and ate a lot of trail mix (pecan based) for two days at lunch. After the second day, I reacted....got super itchy back at night. So no nuts for about a week. I then had coconut curry one night for dinner, no issues. The next day had some PB....and now itchy back for 1.5 days now.
So I'm wondering if anyone has any insights. On a non-PlantBased diet, I have eaten a LOT of Peanut Butter in a single day. I heart me nut butters. But trying to poke around online, it seems like perhaps my amino acids might be unbalanced now....arginine appears to cause issues in some people.
Advice? Suggestions? Sources of info to read?
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I didn't start out really caring much about the animals and their suffering. But the more time I've abstained from eating animal products, the more I find myself caring. It's not that I object to eating meat per se. It's this system of cruelty and environmental destruction that I oppose.
Same here! Also I think the 2018 thread works great :)
@Yankuba thanks! I love Rich Roll's podcasts but I don't always keep up with them because they are so long. Great for longer drives though.
@Drole it's hard to imagine you would have some sort of imbalance after 5 weeks, but admittedly I have not researched your specific issue. I eat plenty of peanut butter, I just only buy the peanuts + salt kind. Regardless, I hope you get it sorted out and don't continue to have issues! I have heard sometime allergies can randomly show up in adulthood.
I have decided to do a no (added) sugar March. I was hitting the vegan sweets too hard... (purchased not homemade). I could just do a no store bought dessert challenge but I think it will be good for my body to have a little sugar detox. Not eliminating fruit of course. Would like to get back to super WFPB which I mostly am but am not doing as well as I'd like every week... still too much take out/processed vegan stuff. The no added sugar thing will be one step in the right direction without taking on too much of an overwhelming goal, I think. Maybe in April I will reintroduce sugar for homemade desserts only and focus on another aspect of WFPB eating.
This morning I had raw banana tacos for breakfast. A banana on top of a few layers of romaine leaves, slathered with almond butter and topped with some dates, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. It wasn't bad but also not amazing (I also don't love almond butter like I love peanut butter). However, I felt good after eating it. :)
I suck at meal planning. Mostly it's laziness. Any tips?
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I've been PlantBased for about 5 weeks now. Full disclosure: I do have 2 exceptions. 1) bone broth: because I have a bunch and haven't been good about collecting scraps for veg broth. 2) whey protein: because I have 3-4 containers to use up
That said, on week three I got a little indulgent with the nuts. Basically I skipped lunch, got darn hungry and ate a lot of trail mix (pecan based) for two days at lunch. After the second day, I reacted....got super itchy back at night. So no nuts for about a week. I then had coconut curry one night for dinner, no issues. The next day had some PB....and now itchy back for 1.5 days now.
So I'm wondering if anyone has any insights. On a non-PlantBased diet, I have eaten a LOT of Peanut Butter in a single day. I heart me nut butters. But trying to poke around online, it seems like perhaps my amino acids might be unbalanced now....arginine appears to cause issues in some people.
Advice? Suggestions? Sources of info to read?
When I eat nuts - esp hazelnuts with the brown skin bit on it - my throat gets super itchy. Then i ease up off nuts, and then a week later eat some hazelnuts and don't feel a thing. Allergies are weird.
My husband gets super itchy forearms when he eats chocolate, bananas or too much sugar. Not that this has to do with nuts but our bodies seem to freak out in unique ways.
Sorry I don't have any sources or insights - just empathy.
I've become quite bigoted against cow's milk - so I fully acknowledge the following question is based on having read studies here and there about weird reactions to cow's milk proteins and other substances: do you think the whey powder might have something to do with your reactions? Maybe you're loading up on it too much in an effort to get rid of it?
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I've been PlantBased for about 5 weeks now. Full disclosure: I do have 2 exceptions. 1) bone broth: because I have a bunch and haven't been good about collecting scraps for veg broth. 2) whey protein: because I have 3-4 containers to use up
That said, on week three I got a little indulgent with the nuts. Basically I skipped lunch, got darn hungry and ate a lot of trail mix (pecan based) for two days at lunch. After the second day, I reacted....got super itchy back at night. So no nuts for about a week. I then had coconut curry one night for dinner, no issues. The next day had some PB....and now itchy back for 1.5 days now.
So I'm wondering if anyone has any insights. On a non-PlantBased diet, I have eaten a LOT of Peanut Butter in a single day. I heart me nut butters. But trying to poke around online, it seems like perhaps my amino acids might be unbalanced now....arginine appears to cause issues in some people.
Advice? Suggestions? Sources of info to read?
Hi Drole.
I was able to eliminate an autoimmune disorder (IBS) through a strenuous elimination diet. It took me over 8 months, but I'm finally at a point where I know exactly how and what I can eat and have 0 intestinal issues.
An elimination diet is the most extreme/last resort way of resolving issues like this. However, for someone such as yourself, I would start off with eliminating common allergens: all animal products (no whey/bone broth), nuts/seeds, and chocolate. If that doesn't work, eliminate wheat, corn, citrus fruits, and tomatoes (these are very common allergens too).
If the problem still persists, then you would need to move on to a more comprehensive elimination diet. I will say, it isn't easy an easy process; the only reason I followed through was because I was so motivated by the immense pain and discomfort.
Of course, this isn't a "forever" thing. It's a 2 step process. The easy part is honestly the elimination, IMO. Your goal is to find a baseline of foods that don't cause you any issues at all. Once you have that, you add foods back, 1 at a time, over a few days span, and see if your body reacts. If it doesn't, great, test another food. If it does, you know that food is an issue; at this point you are supposed to wait a week to give your body time to completely eliminate the problem food before testing a new food. You can see how this would take a long time; I have heard of some people with very serious autoimmune issues taking multiple years to work through an elimination diet. However, it is extremely effective when used correctly; most all autoimmune disorders and allergies can be eliminated. Incidentally, I eliminated my life long "seasonal allergies" and saw my anxiety issues plummet after implementing the elimination diet. Unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. :)
You can read more here:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/allergic-reactions-to-food/
In regards to the amino acids: I have never heard of anything about amino acid balance causing health issues of any sort, and I know of no good evidence to support such a notion. Our bodies have a circulating supply of amino acids that are re-used regularly. The majority of the amino acids our bodies use are simply recycled supplies; we do not require much from our diets. Our protein requirements are very low, and any excess is eliminated via the kidneys. Of course, there is some good evidence that excessive consumption of certain amino acids like methionine are strongly correlated with chronic disease and all-cause mortality, so it's a good idea to keep protein low regardless.
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Thanks for the input. The part that just really confuses me is I haven't added any new foods that I wasn't eating before going vegan. I ate nuts, used the whey/bone broth, etc. and no issues. I suppose it could be an adult onset allergy.
I'll go back to tracking what I am eating and maybe start the elimination diet cleanse though we have some travels coming up and I'm not sure if I'll have enough control over food prep/etc.
Of the top 6 to start eliminating: dairy products, eggs, chocolate, nuts, shellfish, and fish; I've mostly eliminated chocolate already bc it keeps me awake...no fish, shellfish or eggs. Leaving just the whey and nuts.
In group 2: wheat, corn, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and strawberries....we're already gluten free, and none of the others play a major role in my diet.
Now the idea of eating a lot of nuts 3x a day to test this in elimination is just making me itch thinking about it since I think they are the culprit. And having to test each type of nut...... but I really like nuts and want them back!
@DanTheYogi: "Of course, there is some good evidence that excessive consumption of certain amino acids like methionine are strongly correlated with chronic disease and all-cause mortality, so it's a good idea to keep protein low regardless."
When I was exploring the amino acids, I came across something like this (http://aminoacidstudies.org/l-methionine/) stating that methionine helps/gets used up with allergies. I haven't researched it any further but had been meaning to check nutritional profiles of it in different animal and non-animal sources of food. This was part of my thinking on amino being out of whack.
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ooooohhh....hold the bus, I thought of something that might be the culprit! I'll test and follow up....would be most awesome if this is the problem and I can go back to my nut habit.
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ooooohhh....hold the bus, I thought of something that might be the culprit! I'll test and follow up....would be most awesome if this is the problem and I can go back to my nut habit.
A cliffhanger??? No hint as to what to expect in next weeks episode of
>>> 'Drole and the mysterious rash'?
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Why do I torture myself popping into the low keto low carb challenge thread?
This time though was odd. Comments like,
"I continue to not really lose weight, but I’m probably losing body fat %. I’m fine with that :)"
"HDL-C and LDL-C was kinda high, those numbers are mostly useless though without more info"
Sorry - this feels gossipy - but it's probably better me posting here rather than posting in their thread and coming off like a troll. I hope you all don't mind.
March 1st was my 6 month vegan anniversary - :).
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Why do I torture myself popping into the low keto low carb challenge thread?
This time though was odd. Comments like,
"I continue to not really lose weight, but I’m probably losing body fat %. I’m fine with that :)"
"HDL-C and LDL-C was kinda high, those numbers are mostly useless though without more info"
Sorry - this feels gossipy - but it's probably better me posting here rather than posting in their thread and coming off like a troll. I hope you all don't mind.
March 1st was my 6 month vegan anniversary - :).
Congratulations!
I know exactly where you are coming from. When I first found out about this WOE (way of eating), via a Dr. Greger talk, my first thought was "why haven't I heard of this before??" Then I figured that everyone I knew would be excited to learn that the maladies of "aging" actually have nothing to due with aging, and can be prevented, stopped, or even reversed completely through some simple lifestyle changes. Of course, as soon as I started raving about it to my coworkers, I was met with heavy resistance and the usual comebacks and excuses that we all know and expect. It didn't take me long to realize that people simply don't want to hear bad news about their bad habits.
It's funny. I am sure all of you are much more mustachian than me at this point, so you probably have had similar experiences as me, only with money instead of food. Noticing coworkers that coworkers who complain about money also drive expensive vehicles and eat out every single day. This is exactly how I feel with food - coworkers (and family members) complaining about health problems and poor bio-markers while simultaneously stuffing their face with copious amounts of animal products and processed CRAP.
It's one in the same to me. I see so many similarities. Eating animal products and processed foods is like consumerism - it is so ingrained in our society that it is like water to a fish. Most people don't even realize it is there or that there is an alternative.
Nowadays I am pretty reserved despite my passion. If I can tell someone has a very genuine interest and wants to learn, I can talk about food and lifestyle medicine all day. Otherwise I just keep my mouth shut. To each their own.
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Why do I torture myself popping into the low keto low carb challenge thread?
This time though was odd. Comments like,
"I continue to not really lose weight, but I’m probably losing body fat %. I’m fine with that :)"
"HDL-C and LDL-C was kinda high, those numbers are mostly useless though without more info"
Sorry - this feels gossipy - but it's probably better me posting here rather than posting in their thread and coming off like a troll. I hope you all don't mind.
March 1st was my 6 month vegan anniversary - :).
Congratulations!
I know exactly where you are coming from. When I first found out about this WOE (way of eating), via a Dr. Greger talk, my first thought was "why haven't I heard of this before??" Then I figured that everyone I knew would be excited to learn that the maladies of "aging" actually have nothing to due with aging, and can be prevented, stopped, or even reversed completely through some simple lifestyle changes. Of course, as soon as I started raving about it to my coworkers, I was met with heavy resistance and the usual comebacks and excuses that we all know and expect. It didn't take me long to realize that people simply don't want to hear bad news about their bad habits.
It's funny. I am sure all of you are much more mustachian than me at this point, so you probably have had similar experiences as me, only with money instead of food. Noticing coworkers that coworkers who complain about money also drive expensive vehicles and eat out every single day. This is exactly how I feel with food - coworkers (and family members) complaining about health problems and poor bio-markers while simultaneously stuffing their face with copious amounts of animal products and processed CRAP.
It's one in the same to me. I see so many similarities. Eating animal products and processed foods is like consumerism - it is so ingrained in our society that it is like water to a fish. Most people don't even realize it is there or that there is an alternative.
Nowadays I am pretty reserved despite my passion. If I can tell someone has a very genuine interest and wants to learn, I can talk about food and lifestyle medicine all day. Otherwise I just keep my mouth shut. To each their own.
I think this is, just like for the mustachianism aspect, a matter of how many "levels" someone is above or below you. To someone who eats meat and/or dairy at every meal and considers it a main (and healthy) aspect of their diet, going vegan sounds insane. Just like their level of meat and dairy consumption sounds insane to you.
I feel like that's where a lot of vegans "lose" to gain interest from the meat-fanatic public (not meant to anyone in this thread btw, more aiming at let's say a regular FB comment section). However, raising awareness and making small changes is possible. From a health viewpoint there's a very strong evidence that red and processed meat increases the risk for colon cancer. Asking people to just reduce their red meat consumption is usually possible. If you come from an environmental viewpoint, you could argue that eating chicken is more environmentally friendly compared to beef. Again this is a replacement that people might be willing to make.
Telling a meat/dairy fanatic to go vegan is just a too-big step for most, but a lot of them are willing to make smaller changes in their diet if this can improve their health or environmental impact.
Eg. my parents are meat and dairy fanatics. However, they've reduced the amounts of meat they put on their bread (this saves probably 150 grams of meat a week among 3 people, but hey it's a start). They've also reduced the size of their meat balls and switched from cow's yogurt to soy yogurt. They might not be willing to go vegetarian/vegan (heck, even I still didn't pull the trigger and willingly eat the meat/fish they serve me once a month), but they ARE willing to make changes to improve their health or reduce their impact on the environment.
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It's hard not resist the urge to tell everyone how amazing mustacianism and vegetarian/veganism is, but most people just really don't want to hear it. I let small bits slide in, but for the most part keeps things to myself. Most people know that I'm big into personal finance and am vegetarian, so I just let my happiness and my health speak for itself.
Agreed, I think this is totally key @AerynLee
If I see someone who is vibrant and excited about life it makes me want to know what they know (emotional/financial/lifestyle health included)
I like the thought that we are all doing the best we can with the knowledge we currently have
(and personally think mustachianism & plant-based diets go together beautifully but to each their own :) )
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Hey, I just saw this gauntlet, and I don't need to join, but I thought I could be a good resource. Been vegan for 21 years, former competitive athlete and former vegetarian cook by profession. So happy to be a resource if you have questions about subs/nutrition/traveling etc. Just @ me and I will come!
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Hey, I just saw this gauntlet, and I don't need to join, but I thought I could be a good resource. Been vegan for 21 years, former competitive athlete and former vegetarian cook by profession. So happy to be a resource if you have questions about subs/nutrition/traveling etc. Just @ me and I will come!
AWESOME! @monstermonster --- 21 years?
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/b68a03201ab236ab6b3158f2b441f793/tumblr_mrfbwuctwu1qc1uuwo1_r1_500.gif)
so, uh - can you bullet point for us some of your travels from roadside carnist to full on vegan? Standard questions apply. Act Now!
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so, uh - can you bullet point for us some of your travels from roadside carnist to full on vegan? Standard questions apply. Act Now!
Alas, was never a roadside carnist. Lifelong vegetarian, went vegan in elementary school because I was precocious as fuck. No drama or anything interesting to tell. My partner was also raised vegetarian, but eats dairy on occasion.
I've never lived in a meat-eating house - either lived alone, with vegetarian housemates, or in vegetarian intentional communities. So..I know pretty much nothing about meat. But I know a lot about cooking vegan!
Travel frequently outside the US so am pretty knowledgable about how to find vegan food anywhere. Last year I was in Russia and China and on the trans-siberian railway for 6 straight days (I brought all my own food and ate too many pringles since that was the trainside veg food).
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so, uh - can you bullet point for us some of your travels from roadside carnist to full on vegan? Standard questions apply. Act Now!
Alas, was never a roadside carnist. Lifelong vegetarian, went vegan in elementary school because I was precocious as fuck. No drama or anything interesting to tell. My partner was also raised vegetarian, but eats dairy on occasion.
I've never lived in a meat-eating house - either lived alone, with vegetarian housemates, or in vegetarian intentional communities. So..I know pretty much nothing about meat. But I know a lot about cooking vegan!
Travel frequently outside the US so am pretty knowledgable about how to find vegan food anywhere. Last year I was in Russia and China and on the trans-siberian railway for 6 straight days (I brought all my own food and ate too many pringles since that was the trainside veg food).
Wow! I'm impressed. Vegan from elementary school onwards. China and Russia won't be the easiest places to find vegan food, so good job on the pringles ;)
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China and Russia won't be the easiest places to find vegan food, so good job on the pringles ;)
Moscow has an amazing vegan grocery store and at least 5 moscow-made brands of vegan cheese (all of which were great!) I stocked up for the train on halva and ramen and vegan cheese and such from the store.
China was very easy to eat in - just look for the buddhist restaurants (they have their "swastikas" - a buddhist symbol- to mark them even if you don't speak the language.(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5016/5435148713_c1af3a2936.jpg).
Unfortunately the buddhist restaurants don't use spicy food or garlic/leeks, but they always have simple, delicious vegan meals ("temple food") and usually pretty cheap.
There's some really nice fancier veg restaurants in Shanghai and Beijing too.
You can always find local recs on the HappyCow app, which is my favorite thing when traveling. 2nd to that is the "Vegan Passport" which has over 100 language translations of vegan dietary requirements that you can hand to a host/restaurant to see if you can get fed.
I'm hoping to bike the Cherry Blossom route next year in Japan, and am bringing a friend with me to help translate. I suspect rural Japan will be harder since they use fish flavoring in everything. But in Korea, veganism is getting chic so it wasn't that hard.
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Here's something I just came across for those interested :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBKnG9Y0owQ&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs
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-100 posts, back to stubble or whatever for me.
I think I figured out my mysterious itch issue and it appears I am in the clear to go back feasting on nuts.
I feel kinda silly, so i'm going to just pretend these posts never happened.
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-100 posts, back to stubble or whatever for me.
I think I figured out my mysterious itch issue and it appears I am in the clear to go back feasting on nuts.
I feel kinda silly, so i'm going to just pretend these posts never happened.
Come oooon, don't leave us with that cliffhanger!
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-100 posts, back to stubble or whatever for me.
I think I figured out my mysterious itch issue and it appears I am in the clear to go back feasting on nuts.
I feel kinda silly, so i'm going to just pretend these posts never happened.
Come oooon, don't leave us with that cliffhanger!
yeah, @Drole , explain yourself! Be honest - were you eating laundry detergent again?
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It's hard not resist the urge to tell everyone how amazing mustacianism and vegetarian/veganism is, but most people just really don't want to hear it. I let small bits slide in, but for the most part keeps things to myself. Most people know that I'm big into personal finance and am vegetarian, so I just let my happiness and my health speak for itself.
Yeah! It's hard to keep quiet when a lot of my coworkers are on a diet and complaining about not being able to lose weight.
Lately, I find myself wanting to share with people a before and after photo of my fiance's to show just how effective eating healthy can be, and how effortless losing fat is without even trying to focus on that aspect. The other week I found some old photos of him where you can only really see his face, and it looked incredibly bloated and chubby. He has since lost 20 pounds and has had to purchase new clothing, and the other day he said his shoes have been fitting looser. I always thought he looked the same since I see him every day, but I guess these days he is looking a lot leaner, especially in the face. While I was not a big person with much to lose to begin with, my friend has also commented that my face looks slimmer in the cheek bones (but not in an emaciated way, mind you!). I used to be pretty critical about my arm fat (even if I was "thin") and that was a goal when working out/lifting weights before, and now that fat is gone. Both of us have been thinking lately we could probably have visible "abs" if we actually worked out. I need to do that anyway, though, for general health, but I'm really happy how positive a vegan diet has been for us.
He likes to joke that it comes at the price of social/public awkwardness, though, lol...
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Thanks very much, Malaysia41, for starting this thread. Just found it and so glad I did. I've been vegetarian for more than 10 years, and went vegan about two years ago. That was simply a matter of totally cutting out the cheese and fish. For me it started with looking for solutions for acid reflux, but I soon benefitted from lower cholesterol levels and lower blood sugar.
I'll be interested in checking out recipes and food ideas as well as how to keep up the good fight! I do talk about it and try to get people interested, and I've had a few modest successes. I try not to sound pushy or dogmatic.
I've found some really great recipes in Dr Greger's "How Not To Die Cookbook" -- some of which I've used for non-vegan guests over for dinner.
One thing I've noticed when bringing veggie/vegan dishes to dinners is that they always go first! Same with ordering a veggie/vegan pizza with a non vegan crowd.
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I've found some really great recipes in Dr Greger's "How Not To Die Cookbook" -- some of which I've used for non-vegan guests over for dinner.
Ooh, can I ask which recipes in particular you liked? I bought this cookbook and haven't gotten a chance to try any of the recipes yet.
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I liked the chickpea and cauliflower curry recipe on page 130 very much. The first time I made it I skipped the jalapeño pepper, but found the resulting dish a bit too bland. So next time I made sure to include it and it was delicious. This is the recipe that I served to friends and it was a big hit.
My DH and I love the Mac & Cheese on page 143. The first time I made it we scarfed down the entire pan, which has four servings, ourselves. It was scrumptious.
I'm still trying the recipes. I plan to try to Bean Patties on page 138 tomorrow.
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I liked the chickpea and cauliflower curry recipe on page 130 very much. The first time I made it I skipped the jalapeño pepper, but found the resulting dish a bit too bland. So next time I made sure to include it and it was delicious. This is the recipe that I served to friends and it was a big hit.
My DH and I love the Mac & Cheese on page 143. The first time I made it we scarfed down the entire pan, which has four servings, ourselves. It was scrumptious.
I'm still trying the recipes. I plan to try to Bean Patties on page 138 tomorrow.
@K60 - welcome to the thread! would you be willing to post the chickpea curry recipe? (Or the mac n cheese ) They sound really good. I may have to buy the book.
edit: closed parentheses. /shudder.
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Vegan Mac N Cheese
Ingredients:
3 C veggie broth
1/2 chopped red onion
1 1/2 C chopped carrots and/or butternut squash
8 oz whole-grain or bean based macaroni or other bite sized pasta
(I like Penne)
1/2 C nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp almond butter
2 tsp lemon juice with some of the meat of the lemon
2 tsp white miso paste
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1C steamed chopped greens or small broccoli florets, liquid pressed out
1/4 C whole-grain bread crumbs (I use wheat germ)
Directions:
In a large saucepan heat 1 C of the broth over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and carrot. Cover and cook until veggies are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375.
In high-speed blender, combine cooked veggies, remaining 2 C broth, and nutritional yeast, almond butter, lemon, miso, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, turmeric. Blend until v smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Combine sauce with drained macaroni, stirring gently. Stir in cooked greens. Transfer to a 2 1/2 qt baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs and the remaining 1/4 tsp of paprika. Bake until hot and golden on top, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
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I recently purchased the book "What the Health" for less than $3 (Kindle). It explains why animal products are harmful to health and the environment and why plant based is the way to go. It's a 4.5 star book and there's also a documentary under the same name if you prefer video to reading. There's probably not much in the book that is new to long time vegans and fans of Dr. Greger, Dr. Kahn, etc. but for $3 I highly recommend it. Yesterday I read the chapter on dairy and decided to replace my skim milk with almond milk. I think I will still cheat with pizza once a week but small steps to a better and healthier world....
Here is the Amazon link for the book:
https://www.amazon.com/WHAT-HEALTH-EUNICE-WONG/dp/1524575747/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521734726&sr=8-3&keywords=what+the+health
Yesterday I ate the "Impossible Burger" for the first time:
https://www.impossiblefoods.com/burger/
It is perhaps the most hyped "fake meat" in the marketplace right now. It looked just like ground beef and the texture was very close to the actual thing. However, it was a bit salty and I could tell it wasn't a real hamburger. Although I wasn't fooled, it was still very tasty - I would grade it an 80 out of 100 - and I would order it again. However, it cost close to $14 (!) and didn't come with any side dishes, so it's not something I would eat regularly when I can get a decent frozen veggie burger from the supermarket for $1 or $2. If I am going spend money on eating out I would rather buy an $8 veggie burrito at Chipotle or a $12 vegetable ramen - multi ingredient things that are labor intensive to make.
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I personally don't like any of the "fake meat" burgers out there. I stopped eating meat for a reason, I don't need you to replicate it. I do like a good homemade veggie burger - some good ones use beets, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, kale as the main ingredient/base.
Maybe I just like veggies more instead of fake meats?
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Thanks for the mac n cheeze recipe @K60.
@Yankuba - I'm with you on the fake meats - but I gotta say the Beyond Burger product is pretty a-freaking-mazing.
I'm so excited - on Sunday, my son and I head to Bologna to participate in a Cube of Truth with the group Anonymous for the Voiceless. My vegan training wheels are coming off. :).
The other day, I was out for birthday drinks with my friend from the UK. Her girlfriends from Nottingham flew down for the weekend. My friend of course announced to everyone that I was vegan. Whatev.
Later, one of her friends said she'd been vegetarian for years, and wanted to give up dairy, but she was confused as to how she'd get her calcium.* I explained that as long as she ate a wide variety of plants, from oranges to almonds, from kale to tofu, she'd get all the calcium she'd need. Also I told her we take a weekly Ca+D supplement just in case.
The next day, I mapped out my food for the day and posted it on my website and sent it to her. It kinda blew me away how much calcium is in everything.
Here it is, "How Do You Get Your Calcium?" (http://www.lauramariereese.com/reddit-fast-day-30-get-calcium/) if you're interested.
for the lazy, here's the list minus the commentary:
Shootin’ for 700mg a Day
BREAKFAST:
3/4 c oats 63 mg Ca
1 orange 74 mg
100g tofu 30-680mg*
1 tsp turmeric 4 mg
onion slice 2 mg
5 almonds 15 mg
3 walnuts 12 mg
1/2 oz goji berries 14 mg
1/2 oz raisins 7 mg
80g soy yogurt 100 mg
coffee 2 mg
TOTAL BREAKFAST: 323 mg Ca
*(tofu Ca content depends on coagulant agent used. Nigari=30mg,calcium sulfate= ~680 )
LUNCH:
1 c Lentils 37 mg
potato 26 mg
tomatoes 10 mg
80g soy yogurt 100mg
2 large strawberries 6mg
1 oz avocado 4 mg
2 tsp chia 50mg
orange 74mg
TOTAL LUNCH: 307 mg Ca
DINNER:
1 c Lentils 37 mg
potato large 40 mg
tomatoes 10 mg
kale (30g) 42 mg
80g soy yogurt 100mg
1 tbsp chia seed 75mg
TOTAL LUNCH: 304 mg Ca
Grand Total Please …
323+307+304: 934 mg Calcium – all from eating a varied whole food plant based diet. No supplements, no nuthin’ – just plants.
* My UK friend's confusion was testament to effectiveness of dairy industry propaganda
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Here I am in my Anon for the Voiceless uniform:
(https://i.imgur.com/3JJ44Tzm.jpg)
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I like the uniform!
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Me too :)
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Nice uniform M41! How was the Cube of Truth? Do you feel like you reach many people this way?
I still haven't missed eggs, so I think they're definitely out of my routine now. WIN! I also bought a vegan margarine/butter. They also had one without palm oils, which I'd prefer but unfortunatly it was 3x the price so for now I'll try the cheaper palm-oil containing alternative first.
Monday I'll go out for dinner with my lab and they picked a venue which is very butcher focussed, but I've spotted 2 vegetarian entrees and one of them might even be vegan (not specified on the menu, but don't see any non-vegan ingredients).
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Great shirt!
Hirondelle, have you ever tried scrambling tofu with some turmeric and whatever seasoning? It's a good alternative if you do happen to want something like that.
I'm happy because yesterday we went out of a bar/restaurant place and they had 3 vegan options! We don't eat out a bunch, especially for the money-saving aspect, but it was nice to get out and eat like a "normal person (meaning, not having to feel like a second-rate citizen or have to ask a bunch of questions about what's in this and can we substitute this with that). We got a pizza, which was really well-done and did not use fake cheese (and I don't like fake cheese anyway... except those nut cheese varieties, but those are better with crackers). I also liked it because it seemed to be a healthier choice and I didn't end up feeling bloated/full/gross like how pizza and typical "going out" food usually made me feel before. We also found a sushi place near us that has an entire vegan/vegetarian menu with plenty of really good options where it's just as good as real sushi (yup, I said it) so I'm glad local chefs are offering some creative options. Hope more restaurants catch on. Recently, we have become aware of some of beer/wine not being vegan due to the fining process, so we are going to try to be diligent about looking up stuff before we drink on Barnivore.
A while ago we were looking at a wedding venue and found out the chef is a vegan "in his personal life" - meaning he'll test out creations with animal products at work but at home prefers vegan food. This is interesting because with wedding food, we would like to try a vegan menu. Usually catered food for vegetarians, even, are very bad (i.e. some unidentifiable beige mash, usually a polenta or shepherd's pie or risotto). Hoping to curate a "foodie" type of menu.
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Tofu scramble with turmeric, ginger, garlic and onion is our daily breakfast. My son eats that before school to get in a big nutritious meal because the vegan options at school are pretty much just refined pasta with red sauce.
I agree with imadandylion - t's definitely worth a try Hirondelle.
As for palm oil - I get you on the $ part - and I totally appreciate you moving toward vegan options but yes - if you can find a non-palm oil product that'd be better. The environmental destruction for palm oil is bad. Esp in Indonesia.
We head down for Bologna in a few hours on the train. We intend to take some pictures and video. I'll post them later this week.
In the meantime, I was checking that I'd posted everything from an interview with a local heart surgeon Dr. Fusco - and found I was missing this. So I did the subtitles and posted. Check it out if you've got a spare 5 min.
https://youtu.be/Ngo1AidKHjc
the tl;dr on fusco - his take is totally the health take - he's not against animal products ethically - but says you should eat less meat - and it should come from natural farms (not CAFOs). He's totes cool with eggs, but advises against dairy except for kefir once in a while for the macrobiotics (but you can get plenty of macrobiotics in sauerkraut as an alternative too is my understanding so kefir is hardly necessary).
Cheers and thanks for the support guys!
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Here we are at the cube of truth in Bologna. DS12 was the camera guy. He did great!
Here are 4 of ~20 pictures in our imgur album ( https://imgur.com/a/RTdzx )
(https://i.imgur.com/LeyTQvil.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2M0F04Cl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vEvTIzZl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9lDz2k9l.jpg)
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Found Dr. Greger's "How Not to Die Cookbook" at the library--seems basic but good/accessible.
Some good tips for savoury herb mixes, freezing blended lime & lemons, lots of grain & bean dishes.
I made a double batch of the blackbean & oat burgers for a group dinner last night and everyone loved them
(including my SO, a non-veg, who said they were so tasty he would eat them all the time if beans didn't make him so gassy..ha)
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@Serendip - so satisfying when meat eaters love your vegan offerings. Isn’t it?
I just made this seitan salad based on classic tuna salad recipe. Yet another example where a classic dish may be named by the meat ingredient, the the flavors are defined by all the veggie cast members.
Should be called ‘pickle celery yum yum salad’. Instead of mayo, I used unflavored, unsweetened soy yogurt. Instead of tuna, we used seitan. So good.
(https://i.imgur.com/M1AllWBl.jpg)
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Hirondelle, have you ever tried scrambling tofu with some turmeric and whatever seasoning? It's a good alternative if you do happen to want something like that.
I didn't try the scrambling tofu thing yet (maybe tomorrow morning, cause Easter must have some sorta eggs, right?) but your post did remind me that I hadn't had tofu in forever while I like it a lot! So I got some tofu at the Asian supermarket yesterday and made myself some yummy Thai green curry. Wasn't 100% vegan due to the curry mix having like 1% shrimp paste but I can live with that. I was waaaay to excited being in an Asian supermarket and seeing all the brands and foods that I like to pay attention.
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My vegan activism this past weekend.
(https://i.imgur.com/f7ScGckm.jpg)
(https://youtu.be/ThCCYWTkeTY)
https://youtu.be/ThCCYWTkeTY
I'd really appreciate feedback ( + or -) on the video, if any thoughts come to mind as you watch.
Have you seen Cube of Truth demonstrations before? What do you think of this kind of activism?
I started plant based diet while assessing my allergy issues. The more I learned, the more I went from a health PBD'er to a fully committed health|environment|ethics PBD'er. So now I do Cube of Truths in my spare time ( which is most the time - being fired n all (yeah!)) I'm organizing a cube of truth near where I live in Verona in two weeks. I worked with the city and got the okay. Woot.
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Hi @Malaysia41 since you asked for feedback :) I personally find that very off-putting, the masks and costumes alone a major turn off. If I weren't already vegan, that type of activism wouldn't impact my views except to make vegans seem like incredibly weird extremists!
There are many takes on activism and what actually makes people change behavior.
Heard activist Selina Juul speak last week in Berlin, and one of her key points was to not tell people what they're doing wrong, but what they can do better.
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I'd prefer to do stuff that's funny - but the cube of truth doesn't really lend itself to humor. :/. So I tried to make the video representative of the mood of the day.
It sounds like your reaction to the cube of truth is similar to my reaction to activists marching into restaurants and barking at people who are dining on steak. cringe. I think *that's* counter productive.
What I like about the Cube of Truth format is that people needn't engage. They can walk right by and no one is going to hand them a flyer or try to pull them in. It's a curiosity more than an in-your-face-you-asshole-carnist sort of demonstration. At least that's how it feels in person.
It's only after someone's been watching videos for at least a couple minutes that anyone will approach them. At that point, the volunteer is supposed to use the socratic method to get the person thinking about their food choices and whether they're comfortable with their food coming from factory farms. There's no shaming - well - there's not supposed to be any shaming.
I too didn't like the masks at first. Yes, it's costumey, but there's baggage with the whole Guy Fawkes masks and I'm not totally on board. But what I've found is that by hiding the faces of the people in the cube, people are more likely to look at the videos. Also it looks like an art installation more than a demonstration.
It doesn't seem extreme to me at all. But different people have different takes. I like Melanie Joy's advice on talking with people. It may be similar to Selina Juul. It's a lot about showing people the path they could take, rather than shaming them for the choices they're making now. She also encourages compassion - and remembering that it wasn't long ago that we were all going along with the status quo way of eating too.
But yeah - different modes for different people. Do you do any activism? What do you do?
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Yeah, "cringe" is a great summary of my reaction, and you're right everyone reacts a bit differently. The costume kinda reminds me of mimes and anarchists, which are not the most positive associations for me :)
Humor can be a great way to reach people about difficult topics, as can art, and more mainstream "marketing" methods. It's interesting how various activism movements have evolved, and some gain mainstream acceptance.
With veganism, it seems like the personal health angle has really shifted more people's opinions in recent years, and perhaps a lesser extent the animal cruelty and environmental impacts, though of course those resonate strongly with some people too.
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My son and I just made these cauliflower hot wings. Highly recommend.
(https://i.imgur.com/nQsUT0Gl.jpg)
They're not super healthy as they contain vegan butter, but they really hold the sauce that's baked into them.
recipe: https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/recipes/2014/2/11/cauliflower-buffalo-wings
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Just had this for dinner last night and really enjoyed it. Very filling too.
https://cookieandkate.com/2016/coconut-rice-with-brussels-sprouts-recipe/ (https://cookieandkate.com/2016/coconut-rice-with-brussels-sprouts-recipe/)
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My husband and I have been vegan since 1/1 this year! Woot! We have been vegetarian since 2012, and it just felt like a good time to take it up a notch.
Make this, double the peanut sauce, add extra veggies! You won't be sorry, I promise! https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/12/soy-marinated-tofu-bowls-spicy-peanut-sauce/
We've also started looking at her other vegan recipes. The avocado black bean enchiladas are darn good too (we're playing with the right amount of salt - too much for us in the original recipe), so we'll keep working our way through her website.
Happy to see so many plant eaters! :)
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Just had this for dinner last night and really enjoyed it. Very filling too.
https://cookieandkate.com/2016/coconut-rice-with-brussels-sprouts-recipe/ (https://cookieandkate.com/2016/coconut-rice-with-brussels-sprouts-recipe/)
That looks yummy - I bet my son would love this. We may be making it soon. Thanks for posting the recipe.
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My husband and I have been vegan since 1/1 this year! Woot! We have been vegetarian since 2012, and it just felt like a good time to take it up a notch.
Make this, double the peanut sauce, add extra veggies! You won't be sorry, I promise! https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/12/soy-marinated-tofu-bowls-spicy-peanut-sauce/
We've also started looking at her other vegan recipes. The avocado black bean enchiladas are darn good too (we're playing with the right amount of salt - too much for us in the original recipe), so we'll keep working our way through her website.
Happy to see so many plant eaters! :)
Hey lisa_mustache, welcome to our thread! When we first fired, we used the budgetbytes often. The recipes are always good.
May I ask - what drove your decision to first go veg, then to 'kick it up a notch'?
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We read Eating Animals back in early 2012, and decided it was a good time to make a change for the environment and our health. And even though we were eating dairy and eggs, I've never really had a good relationship with dairy. I watched "What the Health" in late 2017, and even though I thought it was pretty terribly done, I'm always up to find more health and environmental benefits, so we decided to see if we could do it!
I spent most of January making nut milks and homemade vegan cheeses (The Nondairy Evolution cookbook is pretty amazing!) to see if I could work in some replacements for our homemade pizzas and stuff, so that was pretty fun, but just like when we went vegetarian 6 years ago, it really just does become easier to find recipes that are meant to be vegan in the first place. Some of the subs are nice here and there, but they aren't the same, so it's silly to try to work them in when they aren't needed, you know?
Anyway, it's been much easier to go vegan from veg, than it was from omni to veg, so that has been helpful!
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Just had this for dinner last night and really enjoyed it. Very filling too.
https://cookieandkate.com/2016/coconut-rice-with-brussels-sprouts-recipe/ (https://cookieandkate.com/2016/coconut-rice-with-brussels-sprouts-recipe/)
That looks yummy - I bet my son would love this. We may be making it soon. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Sure, no problem.
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Still need to catch up with the thread, but wanted to join :) Though I guess I don't know if it counts as joining since I've been pretty much vegan for about 7 years (depending on where I travel to, if I see chickens running around or if it's kind of a difficult location and I'm depending on someone else to cook my food, I'll eat eggs). I eat local honey though and oysters...so I guess I'm plant-based. Looking forward to catching up with the thread and joining this MMM vegan community!
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http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2016-03-22-veggie-based-diets-could-save-8-million-lives-2050-and-cut-global-warming
A global switch to diets that rely less on meat and more on fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and lead to healthcare-related savings. It could also avoid climate-related damages of $1.5 trillion (US), Oxford Martin School researchers have found.
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Still need to catch up with the thread, but wanted to join :) Though I guess I don't know if it counts as joining since I've been pretty much vegan for about 7 years (depending on where I travel to, if I see chickens running around or if it's kind of a difficult location and I'm depending on someone else to cook my food, I'll eat eggs). I eat local honey though and oysters...so I guess I'm plant-based. Looking forward to catching up with the thread and joining this MMM vegan community!
It counts! Welcome!
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http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2016-03-22-veggie-based-diets-could-save-8-million-lives-2050-and-cut-global-warming
A global switch to diets that rely less on meat and more on fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and lead to healthcare-related savings. It could also avoid climate-related damages of $1.5 trillion (US), Oxford Martin School researchers have found.
Yep. I find it funny when they note the damages in terms of $, when the real damage is the global extinction event we are accelerating our way in to. Who gives a shit about $ when we're all dead, and > 1 million years need to pass for the next species to evolve and try for getting past the great filter.
I'm still on team human-earthling and I'm honestly pulling for us. But alas, I fear we've already lost. Can't stop trying though.
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On May 6 I hosted my first cube of truth in my own city! It was ok. With 7 activists we could only manage a 2 person 'cube', but we talked with 18 people who honestly considered switching to plant based diets! So - success overall.
My friend stopped by the event. She watched the video playing on my laptop as I stood in the cube. A colleague approached and answered her many questions. She was visibly upset. She said we need to have her husband and MIL watch this footage too.
A few days later she left me a v-mail inviting me to her house this coming weekend for ... wait for it ... a Brazilian BBQ. As in - traditional Brazilian BBQ. Not a vegan one, but full on feasting of cow and pig and who knows what else. :( ... :/
My husband said 'hell no' to going. "I'm not hanging out while the party centers on cooking cows and pigs," he said. Me, on the other hand, well, I'm going. My two Brazilian friends will be there and they are only visiting town for a few days. So, I said I'm unwilling to pay for dead animal and got an exemption from contributing 15€ to the food budget. I'll bring my own food. So I want to bring super yummy stuff.
I'm gonna make the blondies (courtesy ScubaSTACHE), as well as some black bean brownies. I'm also going to make blackbean pumpkin burgers and bring the beyond burgers we recently got from the states. I think that's probably good enough. IDK, maybe I'll stop by Ziga bar and get 3 orders of one of their taboullehs to-go and bring that too. Ooh - maybe I'll make the cauliflower hot wings. Those were AMAZING.
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Today I found this article about all meat diets. I can't believe people eat like this
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/11/the-carnivore-diet-all-meat-health-benefits-dangers
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Today I found this article about all meat diets. I can't believe people eat like this
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/11/the-carnivore-diet-all-meat-health-benefits-dangers
Didn't click on it, but I assume it's part of or similar to the keto craze, which is pure bs.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/21/16965122/keto-diet-reset
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There's been some posts on it in another thread too.
Actually, one of the most fascinating parts of these kind of extreme diets to me is how the followers of just ANY of them (including some vegans) claim that it has solved ALL of their health problems. I'm like, how can completely opposite diets of all sort solve all the same problems?!
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I'm like, how can completely opposite diets of all sort solve all the same problems?!
Because, for the most part, nearly all diets focus on two things:
1) Eating whole foods / cutting out processed foods
2) Drastically altering your caloric intake (if it's a big change for that individual. Going from vegetarian to vegan isn't a drastic switch, imo.)
There's a reason that almost no crash diets work in the long term (and that includes keto, according to the article) - work as in dropping weight.
I'm not a medical professional so that's just my observation. I'm certain I'm probably wrong lol.
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Today I found this article about all meat diets. I can't believe people eat like this
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/11/the-carnivore-diet-all-meat-health-benefits-dangers
Hmm.. Shawn Baker, the guy who got lab work done and found he was low-T, high cholesterol and pre-diabetic?
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/8bg19r/here_are_the_blood_test_results_for_the_carnivore/
This one made me laugh out loud.
“Bitcoin is a revolt against fiat [government-backed] money, and an all-meat diet is a revolt against fiat food,” said Michael Goldstein, a “bitcoin and meat maximalist” based in Austin, Texas.
Thanks for sharing. That was disturbing/funny/cringey.
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Hahaha I'm just watching a video on his blood tests and gosh he's just giving stupid explanation for any of his bad values "Oh it's just high cause I workout a lot..." WTF?!
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Hahaha I'm just watching a video on his blood tests and gosh he's just giving stupid explanation for any of his bad values "Oh it's just high cause I workout a lot..." WTF?!
Yeah - and look at the picture in that guardian article that DarkandStormy posted. He's riddled with acne. So gross.
That's the kind of human who would repulse me from an entire party if he was holding court. Yuck. Not for the acne - but for the attitude, conspiracy-mindedness and unmerited superior attitude.
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Hi M41,
I just watched a few of your videos and I must say that I did not find the V-cube off-putting at all. Maybe because I'm a vegan, hah ahahahah. That was a joke, but there is some truth to that. Others might be discomforted by the truth of the matter. My impression of the V-cube is that it is a very modern-art type of street art. If it does make people uncomfortable, maybe that is the point.
My road to the pure plant based diet came from the health side. Many of my "numbers" were way up. I've gotten them down, but it's been a long hard slog. I started as a vegetarian and slowly worked my way toward a completely plant-based diet. Although I considered myself an animal friend, I now realize how truly horrible the SAD (standard American diet) is to animals.
On the environmental side, I think that we are making progress. If you ignore the hype and focus on how committed young people are, your activism can only have positive effects. (I have crazies in my family too -- I just don't talk politics. Not sure if that is the right approach.)
Edited to add: Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try it.
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(https://i.redd.it/tbafp7tha1z01.png)
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2018/05/15/a-day-in-the-life-of-my-supposedly-frugal-stomach/
Lost a lot of respect for MMM in his reply there.
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@DarkandStormy, In interviews, Dr. Greger definitely cops to being biased. But that doesn't mean he lies or cherry-picks. I often dig into the original studies he cites and they back up his messaging. Even on eggs - I've heard him say it's hard to argue against ever eating them, because some studies show they may be healthy enough to eat one or two a week. But he does call out the studies that are sponsored by the egg board, and skewers their methodologies and discounts their results accordingly.
Before you write him off, do what Marcia - his fierce critic - recommends. Look up any of the studies he cites - on jstor or other medical repositories, and see for yourself. I've probably done this a dozen times. Unlike Marcia, what i've found is that he represented the conclusions from these studies with fidelity.
But yeah - he straight up says he's biased toward WFPB and away from animal based diets. For one - he saw his grandmother reverse her own heart disease adopting WFPB and got to enjoy her company for another twenty years. Secondly, he used to head up IIRC the Humane society. So he clearly cares about the welfare of animals.
That all said, yeah - I agree with other commenters in that thread - just because a person is biased doesn't mean they are being disingenuous in their research. Anyway, there's always Dr. garth Davis (I really like his work) and McDougall, Essylsten, Campbell, etc. They similarly are biased because they've seen so many case studies where people reverse disease with WFPB diets, but they seem to still evaluate scientific evidence with open minds. So, I wouldn't write Greger off. Just check a few of his sources.
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I'm not writing Greger off (like MMM is). MMM dismisses Greger because of his appearance. Greger is also not a "hardcore vegan activist," imo just because his findings happen to point towards WFPB diet.
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I'm not writing Greger off (like MMM is). MMM dismisses Greger because of his appearance. Greger is also not a "hardcore vegan activist," imo just because his findings happen to point towards WFPB diet.
oh good. When i first came across Greger, I did what I usually do - check out the funding, check sources that he's citing, read some criticisms of him, - just to see if he's presenting himself as something he's not. he passed the M41 sniff test.
As for MMM's reply - I read that as a tounge-with-bad-taste-in-cheek attempt at humor. But whatever. my jokes sometimes fall flat too.
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I am seeing more evidence of a cultural shift towards plant-based diets. I was reading a magazine yesterday (Shape, if you're curious), and it mentioned quite a few things that were vegan/plant-based, such as replacing sashimi with a type of tomato for the umami aspect, options for plant-based ice cream, evidence of pea protein being equal in quality to whey protein when it comes to building muscle after a work out, and a much higher focus on eating well for your body that wasn't related to eating meat/animal products. I don't read a lot of magazines, but I remember several years ago when even health-focused magazines would include several recipes including meat and didn't mention much about fruit/vegetables unless it was to point out some random study that said something along the lines of fruit having antioxidants and yaddayaddaya, and eating meat and yogurt was normalized. It seems that eating plant-based is reaching a more normalized status in media and popular publications, too, instead of being simply "trendy." Glad to see that!
Just thought you guys might appreciate this tidbit.
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I'm a Dr Greger fan, myself. I don't think he cherry picks data; it's just that the truth is hard to hear for some people.
I just passed along this interesting tidbit (or dare I say, 'nutrition fact') to someone else on these boards:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/
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I just made an awesome vegan brunch dish:
Ingredients:
1/2 lb extra firm tofu
2 medium russet potatoes diced small
2 cups chopped kale (fine chop)
1 oz peanuts ground to powder
2 tsp cooking oil
red chili flakes (to taste)
1/2 tsp onion granules
1 tsp taco seasoning
braggs or salt to taste
1/2 lemon
Boil the potatoes in a small pot of water until somewhat soft.
Mash the tofu and mix in some braggs/salt, half the onion granules, and half the taco seasoning.
In a saute pan, heat the cooking oil on medium heat and add the chili flakes to the oil.
Add the drained potatoes, kale, the rest of the onion granules, the rest of the taco seasoning, and braggs/salt and stir.
Add the tofu mixture and stir.
Add the ground peanut powder and stir.
Juice the 1/2 lemon and stir. Reduce heat to low.
Let cook uncovered stirring occasionally until some of the water has evaporated and the flavors have a chance to blend.
Makes 2 servings.
So delicious! I had it with my morning coffee today.
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Sounds yummy. I've added it to my recipe list. Thanks!
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I may need to try your recipe SF, we're growing weary of the same old tofu scramble.
Here's me last weekend convincing 2 German tourists to sign up for a 22 day plant based diet challenge on http://www.challenge22.com last weeking in Bergamo. Keep that website handy in memory - when you encounter interested humans in the wild - tell them they can try WFPB for a 22 challenge there - it redirects to a FB group where they're in a big convo with oodles of mentors. This is my first month being a mentor to newbie vegans on there. It's 'shaping the path' and IMO it's a critical piece of activism!
(https://i.imgur.com/Wrudu6Rl.jpg)
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Vegan in the title piqued my interest....
I'm an avid meat eater (like eggs every day for breakfast, steak/chicken/seafood is dinner every night. Reading through this stuff has made me want to change some stuff, yay! Go you guys!
So maybe I won't go vegan, but I do want to cut out the red meat and seafood!
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Vegan in the title piqued my interest....
I'm an avid meat eater (like eggs every day for breakfast, steak/chicken/seafood is dinner every night. Reading through this stuff has made me want to change some stuff, yay! Go you guys!
So maybe I won't go vegan, but I do want to cut out the red meat and seafood!
Yeah! Welcome into our crew Rustychase!
What are some examples of insights you’ve had on here that are making you reconsider your diet choices? If you don’t mind me asking.
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Vegan in the title piqued my interest....
I'm an avid meat eater (like eggs every day for breakfast, steak/chicken/seafood is dinner every night. Reading through this stuff has made me want to change some stuff, yay! Go you guys!
So maybe I won't go vegan, but I do want to cut out the red meat and seafood!
Yeah! Welcome into our crew Rustychase!
What are some examples of insights you’ve had on here that are making you reconsider your diet choices? If you don’t mind me asking.
It was mostly the health points brought up! While I like to think I'm pretty healthy, I realize I consume too many animal products. Blood work would probably reveal that haha. Plus, who doesn't want to feel good? I'm always tired, even when I sleep well. Might be my diet, eh?
The environment too is one of my concerns, and I've seen the few graphics posted and went on a research binge. I'd like to contribute to at least a portion of the healing we as humans can accomplish.
Cheers!
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I'm stepping toward veganism (combined with non-vegan freeganism). I may never get 100% there, but I've already found some good substitutions that are easy to keep up with long-term. I've also managed to resist the free chicken and beef at two different work events, which is a big deal for my cheapo self.
Following here to learn about new options. I don't like tofu, kale, or cooking, so I may be SOL. :p
Interesting re:the freeganism @MonkeyJenga
That makes a lot of sense to me and it's great to see people utilizing everything that is already in rotation (unfortunately so MUCH getting tossed at times)
For your non-cooking self, a summer favorite of mine are fresh spring rolls..
they require a bit of prep but once you have a routine they are a cinch to make with whatever veg you have on hand with rice noodles..plus..peanut sauce :)
https://minimalistbaker.com/rainbow-spring-rolls-with-ginger-peanut-sauce/
We just made a huge batch of pesto pasta with chives/parsley from the garden (people can add nutritional yeast to replace the parmesan) Yum.
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Following here to learn about new options. I don't like tofu, kale, or cooking, so I may be SOL. :p
You can definitely be an "unhealthy" vegan - chips & hummus/guac/salsa, oreos, non-dairy ice creams, etc. etc.
I don't like tofu plain and it took me awhile to figure it out. I think it's either an acquired taste or something you need to find *how* you like it cooked.
Veggie burger patties are a go-to. About $1/patty and good for a snack or a larger meal (burger/sandwich).
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https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17442558/ezra-klein-show-book-melanie-joy-vegan-vegetarian-carnism-amazon
Good recommendations here - plus a podcast listen if you're so inclined.
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Love spring rolls! Made some last weekend for a picknick with friends (one vegan among us) and everyone loved them. It's also gluten free and nut free and lactose free so it's one of those recipes that's got almost all common allergies covered.
My recipe is easier than the one posted and closer to the original Vietnamese version:
- Cut slices of carrots, paprika, cucumber and lettuce
- Soak rice paper (or tapioca) in warm water
- Boil some rice noodles
- Put cilantro, mint (I have my own plants for those so just pick it from them), veggies and noodles on rice paper
- Roll
- Dip in soy sauce or fish sauce (the latter not being vegan ofc but I have a weak spot for fish sauce)
I also had a dinner from uni last week and the vegetarian/vegan options were extremely disappointing. It was really a meat + sides focussed meal, with only about half of the sides being vegan (the rest vegetarian). That led to some funny discussions about how someone's professor had just turned vegetarian and had no clue how to cook without meat. It sounded odd to me. That you have trouble finding vegan options (coming from a meat-centered diet) I can imagine, but how hard can it be to find vegetarian recipes? 95% of what I cook is even vegan without me particularly trying. So many options for pasta dishes or rice dishes or noodle dishes or even just good old Dutch potato +veggie + fake meat dishes.
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Honestly, I'm worried about having a worse diet if I cut out chicken, turkey, tuna, and salmon.
This makes no sense.
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Honestly, I'm worried about having a worse diet if I cut out chicken, turkey, tuna, and salmon.
This makes no sense.
If calory difference is replaced by candy/sugary crap/ice cream, it might end up being a worse diet. Not all that's vegan is healthy.
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Yes..the spring roll recipe is a bit much--I don't use it and am more free-form but thought it might be helpful :)
We eat spring rolls regularly in the summer, so we always have rice paper, vermicelli, chili garlic sauce, etc on hand. that way all we need is to chop up veggies and go.
Tonight: made some vegan comfort food from this recipe https://www.veganricha.com/2017/10/chickpea-spinach-pie-berbere-spice.html
Chickpea Spinach Pie..not sure when I became infatuated with food, but now I happily spend time cooking up recipes, especially on a rainy day. This one is nice since it's simple food (chickpeas, greens, spices). The only thing I bought were pastry sheets as I had everything else in the house and my SO loved it (he eats quite a lot of animal product so it's nice to find food that both of us enjoy since we like to have dinners together )
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Also..trying this tomorrow with lettuce & chives from the garden.
http://www.isachandra.com/2018/05/sesame-cold-noodle-bundles/
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Sooo I'm moving into a new house with ZERO food items, so I guess it's a good time to start shopping more vegan when there's nothing else in the house! What are some suggestions you guys have?
I've got on my list so far
- tofu (I want to try this out, but I'll need some seasonings suggestions)
- rice
- chia seeds (for smoothies!)
- flour and baking powder
- granola
- peanuts
Veggies and fruits of course! But that's depending on prices haha
I'm gonna try out some of the recipes I've seen too, I think.
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Some of my additions would be:
- Coconut milk: for curries or M41s delicious desert option posted previously. Fits nice with the tofu.
- Pasta: so you can make your own vegan pasta-pesto.
- Soy yoghurt: I prefer the flavor over normal yoghurt
- Oats
- Non-peanut nuts
- Olive oil and other plant-based oils
- Vinegar for salads
- Peanut butter
- Chickpeas & tahin to make hummus (you could also just buy hummus directly)
- Potatoes
- Soy sauce
- Olives
- Dried fruits (dates, raisins)
Re tofu: I usually just use it in curries or fried rice recipes so I don't do particular seasoning but it's fried with curry paste, but M41 has posted a tofu-omelette idea some pages ago which also looks really nice. Shame on me for still not having tried it.
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I'm so happy you're on this thread MJ! <3 ... A few bullet points for you:
* oranges == calcium! yeah!
* hummus IS healthy - just check that it doesn't have 20 ingredients most of which are stabilizers and preservatives. obviously homemade is the best.
* lentils. stock up with lentils. I just made this easy mode dahl recipe (https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/yellow-lentil-dal). If you can chop an onion and mince two cloves of garlic, it's quick and so delicious. M12 and I are slurping it up as I type.
EASY MODE DAHL: https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/yellow-lentil-dal
MORE CHOPPIN' BUT STILL EASY MODE: http://instantpoteats.com/turkish-split-pea-soup-instant-pot-recipe/
I second Hirondelle's & RustyChase's suggestions for stocking up the kitchen. Also: ground flax seed. Add ground flax seed to your oatmeal. It's high in omega 3s and IDR all the benefits but it's one of the wonder foods in the vegan pyramid. (whole flax passes right through you with minimal absorption of nutrients)
Who has used the cronometer or daily dozen apps? What do you think? I found both quite useful as I transitioned from std western bullshit diet to whole food plant based food pyramid.
Last bullet point:
* when you make rice try to use brown whole grain - and make sure it's from California or somewhere other than the southeast US. Not to frighten you, but there's loads of arsenic in the soil in SE US from the days of cotton when arsenic was used as a pesticide. Unfortunately, rice has an affinity for absorbing arsenic from the soil.
@Serendip I'm adding that spinach chickpea comfort dish to our rotation.
@DarkandStormy - I listened to that podcast with Ezra Klein and Melanie Joy this very morning! I love her perspective. Between her book and Tobias Leenart's "How to Create a Vegan World", I feel like I'm much more effective at talking with people, and providing bits of info in such a way that it's likely to be received willingly rather than opposed defensively. Melanie Joy kicks ass.
Ultimately, I've come to be a 3 reason vegan - I do it for all the reasons: health & environment & ethics. As much as I want to be healthy, and as much as my heart aches for the dairy cows, battery hens, castrated piglets and the rest of the 70billion per year fellow earthlings we brutalize and exploit, the motivation that drives the fire in my belly is the environment. I want my son to inherit a world he can live in. I want all of our children to inherit a world they can live in. Adopting a plant based diet in the western world, and staying with plant based diets in developing worlds is necessary and we need to do it now. In my estimation, the world going plant-based probably is not enough on its own for humanity's survival, but it's an important piece and we need to put it in place ASAP.
I love this thread and am so happy people keep joining - some who are new and some with who've been wonderful partners on my MMM journey over the years. <3.
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@Malaysia41 these are some good bullet points! I might try out those recipes first, cause I like easy. I'm still a beginner cook, but at least I'm past the pastas only stage! Also! Hi, nice to meet you haha
Thanks @Hirondelle for your points too, I'm not a fan of coconut milk but I do like almond milk.
@MonkeyJenga I've never had chili! Do you have a favorite recipe? I'd like to try it.
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Regarding Harris teeter. The company is based in NC. Without origin marked on the package, I would assume their rice is from SE US.
https://www.harristeeter.com/about-us :
Harris Teeter, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), was co-founded in 1960 by North Carolina grocers W.T. Harris and Willis Teeter. Harris Teeter operates over 230 stores and 14 fuel centers in seven states and the District of Columbia.
In addition to its retail stores, Harris Teeter also owns grocery, frozen food, and perishable distribution centers in Greensboro, NC and Indian Trail, NC, as well as a dairy in High Point, NC.
Harris Teeter is headquartered in Matthews, NC and has approximately 30,000 associates.
California origins is a selling point for rice - so in my experience most rice coming from California is loudly and proudly marked as such. Personally, I would not buy rice that doesn't indicate its origins. Incredibly, rice from Italy is high in arsenic too! So I try to buy rice from Pakistan or India.
regardless of origins, if you soak and rinse your rice before cooking, then boil it like pasta - (more water, drain and rinse again after cooking), you can decrease the amount of arsenic you ingest.
Dr. Greger did a series of 5 min videos on arsenic in rice. Here's a good starting point:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-brands-and-sources-of-rice-have-the-least-arsenic/
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@MonkeyJenga I've never had chili! Do you have a favorite recipe? I'd like to try it.
It's a stretch to call this a recipe, but it's flexible and gets the point across. This makes a huge amount of food, definitely should make a smaller batch while you're figuring out what you like. There's a lot of stuff, but it's all basic steps. Chop up some vegetables (or buy pre-chopped), cook beans (or open a few cans), and throw it all in a pot. Tada!
MJ's Rainbow Chili
Ingredients:
4-6 cans of beans or 1-2 pounds dry (2:1 black beans to kidney, or all black beans, or half lentils, half black beans - if you have beans already, use those)
1 can sweet corn*
1-2 yellow squash*
1 sweet potato*
1-2 bell peppers*
Any other vegetables you want to throw in
1 onion
4-6 cloves garlic
large can of crushed or diced tomatoes
green chilis - can be small can of Rotel equivalent, or chilis on their own
Cumin - more than you think is right
Chili powder - same deal, put in an obscene amount
Black pepper - not as much as the cumin and chili powder, but still a lot
Red pepper flakes - as much as you like
Oregano - optional
Salt - more or less depending on how much is included in any canned ingredients
Garlic powder/Onion powder if needed
* = optional. I've used peas, spinach, carrots, beets, and zucchini. Everything ends up tasting like chili powder, so it's a good way to sneak in food you don't like.
Steps:
Saute the onion and garlic.
Add the tomatoes/chilis/spices.
Add beans.
Chop up the vegetables and toss in.
Let it all simmer for a bit.
Add more of whatever spices you want until it tastes good.
Mix with rice, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, salsa verde, peanut butter, whatever.
I'm definitely not a carrot person, could definitely be a good way to eat those! This sounds yummy, I'm gonna try to make it sometime this week (:
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This is my chili recipe:
1 can kidney beans (no salt added)
1 can chickpeas (no salt added)
1 can diced tomatoes (plain or spicy)
1 can vegetarian chili if you can find it (optional)
1 can corn (no salt added)
1 can olives
1 container leaf spinach
1 container cut mushrooms
1 bag of frozen brown rice
1 package taco seasoning
1 bag frozen veggie meat (optional)
Throw everything in a big pot and cook until the spinach wilts. Traditional chili doesn't have half of what I throw in but it is good and healthy and there is no cutting involved. Whole thing takes less than 15 minutes and makes five meals or so.
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Soooo, I know I made this post a few pages back here about being patient with people who make anti-vegan comments, but today, 11 months after starting veganism and having to listen to this garbage, it's starting to really grate on me. And I'm on vacation, too, so obviously this is really bothering me.
I have not snapped at anyone yet, but I feel like I want to.
Rationally, perhaps the comments can be classified as "not that bad," but it definitely also gets old.
The other day, I was at a work function at a baseball game on a Friday after work and my direct supervisor/'boss' hadn't talked to me at all much less acknowledged me or my fiance. Not that I was trying to keep track or care, because I wasn't trying to talk to her either. There's a lot of dislike I have towards this person, but I won't get into that. Anyway, it just astounded me that after not having talked to me at all, the catering people finally bring in the black bean burgers for the vegetarian/vegans of the office and she walks by my fiance and I eating and kind of smirks and says simply, "Is that the vegan option?" Really? She has nothing to say to me all day, and THIS is the comment she goes for? All righty.
Yea, I know, this doesn't sound like much to get worked up over, but when you have a litany of stupid tiny remarks like this all the time, it just makes me want to be like, "Okay. Okay. WHAT. WHAT the ___ is your problem?!" It's particularly irksome because these kind of people act like it doesn't bother them necessarily, but then will make stupid comments like that every time you eat something. Please note, I have NEVER even once made a comment to anyone about why they should go vegan or anything about veganism in any manner. Everything they are saying is apparently all from some internalized bull shit, with no fodder from my end. If they want to ask me why I went vegan, then whatever, I'll answer, but I'm not "sanctimonious" about it, though I understand people usually apply that descriptor anyway. (How many times have you heard someone doing something environmentally friendly such as recycling and being called a "tree hugger" or "hippie?" for instance. People always immediately make fun of people like this, even if they aren't saying anything to them. People who have negativity towards this for whatever reason are inevitability thinking, "Look at this naive person, they think they're going to save the world! LOLSIES!") I do understand being vegan makes people uncomfortable and they internalize a lot of crap, but GOODNESS GRIEF, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! These people are just as annoying, if not worse, than those special group of insecure tightwads who always feel the need to shout out "MACS ARE STUPID!!!" (or vice versa) even if you didn't say if Macs are better or not than PCs (or vice versa).
Unsolicited commentary is really just annoying. Has this happened to you lot at all, and what have you done about it? While I want to be as courteous and professional as possible, I don't feel the need to be some sort of door mat that has to absorb all this commentary just because I'm the closest vegan. I don't really know what to say without sounding annoyed. Maybe a terse, "Stop," would suffice?
Another recent incident at the office is when I was going to grab a lunch box. Our office is creative and we have lunch and learns, where product representatives come and talk and bring lunch so we can eat while they present. Anyway, we put in our order in advance so when we go into the meeting room, we just grab the lunch. I ordered something plant-based, of course, but that doesn't matter. So I walk in there with my vegetarian coworker and we are going to the side table to grab our food. My other coworker, who has made a lot of anti-vegan comments upon someone else telling him I was vegan, blurted out, "Lots of bread and butter for imadandylion!" Yeah, no.
Why does this comment annoy the _____ out of me? Three reasons. (1) Probably because I'm a cook/baker by hobby. I understand lazy people who don't want to bake bread because they classify anything as taking any amount of time is "hard" (e.g. waiting for dough to rise when in reality you are not standing attentively, staring at the dough and waiting it for it to rise... but that's definitely my own irrational annoyance, I guess), so therefore they do not ever even attempt to begin a task as basic and inexpensive as baking bread. So how would they know what bread is composed of? It definitely doesn't need dairy or eggs. (Yes, I understand some places make breads with dairy/eggs.) I guess i just don't like people sarcastically joking about what I can or can't be eating, when they don't even know what goes into food. Ironic, because most of the world think it's soooooooo "sad" that kids can't answer where their food comes, but yet most adults don't either... much less know how to make the food. Yeah, sorry, that came off a little scathing, but I'm just really frustrated over stupid comments like this. I mean, what did I do really? I just walked into a room. And I needed to hear that comment, why? There was really no point to the comment. We're not friends. And I especially do not respect this person as a competent coworker. (2) I hate when people assume I even like bread and butter or that I am otherwise craving a food that people commonly like. Stop assuming I am "missing" something when I am perfectly happy eating my plant based food that I made zero comments over. (3) The other thing I noticed is that the bread and butter is specifically and sarcastically "for" me, but not my vegetarian coworkers. Now, I know vegetarians do eat dairy, but no one ever gives vegetarians shit about being vegetarians, and I'm definitely not saying anyone should be giving them shit, but really, no one needs to give anyone any shit.
In these cases, I didn't say anything because I was employing my usual "brick wall routine" but it's been nearly a year, and people are STILL making stupid little comments like that. Maybe people might think I'm "sensitive," but honestly, as a bonafide introvert I just prefer to recede quietly into the background.
I was also accused of forcing my fiance to become vegan by my brother-in-law, but he's an idiot, so whatever. But still. Annoying. My fiance's a grown man. He makes his own decisions. You can't "make" someone decide to make the multiple choices that occur on a daily basis to consume or not consume something. We've been doing this for a while now. Why are people still commenting like it's a new thing? Seriously, sometimes I just want to dramatically stand up if I'm not already, throw my hands up, and exasperatedly exclaim, "All right, that is IT. Okay?! NO MORE." But I don't know if that's the best route. I still need to work here and see these incompetent, untalented people every day. There's a lot more comments and crapping-on, I just chose to write about the most recent ones.
Sorry if this is off-topic or too negative for this thread. I just don't feel like there's a lot of people I know who would understand except my fiance. Any advice on how to take the high road would be greatly appreciated.
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And because I should probably contribute something positive to this thread...
Daily Dozen App - Yes! I've used this. I could be more diligent about checking things off every day, but when I have used it, it has been a helpful reminder or method to plan meals or otherwise throw in something at the last minute to check something off the list that I otherwise wouldn't have. Usually I'm not very good about nuts/seeds or "healthy fats."
Someone commented on hummus being a great thing that's also inexpensive to bring to a potluck. That is a great idea and something I usually like to bring to parties too, with some cut up vegetables, tomatoes, and crackers. I like to keep my contributions to potlucks inexpensive, too, so here's an idea: Three bean salad. I once brought a homemade three-bean salad to a work potluck and it was a hit, surprisingly. I don't know why I was surprised, really, but I'm happy I brought it because there were some people who aren't necessarily vegans or vegetarians and they told me they were glad I brought it "couldn't find anything else to eat" at the potluck because they're so picky. It's just three beans of your choice, vinegar (apple cider vinegar is preferred), and sweetener of your choice (usually cane sugar or maple syrup), parsley, chopped celery, and good ol' salt and pepper - marinate overnight or a few hours prior to serving. One of the easiest things ever.
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@imadandylion Sorry to hear you have had to deal with this on a regular basis..it can definitely be frustrating/annoying, especially when you are taking a laid-back approach! This it such a personal choice and yet, the comments you are hearing can't be taken personally as they speak more about the person making them rather than about you.
I hope your co-workers can offer you some space and respect.
Sometimes I feel that it's fortunate that there are so many people with dietary restrictions (both chosen or physiological) in my community--it's so common that it doesn't get the same response as 10 years ago :)
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@imadandylion - thanks for your rant. I can imagine. Going vegan in FIRE is clearly decidedly easier than going vegan while working full time.
You wrote:
(3) The other thing I noticed is that the bread and butter is specifically and sarcastically "for" me, but not my vegetarian coworkers. Now, I know vegetarians do eat dairy, but no one ever gives vegetarians shit about being vegetarians, and I'm definitely not saying anyone should be giving them shit, but really, no one needs to give anyone any shit.
Well, I for one, give vegetarians plenty of shit for eating dairy - especially if they're vegetarian for ethical reasons. In fact, I judge them way harsher than full-on carnists. It makes no fucking sense to me to be vegetarian and still eat dairy. The only explanation is that they haven't done their research into dairy yet. So I'm always happy to fill them in on what consuming dairy really means. I know - I'm a real saint right?
M50 and I were talking yesterday and we both agreed that if we were forced to make a choice between eating either a 75-100g serving of meat, or some serving of dairy (milk or cheese or yogurt), we'd both choose the meat. That's how bad dairy is.
The dairy industry IS the meat industry. I don't get how ethical vegetarians don't get that. Unless, like I said, they haven't done any research at all. But I don't even get THAT! Once I started down the rabbit hole looking into our animal ag industry, I couldn't stop. It was like, 'okay - what's the next veil to lift?' Oh shit - wool's bad (esp Australian merino wool - see mulesing). Oh shit - eggs are bad. Oh shit - honey is problematic enough that I'll try to avoid it - Oh thank God I can still eat clammies now and then based on my own moral compass that's tethered to environment, ethics and health, etc.
Sorry now I'm ranting.
Thank you for your suggestion of bean salad. I'm having a 'hot ones' party tomorrow and loads of meat eaters are coming. I'm not saying the v word at all - but everything I serve will be vegan.
We experimented yesterday making this seitan 'fried chicken'. I'm conflicted. The food turned out delicious, but I felt yucky afterward having eaten so much fried oil flour nastiness. I want my guests to love the food for both its taste and how they feel after the party.
Any suggestions for what to serve? I'm expecting about 15 people and I'm serving:
cauliflower hot wings (for the competition)
hummus
black bean dip
salsa
tortilla chips
quinoa taboulleh
lots of homemade vegan cheeses like this one:
https://www.exceedinglyvegan.com/vegan-recipes/dips-sauces-cheese/vegan-cranberry-cheese
your 3 bean salad
and other stuff.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU RECOMMEND?
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If there's tortilla chips there should be guacamole too :)
And I'm always a big fan of fresh spring rolls - easy to keep them vegan.
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@Serendip Thanks for reading my venting. Yeah, I can see how it says more about them, especially since I'm not offering anything for them to go on. It's like when they see me, or any vegan probably, they have this intense urge to verbally vomit something anti-vegan. Definitely sounds like a personal problem. I would probably be more understanding if it I actually did say classically inflammatory things, like referencing the devil as synonymous with meat and such, but nope, I don't do that. So I have actual cause to be annoyed. I will try to find some way to tell people to stop with this word vomit, hopefully without flying off the handle. On the other hand, the other people are the baseball game were pretty nice and were even trying the black bean burgers and saying they were really good - because they were legitimately an exemplary version of how good vegan food can be without forgoing taste. Even a new person to the firm was commenting how she used to be vegan for 2 years. Maybe I can steer her back our way. :P It sounded like she still wants to be, but found it difficult with dating a meat eater.
@Malaysia41 Yeah, I wish I was FIRE-d already or be able to work from home so I wouldn't have to deal with this. Part of the reason why I eat lunch at my desk is so I can take a walk during lunch time instead, to avoid eating lunch in the work break room because people will inevitably make some comment about my food. Plus, it's good to leave the office and get some fresh air.
I totally feel you on the dairy thing and love that you say something about it. I don't understand knowing something and still intentionally, actually desiring to eat dairy. Maybe it's easier for me having grown up not eating cheese regularly. For example, I never knew people actually consumed large gobs of cheese alone (e.g. on cheese plates) until I got to college. But yes, for me, it's hard to forget or ignore, and the more I've learned about various industries like dairy and wool/clothing, it's totally bizarre to me how people can be comfortable or accepting of certain things... like fast fashion! Ugh - don't even get me started on general waste. I do appreciate your mini rant. It's good to not let it consume us, but it's also nice to be able to relate with others on the topic! I would also choose meat over dairy if I had to - the fact that people aren't "lactose intolerant" and instead just shouldn't be consuming milk of any kind as an adult and can't probably digest them is convincing enough. My fiance had to go to a conference a few months back and got a vegetarian dish catered, and he became very ill because there was apparently dairy in it the dish. It's not worth it. And for me especially, it's not worth the break outs (acne), or feeling bloated/gassy/etc.
For the pot luck, that menu sounds pretty good and well-rounded. I like the idea of spring rolls (just make sure to keep them moist so they don't dry out), or even a "deconstructed" version, like a rice noodle salad (the same fixings, but with rice noodles instead of the rice paper). I also like noodles in general, like a vegetable lo mein stir fry (always seems popular in my experience), or even a soba dish, especially with edamame. You could also do lettuce cups/tacos with crumbled tofu, tempeh, beans, or jackfruit & sweet potato. I was going to say quinoa salad but you have the taboulleh listed. :) I always like salads that include olives and marinated artichoke hearts, too - I think those are always crowd pleasers. I love a simple massaged kale salad with kalamatas, lots of lemon juice, artichoke hearts, sliced almonds, sliced onions, fresh garlic, salt and pepper, and cherry tomatoes. You could also do a pasta salad variation. It'd also be pretty easy to throw together a simple pizza with pesto or red sauce and some artichoke hearts, olives, onions, mushrooms, basil, etc. I find potstickers are pretty good and easy to make, but if you haven't made those before you probably wouldn't want to try to learn how to fold a bunch of them right before a potluck. But they were a great choice because you can put anything inside, pair with a good sauce, and they look impressive. :) Have fun at your party!
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Popping a post here to keep an eye on some recipes coming through.
Work can be a problem for me. Cookies, flapjacks, general nibbles when available. Nearly always with butter in.
Can’t, in all honesty, call myself a vegan but haven’t eaten meat for absolutely ages, same with eggs, and have reduced my dairy by about 95%.
Made the blondies yesterday....was apprehensive but they weren’t too bad!
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I'm a Dr Greger fan, myself. I don't think he cherry picks data; it's just that the truth is hard to hear for some people.
I just passed along this interesting tidbit (or dare I say, 'nutrition fact') to someone else on these boards:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-not-to-die-review#section1
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You can definitely be an "unhealthy" vegan - chips & hummus/guac/salsa, oreos, non-dairy ice creams, etc. etc.
What's wrong with hummus/ guac/ salsa?
Unless you are referring to the chips.
I love adding hummus to my vegetables, or salsa and guac to my salads. I get a lot of "How can you just eat a salad for lunch every day, don't you get hungry?" Uh, no? Seeds, chickpeas, sometimes avocado, olives, plenty of olive oil-based dressing (homemade), keeps me plenty full.
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I'm a Dr Greger fan, myself. I don't think he cherry picks data; it's just that the truth is hard to hear for some people.
I just passed along this interesting tidbit (or dare I say, 'nutrition fact') to someone else on these boards:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-not-to-die-review#section1
I just read way more about kidney stones than ever before. I definitely don't want to pass one that's for sure.
Okay - I dug into the first criticism in that article. Here's what I found. Let's start with what the healthline article says.
For example, as evidence that high-oxalate vegetables aren't a problem for kidney stones (a bold claim, given the wide acceptance of foods like rhubarb and beets as risky for stone formers), Greger cites a paper that doesn't actually look at the effects of high-oxalate vegetables — only total vegetable intake (pages 170-171).
For example, as evidence that high-oxalate vegetables aren't a problem for kidney stones (a bold claim, given the wide acceptance of foods like rhubarb and beets as risky for stone formers), Greger cites a paper that doesn't actually look at the effects of high-oxalate vegetables — only total vegetable intake (pages 170-171).
Along with stating "there is some concern that greater intake of some vegetables ... might increase the risk of stone formation as they are known to be rich in oxalate," the researchers suggest the inclusion of high-oxalate veggies in participants' diets could have diluted the positive results they found for vegetables as a whole: "It is also possible that some of the [subjects'] intake is in the form of high-oxalate containing foods which may offset some of the protective association demonstrated in this study" (1).
In other words, Greger selected a study that not only couldn't support his claim, but where the researchers suggested the opposite.
Sounds pretty damning. So, I read the relevant part of HNTD, as well as the entire underlying study cited.
So in essence, the author of the healthline article asserts this cited NCBI study shows the opposite of what Dr. Greger claims. But I found this to be untrue. Here's why.
First, it's worth noting that the paragraph in Dr. Greger's book that's being criticized is about oxalates. The paragraph is under the kidney stone chapter and the underlying study is one of the last sources that Greger cites. At this point in the chapter, Greger's case about the link between animal protein and kidney stones has already been made. So this criticism is about one of the finer points that's not really a center-point of Greger's argument. And this finer point is on oxalates. Fair enough, but it's worth noting the place this nit holds in the overall argument. So let's dig in.
Dr. Greger writes,
Most kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate, which forms like rock candy when urine becomes supersaturated with calcium and oxalates.
(then he presents evidence that cutting down on calcium is only half as effective as cutting down on animal proteins in reducing kidney stones. The healthline article does not criticize this claim).
Greger continues,
What about cutting down on oxalates, which are concentrated in certain vegetables? Reassuringly, a recent study found there was no increased risk of stone formation with higher vegetable intake. In fact, greater intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with a reduced risk independent of other known risk factors, meaning there may be additional benefits to bulking up on plant foods above and beyond restricting animal foods.
This claim is supported in the NCBI study. Here's the first paragraph in the conclusion. Dr. Greger's statement is pretty much a restatement of this paragraph:
This study demonstrated that women with the highest quintile intake of fiber, fruit, and vegetables were 22%, 15%, and 22% less likely to report an incident stone event, respectively, compared to women with the lowest quintile intake for postmenopausal women with no history of stones in adjusted analyses. This represents a difference of about 2 portions per day of fruits and vegetables, or an increase of 12 grams per day of fiber intake between the lowest and highest quintiles of intake. The effects of fiber, fruit and vegetable intake on stone risk appear to be independent from the traditional dietary risk factors including calories, fluid, sodium, animal protein and calcium intake. Increased intake of fruits and vegetables has previously been shown to increase urine volume, pH, potassium, magnesium, citrate, phytate and other stone inhibitors, resulting in a decrease in the supersaturation of calcium oxalate and uric acid.6 It is also possible that women with the highest intake of fruits, vegetables and other fiber containing foods are making other healthy dietary choices, or perhaps avoiding foods that may increase the risk of stone formation.
Note that Dr. Greger says there 'may' be benefits to bulking up on plant foods above and beyond restricting animal foods. He's already established that cutting down on animal proteins reduced incidences of kidney stones. This paper absolutely backs up this further statement about vegetables as the study focuses on vegetable intake, independent of animal protein intake.
So what about the part of the healthline article where the author says the researchers say oxalates are bad for kidney stones? Here's the healthline article again:
Along with stating "there is some concern that greater intake of some vegetables ... might increase the risk of stone formation as they are known to be rich in oxalate," the researchers suggest the inclusion of high-oxalate veggies in participants' diets could have diluted the positive results they found for vegetables as a whole: "It is also possible that some of the [subjects'] intake is in the form of high-oxalate containing foods which may offset some of the protective association demonstrated in this study" (1)
What the healthline article omits is this further comment in the NCBI study:
The nuances of which vegetables are high in oxalate can be confusing, and information from medical providers or internet sources are often incomplete, and thus patients may be globally reducing vegetable intake in an attempt to reduce their oxalate intake. Reassuringly, this study specifically found no increased risk of stone formation with higher vegetable intake.
Note that the Healthline article takes issue with a statement in the 'possible limitations' section of the NCBI study. This is the place where the researchers guess at possible holes or weaknesses in their methodology or datasets. This is where they list areas for more research to make sure those parts of the study hold up. So it's sort of a "if I were to poke holes to see what falls down, I'd look at these things" discussion. So, they acknowledge the conventional wisdom (but again, they do not claim the conventional wisdom is true). "
This 'damning' comment in the NCBI is more a question than statement.
In other words, what the researchers are saying is that *if* there is any truth to the standard conventional wisdom (they are not claiming the conventional wisdom is true), then high oxalate vegetable consumption may have affected the results. This is not a statement that high oxalate foods cause kidney stones - it's a guess and a call for further study.
Given all this, in my view, the healthline article's lead example completely fails to prove 'cherry picking'. In fact, the argument is so disingenuous it's further evidence to me that healthline is an untrustworthy source of medical opinion and advice. Maybe you read it differently, but that's the way I see it. So, I'm going to stop there.
In general, I prefer to get my news from non-profits. Nutritionfacts.org is a non-profit. Healthline is for-profit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthline
They recently received $95M in funding from Summit Partners, a venture capital firm. It's hard to know who their underlying investors are. They very well could be some industry lobby group with vested interests in status quo agriculture. Who knows?
As for Greger - I still don't think he cherry picks. Sure, he's going to bring forward articles that make strong cases for a whole food plant based diet. And this article he cites - despite their discussion of oxalates being a question mark to be studied further - absolutely supports his case.
It is possible however I was trying to see here what I wanted to see, even as I tried very hard to maintain clear unbiased perspective in digging down into this healthline criticism.
That said, if there's another piece of evidence you think makes a better case for cherry picking, I guess I'll take another look. But it needs to be solid, not like this case, centered on a throw-away statement in an underlying study.
Thank you for posting this. I know more about kidney stones and oxalates, and have strengthened my knowledge on PBDs. :)
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Changed the title to focus on WFPD exclusively. What do you guys think?
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I am super overweight and unhealthy. I've been listening to the Food Heals podcast, and decided to go vegan starting today. Because I put on about 5 pounds last week camping (high meat and alcohol diet), for this week only I also am not eating any grains, oil, or sugar, except in a spicy vinaigrette I made for my daily salad. Honestly, I'm hoping for dramatic results. I put on about 15 pounds pretty quickly last summer, and I haven't been able to shake it since. I was already overweight, but those 15 pounds put me in the obese category.
I do 90% of my cooking and food prep on Sundays. This week I made:
Roasted sweet potatoes/brussels sprouts/kale with walnuts
Small red beans
Roasted savoy cabbage/eggplant/mushrooms/pattypan squash/shishito peppers/broccoli (most of that was from a CSA box I get weekly)
Salad of mixed greens with cukes, peppers, carrots, radishes, red onion, sunflower seeds, pepitas, avocado, homemade dressing.
I also have various fruits, and have a smoothie planned for each morning with spinach, berries, banana, almond butter, almond milk, chia seeds.
I am married with two children, so the roasted veggies are for all to share. Both kids tried plain radishes and like them! They also both liked roasted broccoli!
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I am super overweight and unhealthy. I've been listening to the Food Heals podcast, and decided to go vegan starting today. Because I put on about 5 pounds last week camping (high meat and alcohol diet), for this week only I also am not eating any grains, oil, or sugar, except in a spicy vinaigrette I made for my daily salad. Honestly, I'm hoping for dramatic results. I put on about 15 pounds pretty quickly last summer, and I haven't been able to shake it since. I was already overweight, but those 15 pounds put me in the obese category.
I do 90% of my cooking and food prep on Sundays. This week I made:
Roasted sweet potatoes/brussels sprouts/kale with walnuts
Small red beans
Roasted savoy cabbage/eggplant/mushrooms/pattypan squash/shishito peppers/broccoli (most of that was from a CSA box I get weekly)
Salad of mixed greens with cukes, peppers, carrots, radishes, red onion, sunflower seeds, pepitas, avocado, homemade dressing.
I also have various fruits, and have a smoothie planned for each morning with spinach, berries, banana, almond butter, almond milk, chia seeds.
I am married with two children, so the roasted veggies are for all to share. Both kids tried plain radishes and like them! They also both liked roasted broccoli!
Roasted broccoli is so good.
We just got back from vacation recently, visiting our families. Now, we eat a lot of vegetables. My family? Not so much.
Every time I cooked (yes I did all the cooking on vacation), the comments from nieces, brother, stepfather:
"This is so good, what is in it?"
I felt like a broken record.
Olive oil, salt, pepper. Sometimes garlic.
Roasted potatoes. Roasted broccoli. Sauteed asparagus. Sauteed green beans. Steamed broccoli
Lather, rinse, repeat. Repeat after me: olive oil, salt, pepper.
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I am super overweight and unhealthy. I've been listening to the Food Heals podcast, and decided to go vegan starting today. Because I put on about 5 pounds last week camping (high meat and alcohol diet), for this week only I also am not eating any grains, oil, or sugar, except in a spicy vinaigrette I made for my daily salad. Honestly, I'm hoping for dramatic results. I put on about 15 pounds pretty quickly last summer, and I haven't been able to shake it since. I was already overweight, but those 15 pounds put me in the obese category.
I do 90% of my cooking and food prep on Sundays. This week I made:
Roasted sweet potatoes/brussels sprouts/kale with walnuts
Small red beans
Roasted savoy cabbage/eggplant/mushrooms/pattypan squash/shishito peppers/broccoli (most of that was from a CSA box I get weekly)
Salad of mixed greens with cukes, peppers, carrots, radishes, red onion, sunflower seeds, pepitas, avocado, homemade dressing.
I also have various fruits, and have a smoothie planned for each morning with spinach, berries, banana, almond butter, almond milk, chia seeds.
I am married with two children, so the roasted veggies are for all to share. Both kids tried plain radishes and like them! They also both liked roasted broccoli!
Hey AmandaPanda!
My I suggest signing up at challenge22.com? You'll be put into a facebook group with a few dozen newbie WFPB vegans and about a dozen mentors. You can elect to get a personal mentor, plus you'll have access to certified dietitians.
Going WFPB cold turkey is doable - but there are common pitfalls that the mentors at challenge22 can help you with. For example, if you're like me, you may feel weak and tired after a couple weeks doing WFPB. For me this was due to two reasons:
1. not eating enough. WFPB diet is a low calorie density diet - so you really need to eat A LOT more than you think you do.
2. if your diet ~= standard western diet minus animal products, that's guaranteed to be inadequate nutrition
what's nice about challenge22 is that, in addition to the certified dietitians and mentors, you may discover a whole world of new cuisine opening up to you. At the end you may feel like you've expanded your culinary choices rather than restricted them. Of course - I think you'll get this benefit just being in this MMM thread as well - but challenge 22 is like this thread x10. or x100. okay maybe x20. IDK - just loads more info and support.
As for grains - definitely avoid refined grains - but consider whole grain rice or whole wheat pasta now and then.
Regarding roasted veggies - try roasted cauliflower. OMG it's so good. Also - remember beans! Eat beans daily! black beans, chickpeas (hummus), edamame or tofu. etc.
Welcome to the thread! and let me know if you sign up at challenge22.
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I'm in OC California with extended family. They know we eat WFPB / vegan. TBH, I thought they had a better idea of what that meant because over the past few months my husband has been here weeks on end as they stayed with their mom who was dying. Apparently they'd talked a lot about DH's veganism and I had the impression from talking with him that they sort of 'got it'. Obviously they had other things on their minds so I didn't expect them to have become experts in veganism, but I just had the idea that they were keyed into it - you know- after 7 weeks with my husband.
So I was surprised that DH's sister failed to make any accommodations for us at the memorial buffet. Everything had butter or cheese except for one cold pasta dish. I thought - huh - well - no biggie - been in this situation before. I grabbed a few shotglasses of pasta with sundried tomato - that the waitress confirmed were made without butter or cheese, and dumped them on my plate.
As she looked at my plate of refined pasta and oil, she demanded I wait so she could get us vegan food. 15 min later the chefs had whipped up a gourmet plate of black rice and veggies cooked to perfection with an intricate sauce of IDK what but OMG it was amazing. I aspire to cook like that. Anyway, I know DH's sister had a lot to plan and maybe forgot - or maybe assumed there'd be vegan options by default IDK. I'm not really complaining about this particular event but describing it as an example.
Obviously - This weekend was DH's mommie's memorial service. It was all about her and the memorial was just what she would have wanted. Really well done. To be clear - I understand that us eating vegan diets isn't a central theme of the weekend, and we haven't made it a big deal. We've made our choices, eaten in advance of events,etc. It's other people bringing it up that puts the subject into the wider conversation.
Then at DH's sis house later that evening, my BIL approached me and proudly announced they'd ordered us gluten free cheeseless pizza. Uh, ok thanks? IDGAF about gluten but I guess I'll eat it because it's the only pizza without cheese.
OMG and my other BIL - told me about how he owns shares in race horses. I guess I'm good at listening and he picked up on that and went on for about a half hour about how a horse had to be castrated because it was so mean. I let my guard down and asked, 'do you think maybe he's mean because he isn't free?' BIL's reply, "huh, maybe - but anyway we did what needed to be done."
No - castrating that poor horse didn't 'need to be done'. Horse racing is hardly necessary! But I kept that to myself of course.
All of this is mostly half annoying half amusing I guess. But it's my step daughters who are distressing me. I relax my speech around them because well, we're closer. So I've shared some details about animal ag maybe without being prompted. What can I say, I'm less guarded around them.
My 21 yr old step daughter is a self described animal lover. She is nuts about animals and has a lot of animals living with her. Animals are a key part of her identity. I on the other hand, am not at all an animal person. When people approach me with dogs on leashes I stand far away and hope they don't lick my legs. Yeah - that's me. Hate me for it or no, but that's me. Doesn't help that I have hair trigger allergies so cozying up to animals is the last thing I want to do. Even if i'm not an animal person, it's easy for me to see they have a right to their own lives free of exploitation.
So I wonder, why is it that I - the meh-about-animals-person - I don't want to be a part of torturing animals, but she -the proud animal lover - takes part willingly in a system that tortures animals?
It's breaking my heart. And I have to muster all my energy to maintain an 'easy breezy' disposition as they eat cream and eggs and bacon wrapped chicken-sicles on a stick.
It floors me that this daughter has heard some bits of info from me - about the dairy industry, pigs, eggs, environmental aspects, etc. mind you just 'bits' - and she continues consuming all these poor animals, and eating the products of their exploitation and enslavement. She's such a kind and caring person and despite knowing an inkling of the truth - about how eating animals is unnecessary for example - and she's continuing to eat all the animal products.
I realize everyone is on their own paths, and people come to see what's really going on in their own time. The teacher will appear when the student is ready. I guess I'm just not the teacher. And she's not ready.
The following video captures how I feel living in this vystopia. I get it - it's not like I've known about animal ag - the ethics, environmental damage, health impacts - my whole life so I should be understanding as I was right there with them a year ago. But what I don't get is why they are so obtuse about learning more. Once I personally started pulling the string and removing the veils, I was quickly of the mindset of 'what else have I been lied to about?' I'd rather know the truth and make decisions on that rather than continue in a trance like state, colluding with those who profit off of torturing animals, destroying the environment, and destroying our health.
Anyway, here's the video. On one hand, it feels good to see that others share my experience. On the other hand I feel helpless because I know that the more I try to share what I know with people who don't want to hear it, the more they might entrench themselves in the status quo.
https://youtu.be/uGwBe3N2E_Y
In two days I'll be in my hometown. A cube of truth is scheduled near my parent's house and I'll participate in it. I'll get to talk with people who are open to learning about the truth about how humans systematically exploit animals and the environment even when there's no good reason to do so.
My personal policy is to not do activism on family. I'm not perfect at this, but I've done pretty well here while with family these past 3-4 days. I keep most of my feelings to myself and compact them into a small ball tucked deep in my gut ( :) heh) , and only share my full thoughts with DH (and obv let a few slip to step daughters). Thank goodness for DH. He's my full partner in this. I don't know what I'd do if my husband was munching down on cream dipped bacon wrapped chicken popsicles along with everyone else, as they stare me down and slowly, deliberately chew their animal flesh as I stand there quietly trying to pretend everything is ok. Even when it's not okay . It's fucked up and cruel and destructive and I'm trying my hardest to fight against it with every available tool that I can. But with family - I have to put all that aside and ... just let them be.
I know this was a long post but I'm glad I have this and other places to vent as I pent up all this emotion during this time with family. Today will be my last day here in so cal with this part of the extended family - wish me luck. I need it.
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What's the deal with jackfruit? My supermarket's vegan section has a lot of packaged jackfruit products in various sauces. Is it tasty? Is it healthy? I've had a lot of terrible packaged vegan items (the last was imitation gyro - yuck) so I would like some feedback before I spend my $5.
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Jackfruit is quite nice! Not sure why it should be popular as a vegan item tho? Maybe because it's a quite fatty fruit, a bit like avocado and thereby providing nutrients that are harder to come by on a vegan diet?
A quick Google search tells me it's rich in several B vitamins (harder to find in vegan foods) and it has a more meaty structure so it can be used as a meat substitute. Flavor wise I don't think it gets close to meaty taste at all though so I'm not sure if I'd put it as a meat replacer. However I've only eaten it loose and raw as an actual fruit, so I might just be horribly wrong and miss out on the next-best thing.
M41; I'm sorry to hear about your DHs mom. It's frustrating that you're having a bit of a rough time with family and their expectations/behavior. Re your stepdaughter, is she eating high quantities of meat by herself or maybe just being "uncomplicated" and eating when provided but not necessarily cooking it? Maybe she's making steps but just smaller ones that you don't notice. Or maybe she's just like many, wired to consider cows/pigs/chickens as food rather than living animal beings. I'm also still surprised when other people freak out about dog-eaters in Asia while they happily eat beef/pig themselves (as those animals are of comparable intelligence - I'd say chickens are a different category here). Same story for some of the folks I meet irl but also here on the forums who are super concerned about their health, not eating beans cause oh no carbs, yet eating tons of red meat which is well known to cause cancer.
I'm no saint by any means but the lack of courage from many people to at least acknowledge their hypocrisy/cognitive dissonance can get really annoying at times so I'm there with you.
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What's the deal with jackfruit? My supermarket's vegan section has a lot of packaged jackfruit products in various sauces. Is it tasty? Is it healthy? I've had a lot of terrible packaged vegan items (the last was imitation gyro - yuck) so I would like some feedback before I spend my $5.
Some people love it. I tried one that I bought in Berlin. it was bbq jackfruit. IDK it was weird. It could be that the BBQ sauce was way too sweet and so it was hard to appreciate the jackfruit. In any case I'm not a mock meat fan, so perhaps that biased me. I've read mixed reviews on jackfruit. So, personally, I'm going to wait to try something specifically recommended to me. l
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What's the deal with jackfruit? My supermarket's vegan section has a lot of packaged jackfruit products in various sauces. Is it tasty? Is it healthy? I've had a lot of terrible packaged vegan items (the last was imitation gyro - yuck) so I would like some feedback before I spend my $5.
Some people love it. I tried one that I bought in Berlin. it was bbq jackfruit. IDK it was weird. It could be that the BBQ sauce was way too sweet and so it was hard to appreciate the jackfruit. In any case I'm not a mock meat fan, so perhaps that biased me. I've read mixed reviews on jackfruit. So, personally, I'm going to wait to try something specifically recommended to me. l
@Yankuba - I spoke with some vegan activists at a cube the other day. They said to try *canned* jackfruit, or buy a fresh one (or half or quarter of one as they're huge), and pull it yourself. I see lots of videos and blog posts about how to do this. For example:
http://www.moreveganblog.com/2014/06/28/bbq-pulled-jackfruit/
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What's the deal with jackfruit? My supermarket's vegan section has a lot of packaged jackfruit products in various sauces. Is it tasty? Is it healthy? I've had a lot of terrible packaged vegan items (the last was imitation gyro - yuck) so I would like some feedback before I spend my $5.
Some people love it. I tried one that I bought in Berlin. it was bbq jackfruit. IDK it was weird. It could be that the BBQ sauce was way too sweet and so it was hard to appreciate the jackfruit. In any case I'm not a mock meat fan, so perhaps that biased me. I've read mixed reviews on jackfruit. So, personally, I'm going to wait to try something specifically recommended to me. l
@Yankuba - I spoke with some vegan activists at a cube the other day. They said to try *canned* jackfruit, or buy a fresh one (or half or quarter of one as they're huge), and pull it yourself. I see lots of videos and blog posts about how to do this. For example:
http://www.moreveganblog.com/2014/06/28/bbq-pulled-jackfruit/
Thank you. I don't believe the store carries canned or fresh jackfruit but I will keep my eyes open.
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Malaysia41 I just signed up at challenge22.com! I hit a couple roadblocks this weekend, and I had some failures. I did alert me to what I need to have around to make sure I'm successful. Almost every weekend for the past several years, at least one frozen pizza is consumed. So I just need to get the Amy's cheeseless, which I've had before. I also need some fast vegan individual sweets. Like fun-size candy bars, or vegan chocolate chips. Other than those two roadblocks this weekend, it's going pretty well.
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I'm so excited that a thread like this exists on the MMM forum!
I've been eating a predominantly WFPB diet for the past 1.5 to 2 years now, though I've had my share of "falling off the wagon" so to speak. The important thing I've learned on this journey is that you can always get right back to eating WFPB after a mistake/moment of weakness, so don't beat yourself up too much about it. Every meal is a choice. You'll still be light-years ahead of any carnist in terms of health, ethics, and environmental impact.
I'm definitely going to check out the recipe blogs posted in this thread (and especially can't wait to try out the highly praised blondies recipe!). I would also recommend checking out Caitlin Shoemaker on YouTube, along with her website From My Bowl:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0cxMY7jZ_kiE2bvykJffZA
Website: http://frommybowl.com/
All of her recipes are vegan and she shows how vegan food can be simple, tasty, and cheap. She rarely uses oil or any processed foods in her recipes, so she's predominantly WFPB. Can't recommend her enough!
Edit: a word
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@Yankuba Asian grocers will typically carry fresh jackfruit, but usually for the "meaty" stringy/fibrous effect, you want the young green stage. I have grown up eating this because it's my family's favorite thing to get! Anyway, a lot of people like to use it as "pulled pork" or in bao (chinese steamed buns). I have purchased a can of young green jackfruit with the intent of making bao. I have made vegan bao before without it though, and it's a great treat.
@AmandaPanda I love me some roasted veggies, especially in the summer! My favorites are oyster mushrooms or portobello mushroom caps... Gosh, oyster mushrooms are just amazing if you haven't done that already. They have their own very savory flavor that you can enhanced with just a wee bit of sea salt. I also like roasted beets (quartered). They're good with raspberry balsamic vinegar (an idea from Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten). I also like nibbling on roasted asparagus on those days I want something green but not like, ya know, a leafy green. If my local market carried it, I would loooove chinese broccoli all the time, which is perfect blanched and then stir fried with a bit of oil, garlic, and salt. Unfortunately I just don't like driving to my local asian grocery since it's kind of far, so asparagus is the next best thing. For bars, it's not exactly a candy bar, but Larabars are super good and can be a little decadent. That's how I prefer it anyway. Lenny and Larry's also makes vegan cookies, although I've only had their snickerdoodle cookie. I have made my own chocolate chip cookies recently with vegan chocolate chips. They should normally be vegan if they're not milk chocolate... check the labels.
@CyanoStache I keep seeing "no oil" being related to vegan food... Do you know why this is a thing? I understand the health part of not adding extra/processed oils to your diet that don't come from whole foods like avocados or nuts, but can this really be related to veganism or is it just a personal preference?
@Malaysia41 I can relate to everything you said when visiting people. From thinking people "get" vegan food, but then when you go stay over... you're still starving because they really didn't have anything planned for you. Personally, as someone who likes to host things and pay attention to things that will make guests happy, I really fine this to be a strange oversight, but nonetheless, it keeps happening. Last time we were going to help my fiance's mom with moving stuff for one day/night. She kept stressing out saying, "I don't know what to make," before we even got there. In the morning, we were served ONE platter of store-bought sushi. When I say platter, I mean a small tray for individuals, so maybe 8 pieces of sushi, so we each get 4 pieces... Then for lunch, it was crackers (with dairy in it!!) and one small bowl of store-bought pre-chopped fruit which didn't look that fresh, and chips and salsa. For two people. Who just expended a lot of energy. And didn't have a big breakfast. And were dying from starvation. When I politely tried to suggest going out to lunch, I was made out to be the weird one. Then for my nephew's birthday party, my sister said, "Don't worry!! There will be tons of vegetables." There was no wholly vegan food except for fruit. -.- And I didn't have time to bring/make something like I normally would because there was a mishap in her picking me up and not communicating things, therefore not giving me enough time, then I had to babysit her kids while she prepped for the party, etc. Le sigh.
I'm glad you got a good dish whipped up for you at least. And ditto on the gluten-free thing... One of my vegetarian friends ask me if I was gluten-free too and when I was a newborn vegan and I simply told her, "No, I don't have Celiac disease." Lmaoo... I just don't want to eat meat or dairy.
And yes, it's really hard to see people defend eating meat as part of a knee jerk reaction, and worse when they know some things about animal agriculture and still can't kick the habit... or even reduce it. My step sister said she watched Earthlings in school, and "feels bad" but still eats meat. The rationale? She doesn't cook (her mom or my dad does) so she doesn't control what to eat. I tried getting her a cookbook, but honestly, if someone seems like they give up before they even try, they just don't want to. At least not for the time being, anyway! But I think eating plant-based is becoming more and more popular every day, so you'll probably see some converts in your family at some point! If not fully converted, then at least they'll understand.
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Malaysia41 I just signed up at challenge22.com! I hit a couple roadblocks this weekend, and I had some failures. I did alert me to what I need to have around to make sure I'm successful. Almost every weekend for the past several years, at least one frozen pizza is consumed. So I just need to get the Amy's cheeseless, which I've had before. I also need some fast vegan individual sweets. Like fun-size candy bars, or vegan chocolate chips. Other than those two roadblocks this weekend, it's going pretty well.
<3 <3 <3 <3 !!!
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@imadandylion It's definitely from a health/preference point, at least for me. Oils can certainly be used in a vegan diet as much or as little as someone wants to use. I just avoid them when I can since they are a processed food (everything stripped away except the fat) and they have a very high calorie density (the highest compared to any other type of food, actually).
Dr. Michael Gregor of NutritionFacts.org actually has a topic on oils discussing how even plant oils can decrease endothelial function: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/
So I don't buy or use oils at home but I won't turn down vegan food with oils made by others; I'm usually too happy to just have vegan options available!
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I get the oil-free thing, so my main question is how do you roast veggies? That's been the bulk of my diet these two weeks. The first week I used Pam, which of course now I realize has dairy in it. The second week I did a combo of covering with foil and brushing oil only on the top layer after cooking for a while. Brushing oil was annoying bc i had to do it a couple times to keep things from burning.
Also yeah I love Lara bars. The choc chips in my freezer have milkfat in them, so just need to find an option there. Tonight is ezekiel bread with tomato, avocado, hummus, and greens.
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@AmandaPanda Oh wow, I didn't know Pam had dairy in it. I don't use it at home but my parents use it (they're non-vegan). I'll have to avoid using Pam when I go visit them.
I actually just throw vegetables into the oven dry when I roast them along with any seasoning I put on them. I have been meaning to try roasting veggies with a little tahini rubbed on them, the fats in the tahini may help the roasting process plus add some additional flavoring. Here's a post by Minimalist Baker on Oil-Free Roasted Vegetables: https://minimalistbaker.com/oil-free-roasted-vegetables/
And that dinner sounds delicious. I need to work in some simple sandwiches like that into my weekly meal plan.
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CyanoStache, full disclosure, it was Aldi brand cooking spray, so I don't know for sure about any of the name brand ones...
Tahini on sweet potatoes would be goooood. I've seen a few recipes for baked sweet potatoes with tahini anyway.
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I FOUND VEGAN CHEESE TODAY.
I'd been looking for it for a while but hadn't been able to find it anywhere yet. I'm very happy as I throw a party tomorrow and one of my friends is vegan, but the snack I wanted to make isn't as good without (melted) cheese and I hadn't found an alternative yet. I'm very excited how it will turn out.
All snacks I have for tomorrow are vegetarian and only one of them is non-vegan.
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Tonight is ezekiel bread with tomato, avocado, hummus, and greens.
Yum, sometimes some of the simplest things are the best. This is a meal I am very familiar with - (ezekial bread is the only kind we buy). Though I often just stop at the bread + avocado because it's so good by itself. Mmmmmm. <3 <3 <3 Oh and Amy's does have a vegan margherita pizza that is quite tasty if you can find it! Good luck with your challenge!
I do the same as @CyanoStache with regard to oil. I don't cook with it, but I will happily consume it at restaurants, prepared/packaged food, etc, though I prefer it on the lighter side. I might make a cooking exception if I had easy and cheap access to very fresh olive oil... but a little torn on that.
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http://thevegan8.com/ (http://thevegan8.com/) Also a favorite for both quality and simplicity (8 ingredients or less). This week I made her "cheesy mexican tortilla bake" and it turned out delicious (and it was easy)! I just finished the leftovers tonight and I found myself wishing there were more. http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/ (http://thevegan8.com/2017/06/26/vegan-cheesy-mexican-tortilla-bake/)
I made the tortilla bake last night and it was so delicious! It was surprisingly easy to make and that included cooking the beans from dry (in the InstaPot). I think I'll try adding chopped sweet bell pepper the next time I make it just to add more vegetables to the mix. I might need to use my larger casserole dish, haha. That was probably the best vegan "cheese" recipe I've tried so far. I did have to quick-soak the cashews (soaking them in boiling water for ~1 hour) since I didn't have time for an overnight soak, but the cheese sauce still turned out nice and creamy.
Thanks for the link to her website! I love that her recipes are generally 8 ingredients or less. Whenever I see a vegan recipe with a long list of ingredients my eyes glaze over. And the fact that she uses whole food ingredients is fantastic. I've got my eye on her "Italian Vegan Meatballs" recipe next.
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A lobbyist in DC has taken on my campaign to lobby Congress to end all federal subsidies for animal agriculture! Check it out!
https://www.lobbyists4good.org/animal-ag-subsidies
I submitted this campaign on a lark and it got accepted!
What do you think?
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Congrats on getting your campaign accepted! Honestly I never thought that much about tax dollars subsidizing animal farming- I would feel much better if they didn’t and it would’ve great if the true cost of animal food production could nudge people toward consuming less.
Switching gears a bit- does anyone have any favorite instant pot recipes? I recently bought one and would like to try some vegan recipes (beyond the basics of cooking dried beans, etc) but I’m overwhelmed with the options.
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Sorry I don't have a favorite instant pot recipe. But everything I've made from minimalist baker has been good - here's an article with 12 1pot dishes:
https://minimalistbaker.com/12-plant-based-1-pot-dinners/
I've been traveling a lot this past month, but back home now. I'm too jet lagged to do much productive work, so I decided to watch a movie.
Yep - Watching Dominion right now.
http://watch.dominionmovement.com/
Makes me irate thinking of all the people in my life who flippantly say 'bacon tho'. Those poor piglets and their mommies. It breaks my heart. I'm just 16 minutes into the movie and I think I need to stop for now.
Why do I watch? Because those animals need our voices. Because our planet needs us. Because we as a species are capable of doing so much better than we've been conned into doing. The sheer number of people who believe they need animal products in every meal is testament to the fact that our cultural conditioning is filled with lies.
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I'm still trucking away - I am able to eat vegan about 18 meals a week. I have sushi twice a week and then once a week I am at a party or restaurant and I cheat with dairy, eggs or fish. I have the world's best falafel on Fridays with a coworker and I recently learned he is a vegan - so I have someone to commiserate with.
Here are ethical questions I have:
I have a friend who doesn't finish her restaurant entrees and never takes her food home. If I am eating with her and she leaves over half a chicken sandwich is it okay if I eat it? If I don't eat it the sandwich will go into the trash, which I feel is a sin.
Similarly - if you order a vegan entrée at a restaurant and they botch your order, is it okay to eat the botched order if the alternative is the trash bin? I ordered a veggie burrito and somehow they put short rib in it and if I brought the burrito back to the restaurant and complained they would have thrown it in the trash, which I feel is a sin. So I ate the burrito and didn't feel bad about it.
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just saw this study:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/low-carb-diet-linked-elevated-mortality-risk-study-233354036.html
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just saw this study:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/low-carb-diet-linked-elevated-mortality-risk-study-233354036.html
I dare you to post this in the no-carb meat eaters thread!
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I dare you to post this in the no-carb meat eaters thread!
Well, it was more of a wake up call for myself to be honest. I love meat, but aspire to be vegan as I understand the health benefits :).
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I'm still trucking away - I am able to eat vegan about 18 meals a week. I have sushi twice a week and then once a week I am at a party or restaurant and I cheat with dairy, eggs or fish. I have the world's best falafel on Fridays with a coworker and I recently learned he is a vegan - so I have someone to commiserate with.
Here are ethical questions I have:
I have a friend who doesn't finish her restaurant entrees and never takes her food home. If I am eating with her and she leaves over half a chicken sandwich is it okay if I eat it? If I don't eat it the sandwich will go into the trash, which I feel is a sin.
Similarly - if you order a vegan entrée at a restaurant and they botch your order, is it okay to eat the botched order if the alternative is the trash bin? I ordered a veggie burrito and somehow they put short rib in it and if I brought the burrito back to the restaurant and complained they would have thrown it in the trash, which I feel is a sin. So I ate the burrito and didn't feel bad about it.
18 vegan meals a week that's great! Maybe your vegan friend will push you even further :).
Personally, I would not eat any animal products unless I was in a dire starvation situation. So I would not eat anyone's leftovers, nor would I eat a botched burrito. I'd send it back and hope they'd get the burrito right the second time. Especially I'd hope they didn't botch it with dairy products. Dairy comes from grieving mothers and I want no part in that. When my food accidentally contains dairy, it devastates me.
Here's what I might do:
If a friend of mine ordered food and left half a chicken sandwich on the table, I'd consider boxing it up and giving it to a hungry person on the street. Similarly, I might ask for the botched burrito to be boxed up so I could give it away to someone in need as well. I have mixed feelings though about giving animal based food to people, as it's unhealthy. But, if a person is on the street starving, I don't think optimally healthy food is their biggest concern. And it might deliver some nutrients they are deficient in if they're eating a lot of processed junk regularly.
So that's my answer. I'm sure others will differ.
What's your co-worker vegan friend's answer to this ethics question?
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Wow, I like your answers. There aren’t any poor or homeless people in my neighborhood but I see plenty of homeless people during my work day.
My vegan friend said he wouldn’t eat the food because if my friends and family knew I was a vegan who still enjoyed the taste of meat they may manipulate me with “leftovers.” They will order meat and not finish it and try to give it to me because they know I would like it but I wouldn’t order it for myself. By saying “no” my friends and family won’t be temped to sneak meat into my diet. He did say eating food destined for the trash doesn’t impact the demand curve for meat so he wouldn’t hold it against me. He also said he would eat bugs (Bloomberg ran an article on how bugs will be the next big thing to eat) and honey.
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:).
I agree with your friend. Funny how manipulative people can get around food. And funny how much misinformation there is around food. I just started reading the book Meatonomics and it's no wonder why people think meat is healthy. $38B a year in subsidies from the US government to animal agriculture. True costs of meat are externalized and born by the environment, the animals and our health. Hamburgers should cost $10 not $4.
My campaign to hire a DC lobbyist is gaining traction. https://www.lobbyists4good.org/animal-ag-subsidies
I know y'all are super frugal, but if you feel so inclined to send a few dollars that way, please do. Even a $10 donation is great because people see the number of donors and as the # of donors increases, it may tip the psychology of people who visit the site to seeing it as a real movement that could go somewhere.
As for honey - I avoid it, but I don't get upset if I accidentally eat it (unlike dairy which makes me cry). My 'exception' food is clams. But I only eat them once a year or so, when I'm in a town where they're fresh and sustainably harvested. Mm with a white wine garlic sauce yes please.
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here's some 2 minute actions you can do. A 'Dairy Pride' bill was just introduced in congress. It would ban plant milk producers from using the word 'milk' among other things.
If you oppose this bill, please tell your representatives. Here's a link to send an email to all three.
https://www.pasadosafehaven.org/2ma
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One of my favorite personal finance vloggers did a good review on How Not To Die
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwd8OWUL12E
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One of my favorite personal finance vloggers did a good review on How Not To Die
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwd8OWUL12E
Nice - I got about half way through cuz I was like, 'uh huh, uh huh, uh huh.'
I'm reading Dr. Garth Davis's 'Proteinaholic' right now. He spends a lot of time discussing how to evaluate the medical literature, including the phenomenon that we seek out studies that confirm our beliefs. And I look a the book I'm reading and think, uh, er, uh.
But then again, I've read through the gamut of various nutrition / diet theories from Fit For Life to South Beach. So it's not like I'm limiting myself to narrow research. I feel like I've done a pretty wide-ranging survey. But I've gotta say the self-reflection is strong reading these books.
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OMG check out this 'ted'-like talk:
https://youtu.be/mKTORFmMycQ
I have some thoughts about the setup and delivery and audience reactions, but I'd love to hear your thoughts first before I share.
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OMG check out this 'ted'-like talk:
https://youtu.be/mKTORFmMycQ
I have some thoughts about the setup and delivery and audience reactions, but I'd love to hear your thoughts first before I share.
I thought the descriptions of animal cruelty in books like "Forks Over Knives" and "Eating Animals" were far more powerful than the images in the video. You want people to give up animals you have to dial it up a bit - slaughterhouses, waste lagoons, fish lice, rendering, animal grinders, etc. I don't think this video will change anyone's mind.
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I found these land use graphs to be really powerful for illustrating how much of our land dedicated to raising animals for food (including pasture land and livestock feed).
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/
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Recently used my body as a guinea pig to compare the keto and WFPB diets and thought I'd share my n=1 experiment here!
My primary health goal has been weight/body fat loss this year. I was on keto for 4 months from April to July this year. Weight loss was good, but I started reading "How Not to Die", got concerned and took a blood test.
My LDL "bad" cholesterol came back high at 201 (optimal level is below 100). My HDL "good" cholesterol was also super high 71 (optimal is above 40) so based on the ratios, it wasn't life threatening but I decided to do an experiment and go whole food plant based.
Did it for 3 weeks, switching from copious amounts of bacon, chicken, sausage, butter, and eggs, to oatmeal, fruit, beans, tofu, and brown rice. I ate lots of vegetables on both diets, but more on whole food plant based. Also used cooking oil on both. I know WFPB discourages added oils but I'm pretty reliant on stir fries for cooking. I retook the test this week and the results are pretty dramatic.
My LDL cholesterol dropped by 143 or 71%. Studies I looked at for 3 week experiments like this (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/615295) averaged 19-25% for men. Not even the most clickbait vegan blog post I've read has differences this significant in this short a time. My good cholesterol is now higher than my bad cholesterol, which I didn't know was possible. Kidney and thyroid numbers also look better. Blood pressure went from normal/pre-hypertensive (120/80) to optimal (95/65).
I would guess it's not common for a person to go from keto/high fat to vegan/whole food plant based, but these results are so out there I can't help but wonder if something was measured wrong. I'll retest in a couple months but in the meantime, I'll take it.
On both diets I've lost weight (down about 40 lbs since October of last year and down about 3-5 lbs this month) and had good energy levels (I usually play 5-15 hours of basketball a week) though I think I had slightly more on keto. I was intermittently fasting on both and skipping lunch most days as well.
More on topic for this forum, WFPB diet was definitely lighter on my wallet, and dropped my grocery bill about 30% since I was allowed to eat cheap calories like rice, beans, and pasta again. In this sense I think coming from another restrictive diet in keto made this a lot easier because I was so excited at being able to eat rice and fruits again.
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Recently used my body as a guinea pig to compare the keto and WFPB diets and thought I'd share my n=1 experiment here!
My primary health goal has been weight/body fat loss this year. I was on keto for 4 months from April to July this year. Weight loss was good, but I started reading "How Not to Die", got concerned and took a blood test.
My LDL "bad" cholesterol came back high at 201 (optimal level is below 100). My HDL "good" cholesterol was also super high 71 (optimal is above 40) so based on the ratios, it wasn't life threatening but I decided to do an experiment and go whole food plant based.
Did it for 3 weeks, switching from copious amounts of bacon, chicken, sausage, butter, and eggs, to oatmeal, fruit, beans, tofu, and brown rice. I ate lots of vegetables on both diets, but more on whole food plant based. Also used cooking oil on both. I know WFPB discourages added oils but I'm pretty reliant on stir fries for cooking. I retook the test this week and the results are pretty dramatic.
My LDL cholesterol dropped by 143 or 71%. Studies I looked at for 3 week experiments like this (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/615295) averaged 19-25% for men. Not even the most clickbait vegan blog post I've read has differences this significant in this short a time. My good cholesterol is now higher than my bad cholesterol, which I didn't know was possible. Kidney and thyroid numbers also look better. Blood pressure went from normal/pre-hypertensive (120/80) to optimal (95/65).
I would guess it's not common for a person to go from keto/high fat to vegan/whole food plant based, but these results are so out there I can't help but wonder if something was measured wrong. I'll retest in a couple months but in the meantime, I'll take it.
On both diets I've lost weight (down about 40 lbs since October of last year and down about 3-5 lbs this month) and had good energy levels (I usually play 5-15 hours of basketball a week) though I think I had slightly more on keto. I was intermittently fasting on both and skipping lunch most days as well.
More on topic for this forum, WFPB diet was definitely lighter on my wallet, and dropped my grocery bill about 30% since I was allowed to eat cheap calories like rice, beans, and pasta again. In this sense I think coming from another restrictive diet in keto made this a lot easier because I was so excited at being able to eat rice and fruits again.
That's amazing! I can't believe your cholesterol results! Congratulations. You must feel serious relief about your health. Yeah measuring again in a few months would be a good idea. Do you plan on continuing WFPB for that time?
Thanks for reporting this, Percolate. Now, will you go post your results over on https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/keto-challenge ? I read through that thread on occasion, and I worry for those MMMers. What they are doing can't be healthy for their bodies, nor their wallets.
As for losing weight early in keto - I've read that a significant amount of that weight loss comes as you deplete glycogen stores. Conversely, on a, say, WFPB diet, when you're eating complex carbohydrates regularly, and glycogen stores are staying topped up, these energy stores retain a healthy amount of water. Do you have any insight into that?
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I could never Keto. I know a lot of people like it - but I've been running a lot, my body runs on carbs. I hear things about becoming fat adapted and being able to run that way. But it's not for me.
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OMG check out this 'ted'-like talk:
https://youtu.be/mKTORFmMycQ
I have some thoughts about the setup and delivery and audience reactions, but I'd love to hear your thoughts first before I share.
I thought the descriptions of animal cruelty in books like "Forks Over Knives" and "Eating Animals" were far more powerful than the images in the video. You want people to give up animals you have to dial it up a bit - slaughterhouses, waste lagoons, fish lice, rendering, animal grinders, etc. I don't think this video will change anyone's mind.
Yeah - the bit where Dr. Campbell describes the sound of the dairy cow mommies crying out for their stolen babies - it's powerful.
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That's amazing! I can't believe your cholesterol results! Congratulations. You must feel serious relief about your health. Yeah measuring again in a few months would be a good idea. Do you plan on continuing WFPB for that time?
Thanks for reporting this, Percolate. Now, will you go post your results over on https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/keto-challenge ? I read through that thread on occasion, and I worry for those MMMers. What they are doing can't be healthy for their bodies, nor their wallets.
As for losing weight early in keto - I've read that a significant amount of that weight loss comes as you deplete glycogen stores. Conversely, on a, say, WFPB diet, when you're eating complex carbohydrates regularly, and glycogen stores are staying topped up, these energy stores retain a healthy amount of water. Do you have any insight into that?
Thanks! I can't really believe them either. I wasn't planning on continuing WFPB beyond the initial 3 weeks but what drew me to it was the body of evidence and now faced with pretty overwhelming personal results it's hard to justify not continuing, especially taking into consideration other ethical and environmental factors. It's weird that my body doesn't feel that much different either way. I feel like I've had slightly lower mood and energy on WFPB, but it's always been hard for me to disentangle that stuff with the amount of sleep and meditation I'm getting and other stressors. It's hard to imagine swearing off eggs forever but at the same time it's not that hard to avoid eggs for a day and repeat. I've been tracking daily in MyFitnessPal and cronometer and one reason to stick with this is that it's a lot easier to just copy meals over and over than introduce new stuff lol. I'm really enjoying the food I'm eating on WFPB so the fruit, veggies, beans, etc are here to stay as the bulk of my diet, so it's just a question of the frequency of the other stuff. I went to the store the other day with the intention of getting some chicken dumplings or some meat but found that when I got there I wasn't really feeling it. So I guess for now I'm continuing WFPB out of inertia and will continue to monitor how I feel.
Haha, I ain't trying to start a fight with the keto people. It seems everyone agrees getting rid of the processed carbs and sugars is a good thing and that being overweight is a major risk factor for all sorts of diseases. I think on balance keto is still positive for people if it helps them pay attention to their macros, cut bad stuff out and lose weight. Keto didn't have such an adverse effect on my cholesterol before and everyone's body is different so faced with all the conflicting information out there I did this to try and figure out what was true for my body.
It's true that some of the initial weight loss from keto is water weight, but it's usually only the first 5-10 lbs. The rest of the weight loss is real, but I did read a study earlier this year that ranked keto as one of the worst diets not for any health reason but because it's so hard to sustain. So those 5-10 lbs will come back for most people if and when they stop the diet, and possibly more if they can't maintain a caloric deficit without the diet.
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I could never Keto. I know a lot of people like it - but I've been running a lot, my body runs on carbs. I hear things about becoming fat adapted and being able to run that way. But it's not for me.
All of our bodies run on carbs.
This notion that different people need different diets seems odd to me. our physiology as humans is to run on carbs - from whole foods - often cooked, but not refined or enriched with artificial 'nutrients'. Sure, if a person has an allergy to a food obviously that's unique. In that case a person might want to avoid that food or embrace a plan to desensitize to it. But other than that, no, having a certain blood type doesn't mean 'eat more yogurt' or other such nonsense. Eat potatoes. Eat lentils. Eat vegetables. Eat nuts. Drink water. (and then have a bit of dark chocolate before bed amirite?)
Simple.
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My new favorite dish is this: https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/asian-tahini-noodle-bowls/
I modified it a bit though:
- Use 1 bell pepper instead of two
- I didn't add the carrot
- instead of oil in the tahini sauce I just use extra water
- I use kale instead of spinach
- I saute a shallot and some tempeh with a teaspoon or two of oil, a bit of rice wine vinegar, and some braggs, then add the greens to that (so they cook a bit). I add this to the noodles, vegatables and sauce.
- I doubled the sriracha
It's so yummy I like to eat it at least once a week.
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I'm making the stew and the cole-slaw today. Mouth ... watering ...
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2016nl/nov/recipes.htm
Have any of you read Dr. McDougall's book the Starch Solution? I haven't, but I watched one his lectures a few months ago - maybe this one (https://youtu.be/kOfF_r2R8QM).
If you are familiar with his work, what do you think?
edit: here's the stew. i'd read it could be bland, but using homemade veggie broth, it turned out rich and tasty.
(https://i.imgur.com/XxbAy2Mm.jpg)
Now to make the cole-slaw
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My new favorite dish is this: https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/asian-tahini-noodle-bowls/
I modified it a bit though:
- Use 1 bell pepper instead of two
- I didn't add the carrot
- instead of oil in the tahini sauce I just use extra water
- I use kale instead of spinach
- I saute a shallot and some tempeh with a teaspoon or two of oil, a bit of rice wine vinegar, and some braggs, then add the greens to that (so they cook a bit). I add this to the noodles, vegatables and sauce.
- I doubled the sriracha
It's so yummy I like to eat it at least once a week.
this is sitting in an open browser tab so I remember it. I need to find a good tahini. The tahini in the major grocery stores aren't good. It's as if they've been on the shelf for years. They're compacted and have a bad taste. I don't know how to make my own tahini. Grinding up sesame seeds is challenging to say the least. I need to remember to look next time I go to the Chinese grocery.
I'm totally down with using kale rather than spinach. Yum.
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I could never Keto. I know a lot of people like it - but I've been running a lot, my body runs on carbs. I hear things about becoming fat adapted and being able to run that way. But it's not for me.
All of our bodies run on carbs.
This notion that different people need different diets seems odd to me. our physiology as humans is to run on carbs - from whole foods - often cooked, but not refined or enriched with artificial 'nutrients'. Sure, if a person has an allergy to a food obviously that's unique. In that case a person might want to avoid that food or embrace a plan to desensitize to it. But other than that, no, having a certain blood type doesn't mean 'eat more yogurt' or other such nonsense. Eat potatoes. Eat lentils. Eat vegetables. Eat nuts. Drink water. (and then have a bit of dark chocolate before bed amirite?)
Simple.
I'm willing to admit, though - that different people have different needs. Fibromyalgia, PCOS, Type 2 diabetes - different bodies will react to different diets.
I've read about people who have gotten their bodies to become "fat adapted" so that they can run/ bike/ do ultras (whatever) on fat and not carbs. That is pretty much what I was referencing. I've got two women friends who are runners who tried to do that and were not successful. But that doesn't mean it won't work for some people.
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I could never Keto. I know a lot of people like it - but I've been running a lot, my body runs on carbs. I hear things about becoming fat adapted and being able to run that way. But it's not for me.
All of our bodies run on carbs.
This notion that different people need different diets seems odd to me. our physiology as humans is to run on carbs - from whole foods - often cooked, but not refined or enriched with artificial 'nutrients'. Sure, if a person has an allergy to a food obviously that's unique. In that case a person might want to avoid that food or embrace a plan to desensitize to it. But other than that, no, having a certain blood type doesn't mean 'eat more yogurt' or other such nonsense. Eat potatoes. Eat lentils. Eat vegetables. Eat nuts. Drink water. (and then have a bit of dark chocolate before bed amirite?)
Simple.
I'm willing to admit, though - that different people have different needs. Fibromyalgia, PCOS, Type 2 diabetes - different bodies will react to different diets.
I've read about people who have gotten their bodies to become "fat adapted" so that they can run/ bike/ do ultras (whatever) on fat and not carbs. That is pretty much what I was referencing. I've got two women friends who are runners who tried to do that and were not successful. But that doesn't mean it won't work for some people.
Maybe I gave the wrong impression. Obviously medical conditions can impose specific dietary restrictions or requirements. My wording wasn't great - I meant to be giving allergies as an example of a medical condition, but maybe it came off as me being obtuse.
Intentionally running on fat and protein and not carbs though - it just sounds extreme and marginally useful, especially since glucose is the fuel that every single cell in our bodies use to do their work. And what does keto give a person in the end? Maybe they're going for weight loss or improved performance in the short term, but I suspect what they're really getting is heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, acne, and / or a whole host of other maladies.
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Have you guys watched/listened to The Happy Pear? THey have a good youtube channel. I recommend.
here's a recent episode where they take their shirts off and discuss protein.
https://youtu.be/ExXZj11eU7I
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BBC politics panel discussion. Sounds like the beginning of a tipping point. Well in London at least.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06l4p39
Earthling Ed video clips from his tour through America's heartland aren't as encouraging.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVRrGAcUc7cblUzOhI1KfFg
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The other day, I made the lentil loaf from Dr McDougall's website. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2016nl/nov/recipes.htm
Turns out, it holds together great for left-overs.
(https://i.imgur.com/SG3827Nm.jpg)
So I made lentil loaf sandwiches for myself and my son. Here's the sandwiches before I put the top slice of bread on.
(https://i.imgur.com/567EHKem.jpg)
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This has been a fun thread to read! Thanks to everyone who has contributed.
Have you guys watched/listened to The Happy Pear? THey have a good youtube channel. I recommend.
here's a recent episode where they take their shirts off and discuss protein.
https://youtu.be/ExXZj11eU7I
Thanks, that was fun and I hadn't heard of them.
I have been WFPB since June of last year (vegetarian since May). I switched for health reasons and the more I've learned about the pain eating animal products causes animals the happier I am about the switch.
I ate animals primarily because I thought I needed it for health reasons (yes, the flavor was good too but that wasn't my primary motivation) so when I discovered the need for it was a lie, it was easy for me to stop. I know studies show you can eat up to 5% without health risk (ex. The China Study) but I just don't have any interest in it. (Although like you, Malaysia, I would if I were starving.) As one of the WFPB doctors says, I'm okay dying but I don't want it to be my fault.
I am mostly oil-free too. I sometimes buy takeout that uses it though. I do not miss cooking with it and I love how much less soap I need to use, how clean my kitchen is (especially the cover of the exhaust vent), etc.
I have shared this info with people when they confide their health concerns or that of family members and seem open/searching for answers. Otherwise I listen and support their choices and baby steps in the right direction. Sometimes keeping my mouth shut, especially for people I really care about, is incredibly difficult. But I know how shut off I was before I had my eyes opened. And many of my family members are now primarily WFPB (I am actually the only one who is 100% plant-based) and that is pretty wonderful.
Since people were asking for recipe recommendations... I think a lot of vegan food is either really unhealthy or weird. Here are a couple of my favorites -
This is one of my favorite vegan cookbooks:
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook-Your-Instant/dp/1624143385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537318620&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ultimate+vegan+cookbook+for+your+instant+pot&dpID=51vxT4uqVnL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
Her free website recipes aren't as good IMO but I got this from the library and I learned so much about my IP and gained confidence to start experimenting after following her basic ideas. I will start using the cookbook again when it gets cold. Her bean book is good too.
I also really like the Straight Up Food site. Her recipes are amazing and were very helpful in transitioning some of my family members to primarily WFPB (her lasagna is a particular favorite). I used several of her recipes for holiday meals last year and special occasions and plan to again. And her recipes are WFPB - no gluten, oil, sugar, etc. so nice not to have to modify them:
http://www.straightupfood.com/blog/
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@sonjak - Thanks for the recommendations - I looked at Straight Up Food - the scallop potatoes look amazing. I'll need to try that soon.
It sounds like you and I had similar journeys and time-lines. Yeah - once you stop eating animals you see the insanity of it. Not the insanity that people would eat animals on occasion. That in and of itself is its own issue that I can mentally think about from lots of viewpoints, because I've held many of those viewpoints at one time or another.
But then you add on the factory farming, the environment, the health... and well ... you know how it goes. But ...
For me, the thing that gets me, is the sheer SCALE of animal agriculture. We're 7 billion people and we keep hundreds of billions of animals in captivity - these are environmentally and ethically devastating numbers - just scroll through the bloomberg map @Nola584 posted - and the scale is apparent. All this- so we can eat in a way that is literally killing us. It's madness. The conditioning, the indoctrination, the hidden ideology that people don't know they subscribe to, don't know they argue from, and aren't even aware it exists - carnism is everywhere.
Our predicament is both dire and urgent. How nice would it be to 'just make my personal choices'. But you can't. For one thing, voting with your dollars isn't going to have much effect beyond supporting new brands. With subsidies, the old products still get produced*. Besides, there's no time for such incremental change based on individual change. We've got to wake people up. But as you and I are well aware now, human cognition doesn't work like that. And when we talk about the change in our own mindsets, it's often received as 'well isn't that nice that you, M41, have a new belief that seems to give you purpose. You do you, I'll do me.' As if I've made a personal choice to work out more or something. Besides, it's not about ME. It's about US. A very few of us are trying to save humanity here so wake the fuck up because if you don't - we all dead. We are leaving to our children a destroyed, spent world. But we don't have to! OMG stop with the cheese and the beef already! There are other things in life like ... hummus!
*about that, 'voting with our dollars' thing. In the US and EU today, your dollar votes don't count for squat as long as we continue these farm bills that subsidize animal agriculture. That's why I started a crowdfund campaign to end subsidies to animal ag, and redirect some of that $ to help farmers transition to growing crops for human consumption. We are about 1/4 way funded, and $500 is coming in next week from the platform organizer. This is my shameless plug. You can donate here:
https://www.lobbyists4good.org/animal-ag-subsidies
The other indoctrination - esp in America today - that unfettered capitalism is the one true way. Here's a fun experiment: read this WSJ article, and keep in mind the existential threat that animal agriculture poses to humanity (it's the leading cause of GHG emissions). How does it strike you?
https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/growing-appetites-fuel-record-u-s-meat-production-1515782021
Some key phrases:
"The U.S. beef-cattle herd has expanded by 12% over the past four years."
“We have a world that has a growing middle class that’s demanding protein,”
as if meat == protein. Bitch, you can get protein from plants. Where do you think the animals get their protein?
"Right now, pretty much everybody except for the turkey people [is] making money,” said Tom Elam, president of agricultural consultancy FarmEcon LLC. “Until that changes, they’ll just keep expanding.”
That part bolded - why is everyone making money? I would wager that $38B a year in animal ag subsidies has A LOT to do with it.
Free markets where full externalities are accounted for, and innovators compete on an even playing field would be awesome. But that's not what we've got, especially so in the animal agriculture industries. The ideal of free markets - the ideal free markets we were taught in school that capitalism should bring - ain't reality. I do not want my tax dollars subsidizing this destructive force, this threat to my children. Seriously, call your reps, and if you agree with what I'm saying here, help me hire a lobbyist. https://www.lobbyists4good.org/animal-ag-subsidies
I am mostly oil-free too. I sometimes buy takeout that uses it though. I do not miss cooking with it and I love how much less soap I need to use, how clean my kitchen is (especially the cover of the exhaust vent), etc.
We've cut out lots of oil, but, er, not tonight! Home-made falafel, hummus, and soy-yogurt aioli.
(https://i.imgur.com/W7vtFS6m.jpg)
Damn it, this was going to be a post about my falafel and it turned into another rage against the machine sesh. Ah, well, we've got a massive machine to rage against.
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Oh yeah - for September, I've organized Cubes of Truth every Wednesday evening. Usually 6 of us show up. But last night everyone was late, so, for the first 10 minutes, M50 made a cube of one...
(https://i.imgur.com/Eqy9yOUm.jpg)
"when u the only vegan in town"
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The WSJ article (it's behind a pay wall).
"America is producing more meat than ever.
Farmers and meatpackers produced a record 99.7 billion pounds of red meat and poultry in 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. They are on track for an even bigger slaughter this year.
Tyson Foods Inc., Sanderson Farms Inc. and other meat companies are building new plants that are expected to push U.S. meat production up 3.8% in 2018, the biggest increase in more than 20 years.
“We have a world that has a growing middle class that’s demanding protein,” said Dean Meyer, a farmer near Rock Rapids, Iowa who built a new hog barn and cattle feedlot to grow his sales to nearby slaughterhouses run by Tyson, JBS and others. “We think that’s a great opportunity.”
The U.S. beef-cattle herd has expanded by 12% over the past four years. Meat companies produced a record 47.7 billion pounds of poultry in 2017, and slaughtered hogs at a faster pace than ever before.
Tyson in November said its earnings per share hit a record in the company’s 2017 fiscal year, while Hormel Foods Corp. achieved its highest-ever annual profit margin. Sanderson Farms said it sold a record 4.2 billion pounds of poultry in 2017.
Cheap grain is fueling the livestock and poultry boom. Five consecutive years of bumper U.S. crops have pushed down corn and soybean prices, making animal feed cheaper. Robust demand domestically and abroad encouraged meatpackers to build more and bigger plants to slaughter the added animals.
The production boom could mean lower meat prices at restaurants and grocery stores this year, analysts said. But Americans are also on course to eat more meat than ever in 2018, thanks in part to a strengthening economy. Americans will consume 222.8 pounds of meat per capita in 2018, the USDA projects, a sharp uptick from a year earlier.
Meat exports are also expected to grow as increasingly affluent consumers in southeast Asia, Latin America and elsewhere eat more protein. About 15% of U.S. meat production is exported.
The buildup could backfire for farmers and meatpackers if supplies outpace demand, or trade disputes disrupt U.S. exports. Some analysts say consumption is unlikely to keep up with the meat industry’s rapid expansion. “I think the increase in supply is going to outpace demand growth for the next two to three years,” said Heather Jones, an analyst with financial firm Vertical Group.
The Trump administration is renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta, and other pacts with countries that buy U.S. meat. Last year, the U.S. withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which some meat industry executives hoped would boost exports to countries where demand for meat is growing rapidly.
That was a blow to Prestage Farms Inc., a family-owned pork-and-poultry producer that is building a slaughterhouse in Eagle Grove, Iowa. The plant, capable of processing 10,000 hogs a day, was designed to produce pork for export to markets including those that had joined the TPP agreement.
“I’m frustrated that we’re not at the table,” said Ron Prestage, the company’s president. “Over time there’s an opportunity for the U.S. to get back in it with those same countries.”
There are signs the big buildup in U.S. meat production is already eroding profits for some meatpackers, who have a record of booms and busts. Take turkey. U.S. turkey flocks have rebounded from a 2015 avian influenza outbreak that led to the culling of millions of birds.
Now a ballooning number of birds has pushed turkey prices to their lowest level in seven years, eroding processor profits. Pork processors, meanwhile, saw profit margins drop last fall as new plants fought for available hogs to slaughter.
Still, meat company executives are upbeat that both U.S. diners and foreign customers will buy more of their meat. “Our demand has been outstanding,” Tyson Chief Executive Tom Hayes said in November.
Poultry companies including Tyson have at least eight new plants and expansions in the works, which will help boost U.S. chicken processing by nearly 10% over the next four years, according to Sanderson. Three new pork plants opened in 2017.
Prestage’s plant is expected to open later this year. Together those plants are expected to boost pork processing capacity by 10% by 2019, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
“Right now, pretty much everybody except for the turkey people [is] making money,” said Tom Elam, president of agricultural consultancy FarmEcon LLC. “Until that changes, they’ll just keep expanding.”
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I am here for the recipes! And with this in mind.......
I have tried two vegan falafel recipes now and they have both been a bit dry and a bit bland. I suppose I could ramp up the flavourings but how do I get them to be a bit more moist? I put extra garlic, coriander, lemon juice and oil in the last lot and, if anything, they were drier! I am cooking them in the oven -I don’t even own a deep fat fryer, so I suppose that might make a difference but..... Has anyone got any good falafel recipes to share? Shop bought ones are pretty damn pricey here in the UK, when you consider the cost of the ingredients!
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I am here for the recipes! And with this in mind.......
I have tried two vegan falafel recipes now and they have both been a bit dry and a bit bland. I suppose I could ramp up the flavourings but how do I get them to be a bit more moist? I put extra garlic, coriander, lemon juice and oil in the last lot and, if anything, they were drier! I am cooking them in the oven -I don’t even own a deep fat fryer, so I suppose that might make a difference but..... Has anyone got any good falafel recipes to share? Shop bought ones are pretty damn pricey here in the UK, when you consider the cost of the ingredients!
Yeah me too. Sometimes they turn out dry. A lot of recipes call for soaked but not cooked chickpeas. I do half and half. And if the cooked ones are from a can, I include a few tbsp of the aquafaba.
I’ve been thinking of adding more mild onion to the mix. That’s the trick for making moist lentil loaf.
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Peaches are in season now, so I made the peach pie-lets from that site you sent - @sonjak http://www.straightupfood.com/blog/2017/06/18/peach-pie-lets/
Wow they were good. I took them to a party where my friend made amarone risotto and I brought the dessert. I was worried that they were too WFPB / healthy / not-sweet-enough - but people loved them. The flavors were well balanced between the date, lemon and peach.
The people at the party were total omnis - Brazilians and Italians. Many are wary of vegan food. I love it when they like my food :). And you get much of the credit sonjak :).
Thanks for sharing that site. I will definitely be trying other recipes.
Here we are around the table before dinner. Oh - you can see my home made hummus on the table. They liked that too :)
(https://i.imgur.com/ac81GKzm.jpg)
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Yay! I am so glad you tried one of her recipes AND that they liked it. I'm not surprised but glad you have found them to be as reliable as we have. :) And thanks for sharing the great pic!
Sonja
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Seriously knocking it out of the park @sonjak -
We made the scalloped potatoes http://www.straightupfood.com/blog/2017/12/22/scalloped-potatoes/
(https://i.imgur.com/8Y3yXH8l.jpg)
... and absolutely harfed 'em.
(https://i.imgur.com/t0UhMFll.jpg)
Sorry the pics aren't great but the scalloped potatoes were. :)
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You guys are inspirational:). I have eaten vegan for about 3 years now. For health only. Before that I tried many other diets including Atkins and then no carb. Ate only meat for 4 years. Never got into fat burning mode. Likely a genetic issue. I had severe stomach issues and eating any plants caused severe pain. When I had to start eating other foods the pain came back. Yes I saw multiple GI doctors. Then my BP went out of control. I also have migraines. So my sister told me to try vegan diet al la Fuhrman. It helped but BP still high. Of course I could not give up salt. :). So within last year bought. A BP machine and gave up salt. But I kept going to restaurants. So very recently I have become very strict and my HAs and BP have drastically improved. I have learned that manufacturers will lie about the sodium in their products. Most recently I have decided the no salt tortillas I was buying have much more than the 10 mg they allege. Oh and I cured my IBS which is another long story
Btw no one has mentioned feeling cooler as a vegan. I am always cold but it really helps when hiking or running.
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I also noticed that the regular tomato paste has the exact same amount of sodium as the no salt version and that is just a lie. If my mouth starts feeling dry after eating something then I know it has salt in it Also my BP will start going up. FYI you can buy sodium free baking powder and even baking soda. I just have not tried making anything preferring to avoid fattening baked goods. But I will probably bake myself something to avoid feeling deprived:)
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I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
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I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
Have you tried making dessert dishes with medjool dates? I find dates add loads of sweetness.
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I also noticed that the regular tomato paste has the exact same amount of sodium as the no salt version and that is just a lie. If my mouth starts feeling dry after eating something then I know it has salt in it Also my BP will start going up. FYI you can buy sodium free baking powder and even baking soda. I just have not tried making anything preferring to avoid fattening baked goods. But I will probably bake myself something to avoid feeling deprived:)
Re salt. Na Cl lsted on the labels. KCl used as "off label" salt.
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I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
Somewhere in the beginning of this thread there's a recipe for black bean brownies from chocolate covered Katie (if I remember her website correctly). I've really enjoyed those but not sure anymore on my sweetness source. I'm not a real vegan just here for inspiration so I might've used honey or otherwise just regular sugar (mostly sugar beet derived in my country).
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Malaysia41 I just signed up at challenge22.com! I hit a couple roadblocks this weekend, and I had some failures. I did alert me to what I need to have around to make sure I'm successful. Almost every weekend for the past several years, at least one frozen pizza is consumed. So I just need to get the Amy's cheeseless, which I've had before. I also need some fast vegan individual sweets. Like fun-size candy bars, or vegan chocolate chips. Other than those two roadblocks this weekend, it's going pretty well.
<3 <3 <3 <3 !!!
@AmandaPanda - how did challenge22 go ?
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I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
Somewhere in the beginning of this thread there's a recipe for black bean brownies from chocolate covered Katie (if I remember her website correctly). I've really enjoyed those but not sure anymore on my sweetness source. I'm not a real vegan just here for inspiration so I might've used honey or otherwise just regular sugar (mostly sugar beet derived in my country).
Those choc covered Katie black bean brownies are delicious, but it calls for sugar. You could sub maple syrup and/or medjool dates I would guess, but I haven’t tried it.
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I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
Somewhere in the beginning of this thread there's a recipe for black bean brownies from chocolate covered Katie (if I remember her website correctly). I've really enjoyed those but not sure anymore on my sweetness source. I'm not a real vegan just here for inspiration so I might've used honey or otherwise just regular sugar (mostly sugar beet derived in my country).
Those choc covered Katie black bean brownies are delicious, but it calls for sugar. You could sub maple syrup and/or medjool dates I would guess, but I haven’t tried it.
Yes if I recall the recipe correctly she also suggests quite a variety of sugar-sources so you can play around a bit. Also depends on how sweet you'd like them to be - I feel like you could use a little less sugar than the recipe calls for.
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That's great, Malaysia! Glad you continue to enjoy them. :)
For the folks who need no/low salt - it is worth noting that Straight Up Food doesn't use salt in any recipes. And she is so good with spices you don't miss it.
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I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
Somewhere in the beginning of this thread there's a recipe for black bean brownies from chocolate covered Katie (if I remember her website correctly). I've really enjoyed those but not sure anymore on my sweetness source. I'm not a real vegan just here for inspiration so I might've used honey or otherwise just regular sugar (mostly sugar beet derived in my country).
Those choc covered Katie black bean brownies are delicious, but it calls for sugar. You could sub maple syrup and/or medjool dates I would guess, but I haven’t tried it.
Yes if I recall the recipe correctly she also suggests quite a variety of sugar-sources so you can play around a bit. Also depends on how sweet you'd like them to be - I feel like you could use a little less sugar than the recipe calls for.
Her black bean brownie recipe uses maple syrup/honey/or agave (you pick) while her chickpea peanut butter blondies recipe (my personal fav, might make more today...) calls for actual brown sugar. I double the recipe to make a 13x9 pan but reduce the sugar by about 1/4 cup...I tell myself that the remaining sugar is somewhat offset by all that protein and fiber from the chickpeas. Maybe I'll try eliminating even more sugar and adding in some dates.
brownies: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/)
blondies: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/ (https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/)
:)
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Made lentil shepherd's pie again. I think the trick is adding herbs di provance 3 times - early on boiling the lentils, mid-boil, and at the end of cooking the lentils. Also, absolutely MUST use mushrooms. So good.
Multiple servings are in the freezer for future evenings when we don't wanna cook, and this'll be dinner for two nights in a row.
(https://i.imgur.com/Tjgj5ZHl.jpg)
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Made lentil shepherd's pie again. I think the trick is adding herbs di provance 3 times - early on boiling the lentils, mid-boil, and at the end of cooking the lentils. Also, absolutely MUST use mushrooms. So good.
Multiple servings are in the freezer for future evenings when we don't wanna cook, and this'll be dinner for two nights in a row.
(https://i.imgur.com/Tjgj5ZHl.jpg)
@Malaysia41 Do you have a recipe for this? I'd love to try it. We had lentil and spinach stew for dinner last night. This seems more like comfort food to me and might go over better with my FIL who lives with us.
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yeah - total comfort food.
I loosely followed this one: https://minimalistbaker.com/1-hour-vegan-shepherds-pie/
and
this one
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/seriously-the-best-lentil-shepherds-pie/
let us know how it goes!
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yeah - total comfort food.
I loosely followed this one: https://minimalistbaker.com/1-hour-vegan-shepherds-pie/
and
this one
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/seriously-the-best-lentil-shepherds-pie/
let us know how it goes!
Thank you so much, I'll try to make it next week.
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Hey everybody, just butting in here. Not WFBP, but whole food vegetable-heavy omnivorous. I'm always open to more ways to eat even more vegetables, so hopefully this thread will have some to offer.
I was also wondering whether anyone has made black bean brownies. I was thinking of using xylitol for the sugar and avacado for the fat. I will no longer ingest cane sugar. It is part of the White Death trio (salt, white flour and cane sugar).
Not black beans, but I've used sweet potato; here's a recipe I like:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
2 large eggs (I know dried mushrooms can work well in this kind of thing as an egg substitute to make it actually WFBP-compliant, might even be able to get away with just adding a little more sweet potato)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut flour
A lobbyist in DC has taken on my campaign to lobby Congress to end all federal subsidies for animal agriculture! Check it out!
https://www.lobbyists4good.org/animal-ag-subsidies
I submitted this campaign on a lark and it got accepted!
What do you think?
Personally, I think the biggest issue in that realm is corn subsidies, most of which turns into subsidizing CAFO animal feed or high-fructose corn syrup, neither of which does anyone any good. Part of the consequences would be essentially a meat/sugar tax, but a much more direct "tax" than subsidizing it and then taxing it after the fact (which is just silly, pick a side).
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Personally, I think the biggest issue in that realm is corn subsidies, most of which turns into subsidizing CAFO animal feed or high-fructose corn syrup, neither of which does anyone any good. Part of the consequences would be essentially a meat/sugar tax, but a much more direct "tax" than subsidizing it and then taxing it after the fact (which is just silly, pick a side).
Hey ketchup - yeah the lobbying campaign is to end subsidies to food grown for animal feed too. It's all part of the same package. So that would mean ending corn and soy subsides for those products that sell as feed for livestock consumption. We are of the same mind on that. I would love if we did a meat and HFCS/refined food tax too. Would you still be comfortable being called ketchup when it's so full of sugar/hfcs? /s
Yeah, the amount of food that is grown for livestock is staggering. And then you realize all the minerals and protein we think we need to get from animals - it all came from plants. So you could, uh, just eat the plant. Why filter them through animal muscle when it comes with all that baggage like saturated fats and cholesterol?
sweet potato brownies???
So do you mind sharing - what has led you to your current whole food plant heavy diet?
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Would you still be comfortable being called ketchup when it's so full of sugar/hfcs? /s
The great irony of my handle is that used to consume copious amounts of ketchup, and now that's been brought down to very little.
sweet potato brownies???
I was surprised too. I haven't actually made them in a few years, but they are great. Very moist.
So do you mind sharing - what has led you to your current whole food plant heavy diet?
Welp, partially stolen from a different thread I told this in:
I grew up eating starch, peanut butter, and fat-free dairy (seriously, 95% of what I ate was cereal, skim milk, peanut butter, bread, pasta, and ketchup; 95% might be a *low* estimate) until age 20~21. I was incredibly stubborn about food and nutritionally very apathetic, and didn't broaden my horizons *at all* until moving in with my girlfriend.
GF grew up in an *interesting* household. Her mom had/has extreme narcissism, and actively tried to basically get her daughters to gain weight as teenagers so that she would always be more attractive than them (it sounds fucked because it is; I didn't quite believe it until I met the woman). This meant tons of soda/candy/cookies/muffins/cupcakes lying around the house ALL THE TIME, and CONSTANTLY PUSHED ON HER and her sisters EVERY DAY. She ate some real food, but supplemented with mountains of normalized garbage. This led to her gaining weight in her teens.
After moving in together, she (slowly) introduced me to cooking and actual food, I read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, found Mark Sisson's blog, other similar resources, and basically fell into that mindset of health and learned a lot while still not quite eating that way. At some point, I tried to do a grain-free month just to see how it would go (since Mark Sisson in particular is so flamboyantly anti-grains), but since I was the only member of the household doing it, that basically just lead to me eating way less, and turned my then-skinnyfat self into just plain skinny (152 at my lowest, and I'm a 5'11 dude). GF flipped out and basically said to stop that before I wither away into nothing. Peanut butter sandwiches and ketchup-pasta returned, supplementing our real food plus some junk.
Then GF started learning about the same sort of nutritional things, kickstarted from wanting to improve her skin with weight loss as secondary, and we pretty much hard switched over to 100% low-carb paleo in September 2013. We also bought a squat rack and a barbell and started lifting.
She yo-yo'd a bit on weight (it not being her focus) with the trend being downwards , but then decided to focus on it, and since September of last year has so far lost 74lbs. To that end she started guestimating calories with a defined cap, striving to eat less while maintaining nutrient density, 18:6 intermittent fasting (broken somewhat when traveling for work, but still pretty close), 10k steps/day no matter what, HIIT 1-2x/week, and a return to lifting 3x/week (she fell off the wagon with that after about a year of paleo). Based on weight loss, she's been at about an average 650 calorie daily deficit over the past 398 days.
Personally, I feel way better on low-carb paleo (now that I'm actually eating nutrients and not just taking a multivitamin and pretending that's enough), and was eventually able to put on some of the good kind of weight (and a bit of the bad; hope to shed that this year). I'm definitely in the don't-care-when-I-eat-during-the-day stage now. It's incredibly convenient. I don't intermittent fast specifically, but I wind up in that pattern sometimes.
These days, we basically eat vegetable-heavy low-carb paleo. Right now, she's pretty much straight keto with rough macros tracking and pretty defined calorie/activity goals. This was after her weight loss stalling about two months ago (at 63lbs down), and then a week-long protein-sparing modified fast about a month ago, kicking her back up to speed, and transitioned to keto after that. Since starting the PSMF, she's down another 11lbs.
What do we actually eat these days? Giant salads and tons of roasted/sauteed vegetables (sometimes I'll literally eat 2lbs of roasted broccoli out of the toaster oven at work) with an emphasis on greens, crucifers, and colors, healthy fats, and yes, meat, fish and eggs. A little fruit, mostly berries or bananas. Oatmeal when we're feeling indulgent (typically an hour preworkout for stuff like that). I know our dietary ethos is not 100% compatible with most in this thread, and that's fine; I'm not looking to debate that. We probably eat a lot less meat than most "paleo" or "keto" folks, as many seem to think it means an all you can get bacon and butter buffet and that you need a billion grams of protein per day.
Fun fact: GF used to have cavities all the time as a kid. I don't know how many she had total, but she mentioned a time that she had nine *new* cavities at a dentist visit. She chalked it up to "bad teeth" or "bad genetics." Since moving away from family in 2012, she didn't see a dentist until sometime in November of 2017. When she finally went to the dentist, she braced herself for typical very bad news. Instead, they said no new cavities, and they "barely had to do much of a cleaning." She was shocked. That's what years of no-soda and minimal sugar will do after a lifetime of tons of soda/sugar. It makes a huge difference.
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Hi, all! I am late to the party here, but I came across this challenge yesterday while looking for something else in the forums.
I decided to go vegan a month or so ago. I'm still in the learning-and-getting-organized stage (just got back from a two-week vacation, hence the slow start), and I'm really excited about the change. Thanks to all of you for your insights and advice -- this whole thread is so helpful!
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Hi, all! I am late to the party here, but I came across this challenge yesterday while looking for something else in the forums.
I decided to go vegan a month or so ago. I'm still in the learning-and-getting-organized stage (just got back from a two-week vacation, hence the slow start), and I'm really excited about the change. Thanks to all of you for your insights and advice -- this whole thread is so helpful!
Hey CoMM - welcome!
If you want extra support in this transition phase, you can sign up at challenge22 - they'll put you in a group where you get daily support from veteran WFPB/veganers and certified dietitians as well.
I mean, we're pretty good here too - but challenge22 is a little more prompt and regular.
And I'm happy to have you here for joining the challenge. Better late than never!
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I'm going to do a vegan (and healthy) diet for the next two weeks and aim for it to be as much WFPB as possible. My diet is completely vegetarian at the moment. Any support is appreciated. Is it OK if I diaried here?
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Welcome rpr! Feel free to diary here, especially if that means you'll share some recipes :)
I've been eating vegan curries for lunch at work the whole week and they were all delicious :) :)
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Just made this stew yesterday. Someone recommended it on another thread and it's quite tasty (although I did some modifications and did not use eggplant)
https://deliciouslyella.com/2015/09/26/sweet-potato-and-chickpea-stew/
Today making this, which I've made before and they are delicious..can also just be served on quinoa vs. tacos
https://www.veganricha.com/2017/01/pinto-bean-fajitas-with-cilantro-chile-lime-marinade.html
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@Hirondelle -- Thanks for the welcome. I have been a vegan in the past. When I'm by myself, I always (mostly) cook completely plant based. My partner is a lacto-ovo vegetarian but unable to wean away from eggs, cheese :( Have tried my best.
I will try to post recipes but must admit I'm somewhat of a lazy ass person when it comes to cooking. I enjoy it but it had better be done under 30 mins :) So the instant pot comes to my rescue. Most if my recipes pretty much involve saute'ing a little in the IP and then letting the pressure do its work. I like making large batches and don't mind eating the similar item. I usually tend to make largeish batches of lentils/beans soups/stews and then varying the side starch.
@Serendip -- thanks for the links to the recipes. I will see if the IP works on the sweet potato stew recipe. That and the fajitas look yummy. Maybe over the weekend.
Yesterday 10/08/18:
Breakfast -- Soy milk, coffee and fruit.
Lunch -- Green papaya salad from the farmers market (not homemade and delicious)
Dinner -- I made a simple chick pea dish called a Sundal which is traditionally eaten during the festival called Navaratri (ongoing now). This dish comes from the southern part of India. Here is a link to one of the recipes:
https://www.padhuskitchen.com/2010/08/chickpeas-sundal-recipe-how-to-make.html.
While it looks like it has some exotic ingredients, many of which I don't have, I improvised. Nevertheless, it was quite yummy. For example, I just added the juice from half a lemon for some added tartness, which I love.
Indian cooking especially from the south is vegetarian and can be made vegan if you leave out the ghee and milk.
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I still haven't made the lentil shepards pie yet, but plan to do it next week. This week we mostly vegetarian and even one night of full vegan. Made kale salad, split pea soup with vegetable broth and planning bean soup tonight also using vegetable broth. Last night was only vegetarian because we did use some ricotta cheese for zucchini rollitini which is basically vegetable lasagna rolls. We're just happy to be making progress towards WFPD.
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i have been reading this thread for a few days now.. all the recipes links are fantastic
I am a vegetarian (since i still eat eggs, from chickens that live in my backyard i might add)
My only real problem here is that i dont know what to do with tofu? i know i should but i cannot make it work :o)
i read somewhere that if you freeze it
and then thaw it has a nicer texture after pressing
can anyone confirm that its true, and then what?
i am trying some of the recipes the next weeks, problem is we are moving and everything is in total disarray so not that much cooking for the next couple of weeks ..
also (the real reason i am posting, cause i have not that much to share otherwise)
there is a new movie out from the guys who did 'what the health'
its quite amazing
running for good
its about a vegan runner who also has a animal sanctuary
she is amazing, and i am not an athlete by any stretch/or interested in sports documentaries
i am half way through the movie and find it engaging and inspiring..
best part it streams free until the 14th
https://runningforgoodfilm.com/about1
We are super excited to announce the release of our latest film Running For Good about vegan marathoner, Fiona Oakes! We are making the film available for FREE streaming for the first 4 days (October 11th-14th) exclusively on www.RunningForGoodFilm.com
Executive Produced by actor/activist, James Cromwell, and directed by award-winning filmmaker, Keegan Kuhn (Cowspiracy & What the Health), comes RUNNING FOR GOOD, the feature-length sports documentary narrated by Rich Roll (Finding Ultra), following world-record marathon runner, Fiona Oakes, in her attempt not only to set a new global record in endurance racing, but to compete in the, "Toughest footrace on earth," the Marathon Des Sables, a 250km race through the Sahara Desert.
“Exhilarating, empowering, exciting to watch how this big-hearted woman turned near-disability into total triumph, from pole to pole”
— Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA
“I was deeply moved by this awe-inspiring story of how a woman has overcome a disability that would put most people in a wheelchair, to become a world record breaking ultra-marathon runner, fueled by a plant-based diet.”
— John Robbins, best-selling author
The film is now also available for download purchase, DVD and theatrical screenings at www.RunningForGoodFilm.com
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@albijaji -- thanks for sharing. I will try to watch.
Today I was also able to stay completely plant based.
10/11/2018:
Breakfast: Coffee with Soy Milk + Oats with nuts and fruit
Lunch: Leftover from yesterday's dinner
Afternoon snack: Apple
Dinner: Grilled Potato panini sandwich. Just microwave a medium sided potato. Mash it and add some spices such as cumin, cayenne, seasonings etc. Use this as a stuffing for a panini sandwich. Had a cucumber and tomato on the side. Starchy and filling. Mostly healthy, I think.
Day 2 is in the books.
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My only real problem here is that i dont know what to do with tofu? i know i should but i cannot make it work :o)
i read somewhere that if you freeze it
and then thaw it has a nicer texture after pressing
can anyone confirm that its true, and then what?
I can tell you what I've done with tofu, which is to cut it into cubes and saute it in a bit of oil until it's slightly browned. Basically just heat up the oil, throw in the tofu cubes, and cook over medium heat and stir/turn them around every few minutes until a few sides of each cube are a nice golden brown. It takes maybe ten minutes. I don't use nonstick pans much but I do use one for this purpose. I never remember to press the tofu beforehand, and I also never remember to sprinkle it with salt as it browns, although in a perfect world I would do both of those things. :)
One of my go-to dishes is a Thai green curry with broccoli, shredded carrots, and tofu. Sometimes I brown the tofu first and sometimes I can't be bothered and just throw it into the curry straight out of the package. It's good either way, but the taste and texture are definitely better with the browning.
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And another thing is to marinade the tofu. I usually just make a spicy mix and just leave it in the fridge overnight. It is a yummy and spicy snack. 😋 🌶
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My only real problem here is that i dont know what to do with tofu? i know i should but i cannot make it work :o)
i read somewhere that if you freeze it
and then thaw it has a nicer texture after pressing
can anyone confirm that its true, and then what?
I can tell you what I've done with tofu, which is to cut it into cubes and saute it in a bit of oil until it's slightly browned. Basically just heat up the oil, throw in the tofu cubes, and cook over medium heat and stir/turn them around every few minutes until a few sides of each cube are a nice golden brown. It takes maybe ten minutes. I don't use nonstick pans much but I do use one for this purpose. I never remember to press the tofu beforehand, and I also never remember to sprinkle it with salt as it browns, although in a perfect world I would do both of those things. :)
One of my go-to dishes is a Thai green curry with broccoli, shredded carrots, and tofu. Sometimes I brown the tofu first and sometimes I can't be bothered and just throw it into the curry straight out of the package. It's good either way, but the taste and texture are definitely better with the browning.
This is an easy way: https://youtu.be/cZzMFTmZjlg
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I'm making this tonight - to top a chocolate cake and a banana cake I made for my son's birthday party tomorrow. I sure hope it tastes good. Wanna impress the carnistas.
https://detoxinista.com/vegan-cream-cheese-frosting-nut-soy-free/
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This is an easy way: https://youtu.be/cZzMFTmZjlg
Thanks for this link. I'm going to try this.
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Thanks for the tofu-link! I'm heading to the Asian store right now so will stock up on some and try this. I use tofu in curries but hadn't found a way yet to cook it nicely enough to eat independently of the curry.
I have an Asian food party today (Mongolian, so LOTS of meat) so I'll be trying to make vegan tipat cantok (https://cookpad.com/id/resep/2504168-tipat-cantok-ala-bali), one of my favorite dishes from Bali.
(the recipe calls for shrimp paste, but I'll just leave that out and use sth else)
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This is an easy way: https://youtu.be/cZzMFTmZjlg
Thanks! Definitely going to try that method next time. Her video reminded me to blow the dust off a favorite cookbook that I haven't used in a while -- Jack Bishop's A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. He has a few glazed tofu recipes that I haven't made in ages, similar to what the woman in the video did.
Speaking of tofu, I made a respectable dinner last night. I sauteed tofu cubes as described earlier, then separately sauteed a handful of shredded carrots and a big pile of arugula. Piled everything on some brown rice, then sprinkled with coconut aminos (soy sauce replacement, a staple of my former paleo days) and toasted sesame oil. Lastly, shook on some Japanese nori-and-sesame-seed seasoning. Not half bad.
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I fell off the completely plant based wagon during dinner yesterday. It was a big milestone day, somewhat depressed so emotional eating took over.
Friday:
Breakfast: Soy Milk/Coffee and Rolled Oats + frozen berries + nuts
Lunch: 2 Whole wheat wraps with hummus, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, red bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro/mint. Extremely filling. All good so far.
Dinner: The wheels came off. Went out to eat. Start with 1 beer, creamy red bell pepper soup, side of bread, 9" vegetarian pizza, plus beer #2. Finished all of it. Too full.
Need to get back on.
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Finally felt like the first day of fall in Florida today, so I made this:
https://detoxinista.com/vegan-tuscan-pumpkin-pasta-sauce/
Turned out great!! I put it on rigatoni with sautéed mushrooms and vegan ‘parmesean’ on top.
I’ve been eating more WFPB than ever, even the local ice cream shop in my historic town had coconut milk ice cream tonight! I really like eating this way and feel great.
I’ve been pescatarian over 10 years so mainly vegetarian all that time, so this has not been much of a change. Not as much as when I first went peascatarian all those years ago (and for my family- I am Mom). So I really feel for you all that are just now making the change, I know it takes time and adjustment. You can make it work!!
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yeah - total comfort food.
I loosely followed this one: https://minimalistbaker.com/1-hour-vegan-shepherds-pie/
and
this one
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/seriously-the-best-lentil-shepherds-pie/
let us know how it goes!
I made a vegan shepherd's pie this weekend. I worked off a regular recipe and replaced the non-vegan stuff with vegan alternatives. I had to find a vegan Worcestershire sauce - the brand is Annie's organic. I used oil instead of butter and Beyond Meat's beefless crumbles instead of dead animal flesh. Since I kind of winged it I had too much filling and not enough potato so I made a note for next time. Very tasty.
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@Malaysia41 Finally made the shepards pie last night, it was yummy. I think we'll tweak it a bit for next time. I think it would be good with more peas, but it was definitely well received by the picky FIL so it will stay in the mix. Tonight we are having pasta and tomorrow night it's asparagus soup. I'm thankful to have this thread to keep the motivation going.
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Just had an amazing dinner with my SO--rice w/dal (heavy on the coriander seed) with roasted cumin cauliflower & tahini/garlic sauce on top.
I just love the simplicity of vegan meals.
Today, I made a slow-booker full of aromatics & black-beans..will make some cilantro/lime sauce tomorrow to eat with these, avocado & corn tortillas.
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@sisto and @Yankuba - nice on the shepherd's pie. Yep, each time I make it is an improvement over the previous iterations.
Here's how my son's cake turned out:
(https://i.imgur.com/rSqtg8Yl.jpg)
It's vegan chocolate cake: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16779/vegan-chocolate-cake/
and
sweet potato 'cream cheese' frosting: https://detoxinista.com/vegan-cream-cheese-frosting-nut-soy-free/
Exceeded my expectations.
I also made a 'throw-whatever-I-want-in' banana cake that I then covered with the frosting too. It was super good *and* super healthy:
(https://i.imgur.com/f3jICG7l.jpg)
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@sisto and @Yankuba - nice on the shepherd's pie. Yep, each time I make it is an improvement over the previous iterations.
Here's how my son's cake turned out:
(https://i.imgur.com/rSqtg8Yl.jpg)
It's vegan chocolate cake: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16779/vegan-chocolate-cake/
and
sweet potato 'cream cheese' frosting: https://detoxinista.com/vegan-cream-cheese-frosting-nut-soy-free/
Exceeded my expectations.
I also made a 'throw-whatever-I-want-in' banana cake that I then covered with the frosting too. It was super good *and* super healthy:
(https://i.imgur.com/f3jICG7l.jpg)
The cake looks great! I might give it a try. I also need to be GF too which is sometimes hard.
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Ah thanks for sharing..will try that Mac & Cheese recipe sometime this fall! @allsummerlong
Here is another recipe that I've had good success with, can't remember if I've shared before
..obviously no need to add the cheese but I would recommend lightly sauteeing the veggies/onion that go inside.
The chipotle beans are delish
https://www.budgetbytes.com/enfrijoladas-tortillas-in-black-bean-sauce/
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Ah thanks for sharing..will try that Mac & Cheese recipe sometime this fall! @allsummerlong
Here is another recipe that I've had good success with, can't remember if I've shared before
..obviously no need to add the cheese but I would recommend lightly sauteeing the veggies/onion that go inside.
The chipotle beans are delish
https://www.budgetbytes.com/enfrijoladas-tortillas-in-black-bean-sauce/
I was just thinking about making some black bean soup, I might try this instead. THANKS!
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It’s just occurred to me that people reading here might be interested in a food writer, campaigner, and all round recipe guru by the name of Jack Monroe. UK readers may be familiar with her...internationally, perhaps not so much. Anyway, she had a really tough few years skating between the abject poverty and mere destitution that comes with sometimes having to deal with single motherhood, job losses, benefit claiming and all that is painful on the wallet. She coped by utilising her skills into producing the most budget friendly of recipes using the most basic of ingredients. Things are much better for her now, but she is still heavily involved in budget cooking and promoting skills in the kitchen. She has become a vegan. Most of her new recipes are vegan, or vegan adapted and she is veganising some of her ‘back catalogue’.
Google ‘A Girl Called Jack’ or ‘Bootstrap Cook’ for her blog/recipe pages etc. I can vouch for the Peanut Butter and Jam cookies, there is nothing she can’t do with a cheap tin of beans, and her background of Greek, British, Irish mix plus her curiosity and knowledge has lead to some great recipes to try.
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It’s just occurred to me that people reading here might be interested in a food writer, campaigner, and all round recipe guru by the name of Jack Monroe. UK readers may be familiar with her...internationally, perhaps not so much. Anyway, she had a really tough few years skating between the abject poverty and mere destitution that comes with sometimes having to deal with single motherhood, job losses, benefit claiming and all that is painful on the wallet. She coped by utilising her skills into producing the most budget friendly of recipes using the most basic of ingredients. Things are much better for her now, but she is still heavily involved in budget cooking and promoting skills in the kitchen. She has become a vegan. Most of her new recipes are vegan, or vegan adapted and she is veganising some of her ‘back catalogue’.
Google ‘A Girl Called Jack’ or ‘Bootstrap Cook’ for her blog/recipe pages etc. I can vouch for the Peanut Butter and Jam cookies, there is nothing she can’t do with a cheap tin of beans, and her background of Greek, British, Irish mix plus her curiosity and knowledge has lead to some great recipes to try.
I'm intrigued. Thanks SupersavingMMM.
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I woke up this morning to discover that my crowdfund campaign to end US federal subsidies for animal agriculture shot up from $2500 to $4536 overnight! We are 90% funded to hire a lobbyist for a month.
It looks like this kid may be going to DC to couch surf and do some outreach on our reps! We've got ten days to raise the remaining $464. I can hardly believe it! This may actually happen!!!
https://www.lobbyists4good.org/animal-ag-subsidies
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I woke up this morning to discover that my crowdfund campaign to end US federal subsidies for animal agriculture shot up from $2500 to $4536 overnight! We are 90% funded to hire a lobbyist for a month.
It's so great that you're doing this, Malaysia41! I chipped in a few bucks. :)
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Hello, all -- I'm checking in to report that I successfully veganized a recipe! I had a hankering for a nice, warming fall soup, so I made this wild rice soup:
https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-wild-rice-soup
Basically, the recipe calls for throwing carrots, celery, onion, mushroom, garlic, wild rice, broth, and some seasonings into the Instant Pot, then separately making a roux-based cream sauce and stirring that into the cooked soup at the end.
I more or less made it as is, except that I cut the (long) cooking time short by five minutes, then added some diced potatoes for the last five minutes. Then I added some chopped spinach and parsley and let the spinach wilt for a couple minutes before adding the cream sauce. I also didn't have poultry seasoning, so I winged it with the herbs and spices I have. It was delicious.
The veganizing part was the cream sauce. I made the roux with vegan butter, then used soy milk to make the sauce. It worked! I used a lot less butter and flour than the recipe calls for, maybe 2 tbsp of each.
Re the vegan butter: I'm trying not to go overboard with buying vegan replacements for animal products, but I was curious about it. I was wincing with dread as I tasted it, but I gotta say it tastes almost EXACTLY like butter. I don't know how they did it . . . .
All in all, I've found it to be a piece of cake to cut out animal products at home. I like puttering around in the kitchen, so it's a fun experiment. Eating out is much harder, but I do the best I can.
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Great job Malaysia41! Congrats on reaching the first goal. I was glad to see the email pop up in my inbox. Very curious how the whole campaign will go!!
Carolina - veganizing recipes is so much fun! I also love to do it and my handful of vegan friends is always happy to come to my parties and be able to eat ALL THE SNACKS that I serve. And I never hear the omnivores complain either :)
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Hirondelle, it IS a lot of fun! I've also made vegan mac & cheese and vegan shepherd's pie from the America's Test Kitchen vegan cookbook. Yummy. :)
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I woke up this morning to discover that my crowdfund campaign to end US federal subsidies for animal agriculture shot up from $2500 to $4536 overnight! We are 90% funded to hire a lobbyist for a month.
It's so great that you're doing this, Malaysia41! I chipped in a few bucks. :)
Wow thank you! It's fully funded and I'm going to DC!
I'm planning on doing some live feed videos during my prep for going to DC. What would be most likely to land in your particular media world? facebook? instagram? youtube?
So excited. THANK YOU! Carolina!
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I'm going to do a vegan (and healthy) diet for the next two weeks and aim for it to be as much WFPB as possible. My diet is completely vegetarian at the moment. Any support is appreciated. Is it OK if I diaried here?
@rpr - reading over thread I could have sworn I'd replied when you posted this with an adamant, "YES PLEASE JOURNAL HERE!"
It may have been a case of starting a reply and then context switching to something else, then operating system update and starting fresh with no tabs open. Well, that's my most plausible excuse I can imagine. So tell us - how's it going?
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I'm planning on doing some live feed videos during my prep for going to DC. What would be most likely to land in your particular media world? facebook? instagram? youtube?
For me, Youtube.
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I'm planning on doing some live feed videos during my prep for going to DC. What would be most likely to land in your particular media world? facebook? instagram? youtube?
For me, Youtube.
Thanks Carolina!
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I'm planning on doing some live feed videos during my prep for going to DC. What would be most likely to land in your particular media world? facebook? instagram? youtube?
For me, Youtube.
Thanks Carolina!
For me Facebook or Youtube, but I feel many young people are more into Instagram nowadays. I guess you could do some things with all 3 mediums depending on how active you want to be and how much you want to share. Longer vids def Youtube, but I don't browse Youtube as much so to reach me Facebook will be most succesful.
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Hi! I've been eating whole foods plant based (95% ore more vegan) for the last 3 years.
I wanted to share my story, since it is a little different from others that I have read.
I have been eating whole foods for all my life, meaning very very little processed foods.
In my childhood I didn't have access to junk food since that food was all imported and much more expensive than cooked foods, and when my parents became wealthy enough to afford junk food, the news about it being damaging to health was everywhere.
So I was raised an omnivorous diet with almost no junk food. When I was 15, my mother, who was about 20 pounds overweight decided to go low carb - back then this was the only diet that focused on lifestyle. It worked for her for a short time, and she cooked all the food this way. I was convinced by the arguments of the diet and so I embraced a high fat diet (15 eggs/week, lots of meat and dairy, some vegetables and no fruit) - a recipe for disaster. I am now convinced that these inflammatory foods were an important factor in my skin problems.
I developed seborrheic dermatitis on my face and the doctor told me that there is absolutely nothing I can do to treat it.
I became convinced that food makes it worse or better, but I was only able to identify coffee and spicy foods as triggers.
I continued to eat this way and when I was 21 I met my now DH. At the time I met him, my arms were covered in seb derm patches and I was embarrassed.
My husband was horrified by the amount of fat I was eating and after we got married I slowly switched to a whole foods omnivorous lowish fat (lean chicken/fish, boiled rice, steamed veggies and a little dairy was a typical lunch).
My skin got better, but I still had problems (sometimes really big ones) with seborrheic derm on my face.
Three years ago, after a really big episode of seb derm right after Christmas - when I knew I ate a lot of fatty foods, I started to research the internet.
I found the WFPB vegan diet as a possible answer and then found Dr Greger, and then Forks over knives, and after that there was no turning back.
It was really important that I found a lot of sexy women on social media that ate vegan, so I was convinced I would not become overweight.
The change in my skin, energy and overall health was immediate, but the great fact is that all the benefits are increasing with time.
So, I have heard a lot of arguments that the WFPB vegan diet only works because the SAD diet is so horrible.
I never was on the SAD diet, went long time on all major health trends (omnivorous classic, low carb high fat, low fat diet, WFPB low fat vegan) and I experienced a lot health benefits of WFPB, including clear skin.
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Hi! I've been eating whole foods plant based (95% ore more vegan) for the last 3 years.
I wanted to share my story, since it is a little different from others that I have read.
I have been eating whole foods for all my life, meaning very very little processed foods.
In my childhood I didn't have access to junk food since that food was all imported and much more expensive than cooked foods, and when my parents became wealthy enough to afford junk food, the news about it being damaging to health was everywhere.
So I was raised an omnivorous diet with almost no junk food. When I was 15, my mother, who was about 20 pounds overweight decided to go low carb - back then this was the only diet that focused on lifestyle. It worked for her for a short time, and she cooked all the food this way. I was convinced by the arguments of the diet and so I embraced a high fat diet (15 eggs/week, lots of meat and dairy, some vegetables and no fruit) - a recipe for disaster. I am now convinced that these inflammatory foods were an important factor in my skin problems.
I developed seborrheic dermatitis on my face and the doctor told me that there is absolutely nothing I can do to treat it.
I became convinced that food makes it worse or better, but I was only able to identify coffee and spicy foods as triggers.
I continued to eat this way and when I was 21 I met my now DH. At the time I met him, my arms were covered in seb derm patches and I was embarrassed.
My husband was horrified by the amount of fat I was eating and after we got married I slowly switched to a whole foods omnivorous lowish fat (lean chicken/fish, boiled rice, steamed veggies and a little dairy was a typical lunch).
My skin got better, but I still had problems (sometimes really big ones) with seborrheic derm on my face.
Three years ago, after a really big episode of seb derm right after Christmas - when I knew I ate a lot of fatty foods, I started to research the internet.
I found the WFPB vegan diet as a possible answer and then found Dr Greger, and then Forks over knives, and after that there was no turning back.
It was really important that I found a lot of sexy women on social media that ate vegan, so I was convinced I would not become overweight.
The change in my skin, energy and overall health was immediate, but the great fact is that all the benefits are increasing with time.
So, I have heard a lot of arguments that the WFPB vegan diet only works because the SAD diet is so horrible.
I never was on the SAD diet, went long time on all major health trends (omnivorous classic, low carb high fat, low fat diet, WFPB low fat vegan) and I experienced a lot health benefits of WFPB, including clear skin.
Wow Clookie. Welcome and thanks for sharing your story. Yeah - I've come across lots of people whose skin problems cleared up after cutting out animal products and going WFPB.
I especially liked this part of your story though:
It was really important that I found a lot of sexy women on social media that ate vegan, so I was convinced I would not become overweight.
:).
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Just put this lentil loaf in the oven. The bowl that contained the glaze topping? Yeah, I licked it clean before rinsing it and loading it into the dishwasher.
We'll see how it goes...
https://simple-veganista.com/2012/11/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf.html
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Well, I was going to a Christmas potluck and had decided to make cranberry-orange relish; while it turned out amazing, I didn’t think it was enough to take as a food item. It’s more of a condiment!
So I struggled thinking about what to take, but I had so many sweet potatoes in my pantry- they were $.39 per lb last week! So I found a recipe online for whipped sweet potatoes and it was vegan!
5 ingredients is just my speed, check it out:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/favorite-mashed-sweet-potatoes/
I thought they were fantastic, and I got so many compliments!
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I always hear people say eating healthy is too expensive, so I thought I would share something I found recently - produce bargain deals at Sav a Lot. I don’t usually shop there, but they built one in my town (I was so sad it wasn’t an Aldi!), and now I get flyers for them weekly. And I see produce prices that are unheard of!
Today .99 blackberries, 99 cents/lb green beans, 1.89 for 5 lb potatoes, and the tour de force, a 3 pack of bell peppers for 1.79 (no green ones)-usually these things are priced like they’re made of gold!
Anyhow, I just roasted the peppers and will combine with a can of crushed tomatoes, a garlic clove and a little brown sugar. Blend, heat, and delicious!
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I always hear people say eating healthy is too expensive, so I thought I would share something I found recently - produce bargain deals at Sav a Lot. I don’t usually shop there, but they built one in my town (I was so sad it wasn’t an Aldi!), and now I get flyers for them weekly. And I see produce prices that are unheard of!
Today .99 blackberries, 99 cents/lb green beans, 1.89 for 5 lb potatoes, and the tour de force, a 3 pack of bell peppers for 1.79 (no green ones)-usually these things are priced like they’re made of gold!
Anyhow, I just roasted the peppers and will combine with a can of crushed tomatoes, a garlic clove and a little brown sugar. Blend, heat, and delicious!
I still haven't made your mashed potatoes yet but it's bookmarked, and I'm looking forward to them. And yeah - it can be such an eye roller to hear, "but eating just plants is so expensive." Sure, avocados and out of season fruits are expensive. But canned beans, rice and in-season on-sale veggies and fruits are cheap! It sounds like you found a place that sells them especially cheap. That's great.
Don't you just love eating this way? I wish I'd known about it back when I was a teen and gaining weight thinking that *more yogurt* would help. SMH.
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for all you WFPD peeps - what do you think of this write up in Newsgrowl of me and my lobby campaign to end animal ag subsidies?
https://newsgrowl.com/laura-reese-lobbyists4good-interview/
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This Spanish rice and chickpeas dish is now part of my regular weekly rotation. I add a little bit less oil than the recipe recommends. I also use thawed chickpeas that I’ve cooked ahead of time in bulk and frozen instead of using canned ones. I keep my pantry stocked with canned diced tomatoes and jars of artichoke hearts from Walmart because they are cheaper there. This recipe is super easy.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/rice-cooker-spanish-chickpeas-and-rice/
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for all you WFPD peeps - what do you think of this write up in Newsgrowl of me and my lobby campaign to end animal ag subsidies?
https://newsgrowl.com/laura-reese-lobbyists4good-interview/
M41, this is fantastic! I'm so impressed.
BTW, I live in the DC area. If you need anything when you're here, feel free to holler! :)
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Hi, all -- I hosted a very successful vegan Christmas Eve dinner this year! I relied heavily on the America's Test Kitchen vegan cookbook for entree and desserts. Here's the menu:
Appetizer: sweet potato-cashew dip with crackers
Dinner: shepherd's pie, green beans, cranberry sauce
Dessert: apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, raspberry streusel bars
I made everything except the pie. My mom makes an amazing apple pie, and she very thoughtfully left the butter out of the apple filling, which made it vegan. Oh, and I served storebought "veggnog" instead of our traditional family recipe, and everyone loved it!
Hope everyone here has had a great holiday season, and I wish everyone a happy, plant-based new year!
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for all you WFPD peeps - what do you think of this write up in Newsgrowl of me and my lobby campaign to end animal ag subsidies?
https://newsgrowl.com/laura-reese-lobbyists4good-interview/
M41, this is fantastic! I'm so impressed.
BTW, I live in the DC area. If you need anything when you're here, feel free to holler! :)
Thanks CarolinaOMM, I've messaged you. I'm couchsurfing in the DC area. My first 9 days will be with an economist who lives 15 min by bus from the capital building so that's cool. But I need a few more nights on someone's couch (or spare bed) after that.
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Carolina On My Mind nudged me to start a new challenge for 2019. So ... here it is!
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/go-whole-food-plant-based-(wfpb)-in-2019