Want to go half veggie

Justamum

misskool wrote: »

A good chinese supermarket should have them.

They all look very interesting. I'll have to wait until I have a trip to the 'big island' though. We don't have any Chinese supermarkets here.

Doom_and_Gloom

Soya milks can be hit and miss and you may not like it all that much at first. When I started drinking soya milk I was not a great fan of it but after a week I began to really like it. I tried loads of different kinds as well - some are very different. You can also get oat milk, rice milk, nut milks, quinoa milk, millet milk and other vegetable milks as well.

As for eating more vegetarian/vegan foods a lot of things are accidently vegetarian/vegan as has already been mentioned.

By the way OP I am not really understanding why you won't let your daughter be a vegetarian. Not 'allowing' her to be a vegetarian? Seriously, why not let her do this if she is really set on it? It isn't going to harm her in the slightest. It could even improve her health.
When I went vegetarian my doctor was very happy. I have a family history of health problems and vegetarinism is a big way of avoiding them but also because it is a healthy way to live.
When I went vegan he was even happier. My mother could not have been more shocked as she took me to the doctors with tonsilitus and mentioned my veganism while there to try an prove a point - she thought veganism was unhealthy. My doctor then stated all the benefits to my ma as to why veganism was a healthy choice.
Honestly you do not need animal or animal products to be healthy.

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Veganomicon and Chef Chloe can be inspiring too....

Am I the only vegan who gave up meat (previously vegetarian for years) because I hated the taste as much as the practice of slaughter? I don't get why the meat "substitutes" are so popular, both Isa Chandra Moskowitz and the Skinny !!!!!es spend too much energy on extolling the virtues of fake bacon, burgers, hotdogs etc

If you like the taste of meat that much just eat it. Let your conscience be your guide.

I'm vegan and the cheating range as well as other vegan versions do not remind me of the taste of meat. I hated the taste, the texture, the fact an animal dies, the environmental factors etc. of meats. After all the years of not eating meat I even hate the smell of meats, the vegan versions do not smell the same - cheating bacon does come close mind. My 'conscience' as you put it is fine when I eat the vegan version. Why is it fine? It doesn't go against anything and the smell doesn't make me want to be sick or gag in any way.

Saying the above I do not eat those that often. I do eat tofu quite often but that is a food in it's own right.

Justamum wrote: »

Actually I've just remembered - my local health food shop also sells a bit of Redwood stuff too, so it's probably just health food shops.

To be honest they usually have a better selection of foods than H&B as well. My local one has made H&B look stupid in comparison :rotfl:.

Justamum

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

By the way OP I am not really understanding why you won't let your daughter be a vegetarian. Not 'allowing' her to be a vegetarian? Seriously, why not let her do this if she is really set on it? It isn't going to harm her in the slightest. It could even improve her health.

I didn't notice this in the OP's posts, but I agree with you. My three children are life-long vegetarians, slowly following me to veganism. They are very healthy and have no desire to even try meat. I did have trouble when I was younger when I wanted to become a vegetarian and wasn't allowed to either. It's strange that meat-eaters criticise vegetarians for not giving their children the choice to eat meat, but a lot of meat-eaters don't give their children the choice not to eat meat.

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

Lotus-eater wrote: »

So... I want to start eating half veggie food, for health and general well being feeling. Might help cost wise also.

Not sure how to go about it. When we eat without meat now, I just tend to eat the same simple meals without meat in them.

I bought some quorn products recently, that are made into meat substitutes and they've been ok.

I need some basic advice what to swap for meat that gives the same proteins and stuff. Is it as simple as buying quorn or soya curd and eating that as we would eat meat?

And how good is soya milk for you? If we swapped to half soya milk, would that be good and which one to buy, I had a look and there seems a variety of choice. (at least in Asda)

Only just seen this thread...I'm trying to go veggie (well, "pescitarian" (fish, dairy & veg) at least. Sausages and bacon keep calling me back

I can't eat Quorn as I'm allergic to mushrooms (Quorn is made from funghi) and I don't trust soya products as I don't know what's GM and what's not, and there's conflicting health advice about how much soya is good for you vs harmful!

off to read the rest of the thread...

tilly2484

Rainbow- it depends on the reasons you want to make that change- is it health, money, ethical?

For me once I made the choice not to be any part of animal suffering again it was easy. I watched a video called earthlings and that day I went totally vegan.With some careful meal planning, a bit of research and looking through lots of recipes I do not miss out at all.

People always ask me "do you miss this, do you miss that?" I focus on what I can have rather than what I can't have. My partner is not vegan so he still eats meat etc but a lot less now and he says he feels better for it. But don't beat yourself up about trying to be something. If you want to eat meat then do, but you need to look at the reasons why you want to do it.

Forget quorn-there are so many other things you can eat. I know we can't post links on here but google some vegan recipes etc:D

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

tilly2484 wrote: »

Yeah most of them have egg in them- not sure why- they are cutting big market out.

It binds the ingredients.

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

lostinrates wrote: »

Dairy and egg production, does involve animal death.

How to minimise this "risk" though? Free range & organic? Buying from a trusted farm?

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

tilly2484 wrote: »

Rainbow- it depends on the reasons you want to make that change- is it health, money, ethical?

All of those, really. Firstly, I have HAD to cut back on meat because I couldn't afford it. The less I ate, the less I craved it. So then I started realising that the beautiful hens (that I so want to one day have as egg layers) generally don't have a life if I'm eating them...and then I looked at pigs...and cows..and sheep...and their babies...and I've been growing my own and enjoying watching bees and butterflies just doing their thing with my "crops"...

...and then I realised that my health has improved in the year or 2 that I've not been able to afford meat at every meal...and with a little tweaking I could be even more healthy and less poor and less unhappy about causing pain to animals...

I'm getting there though! The last bacon sarnie I had wasn't as delicious as anticipated, it was gristley and chewy and repeated on me for hours and I got loads stuck between my teeth. And the last time I had a sausage, the texture was like mush...

Just wish the supermarkets did a GOOD range of GOOD veggie things! I KNOW I could make from scratch, but when you're starting out and testing the waters, the range is very limited. My local Mr A has Quorn (but I can't eat it, allergic to mushrooms) or a few Linda McCartney frozen items, or...well, that's it! My local Mr S has a bigger range, but I can't even afford the frozen stuff (almost £2 for a box of 4 thin nut cutlets) let alone the good quality "CAULDRON" stuff (and I LOVE Cauldron sossies).

tilly2484

r.a.i.n.b.o.w wrote: »

It binds the ingredients.

Yes I know it binds them but what i'm saying is why they are cutting out a big market (vegans). There are many other things that can replace eggs. Companies such as redwood do it so not sure why Quorn don't.

I know what you mean about supermarkets not having a great selection. I have actually written to my Sainsbury's asking for more options and it's apparently being looked at. I suppose if enough people demand it they will have to!:D

tilly2484

r.a.i.n.b.o.w wrote: »

How to minimise this "risk" though? Free range & organic? Buying from a trusted farm?

"Free Range" means that the animals must have some access to the outdoors, but there are no government regulations about how much outdoor area must be provided. The dairy industry causes on-going exploitation and suffering to cows for their entire lives. Cows are made to be pregnant, on a regular basis, so they can continue to produce milk - not for the calves they produce, but for humans. Chickens, whether Free-range or not, are killed when their egg production is no longer economical. The unwanted male chicks are killed at birth. So the use of eggs supports the egg industry and the killing of chickens.

Now don't get me wrong I know not everyone wants to be vegan etc so yes i do think that going for the less cruel options is better. But just for me personally I choose not to.

There is a lady who lives on our farm and she rescued a few ex battery chickens as pets and she just sells the eggs as surplus. She is not using them for the eggs. This to me is not as bad and I think there are a few little places like this.