How many vegans on board?

polka_purpura

hi,

I saw this campaign and thought this is probably the best section to put it in:

http://www.nocruelcosmetics.org/index.php

It is a campaign to prevent an extension to ending cosmetic testing in europe by 2013.

polka purpura

Tiglet

I've been a veggie for getting on for 30 years but I only recently went fully vegan a few months ago after reading a zine that a friend of mine produced on the subject (she's even put a few pages up on the net...)

On the subject of soya milk curdling in coffee, I found that the trick was to put a little coffee into the cup, then add the milk, then stir it really fast and add the rest of the hot water (if it's instant coffee) or coffee slowly while still stirring. I found that this works every time with instant coffee but it's not 100% if it's strong fresh coffee. Eventually, I just gave up and drink coffee black now - that works fine.

JamesM_2

You can get the soya milk designed not to curdle in Tesco's now.

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Shelf_Milk/Sunrise_Organic_Cafe_Expert_Soya_Milk_1L.html

nzmegs

I guess I am not really a "perfect" vegan being fairly new to the idea, and i would have to describe myself as a strict vege I suppose. However i do avoid almost 100% of dairy. However I still cannot get used to tea without a splash of milk (I am the only one in my family to eat this way so the milk is in the fridge). I feel a bit bad about this but can't get past it. Any tips or tricks? I have tried soya options but don't like them.

My conversion has been because of environmental concerns rather than animals per se. health is also a huge factor. the comments on this thread are really helpful for those of us who are still discovering how to eat to satisfy all of these things. i do worry that if i think about things too much I won't have anything left to eat. even fruit and veg from the supermarket has travelled from overseas or has been grown to the detriment of the land. At what point do you say "I am doing enough..." ?

rinabean

Oat milk is nicer than soy milk. My favourite milk is actually half soy and half oat. It has the right kind of thickness and the taste is quite neutral You have to get through a lot of milk to have 2 cartons open at once, but we do so it's ok!

I think unless you have a will of steel you will have to convert your family. I only don't have dairy in my tea because my husband is fine with having oat milk (he has coffee and it doesn't curdle like soy can). If dairy milk were there I would use it. Right now I am vegan except for frozen pizzas, pesto and milk chocolate. I like tinned pesto for convenience but I can't find any that don't use cheese. My husband loves pizza and I've been too ill to cook recently. And I'm going to buy some vegan milk chocolate when my current stash runs out. I'm not beating myself up over not being 100% vegan yet and neither should you. As long as you keep trying then you are doing better than most other people.

savvy

nzmegs wrote: »

I guess I am not really a "perfect" vegan being fairly new to the idea, and i would have to describe myself as a strict vege I suppose. However i do avoid almost 100% of dairy. However I still cannot get used to tea without a splash of milk (I am the only one in my family to eat this way so the milk is in the fridge). I feel a bit bad about this but can't get past it. Any tips or tricks? I have tried soya options but don't like them.

My conversion has been because of environmental concerns rather than animals per se. health is also a huge factor. the comments on this thread are really helpful for those of us who are still discovering how to eat to satisfy all of these things. i do worry that if i think about things too much I won't have anything left to eat. even fruit and veg from the supermarket has travelled from overseas or has been grown to the detriment of the land. At what point do you say "I am doing enough..." ?

Intensive farming and supermarkets misguiding makes it harder and harder to eat without much impact on something I think you just have have the mindset that you are 'working towards' the way you consider to be best for you. In a way, arriving at veganism is a very personal journey, and we all get there by different means and very different timescales

Regarding the milk, I have found the best in coffee and tea for me is Kara coconut milk, it doesn't curdle and doesn't have a strong taste yet is robust enough unlike rice milk.

nzmegs

Thanks Rinabean and savvy. Yes I have found that willpower of steel has helped. Thankfully I cook my own meals and hubby cooks for the kids. My daughter would probably be happy to go vege - although ribs in BBQ sauce might lure her back...My son couldn't bear it and my husband thinks I am mad! There is no way they will be converted too and to be honest I wouldn't impose that on them anyway. It is the sort of decision which each person has to make for themselves.

but it does lead me to another question. I am yet to share my new way of eating with my extended family and friends as i feel kind of weird about it. They are traditional - mostly and might see my food needs as being annoying and difficult to deal with. So the next time i am invited out for a meal at my MIL's house what do I say? Should i offer to bring my own or just eat whatever veg she is serving and leave the rest. How did you explain it to your family and friends? Did they think you were crazy?

savvy

nzmegs wrote: »

but it does lead me to another question. I am yet to share my new way of eating with my extended family and friends as i feel kind of weird about it. They are traditional - mostly and might see my food needs as being annoying and difficult to deal with. So the next time i am invited out for a meal at my MIL's house what do I say? Should i offer to bring my own or just eat whatever veg she is serving and leave the rest. How did you explain it to your family and friends? Did they think you were crazy?

:T:T My lot have always thought that :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Okay being serious, to be fair all of my family have been on the journey with me every painful step of the way........not painful in relation to veganism (my God that has been the easy part!), but in relation to food intolerances where my journey started. It's been as confusing for them as it has for me, but now I can label myself vegan it's made it so much easier. Although every potential visit does still get them asking me 'What can you eat now?' They have been fantastic and love learning about why I eat what I eat (there's also superfoods and raw food included in all this ).

However, I am fully aware it's not that easy for most people who 'opt out' of the SAD/SUKD way of eating. In other areas of life I tend to focus on the health reasons/benefits for the way I eat and what I've found to be the best for me (which it is, so it's easy to explain) and it seems easier for others to understand. It's a running joke at work that I won't go near anything unhealthy.........I do in my eyes, but it's not their very unhealthy stuff

So you could try that route or maybe break them in gently that you are omitting certain foods to perhaps lose some weight. People are far more accepting that you omit foods when dieting but not so much if you are a vegan :undecided weird but there you go, it's fairly widely accepted that you would cut back on dairy and some meats to lose weight, and maybe eventually you could say you feel so much better on this diet that's almost vegan..............that errr you've decided to stay that way and become vegan :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

With regards to your immediate family could you cook them vegan dishes on Meat Free Monday say once a month or World Vegan Day once a year at least? My way of getting raw vegan food into my teenagers was through the desserts......sneaky I know but they got on board PDQ that way ;):rotfl::rotfl:

nzmegs

Thanks savvy, you're a star. I was thinking about cooking a three course vegan meal for the family on the weekend - trying out some recipes in a cookbook I got out of the library. I am a little scared to mention it as every time I offer my husband a bite of my tofu he looks like I am trying to feed him poison. However i was surprised when he came back from the supermarket this week with two tubs of hoummus. This surprised me as last week I made my own houmus and he refused to touch it. he reckons bought is better...

My guacamole is legendary in this house however and even better if combined with some homemade breadsticks...yum.

the losing weight trick is a good one as my family know i am constantly on some diet or another. The funny thing is though that since I have been eating this way I have worried much less about weight, fat, calories ad all that other boring stuff. i am just enjoying feeling well...If i lose a few pounds, great, but i am not stressing out over it.

This afternoon I ate a couple of pancakes made with white flour and which (I later realised contained eggs - duh!) and i immediately felt really bad. headache kicked in, sugar cravings kicked in and general lethergy. Never again. Got to keep veggie snacks in the house - note to self.

savvy

nzmegs wrote: »

Thanks savvy, you're a star. I was thinking about cooking a three course vegan meal for the family on the weekend - trying out some recipes in a cookbook I got out of the library. I am a little scared to mention it as every time I offer my husband a bite of my tofu he looks like I am trying to feed him poison. However i was surprised when he came back from the supermarket this week with two tubs of hoummus. This surprised me as last week I made my own houmus and he refused to touch it. he reckons bought is better...

My guacamole is legendary in this house however and even better if combined with some homemade breadsticks...yum.

the losing weight trick is a good one as my family know i am constantly on some diet or another. The funny thing is though that since I have been eating this way I have worried much less about weight, fat, calories ad all that other boring stuff. i am just enjoying feeling well...If i lose a few pounds, great, but i am not stressing out over it.

This afternoon I ate a couple of pancakes made with white flour and which (I later realised contained eggs - duh!) and i immediately felt really bad. headache kicked in, sugar cravings kicked in and general lethergy. Never again. Got to keep veggie snacks in the house - note to self.

LOL no worries nzmegs we're all here to support each other as it's never an easy ride being in the minority and around people that are less open minded than ourselves.

Hats of for going for a 3 course meal, although if this is the first time I'm wondering about breaking them in gently? So like introduce a dessert first that will knock their socks off - an amazing cheesecake perhaps, then another time a main meal.....then eventually go all out for a 3 course? LOL well tofu is a toughy tbh.....but I made an amazing silken tofu cheesecake than won my lads over in the tofu battle Yeah I have to agree with your OH on houmous front........I've never cracked a decent homemade one as yet but I'll have some of your gaucomole

Aha.........there you go then, the dieting aspect could well be the way round them :T I lost a lot of weight without trying eating raw vegan while I was vegetarian, since I turned totally vegan I started making vegan cakes etc, I haven't lost any, but haven't gained either. Soon as summer comes I'll be back to more raw vegan so we'll see what happens.

Aye when you clean up your health you really notice when you eat something that's not particularly good for you! I ate some cheese by accident not long ago, my god did I get a stomach soon after, it was horrible

Wish me luck, I'm going to make my first ever vegan birthday cake for my son this week!!!