I was veggie for ten years and then started eating some chicken and fish again. I have to be honest, I wish I didn't, but I feel SO much better/more energetic eating a little meat. I prefer it to eating dairy, actually. I was very very careful about eating lots of beans and whole grains and leafy greens for my protein, and taking supplements, etc, so I don't know why. Melfreya, if you feel off/tired at all, or even before you do, I suggest you get your blood checked for your vitamins and minerals. I wouldn't go back to being veggie for now, because I travel too much to odd places for work and too often it's eat meat or starve.
The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread #2
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fashionista-ta
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As an omnivore, I do think you have to listen to your body and eat what's right for you. I think eating meat only in moderation still helps (from an ethical perspective) ... everything helps.
I know people who've completed eliminated plastic from their lives (really darn difficult) ... I don't plan to do that, but I have cut back. Recently I've been making an effort not to use plastic storage and produce bags.
I'm off to eat a vegetarian dinner, as I did last night
YoninahAliza
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Guys, I just had a marshmallow for the first time in four years! And it was just heavenly. I've avoided them because of the gelatin in most marshmallows but my sister and I found vegan ones and we just about freaked out in Whole Foods. 
It's funny the things you miss when you give up eating something (or cannot eat it), makes you appreciate the things you can eat even more. And when you find an adequate substitute it takes all your will power not to eat the whole bag in one sitting! 
It's funny the things you miss when you give up eating something (or cannot eat it), makes you appreciate the things you can eat even more. And when you find an adequate substitute it takes all your will power not to eat the whole bag in one sitting! fashionista-ta
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^ Yay! 
I don't have them too often, because once you have artisanal ones, the stale ones in the store are meh. I know you can make the gelatin ones at home ... wonder if there's a vegan recipe?
I don't have them too often, because once you have artisanal ones, the stale ones in the store are meh. I know you can make the gelatin ones at home ... wonder if there's a vegan recipe?YoninahAliza
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^That is very true, there is no going back to bagged marshmallows once you've had artisanal ones. My sister and I were planning on making our own vegan marshmallows, we are looking for a good recipe. If we find one and they turn out okay, will let you know!
fashionista-ta
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Here's one where the whole blog is named for vegan marshmallows--clearly a quest! http://veganmarshmallows.blogspot.com/2009/04/vegan-marshmallow-recipe.html
I just got this vegan cookbook and it's so good, already i've made three recipes from it.
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Slow-Cooking-Two-Just/dp/1592335632
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Slow-Cooking-Two-Just/dp/1592335632
BerlinRocks
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Add pita bread with za'atar, a tiny bit of olive oil. and we can go on a date. in a lebanese restaurant.
lately, i'm trying to have a healthier diet. i've gained some weight for like 6-8 months, and i'm not blaming it on USA food traditions, but having access to bacon cheese burgers this easy (I live close to JG Melon......
), or having pizza as a common food hasn't helped a lot. so for a couple of months or so, i "green juice diet" once in a while, buy different type of oil/fat (butter has been banned in my apartment for some time - and let me tell you for me it's hard not to be able to have a toast with butter, or jam with butter, or cheese with butter, or even stop cooking with butter). and so far, it's been going well. i haven't lost the weight much, but at least i feel less guilty when i sin... and i guess it's better for my health in general. Anyway, I've been raised with food mostly bought locally, on markets, good butchers and cheese shops etc. So it's good to go back to this. Buy organic, be careful etc.couple of days ago, i watched with my bf a video about vegans and extreme vegans (these nuts that burn themselves like cows), and the doc shown, too obviously, these filthy videos of abattoirs, the way animals were treated etc. I was a vegetarian when I was a teenager, for 3-4 yrs, so it is something I've always felt close, animal suffering, animal bad treatment. And, still now, when I eat a burger or chicken, or go buy some turkey, I cannot stop thinking for 30sec about the dead animal on my plate. But to be fair, I'm not a huge meat-eater.
Anyway......... OMG, it's taking forever.
You see my man is a researcher, and at the end he said something I've never thought about really - i won't repeat what he said -, but how do vegans deal with medication ? What do you do ? How can you avoid this whole process of research ? Since everything starts with mice, or monkeys ... How far do your vegan lifestyle goes ? To be sincere that was NEVER dealt in this documentary - Everything was about cosmetics, food, fashion, and ... corrida. And I'm pretty curious about that. Is "vegan" a real lifestyle ? Can it even be ? Do you really think about animals, environment (I hope you do - this country is way way behind Europe when it comes to environment !), or do you think more about you, your lifestyle, your body ? Let's be quite honest, do a little search on instagram and when you type in "#healthylifestyle", "#vegan" etc. you'll find food imagery, sure, but a lot of selfies, too, of people showing their stomach, etc. ............
fashionista-ta
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^ As someone who isn't vegetarian or vegan, I hope that no one is compromising their health in terms of medication they actually need Probably a lot of people here are too young to have had health issues develop yet. I take synthetic thyroid medication, but it's generally reported that the animal-derived medication works better. If I felt I needed it, I wouldn't hesitate to take it.
Some people who really want to be vegans fail to thrive on a vegan diet. Others do very well. I think it's important to listen to what your body is telling you. I also think that from an environmental and ethical standpoint, every little bit helps. I think it's wrong-headed to look at it as, Well, I can't be perfect, so I'm not going to do anything. To me, the very opposite is true ... I know I'm not going to be perfect, and I'm going to do everything I can.
I would agree that some motives for a vegan diet might not be positive. Still, benefits accrue ... if not to the individual (I would imagine it's probably possible to be a healthy or unhealthy eater on just about any diet), then to the planet, etc. ...
Probably a lot of people here are too young to have had health issues develop yet. I take synthetic thyroid medication, but it's generally reported that the animal-derived medication works better. If I felt I needed it, I wouldn't hesitate to take it.Some people who really want to be vegans fail to thrive on a vegan diet. Others do very well. I think it's important to listen to what your body is telling you. I also think that from an environmental and ethical standpoint, every little bit helps. I think it's wrong-headed to look at it as, Well, I can't be perfect, so I'm not going to do anything. To me, the very opposite is true ... I know I'm not going to be perfect, and I'm going to do everything I can.
I would agree that some motives for a vegan diet might not be positive. Still, benefits accrue ... if not to the individual (I would imagine it's probably possible to be a healthy or unhealthy eater on just about any diet), then to the planet, etc. ...
cloudyshambles
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it's this all-or-nothing attitude that gives vegans such a bad rep sometimes. I think most vegans wouldn't take it as far as to question medication and most of them should have enough common sense. But this all-or-nothing mentality is not what this is all about. why not appreciate that some people are doing all they can to make a difference? if someone said "I'm gonna drive my car only 2 days a week to do sth good for the environment" people wouldn't respond saying "those two days are still gonna do damage! you're not doing it right!"
so if people were to accept the medication part, they're not really vegans? I dunno, those labels are doing more damage sometimes. Why not just let everyone decide how far they wanna go (living a way that is completely animal cruelty free is impossible imho) and just live and let live? this of course also applies to those vegans who keep bashing others for their choices. it's important to talk about this stuff and educate people because a lot simply don't know what's going on in the meat industry and how far its impact goes but at the end of the day it's everyone's personal decision.
so if people were to accept the medication part, they're not really vegans? I dunno, those labels are doing more damage sometimes. Why not just let everyone decide how far they wanna go (living a way that is completely animal cruelty free is impossible imho) and just live and let live? this of course also applies to those vegans who keep bashing others for their choices. it's important to talk about this stuff and educate people because a lot simply don't know what's going on in the meat industry and how far its impact goes but at the end of the day it's everyone's personal decision.
fashionista-ta
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^ I agree that perfection is extremely difficult to achieve. And even if a few people do (e.g., gleaners), that approach is predicated on being the minority, not the majority. I really appreciate efforts (like Temple Grandin's work) that make large-scale, incremental improvements.
BerlinRocks
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insomnia ...
and just watched vegucated on netflix !
GREAT documentary ! very real, and informative !
ps: still not vegan, but i bought some almond cheese last week .......... not so keen on this ! .... i was like i love almond, i love cheese let's try ... i think it works fine if you use it in a pasta plate, like bolognaise, but as a grilled cheese sandwich ... i thought "excuse me, am i eating something or just chewing bland compact air ?" : it was tasteLESS !
and just watched vegucated on netflix !
GREAT documentary ! very real, and informative !
ps: still not vegan, but i bought some almond cheese last week .......... not so keen on this ! .... i was like i love almond, i love cheese let's try ... i think it works fine if you use it in a pasta plate, like bolognaise, but as a grilled cheese sandwich ... i thought "excuse me, am i eating something or just chewing bland compact air ?" : it was tasteLESS !
fashionista-ta
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I read about something made by a chef who worked for Steve Wynn from cashews & funky molecular technology ... I think carried by Whole Foods? Am I repeating myself here? It's supposed to be good. I can imagine decently replicating certain simpler, non-aged cheeses ... but something like 7-year aged Gouda, that would really be a feat. And what would also I imagine be quite difficult is the slight gaminess of goat's or sheep's milk cheese.
It's supposed to be good. I can imagine decently replicating certain simpler, non-aged cheeses ... but something like 7-year aged Gouda, that would really be a feat. And what would also I imagine be quite difficult is the slight gaminess of goat's or sheep's milk cheese.I would really like to replace cheese, too. I am also lactose intolerance (but I can still eat "old" cheese like Parmesan) and think it´s somehow disgusting if you think about what cheese actually is. But in replacement cheese are just too many e-numbers... that just can´t be healthy.
Oh by the way I remember there was a huge hype about Tofurky a few years ago. I found it in Germany now and I bought Tofurky ... I think it´s awful.
Oh by the way I remember there was a huge hype about Tofurky a few years ago. I found it in Germany now and I bought Tofurky ... I think it´s awful.
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This vegan cheese tastes as the real one!I still haven't found a replacement for cheese (I'm not vegan, but lactose-intolerant).
Nothing seems to come close to the real thing, might as well accept that.
http://www.violife.gr/#!our-products/cnfd
^ I'm definitely gonna see if I can track down violife cheese, thanks!
Yea it's not that great, imo. There's only one meal that I absolutely love it in, and that's because it's overpowered by the other flavours in the recipe, haha. My tastes have adapted to fake meat really well, because I don't even remember what real meat tastes like so I don't have all that much to compare it to, but Tofurky and a lot of the products that try to copy the consistency and flavour of meat just end up tasting rubbery.
BUT I tried tempeh for the first time a few months ago and it was sooooo good. It was at this random shop that I don't even remember the name of (it was in NYC) and I've been trying to copy the flavour/texture but it's impossible.
Yea it's not that great, imo. There's only one meal that I absolutely love it in, and that's because it's overpowered by the other flavours in the recipe, haha. My tastes have adapted to fake meat really well, because I don't even remember what real meat tastes like so I don't have all that much to compare it to, but Tofurky and a lot of the products that try to copy the consistency and flavour of meat just end up tasting rubbery.
BUT I tried tempeh for the first time a few months ago and it was sooooo good. It was at this random shop that I don't even remember the name of (it was in NYC) and I've been trying to copy the flavour/texture but it's impossible.
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^I know what you mean. I am vegetarian for so long, I don´t even remember the taste of meat. I also don´t like these meat-replacement stuff. But I think it´s good it´s so easy available. So it became an easy alternative to meat.
I love tempeh! I really need to buy some for home cooking again. It´s actually easy to use, you can also put it in the oven or in the pan...
I also like tofu. Most people think it´s tasteless, but remember meat actually does´t taste well, too. It´s all about flavoring. And preparing tofu for so long, I know now how to make tasty tofu
I love tempeh! I really need to buy some for home cooking again. It´s actually easy to use, you can also put it in the oven or in the pan...
I also like tofu. Most people think it´s tasteless, but remember meat actually does´t taste well, too. It´s all about flavoring. And preparing tofu for so long, I know now how to make tasty tofu
