The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread

[cloudyshambles]

i was a pescetarian for a few months and 2 weeks ago i decided to avoid eating fish as well. so far i'm really happy with my decision to cut out meat and don't really miss it at all i'm going to university and live on my own, so it's not really difficult to stick to it, BUT when i'm going home and eat with my family... in my family we've always eaten meat almost every day and also fish once or twice a week. during the semester i don't go home that often and the last times i tried to eat less meat or fish, but i don't want to do that anymore! i really want to put my foot down and do not eat meat at all and not just less meat! how did that go in your families? do your parents accept that or do you simply cook your own food and not eat with them anymore? please share your experiences, i would appreciate it

 

[hautechild]

^ My parents were really good about it - when we have family meals they would either be vegetarian or they would cook meat separately and add it to their meals. And when I was living at home with them I would cook the family meal sometimes too.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

My mother is supportive although she still eats meat. My father, sister, brother in law and his daughter are not. When they come over for dinner they always ask me in a snarky way "so what are you eating for dinner tonight? Vegetables?" Or they look at me funny when I eat my food. Even their daughter is getting in on it. I was eating baby carrots one time and she came up and said "evil carrots." Ya, she's kind of a bratty kid but look at her parents! They eat awful and have fast food almost everyday. I have tried to get my sister to eat better since she is pregnant now but she doesn't listen to me. I feel bad for the baby, it's probably already on a sugar high since she drinks like 3 sodas a day. My dad doesn't say too much but he does talk about how much he loves steaks and pork chops and all that stuff. Sometimes he stares at me when he says those things.
I was raised on meat but never liked it, so I am used to it. My parents still BBQ and cook prime rib for special occasions. It doesn't bother me that they still eat that, but it does when they comment negatively on what I eat.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

Wow, I just made a salad or as I would call it "everything in the produce drawer." It has steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, raisins, currants, mango, banana, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts, apples, bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, roasted golden beets (I roasted them myself) with fresh lemon and grapefruit juice squeezed over top. And a sprinkle of dried basil, black pepper and Cinnamon. It was really good!

 

[EXOskeleton]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the book Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook is fantastic. My ex is a Vegan (I'm a vegetarian) and the recipes in the above mentioned book are delicious.

More Vegan recipes:
http://cookeasyvegan.blogspot.com
http://seitanismymotor.com

i own the book, and can't say i've used it a great deal. a lot of the recipes are quite fiddly/have lengthy ingredient lists. good for inspiration though.

vegan blogs i often frequent:
http://havecakewilltravel.com/
http://sweetbeetandgreenbean.net/
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/

 

[cestmagique]

Has anyone ever tried Gardein products? They make an amazing variety of faux meat products from amaranth, quinoa, and other natural ingredients. So far I've tried the crispy tenders, which are amazing and seriously hit the spot , and I have some bbq pulled shreds in the fridge now that I can't wait to try out... I'm really impressed with the quality of this stuff and it's all vegan too.

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

It's probably a stupid question, but I read that vegetarianism/veganism leads to shorter periods for women and would like to know if it is true or not? I don't know any female vegetarians/vegans and I'm not one myself. Logically, I can't see how this could affect menstruation, but I'm curious to know if switching to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle actually affected the length of your period in any way or if this book I'm reading is indeed a load of rubbish!

 

[cath85]

I don't think it affected mine in any way

 

[cestmagique]

The length of mine is the same, but being vegan has definitely made them easier on me. I wonder if some women have messed up cycles for whatever reason that are corrected by being vegetarian or vegan... that's the only way I can think of that shorter periods would make sense. Otherwise it's probably just wishful thinking.

 

[hautechild]

I don't really have anything to compare it to, since I've been a vegetarian before I started having periods, but mine are short. Probably coincidence though...

 

[Ashcottmanor]

It's probably a stupid question, but I read that vegetarianism/veganism leads to shorter periods for women and would like to know if it is true or not? I don't know any female vegetarians/vegans and I'm not one myself. Logically, I can't see how this could affect menstruation, but I'm curious to know if switching to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle actually affected the length of your period in any way or if this book I'm reading is indeed a load of rubbish!

Your period can be effected by how many calories/protein you're getting out of your diet. So if you're not eating enough calories and/or proteins (this might mean you're anemic) then your period will stop or become erratic. Now if you're become vegnan or vegitarian you can always get enough calories and proteins from different sources other than animal products so you should be ok, but if you're aren't getting enough calories and protein to sustain a normal diet then your periods could become shorter or stop completely. Hope this helps!

 

[cloudyshambles]

this is probably a strange question to ask on a fashion forum lol ... but since you don't eat meat, do you wear clothes or bags that are made of leather? i guess this question concerns especially vegans.

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

Thank you everyone who answered my question. I guess I can safely say the book I'm reading is preaching rubbish then!

 

[cestmagique]

this is probably a strange question to ask on a fashion forum lol ... but since you don't eat meat, do you wear clothes or bags that are made of leather? i guess this question concerns especially vegans.

I do, if I get them secondhand.

 

[hautechild]

this is probably a strange question to ask on a fashion forum lol ... but since you don't eat meat, do you wear clothes or bags that are made of leather? i guess this question concerns especially vegans.

I do, but then my reasons for not eating animal products aren't for ethical reasons, I simply don't want to consume them because I prefer my diet that way. I actually think that for me it would be far harder to give up leather products that giving up eating animal products.

 

[Lilliana]

this is probably a strange question to ask on a fashion forum lol ... but since you don't eat meat, do you wear clothes or bags that are made of leather? i guess this question concerns especially vegans.

I'm vegan for ethical reasons, so yes I don't buy anymore leather clothes and bags. It is quite feasible to find good fake leather stuff. Beautiful vegan shoes on the other hand are a painfully rare and I still sometimes have my fall from grace and splurge on leather designer shoes. Honestly when it comes to fashion I find it sooo much harder to be vegan and to resist the temptations than with food. Esp. since wool and silk are non vegan too.
How do you other vegans deal with the winter coat issue? I am honestly not willing to run around in functional sports wear which is the only wool free option I could think off and my woolcoat from my prevegan time is kind of reaching the end of it's lifespan.
Is ther any alternative to secondhand?

 

[Ashcottmanor]

It's a little pricey but Stella MCcartney doesn't use any animal products in her clothes and I believe they're all eco friendly too. I wish more people would do that. I'm glad H&M are using recycled fabrics for their new items. And they actually look great!

 

[cygnenoir]

No leather or silk for me either.

Sure, it's a bit challenging, but hey, shopping at Barneys is a lot easier now as I am not usually tempted by the latest "it" handbag!

But there are great choices out there and several threads here on veg style, non-leather shoes and bags that could use some new posts!

 

[posed to death]

^^ whats wrong with silk? i know it's not vegan but it's not like they suffer.

i'm a vegetarian and used to be a vegan until I got ill because of lack of vitamins. and i was extremely careful that I ate everything I needed.

I feel like such a horrible person because I buy leather shoes, it's the only thing with leather i would ever buy, because it is so hard to find any good boots without leather that is either not so cheap they will fall apart or really expensive. I feel bad about it almost everytime I wear them.

 

[ilaughead]

^Regarding silk, if you kill/boil the animal, it's not vegetarian.