Hi ladies! I have lots of questions for all your vegans out there. I am finding that certain things don't sit well with my body, most of which are animal related, i.e. milk, dairy products, etc. So I have some questions and any other information you can give me would be great!
First off, if you don't consume any animal products, how do you get your protein and calcium? I'm particularly sensitive to soy as well so that wouldn't be an option for me for protein. I know you can get calcium from leafy green veggies.
Also, what does a typical day of food look like for you?
Do your husbands also maintain a vegan diet? If not, what are some suggestions for cooking? My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and will branch out and have things that are vegan (read:no meat) but he likes his meat. Any suggestions?
Are there any really great, easy cookbooks for vegan cooking out there? What about books in general about becoming vegan, being vegan, etc.?
What are your fav snacks? I generally eat things like cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, etc. Any other suggestions for me? I do fruit and veggies as well.
Any other tips or suggestions you'd like to pass on to me? This is going to be a slow process but I'd like to know more from all of you who are used to doing this. Thanks!
:thumbsup: :giggle: :blush:
MamaJo
05-30-2006, 08:09 AM
Well, I'm not vegan, but I don't eat eggs, milk, cheese...or any other dairy products. And I eat very little beef, pork, and fish - no poultry. I feel eventually I'll go vegan though.
I got a book called Very Vegetarian (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558539522/sr=8-2/qid=1148997347/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-2125914-7383037?%5Fencoding=UTF8) and I really like it. Its a cookbook but has a good section in the front of the book with lots of info. I don't know about the recipes though, I have yet to try them :blush:
I've read that Americans actually get (and think they need) way more protein than they really need. Off the top of my head some sources of protein are soy, tofu (not always vegan though), and quinoa. You can search at www.nutritiondata.com (http://www.nutritiondata.com) for foods highest in protein (I love this site :loveit:). www.vegweb.com (http://www.vegweb.com) has a lot of good recipes :thumbsup:
Being another carnivore over here, thats all I got :giggle:
augustgirl69
06-10-2006, 08:43 PM
Well my DH is vegan (the kids and I are not, but often eat vegan as it is easier)
Protein is eay - BEANS (in any form) we all love em! Also bocca makes some good "meat replacements" As for calcium - veggies and add a supplement. Most vegans do. Also, you may need an iron supplemet - especially as a woman.
so I reccommend the following 3 cookbooks (the first one being my favorite
La Dolce Vegan! : Vegan Livin' Made Easy
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1551521873/sr=8-3/qid=1149993239/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-1480327-6528127?%5Fencoding=UTF8
How It all Vegan
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1551520672/sr=8-1/qid=1149993239/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1480327-6528127?%5Fencoding=UTF8
The Garden of Vegan : How It All Vegan Again!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1551521288/sr=8-2/qid=1149993239/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-1480327-6528127?%5Fencoding=UTF8
and here is a list from amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/102-1480327-6528127?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dblended&keywords=how+it+all+vegan&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
txnmomma
06-12-2006, 01:29 PM
www.vegweb.com has a lot of good recipes Vegweb rocks!! I have gotten lots of ideas from that site :thumbsup:
Choose2bgr8
06-12-2006, 07:46 PM
Veggies have calcium too. Green ones if I am not mistaken. I am switching over to being more veggie, but don't know if I will ever go vegan. Be careful of your vitamin B12. I have heard that one is a difficult one to get.
MamaLove
06-12-2006, 08:15 PM
Congrats for your interest is being vegan! I've noticed major inprovements in my health since I made the change. The cows thank you, too! :mrgreen:
It isn't as hard as you might think to be vegan and fully nourished.
Protein is in beans and nuts.
Calcium is very abundant in dark greens and sesame seeds, so tahini is a favorite for calcium. (I like to make salads with goddess dressing...basically tahini with lemon or vinegar, salt, and spices.)
B12 is in nutritional yeast and mushrooms. (I like to make 'mac'n'cheese with nutritional yeast and olive oil and turmeric.)
Omega fatty acids are in walnuts, flax seeds, and hemp seeds.
I can send you a veggie (vegan) starter kit magazene, just pm me your mailing addy. It has recipes and nutritional info for vegan mamas and children.
If I remember correctly, nuts and seeds are all around GREAT!
We eat a lot of cashews here, but we now go to the store to get them raw. Before they were roasted and FULL of salt. Also, tahini is made from seeds, am I right? We have tahini and nutritional yeast flakes too.
The class I went to called nuts "brain food"
The class was Foods For Thought and the website was www.lifestylematters.com
I am slowly finding ways to replace what we were eating slowly which is the key for my dh who is very resistant to the change as well as dc. He is not a fan of the meat replacements like TVP (this is soy, I think) and Bulgar, but he loves Quorn nuggets (and so do I, yum!!!)
I have also heard to not replace with a ton of soy in your diet either because that can be harmful as well. Too much of a even a good thing can be bad.
Anyway, good luck and hope we have helped and not bombarded you.
MamaLove
06-13-2006, 04:17 PM
It's non-organic soy that is genetically modified that isn't good for us, but organic is much better, but should still be only used moderately.
Choose2bgr8t, you're right tahini is from sesame seeds, and nuts are brain food, they have so many good oils that are good for the brain. Almond oil is supposed to help raise intellegence, and walnuts are loaded with omega fatty acids, which help the brain function. That class sounds really cool!
I wanted to add that I also use coconut milk as a cream and milk substitute, as well as rice milk. You can also make nut cheeses with cashews blended with water of soaked wheat berries as a thickener. I also make big batches of nut burgers (or nut loafs) and freeze them, then pop one in the toaster to make an easy sandwich. ALso, dried fruits and nuts are always a good snack, and manna bread with almond butter and honey...yummmm!:thumbsup:
