Going vegan - resources and ideas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a vegan but I don't eat dairy, so I just wanted to tell you that oak milk is so good - don't even bother with the other non-dairy milks. The oak milk is creamy and delicious.

I actually prefer the other plant milks to oat milk! I'm old school - soy is my favorite. Which means - go try a lot of different ones and see what you like best because there's no one way.

Daiya cheese is better than the others, I think - or at least better than the others I've tried. I was at a vegan cheese tasting party recently and there was some good vegan haloumi from Whole Foods but I don't know the brand.

There are so many great recipes out there if you just google, like, "vegan spinach pie recipe" or whatever you are in the mood to try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m heading back from a family reunion with a strong reminder of the history of heart disease in my family. My aunt said her cardiologist told her that there are two types of cardiologists: those who are vegan and those who haven’t read the research.

So, I’m going vegan except for salmon and tuna. I work and have little kids so I need to be able to prep meals fast.

Does anyone have any suggestions for meals or resources?

Thank you!

Vegan plus salmon and tuna isn't vegan.

There is zero need for gatekeeping

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m heading back from a family reunion with a strong reminder of the history of heart disease in my family. My aunt said her cardiologist told her that there are two types of cardiologists: those who are vegan and those who haven’t read the research.

So, I’m going vegan except for salmon and tuna. I work and have little kids so I need to be able to prep meals fast.

Does anyone have any suggestions for meals or resources?

Thank you!

Vegan plus salmon and tuna isn't vegan.

There is zero need for gatekeeping

Gatekeeping? OP said she's going Vegan! she needs to understand THIS is not vegan! I want to quit drinking, so going to stick to Truly Seltzers....get the point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m heading back from a family reunion with a strong reminder of the history of heart disease in my family. My aunt said her cardiologist told her that there are two types of cardiologists: those who are vegan and those who haven’t read the research.

So, I’m going vegan except for salmon and tuna. I work and have little kids so I need to be able to prep meals fast.

Does anyone have any suggestions for meals or resources?

Thank you!

Vegan plus salmon and tuna isn't vegan.

There is zero need for gatekeeping

Gatekeeping? OP said she's going Vegan! she needs to understand THIS is not vegan! I want to quit drinking, so going to stick to Truly Seltzers....get the point?

NP. You can actually be mostly vegan, if that sounds better to you purists.
I eat strictly vegan 360 days a year. And then eat fish in Japan or at some really good fish restaurants I go to, a couple of times a year. It's easier to say that I'm vegan; nobody really needs to listen to a long explanation of my eating habits and it's closest to the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m heading back from a family reunion with a strong reminder of the history of heart disease in my family. My aunt said her cardiologist told her that there are two types of cardiologists: those who are vegan and those who haven’t read the research.

So, I’m going vegan except for salmon and tuna. I work and have little kids so I need to be able to prep meals fast.

Does anyone have any suggestions for meals or resources?

Thank you!

Vegan plus salmon and tuna isn't vegan.

There is zero need for gatekeeping

The gatekeeper actually makes it hard for people to go “mostly vegan”. I try for mostly vegan probably on average six months of the year. I often flame out because I worry about the honey that I missed in the granola or was that organic sugar in that whatever, or oh no, I’d really like one taste of my husband’s appetizer. I know this says more about me that the gatekeeper, but they should give it a rest.

Gatekeeping? OP said she's going Vegan! she needs to understand THIS is not vegan! I want to quit drinking, so going to stick to Truly Seltzers....get the point?

NP. You can actually be mostly vegan, if that sounds better to you purists.
I eat strictly vegan 360 days a year. And then eat fish in Japan or at some really good fish restaurants I go to, a couple of times a year. It's easier to say that I'm vegan; nobody really needs to listen to a long explanation of my eating habits and it's closest to the truth.

[Anonymous]

OP, I hear you. I transitioned to a plant-based diet a few years ago for health reasons, similar to what seems like your motivations. I prefer the term "plant-based" since the idea is to focus on eating more plants overall but isn't as strict as the term "vegan" is. It's about reducing risks to my health, but allowing a bit of wiggle room in very limited occasions, which overall is the goal, right? I'll eat fish maybe once a month, I'll taste-test chicken I cook for my kids and not feel guilty, and I'll get real cheese on my pizza but ask for a lot less. However, I eat a lot more veggies/fruit and lean on beans/chickpeas/tofu for protein in 95% of my eating. My LDL cholesterol dropped 40 points just based on these switches alone.

Dairy has been the hardest switch to make because the plant-based/non-dairy alternatives are all pretty gross to me or aren't actually very healthy. A lot of "vegan" cheeses are made from coconut milk, which is extremely high in saturated fat (the bad fat that clogs arteries) and lacks the calcium of dairy products, plus the texture is gross, making on balance the health benefits and appeal a losing situation for my goals with plant-based eating. Hence, I use regular dairy cheese, just use it sparingly and not often, and I enjoy it when I eat it. I do happily use oat milk in any situation that calls for milk, including in cooking; it's been a good, easy substitute. I've also cooked with plain Nutpods as a substitute for milk. I very rarely eat yogurt, but the situation is the same as with cheese; the vegan alternatives are gross or made with coconut milk, so I just use a little regular dairy yogurt on the rare occasion I want a smoothie or something.

Rainbowplantlife.com is a good website with a lot of really delicious vegan recipes. I have yet to make something from this site that my non-plant-based spouse hasn't loved.

[Anonymous]

Good for you, OP! I’m a strict vegetarian and the only reason I haven’t gone vegan is because I dislike the dairy alternatives, as someone above me said. I don’t like soy, oat, or any nut milk…I also don’t like cashew cheese or butter or whatever. I’ve really tried it all. Some people really do and that’s great for them.

Anyway people have given great advice but I came to say that you can still get a lot of great benefits by being “kinda vegan” or “kinda vegetarian” or “plant based.” You don’t need to go all out. Some people do get frustrated and don’t stick with it but cutting down on any meat consumption is fantastic for you and for the environment!