Calling all Vegans

[indigoin0z]

As a fallen vegan (longest stint was 2 years), I'll have to watch this thread for some inspiration.

It frustrates the hell out of me that there's a gap between my beliefs and my actions.

I have endless admiration for vegans. It's a fantastic way to live.

[scurries off to hang head in shame...]

oh there, there. dont be like that..

not all vegans are self-righteous judgement snobs sitting on their all-mighty pedastals..
i feel terrible all the time, because i have to keep one foot in & out [straddled it feels] because i feel i cant be too strick/obsessive around my children [well, in regards to taking their choices away..] & i get very worked up over it..
i know i would likely be a real strict judgemental arrogant vegan if i didnt have my family to get a taste of reality of having compassion & understanding that everyone is on their own journey & do what feels right to them, when it feels right..
dont beat yourself up over it..
the way i try & look at it is,
you do your best each day for whatever beliefs you have.. then let the rest go.

[MsMummy]

not all vegans are self-righteous judgement snobs sitting on their all-mighty pedastals..
i

I was.... That's why it's frustrating, as I know it's the best way to live and eat.

Seriously, I'm so close it's ridiculous. I've been veggie for 15 years and vegan on and off for 8. I should know better. I don't cook with eggs or dairy, but I'm addicted to junk food, particularly chocolate. I eat a bit compulsively, and associate "rewards" with mainstream junk food. All very silly.

And I've been using my exhaustion with the baby and working as an excuse to indulge.

My partner is an enabler as well. Despite being a lactose intolerant vegetarian from birth, he does like the odd thing with dairy.

I really need to sort this out, as I'd like my son to be vegan. I'm all talk, no action, and it frustrates me!

[CluckySC]

For all those frustrated about reading labels, I'm so with you. I'm allergic to wheat too. So not just looking for the animal products, also looking for wheat. Sneaky bugger finds its way into almost everything!

I used to be very "on my high horse" veggie, but then I met DF, who completely agrees that vegetarianism makes the most sense but has found it pretty much impossible to give up meat. We're still going to raise our son veg, until he's old enough to decide obviously, and DF would still love to go meat fee one day but at the moment I've had to relax a little just because I live with a carnivore

[indigoin0z]

....Only 2 years ago, on a bubhub thread, I said I couldn't go vegan

hmmm. wonder if that was my thread?

ive said since i was a teenager i want to become a vegetarian but know i Never could because i dont like enough vegetables.. peas, carrots & corn.
well.. now through evolution & destiny i have been put on a few paths [including process free, failsafe elimination diet etc] that have made me change my palette a bit & in the end, i didnt actually care whether i liked enough anyway... once i decided, it was very clear cut & i knew i would find a way, and indeed i did..
wow, i would never have guessed i'd be eating -let alone cooking- the stuff i do now...

Yah!

I haven't felt this healthy, ever really.

yeah, it is an invigorating & peaceful feeling... i remember i was excited for some time.
tho i am eXtremely low in my iron currently, ONLY because life got hard elsewhere & i just didnt care about eating/caring & now its hard to get it back..well tbh, im still not caring enough to go to the effort, even tho i am reeeally run-down and exhausted.

it does get a bit draining at times when you are constantly having to check labels. Those pesky animal products sneak into everything.

its astonishing the things they can 'use' them for isnt it? and we all are oblivious until we hunt & enquire.
i think it should be mandatory, they should have to put, "contains sheeps eyes, cows knee cartiledge, chicken beak....
[just like i feel on the vacc's]..
because most
people wouldnt have the foggiest that they are eating by products..
my latest i am trying to get my head & motivation around, is trying to do an organic vege garden
without using Blood &Bone.. again im not sure how many really consciously realise what that is made from.

.....I only know 3 other vegans in real life and I don't spend a huge amount of time with them so it is good to have someone else to talk to.

yep, i dont have anyone & it is really lonely, & often alienating

I've gotten used to carrying a bag of food around when I go out. But my lovely friends now make sure they have something I can eat whenever I visit

oHHHH.. the carrying of the food thing is what is wearing me down a lot lately.. it just feels nothing can be spontaneous & care free..
tho wouldnt be half as bad without kids to slow things down.. tbh, i feel like becoming vegan, has slowed the progress of my already stunted social skills, because now i feel like a leper [sp] like i have to apologise or cringe for being me and then
there is having a vegan baby/toddler... ohhhh the pain of it

sorry Chelle .. I'm not vegan.. but DD decided a month or so back to become vegetarian and is now thinking of becoming vegan. I figured this would be a good place to get advice if it's ok? I *think* I remember you saying that your DD is vegan too (as you provide food for her! .. any tips on feeding a vegan child?

....If she does take the next step, make sure she takes b12 but check the label as some vitamin tablets are not vegan.

i buy Freeda brand from the Cruelty Free shop [online].

.....Make sure she is eating fruit and vegies everyday. A handful of nuts as well. Careful with pasta as a lot "may contain traces" of egg.

yes, i agree.. i feel abundance of natural foods is the easiest often, then fit other stuff around that.
nuts is a huge one i feel is great for helping keep weight on for kids..
and they all have great nutrients,
but
walnuts in particular have the omega 3 which is really important for their neurological functioning [among other reasons] and is sort of a replacement for fish oill but flaxseed [linseed] ground up in a grinder/blender each morning & put on cereal or in salads is even more potent then walnuts....

Tofu and tempah are obviously stables for a vegan.

ewwww. ick. i am such a woose, i still havent been courageous enough to teach my self to taste/like it yet

.....I've been vego for 15 years, slowly making the transition to a raw/ vegan diet. Have to take it carefully due to health issues, though.....

.......Perhaps we can share some of our favourite vegan recipes here! *drool*

i bought a book on raw veganism.. looks great, something i would possibly be interested in when all the kids are grown & i dont have to be anyone elses kitchen slave..

i'd be willing to share some recipes..tho i often feel my dishes wouldnt be everyones taste, because they are possibly not too exotic to flavours of what some others would choose to eat, so i get a little embarrassed...
... well if i could get my head around writing them down.. im really not good at doing the same thing twice, even when i make the same dish - i do it differently...

Might I reccomend rice milk? In my opinion, it is much more mild and doesnt have the strong flavour of soy milk. I used the vitasoy brand.

I trialled dairy free for a short time, and didn't like soy milk, but was quite happy with rice milk.

i actually combine both in our house.. i just find soy too thick for my liking.. & with the rice milk a bit to watery? so we get the best of both..
no,
i am not goldilocks

I was.... That's why it's frustrating, as I know it's the best way to live and eat.

i understand.. as i said i believe i would be one 'of those' too, without my kids..
and yes because you feeeeel it in your bones & soul of how 'right' it is for you.

.....I don't cook with eggs or dairy, but I'm addicted to junk food, particularly chocolate. I eat a bit compulsively, and associate "rewards" with mainstream junk food. All very silly.

And I've been using my exhaustion with the baby and working as an excuse to indulge.

My partner is an enabler as well. Despite being a lactose intolerant vegetarian from birth, he does like the odd thing with dairy.

I really need to sort this out, as I'd like my son to be vegan. I'm all talk, no action, and it frustrates me!

wow, thanku for being honest about the compulsive eating thing.. i was going to try & get some courage to mention my issue too... the only 2 areas i have struggled with:
protein [just before i became vegan i got right into chicken, eggs, tuna.. and was feeling the best/healthiest/strongest in my life],
but mainly
junk-food addiction. compulsive/emotional eating.. i actually am really not into food as such - it literally bores me, but ironically i have a life-long addiction to junk-food, mainly the flavours & enhancers.. i just want to lick everything - not actually eat them necessarily..
i have reeeeeeally struggled in this area,
finding stuff that i can still fill like i getting a 'fix'.... i had already gotten a little onto dark chocolate before becoming vegan, so now thats not an issue [as most does not contain milk products - especially from phillip island choc factory....mmmmmmmmmmmm!!]
but the savouries reeeeeeally frustrate me..
lactose is in eeeeeeverything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and if its not then it will have animal products in the flavours... oh the pain
and there is one lollie, that i get from coles that i think [oh pleez dont tell me i have got it wrong!] is vegan.. sherbet lemons. ahhhh.

hang in there MsMummy. dont be so hard on yourself.. its likely not doing you any favours.. trust that you will stop when you are ready..
...and... more importantly,
that even if you dont, you are still a worthwhile person... this doesnt have to be your whole identity..

For all those frustrated about reading labels, I'm so with you. I'm allergic to wheat too. So not just looking for the animal products, also looking for wheat. Sneaky bugger finds its way into almost everything!

oh i so bow down to you...
mostly anything that is not natural/raw contains wheat!!! [well, that is vegan anyhow].
we have tried going gluten free, & i stopped as i just didnt have the energy/motivation to figure out or take the time to work out how to feed myself & my toddler nutriciously.

I used to be very "on my high horse" veggie, but then I met DF, who completely agrees that vegetarianism makes the most sense but has found it pretty much impossible to give up meat. We're still going to raise our son veg, until he's old enough to decide obviously, and DF would still love to go meat fee one day but at the moment I've had to relax a little just because I live with a carnivore

yeh, my DH 'gets' why i am... even tho he couldnt really give a toss if i wasnt around.. but still eats meat etc.. and i allow my eldest sons too also, [tho one did choose to be vegan for about 6 months] as they were bought up on animal products, and i felt rather domineering & arrogant to say, "just because i have seen 'a' light, and have changed my opinion, doesnt mean i have a right to make you change".. but
i dont cook or buy any of it.. and mostly i dont even let it/choose for it to be cooked in the house.. either the bbq or good opportunity at take-away/eatingout.





PHeW!!!
think that gets the thread rollin' chellegoth!
someone shut me up!! did i mention id been lonely on this journey????

[indigoin0z]

btw..
just thought i'd apologise for breaking the main vegan rule...

"dont make it sound sooooo hard & overwhelming."

it doesnt have to be, & truly isnt..

i am just an emotional person & hormonal currently... it doesnt always feel like this to be vegan... this was just over a years worth of venting

[Poppetfish]

I am not a vegan or vego......BUT i was raised vegan. I know lots of tips on how to make lots of yummy foods vegan style if anyone wants to ask.

Why i am not vegan is because i always felt ill until i started to eat some meat. I would say about 1/12th to 1/14th of my diet is meat and animal related foods. All the meat i buy comes from a halal organic butcher. I have even called the farms where the animals live. I only buy organic free range dairy too. BUT we use soy milk and we only have yogurt and some cheeses that are dairy. (Soy cheese is very expensive).

Most new vegans and vegetarians fall for the "jelly is a tasty and ok desert to eat". Most commercial jelly crystals contain gelatin which is usually made from ground up bones. AGAR is a seeweed product that has no taste and has the same setting properties as Gelatin.

[CluckySC]

Hey, curious. Do you guys make allowances for anything?

For me I make allowances for thai food. I still choose the veg options obviously but I pretend not to know that they contain fish sauce or sometimes oyster sauce. I do this because without being able to eat wheat it would leave my going out choices just to chips and salad and oh oh those chips are probably frozen in bluddy beef fat.

Chelle - Good for you not eating palm oil! I'm addicted to those freedom foods wheat free dairy free everything free hazelnut choc covered biscuits (I wont tell you how many I ate today. I think I just put on a kilo thinking about it ). I'm fairly sure they contain half the worlds supply of palm oil (ie hydrolyzed vege fat). *sigh* Why does junk food taste good???

[canberramomma]

I tried the rice milk in my coffee and I much prefer that to soy. I haven't seen nut milk, but if it contains nuts, it's a no go in my house anyway as DS is allergic.

We don't eat much takeaway or anything, but when I go out or to other peoples houses, I will just stick to vegetarian foods and not push the vegan envelope.

We can't eat eat most Asian foods as loads of them use either peanut oil or shrimp paste (DH is allergic to shellfish).

I'm really strict about a lot of things (just my ethics) and make most of my own stuff from scratch so that I know what's
in it.

Most other mummies think I'm a little crazy!

[MsMummy]

I've decided to stop being a whiny self-pitying whiner and have another crack at veganism.

I had a good start, with a dairy-free first day. I went to the supermarket and bought some vegan comfort food though, including:

- Chocolate soy milk
- Fruit toast (with Nuttelex)
- Wallaby bars (certified wallaby free though)

I managed to stay away from the soy/dark chocolate as I need to kick my chocolate habit, generally.

I'll just need to be a bit more organised when I go out, and start baking again. Although every vegan cake I've ever made has been a disaster... I can do vegan cookies though.

[canberramomma]

Have you tried this site?
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

She has a wicked recipe for chocolate and beetroot cake!