(OT) Any vegans out there?

[Uzumaki]

Hi, everyone. I'm switching to veganosity after reading Fast Food Nation. Does anyone know of really, really easy and good recipes for beginners? I live in San Diego, in the hippiest region, so soy-based products and organic food, etc, shouldn't be hard to come by. There's also a huge Japanese/Asian marketplace nearby, likely with healthier and less messed up foods, too. So, any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[Olive]

I've got some advice, not so much on recipies etc. but one general lifestyle choices.

Being vegan is a good thing, I was vegan for two and a half years, and I felt good etc.

But know when to set limits. When you find yourself reading every ingredients label, and checking it against your list of e numbers, and writing to sugar companies to check what method of refinement they use, you are fast heading down the burnout road. Care, but don't obsess or life becomes no fun.

 

[Uzumaki]

I thik I'm too lazy to do any of that, but thanks for the advice.

 

[Thorntangle]

I've been vegan for over 2 years now. Eating vegan is a lot easier than most people think. It's worth a little time and effort to read about the source of animal ingredients in food, but as Olive said, only put as much effort into it as you feel comfortable. I've heard of some people burning out, but I don't see it happening to me. It's just not that hard.

A lot of people tell me they would try eating vegetarian or vegan, but they love cheese/ice cream too much. I always tell them to go ahead and try being vegetarian, but still eat cheese or ice cream. It's not about feeling deprived. It's about doing some good for yourself and the planet.

I personally am a pretty strict vegan, but that being said, I am lazy. I'm not going to be a great source of recipe advice because I am all about convenience and don't like to cook. You live in an area that is saturated with great sources of vegetarian food. All those Trader Joe's and Whole Food Markets make it so easy. As do all the vegetarian and ethnic restaurants in SoCal.

You can walk into most Whole Food Markets and the bakery section will have fresh vegan apple pies and cakes in stacks. Go to the freezer section for soy ice cream, Boca Burgers, and Amy's frozen meals including pizza. Run by the energy bar section and pick up a load of Clif Bars and Luna Bars. All vegan.

Keep in mind you will need to take vitamin B-12. You will need supplements since our modern society gets most of its B-12, a bacterially derived vitamin, from meat. An ironic twist since our ancestors probably got most of their B-12 from vegetables and other sources. Essentially B-12 comes from dirt, and as we have become cleaner over time, we have eliminated a lot of dirt from our diet. Just drink Silk or another fortified soy milk and you'll get your calcium, D and B-12.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Videssian]

If you're looking for more info about the whole vegan thing, you might want to have a look at vegsource , there's a lot of useful info there.. in addition to various links they do host a lot of different forums as well, including at least one geared to people considering a vegan diet.. and if you're interested in the reasons/rationale for the raw vegan approach, you can check that out too at http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html

 

[Sixchan]

Nope, I'm the opposite of vegan.

I'm the sick person who sees pictures of animal torture in factories and gets hungry.
I don't eat any vegetables, except for Potatoes (fried or oven-baked chip form) And no fruits except for Tomatoes (and only in sauce and Pizza puree form).
And despite my deadly eating habits, I'm as thin as a stick. Of course, I'll have probable Intestinal cancer by the time I'm 35, but life's a *****, isn't it?


But hey, if you wanna live twice as long as me, that's your choice.

 

[Umbran]

One thing that many folks don't consider much when changing diet is what it does to your social group. Depending on how strict you want to be, you're going to be forcing your friends to make some changes, too. All decisions regarding social events and food are going to have to partially revolve around you:

"Let's have a barbeque!"
"Don't forget the veggie-burgers, soy-cheese, vegan chips, and dairy-free dip for Bill..."

"Let's go out to dinner! It's my birthday, let's go to my favorite restaurant!"
"Um, that place doesn't have good veggie dishes for Bill..."

And so on.

This is not to say that you shouldn't do it, but just as your diet matters to you, so do your friends. Take 'em both into consideration.

 

[KenM]

I respect other peoples way of eating, ect, but i agree with the theory "stay fit and healthy until you are dead" I'm going to eat foods I like, and taste good, and enjoy life, rather then eat something that i don't like.

 

[Taloras]

Nope, I'm the opposite of vegan.

I'm the sick person who sees pictures of animal torture in factories and gets hungry.
I don't eat any vegetables, except for Potatoes (fried or oven-baked chip form) And no fruits except for Tomatoes (and only in sauce and Pizza puree form).
And despite my deadly eating habits, I'm as thin as a stick. Of course, I'll have probable Intestinal cancer by the time I'm 35, but life's a *****, isn't it?


But hey, if you wanna live twice as long as me, that's your choice.

Damn...someone almost -exactly- like me....
I only eat potatoes, garlic, and....tomatoes if they are on a pizza. If its in the produce section of the grocery store, and its not one of the first 2.....i ignore it. Completely. That stuff is just NASTY.

 

[Enceladus]

The 1974 Vega