hi I'm new
Hi there! I'm a brand new vegetarian, I'm only a few days in. I saw a TV program about factory farmed animals and it was incredibly life-changing. I have never particularly thought about vegetarianism, but after seeing this program and reading on the PETA and some related websites, I cannot ever imagine eating animal products again. It just struck a place deep in me that I don't even think I knew I had. I knew that the industry wasn't pretty but I had no idea.
I'm 35 yo, married with 2 kids ages 3.5 yo and 1.5 yo and we live in Portland, OR. I'm hoping that the transition won't be too difficult. My husband was a vegetarian for 8 years before he met me and we eat far less meat than the average american family. I think the hardest part for me will be giving up milk for my morning coffee. My kids and husband drink rice milk (ironically I'm the only cow's milk drinker in the house!) but I dont really like the taste of rice or soy milk for coffee.
I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I feel comfortable with - lots of baked goods that I love have eggs and butter in them! what about fish? I guess that's something that all vegetarians go through, lol.
welcome :)!
Hi, lowfatmuffin. Being vegan isn't a sacrifice once you know a few tricks. Most of us have cravings for food we had as a child and a lot of us grew up as omnis (meat eaters), so there are a lot of meat analog recipes available.
Milk - Have you tried almond milk? That's what I drink, and I don't like rice or soy milk.
Baked Goods - A lot of baked goods call for eggs when they're not really needed, they're just insurance, according to a cook I know. The easiest way to substitute egg in a lot of baked goods is to get a box of Ener-G egg substitute. Since you're in Portland, it should be easy to find. A vegan butter is any variety of Earth Balance or the light version (only) of Smart Balance. Check out the Vegan Food & Cooking board and you'll see that we love baked goods.
Fish - I don't know too much about fish, since I didn't like fish before I became vegan. You can approximate tuna with chickpeas. Type in "tuna" in the search field and you'll get "tuna" recipes.
Welcome to VegWeb! We are an insane group of people that love each other, bicker with each other and agree to disagree. But we all have one thing in common. A more peaceful earth with less cruelty to animals and better health.
Post often so we get to know you more! :-)
Veg On!
Di
Hey! Nice to meet ya. I'm in Missoula, MT...and you're closer to me than any Vegwebbers I know! I think you can find EVERYTHING you are looking for here on vegweb (VW)....all recipes..substitutes for everything...
Have you watched Earthlings? It's also very life changing...and heart wrenching: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1282796533661048967
You might also want to post in the roll call thread: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=13109.0
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Welcome!! Always good to have a new VegWebber!
There are a many recipes on here that will make the transition easy, fun and above all DELICIOUS. And the Cooking board is a treasure trove of experienced cooks.
Careful tho--this place is addictive. ;D
Hello and Welcome! I completely agree with Yabbitgirl, this site is very addictive. :)
Make sure you take advantage of all the wonderful recipes here on VegWeb. I have yet to make a recipe from here that I didn't like. This site is a wealth of information so peruse all the forums if you can - you never know what you'll learn.
Welcome
You have come to the right place to find answers to all your vegan queries. Happy recipe hunting....oh, your family is going to love what you're cooking now :)
As for the milk for coffee, I love Rich's Coffee Rich. It's in the freezer section & tastes just like real cream....only cheaper ;)
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Just like others said above--the most difficult part will be your transition (so hopefully only the first month or two!) once you figure out what you can and can not eat and what you substitute for what and get your tastebuds aclimated to the faux dairy you will be all set!
If you're concerned about baked goods--omg! we have a billion yummy recipies on here! I reccomend checking out the basic white cake recipe and the chocolate walnut banana cookie recipe on here--the cake is so yummy and easy and you can make so many changes to it to suit what you want! And the cookies--well hell! There just good! :D oh I forgot! Earth Balance buttery spread replaces your butter--you'll never know the difference!
Defintely try the chickpea salad sandwich Yabbit suggested--it is good! So easy to make! Grab a can of chikpeas, smooch the desired quantity (about 1/2 cup per sandwhich) add in mustard and sweet relsih (or vegan mayo and dill pickles--what ever you normal put in your tuna salad!) and than put on toasted whole wheat bread (add some tomatoes too yum!!!) There is no way you will not like this!
Well--hope that helps a little! Welcome again to the community and don't hesitate to ask any questions! Good luck in your journey!
Welcome! Try vanilla hempmilk! Its yum in tea and stuff.
:waassup: :howdy: ;D
Thank you all so much for making me feel so welcome! I can see just from your replies that I have a LOT of research to do, mainly to figure out which dairy/egg substitutes I like and also to learn about all of the terms that I'm seeing in people's profiles (lacto-vegetarian? ovo-lacto vegan? I'll figure it out!). I enjoy cooking and look forward to finding new recipes to make for my family. Luckily we already eat tons and tons of organic fruits and vegetables, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem figuring out what to add to our stir fries and crockpot meals in place of chicken and beef.
Thanks again to everyone. I can tell that this is a really great community.
Welcome!!
Good luck with everything. This forum is always here to answer questions for you.
just curious... what tv show did you watch? we recently had a discussion about the episode of 30 days with the hunter going into a vegan household. that episode was so good and moving! i was wondering if it was that or if there was another informative tv show about veganism!
oh and.... WELCOME!
:smileteeth: Welcome to the oasis!
It was the 30 days program about the hunter who lives with a vegan family. I was just stunned. I think I knew that veal cows didn't live in the best conditions, but I could have never imagined what I saw. I had no idea about the life of dairy cows and egg laying hens. No idea at all. I seriously had this image in my head that milk and eggs come from happy cows and chickens frolicking about a happy farm all day. I consider myself well-educated and informed on things, but this one apparently just slid right past me until I saw the episode of 30 days. I think that everyone should have to see that. If people in this country really knew what was happening, it wouldn't be allowed to happen much longer.
www.meat.org Watching this video made it so much easier for me to stick to my guns, but be aware that this is not stuff that you want to see or believe. I have not seen the show you are talking about since I don't watch tv, but I guess that it is close to what is on this website.
that episode was sooo good! after watching it, i thought, 'this HAS to encourage at least someone to go vegetarian'. I'm really glad that it was that powerful to meat eaters as well as veggies!
If people in this country really knew what was happening, it wouldn't be allowed to happen much longer.
I don't know anything about the show, and I've definitely never seen it...but did the hunter become vegan? Did "it" change the hunter's mind? I mean..if he experienced it..shouldn't he "know the truth"? Oh how I would love it if all educated (on veganism) people would change their lifestyles....but people (most) just keep their minds closed...and won't believe what the truth is.
I'm not trying to downplay your transition AT ALL, and I think it's grand. I just wish it really could be as you describe.
Tell me how the hunter was after his experience.
If people in this country really knew what was happening, it wouldn't be allowed to happen much longer.
I don't know anything about the show, and I've definitely never seen it...but did the hunter become vegan? Did "it" change the hunter's mind? I mean..if he experienced it..shouldn't he "know the truth"? Oh how I would love it if all educated (on veganism) people would change their lifestyles....but people (most) just keep their minds closed...and won't believe what the truth is.
I'm not trying to downplay your transition AT ALL, and I think it's grand. I just wish it really could be as you describe.
Tell me how the hunter was after his experience.
Ally--you can see the whole episode on hulu! www.hulu.com it's under the TV section!!! I still haven't watched it either--I was worried about the content--it just breaks my heart to see the suffering and I figure since I am already vegan and an animal rights activist I get a pass on watching that stuff! But I am really glad the show had a powerful effect on people!
coincidentally I went veg after watching Morgan Spurlocks "Super Size Me" obviously it has nothing to do with animal rights, but getting all that info on fast food, junk food, etc. made me realize I can't put shit in my mouth--veg is the only way to go these days--everything else is too polluted!
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