Results 1 to 18 of 18

Thread: The vegetarian/vegan thread

  1. #1
    God/dess loveandluxury's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2008
    Location
    In my box
    Posts
    2,358
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I went vegetarian about 2 years ago and lasted for a month. I went back to it about 3 months ago and I love it! I cook vegetarian meals for dinner and my husband and son eat with me but last week I wanted to do something nice for my husband and make him a steak so I ventured into the meat section of the grocery store for the first time in 3 months. I actually shuddered because I was thinking of what those poor cows must have gone through at the slaughterhouse.

    I wanted to start a thread with anything and everything vegetarian/vegan! Let's share recipes, stories and whatever else you can think of

    I made vegetarian chili for the first time last night and it was soooooo good!

    Animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends.
    - George Bernard Shaw

  2. #2
    God/dess pookie's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    3,508
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 36 Times in 6 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I have been a vegetarian for a few days shy of 10 years now. I don't ever regret that choice. I stopped eating fish and seafood when I was a kid tho. I wish I went full veg sooner.




  3. #3
    God/dess Emily's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    11,302
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 143 Times in 72 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    Vegetarian for almost 4 years.

    I'm struggling with vegan. Vegetarian is ridiculously easy. Every restaurant has a vegetarian option. Foods don't have trace amounts of meat in them, like they do milk and egg. Plus the idea of meat is disgusting to me. I don't want to eat rotting flesh. I'm not tempted. Milk though...I don't find it repulsive.

    But vegan. it's fine if I'm cooking for myself, but if I want to go out with my omnivore friends, I'm stuck. We almost always go to a Japanese restaurant, which is fine, because I can get vegan easily there. But sometimes they want to expand their options, especially my boyfriend....who I live with and eats meat/milk/egg.

    Or traveling abroad is very difficult because many times they don't even know what vegan means. I'll end up eating things like breads and desserts that I know are not vegan, but I avoid stuff that is really egg and milk heavy, like custards, pudding, ice cream, etc.

    I just got an e-mail from my friend saying she tried, but they can't accomodate vegan at her wedding, but they can do vegetarian. I don't want her to worry about little stuff like this, so I told her to just do the vegetarian.

    I am my own kind of vegan...."almost vegan." Anyway, vegan is challenge, but only when I leave my house.

  4. #4
    God/dess
    Joined
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    3,422
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 16 Times in 16 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I go vegetarian off and on. I'm very bad at vegan. It's too hard and makes me miserable. As it is, I'm convinced my O pos blood needs some animal sourced b12 to keep on keeping on. But for ethical and environmental reasons, I try my best.

    Also, the way I cry if I hit a bird with my car or something...one likes to be consistent. Personal hypocrisy is demoralizing, if hard to avoid.

  5. #5
    God/dess Emily's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    11,302
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 143 Times in 72 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    yeah, I've heard that about O blood types. I really wonder how much blood type has to do with diet requirements, but it's hard for me to tell because I'm blood type A and I'm supposed to thrive on a diet with very little animal protein, according to everything I read on the subject.

    Anyway, not everyone can do 100% vegetarian or 100% vegan, and I feel guilty too. Sometimes the options seem like all or nothing and that sucks.

    Plus it's hard to feed dogs and cats the same way. On many levels I hate everything factory farming stands for, so I don't want to support it, but I also want the best for my animals. I talked to my vet and she said it was okay to put dogs on a vegetarian diet, but not my cat or ferrets. So I did (there are actually a lot of veg dog foods commercially available) and they did well on it, but they had the nastiest shits and farts. So I wanted to change them, especially since I recently adopted a shelter dog that was way underweight.

    I have compromised on pet food made with wild fish as its primary source of protein for my dogs and cat. I don't know what else to do, especially with my ferrets. Ferrets are strict carnivores and eat mammals naturally. I don't want to feed them poultry or fish.

  6. #6
    God/dess pookie's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    3,508
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 36 Times in 6 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I have never tried to go vegan. I thought about it, but I like eggs and I'm obsessed with cheese.




  7. #7
    Featured Member keira0304's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,362
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 32 Times in 14 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    Quote Originally Posted by mollyzmoon View Post
    I go vegetarian off and on. I'm very bad at vegan. It's too hard and makes me miserable. As it is, I'm convinced my O pos blood needs some animal sourced b12 to keep on keeping on. But for ethical and environmental reasons, I try my best.

    Also, the way I cry if I hit a bird with my car or something...one likes to be consistent. Personal hypocrisy is demoralizing, if hard to avoid.
    I'm curious as to where you try to get b12 from when you're eating veg. Have you tried spirulina. Greens+ makes a powder mix you put in water or smoothies that has a ton of spirulina and other sea vegetables and veggies in it that is supposed to be the BEST source of B12 for vegans.


    and.... as for me, I've been wanting to be vegetarian since I was born! I HATED meat as a kid and my parents had to force me to eat it, like leave me at the dinner table by myself and not let me go to bed until I ate it. I hated red meat and fish the most, and NEVER ate it. I think it was completely cut out of my diet by at 9-10. Around age 12, I was still eating chicken, but cut it out little by little, and around age 15 I was fully vegetarian. I never really knew about slaughterhouses or how it affected the planet, I always just thought it was disgusting to eat dead flesh. When I was 16 in high school I had to research factory farming and USDA standards or something like that for a debate topic, I found a PETA video, and went vegan the next day and never went back. I never missed anything- I never really liked cheese, dairy or yogurt, the only thing I missed was ice cream, and I could get that vegan and it tasted even better -so no problem there. I have always hated the taste and IDEA of eggs, so that wasn't a problem either. It was REALLY easy for me to go both vegetarian and vegan, I was born with no taste for animal products- I only wish my parents let me avoid meat when I was a kid, I would have been able to go vegetarian sooner and save more animals, and I probably would have naturally gone vegan if they had allowed me to do that and not thought that I would collapse if I didn't eat eggs and milk.

    So... it's been almost 4 years since I've been vegan, and about 6 since I've been fully vegetarian (i'm almost 20). I've been interested in raw foodism for the last year, and over the past 6 months, have been incorporating more and more raw foods into my diet, cutting out soy almost completely (no tofu, tempeh, seitan, soy sauce, soy milk, veg ice cream made w/ soy), and eliminating processed vegan foods. I've found that even over the last 4 years I've been vegan, companies have come out with SO many products that make it so much easier for the typical person who eats the SAD diet to convert, 4 years ago when I started it wasn't as "easy" with all the faux stuff as it is now. They have faux EVERYTHING. The majority of the faux products are not healthy.

    My diet consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts and amazing meal powder (it's made of rice protein and has powdered sea vegetables, greens and herbs like nettles, 100% RDA of every vitamin). I have a smoothie with the protein powder for breakfast, snack on nuts, dried fruit or a raw food bar throughout the day, and have a big salad full of veggies for dinner. The only things I eat that are cooked right now are sprouted grain tortillas (i put my salads in them sometimes) and my protein powder isn't 100% raw.

    It's really weird living in portland, a really health conscious city full of vegan and vegetarian friendly people, restaurants and grocery stores... and then coming to suburban so. fl... full of conventional grocery stores and drive through fast food.... I go to the supermarket and there is NOTHING in it I feel like eating- except the produce section, there is nothing I could even imagine putting in my mouth.

    I eat this way because it feels the most natural to me, I have the most energy and my body feels the best this way. It is expensive initially when you first go vegetarian/vegan, but that's only because you'll probably be investing in new kitchen equipment like a blender, juicer, dehydrator, food processor and you'll be buying lots of expensive ingredients to try out recipes. After a couple months of experimenting, you'll spend way less money on groceries per week, and while it IS more expensive to eat organic whole foods, the return is that you won't have big medical bills down the line, and will most likely live longer and healthier than people who eat processed, dead food.

    If you're vegan/vegetarian and people ask you about it- do you try to get them to go vegan/vegetarian? I am guilty of this when I first went vegan when I was 16, I had just discovered all this information that shocked me and made me really passionate about animal rights and I felt like EVERYONE had to know and that everyone who ate animal products was a MURDERER! I spent my whole senior year of high school being that annoying militant vegan, but by my freshman year of college I learned that no one really listens when you try to "change" them. The best way to inspire change is to lead by example, so that's what I try to do now, and I only talk about veganism if someone asks me. I can't stand when I see PETA in the news doing yet another publicity stunt that is hypocritical and makes us look bad.
    "Life and death, energy and peace. If I stop today it was still worth it. Even the terrible mistakes that I made and would have unmade if I could. The pains that have burned me and scarred my soul, it was worth it, for having been allowed to walk where I've walked, which was to hell on earth, heaven on earth, back again, into, under, far in between, through it, in it, and above."

    [/URL]

  8. #8
    God/dess Emily's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    11,302
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 143 Times in 72 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    No, I don't preach, because I hate when people do it to me, and I want people to eat with me. But if someone asks me about it, yeah, I'll talk all day.

    Last week I went to dinner with my friend and she ordered foie gras. Normally I keep my opinions to myself, but that one I had to get out. I just find that the most repulsive meat product on the market.

    "OMG! You can't get THAT!!! It's disgusting! It's been banned in lots of Europe. UGH." but she obviously really wanted it and I don't want to be That Girl, so I'm like...fine, jsut order it.

  9. #9
    Featured Member keira0304's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,362
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 32 Times in 14 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    eww!!! I wouldn't even GO to a restaurant that served it. I think I remember reading an article about a state or a town that completely banned it, forgot where though.

    A lot of things should be banned that aren't.....veal especially.
    "Life and death, energy and peace. If I stop today it was still worth it. Even the terrible mistakes that I made and would have unmade if I could. The pains that have burned me and scarred my soul, it was worth it, for having been allowed to walk where I've walked, which was to hell on earth, heaven on earth, back again, into, under, far in between, through it, in it, and above."

    [/URL]

  10. #10
    God/dess Emily's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    11,302
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 143 Times in 72 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I think it was Chicago?

    Anyway, I didn't expect to see it on the menu. It was a Japanese restaurant in a casino in Atlantic City.

  11. #11
    Featured Member dangerousdiva's Avatar
    Joined
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Saint to Sin
    Posts
    1,268
    Thanks
    31
    Thanked 63 Times in 36 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I go vegetarian on and off too. I was a vegetarian most of my life, seriously unconsciously until I was ~26, when I started eating sea food. So, now I guess I'm the dreaded pescatarian, I hate labels though. Why does it matter?

    I have to say SW opened my eyes to some things about factory farming and the abuse of animals. I never even considered that when I was vegetarian, I just find meat utterly repulsive

    I have never had a steak, hamburger or ribs in my life. I did eat chicken as a kid but rarely and by the time I was ten years old I gave that up too. The chewy bristle in chicken, bleh. I'm allergic to eggs and milk but I can eat them if they are baked in things like bread and such.

    I do adore sea food though, I try to get wild caught and I don't eat it all the time but ...I don't know if I can give it up.

    I think someone said Veganism is not about purity but about making the best choices you can. I like that.

    I have been curious about what Vegans do when they travel, especially over seas. Like Emily stated it's easy to find Veg options at restaurants but not Vegan. My problem with most Veg options in restaurants, is that they don't have a lot of protein and are just full of refined/processed carbs. I try to eat whole unprocessed foods as much as possible.

    Anyways, I eat a lot fake meats now and I never did before but that's because ten years ago that stuff tasted like cardboard, but they've come along way since then.

    Also, about pet food. I have also heard cats are carnivores. What is an animal friendly food that I can feed my cat?

    PS
    What the hell is foie gras?

  12. #12
    God/dess Emily's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    11,302
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 143 Times in 72 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    Quote Originally Posted by dangerousdiva View Post
    What the hell is foie gras?
    goose liver pate, but the way it's produced it really barbaric. It's banned in a lot of places because of the cruelty towards geese.

    Google it if you want to see what I'm talking about. People get all pissed when I post pictures of factory farming on SW.

  13. #13
    Banned jasmine's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2002
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    1,728
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    Quote Originally Posted by pookie View Post
    I have never tried to go vegan. I thought about it, but I like eggs and I'm obsessed with cheese.
    Cheese is the one things that makes going vegan impossible for me (well, that and chocolate). Cheese is fantastic with everything!

    Meat = gross
    Eggs = ehh, whatever
    Milk = take it or leave it
    Cheese & Chocolate = I would be a danger to society without them.

  14. #14
    Veteran Member
    Joined
    Oct 2005
    Location
    On Top Of The World!
    Posts
    530
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 114 Times in 86 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    *** Made these bad boys for breakfast THIS morning... Enjoy! ***

    - Recipe courtesy of: <http://www.vegweb.com>


    --- EGG McVEGANS ---

    - Ingredients (Use either vegan or vegetarian versions):

    1 pound extra firm tofu
    1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 package veggie Canadian bacon
    Cheese of your choice (one that melts well, of course!)
    English muffins
    Butter/Margarine
    Vegannaise (optional)

    Directions:

    - Preheat oven to 450? degrees.

    - Take the block of extra firm tofu and press it to get as much of the water out as you can. After you do that you take a drinking glass which is about the same size around at the top as the English muffins are, cut around the cup (or if you want, press the glass into the tofu), so that the tofu comes out round in shape.

    - Take the round piece of tofu and cut it in half horizontally, so you end up with two circular pieces. Take the two halves and cut those into thirds, so that you end up with six round pieces of tofu that are about 1/2 inch thick. If you don't want to make 6 English muffins you can cut the tofu into four pieces if you like, which will yield a thicker egg.

    - On a rimmed baking sheet, pour the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt and mix together. Put the tofu on this mixture and coat both sides. Bake for 10 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for another 10 minutes. (I usually cut up the extra little pieces of tofu and include them in the cooking, they are good to snack on).

    - Place the veggie Canadian bacon on a large frying pan on a medium low to low heat, flip it often and don't allow it to dry up, as it will turn up on the edges.

    - After the tofu pieces are baked, turn off the heat and place a slice of cheese on top of each of the tofu rounds. Place back in the oven to allow the vegan cheese to melt.

    - Toast the English muffins, and slather both sides with your spread of choice (butter, margarine, vegannaise or just leave it alone!)

    - Place one of the cheesy tofu rounds and Canadian bacon slices between the English muffin halves, salt and pepper to taste (if you want) and they are ready to eat!

    *** Wrap any leftovers (not likely in my house, lol) in waxed paper and voila! Now you've got breakfast to go!


    - Serves: 6

    - Preparation time: 25 minutes
    [/SIZE][/SIZE]
    [/FONT]

  15. #15
    Veteran Member Luxurious1's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Daytona Beach
    Posts
    655
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    ^ gonna try that one! I've been veg for awhile now. I just feel better..

  16. #16
    Featured Member keira0304's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,362
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 32 Times in 14 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    Quote Originally Posted by jasmine View Post
    Cheese is the one things that makes going vegan impossible for me (well, that and chocolate). Cheese is fantastic with everything!

    Meat = gross
    Eggs = ehh, whatever
    Milk = take it or leave it
    Cheese & Chocolate = I would be a danger to society without them.
    chocolate is vegan!!! adding unnecessary animal ingredients makes it not vegan. But naturally, it is vegan.

    There's Green&Black's organic chocolate, endangered species chocolate, dagoba chocolate.... lots of dairy-free chocolate available! There's also chocolate ice cream that's vegan
    "Life and death, energy and peace. If I stop today it was still worth it. Even the terrible mistakes that I made and would have unmade if I could. The pains that have burned me and scarred my soul, it was worth it, for having been allowed to walk where I've walked, which was to hell on earth, heaven on earth, back again, into, under, far in between, through it, in it, and above."

    [/URL]

  17. #17
    God/dess CKXXX's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2008
    Location
    in my head
    Posts
    3,467
    Thanks
    20
    Thanked 300 Times in 181 Posts

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    I was a strict vegetarian for years...lately I've been craving protein that soy and other sources dont stop. So I've started eating a little chicken and fish. But I still eat veggie about 85% of the time. I cant eat red meat because of my pancreatits and I cant stand pork or game or anything like that. I'm planning to wean myself down to total veggie again though.

    Quote Originally Posted by lexilou View Post
    "I'll picklepunch you in your twatwaffle!"

  18. #18
    Featured Member glitzy's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2008
    Location
    down by the bay, ca
    Posts
    773
    Thanks
    821
    Thanked 319 Times in 138 Posts
    My Mood
    Sneaky

    Default Re: The vegetarian/vegan thread

    i am vegan, but i eat seafood (mostly raw, nigiri sushi) from time to time because my body craves it & it is a good source of protein. i got anemia in high school from being a vegetarian (mind you, a really shitty one) so now i make sure to eat primarily fruits & veggies with the sporadic seafood protein boost. it's what works for me...i eat vegan to function better, but i only do if i have this one comprimise.

Similar Threads

  1. I'm a vegetarian!
    By loveandluxury in forum Body Business
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 05-22-2008, 09:13 PM
  2. I want to go vegetarian...
    By ajbaer in forum Body Business
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 04-30-2008, 12:15 PM
  3. Vegetarian Desserts?
    By Zinaida in forum Body Business
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 03-23-2008, 11:35 PM
  4. going vegetarian
    By Darcy Foxx in forum Body Business
    Replies: 67
    Last Post: 03-11-2008, 07:41 AM
  5. Vegetarian or not?
    By Miss Courtney in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 74
    Last Post: 02-12-2007, 11:43 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •