Veganism

[A Better World]

Ive been a vegetarian for years now but i recently decided to make the crossover to veganism. It had always been something i wanted to do but never had enough motivation to do it, the reasons i stopped eating meat made it contradictory to eat dairy too, and i finally made the commitment last week. I know there are probably a fair amount of vegans on this site and i wondered if anyone had some suggestions on what to eat, preferably on a low income, to stay healthy. Also id like to hear other peoples opinions on veganism/vegetarianism, reasons why they are or arent.

[Probe]

i recently bought vegetarian sausages ...im not vegan...but yea...
5 aussie bucks...

[Milan]

Well, I admire the lifestyle of the people who are,
and as a idealist, I can understand why people would become one,
but for me it's not quite an option,
because I think I'd only be limiting myself more than helping the world.

I think I'm just not fitting in the lifestyle,
but I think it's great you are one,
keep up the good work!

[back2front]

You can get fruit and vegetables very cheaply in most places, and you can buy a book and improve your cooking skills (which is self-empowering in its own way) - "Another Dinner Is Possible" from Active Distribution is quite a good one.

There is an illusion that to be vegetarian/vegan you need to live off articial and highly processed flesh substitutes like vegeburgers and the like. These are handy for transitioning from one diet to another, or if you're on the hop, but they are relatively expensive and nutritionally poor like all other highly processed foods.

There are a number of discussions on other threads on this site if you care to take a look about reasons why you might become vegan and it might be best to have a look there.

The things you need to look out for:

Vitamin D is made by the interaction of sunlight on skin - you need to have about 30mins exposure daily so those living in more Northern areas when sunlight is poor in winter might consider eating more mushrooms such as Maitake and Shitake, eating fortified foods or taking a supplement.

Vitamin B12 is made by bacteria - a common source was natural springs and wells but these are often polluted. The Hunza peoples leave a little bit of soil on their produce and get the B12 that way. The best source of B12 is probably the green algae Spirulina. Even people eating flesh should consider that they need to eat organ parts to get sufficient B12. Yeast extracts contain high amounts. Again you can also eat fortified foods or use a supplement.

You need to eat proteins which provide all 8 essential amino acids so include pumpkin seeds and soya in your diet.

Best thing is to eat widely from vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds etc and to eat as little processed food as possible.

[Rathryn]

I'm gonna get flak for this... but fuck it.
I am not vegan, not vegetarian and I don't really care.
I've stated somewhere else that I was too stubborn to go vegetarian/vegan, but in fact I just don't want to. I think it would actually be bad for me (for reasons that sound too wacky or spiritual for some, so PM if you really want to know).
Though, I WOULD prefer to raise my own animals, hunt for myself and fish for myself. I see no reason to have giant amounts of animals and subsequently farms that destroy natural habitats and emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide.
See? I DID give it SOME thought.

[Anom]

I'm vegan with a low budget, so i eat a lot of rice and beans. The trick for boiling dried beans is to first let them lie in water as it says on the bag, but rather a bit longer then shorter time. Then rinse them, put them in a pot with new water, let it start boiling then rinse and change water again. This second change of water makes all the difference; it makes them taste better and it creates less gasses. Let it boil until the consistense is good (feel it by biteing one) and this time add some salt in the water, only a little.
After it's done, rinse again and let them cool off, and if you make a lot at once you might want to freeze them. If you do, put them in a plastic bag. When they've frozen you can easily bash the bag against something and you can then get out just the amount you want.

Cheapest vegan thing to put on sandwiches is jam, all those soy cheeses are awesome but really expensive.

Best suggestion i have for you is to start reading on every label on everything you might want to buy. Print out a list of animalic E-numbers and bring it with you at all times. You'll be surprised by in how surprising things there are animal products, and also sometimes by what things are vegan. I for example have a friend who found baconcrisps that were vegan...

Good luck!

[Probe]

urgh...really i gotta hand it to you vegans....
i cant even eat a normal sandwich and you eat it with JAM???

[Anom]

Haha vegans doesn't have to eat jam sandwiches
What do you eat?

[Rathryn]

E-Numbers wouldn't work for anyone outside Europe tho :p
The E stands for approved by the EU :p

[Bunny]

Its been said but again fruits and veggies are pretty cheap as are nuts and seeds. Also grab some nut butters (i prefer almond butter myself). It help give you some protein and extra fats that your diet may lack. Another cheap option is hummus, and it goes well with a lot of stuff and lasts a while.
Anom's right, make a list and bring it around with you, its amazing what you can find that's vegan.
Finally, if you can, go to farmer's markets. I've found that their produce is high quality and generally a little cheaper.
Hope that helps a little

[Rathryn]

I suggest going to (farmer's) markets anyway!
Unless you actually have a decent veggie-shop near you, which is sorely lacking here in Holland 0.o
The only things that are NOT part of a chain around here are Asian "toko's" and assorted Arabian shops.

[easy e]

after wanting to switch for years, but never really having the willpower to do it, i made the switch from straight-up carnivore to vegan in one day. or at least i thought i did, until 8 days after making the switch my cousin read the ingredient list off of a box of (what i assumed to be) vegan friendly veggieburgers. turns out they had egg whites in them. i guess it's my fault for assuming they were vegan friendly without completely reading up on them, but needless to say i was still pissed. haven't tried again yet, but i want to. soon.

[Anom]

Ok, so i got to learn something new about E-numbers too
Here, at least during winter, fruits and vegetables are really expensive, and nuts and seeds are never cheap here. I still buy as much of it as i can, but i''d love to be able to eat much more of it.

[Ivanovich]

I would say if you want to be vegan you got to cook yourself from basic ingredients, otherwise you gonna get ripped off, and you can never be sure what they put into stuff anyway. You can pretty much forget about eating out, mostly.

[Carcass]

easy e, I hope that your accidental consumption of egg whites didn't end your attempt at being vegan! Everyone makes mistakes and a lot of people backslide when they first try to make the shift. Once you get past the three week mark, your tastebuds start to adjust and it gets a lot easier. After six months, it becomes second nature. If you believe it's the right thing to do, don't let anything stand in your way!

[Anom]

True, everyone makes mistakes like that. I've done quite a few myself. But i think as long as you try your best to eat a vegan diet, if that is what you want, that's what counts. It's not as if those mistakes are made out of not trying, so just stop eating those burgers and keep up the veganism!

[punkjoke]

It fuckin pisses me off everytime I go to the grocery store And as I read the labels and realizes how much animal products are in everything you wouldn't think off. I mean, why do they need to put pig fat in pea soup..

[punkmar77]

True, everyone makes mistakes like that. I've done quite a few myself. But i think as long as you try your best to eat a vegan diet, if that is what you want, that's what counts. It's not as if those mistakes are made out of not trying, so just stop eating those burgers and keep up the veganism!

unless the burgers are made from black bean patties!mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Repeatedhumanstrikes]

after wanting to switch for years, but never really having the willpower to do it, i made the switch from straight-up carnivore to vegan in one day. or at least i thought i did, until 8 days after making the switch my cousin read the ingredient list off of a box of (what i assumed to be) vegan friendly veggieburgers. turns out they had egg whites in them. i guess it's my fault for assuming they were vegan friendly without completely reading up on them, but needless to say i was still pissed. haven't tried again yet, but i want to. soon.

DON'T DO IT! IT MAKES YOU AN ASSHOLE

[manvsmaritoni]

i was recently told about how combine harvesters collecting wheat chew through a lot of animals as well. i fucking hate the meat industry and would like to see elite ceos treated like those animals they so enjoy torturing. i do not believe it is wrong to hunt your own fish or cattle. i eat meat though generally it is free and would go to waste if i didnt eat it. i have been a veggie before and i think its great to do. i dont see how you can be a full vegan due to things like my first sentence but i think it is also a great thing to do, because at least the damage is being cut down. kudos and much respect to veggies and vegans.