Vegan january

[viagrafalls]

Anyone else doing this? I am veggie anyway but have been starting to get quite serious about the principles behind it recently and am going to give it a go. MY OH is a meat-eater, so I'm also wondering if it's possible to have both views in the household.

[PitPatKitKat]

Thinking about it. I eat meat/fish but no dairy at the moment. Have been both vegetarian and vegan for various spells for ethical reasons in the past, have never found quite the right balance health wise.

When I go vegetarian I always get compelled by principle to go vegan, then I get really tired after about a year and the cycle starts again. Cottoned on a couple of years ago that it was dairy that was a digestive and skin trigger, so have been dairy free for two years and that is really working for me. Have to avoid pulses for similar reasons, so have been thinking that could have been what vegan tricky for me before.

However, at the moment, I eat 5/6 small meals a day, all bar one are meat free. So I have been thinking that a vegan January could be a good plan, either to see if it works log term, or at the very least could help me cut back on meat consumption more (to e.g. once or twice a week).

Easy enough practically to have both views in the house I think, but might be different if either of you have an objection to the other's way of eating.

DH usually eats the same as me, but he makes himself a small roast (chicken, silverside or lamb/pork shoulder) every few days and for the next few days eats some of it alongside whatever vegan meal we have.

If he fancies a change he makes a pot of chilli/bolognese and intersperses that with the roast (and freezes some in portions too for next time he fancies a change). Or some times he has a prawn/squid stirfry he throws together quickly (makes a veggie stir fry for us both, plates mine, throws in seafood at the end). Or he will add some parma ham to a dish.

We also do things like make big trays of roast potatoes and carrots, or sweet potatoes wedges that will last a few meals and keep them in the fridge so it is easy to pull a meal together quickly, even if two different "mains" have to be cooked.

[Ditsy4]

I did it last year and vegan dd is egging (sorry) me on to repeat. I lost some weight:)

[viagrafalls]

PitPatKitKat that sounds similar to me - I am also dairy free due to skin flare-ups but have been slacking recently and want to kick start my health in the NY and this seems to be a good way to do it. I will admit Ditsy that the fact I may lose weight is going to spur me on greatly.

[PitPatKitKat]

Know what you mean viagrafalls I slipped up a bit at first (usually ice cream) until I got a massive break out on one cheek that taught me a lesson! I have a few dairy free cheats now that work, notably Amy's Kitchen Mac and Cheeze! I try to make vegan food about fresh cooked vegetable based meals rather than making vegan versions of traditional things but sometimes nostalgia takes over.

[PitPatKitKat]

And Ditsy, yes shifting the mince pies is a great motivation!

[DeliveredByKiki]

I'm going to do vegan February with an attempt to do as much as poss for January, but I have a work trip for most of Jan which will be hard to cook and eat vegan 100% of the time.

Currently I'm a fair weather vegan - no meat and only pasture raised eggs at home, avoid daily as much as poss but still eat fish sporadically

[DeliveredByKiki]

Also DH is omni but he gets fed at work lunch so we mainly eat vegan at home anyway, and he's now making an effort to drastically reduce his meat consumption. So it's workable

[viagrafalls]

How did you all do? I managed to abstain from both animal produce and alcohol despite some being in two pubs and a restaurant for dinner. pins smug badge on lapel I shall be feeling super smug tomorrow as everyoe else is pissed has been imbibing all day.

[NewBallsPlease00]

As someone who's currently dairy free for my dc i am currently vegan but with meat/fish/eggs- I feel I only get evough nutrients because of the fish and meat I eat- I am often more stuck for food on the go, and everything has to be planned
I'm often quite hungry and it's not helped as I can't have too many pulses as it upsets my tummy, but in lieu of a milky drink as a filler on go end up with more sugar than i'd like
Very few places cater well for vegan and I often have plain side salad with steak- obv not possible as a true vegan
Just worth considering your lifestyle changes you might need to make aside from the actual food consumption!

[PitPatKitKat]

Viagra falls- yup, yesterday was animal free (and no alcohol).

NewBallsplease found out in the run up to Xmas that Starbucks now do coconut milk as one of their milk options (the new, thinner milk alternative stuff not the high fat-make a thai curry stuff). Have been using that as a stop gap whilst out and about. Great in a latte and also hot chocolate but that's not such a low sugar option.

Spotted that they use the alpro one, which has calcium, vits B12 and D added, so a good vegan option. Been a real life saver- means I can go out for much longer (especially if pop some oatcakes in handbag).

[AbbyCadabby]

NewBalls - vegan means living a life free of animal use. It does not just mean dairy-avoiding.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

am currently vegan but with meat/fish/eggs

That is not remotely vegan! Not even vegetarian.

Very few places cater well for vegan and I often have plain side salad with steak

WTAF?

FYI [Veganism is] "A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

[viagrafalls]

Glad it's not just me that was confused by NewBalls
I'm on day three!

[AbbyCadabby]

Well done, viagra. :)

[LaContessaDiPlump]

I'm vegan and I love the notion of Veganuary so many nice things you can haz!!

My top tip for booze: Sainsburys own brand wine (red and white) is often vegan - think that Winemakers choice stuff. Tinned lager is often also vegan. Badger bottled beer is too - in fact the Barnivore website is excellent for telling you what is and isn't acceptable.

The Post Punk kitchen is a great online resource for vegans, plus Oh She Glows and Thug Kitchen. Jamie Oliver does some good vegan options too.

Holland and Barrett do vegan multivitamins.

On a personal note, DH is an omnivore and so are the DC. We muddle along fine and I often end up buying the meat that they eat, which isn't so bad because I make sure to get the organic 'happier' products. I'm not convinced enough to eat it myself, but it makes me feel slightly better about having it in the house at all if the welfare standards are as high as I can get them.

[viagrafalls]

lacontessa thank-you - I've just noticed the re is another veganuary thread on mumsnet already on its 2nd page so maybe we should all regroup over there

See you there?

[NewBallsPlease00]

Sorry newborn sleep has impacted my ability to explain myself!!
I am currently dairy free- the easiest way to find dairy free on menus is to identify vegan dishes- but- I'm not vegan, or even veggie, so would typically have a plain meat along side a salad or vegan type dish
I'm really sorry for any offence caused
goes back to baby bubble

[LaContessaDiPlump]

Don't worry newballs, that makes sense. You might want to just describe yourself as dairy-free next time though, to stop the rabid vegans biting your head off

[Breadandwine]

Nice intro, guys - see you on the other thread!

[HellesBelles01]

I've been on a couple of Buddhist retreats which were entirely vegan. Breakfast and lunch were easy - cereal, porridge and toast with lots of peanut butter, jam, tahini, diary free spread, and salads and soup for lunch. I much preferred oat milk to soya. Dinner was harder but we had some amazing curries (chick pea/veg), dahl, rice, and someone made some amazing satay sauce to go with roasted veg. I wrote down some of the recipes - if I can dig them out I'll share them here.

I did feel hungry sometimes but at the end of the week I felt lighter and really nourished - easily 5-7 portions of fruit and veg a day, everything homemade, even grown on site in some cases. Definitely need to plan carefully and don't forget that honey is not vegan, like I did