I have been vegan 21 years, and vegetarian since I was 11 years old.

[VeganVeteran]

Obviously the 'movement' has had a lot of attention recently.
AMA :)

What are your go-to quick meals when you can't really be arsed to cook?

maireas I can imagine!I've not been much of a traveller but it is a worry in foreign lands. I've had a plate of tomatoes before now!

LauriePartridge4Eva I know what you mean! nice to 'meet' another fellow vegan, especially with that longitude..

Oimyerda I think everyone would! Touch wood, that's never happened.

There are non-western vegan tribes that have been thus for many years, so I don't think it is western privilege, no.

I guess if I was utterly destitute I may think differently, but thinking about it, a lot of vegan friendly foods are also very cheap.

Barrawarra I am definitely not one of those! I do not bring it up in real life unless it has specific relevance, (eg when I met my partner, or if invited to a dinner party) and I am somewhat secretive about it at e.g a restaurant with people I don't know. A lot easier now we don't have to ask for 'tweaks' to menus!

Alexashutup I LOVE cooking (luckily) so that seldom happens but I love hummus and crackers/breads of any sort, I keep vegan ready meals (my Mother buys me them every time she sees one now they're a thing!) so I could always have those as a go-to. I also constantly have home-made potato wedges in the freezer for when friends visit, and freeze a lot of my curries too so they're an easy option to just defrost.

Ignore if too personal, but have you ever had an eating disorder?

@5zeds

Ignore if too personal, but have you ever had an eating disorder?

A bit when I was very young I think. Between the ages of 7 and 10 I was quite badly bullied, and food became a bit of a comfort, distraction. I hadn't had a weight issue before then either, and my parents came down harshly, which didn't help. Once I'd moved schools it gradually sorted itself out.

How do you feel about meat substitutes? Like quorn, soya, seitan, etc. Do you avoid having them too much or do you embrace them?

DH and I often disagree about this one as I'm not keen and prefer meals filled with vegetables but he enjoys having food that replicate meat. I think the difference may be that he does miss the taste of meat as he went veggie in his teens, whereas I've been veggie my whole life.

@crosbystillsandmash

The questions about growth are so dated, it's the sort of rubbish my grandad would rattle on about when I became veggie

I've been veggie since I was 11 and have raised my 2 dc as strict veggies.
Ds is 16, 6ft and still rapidly growing.
Dd is 5ft 8 and 19
Interestingly they are both a very healthy weight, unlike their cousins who have grown up eating meat!

Hmm, very smug and comparing cousins sizes, how lovely!

Smug?
Factual actually.

And if I was smug (which I'm not) it would be understandable. I've endured 20 years of people 'advising' me that my dc's diet will stunt their growth, cause health problems etc
Turns out it was absolute rubbish but not once have I retaliated or pointed out they were clearly wrong!

@crosbystillsandmash

Smug? Factual actually.

And if I was smug (which I'm not) it would be understandable. I've endured 20 years of people 'advising' me that my dc's diet will stunt their growth, cause health problems etc
Turns out it was absolute rubbish but not once have I retaliated or pointed out they were clearly wrong!

Sure, you’re not smug at all and didn’t enjoy pointing out the ‘healthy weight’ of your children versus their cousins.

Does it have any negative impact on your life? For example, do you limit your use of tech given the animal products contained within? Perhaps that is a positive?

DD has been veggie for two years. I do worry about protein - she doesn’t like cheese (apart from halloumi, paneer) and isn’t keen on meat subs, nor am I. So she’s had lots of lentils/ legumes.
What are your go-to protein dishes?

I’ve been trying.
Lived in Japan a long time, which is a mixed bag- apparently veganism
comes from there, invented by monks so there are still lots of vegan restaurants (or macrobiotic as they tend to call it), and then conversely they also eat absolutely all kinds of meat and seafood. I decided to seriously give it a try when DD and I stumbled across a cafe that had a tofu cake, with tofu cream. It was the creamiest, most delicious thing we had ever eaten and we kept craving it and going back.
I’m poor at the moment (hopefully will change) and without a kitchen , so I’ve given up for the minute, but I’m so keen to get back to it.
I do worry about energy, then all the arguments that we are designed for meat and the fact I find meat and cheese and milk so delicious.
But then vegan food is so delicious too- and I know if order something vegan that anything unidentifiable in the meal is not going to be some gross gristle or some random part of an animal, and that’s what made me realize that deep down I think I’m not really supposed to eat animal products .

Ive been a veggie for nearly 40 years. Ive considered vegan but I like cheese too much and have never found a good alternative.

Do you think it’s possible to be a meat Eater and an animal lover at the same time?
I do a lot of animal related voluntary work, a lot more than most people I know, including vegetarians and vegans but is it cancelled out by my occasional meat eating habits in your opinion?

@Yamalt I think I'm probably hitting a nerve with you for some reason, so this will be my last post on this matter as it's pointless responding to someone who is clearly projecting

The children of the people who made very hurtful comments about my own dc being damaged/stunted by their veggie upbringing, are now overweight and shorter than my dc.
Not remotely smug. Just the truth.

mangoM I embrace them when on low carb because so many of them are low carb/keto friendly but in general I think foods as close to their natural state as possible are best, healthiest and tastiest. I can't say I miss the taste of meat at all though.

Jewel1968 I buy vegan friendly household products,cosmetics etc and I do limit tech, but I admit that might also be because aside from work and my 'phone,(and they're pretty much an essential nowadays) I am just not so interested in it.

avoncallingbarksdale peanut butter, lentils, legumes such as chickpeas/kidney beans etc are my favourite protein sources. I weight lift and workout a lot so I am a little concioss of it, but I've no doubts that it can be sufficiently consumed on a plant-based diet.Quinoa, chia seeds and beans and rice (so chillis etc) are pretty good sources.

Londondreams1 That's so interesting!I am sorry to hear about your situation and fingers crossed it soon improves for you!
I don't think I lack energy at all, I guess it is about finding the right foods, and diet for you. And it can be a bit daunting changing things-I would suggest just looking at what in vegan foods you find delicious, and building from there. It can be quite fun to experiment but of course if things are difficult it may not be the ideal time. I don't dwell too much on the 'designed for meat' arguments, whether true or not. We do a lot of things we weren't 'designed' for including what we eat and drink, and what we don't. I just don't think it sits well given how much we've evolved.

Endersgame you're definitely not alone there! I personally miss cottage cheese more than anythin which I suspect is a very unpopular opinion! I do believe every little helps, and vegan cheese alternatives are improving constantly. I personally find sainsbury's own brands are much nicer and more cheese-like than any 'branded' ones.

hopping no I don't. How can someone love animals while they also contributing to the terror, torture and death of so many? If someone is part of what makes that happen, I don't think they can claim to love animals. They maybe can claim to love some animals, 'I love the animals in my life' or 'I love dogs/cats etc'. But not as a blanket claim to be an animal lover. Not something I think is possible. Quite a philosophical thing and I've never found a metaphor for it, nothing comparable springs to mind.
Of course it doesn't mean your voluntary work isn't invaluable.

I was vegan for a while, although still not great with dairy.

What is your opinions of the best vegan mozzarella cheese for pizza? Also best Parmesan? I have tried violife and not really impressed.

Thank you
I don’t agree with you but I do respect your right to have your view on it.

"Do you think it’s possible to be a meat Eater and an animal lover at the same time?"

I have a friend with a smallholding who raises her animals ethically and gives them a fantastic life. She also refuses to feed them on imported food and only uses local produce. She also uses a local abbatoir where she knows they will be killed in as kind a way as possible.

In contrast I am vegetarian and love my South American avocadoes and tofu. I have cut out some dairy etc. in the last few years but am not (yet) vegan. But I could never say I am more of an animal lover than my friend.

@ilovemydogandmrobaba2 I find supermarket vegan mozzarella brands are far superior, same with parmesan. Have you tried making your own? I haven't as I just don't use it enough to get the value, but people who do seem to say It's far superior.

Violife is tasteless and rubbery. I agree!

@duestothedirt I hear you. I look at my dog and cannot imagine the betrayal though. Animals in that situation trust humans.

How would you feel if you found out something you ate wasn't vegan after all? Would you be upset?

A friend has a severe egg and dairy allergy and often has to order the vegan option to get something safe to eat. She has allergic reactions to the supposedly vegan food depressingly often. I often wonder what actual vegans would feel if they knew.

How do you feel about these modern day vegan activists? I have a friend who has been vegan for almost 20 years (before it was cool - in her words) who does not want to be associated with their protests and stunts.
Another more recently turned vegan ‘friend’ has thrown himself into that lifestyle and doesn’t believe original vegan is a proper vegan as they won’t stand and shame people for eating meat.

Here's an interesting question (I think!)... How do you feel about the animals killed to make way for agriculture? It's no secret that farmers will kill any pest that threatens their crops... Rabbits, squirrels, mice. And probably even bigger animals like deer. And then you get the animals who probably don't suffer when combine harvesters kill them i.e. insects. This question almost sounds goady, but I'm asking out of curiousity. I've been reading a bit about regenerative farming. It's easier for me to swallow as I'm a veggie for environmental reasons above animal welfare reasons (but I shan't pretend that doesn't factor in somewhat), but I wondered what someone who is vegan for more animal-cruelty reasons thought. It doesn't take away the killing of animals, but similar to what DuesToTheDirt said above, it appears to be a hell of a lot kinder. I'm inclined to think it might become more popular in years to come because I think there are a lot of people who would be prepared to pay a bit more (when inflation calms down) to know that every aspect of the farming journey is being treated a bit more carefully (thinking you are likely to get a lot more of the aforementioned pests killed).

Thanks for responding. I only asked about how you maintain B12 and iron because I have issues maintaining these so I am curious but you probably just have a better diet than mine!

@balloonslayer I wouldn't be happy,and I'd want a refund depending on the situation. Not comparible with having a severe allergy, and quite shocking that that happens isn't it :(

I'd be more upset if I bit into a piece of meat or such, than if it was an ingredient miscommunication, that's happened to me before a couple of times.

@toottrooot I don't thnk I'd be brave enough! And I also don't think it works unfortunately, perhaps it does but I am all for 'catch more flies with honey' (not a very vegan phrase!) .

When I became vegan, those types of groups existed definitely. I had a strong online presence and people did seem to listen to me and others like me more, than those who had the 'angry' vibe.

@reesewitherfork I thikn It's inevitable? Nothing I can do much about unfortunately. A lot of farming of crops is also for crops to feed animals bred for meat, too.

I definitely feel the more sustainable farming (and being kinder to animals) is preferable, of course I do. I personally couldn't be part of that either, but It's a lot better than where a lot of our meat comes from now.

@Southbucksldn

Thanks for responding. I only asked about how you maintain B12 and iron because I have issues maintaining these so I am curious but you probably just have a better diet than mine!

I am sorry you have issues with that. I honestly think some of it is heritage too, our ancestors and how they fared with vitamin deficiencies and such, It's not always just down to diet.