AIBU to ask what vegans actually eat?!

[Bearseatbeets]

A few of my friends have become vegan and keep evangelising to me about the health benefits. And I believe them. But whenever I ask what they actually eat for meals they get very defensive and won’t actually answer me. One of them answered with stir fry as an example and when I asked what protein they have in it, she told me ‘protein is a myth!’

I’m genuinely not trying to attack vegans, i’m interested and want to figure out what I could eat if I were to adopt it. I’m a bit of a foodie so I want exciting tasty food and it is just such a departure from how I eat now, I need some examples so I can work out if it’s feasible

Every vegan I know bangs on and on about what they eat ad nauseum.

I've never met a vegan who bangs on, personally.

protein is a myth!
Protein is not a miracle nutrient. You do not need as much as some people say you do.

(I am not a vegan.)

I’m not a vegan, just a vegetarian, but I eat a lot of vegan food.

protein

Seitan - has a meaty texture and a lovely subtle flavour. I like this coated in panko breadcrumbs with a katsu curry sauce and sticky rice

Tofu - makes a lovely alternative to scrambled eggs, also great in stir fries. Lots of people don’t know how to cook tofu but when it’s done well it’s lovely.

Edamame - I’m obsessed with edamame beans. Sprinkled in salad, crushed with avocado on toast, in stews...

Pulses (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas etc) - all high in protein, all lovely in stews and curries and salads. I do a great veggie bolognese which is lentils and mushrooms, it’s really delicious.

Nuts / nut butters / seeds - very delicious, very easy to incorporate into the diet. I do fab sweet potato and onion kebabs with a peanut satay sauce and sprinkled peanuts which is so nice.

Chia seeds - easy to add to smoothies etc and can also be used as an egg substitute for baking

Veggies! Lots of vegetables are excellent sources of protein, especially green veg like broccoli and kale.

That’s all main meal / healthy stuff - there are good vegan junk food options too! I make vegan ice cream with banana, coconut milk and other flavours added. I also make a great chocolate ganache tart using dark chocolate and coconut cream. Oreos are vegan, and most brands of jam doughnut. Sweet chilli Doritos are vegan, so are lots of brands of sweet and savoury popcorn.

I make a pulled pork dish from jackfruit which I’ve given to meat eaters at a barbecue without them realising it’s a vegan dish (so long as you use vegan barbecue sauce, which is easy to find!). I’ve also made a meringue using aquafaba (the water from cans of chickpeas etc) which sounds weird and gross but is amazing.

There is any variety of vegan sushi widely available!

I got into vegan food because I am a foodie, not in spite of it. There are so many amazing options, from a dirty macaroni made with nutritional yeast to the rawest, freshest salads. It’s a great way to discover whole new worlds of culinary excitement!

Finally, I expect your friend meant that animal protein is a myth - in that it’s a myth that we need our protein from animal sources. The truth is, animal protein comes with a hefty dose of other things that aren’t good for us (for example saturated fat and salt). It’s obviously fine in moderation, but it shouldn’t be the only source of protein. The average adult needs around 50g of protein a day - it’s very easy to get some or all of that from plant sources. Most adults hugely exceed their daily requirements of protein. That’s not usually an issue unless you have other things going on, but it goes to show that it’s not as hard as many people thing to hit your daily protein goal.

Lots of people don’t know how to cook tofu but when it’s done well it’s lovely

I've tried to cook tofu (I'm not vegan, but I like it), and all I ended up with was mush. I think the mistake was that maybe I got the wrong type and obviously made a mess of cooking it.

I once had marinated spiced tofu in a Thai restaurant, which was lovely and I sometimes get the tofu cubes in the M&S stir fry deal, but if I wanted to buy tofu in a normal supermarket and make a stir fry with cubes that remain solid, not mush, what would I do (I'm a fairly competent cook, honestly).

I'm vegan so I take a B12 supplement. If you eat meat, they give the B12 supplrnet to the animal.

I think you can get vegans with crap diets and omnivores with crap diets.

I have a close family member who is vegan and she eats shit.

Oven chips, bread, crisps, diet coke, chip sandwiches, pot noodles,sweets.

It is possible to eat a healthy diet, but some choose not to.
Same as some omnivores choose to eat crap too.

It’s a myth that you need a lot to survive and flourish. In reality, unless you are a body builder, you don’t need very much protein.

Vegans get protein from lots of places. Tofu, nuts, plant milks, some meat free products, hummus, spinach has a fair amount of protein as does kale etc. It’s not difficult to obtain protein with a vegan diet.

Meals:
Vegetable pasta bake
Pesto pasta
Jacket potatoes, beans, salad
Veggie curries
Vegan pizza- homemade or otherwise
Veggie burgers
Veggie stew
Vegan full English

Lots of options. Vegan cake is delicious. I’m not vegan but I was for a while and it was the healthiest I have ever been, planning on returning to it when I’ve had this baby.

They eat stir fries and other food (as we would but without the meat) and then a load of pills and supplements to make up for their diets which lack in basic nutrients

What a spectacularly ill-informed comment. How can you possibly believe that a plant-based diet is lacking in nutrients?

I generally eat anything I like the taste of, I will try anything once.. I have no issues with vegan food nor vegans , it’s thier choice and I’m not about to berate people for thier choices, I do however don’t want them shoving thier beliefs down my throat. I have my choices they have theirs. I know so many people who start posting things about animals, which is fine it’s when they start picking apart my choices I get pissed off.
Let’s not forget they are eating insects source of food so not entirely innocent 😊

If only there were some vegan cookbooks, recipe sites or restaurants out there...

I love tofu too ( also not a vegan)

If you use a good non stick pan and a little oil ( you can use flavourings in the oil) chilli, or sesame oil you can fry gently- don't overcrowd the pan . don't stir, but turn to expose all sides to the heat.
It will develop a nice golden crust which has a tougher texture, can then be used for kebabs or put into stews with less risk of falling apart.

I also like the texture of tofu if it has been frozen, it again becomes tougher, a bit more spongey, and perfect for soaking up sauces and marinades ( I found this out by accident- but no sometimes deliberately freeze my tofu prior to cooking)

I buy the tofoo brand of tofu from Tesco. I dice it up and toss in cornflour, garlic powder and Chinese five spice. Then you fry it on a fairly low heat for ten minutes or so. It goes brown and slightly chewy and you can add to stirfrys.
People say that tofu has a bland taste, it does but in the same way that white fish and chicken have a bland taste also, however they are bland tastes that people are very familiar with and they are not as familiar with tofu.

BarbaraofSeville you could buy a tofu press to get the excess water out of the tofu first first before cooking. One way I find works well is baking the tofu in cubes with a spray of oil over it (or marinade etc) before using in something else. Gives it texture and stops it disintegrating.

This thread is making me hungry..

I’m vegan and yes the protein thing is a myth it’s almost impossible to be protein deficiant without being horrendously lacking in 100 other things. The more I’ve read I’ve seen that meat, dairy and eggs is so like baby formula in the 50s marketed to make money based on lies. There’s a reason none of them can be called healthy, good for you etc in marketing it’s bevause they are not!

This explains why we are not omnivores

and everyone should be supplementing b12 & vit d not just vegans because even what we get from meat is given to the animals as supplements and destroyed in cooking and our soil is so depleted these days we don’t get it naturally. Vit D I think we all know now that we don’t get enough sun to fill our reserves especially in winter.

One of the best vegan cakes ever is Nigella's Vegan Chocolate Cake (online in lots of places). There is no way anyone would ever guess that it's vegan and it's wonderful.

Barbara you might be buying silken tofu which is a different beastie - makes an amazing ‘egg’ fried rice but is meant to go all mushy. Normal not silken stuff is always kept in the fridge.

Chips

The vegans that bang on about it (have never met one that does) are probably the ones that are following it as a fad rather than for any other reason. A kind of 'I am so clever' approach.

Most vegetarians and vegans don't make an issue of it, just quietly get on with it. There is always someone on MN that mentions the banging on, usually someone that has seen the thread and is a meat eater with no time for those who choose to eat differently.

Interesting thread. Lots of meat alternatives it seems. However do all those beans not make you a bit gassy?

My iron levels were poor when I was pescatarian (15 yrs). I wouldn't worry about protein but an iron supplement I'd probably need (with the B12).

Aquafaba.

Well today I ate blueberry pancakes with banana, pecans and maple syrup. Lunch was an avocado and pickle roll and dinner will be nachos.

We’re on a money saving kick so breakfasts tend to be
Porridge
Pancakes
Toast (I make my own bread but most bread is vegan)
Occasional fry up type thing
Overnight oats
Fruit/nut muffins
Chia seed pudding
Croissants/ pain au chocolat
Waffles
Occasional Muesli
Cinnamon rolls

Lunch is boring. Rolls or sandwiches with ‘cheese’, avocado, hummus, Tahini and various veg. Sometimes crisps or something as well

Dinner varies, some common dinners are
Burgers
Tofu kebabs
Bean Farmers pie (vegan Shepherds pie)
Nut roast with all the trimmings
Bolognese
Baked potatoes with various fillings
Pizza
Lasagne
Veg casserole and dumplings
Broccoli/cauliflower ‘cheese’
Usual boring family type food.

Desserts (sometimes) are yoghurts, ice cream, rice pudding, chocolate pudding etc. And I bake cakes and cookies.

It's such an annoying question because it usually comes from smug people who eat meat and 2 veg for dinner and go on about protein as though they're nutritionists but actually know very little about the matter themselves. If you thought about it for a minute you'd come up with loads of recipes yourself. Pasta, for example?

You can veganaise pretty much any dish and loads of Indian, Chinese etc meals are "accidentally vegan". If you're not sure how Google vegan shepherd's pie or whatever you're curious about. With time you develop an intuition about what ingredients you can use for what and what works well where.

Protein comes from soya, tofu, legumes, lentils, beans, chickpeas, nuts, spinach - in varying quantities obviously.

All these things you can easily Google. But no, you'd rather say "what do you eat???" To your friends. And are then baffled as to why they are annoyed. You're not even saying how would you veganaise a cheese cake, or something specific, which I'm sure they would be happy to talk about.

Talkwhilstyouwalk Your body adjusts to them. You gradually increase the amount in your diet. But, yes at first it can be a bit of a shock to people. (TMI alert - on the plus side, constipation is a thing of the past )