Tell me interesting facts about vegan food?

[hollyhola]

I'm watching the you are what you eat twin study which seems to be pushing veganism.

I won't be going vegan tomorrow but it has piqued my curiosity.

What plant based things could I try that are not more expensive, are more healthy and at least equally as tasty as meat versions?

Definitely won't be making me go vegan...

Everything is plant based which I’m assuming means it grows from the ground

From what I’ve seen in the shop I’m always surprised how the stuff has grown from a plant

Then I assume it’s all heavily processed and just as bad in some other way

prepared to be educated tho

I really enjoy things like dahl, vegetable curry’s, anything that is not processed and made to replace meat meals/faking meat

irs cheap to make many vegetable and lentil, pulses dishes. Thing is you need to cook, but so much can be bunged in the slow cooker or airfryer

cirn on the cob in the Airfryer or making kale crisps is delicious

Fine along as its all fresh, but buy the processed food and you may aswell not bother if for health reasons you want to switch

The first vegetarian cookbook (ok not vegan) was printed in 1831! I read that on here, there was a lovely thread about it. So you'd be part of a long tradition OP.

Same. I'm not vegan but I like 70s vegan food. Dinner tonight was tarka dahl with homemade falafel and coriander/lime/garlic toasted flatbread. No frankenfood. No "vegan cheese" which looks and smells like smegma.

I'm vegetarian and considered veganism a few years ago then I started reading about the millions of poor bees that are killed after using them for things like avocado and almonds for almond milk... now I'm just confused so have stuck with being veggie.

I meant that as a reply to @MikeRafone

Probably not the kind of facts you were looking for now that I reread 🤣

peanuts and tofu blitzed together make a taste 'cheese' replacement for pizza/pasta/oven bakes.

I’m vegan and thought it was an interesting watch. I was surprised at the amount of ultra-processed vegan foods they gave the participants though (vegan cheese, bacon etc), which come with their own health implications. I would’ve liked to see more whole foods

Not a vegan but….

Baked kale is delicious
Roasted chickpeas are also delicious

I'm not vegan because I enjoy dairy and eggs too much, but quite easily most of what I eat is vegan. I love a stir fry using mixed nuts, or adding mixed nuts and roast veg to a stuffing mix to make an easy nut roast. In late spring early summer Broad beans tossed in garlic, lemon and olive oil are an delicious easy protein, as are air fried spicy chicken peas. Obviously left over beans and chick peas go into bean burgers. I always keep frozen mushrooms which is can chop and use for sauces to get the mouthfulness that vegan food sometimes misses. Wholegrain rice and pasta work better with vegan food, I think. You have to be careful not to have too many refined carbs, as its sometimes easier to get the full feeling from a carb heavy protein light meal, which isn't good.

There is no point comparing with meat. But I did watch that and it gave me hope that Vegan cheeses are improving.

I've been vegan for 30 years, so can't remember much before then. But I once did enjoy meat, cheese etc. We didn't have extravagant foods or anything. And cuts of meat were a luxury had twice a year.

My brother has always been a staunch omnivore. But even he has recently shifted a lot of eating towards plant based foods.

What I like is just good Thai dishes, veggie Indian dishes etc. They've been around for decades, and I'm totally sold on this kind of food and would eat it everyday.

There's a food called tempeh, which is cooked de-hulled soya beans, doped with something like spores, that becomes a cake. And I love it. You can fry in slices. Or add strips to noodles etc. You can't really compare it to meat, and I wouldn't bother, but it's defo something worth testing. I'm hoping more foods like this come about. The simple ones that can be made in the kitchen with the right know how.

My other recommend is millet as a grain. It is a little harder than rice to cook, but when you get it down right, it's a nice fluffy, satisfying grain. The most proteinous one, and very easy to digest. You need to partner with a saucy dish.

That's two things you might not have used. And either can be substituted for rice or meat in many meals you might already cook.

I think you can just learn few good veg dishes, and slowly knock down your other consumption for the better.

I know my brother said his goto lunch was always a cheese sandwich for years, and he's binned that recently for alternatives, which has widened the foods he eats.

Bosh recipes are fantastic and I really love mushrooms, lentils and chickpeas.
Lots of little treats are accidentally vegan too like oreos. I've not watched the show yet but planning to.

I watched the same show last week, and also ^Cowspiracy. I'm not vegan but I was already trying to cut down my meat and upf consumption. So, I popped to the library and had a look at the vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. Even learning one or two extra veggie meals a month will start me in the right direction, in a way that won't set me up to fail. Good luck to you, and definitely try your library

If you want replacements for meat that are healthy - Nuts, beans, tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, falafel, lentils. Other pulses and legumes too.

You just get used to using them in your cooking and after that its plain sailing.

Avoid mock meats where possible but they are OK here and there.

Best fact I can give you is that most people do not wish to hurt animals but have a disconnect between that and their actual actions. Because we've been conditioned to look away. To believe there's such a thing as 'humane slaughter'.

Being vegan isn't about what's in it for us. It's not about taste or even health. It's about- how we would want to be treated if we were the victims of this industry. It's altruistic. Not egotistic.

It becomes so much easier once you start looking into the cruelties of these industries, to not want to contribute to them anymore.

But a shift needs to happen away from 'how does not killing an animal benefit me?' to 'animals lives have value to them, and that's enough for me to try to cause them the least amount of harm'.

Have a look on YouTube at Chetna Makan. She has lots of meat, vegetarian and vegan recipes that are super easy and delicious. She doesn't use substitutes except for coconut cream and yoghurt. Her vegetable curry is absolutely delicious.

Try sprouted chickpeas, make them easily at home. Lovely in salads.

Oh and - chia seeds can be used in baking instead of eggs.

You put them in water and let them soak for a bit and they turn gell like so can bind foods like egg would.

I watched it and it was fascinating. I actually eat very few vegetables. I just don’t like them. But even so I’m changing and massively reducing the amount of meat our family consumes. The health benefits were enormous and the environmental benefits even greater.

I'm not a vegan, and environmentally much of the U.K. farmland is good for raising livestock but not crops.
But since DH and I started the Zoë thing (hes prediabetic and it's helping get his blood sugar under control), quite a lot of what I'm eating is vegan. Tonight I had a curry made with chickpeas, red lentils and various veg, with quick cook pearl barley rather than rice. There are lots of recipes that use various types of beans.

Yes it's the processed bit that I was thinking about when asking about healthy options.

Look for whole food plant based if you are interested in vegan for health. The ‘daily dozen’ is a great starting place.
Dr Greger and his books ‘how not to die’ and ‘how not to age’ are really interesting reads. Nicki’s vegan weight loss cafe’ on Facebook is full of lovely healthy recipes.
I was originally vegan for the animals and ate loads of processed crap now I eat whole food plant based and work out and I’ve never felt better - full of energy!

I couldn't watch the bit with all the crammed in chickens.

It was a thought provoking series though.

What I don't understand is that if the cows are so inefficient and bad for the environment, why don't governments put restrictions on them and / or us as consumers?

Like I say I don't want to stop eating meat entirely but if we all did our bit to at least reduce our consumption that's got to make a difference right.