Vegan-Vegan friendly MNetters- the new thread-sign in here!

[anyabanya]

Hi Vegan and vegan-friendly MNetters!

Just wanted to know if anyone was out there and wanted to form a support thread- to talk about food/ veganism, 'stuff' in general.

I am late 30s, have been an on and off vegan for about 6 years, and after a hiatus of about 9 months or so am back 'on'. I adore cooking with a passion, and love reading food blogs and vegan food blogs.

I would very much like to exchange thoughts/tips/frustrations with anyone else out there!

Yippee! Hope they stay well.

Hi - new to the thread and only found it because I was googling what I could do with the 5, yes FIVE hideous Plamil carob bars some well-meaning family bought me for Christmas. Honestly, do they think vegans have no taste? So any suggestions how I could use them up, please let me know.

Also, wanted to bring DS1 up as vegan but DH was admanatly against. He's BLW now and rejects all dairy and meat, including eggs. I hope it lasts, certainly while I'm a SAHM.

could you crush the plamil bars with a rolling pin into small pieces and make vegan choc muffins with choc (plamil) chips?

fiona I pysched myself into eating carob by

1. discovering that carob is really GOOD for you.
2. Knowing it's got natural sugar so no need for extra in the bars.
3. finding out it's caffeine free so you can eat it late in the day.
4. pretending it's fudge so you're not expecting it to be chocolate!

I don't like the orange bars they make but the mint and natural ones are passable. I've got powdered carob which I mix with cocoa to make a very nice hot choc. drink.

you could grind the bars to do that!

BIN those Plamil carob bars, they are vile, you can do nothing with them, bin bin bin and wash your mouth out!!! :)
Carob might be good for you, but not those bars!

How old is your DS, fiona? Ours is 15 months, and being raised vegan. Luckily for me, DH is vegan, so it's easy.

Tophun I discovered good plamil vegan low sugar chocolate bars this Xmas they've finally worked out that some people don't like palm oil or hydrogenation; the mint one was lovely.

I think I'll stick to their mayo, ppeat, I am scarred for life by their chocolate! :)

Oh I can't STAND their mayo!!! I hate vinegar and there's a lot in there!

We prefer the Tiger mayo, squeezy jar too, nice and easy.

I like the mayo but only because I hate 'real' mayo but like 'real' salad cream so the vinegar works for me. I only really use it coleslaw anyway.

You can make a fab vegan mayo type sauce with tahini; I beat in olive oil, lemon juice,water, drop of tamari instead of salt and cumin to it. Maybe not D.C. friendly though.

DD ate a few grains of rice for the first time the other day

what she did eat was

onion, spices, red lentils and butternut squash dal/soup. I've found with her she doesn't like different textures (our normal food). So kept this simple and liquidised it. Think she said no to tarka dal last time as the red lentils hadn't disintegrated adequately for her.

Fussy toddlers have to love them. She is back to eating mash and home made wedges. Still won't touch hummous.

Due to her intolerances we've been testing her non vegan things as well. She either reacts to red meat or the fat in it. which helps with the ILs

Yummy dahl soup she's got good taste penguin yr DD! Try making a haricot bean dip for her instead of houmous I don't eat houm. but I love the bean dip you can add garlic, onion, cumin and tahini.

Good morning! I'm Amanda from The Vegan Society. I wondered whether it might be helpful for me to hang around and offer support on raising vegan infants? I see some Mumsnetters are already familiar with Registered Dietitian Sandra Hood, who wrote the 'Feeding your vegan infant - with confidence' bok. All our nutrition advice for those with young children is developed in association with Sandra, and is freely available on The Vegan Society Web site: www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/parenting/

Hi

I am really interested in healthy eating for my family. Has anyone watched forks over knives? I have watched it with great interest. I love it, and would like to take it on board for myself and my DH, but am unsure about introducing this to my children, as I don't want to make them ill by missing out some of their nutrients. Any advice? they are 11 & 13.

I am really struggling with new recipes, as I am unfamiliar with a lot of the products vegans use as substitutes, and also I don't know enough about the nutritional balance we should be having and where we would get that from.

Amanda I am very interested in your opinions too.

As an immediate issue for tonights tea, I would like to do a cheese free pizza. I have the dough covered (I think!! ) but what would you put on top, and how do I stop it burning?

Sorry- so may questions.

Hi, Chinwag,

Your children can get all the nutrients they need - and more easily avoid bad fats & excess protein etc. - on a well-planned plant based diet.

Our vegan babies & children guide: www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/parenting/vegan-babies-and-children/ written in close association with Registered Dietitian Sandra Hood is a good place to start for nutrition, and where to find nutrients. Make sure you are including reliable sources of vitamin B12 & vitamin D (especially in winter, or further north, or if you're rarely uncovered in the summer sun or have darker skin).

You don't necessarily need to use very many 'special vegan substitutes'. Your children may already enjoy eating wholefoods such as beans, peas & lentils (from the protein food group), green leafy vegetables, oranges, figs etc. (from the calcium food group), and so on. But we also have pages on specific nutrients in our main nutrition area e.g.: www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/nutrition/calcium.aspx

Our free Plant-Based Nutrition booklet is a colourful, straightforward introduction to general vegan eating - the first double-page spread is an illustrated summary of all the key points. Then there are example menu plans, and some guidance on individual nutrients & healthy weight and so on in the rest of the booklet. If you'd like a copy, just drop us an email: [email protected]

There are lots of lovely vegan recipe site on the Web. You can choose whether or not to use initially unfamiliar ingredients such as tempeh, seitan & nutritional yeast! For example, vegan pizza can be delicious made by spreading the base with hummous, if your children take to that? To stop the topping vegetables for catching in the oven, I've found that lightly pre-wilting them in the microwave just releases their moisture enough to stop that.

I hope this is all helpful, but I'm happy to keep popping back and answering all the questions you might think of!

Best wishes,

Amanda

how about soy intolerant children

I am bored of pulses and lentils.

I still mean to write down some recipes as every week I look blankly at my kitchen, know I've made loads of dishes before and then remember what or how I made them.

What do people have with roasted vegetables?

I don't bother with fake cheese on pizza's. Just pile it up high with other yummy stuff (olives, toms, artichoke hearts, sweetcorn, mushrooms, spinach etc.)

@PenguinArmy, you certainly don't need to eat soy! You can get 'meat-and-dairy' alternatives made soy-free, using ingredients such as grains (wheat, rice) & nuts (almonds, coconut (!)). The major supermarkets these days usually have some soy-free vegan burgers for when you're in a real hurry. But pulses like lentils, peas & beans can be cooked in many styles - vegan Boston-style baked beans, Mexican-style refried or black bean dishes, Indian-style curries, Caribbean-style 'rice-&-peas', all in mild styles traditional for young paletes.

There are loads of delicious family-friendly vegan recipes on the Web these days. Try Vegan Lunchbox: veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes and Vegan Dad: vegandad.blogspot.com/ for example.

Roasted veg is delicious on pizza, in wraps or pittas, with pasta etc. & whizzed into soups too.

A Registered Dietitian can check to see how soy-intolerant your children may be - your family doctor can refer you, and all RDs are trained in vegan diets.

All the best,

Amanda

Tonight's Dinner:

Vegs: onion, garlic, beetroot, fennel, mushrooms, left over red pepper, carrot, curly kale
Spices: cinnamon (lots of), cumin, garam masala, coriander, rosemary, paprika, s & p (I don't have nutmeg etc.)
Others: Tomatoes, red wine vinegar, chick peas

I don't know what it tastes like, but if it's nice I can look back on here and do it again.

Amanda I don't like the sound of any of those roast veg options

Thanks Amanda. That's really helpful.

Re: roasted veg. Whilst roasting veg in the oven (with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar), I make a tomato sauce on the hob (olive oil, garlic, liquidised tinned toms, a little tomato ketchup and herbs/spices e.g. oregano, smoked paprika, pinch of chilli). Then combine the veg and tom sauce and serve with a carb.

Does anybody else avoid wheat? It didn't occur to me until I stopped eating it that almost all the fake meat/fish stuff is wheat based (and how much wheat there is in everything else).

So while I was in the pharmacy picking stuff up for a sickness bug (fun) I noticed veganin which got me thinking. I have never addressed drugs with my veganism (except for making sure pg/bf vitamins are). Does anyone have any information or what do you do?

PenguinArmy, that sounds like a tasty dinner! Maybe fascicle's way with roasted veg. appeals to you more than my ideas? :-)

Unfortunately, all pharmaceutical medicines must currently by European law be tested on non-human animals. Groups like the Dr Hadwen Trust: www.drhadwentrust.org/science-and-education/research-highlights are actively working on more reliable, animal-free testing. In the meantime, The Vegan Society doesn't have an official policy in the sense that we completely leave it to your individual decision, in consultation with the appropriate medical professionals, to decide on medication. There are some versions of medication which are free of animal ingredients. Your pharmacist can advise - as these are often children's formulations, do get the pharmacist to double check the correct dose for adults. Sorry I can't be more help.