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!

I'm a veggie (as are DS and DP), not a vegan but wanted to ask something on a thread that wouldn't get taken over by "just give him meat!" comments.

DS is 2.10 and I've started thinking about how best to explain to him that we are vegetarian. He goes to nursery 3 days a week and must be aware that he eats differently to other children but I'm also concerned that it may confuse him as they do give him Quorn things (which he loves!)

We were watching some cooking thing on Cbeebies and the kids were cutting up ham and DS asked what it was. I just said it was ham and that we didn't eat it as it was made of pigs and we don't eat animals.

It's not really an issue now I suppose. I was just wondering how other veggie/vegans had dealt with it. And how do you explain your choices for being veggie/vegan without putting meateaters down? I don't want DS to think the rest of his family is being "bad" for eating meat!

Hi C&R :) I already cook vegetarian for myself and DC which he accepts so maybe I should try cooking vegan to eat with him and letting him sort himself out with non-vegan food which I don't have to "participate" in, IYSWIM - he can do his own cereal milk and the kinds of things he likes as snacks are cheeses, salami etc.

Mumi - That sounds like a sensible plan. Once you've had a bit of time to experiment with vegan cooking, I'm sure you'll find lots of dishes that can be similar to the veggie stuff you cook now (unless you exist on cheese flans and omelettes of course!) and DS will be just as happy with.

When I think back to my pre-vegan days, there's hardly anything I can think of that i used to have then that I don't cook a version of now, in fact I think I eat more variety now and actually prefer some of the alternatives to the 'real' version - e.g. I adore vegan macaroni cheese whereas I wasn't too fussed about the dairy version.

And of course, vegan cakes make anyone smile

Hi Borntofolk - my DCs aren't yet old enough for us to have crossed that bridge yet but I do have veggie friends with older children who have found this 'issue' surprisingly easy to deal with. e.g. My cousin and her DCs are veggie whereas her DH is omni - the children seem to understand where meat comes from but accept that eating it is a choice that some people make.

In fact, thinking about it, I was brought up as a veggie from birth (both of my parents were veggie, now vegan). I never remember thinking that omnivores were bad people, I think I felt a bit sorry for them for wanting to eat animals actually! My sister ate meat for a year or two when she was about 7 and I even accepted that but just thought she was a bit odd for wanting to!

Thanks Cakeandroses! It's always interesting to hear from people who were raised veggie as both DP and I stopped eating meat in our teens.

Has anyone with toddler or older DCs got any favourite vegan recipes you can share with me please?

At the moment, DS eats earlier than us so I cook him a separate meal. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas for him - particularly quick ones (but still healthy) as I don't often have very long to make it.

He loves rice, curry, pasta, pizza, noodles, olives, pies, garlic and beans (of all types).

Anya - just wanted to know if you're ok? Read a post of yours on another thread re bf this week. Didn't want to 'out' you on there iyswim!

That's the problem with omnivores, sprogger - they kill things (joke!)

I haven't seen that site before so will have a look, thanks.

My fave recipe site is www.parsleysoup.co.uk/

Had the sticky toffee pud recipe twice in a week (I made it then mother made it ) but we usually have it as a date cake without the sauce - really moist and yummy.

Ooo I know the girl who runs parsleysoup!

Have you seen Vegan Lunchbox C&R? It's got great lunch and other ideas for kids, especially once they start school.

Hi I'm new here :). Am thinking of becoming vegan for a number of reasons. Firstly, health - I know a few people not much older than me (33) who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and know diet can contribute. Secondly, we can't afford to buy free range meat, eggs etc and hate seeing animals suffering in small spaces just to feed us. I'm not sure if its better to take the plunge and change overnight or if I should do it a step at a time. I bought soya milk today as a first step. Also, theres no way OH will even be vegetarian and have 2 children (6 and 4) who I want to make their own choice. Is it going to be hard to eat differently to the rest of the family?? Am gonna hit the library tomorrow for books/recipes etc. Any advice much appreciated.

I recently became vegan (was a veggie anyway) I found that giving up the cheese was my real struggle, but just learning to live without it.

I found there were a lot of things I didn't know about the animal by-products in many foods and as it turned out I wasn't being quite the best at Vegetarianism.

One great resource I did find though was a Vegan starter kit, provided by Peta the Vegan charity, they have stuff online with all sorts of recipes, mostly cheap ingredients too.

My next agenda was to check out their animal welfare learning materials, although I don't approve of imposing a vegetarian or vegan diet on my little one, I do think giving them the chance to see the facts and choose for themselves is fair.

The materials had dvds and leaflets on vegan and animal stuff, little one was so upset once she'd seen how mean people were to animals, she jumped at the chance to be vegetarian (not happy about vegan diet for her yet) like daddy.

hi a nosy meat eater having a read! One question why do you use soya flour? what is wrong with normal flour?

White flour may be a nutritional loser, but it is not an animal product.

White sugar is a close call. It is normally considered vegan, but actually it is often whitened in a process that uses animal bones.

I think Mrspear you might be confused on that between sugar and flour.

On the previous topic the websit www.goveg.com has all sorts of useful vegan hints and tips, also you can get resources posted to you from Peta themselves.

Can I join please? i follow my blood type so i eat very little organic poultry. IMO you have to be careful with even vegan org. marg and cheeses they tend to have palm oil and or hydrogenated fats in them.

I use olive oil on ryvitas and toast etc. and rice bran oil in my baking. BTW I've seen lovely pure (non lanolin) creams in H.F. shops Also a question, why don't vegans eat free range org. eggs?

Being Vegan is to boycott all animal products, like the meat and the fur/leather and any associated by-products, like eggs and animal milk.

Even free range or organic is still a by-product of the animals.

The point you make on Palm Oil is valid, the Orangutans suffer massive loss of habitat, across Indonesia (Borneo), due to the ever increasing number of trees chopped down to make way for Oil Palm plantations, for mostly cosmetic and food products to be made out of the Palm Oil

I personally also boycott Palm Oil and Coconut oil for the same reasons.

Thank you leveller the environmental reasons alone are enough to boycott them they are also not particularly good for health IMO. There are so many products containing them!

Welcome, pinkfruity. I totally agree with you re the breast cancer - it's in my family, and when I knew my chances were increased to get it, I started researching, and so much pointed to meat and dairy being bad. The China Study is a good book for raising awareness of the negative impact of meat and dairy in our diets - well worth a read, imo.

There are LOADS of recipe books out there, I wouldn't just want to recommend one! And lots of websites too - I don't think you'll struggle to find recipe ideas. I do have my own website, of course, which I mentioned in my first post, and I am building up vegan recipes there! :) www.veganparent.com

I went from vegetarian (five+ years) to vegan, having not even heard of veganism back then, but I think if I'd have been presented with the facts, I could have done it overnight no problem.

DH went vegan from omni overnight, and found it very easy. Neither of us have ever looked back.

I don't know how people manage in relationships when you have different diets to cater for, as I don't have to face that - I think some vegns are prepared to cook meat/dairy for their families, others won't, so their OH's do their own cooking if they want to eat meat, or the OH's/children eat vegn in the home, and eat meat/dairy when out. I think you have to find your own way, and see what works for you. Best of luck. It's getting easier and easier, far more awareness these days, far more products on shelves, far better labelling, many more fellow vegans (I know loads!). Go for it!

P.S. Did you all know the CoOp now sell vegan doughnuts?! They are amaaaaazing! Available in custard or jam! Wow! Yum!

bunique really? tell her thanks from me

abfab cor, thanks for telling us

Can I join this thread? my DH has been vegan for over 20 years and me and the children are veggie. My little girl (4) has always been a good eater but my son (nearly 3) is so fussy. He does like dahl and rice though but then DH and DD complain we have it all the time.