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Vegan

Join Mumsnet's vegan community and discuss everything related to the vegan diet.

So, is being vegan hard??

13 replies

Polyannah · 29/05/2018 22:19

I'm currently pescatarian but I can't get the thoughts of the poor animals out of my habeas when I eat eggs etc

I'm thinking of becoming vegan but I mean....what do you all eat?! It can't just be veg and fruit?

Sorry if I'm being thick.

I just can't imagine finding enough meals everyday after cutting out all animal products.

OP posts:
DialsMavis · 29/05/2018 22:24

I dont find it hard at home, can be a bit annoying out and about.

DH not vegan but happy to eat/cook vegan food which helps.

What food would you miss most?
Do it for a month and see how you feel at the end.

DialsMavis · 29/05/2018 22:27

We eat: jacket potatoes, curries, chilli, burgers, salads, all sorts.

Tonight was risotto, last night tried vegan carbonara (surprisingly good!), tomorrow is thai curry, Thurs out for pizza, Sunday was stirfry and Friday will be burger and chips.

AtSea1979 · 29/05/2018 22:29

Dials is there somewhere that does vegan pizza?

savagehk · 29/05/2018 22:31

I'm not vegan, but am aware of it. I do most of my grocery shopping at a vegan shop. I could probably manage it but wouldn't enjoy it, although at the moment I'm dairy free as my lo reacts to dairy through my milk. It makes eating processed food difficult (not usually a problem except when needing to grab something to eat when out and about) and I'd struggle to eat out as I'm also fussy. If you're happy to be "mostly" vegan and be a bit more flexible if you have to (eating out our at other people's houses) you'll probably manage fine.

savagehk · 29/05/2018 22:32

Re vegan pizza yes, there's one near me, I've also found one in Pisa on holiday (!) and there's at least one frozen brand

Cheekyandfreaky · 29/05/2018 22:32

A typical day:

Breakfast- porridge made with oats and quinoa as well as nut butter and whatever fruit and whatever in/ mushrooms or tomatoes on toast

Lunch- sandwich/ wrap with hummus and roasted veg or avocado and salad

Dinner- rice, beans, greens. Indian food, Mexican food, Chinese food- all have vegan staples.

I would recommend something I read in the peta info on it: think of 3 meals you eat which are vegan, 3 which you could make vegan and learn 3 new recipes and you’ve already got lots of variety.

The thug kitchen cookbook is amazing and instagram is great for vegan food inspiration. Good luck!

savagehk · 29/05/2018 22:33

(should add some can cheat by simply not adding cheese to a normal pizza but the ones I referred to had fake cheese on)

DialsMavis · 29/05/2018 22:36

Most chain places (Pizza hut, Zizzi etc) do vegan pizza now but I find the cheese a bit plasticky and my local pizza pub doesn't, so I tend to just have whatever topping I fancy and no cheese, unless I really fancy the fake cheese.

This would have been unheard of a few months ago but my taste buds have changed.

KarmaStar · 29/05/2018 22:45

Habeas?
years ago,at the start,it was hard,when delicious plates of good waft across the table,or people are eating my old favourite foods but I just had to think of the terrified animals screaming in fear and I definitely do not want to eat dead flesh.
You will find lots of good recipes,try Animal Aid,think you can download a free guide.

Once you get started it's fun putting together new ingredients.more and more shops are selling vegan foods.
I buy vegan multi vitamins too.
Good luck op!Flowers

AlecOrAlonzo · 29/05/2018 23:11

I'm not vegan but I eat very little meat. My favourite vegan meals are:

Dhal - toover, urid, chana...there's loads and loads

Aubergine - grilled, baked, fried. All awesome. Chermoula sauce. Or just dressed with olive oil and lemon and chopped chillies. Curry. Parmigiana. Stuffed. Caponata.

Whole baked celeriac with spices. Or in a slaw. Or sliced thin with potatoes and cooked in veg stock like pommes Dauphinois but without the cream.

Cauliflower- pakora. Grated raw and dressed with lemon, olive oil and spices. Curry. Roasted with smoked paprika and preserved lemon. Baked whole.

Broccoli- very briefly blanched and seared with garlic and chilli.

Tomatoes - curried with coconut milk and dhal. In a tart with vegan puff pastry (most puff pastry is)

Peppers - pepperonata agrodolce. Stuffed with tomatoes and white beans.

Chick peas - humous. Curry. Roast with spices. Falafel.

Mushroom ragout. Curried with spinach.

Carrots with harissa and pistachios

Sweet potatoes baked with lime juice and a wee splash of olive oil

Potatoes - there is no end!

Go to the library and get some Ottolenghi books. Maybe Hugh Fearnly Whittingstal Vegetables. Meera Sodha or Madhur Jaffery.

Cheekyandfreaky · 30/05/2018 14:11

@AlecOrAlonzo you’ve just made me hungry- what a list! Thanks for the ideas.

SlowlyWaking · 31/05/2018 07:37

I always recommend people follow Bosh on Facebook too - they have great recipes in flat lay video format that has become so popular.

Also find a friendly vegan group on Facebook - the one where I live is fab - no judgement. The Veganuary one is good too, and their website is really helpful for myth busting and recipes.

Breakfast I tend to have a green smoothie and either porridge/granola made with coconut milk and berries or something on toast like pb or marmite or avocado and seeds or if I've got more time beans/mushrooms. Weekend treat might be a vegan fry up with sausages and hash browns or banana pancakes (so easy, hundreds of recipes online)

Lunch - soups, usually a lentil or bean one, crudites/hummus, fruit. Occasionally a jacket with beans or leftovers from the night before. If I'm on the go will make a sandwich using the quorn slices instead of soup or if its just too hot make a salad with falafels/edamame/cous cous.

Dinners - we have about 10 standard meals we rotate on week days and then at the weekends might go out/get takeaway/find a new recipe. Sometimes will make the below with meat replacements but am trying to use more whole foods like lentils, mushrooms or beans (cheaper and probably healthier)

  1. Fajitas
  2. Bean chilli
  3. Spag bol
  4. Thai green curry (green dragon paste was vegan last time I checked)
  5. Cottage pie
  6. Lasagne
  7. Roast (either with a meat replacement or just loads of different veggies)
  8. Mushroom and ale pie
  9. Stirfry
10. Indian style curry

Sometimes might swap stuffed peppers in there or a risotto. Pasta and roasted veg is another quick and eady option. Or put the roasted veg on puff pastry to make a big tart to go with salads. I usually have a couple of freezer food options too just in case - things like fishless fingers or veggie burgers. Always have peas in there and probably a sweet potato product like wedges or fries.

Snacks - literally thousands of options. Look at accidentally vegan website they have a great list. Things like co-op donuts are on there which most people would just assume include animal products. There are so many sweet treats now, from biscuits to ice creams and apple pie (Maccy Ds apple pie is vegan by the way). Plus there are some lovely flavoured dark chocolates.

Eating out really isnt hard. Use the Happy Cow website if youre already out and trying to find somewhere otherwise check the menu before you go. There tends to be a general curry/chilli/falafel option so I avoid eating those 3 meals that week if I know thats the case. Most high street chains do cater to vegans though. Pizza Express does my favourite vegan cheese but even if I'm at my local I just say no cheese and then smother it in chilli oil. Las Iguanas has great options. Wagamamas has a superb vegan menu. Indian food is always a safe bet, Chinese less so because of the fish sauce but if you know theyre not using it chow mein, spring rolls, crispy chilli tofu (I dont really like tofu any other way!). Even Nandos has loads of options.

Ah Im excited for you!

Remember, everyones journey is different; some people go cold turkey, others phase things out. Maybe try 5 days out of 7 vegan, or do a 30 day trial, or just cut out products containing eggs one week and then milk the next.

AddictedtoAIBU · 01/06/2018 10:42

We are a family of vegans (for about 9 months) and so far we haven't struggled. All of us are in better shape physically and my IBS style problems have gone.

The only thing we found annoying was checking the labels on everything for the first few weeks whilst we got into it. There's an alternative to every non vegan product and most of them are pretty good. There's lots of accidentally vegan junk food products such as:

Jus rol pastry
bournville
Party rings
Oreos
Loads of crisps
Bisto red gravy
Some Pringles

Loads more, a quick google will have you sorted on snacks so definitely not all lettuce leaves. Plus as meals are generally healthier you can have the odd biscuit without worrying.

I don't think I've been to a restaurant yet that doesn't have a vegan option. Our local pubs have two or three options each! Most coffee shops have dairy alternatives for drinks.

Like SlowlyWaking we tend to eat meals on a loop (and similar ones to her actually 😁) here's ours:

1.Lentil ragu - google 'it doesn't taste like chicken - lentil ragu' it's like a spag Bol but with lots of texture
2.Thai curries - green dragon
3.Pasta with simple tomato/mushroom etc sauce, salad and garlic bread (minced garlic with vegan butter on French bread)
4.Roasts with a good stuffing instead of meat
5.Linda McCartney sausages, mash and veg
6.Different dahls with samosas or flat bread
7.Vegan burgers and chips with salad
8.Falafels in pittas with houmous and chilli sauce and salad
9.Veg stew - lots of wine and herbs!
10.Chilli - we use different recipes depending what we have in
11.Burritos - the key is to cook them off in a pan to 'toast' them
12.Buddha bowls - they are great for getting veg in and using up random stuff you have lying around
13. Morrocan veg tagine with cous cous
14. Bimimbap

After a while you won't even think about it, you'll find ways of making all your favourite dishes without the animal ingredients. There's so much support out there and a world of vegan products opening up so you'll be fine I'm sure 😁

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