Starting a vegan journey - some questions

[TeaForTara]

DH and I aren't ready to go fully vegan yet but we are having several vegan days per week etc. On my part it's mainly for environmental reasons and his is mainly health (he watched a film about various sports men and women and the benefits they claim.) I'm aware of the risk of vitamin deficiencies especially B12, calcium etc.

I've bought a couple of magazines but all the recipes have ingredients I've never heard of (e.g. liquid smoke, 10 different types of flour.) I don't mind buying things that are new to me but will become storecupboard staples but I really don't want to spend a fortune on stuff that I'll rarely use. I've stocked up on tins of various beans and pulses. What else do I need?

We are both busy people with little time / inclination for cooking so any advice on shortcuts, which are the best ready meals, and that kind of thing would be much appreciated. We tend to cook from scratch at the weekend and freeze portions and during the week eat from the freezer or ready meals.

We both enjoy eating meat so some products / meals which pretend to be meat would be great. I tried Quorn years ago and wasn't overly impressed - has it improved in recent years?

Supermarkets / food stores I can easily get to are Aldi, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsburys and M&S. Basically I just need some suggestions as to how to do a vegan / plant based diet with the minimum effort.

Why don't you try being fully veggie first then adding in more vegan days. That will help you with recipies and getting to grips with flavours.

Same as many on here , we watched game changers . My DH has been veggie for 30 plus years , Iv been for 5 years . We're just finishing up the cheese in the fridge , then that's it ! Our plan is to be plant based at home and as much as we can when out but not get in a tizz over it . Like others we are doing it for health , I'm hoping that giving up cheese will miraculously make this extra stone vaporise 😆 so on Tuesday I'm buying bosh and intend to work threw it . Thanks for so many great ideas!

Wanting to be more plant based I opted for a vegan week this week to try new things

Harissa Roast cauliflower, Mexican rice, avocado, hummus and pine nuts
Lentil and mushroom Bolognese
Heck vegan sausages and salad wraps
Red pepper soup

Some of my options this week

Most supermarkets do ready meals such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S. I usually get Sainsbury's or M&S ones. Richmond meat free sausages or Naked Glory both taste like sausages and have a skin too and highly reccomended these at the moment. Nautrli mince is fantastic too and beyond meat for burgers.

Sometimes it's easier also to veganise your current food lifestyle rather then being too ambitious. Then in time you can try new recipes too, I think becoming vegan really opening my eyes and enjoy cooking and trying new things. Don't give up and if you don't follow it one day don't worry, it's about making changes forever not a lifestyle you just give up on. Looking into how every product is made is also a eye-opener and helps to keep on track too understanding the cruelty involved. Highly reccomend watching lots of the vegan documentaries via Netflix too for health benefits/environment.

Going out to eat is nice as a vegan too nowadays, love the Byron beyond burgers, Zizzi zucca pizza, Greggs sausage roll, Pret sandwiches, Pizza express, Indians, Thai etc.

I don't really think much of Quorn. Don't mind the nuggets though xx

Lots of good tips here.

I think the biggest mistake I see when people go veggie/vegan is this idea that there has to be substitutes for animal products. That's a pretty unsatisfying and expensive way to go.

With the exception of soy milk, I eat very little 'fake meat' or cheese alternatives or elaborate recipes trying to replicate an omni diet. Sure, I'll have the odd veggie burger but mostly I just keep to whole foods.

Chickpeas are great in a curry. Kidney bans are great in chilli. Pasta sauce doesn't need meat or cheese to be fresh and delicious. You can make a great base for a cottage pie from lentils and veg. Houmous and warm pitta bread is just as satisfying a snack as cheese on toast. Pancakes or porridge are just as good with soy milk and sunflower spread is just as good as butter. Cakes don't need eggs, there are plenty of other things you can use to bind the mix (I use ripe avocado to make chocolate sponge cake).

My other tip is to learn about seasoning, that's where all the flavour is.

It's all a lot easier than you might imagine. You don't really need liquid smoke.