Turning vegan?

[courtney251]

Hi,

Recently I've been thinking about cutting out meat from my diet. The thing is I don't know where to start. I'm 33 and all I've ever known is eating meat and cooking meat meals. I also have two young sons who eat meat so don't know how to go about cutting it out. Has anybody got any advice whether it be meal ideas or how to go about it please let me know. I don't know how where to start literally!

Do you mean vegetarian?

Ideally would like to begin with vegetarian it then the end goal is vegan

What do you mean 'you don't know where to start'? Do you mean that you don't understand how to eat a nutritious diet without meat? . Why don't you get a vegetarian/vegan cook book out of the library or Google some recipes?

@Ragwort I came on here for advice not comments from a sarcastic prick but thank you x

Top tip is to be more adventurous when it comes to recipes and cuisines. Indian, Mexican, Italian... all have great plant based options, You won't even notice they are vegan! You can start with meat substitutes like quorn and use them to make familiar comfort food. However you can sustain the lifestyle only if you can appreciate the deliciousness of plant based options. You could also go for Gousto, Hello Fresh and choose vegan meal options from there to get you started.

I went from eating meat everyday to being a veggie in January (and I'm lactose intolerant which in turn means I'm mostly vegan too!).

It was hard as I've grown up with two parents who were very 'meat and 2 veg' kind of people, I spent a week or so doing lots of googling and looking at threads on here and made a list of 10 easy veggie meals. I started by making those and gradually adding more recipes in as I came across them, it's actually ended up being easier than I thought.

There's also lots of good meat alternatives available now which I probably have twice a week.

Don't think about trying to substitute meat in a meat dish. Just look for recipes that are already vegetarian, and as a PP has said look at lots of different cuisines. Indian food is great for vegetarian dishes that contain meat alternatives like lentils, chick peas etc. Indian paneer is a nice mild cheese that stands up to grilling, frying etc and is nice in curries. Mexican dishes can be made with beans rather than meat mince.

You could try replacing one main evening meal a week with a vegetarian one, and then gradually increase the number of days that you are meat free.

OP, the Vegan Soc website has lots of information about nutrition and practical tips as well www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/how-go-vegan

Have a look at the Veganuary website / social media. They have great advice.
I became vegan after using their material 5.5 years ago.
One of the best things I ever did! 🌱

See it as trying new things, new dishes. Explore Middle Eastern cuisine or Asian. in addition to the swaps . Instead of a stir fry with chicken , have some pre-marinated tofu you can toss in.

Chickpeas, beans and lentils are your friend. You can make delicious salads.

Go to your local library and explore the cooking section. Bring home some cooking books and have fun.

This is an opportunity for you to try new vegetables or to cook them in new ways.
Be mindful not to focus on what you cut (the meats) but on what you add (the plants) otherwise you might fall into the trap of vegan junk and all white diet made of crisps, bread, pasta.

Don't know why you've got some sarky type comments, it's clear you're only asking a question!
I grew up in a very big on eating meat family,, if that's the way you are too it can seem like a big change!
It's really not though.
Lots of things are vegan that you'd eat anyway
Swap cows milk for soya or oat milk, your taste buds soon adapt.
Breakfasts of porridge, toast with plant margarine (loads out there now) tofu scramble makes a great scrambled egg substitute.
Meals of jacket potatoes and beans, vegetable chilli con carne or can do a "meat" one with Meatless Farm mince which is amazing.
Curries such as lentil dahl, saag aloo or chickpea ones.
Pasta in tomato sauce etc.
Try Pinterest and Instagram for vegan recipes and ideas for inspiration too

@courtney251 I'm sorry you've received some shitty comments and not been back to the thread since.

I see things slightly differently. I think if you go immediately to lentils and chickpeas you and your family may give up immediately. I think it's best to stick with meals you are familiar with (say, sausage and mash) and sub the sausage for say Richmond vegan sausages and gently change your meals. Then start to experiment with chickpea curries etc which are delicious but you need to give yourself time for your tastes to change. Going straight into kale and lentils is setting yourself up to fail.

Be gentle on yourself. It is awesome that you have made this huge decision. For your health, for the planet, for the animals, I thank you.

Wow...it's a perfectly valid option to ask others for ideas, information etc... Why so snarky?

Start with non British dishes is easier as many do not contain meat anyway.

Curries are often vegan without even trying for instance. Plenty of vegetarian Italian dishes too. Liking a wide variety of vegetables and pulses makes it easier of course.

I make 5 bean chilli for instance, very simple, very economical, canned mixed beans - you can add cheese and sour cream if you aren't vegan or guacamole if vegan to give it extra zing. Serve with rice and tortilla chips.

Of British foods you can make shepherds pie with lentils and mushrooms for instance and there's lots of nut roast type options ready made, but my dd isn't keen on them

Totally agree @00100001 and cook books are not great imo. Online recipes are much better because you can read reviews of how good they are. People's experiences shared on a forum are much better and I do hope the OP returns and let's us know how they are getting on.

I would add, start by eating vegetarian some days, I eat meat sometimes but reduced to 3 days a week mostly. Don't think of it as a change you make on one day

I'd echo what others have said and make the changes slowly.

You don't need to go 100% vegan overnight.

Easy changes are swapping mince for soya mince or lentils and milk/butter for oat milk and Naturli spread.

Look at what you eat now and adapt. Toast or cereal for breakfast you just need to swap your milk or butter.

Soup for lunch can be veggie soups. Sandwiches are trickier. There are fake meats which I don't like so I have a lot of Hummus.

Curries and chillies can be made with beans and lentils or soya mince. Same with lasagne or bolognaise. The only thing without an equivalent is a meat and two veg meal.

Definitely a slow transition is best. When we first went vegan, we discovered still had loads of bacon in the chest freezer! Once we stopped meat, it did take a few months for my husband to wean off cheese and for me to stop eating eggs, but we got there. The bliss of no more dairy bloat was indescribable!

Personally I like most meat replacements (Linda McCartney sausages, THIS bacon, moving mountains burgers are our favourites) but they aren't for everyone. Get yourself some vegan cookbooks off ebay, a good tofu press and look up some marinade recipes, that's a good start!

I’ve been vegetarian for 30 years. Started when I was a teenager and my parents sent me to a dietician so I could get the nutrition right (they came from a very meat heavy culture). I would recommend that if possible.

Otherwise I’d focus on recipes that aren’t meant to involve lots of meats. I mostly make Asian, Indian and (some) African food as there are lots of meat-free options rather than trying to recreate meat-heavy western recipes. The cookbooks I use on heavy rotation are Thai, Indian and Ethiopian. Lots of options.

I use pretend meat only for stuff like BBQs when everyone is eating a sausage etc.

You could start by writing a list of all the meals you already enjoy cooking, then pick out, say three, that are already vegetarian (things like beans on toast, omelette etc), pick out three you could easily adjust to become vegetarian (chicken curry > chickpea and/or paneer curry) and pick three simple recipes that are new to you to try (cookbooks from the library or charity shop, BBC goodfood online). Then you've got a meal plan of 9 dishes to get you started.

Hey there!
I turned vegan about 5 years ago, from being pescatarian, then vegetarian.
I would recommend doing a search for alternative protein sources (though proteins are not hard to get by on a vegan diet, despite the myth), you could go the healthy/cheap way, which is to cook with lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans and try curries and chilies which are usually pretty simple and healthy.

For a bit of fun you could try meat substitutes, they can be quite good, I personally don't buy them often, but it can be a good way to transition.

I personally loved watching Youtube videos of vegan cooks, it was so inspiring!

The suggestions from everyone here are great though! Mostly focus on what you enjoy, what you like cooking, and substitute things.
For cheesy flavour, I recommend nutritional yeast (sold in Sainsburys), I sprinkle it over pasta and in soups. To make your own cream sauces, I blend cashews with water etc. etc. These are all tips and tricks you'll figure out as you go along, but mainly keep it fun and light hearted!

It's one of the best ways you can improve your health and the health of the planet (and reduce animal suffering) <3

You can DM if you've got any questions :)