Vegan News

[Zosia]

@Anthracite_Impreza I'll look into it and see if I can find anything similar. 

[Zosia]

On a side note--has anybody heard of the new Netflix movie called "Okja" about a genetically modified super pig that escapes, and the little girl and animal rights activists who are trying to protect the pig from the corporation that created these super pigs for slaughter? I'm pretty sure it was released just today on Netflix--I might have to sign up for Netflix now just to watch it. Looks interesting! 

 

 

Another film that I want to see is called "The Last Pig", and it's a documentary about a pig farmer's change of heart and realizing that he no longer felt like raising pigs for slaughter was morally justifiable (even though the pigs had absolutely idyllic lives on the farm), and I'm pretty sure he's vegan now. The film will be released in December; right now they're screening it in various places. Gotta see it!

 

 

[Skycaptain]

26 minutes ago, Zosia said:

@Anthracite_Impreza I'll look into it and see if I can find anything similar. 

Baby food isn't far off!! 

[Anthracite_Impreza]

3 hours ago, Skycaptain said:

Baby food isn't far off!! 

[Perissodactyla]

Recommended: buy a food processor and experiment with various recipes containing ingredients that appeal to your taste.

You will save a ton of money this way as you discover how cheap it is to make your own spreads... with also a much wider variety than what you can find commercially... and also Fresh!

If you enjoy hummus, then all you need is chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon, garlic and salt. It's so much better than what you can buy!

Or just try mooshing various legumes/beans that you like... exploring combinations that your tongue guides. You can improvise soon enough, as you get a feel for DIY spreads.

 

If you enjoy seed and nut butters, either use a food processor or get a device that will grind them into nut/seed butter... obviously a ready spread.

 

 

[Anthracite_Impreza]

8 hours ago, oval said:

Recommended: buy a food processor and experiment with various recipes containing ingredients that appeal to your taste.

You will save a ton of money this way as you discover how cheap it is to make your own spreads... with also a much wider variety than what you can find commercially... and also Fresh!

If you enjoy hummus, then all you need is chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon, garlic and salt. It's so much better than what you can buy!

Or just try mooshing various legumes/beans that you like... exploring combinations that your tongue guides. You can improvise soon enough, as you get a feel for DIY spreads.

 

If you enjoy seed and nut butters, either use a food processor or get a device that will grind them into nut/seed butter... obviously a ready spread.

 

 

I'm on the dole, I can't afford things like that...

[Zosia]

@Anthracite_Impreza Alright, so I did some digging and I asked some UK vegans for their input on faux meat-spreads. Hopefully some of these will work for you.

 

It looks like Granovita has many vegan pâté spreads which might work for you. (One UK vegan said that they sell them both online, like on Amazon if that works for you, or also at various stores including Holland and Barret. I don't know if that store is in your area, but I've heard it mentioned a lot, so I'm assuming it's a popular store? Somebody else said that Holland and Barret has some kind of card there that can help with savings?? I don't know about what kinds of savings other stores might offer you for Granovita's pâtés...) Anyway, here's a link to their product line: http://www.granovita.co.uk/categoryproducts/MeatFreeSavouryPates

 

Somebody else also recommended these two pâtés (below). I don't know what stores you can find these in (I'm sorry!).

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Liberto-Organic--Vegan-Normand-Pateo-Gluten-Free/343225011

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Liberto-Organic--Vegan-Pate-De-Provenceo-Gluten-Free/343226011

 

So, hopefully these pâtés are similar enough to what you're looking for and this helps you out some? Let me know if you need anything else.

[m4rble]

On 7/2/2017 at 7:42 PM, Zosia said:

@Anthracite_Impreza Alright, so I did some digging and I asked some UK vegans for their input on faux meat-spreads. Hopefully some of these will work for you.

 

It looks like Granovita has many vegan pâté spreads which might work for you. (One UK vegan said that they sell them both online, like on Amazon if that works for you, or also at various stores including Holland and Barret. I don't know if that store is in your area, but I've heard it mentioned a lot, so I'm assuming it's a popular store? Somebody else said that Holland and Barret has some kind of card there that can help with savings?? I don't know about what kinds of savings other stores might offer you for Granovita's pâtés...) Anyway, here's a link to their product line: http://www.granovita.co.uk/categoryproducts/MeatFreeSavouryPates

 

Somebody else also recommended these two pâtés (below). I don't know what stores you can find these in (I'm sorry!).

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Liberto-Organic--Vegan-Normand-Pateo-Gluten-Free/343225011

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Liberto-Organic--Vegan-Pate-De-Provenceo-Gluten-Free/343226011

 

So, hopefully these pâtés are similar enough to what you're looking for and this helps you out some? Let me know if you need anything else.

Wow, you're really helpful.

[Zosia]

1 hour ago, m4rble said:

Wow, you're really helpful.

Aw, thank you.  But, I did have some help from UK vegans, though. They're much more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to what's available over there.

[Xenobot]

Oh hai, other vegans. I don't have much to contribute other than to say I am happy to see that this thread exists. I've been vegan for 17 years now (and meat free for 19 years). When I first became vegan I would have to define the word for people constantly, now I cannot even recall the last time I've had to define it. The world certainly has changed.

[Zosia]

4 hours ago, Xenobot said:

Oh hai, other vegans. I don't have much to contribute other than to say I am happy to see that this thread exists. I've been vegan for 17 years now (and meat free for 19 years). When I first became vegan I would have to define the word for people constantly, now I cannot even recall the last time I've had to define it. The world certainly has changed.

Wow, that's a long time as a vegan! *high-fives* What else did you have to deal with as a vegan back then when you first started out, besides people not knowing what vegan means, if you don't mind me asking? What kinds of advice would you give to others only a few years in that might help them to make veganism a long-term commitment like you've done?

[m4rble]

People say you don't get cravings when you become vegan but I keep craving beef and fish(especially salmon) and I don't understand why. I even got hungry when I watched a video of people cutting up meat to feed to big cats at a sanctuary. It's strange. I also don't understand why so many vegans recommend fasting when that seems to especially get me to crave meat. 

[Zosia]

33 minutes ago, m4rble said:

People say you don't get cravings when you become vegan but I keep craving beef and fish(especially salmon) and I don't understand why. I even got hungry when I watched a video of people cutting up meat to feed to big cats at a sanctuary. It's strange. I also don't understand why so many vegans recommend fasting when that seems to especially get me to crave meat. 

Plenty of people get cravings. Maybe those people you've ran across don't want to admit that they're craving something they find morally wrong (if they're vegan for ethics)? Like, perhaps it causes them some internal conflict? Or, they don't want non-vegans jumping on them about their cravings--how having cravings for animal products must mean they're deficient and inherently "unhealthy", how if they're craving something and not indulging in it that must mean they have an ED, how they need to get off their high horse and stop trying to be so "pure" in their actions, so on and so forth. I've gotten all of this directed at me and more, and it's just tiring to deal with. So, maybe these people are just trying to defend themselves? I guess they could be trying to make themselves look "superior", but I think it's good to try and give people the benefit of the doubt.  You never know what their reasoning is unless you ask them or they share.

 

You're not a bad person for craving animal products. Many people deal with cravings. When I first went vegan, I was craving cheese for a solid seven months. I also had a hard time finding filling vegan foods; I was always craving things with "substance" (if that makes sense?), and my mind had associated "substance" with animal products. I had overestimated my skill at cooking when I first went vegan, so I was living off of basically soup and stir fry for many months until I built up more of a repertoire of recipes that I could make. So, for a long time, it felt like I wasn't eating enough (which I probably wasn't), and that made my cravings for animal products worse. Cheesy pizza is a lot different than lentil soup. I wasn't really prepared, so I had to do some quick thinking and research/try vegan foods that would be more filling. As far as the cheese cravings went, a part of that was just habit, and it was just a matter of finding similar enough replacements. For instance, I was fairly used to snacking on cheesy chips before going vegan, so I replaced those with regular potato chips. And then when that craving subsided, I started shifting away from potato chips to healthier crunchy snacks like peanuts and sunflower seeds (though I'll still eat chips every once in a while). Fasting to get rid of cravings, or "starving it out", is a bad idea. I wouldn't really recommend it...you're craving it for a reason. So, maybe it would help to look to see why you might be craving meat and try to find something that could fill that hole where meat was?

 

Do faux meats help you, like store-bought ones? Do you like cooking? I can find some recipes online for some good homemade faux meats. I know of one for salmon that you might enjoy. I'll see if I can find it... (I'm on my phone, hold on...)

[Zosia]

@m4rble Here's a vegan salmon recipe, let me know if you want me to find anything else...

 

 

[null-]

null

 

[m4rble]

On 7/11/2017 at 1:33 PM, Zosia said:

Plenty of people get cravings. Maybe those people you've ran across don't want to admit that they're craving something they find morally wrong (if they're vegan for ethics)? Like, perhaps it causes them some internal conflict? Or, they don't want non-vegans jumping on them about their cravings--how having cravings for animal products must mean they're deficient and inherently "unhealthy", how if they're craving something and not indulging in it that must mean they have an ED, how they need to get off their high horse and stop trying to be so "pure" in their actions, so on and so forth. I've gotten all of this directed at me and more, and it's just tiring to deal with. So, maybe these people are just trying to defend themselves? I guess they could be trying to make themselves look "superior", but I think it's good to try and give people the benefit of the doubt.  You never know what their reasoning is unless you ask them or they share.

 

You're not a bad person for craving animal products. Many people deal with cravings. When I first went vegan, I was craving cheese for a solid seven months. I also had a hard time finding filling vegan foods; I was always craving things with "substance" (if that makes sense?), and my mind had associated "substance" with animal products. I had overestimated my skill at cooking when I first went vegan, so I was living off of basically soup and stir fry for many months until I built up more of a repertoire of recipes that I could make. So, for a long time, it felt like I wasn't eating enough (which I probably wasn't), and that made my cravings for animal products worse. Cheesy pizza is a lot different than lentil soup. I wasn't really prepared, so I had to do some quick thinking and research/try vegan foods that would be more filling. As far as the cheese cravings went, a part of that was just habit, and it was just a matter of finding similar enough replacements. For instance, I was fairly used to snacking on cheesy chips before going vegan, so I replaced those with regular potato chips. And then when that craving subsided, I started shifting away from potato chips to healthier crunchy snacks like peanuts and sunflower seeds (though I'll still eat chips every once in a while). Fasting to get rid of cravings, or "starving it out", is a bad idea. I wouldn't really recommend it...you're craving it for a reason. So, maybe it would help to look to see why you might be craving meat and try to find something that could fill that hole where meat was?

 

Do faux meats help you, like store-bought ones? Do you like cooking? I can find some recipes online for some good homemade faux meats. I know of one for salmon that you might enjoy. I'll see if I can find it... (I'm on my phone, hold on...)

Thank you. I meant to reply to this earlier but my thoughts weren't very organised at the time. It's true that non-vegans will often say that cravings are caused by deficiency but vegans will often say it must be due to addiction, which I don't think is very fair.

 

The time I got hungry from watching lions' food being prepared was actually a few months ago and I was already pretty hungry at the time. I think a lot of it just simply comes from hunger. Vegan foods often just don't seem satiating as meats a lot of the time, you can't really compare an apple or even a bowl of lentils to a steak in this respect. When I think of really satisfying vegan food I think of things like a sofrita burrito at chipotle. This may just be because those burritos are really filling, but when I think of the ingredients they're pretty basic vegan foods, like rice, black beans, tofu, and tortilla.

 

I think people seek out really savory flavors, which are harder to achieve on a vegan diet, so it's good to learn how to cook that sort of thing and I'm just learning how to cook on my own. I think it's rather silly for people to feel wrong for having cravings in the first place but I know they do feel that way anyway. I think I was just feeling pretty grumpy that I kept seeing people saying that vegans don't crave meat when they switch over on the internet. Actually quite a few of them do, but that isn't exactly the greatest thing to say if you want converts. I think people often do overestimate how difficult it would be to go vegan, but that doesn't mean no issues will ever arise. The problem comes when people try to think of all the problems at once instead of trying to go vegan and addressing any problems that might come up then.

 

Vegans seem to talk about red meat and poultry a lot more than fish and seafood in general. I read that fish cravings could be a sign of not getting enough vitamin D or K. I put my meals into chronometer for a few weeks and I seem to consistently be low in vitamin D, vitamin E, and calcium. (even when I'm not completely vegan) I started supplementing vitamin D and calcium. I was actually supplementing for vitamin E a while back to make my periods less painful(it seemed to work, but I can't tell if it was just a placebo effect) so I might start doing that again. 

 

I don't think I've ever had any very realistic faux meats. All I've had were things like Boca burgers. I don't think those are bad, but they don't really remind me of meat. I could try looking for some of the brands you mentioned earlier though. I've had some faux meat hot dogs that tasted more realistic, but hot dogs never really tasted much like real meat in the first place. 

On 7/11/2017 at 1:35 PM, Zosia said:

@m4rble Here's a vegan salmon recipe, let me know if you want me to find anything else...

 

 

Thanks for the video, I'll try out the carrot and tomato recipes and tell you how they go. I can't make the cream cheese recipe because I'm allergic to nuts, but to be honest I don't like normal cream cheese(or most cheese for that matter) at all anyway. 

[good-heart-bad-knees]

Anyone else just a total aslut for tempeh???? (Aslut...hehehe...)

[Zosia]

On July 12, 2017 at 4:06 PM, m4rble said:

The time I got hungry from watching lions' food being prepared was actually a few months ago and I was already pretty hungry at the time. I think a lot of it just simply comes from hunger. Vegan foods often just don't seem satiating as meats a lot of the time, you can't really compare an apple or even a bowl of lentils to a steak in this respect. When I think of really satisfying vegan food I think of things like a sofrita burrito at chipotle. This may just be because those burritos are really filling, but when I think of the ingredients they're pretty basic vegan foods, like rice, black beans, tofu, and tortilla.

Yeah, I think that a lot of my cravings stemmed from hunger, too (or were made worse by hunger and not feeling satiated). Burritos were something that also helped me, as were more filling foods like pasta, breads, rice, potatoes, peanut butter, oatmeal, and beans. Everybody's different, so some people can fill up on veggies and fruit when vegan and feel satisfied and for others veggies/fruit just don't cut it.

 

On July 12, 2017 at 4:06 PM, m4rble said:

I think people seek out really savory flavors, which are harder to achieve on a vegan diet, so it's good to learn how to cook that sort of thing and I'm just learning how to cook on my own.

When I'm craving something savory, I'll make something with soy sauce, or depending on where a person lives, they might be able to find miso paste made from veggies (I think miso is usually made from fish, so beware), which works well in various dishes. I tried some veggie miso once in soup and it tasted kind of chicken-y. There's also different kinds of marinades a person could use for tofu which makes it taste savory.

 

On July 12, 2017 at 4:06 PM, m4rble said:

I think it's rather silly for people to feel wrong for having cravings in the first place but I know they do feel that way anyway. I think I was just feeling pretty grumpy that I kept seeing people saying that vegans don't crave meat when they switch over on the internet. Actually quite a few of them do, but that isn't exactly the greatest thing to say if you want converts.

I agree it's kind of silly...it's a very normal thing and I think it's better to recognize cravings and talk about them and try and figure out how to healthfully deal with them than to suppress them and deny they're there. And it seems to me like it would make more sense to maybe forewarn people about possible issues they might run into when going vegan, not to scare them but just to prepare them? Knowledge is power? I should have been more prepared before jumping on the wagon, and there are still things I could probably learn and do better on. But, like you say, there are some people online who want to present a perfect, envious image to gain "converts". Or they're trying to get people to give them their money. 

 

On July 12, 2017 at 4:06 PM, m4rble said:

I think people often do overestimate how difficult it would be to go vegan, but that doesn't mean no issues will ever arise. The problem comes when people try to think of all the problems at once instead of trying to go vegan and addressing any problems that might come up then.

Agreed.

 

On July 12, 2017 at 4:06 PM, m4rble said:

Vegans seem to talk about red meat and poultry a lot more than fish and seafood in general. I read that fish cravings could be a sign of not getting enough vitamin D or K. I put my meals into chronometer for a few weeks and I seem to consistently be low in vitamin D, vitamin E, and calcium. (even when I'm not completely vegan) I started supplementing vitamin D and calcium. I was actually supplementing for vitamin E a while back to make my periods less painful(it seemed to work, but I can't tell if it was just a placebo effect) so I might start doing that again. 

Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you.  I use Cronometer too and it seems pretty reliable.

[Zosia]

2 hours ago, good-heart-bad-knees said:

Anyone else just a total aslut for tempeh???? (Aslut...hehehe...)

I've never had tempeh...looks terrifying. *shivers at the thought of moldy, furry beans*

[Aimeendfire]

I also have nothing new to contribute just happy to see other vegans here. Ive been vegan for around 5-6 months. I accidentally poured  milk into my cereal the other day and had a spoonful...it tastes so bitter. Amazing how our tastes change in such a small amount of time. 

[Zosia]

What do you know? Colbert lost a bet and is eating a vegan/plant-based diet for a little over two weeks:

 

http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=9774&catId=1

 

 

[RoseCullen]

On 7/11/2017 at 11:22 AM, m4rble said:

People say you don't get cravings when you become vegan but I keep craving beef and fish(especially salmon) and I don't understand why. I even got hungry when I watched a video of people cutting up meat to feed to big cats at a sanctuary. It's strange. I also don't understand why so many vegans recommend fasting when that seems to especially get me to crave meat. 

When I first became vegan 4 years ago I had to make sure I was getting enough iron and protein because if I was lacking my body would naturally slam me with cravings. The more I researched, the better it got. It really does get easier! Plus, mental images of the real horrors of animal agriculture will forever haunt me. Gardein is my favorite go to for vegan meats if that helps....

[Ageless Goddess]

13 hours ago, RoseCullen said:

When I first became vegan 4 years ago I had to make sure I was getting enough iron and protein because if I was lacking my body would naturally slam me with cravings. The more I researched, the better it got. It really does get easier! Plus, mental images of the real horrors of animal agriculture will forever haunt me. Gardein is my favorite go to for vegan meats if that helps....

I'm curious if you use nutritional yeast? Three tablespoons of nutritional yeast per day is needed to maintain vitamin B in the body for brain health. Have you made faux cheese?

Equal parts of ground almonds, nutritional yeast, & 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Wala!  You have delicious Parmesan cheese to toss over pasta, add to salads or whatever you like with Parmesan cheese. I'm not vegan, however, I make vegan desserts, & use nutritional yeast preparing meals for my clients who are lactose intolerant.

[RoseCullen]

1 hour ago, Ageless Goddess said:

I'm curious if you use nutritional yeast? Three tablespoons of nutritional yeast per day is needed to maintain vitamin B in the body for brain health. Have you made faux cheese?

Equal parts of ground almonds, nutritional yeast, & 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Wala!  You have delicious Parmesan cheese to toss over pasta, add to salads or whatever you like with Parmesan cheese. I'm not vegan, however, I make vegan desserts, & use nutritional yeast preparing meals for my clients who are lactose intolerant.

Oooooh! I have used nutritional yeast a bit but never knew that about vegan parmesan cheese! 

[Zosia]

On 7/16/2017 at 3:43 PM, Ageless Goddess said:

I'm curious if you use nutritional yeast? Three tablespoons of nutritional yeast per day is needed to maintain vitamin B in the body for brain health.

Are you talking about vitamin B-12? I don't usually like talking about the health-related aspects of vegan diets because I'm not a qualified health professional, but if you're claiming that B-12 requirements can be met through diet alone and that nutritional yeast can supply a vegan with adequate amounts of B-12, I feel like it's safe for me to point out that multiple health organizations like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics disagrees with your statement:

 

"Vitamin B-12 is not a component of plant foods. Fermented foods (such as tempeh), nori, spirulina, chlorella algae, and unfortified nutritional yeast cannot be relied upon as adequate or practical sources of B-12. Vegans must regularly consume reliable sources--meaning B-12 fortified foods or B-12 containing supplements--or they could become deficient, as shown in case studies of vegan infants, children, and adults."

 

Source: http://www.eatrightpro.org/~/media/eatrightpro files/practice/position and practice papers/position papers/vegetarian-diet.ashx

[Skycaptain]

A Marmite sandwich is a good source of yeast derived B vitamins 

[Ageless Goddess]

19 hours ago, Zosia said:

Are you talking about vitamin B-12? I don't usually like talking about the health-related aspects of vegan diets because I'm not a qualified health professional, but if you're claiming that B-12 requirements can be met through diet alone and that nutritional yeast can supply a vegan with adequate amounts of B-12, I feel like it's safe for me to point out that multiple health organizations like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics disagrees with your statement:

 

"Vitamin B-12 is not a component of plant foods. Fermented foods (such as tempeh), nori, spirulina, chlorella algae, and unfortified nutritional yeast cannot be relied upon as adequate or practical sources of B-12. Vegans must regularly consume reliable sources--meaning B-12 fortified foods or B-12 containing supplements--or they could become deficient, as shown in case studies of vegan infants, children, and adults."

 

Source: http://www.eatrightpro.org/~/media/eatrightpro files/practice/position and practice papers/position papers/vegetarian-diet.ashx

 

[Ageless Goddess]

Hello Zosia, I'm not a health care professional, but I work with a Certified Registered Dietitian who states nutritional yeast is only one source of vitamin B to supplement a Vegan's diet with.  I'm not vegan, but I am caring for a vegan at this time, she likes faux cheese on her cauliflower crust pizza & tossed in her rice noodles. Ta Ta

19 hours ago, Zosia said:

Are you talking about vitamin B-12? I don't usually like talking about the health-related aspects of vegan diets because I'm not a qualified health professional, but if you're claiming that B-12 requirements can be met through diet alone and that nutritional yeast can supply a vegan with adequate amounts of B-12, I feel like it's safe for me to point out that multiple health organizations like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics disagrees with your statement:

 

"Vitamin B-12 is not a component of plant foods. Fermented foods (such as tempeh), nori, spirulina, chlorella algae, and unfortified nutritional yeast cannot be relied upon as adequate or practical sources of B-12. Vegans must regularly consume reliable sources--meaning B-12 fortified foods or B-12 containing supplements--or they could become deficient, as shown in case studies of vegan infants, children, and adults."

 

Source: http://www.eatrightpro.org/~/media/eatrightpro files/practice/position and practice papers/position papers/vegetarian-diet.ashx

 

[Zosia]

Just found out we now apparently have a flag. I came across this video earlier and thought I would share. She briefly explains some of the controversy behind it and what other people think of it, but her opinion of it is very optimistic and positive. I kind of like the flag...what do all of you think?

 

 

[Zosia]

I might be talking into the void here, but I thought I would share some vegan-y things.

 

Corn on the cob stands have started to pop up the past couple of days, which reminded me of this really funny video. Hopefully, somebody gets a kick out of it. CORN!