Vegan/Vegetarians

I'm new and so glad I joined the CN community!! There is such great information on here! at first I thought it was just hair talk but it's so much more!!

I'm beginning my veggie lifestyle over again after doing so good for nearly a year, I relapsed...my hubbie recently got deployed again (3rd time) and I ate everything I saw, seafood, all types of processed sugar crap, but when I ate some chicken and a whooper jr, I got sick and realized that I need to go back to my vegetarian diet.

I've notice since I've been on the veggie track my skin is a lot clearer, my energy levels are higher and during that time I don't have serve cramps like I use to....that in itself has keep me on the veggie track!!!!

It does take me a little longer to grocery shop because I've gotten into the habit of reading all the ingredients.

Again thank you ladies for the help!!

I found the Jamaica Veggie book at amazon--it's $11.21
Delicious Jamaica: Vegetarian Cuisine (Healthy World Cuisine)- Yvonne McCalla Sobers; Paperback
Condition: New
In Stock
I hope this helps someone! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Mzsweetsmile, I wasn't sure if that was the one. Thanks! Do you stay away from all processed foods? What about cheese? I am going to try the follow your heart cheese that was recommended but I have been having some bad break outs on my face and I wonder if it is the cheese or from eating packaged foods from time to time. Do you think your skin is clearer simply from not eating meat? Thanks

You're so welcome!!

I know my genes have a lot to do with it but I've done a comparison from before when I did eat meat and I can see a significant difference since dropping meat.

Im lactose intolerant so I don't eat a lot of cheese. I do like smoked gouda-- but I have to take my special lactose free pill first before I eat it. Mainly I tend to stay away from it because it's such a hassle and the pills don't work that well.
HTH

Check out this inspiring article about going raw:

http://www.lovingraw.com/blog/2010/5/2/how-my-life-has-changed-4-years-raw.html

That really makes me want to go full on raw too. I love veggies, and would be able to get access to fresh organic veggies every two weeks from a buying club, and I already go to the gym regularly..

I really need to commit.

@Hollis~

I hear ya on the cheeses the Follow Your Heart is the best one i've tasted...

The book is called Delicious Jamaica! Vegitarian Cuisine by Yvonne McCalla Sobers...(I bought it from Amazon) I LOVE IT!!! My husband is also from Jamaica and he loves the recipes and he's not a Vegan/Vegetarian (Im still working on him) ya know how they love thier oxtail & Goat!!!...LOL

@ CurlyMo Thanks! I will definitely be buying this book! My husband does love his curry chicken and goat lol but he really did like some curry tofu I made the other night he said it was just as good as the chicken! The Whole Foods Market is a little bit far from me but next time I go (hopefully next week) I will be trying out that brand! Thanks again!

Your Welcome Anytime! Hollis try currying the Seitan it is sooooo good!!!

you can order here if you cant find it in your area... http://www.vegieworld.com/

Hey Ladies!

I've been vegetarian for 2 years and was also vegan for a year. I just recently started back consuming seafood. But, I love the cookbooks listed and agree with all of the advice posted. After learning about the weird stuff in meat and dairy, I realized that I would prefer soy LOL. I also prefer to limit my soy intake. There are other great dairy substitutes.
As far as cheese, try to get your hands on some Daiya. It's the best non-dairy/non-soy cheese I have ever had. It melts like a charm. They only currently sell it online or at select Whole Foods, in the cheese section (they package it themselves).
Head over to the recipe swap thread, we have a lot of great vegan/vegetarian recipes over there!
Good luck on your journey, and know that a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet can be exceptionally healthy and beneficial. Plus, you are decreasing your carbon footprint, like you'd never believe!

happy to see other vegan/vegetarians online.

I've always been lactose intolerant so I've always stayed away from dairy. And I was never a big meat eater, I was more prone to eating sea food. So when i decided to be a vegetarian the hardest part was that whole stop eating sea food leap. but it was done, and as of March 9th i believe, I was a complete vegan.

My sister (who is also a vegan) and I are always looking for good recipes. and the books listed above sound awesome. def will try them out.

I have a few really good cookbooks, that are based on popular restaurants here in LA, The REal Food Daily cookbook and Native Foods cookbook. They have great items, that are bestsellers at their restaurants, in these books.


*Urbrightside: Congrats on going full vegan! It was hard for me, my family and friends are all meat/dairy eaters. It's great that you and your sister can support one another!

I honestly think that eliminating dairy products from my diet has been the best thing for clearing up my skin & i now KNOW that whenever i slip up and eat some dairy i breakout and feel sick because of it.

I hate to label myself as vegan because OCCASIONALLY (like on my birthday) I might have a slice of cake or roll or something that has an egg or 2 in it or a little milk, but i definitely NEVER consume meat or dairy products such as cheese, eggs, or any milk product straight.

I am working up to being 90% raw...currently about 75% raw and i would NEVER go back to eating meat, dairy, or processed foods again.

It really is amazing to me how just about EVERYTHING you can buy in the grocery store that is pre-packaged truly is bad for you! literally everything from "healthy bran cereals" to ketchup to yoghurt to bread is LOADED with CORN SYRUP!

Once you start being more health conscious of what you put inside you, you begin to notice how toxic everything is!

I HIGHLY recommend that everyone read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PHD which is "The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted." It is truly an eye-opener & must-read for anyone who wants specific PROVEN FACTS & studies and information from someone who was a self-proclaimed skeptic and ridiculer of vegetarians!

I also love Kimberly Snyder's Health & Beauty Blog (kimberlysnyder.net) and Gena's Choosing Raw blog (choosingraw.com) both are great resources for recipes and info!

good luck to everyone & I PROMISE that you will look AND feel so much better once you stop eating meat, dairy, and processed foods!

Today's lunch:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/moroccan-carrot-salad-recipe/index.html

It's pretty tasty! I was a little iffy about the ingredient combination until I tasted it.. it's totally yummy! My stomach is happy. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hey Ladies,

I went to whole foods market and could not find the follow your heart(I was in a rush maybe I missed it) but I did find the Daiya and wow it is good and does melt! I am going to go back and look for the follow your heart and see if I like that one also which I believe I will. I finally feel like I can take the plunge now into being vegan. I will try not to use the faux cheese that much but when I have that urge for cheese at least I know I have something! Thanks Ladies for the help!

@CurlyMo I checked the website is the seitan the texturized vegetable protein?

@Chinita do you use a blender for your raw diet? I would like to eventually go raw 70% of the time but I am looking to invest in a vitamix or something similar.

Hollis no the TVP is not as good....I did buy some in whole foods this weekend so try buying it there...

I found some good recipes for it on line as well...If you go to Youtube you can watch them make it....

awww, yay! more vegitarians. when I tell people im a vegitarian they look at me like im from mars! lol.

--Feirce; Hey Lady; I've learned that its not just about finding foods that you like without meat, you also have to compensate for the lost nutrients. Ect. Meat is a major source of proteins, so in the absence of meat you might want to include more beans, nuts, and whole grains into your diet. Im majoring pre-med so alot of my classes are all "blah blah nutrients this and blah blah nutrients that" haha, Ive got some great food ideas, including nutrients, and recipes, ill post later [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

--Everyone-- im trying to make the smooth transition from vegiarian to vegan. has anybody done so successfully? Tips, ideas, thoughts...maybe? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I did it M&B. It was easy for me, after learning how to differentiate certain ingredients found in store-bought products. I then cut out all dairy, and then eggs. I didn't have a heart attack if something had a "non vegan friendly" ingredient in it. I just made a mental note and kept it moving.
The hard thing for me was dealing with the vegan backlash. My family and friends looked at me as self righteous or something, even though I never tried to "convert" anyone, LOL. It was hard explaining that I'm not "that PETA lovin', judge all non-vegans" vegan LOL. Just know why you want to do it and you will be fine!

Thanks Terra!&& i know exactly what you mean lady, my family--the definition of meat lovers! Lol, im not a "PETA chic" either, I juss make my own choices based on my present knowledge and personal experiences. But of course, being nigerian, they stay wit the goat meat, and KEEP a good turkey neck on deck! lol.

I think when your natural AND a vegitarian, people automatically assume that your trying to make a statement.smh.

I agree, my family's meat eaters as well. I went vegan and then stopped flat ironing. My family was like OMG, are you trying to connect with nature? I was like "No, I'm trying to live longer LOL".

Hey Ladies,

I had to spread some knowledge over on newnaturalista and decided to share it here with you guys. It just shows that a little research never hurts. This is my response to someone that pretty much wanted to criticize vegan/vegetarian and raw diets, but gave horribly incorrect, naive, info. Here's my response:

You brought up some
great points. There are many people that follow a hype and have no clue
what they are getting themselves into. I’m a vegetarian of 3 years and
vegan for one year. I definitely think people need to do their research.
But, I do not know a single vegetarian/vegan that is deficient in any
vitamins or minerals. Mostly because vegetarians seem to be aware that
they could potentially be deficient, if they’re not careful.
Non-vegetarians tend to think that they get everything they need from
their diet.
I’ll touch on a few of your statements:
-A raw diet does include foods that are heated to 116 F. So, though
tomatoes need to be heated to release lycopene. Sun dried tomatoes (raw)
have more than a cooked tomato, grapefruit and watermelon also have
high lycopene levels.
-B12, a staple among vegans is nutritional yeast. 2 Tbsp gives the
full recommended adult dose. I use it in grits, on pizza, in sandwich
spreads. Most of us, receive the recommended B12 from non dairy milks,
orange juice and non dairy yogurts, as well.
-I was anemic as a child, teen and adult. I remember crying because I
couldn’t donate blood throughout high school and college. This year was
my first year being able to donate blood, as a vegan, and I definitely
attribute it to my conscious eating habits. I now eat more beans,
spinach and other green veggies, which are packed with iron. In order to
absorb iron, you have to have vitamin C. Because of this most of the
iron in red meat is much less absorbed than that in a vegetarian meal.
E.g. someone can eat a 1700 Calorie steak and get the same amount of
iron as a 100 Calorie serving of spinach.
- As a nurse, that has taken care of many cancer patients. I know
that Whey shakes are given for the fat and calories, the protein simply
helps rebuilding the tissue and is a bonus. These patients experience a
decrease in appetite due to cancer treatments and need alot of fat and
calories fast.
-I think you typed the whole grain thing wrong, because whole grains
are actually sources of zinc. And the whole grains produce enzymes to
remove the phytic acid, which binds to zinc preventing it’s absorption.
So you want whole grains. Also, most zinc comes from meat, but too much
zinc can reduce good cholesterol (HDL’s), which is why too much meat
does the same.
Our bodies will tell us, what we need and we have to listen to it. I
took multivitamins as a kid, my mom gave us the Flinstones chewables [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] , and I still take vitamins now. We all
should, whether we eat meat or not. This helps to balance the deficits
in our blood. On one day we may get more protein that we need, the next
we may get less. Our body does not store extras, they get excreted, so
vitamins come in pretty hand at those times.
In nursing school I remember being told “African Americans are more
likely to have_,_,_ because of the diet that they are culturally used
to”. I begged to differ, if more “African-Americans”, were aware of the
benefits to conscious eating (paying attention to nutrients, sodium,
fat, etc), they wouldn’t mind the thought of eating a bit differently.
Ultimately, we should all pay attention to the nutrients we receive in
our foods. Fruits, veggies, nuts and legumes are very important.






Here's the link to the post:
http://newnaturalista.com/2010/food/video-a-conversation-with-john-salley/

I love it! Very informative. I try not to get to upset because they're just misinformed. [ too bad for them though] &&if anything Im way healthier now because i OBSESS over labeling.lol. not literally but you get the point. Im the person at walmart reading the nutrient content. Most people only look at nutrients to count calories. smh!!

Im alot more patient with peole these days about such things. Becuase if you would have known me a couple of years ago, I was still eating chicken & perming my hair.Thinking healthy meant "leave in conditioner" and the occasional salad. lol. Thank God for Seasons!

good job girl. way to dropp the knowledge!

plus something; on my way to full veganism!! so excited,
went to walmart today, [they didnt have onions-i was so upset but thats another story] and I bough my first container of soy milk.

got home, made my little bowl of cereal, && I hated it!!
ahhh, soy milk sucks.But I guess ill get over it..

Hollis wrote:Hey Ladies,

I went to whole foods market and could not find the follow your heart(I was in a rush maybe I missed it) but I did find the Daiya and wow it is good and does melt! I am going to go back and look for the follow your heart and see if I like that one also which I believe I will. I finally feel like I can take the plunge now into being vegan. I will try not to use the faux cheese that much but when I have that urge for cheese at least I know I have something! Thanks Ladies for the help!

@CurlyMo I checked the website is the seitan the texturized vegetable protein?

@Chinita do you use a blender for your raw diet? I would like to eventually go raw 70% of the time but I am looking to invest in a vitamix or something similar.

Hey, sorry for the delayed response! Yes, I use a blender to make my green smoothies, nut pate's, frozen "yoghurt" (non dairy), etc...a blender really is the BEST investment a vegetarian/vegan can make! I currently have a cheap one which does NOT work well for blending my greens, so I am saving up for either a VitaMix or a BlendTech. I havent decided which one yet...I have talked to a lot of cooks at vegan & raw restaurants & they're divided...some say VitaMix which still is the industry standard you could say, but a lot say the new BlendTech is better...I don't think you can go wrong w/ either one...hopefully I will be able to get mine in the next month or so, & I'll keep ya'll updated!

M & B, You should try vanilla rice milk or chocolate soy milk first. I still don't like the taste of plain soymilk! LOL

yea i agree with TerraD the taste of regular soymilk isn't that tasty. but i love the vanilla soymilk the best. u should give it a try