Vegetarian Chatter

[luna moth]

OK, I've started this thread because I wanted somewhere to vent, enquire, debate and chit chat with other vegetarians - without being preachy or facing the "but where do you get your iron?" stuff that might be found in other threads.
So, who else is out there, why are you veg*n, what do you eat, what great resources do you have? Oh, and where do you get your iron?

I'm here in Brisbane, I'm a vegan for environmental and economic reasons. I've been vegie for three years, vegan for one. I'm quite good at making up my own recipes and have a nutritional library locked up in my little beany brain. I get my iron mostly from haricot and cannellini beans, my favourite recently, and also from organic dried apricots.

[Arimeh]

Hey snuggles buggles - we aren't vegetarian but would like someone to convert us. So do you have any lessons for total beginners? We hate the thought of eating meat, and would love to get around that, but we need some serious help!!!

I thought I would write it here, as it may help convert other people as well, who are scared to give it a go because they don't know how to do it

[Michelle71]

I will be watching with great interest. My knowledge of a varied, vegetarian diet is seriously limited. I could do with the help

[*Ash*]

Hello snugglybean, I am a vegan too...have been for 13 years. My DH is a vegan, and we are raising our kids vegan. Thanks for starting this thread. It is nice to 'meet' you! I was inspired to become vegan for animal rights and environmental reasons. But I now also enjoy the health and economic benefits.

We mostly obtain our iron from legumes, whole grains, and dark leafy greens.

Resources wise, I love 'The China Study' by T. Colin Campbell. I love Neal Barnard's books. I read Vegan Voice magazine (and I write a column for the mag on the topic of raising vegan children). I LOVE vegfamily.com

Arimeh, I take up the challenge to convert you!
Check out whyveg.com and goveg.com and the resources I mentioned above.
There are vegetarian socities in each state. Are you in QLD? Check their web site for recipes and inspiration. Also, I am happy to help you with ideas to convert your current favourite meals to vego. What do you enjoy eating now? Also, check out your local library for vego recipe books.

[Kailani]

I've been a vegetarian for a while, not sure how long exactly, maybe around 5 years. I decided to become a vegan about a year or so later, however since falling pregnant I was advised to have dairy in my diet until I ceased breastfeeding, so I'm now eating dairy! I chose a vegetarian diet for...I guess you could say, philosophical reasons! Animals rights, or whatever! I was never a big meat eater anyway, so it wasn't a big sacrifice at all. I love animals

I have soup a lot - I LOVE soup! Pumpkin soup, carrot celery & paprika, potato & leek, minestrone, mixed veggie & lentil. I could live off of it, however I don't think everyone else in the household would appreciate it lol. With a side of garlic bread mmmmm.

We also have curries with rice maybe once a week...mostly with eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, sometimes potato.

Casserols/stews with carrot, beans & potato.

Noodles with stir-fried veggies: beans, capsicum, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower

...just to name a few things I love

Umm I love the veggie sausages you can get from the supermarket special diet/kosher section. The chickpea & spinnach ones are sooo good. Also veggie/lentil burgers, you can make with mashed potato to bind thye ingredients.

Breakfast is usually porridge with bonsoy and a banana. Sometimes just plain old vegemite toast and a fruit of some sort. Lunch, mostly dinner left overs, toasted sandwiches, or salad rolls.

I add LSA into a lot of my meals (linseed, sunflower(or was it sesame?) & almond meal) for protein. Also, flaxseed oil. I take iron/folate, magnesium and zinc supplements. Iron also from foods such as spinnach, broccoli, lentils, chickpeas. Vit B12 from veggie/soya sausages, tofu & other specialist foods where it's artifically added - oh and vegemite! I think vitB12 is the biggest nutrient deficiancy vego's face.

I'm pretty boring - I don't have the best vegetarian diet because I get lazy, so I need to take supplements! I wish I could be more creative so hopefully others can post some other ideas.

[Kailani]

Hello snugglybean, I am a vegan too...have been for 13 years. My DH is a vegan, and we are raising our kids vegan.

I wish my DP was a vegetarian! I could never convert him, he is a true carnivore. I am going to have a lot of trouble when DS starts solid...we still haven't negotiated his diet DP is happy to eat anything, so I try and provide only veggie meals, but he'll always choose a meat dish when we have takeaway or eat out and he's already warned me he will be taking DS out to get burgers and souvlakis Grrr!

[angelaartsstudent]

LSA is mega yum in porridge!

We have both been vegan in the past. I am vege now and husband is omni. He might get the occasional piece of fish into me once or twice a year though!

I started solely vegetarian in my early teens simply because I didn't like the taste of red meat. I didnt eat chicken or fish becuase I dislike overfishing and the conditions chickens are farmed.

I would LOVE to go vegan again but for some reason I found it complicated...poor planning I guess.

I already have no dairy in my diet because I am lactose intollerant...so basically it's just cutting out eggs and honey.

[krysalyss]

Hi guys! Thanks for starting this thread. We are a little family of 3 vegetarians. DH and I would like to go vegan. It is a work in progress.
I love being vegetarian but it took a few goes. It is like giving up any habit - sometimes it takes a few tries. I feel like DH and I are natural meat eaters but most substitutes are good if I really get cravings. Anyway will drop in again a bit later.

[Kazbah]

I'm wanting to return to vegetarian, I loved it! Then did a couple of sporting things and got preggers & lazy ... so returned to meat. DH likes his meat and he will eat vego as well, so guess that I'm more interested in stuff that I can eat as a main, that will be a side for DH / DS. Cause I really want to return to vego.

My friend is vego and turning vegan, and she & I discussed Pip's diet in some depth - we both agree that it's best that he make the choice himself when he's able.

At the moment I have a soup in the slow-cooker for my lunches this week - soup mix (inc barley) and water, tinned tomatoes, fresh parsnip, grilled capsicum (home-grown), vege stock & dried herbs

But really I want to be able to cook for both DH & I at the same time !

[Nai]

I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian and have been for 17 years. I am mainly for environmental reasons as I don't believe that it is sustainable to farm meat however, I am also for health and philosophical reasons.

DP and DD1 are omni and I think it would be too hard to be vegan in the household especially as we all eat the same meals. DP can deal with being vego at home as long as he gets to eat meat when he goes out. Hardly any of my friends are vego but they are really good about cooking for me when I go there for meals.

I eat a lot of legumes, wholegrains and leafy greens. I am a blood donor too so my iron is good enough for that which means it is better than most meat eaters

[krysalyss]

Hi Kazbah - Firstly I am not judging your decision but just wanted to explain why we have DS as vegetarian. Well first it is easier because DH is also vege (and luckily for me is also the cook) but the other reason is that we love the taste of meat. I still crave it - usually not healthy meat though but greasy takeaway lol. Also I have all of my childhood memories of celebrations with meat eg. turkey and ham at xmas, family BBQs so it is hard to fight those ingrained attachments to meat. So I am hoping to save DS from that - LOL. Obviously he may choose to eat meat later and thats up to him but if can start him off as vege right from the beginning he may find it easier to remain vege if it sits with his philosophies IYKWIM.

Hi Holly - I hear you on the B12. BTW I am pretty sure vegemite doesn't have B12. We switched to marmite which does. What annoys me with iron is that soy is naturally high in iron but processing in soy milk takes it all practically out. Then you find one with more natural processing but it doesn't have as much B12 added. *sigh*.

Does anyone else love the Frys burgers? They are in Woolworths in the frozen section. Awesome and our meat eater friends can't tell the difference. Yum!

[krysalyss]

Double post

[Nai]

Krysalyss - I looked into raising my DDs as vegie but when DD1 went to childcare I thought it would be easier for her also with going over to other people's places. Having said that she doesn't eat much meat and doesn't actually seem to like it that much. She never eats it at home and at most celebrations she doesn't have it as my mum and step-father are also veg. Although she does love sausages from the bbq..

If you like meat substitute DP does an awesome spag bol using the the casserole mince in a can from sanitarium and cooking it with onion, wine, basil, oregano, carrot, bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper. He thinks it is just as good as the meat version We also have the sanitarium sausages and cook them up with mashed potato and brown onion gravy for when he gets a hankering for sausages and mash

Snugglybean - I love making my own easy baked beans by cooking up onion, garlic, white wine, pepper, tin of diced tomatoes and tin of cannellini beans and cooking for 20 min. They are great for brunch and my meat eating friends give them rave reviews and soooo easy.

[*Ash*]

Good morning everyone,

When I was pregnant with my first child, I did experience some negative judgements about the fact that I was vegan - nothing major, but definately enough to annoy me. But, I did my research and I knew that I could have a healthy vegan pregnancy. I knew that I wasn't damaging my unborn child. I have now had three healthy vegan pregnancies. My DD and DS1 are life vegans. They have never eaten meat or dairy (oh, except for my son, who once ate a couple of cat crunchies - yuck!).

I talk to my DD in an age appropriate way about the reasons that DH and I are vegans. I have not scared her with graphic images of factory farms of course. For eg, I have told her that baby cows are supposed to have the milk that their mum's make, that the mother cow makes it for her baby not us blah blah... She regards animals as friends, as creatures to be protected, not as a food source. Young children have such an affinity and interest in animals. Parents sing nursery rhymes and read books to them about animals. They have soft toy animals that they cuddle and sleep with, children love the family pets, but then parents serve animals for lunch! It is interesting that vegos always have to say 'I will let her choose when she is older whether she wants to abandon veganism/vegetarianism' (and I have said it myself too), but meat eaters don't feel the need to say 'I will let her choose whether she wants to be a meat eater or not when she is older'. As my DD doesn't regard animals as a food source, it will be easier for her to say 'no' to meat as she grows. It is normal for teenagers to question their parents values at some point and to seek to forge their own life path. This is a time when vego values may be challenged, and they may decide to 'experiment' with meat-eating. But hey, many teens experiment with drugs and don't become life long drug users, so teens who 'try' meat, will not necessarily turn their backs on veganism/vegetarinaism.

At DD's preschool, there are vegan patty cakes with icing in the freezer (that I baked) for occasions when someone brings a birthday cake. My DD is not the only one who has alternative treats in the freezer. She is the only vegan, but in this day of allergies there are several kids who can't eat certain foods. So, she is definately not the only one on a 'different' diet. I have found that being honest with people works well. If DD is invited to a party, I tell the parents that we are vegans (and I do it in an unapologetic and confident manner - I don't have anything to feel ashamed about). I offer to prepare something vegan for the party so that all the kids can enjoy it (and no i don't send carrot sticks LOL, I send party food). My daughter also takes an alternative to the b'day cake, ie. a piece of homemade cake or a muffin. DD knows to bring the lolly bag home (if there is one) before eating anything so that DH or I can check the contents.

We all take a B12 supplement daily (or every 2nd day if we forget). Then there is no question that we are getting enough. I put ground flaxseed in our smoothies and incorporate walnuts in to our diet for Omega 3. During preg and bf i take a vegan DHA capsule.

Nai- I am going to try your beans, they sound great.

HollyM - yes, I am lucky that DH is vegan. When we got together 13 years ago, I had recently become vegan and he was transitioning to vegetarianism. He pretty quickly transitioned to veganism!

Oh, sorry this is so long! But, I just wanted to tell you what I had for brekkie. DH made us all some banana oat pancakes with berries, maple syrup and non-dairy whipped cream! Yum!

[christy]

Hi everyone! I'm going to be a lurker here for a while as I was vegetarian for 8 years prior to getting pregnant. I struggled the anaemic lifestyle for my entire life from childhood onwards. I was vegan for the first 2 years of my vegetarian ways. When I decided to have children, I started adding fish to my diet and then some meats...

When I was pregnant with DD1, I was on 2 sorts of supplements and still had iron issues so I started eating red meat and I sort of stayed there. After finishing breastfeeding DD2, I was going to go back to a vegetarian diet but I was having health issues and was found to have an extreme B12 deficiency, and low iron again. They did some series of studies and I have to get a B12 injection every 6 weeks and iron injections as well as my body isn't absorbing those nutrients from food.

So .... I'm trying to get DH back into the idea of not eating meat. I have been doing 3 vegetarian meals a week at home for everyone. I go to a special butcher that knows where the food comes from, we also have our own chickens for eggs, we don't have cows milk in the house and we don't have soy (allergies). The girls aren't eating when I make most of the meals, so I'm going to have to get creative.

[Kazbah]

Aliash - great post! Thanks for sharing.

Krys - I understand your PoV with the memories of meat. One of my memories is my Grandad getting the chook ready for the Sunday roast - and teaching me to honour the chook and not cause her pain. And that's what I'd like to teach Pip. DH unfortunately is too removed from this life and won't honour a chook without pain

I LOVE that nutmeat from sanitarium! Its definately great in spag bol, I cook that about once a fortnight. and it freezes well too!

I also have a wonderful nut roast recipe if anyone's interested in it?

Might try the baked beans too ...

[Arimeh]

Is there a place where people can post their most favourite recipes? We'd like to start trying some out - we mainly have meat three times a week at the moment cos the budget doesn't really allow for more (sausages, a mince dish and chicken soup)
So if anyone has recipes that are quick and simple to prepare (for a not very good cook ) it would be most helpful!

[Kailani]

Yes Kazbah I'm interested! I've never tried that mince substitute you girls are talking about - must have a look for it.

Christy, that must be a pita getting injections.

Aliash, such a good post! I've often wondered the same thing, how animals can be seen in two different lights and how it's so hypocritical really! My DP is always telling me I'm the weird one and it's "normal" to eat meat. I try and tell him it only seems normal because that is how most of us are raised, so it never occurs to us that there are actually other alternatives until we are much older and then it's hard to challenge what we see as normal, why would we? We are raised to believe that eating meat is a necessity and a way of life when it's not! I will definitely be using your approach to animals with DS. This is the philosopher in me taking over (I do study philosophy!) but why is it frowned upon to eat certain animals and totally the norm to eat others?! They are all sentient beings. One thing that has really hit home with me recently is how horrible dairy farming really is. I recently suffered with mastitis & grazed/cracked nipples which I know is really common among dairy cows. Oh how painful it must be for them! Anyway enough on that issue, it's too depressing. By the way, what B12 supplement do you take?

Wow Nai, those baked beans sound great. Definitely giving them a try.

krysalyss, damn I thought vegemite was a good source of B12

angelaartsstudent, I always have LSA in my porridge too!

DS is stirring and once again I've got nothing done around the house because of BB. Oops, better go! Keep the recipes coming!