Vegan vs Vegetarian

[mishellyshel]

also for those meat eaters in your home and also your son, you can buy organic or hormone free, red meat. of course that stuff is more expensive but if you are trying to cut out the chemicals that is a good start.

i am not a huge fan of meat. i mostly stick to chicken & seafood but i do occasionally have a steak or a piece of sausage.

but as someone mentioned you do need to make sure you are balancing your diet. you cant cut meat and not replace it with another protein. there is tons of stuff out there, like legumes/beans and nuts, although high in fat. also of course there are replacement meats mostly made from soy. try a few out. some taste funky and some cause stomach distress. the soybean can cause a gassy stomach as well as the legumes.

as for the milk, the stuff kinda grosses me out.....i only consume it in tea or the rare bowl of cereal. but i buy lactaid milk and it has no chemicals in it. you can buy the organic milk too, which is great if you like milk. i eat a good amount of yogurt, which has calcium or you can just take a pill.

just watch switching too fast......all that soy can really upset a delicate stomach.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Luckily I am beginning to eat a lot more veggies that I had never eaten before, thanks to a friend of mine! I eat dinner a lot over there and she makes her son try a new veggie or bean at every meal. Since I eat over there a lot, she makes me try them too! She says she wont go vegetarian with me, but that she will support me in my decision to do it, and that she will try and make the dishes I really liked of hers, vegetarian. I already make a mean veggie lasagna too! And since I love lasagna this works out great for me!

The Freshman 15 is one reason why I am doing this, among many other reasons. I started school about 7 years ago and gained about 15-20 pounds since then. It got worse after my gall bladder surgery and I have trouble digesting a lot of meats so I get sick a lot now after eating it. I also have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol ( which I have had in the past ) and high blood pressure so I figured that although I may not be able to change how they eat but I can take control of my future health and get it on the right track. I also think that by doing this I may be able to get rid of a lot of the processed food and junk in the house and have an impact on my sons ADHD, since those can be a trigger for his hyperactivity. What do you mean when you say "smart deli meat"? is it a brand of deli meat? And I will have to try making the mushroom pasta because I have tried the store bought and it is kind of gross that and I like homemade pasta better anyway. Also, I love coffee and was wondering if it fits in with the vegetarian lifestyle?

Thanks for the links to the cook books too! They are right up my alley! Especially the 5 ingredient one! And since they are geared towards the student budget, even better!

 

[AZChins]

The smart deli meat is just a vegetarian meat substitute for cold cuts. They're very good. I love Tofurkey...that's another one that is very good.

Do you have a good used book store nearby? I get my cookbooks at a large used book store in Tucson...they're cheaper that way and they usually have so many. I have cookbooks for all sorts of vegetarian recipes...Get a comprehensive one to supplement any of the specialty ones. I can make just about anything into a vegan recipe and have it turn out just as good as anything with eggs or milk.

Just get rid of the processed foods and make your own stuff. That really is the way to go regardless of if you go vegetarian or not. People will say that vegetarians don't get enough of this or enough of that...my diet is so varied and nutritious, I have never been malnourished or sick. Sometimes I get a little "too" skinny, but only other people complain about me being too thin...

 

[Luci]

yep "smart deli" is a brand, like susan said. ive found it at Kroger, but i dont think Walmart sells it. it really just depends on what stores are near you. theres another brand ive tried called "yves" but i didnt really like it too much.

oh and one thing ive found is that bacon can never be made into a vegetarian substitute....every brand ive ever tried has been disgusting. anyone know of a good bacon?!?! lol

and the mushroom pasta...its by Buitoni. they sell that at Kroger too. hmm i need to go to Kroger now...

and yes, once you go vegetarian, you'll definitely get rid of processed foods. i hardly ever go to fast food restaurants. and a lot of meat-free meals at restaurants are cheaper. going veg definitely saved my bank account lol.

 

[AZChins]

I don't like the Yves as much either.

Fast food is just gross. If a person doesn't eat it for a very long time, going back to it can be a nasty experience. My problem right now is that my husband won't eat food that other people make...he doesn't like what is served at most restaurants...he won't eat baked goods from other places. It puts a lot of pressure on me! hehehe

Seriously, make it yourself...take advantage of the fresh produce this time of year. I like to can fruits and other things when they are in season and I can get them very cheaply. That way we have good food without all the BPA and preservatives...and I get to make it the way I like it.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Susan,I have a great little used book store right down the road from me, so I will have to make a trip there this week! I can understand your husbands aversion to eating things that other people make, because to an extent I am the same way. I am always afraid of what the cook has done to it when it is being made..too many TV shows showing cooks spitting in the food, etc I guess!
And my local farmers market will be glad to see me, I am sure! I passed a farm stand on the way home and got some tomatoes, beans, corn, and a few squashes and there is a farm a few miles away where you can go and pick strawberries and blueberries and he does not use any chemicals on his crops, so another plus. And of course, I live in the Peach State, so I have access to fresh peaches which I love! I have never canned anything but tomatoes so I am looking forward to maybe trying my hand at canning some fruits and veggies!

Sometimes I get a little "too" skinny, but only other people complain about me being too thin...

Pish pash! As long as your healthy that's all that matters!

And I did not know that Tofurkey was a real thing! I thought it was something that was made up to make fun of vegetarians..You learn something new every day!

I will have to try the Buitoni mushroom pasta! I love mushrooms and I love Buitoni's pasta so maybe it will be an alternative I can use to making my own, on those days when I need a short cut.
I read somewhere that using a natural sweetener such as raw sugar is okay on a vegetarian diet, is this correct?

 

[AZChins]

PEACHES!!! Then, you must make peach pie, peach butter, peach preserves, peach ketchup, peach barbecue sauce, and just plain peaches. Canning is easy and it means you can have really good fruit even in the middle of winter when all the peaches at the store are grown in South America and are $4.50/lb.

Sugar is much better than corn syrup, even though white sugar isn't that great for you. I've used sorghum syrup before, that's supposed to be much better than white sugar or corn syrup.

Right now I have 30 lbs of blueberries to create some fun things. I think I will make a pie this week, or maybe a few pies. Eating things that you have made yourself is a lot more satisfying than store bought things. You're a southern girl, you probably make a really great pie.

http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/deli_slices.html

 

[Jenn]

I tried the vegetarian route for awhile, but I was the only one interested in my house, and I found it difficult to keep up two different food lifestyles. My hubby is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and my one of my children is a very picky eater. It was just easier to go back to meat. We don't eat much red meat, though, so that keeps me a bit happier!

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Peach ketchup? Now that is something I have never heard of but it sounds wonderful! I will have to go peach picking and make some! I love my peaches!

Oh yes! Makin' pies is one thing my Mee Maw and my mama taught me how to do well! I am looking forward to making them a little differently too! I don't make them that often so maybe no one will be able to tell they're vegetarian when I do! Now I am wanting some peach pie! LOL!

Luckily, my hubby loves to cook and I have told him what my plans are and he said that he would be glad to cook the meat for him and the boys, especially on the holidays! I told him I would not expect him or the kids to completely change how they eat but that I did want support in my decision!