[Closed] Calling all Vegans...

I'd be amazed if the change in diet had 'shocked' anything.
I wouldn't worry too much.
Just makes sure there's plenty of fresh food in there and a good mix.
Very difficult to go too far wrong imo.

(23 years vegan and father to 14yo and 10yo vegans)

Disappointed.

Thought this thread was a call to arms to all my fellow immigrants from the planet Vega.
We have secretly infiltrated all levels of your earthling society and await the call to rise up and overthrow the humans so that we may strip your world of it's resources and save our own, dying, planet.

As you were...... 😉

Forget the veganism, I want to hear more re about the blogging hamster!

One of my sons turned vegan a few weeks ago.

But the lack of a Saturday morning fry-up seems to have converted him back....

i'm not vegan but have been veggie for 14yrs.
i like cheese too much 🙂

[img] [/img]

That's a guinea pig.

Fail.
[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

Oh and if you want to go out for a meal there are loads of choices.
Every Chinese, Indian and Thai*
Most Tapas places
Greek/Middle-eastern/Mediterranean
Pizza places can all just leave off the cheese on the veggie one.

Pubs can be a bit hit and miss - so we tend to avoid those unless we know it.

Most cities have lots of veggie-specific places too that will all have vegan options.

Just try not to get too flustered and good luck!

(*beware that Some Thai dishes labelled vegetarian may actually have fish stock - most Thai Green and Red curries do)

That's a guinea pig.

Tastes the same.

The change of diet hasn't shocked her. Boy2 has been off school for a week with a horrible cold. He eats just slightly less meat than a T-Rex.

He's now given me his cold. Of course mine is full fat man flu.

Didn't expect useful responses using a word like vegan did you?

I'd be amazed if the change in diet had 'shocked' anything.

+1, if she's still eating healthily and getting all the nutrients that her body needs then I doubt it cares what source it's coming from. I went vegan + seafood (plus added restrictions, and I didn't each fish prior to then either) 2-3 months ago for health reasons and I've been fine but I was veggie for ~6 months prior to that. Biggest shock to my body is the lack of cake. The internet has loads of veggie recipes and if you run out of ideas/effort sometimes you can always just use tempeh/tofu/quorn in place of meat in what you're eating (assuming it isn't also full of butter and milk or whatever). Tofu fried so it's crispy on the outside is really nice in a lot of dishes.

Most cities have lots of veggie-specific places too that will all have vegan options.

Even Aberystwyth has a veggie-specific place!

Tastes the same.

No they don't.

Guinea pigs aren't actually pigs.

Hamsters aren't actually made of ham.

Even Aberystwyth has a veggie-specific place!

That's good to hear on the shock to her system as it's been stressing us out as she looks really ill.

We don't eat out much but can build some of the recipes from Thai, Indian etc into the cycle. It's been quite a shock adapting to it as it's come out of know where and we know nothing.

She loves her hamsters...

[img] [/img]

If she is old enough and mature enough to make these sort of decisions, is she not mature enough for you to have this conversation with? (in which case expect her to explain that causation and correlation are different and the cold is most likely a coincidence).

That said at 12 the leap from full on omnivore to vegan is quite extreme, and I'd have a few concerns that someone is manipulating her to make that jump. Personally if it were mine I'd have encouraged a transition to ethically sourced meat, veggie then vegan over a longer period. Although it depends if you want her to succeed or not! My mother would have said, "I'm not cooking different meals, so if you don't like what I make, make your own" I'd be tempted to do the same. It's easy to be vegan if it's not really causing you any effort!

That said if she has really clear, well constructed arguments for it I would support her convictions, and you'd be surprised how nice veggie and vegan food can be if you went that way 1/2 the week for the whole family so you don't have two meals being cooked every night.

If she is the sort of veggie/vegan who doesn't eat fruit and veg anyway then this goes out the window.

We eat lots of beans and pulses, tofu, mushrooms and of course veg. Just google vegan protein recipes and she will be fine.

I read this as calling all to Vegas....

Depending where you live it might be worth sourcing a vegan friendly shop/ supermarket . In Manchester there is unicorn that sells a lot of basic ingredients as well as various flavoured tofus. .

Poly, We've had loads of mature discussions around it and we've agreed that if she comes up with a "menu" of options we will work around it, but she hasn't so my wife is pulling her hair out trying to find out what to cook (I'm away a lot for work otherwise I'd be more involved). My daughter says she will cook herself but there is a lot of pasta, rice cakes and crumpets and a little fruit and veg.

The meals we usually cook are quite balanced but have meat or fish at the heart of it and contain a lot of veg. We've considered not putting the meat in but it's not always as easy as that - sausage and mash just becomes mash. But this thread has helped give me some inspiration - I cook a mean Thai Green curry - we can make it heavy on the veg and add the fish sauce at the end. 🙂

Right in the feels 😥

I was initially worried when going vegan (from 1 year as a vegetarian) that I wouldn't get all my required nutrients. However, many years down the line and all is well and the initial concerns were unfounded. If she was brought up like me, meat and 2 veg at meal time, you do have to rethink what kind of meals you prepare. Cooking the same stuff, sans meat, won't cut it. Though, provided she's getting a wide range of fruit and veg, and plenty of carbs, she'll be fine. Not having meat in a meal, which is very dense, will probably mean that she will want big meal portions, so be prepared! Lots of nutritionally complete vegan recipes online. I really respect your daughter's conviction at such a young age and your commitment to support her (something my parents didn't offer me initially).

Bob - that's her!

Also, although I've not had problems vit D or vit B12, apparently these can be difficult for vegans to find. I'd suggest a multivitamin but most soya/ plant based milks are fortified with these things anyway. Curries, stews, stir frys, lasagnes, lentil cottage pie etc are all good shouts.

sausage and mash just becomes mash.

rsmythe - Cheers for the support, we're keen to support her. If I'm honest having to adapt to being vegan is really tough on us. We have enough going on in our lives and having to do this is like a Mike Tyson blow to the head. The initial daze will pass but at the moment it's tough to change.

We could do with a guide on how to adapt as parents to a newly vegan child.

you need to enlist the help of Bob the Vegan.

Can Ve do it?
Yes Ve-gan!

This may sound a massively obvious thing to say, but have you bought a vegan recipe book?

we've agreed that if she comes up with a "menu" of options we will work around it, but she hasn't

So tell her she has to keep up her end of the bargain.

My daughter says she will cook herself

Call her bluff (perhaps with the aid of the aforementioned recipe book)

Yep - preparing food for a family is already tough without extra challenges.
A quick google for "coping with vegan children" came back with a few 'guides'. They may help.

I must admit it's unusual for 12yo who are at a normal school to be thinking about vegan as opposed to just not eating meat. It takes quite a bit of effort to find out about the other aspects of animal food production. If she has a vegan friend at school, it might be worth having them around (to keep it social) and sending them around (to give you a break) for meals.

Nettles - we had a big falling out on Monday night (had both on the phone in tears) - Daughter hasn't kept her end of the bargain and wasn't happy Mum had cooked her a veggie lasagne as she didn't have time to do something from scratch.

Bloody Cheese!

Alex - just been on the Vegan society website and some interesting stuff. Will also google that too.

I blame the Vegan Hamster blogger!

Bloody Cheese!

Clearly a lot of emotion going around. My wife remembers similar with her mum. Tails of having a Cornish Pasty thrown at her 🙂

I married a vegan. There are plenty of resources out there, google is your friend.

[url= http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/special-diets/vegan/ ]Jamie Oliver[/url]

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/vegan ]BBC[/url]

Daughter hasn't kept her end of the bargain.

This is the important bit, isn't it? Maybe a trip into town at the weekend for her/you/Bry to choose a couple of vegan cookbooks together.

Don't panic. Stock up on Goodlife picador parsnip and carrot nut burgers and LM sausages - if you're cooking veg, something starchy and meat for the rest of the family you can swap out the meat and use these instead for a vegan option. Batch cook and freeze portions of veggie chilli - serve on a baked potato with a salad or with rice and veg for a quick dinner. Make a choc chip and walnut banana loaf and freeze in slices to take with a packed lunch. Beans on wholemeal toast is a great easy snack. Make a vegan meal (like risotto, stir fry, pasta) for everyone and just add meat/cheese for the meateaters.

Even the meateaters in the family might like these
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/vegan-shepherd-s-pie/
http://ethicalchef.co.uk/recipe/carrot-cake-vegan/

Don't panic. Stock up on Goodlife picador parsnip and carrot nut burgers and LM sausages - if you're cooking veg, something starchy and meat for the rest of the family you can swap out the meat and use these instead for a vegan option.

The Goodlife stuff is tasty but the Linda McCartney stuff was full of crap last time I looked. Hydrogenated trans-fatty palm oil yumminess!

Some great ideas.

Just been chatting to her about some recipe ideas as she's on the sofa ill. She tried to convince me Tofu was tasty... there are some places I won't go!

Vegan household here. I'd say pulses make up the bulk of what we eat - stews, curries, casseroles etc with veg/chickpeas/beans/lentils plus salads etc (my 3yo will not touch salad but loves a good tarka dhall with chapathis) - monday to friday with some stuff like sausages in the freezer for emergencies, and then more elaborate stuff at the weekend. None of this is "vegan" food - despite being a heavily meat eating culture (in the Basque Country where school children eat on average three times the daily protein requirement) it's what most people eat here for lunch, what they serve in the school canteen etc - and after soaking the pulses it's quick and easy to make. Leave the processed food for emergencies.

Make sure she is taking a quality* B12 supp. My 3yo also takes a spoonful of linseed oil but that's all.

*check what's recommended for a child - I take cyanocobalamin 1000ug a couple of times a week - iirc the methylcobalamin ones are cheaper but less readily absorbed or something, been a long time since I read up on it.

Lots of options to get in essential nutrients

There are so many good protein rich meat alternatives out there now - Morrisons is the best supermarket for vegan meat substitutes and stocks Frys, Vegan Quorn, a lot of the linda Mc Vegan range as well as their own brand. It helps with the transition. New quorn vegan fishless fingers are nice.

Think about creating complete vegan meals and if the rest of you can't go without meat, add the meat after. So make the cottage pie with tinned lentils/frozen veggie mince and then fry up the animal stuff seperately and add. Mashed potato really doesn't taste any different if made with a little salt, vegan marg (vitalite or Pure etc) and a splash of soya milk.

Pasta dishes - make the sauce the same, but add vegan quorn chunks to hers and meat to yours.

Homemade soup - make with a vegetable base - add chickpeas to hers, chicken to yours after

Sausage casserole - fry the onions and veggies up and prepared everything ready. Last minute seperate into two dishes - put linda mccartney sausages in hers, meat ones in yours

Gravy - Tesco/Morrisons etc etc all do instant veggie gravy granules - so on roast day - cook veggies in oil etc, the only two things you need to think about is her cup of gravy and main course (chinese supermarkets do great vegan chicken 'legs'. Nut roasts can be made up with just water out a packet and eaten for lunch cold the next day as well as adding to dinner)

Violife now do a pizza vegan cheese which melts well and is good in toasties.

Look at snacks - crisps are easy but not that nutrient dense. Nuts are always good as long as the child isn't allergic.

I've been using a nutribullet lately cos I'm lazy and time pressed and don't digest veggies that well. With a bit of practice I've found it great. Banana, some melon, pak choi/spinach for greens, blended with hemp/almond or soy milk a few walnuts and teaspoon of chia seeds. The inclusion of non-dairy milk makes the difference. Even if you leave out the greens you can get good calories in. Easy, protein and omega 3 rich. Some things work well, darker greens etc are more 'adult' tasting and may be too much for a child. You can throw in spatone iron water if you are concerned about iron levels when menstruation starts.

I'd get her having a Veg1 multi vitamin a day - they are pretty tasty and it's an easy way to cover vitamin bases for a time pressed family. Takes the worry out of it https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/supplements

Remind her that if she doesn't eat well, including eating her greens, and her diet leads to ill health, she wont be helping any animals at all. I went vegan as a 16 year old but I didn't improve my eating until I realised that any signs of ill health were immediately blamed on 'the phase I was going through'. It does make a difference to eat well and she really needs to pay attention to that. As an intelligent 12 year old she will be able to grasp concepts of personal responsibility.

Also, although I've not had problems vit D or vit B12, apparently these can be difficult for vegans to find. I'd suggest a multivitamin but most soya/ plant based milks are fortified with these things anyway. Curries, stews, stir frys, lasagnes, lentil cottage pie etc are all good shouts

If I remember right B12 is the only thing a vegan may struggle with, it's not found in plants and your body can't make it. Fungi are the only viable natural source for a vegan, so plenty of mushrooms (and lots of marmite)

Mushrooms really aren't a viable natural source.

https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/vitamins-minerals-and-nutrients/vitamin-b12-your-key-facts

as well as the B12 above, she will need DHA's for brain development.

Been vege for over 20 years. There's [i]loads[/i] of good resources out there now. See above.

As for the sickness, I imagine the body is adapting and she's more susceptible to the plethora of nasty little bugs flying around at the moment.

Guinea pigs aren't actually pigs.

Hamsters aren't actually made of ham.

Yet nothing quite prepared me for the disappointment of Ginsters.

at 12 the leap from full on omnivore to vegan is quite extreme, and I'd have a few concerns that someone is manipulating her to make that jump. Personally if it were mine I'd have encouraged a transition to ethically sourced meat, veggie then vegan over a longer period.

I was going to suggest this. Any hypothetical "shocks to the system" aside, I'd hazard it's much easier to get used to mentally so she's much more likely to stick to it long term. More likely to ensure that she's still getting a balanced diet too. And it'll easier for you to feed her, ofc.

I think Oreos are vegan, can she not just live on them?

My daughter says she will cook herself

Well that's hardly vegan is it?

Whilst the healthy home cooked stuff is obviously a good and responsible thing to do, do not underestimate the veggie frozen food section in the supermarket. There's loads of stuff there like veggie fingers, beanburgers, veggie sausages etc which are great quick things for kids to eat if you're struggling on the multiple meals front. One of the benefits of a vegan diet is that the junk food is far better for you than it's carnivorous equivalent. My vegan kids are often fed on chips, veg fingers and beans when we can't be arsed pretending to be Yotam Ottolenghi.

My mate has been vegan for a few years now and although i haven't taken the plunge fully (I'm not even vegetarian) I've tasted some of his recipes and they are very good indeed. As someone who used to get upset if there was no meat on my plate this is high praise indeed! He's on facebook and twitter and instagram as Plantsbefood. Worth checking out - even if its only to find meals you would all like rather than having to make two separate meals.

[url= https://www.instagram.com/plantsbefood/ ]Plantsbefood[/url]

One of the benefits of a vegan diet is that the junk food is far better for you than it's carnivorous equivalent

TBF if its healthy its not junk food

TBF if its healthy its not junk food

Vegan 'convenience' food then. My point is that veganism need not necessarily be synonymous with slaving away in the kitchen for hours cooking dried pulses etc and making everything from scratch.

Have a look at the Aldi range of vegan foods - where others tend to inflate prices, theirs are always reasonable. Good range of 'meat' alternatives. I don't believe you can 'ethically source' meat products... killing is killing... sorry. Milk is meant for calves not humans and therefore it's bi-products. Much better being vegan from a health point of view.

different strokes etc but I don't see kitchen time as slaving away. I am partial to the Fry's stuff mentioned by LGB but I'd need to double my salary to be able to feed a family on that kind of thing.

ALthough if I lived in the UK I'd probably exist solely on Linda McCartny frozen pies...

Much better being vegan from a health point of view.

That's a bit of a rash generalisation. We're natural omnivores and can find sustenance in all manner of crap, a vegan diet isn't automatically more healthy than another.

It's possible to eat healthily as a vegan, and equally possible to eat really very badly indeed. It's also possible to eat healthily as a carnivore, and equally possible to eat really very badly indeed.

It's possible to eat healthily as a vegan, and equally possible to eat really very badly indeed. It's also possible to eat healthily as a carnivore, and equally possible to eat really very badly indeed.

I think that this is true. Whilst we're on the topic of easy vegan foods, are there any good vegan sausages? I've tried standard quorn ones and cauldron lancashire/cumberland and none of them appeal to my tastes. The cauldron ones are too oniony in taste for me.

I don't believe you can 'ethically source' meat products... killing is killing... sorry. Milk is meant for calves not humans and therefore it's bi-products. Much better being vegan from a health point of view.

you drank milk when you were a baby and cows milk is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc and fats so why wouldn't you want to drink it?

Being a vegan is so not better from a health point of view.

good vegan sausages

I quite like vegie food made from beans but needs to have jalapenos in it

I think that this is true. Whilst we're on the topic of easy vegan foods, are there any good vegan sausages? I've tried standard quorn ones and cauldron lancashire/cumberland and none of them appeal to my tastes. The cauldron ones are too oniony in taste for me.

I quite like Granose Sausage Mix. Doesn't take too long to make. You can add extra herbs if you want.
Or Vbites have a few types of sausages, the hotdogs are nice.

There's a horrible cold virus been going around for weeks, it's probably coincidence she's caught that. Cutting out meat and animal products won't have a big effect on her immune system. Not even because of bacon.

Most of the Quorn and Cauldron sausages are not vegan, they contain egg and milk. Cauldron have some new vegan sausages, not tried them yet.

That's interesting as egg yolks and milk are two things that I'm definitely meant to avoid, good job I don't like them haha. Don't know how that one slipped by me. Thanks for that, shall avoid! I'll see if I can find a sausage mix that's not quite so high in saturated fats (I'm also meant to avoid generally, although not entirely...).

poah - ref your question re milk and health (dreadful click bait title but interesting content)

http://nutritionstudies.org/12-frightening-facts-milk/

OP - well done for allowing and trying to help your child to make this sort of life choice. Cool parents!

Vegan househould here.

Tonight's 'quick' recipe - baked spuds and veg balti.

Method:

Kick start spuds in microwave for 8 mins turning once halfway thru.

Meanwhile break some cauli into florets
Slice a red bell pepper
Thick slice three mushrooms

Put these veg in oven tray, drizzle with oil ( I use rice bran oil) and cook on 180 in centre of oven until soft and beginning to brown on edges

Add potatoes to oven on rack and leave cooking

Remove veg when done and put in saucepan
Add balti sauce (I buy Pataks or Lloyd Grossman) always check sauces ingredients for milk/butter etc. Balti, rogan josh or dopiaza seem normally not to have dairy added.
Heat in pan until simmering then leave simmering for 10 mins.
Sprinkle in a few dessert spoons of Savoury Yeast Flakes w/B12

For extra flavour stir in some coconut milk/coconut cream (I buy those cans from Lidl, contents tend to be a thick cream rather than half water typical in the Blue Dragon stuff)

Spuds get Koko dairy-free spread (prefer this than Pure Soya although that's good too) and a touch of salt.

Serve with curry.

I tend to add steamed savoy cabbage or cavolo nero with most hot food. Less fuss to steam with a few tablespoons of water in the microwave. How to: prepar a few handfuls of the veg and add to water in a re-used plastic chilled soup container or similar. Don't seal but rest the lid on top and zap on full for about 4 mins. Careful of steam when removing.

I do the majority of cooking and really enjoy it. Cooking vegan has made me think much more about a balanced diet, full taste and also develop many shortcuts. I might be weird that way but don't find it at all arduous. Chilled food and frozen crap tastes mostly rubbish after home-cooking.

Tato tip! If you have a shed or dark cool place then buy the spuds in a sack from a local farmer in and store. IME They taste 5 x better and cheaper than the supermarket

Malvern Rider - any leftovers? That sounds nice!

Still on the stove, leftovers usually get made into something else* 😉

*Last weeks leftovers roast cauli and kale soup got turned into a small puy lentil and chicken** casserole.

**I'm not a vegan 8)

Edit: done! a virtual taste...

[IMG] [/IMG]

[quote=steve-g ]I think Oreos are vegan, can she not just live on them?

not the peanut butter ones

Biggest shock to my body is the lack of cake

IMHO the best thing to do is to avoid a UK tye diet

The best bit i did was move to a more eastern curry based approach to eating as a vegan
Main diet is pulses though I do also make my own bean burgers for "western" tye dies and pizza and the odd bit of Pasta and Polenta

I advise making sure plenty of greens are eaten- B!" is added to cereal so no need for a supplement IMHO.

Loads of recipes out there and VIVA will give you loads of help

As of the shock to her systems there is not enough evidence to support this hunch and there is even less to assume she has been groomed to be a vegan

Ethically sourced meat, that's a good one.
The cow walked into the kill room were it seen it's mate die in agony. Then offered itself freely.
It really wanted to die for the sake of human desire.
hemp seeds, b12 fortified foods. Plenty of lentils an fresh veg. Maybe the occasional supplement. Job done.
I'm about 10 months vegan lost nearly all my paunch, fitter less lethargic and feeling great.

vdubber67 - Member
poah - ref your question re milk and health (dreadful click bait title but interesting content)

Oh look who it's written by lol

interesting read but I'll take it with a pinch of salt.

The cow walked into the kill room were it seen it's mate die in agony.

Your thinking of halal slaughter.

you drank milk when you were a baby and cows milk is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc and fats so why wouldn't you want to drink it?

You're
Okay non Halal cows want to die then?
Do me a favour.

Cake?

Free From aisle if desperate, otherwise tons of cake recipes online. SIL once made us some big old chocolate brownies using black beans. I couldn't believe it, delicious.

Talking of desserts recently been getting the sugar fix by making a [b]vegan rice pud[/b] that I invented last Xmas:

Add Koko milk or almond milk to rice instead of milk. Fistful of sugar. Add a couple of capfuls of almond essence, a pinch of salt and half a tin of coconut cream. Handful of raisins, pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir well. Boil and simmer (ocassionally stirring) on stovetop until mushy, adding more almond milk if drying out.

Be warned. Addictive.

"A man can live and be healthy, without killing animals for food.
Therefore, if he eats meat. He participates in taking of animal life. Merely for the sake of his appetite and to act so is immoral ".
Leo Tolstoy.

Can you not bake
I eat about three a week - i think you can buy strudels as well if you look but it take about 20 minutes to make a cake and 17 of those is cooking time

The issue for me is also avoiding saturated fats, which rules out things like coconut and various other binding agents. However, I am more than happy to pointed in the right direction here because I'm more than happy baking.

Now you have me - cakes are not healthy IMHO.
Google says 14% of veg oil is saturated and I tend to make batter mix cakes- is that too much?

if they are of interest i will post up some ideas.

I do my rice puddings in the slow cooker - still need to stir but does not require constant attention

Yeah I'm supposed to avoid veg oil n all, if this diet doesn't actually help me then I'm gonna be mighty unimpressed!

http://thegreekvegan.com/tahinopita-sesame-cream-cake/

[url] http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-black-bean-brownies/ [/url]

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There is a veggie cafe here in Inverness.
The guy who runs it. Makes some proper vegan cakes.
It is called Nourish. Church St. By the second hand book shop.
It is now my only source for cake.
To all the vegans in this thread.
What is your favourite vegetable?

I'm well into fennel but I'd probably go for carrots for cheapness, versatility and flavour. Or onions. So much depends on onions.

Yes, Nourish in Inverness is nice.
Also try Blend cafe (Drummond Street), they have some great vegan cake. And Velocity is not bad as well.

As for vegetables, I like beetroots. Nice for making purple hummus. Or beetroot chocolate cake.