New veggie
Posted by nene on May 15, 2006 · Member since May 2006 · 2 posts
I'm a new veg, my diet consists of noodles, potatos and basically stuff I liked before I became veg - just no meat, milk, no eggs. I really wanted some advice on what I could eat besides veggie burgers and stuff I wrote above. I really love milk and I wanted to know is there any flavored soy-milk like vanilla or some thing like that. How can I make the transition from meat eater to veggie easier? It's only been going on a week and I don't crave meat to much but when I do I try to eat something new or a favorite like French fries. Most importantly I wanted to know is there anyone who suggest some recipes and restaurants in the Detroit area that cater to veggies. Thanks Ne-Ne
If youre going vegan check out Silk Soy Milk for your milk replacement, its good comes in vanilla, chocolate,and plain. Very good. Try the various meat replacements when your craving like the veggie burgers theres also soy breaded cutlets, fakey steak strips, fakey chicken, sietan, tofu. Theres soy ice cream and yogurts for something sweet.
Hi!
The key to being a successful vegetarian in my opinion is to eat a wide variety of whole grains (like whole grain pastas, brown rice, bread, etc.), fruits and vegetables, beans and other legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds, healthy fats like avacodo, olive oil, flax oil/seeds, canola oil, and soy products like tofu and tempeh (with a limited amount of processed soy products like veggie burgers and fake meats).
It takes time to make the transition from meat eater to HEALTHY veggie eating (which just because you don't eat animal products doesn't mean your eating healthy). What you describe is a start, but not healthy eating in my very not so humble opinon. Eat more variety, vareity, variety and lots of fruits and vegetables and you can't go wrong.
Kudos to you!
I use soymilk in my cereal only and don't drink it, so I'm not much help. But you need to be careful of the sugar content in soy milks.
I have to agree with Tweety. It sounds like you are eating a lot of carbs and not many
veggies or fruit. Carbs are important, but other stuff is also needed to have a balanced
diet. Just like Tweey says, protein (lentals, beans soy), health fats (nuts, seeds, good
oils like olive oil) and some fruits (like avacodos) are also important. Veggies and
fruits are good to supply vitamins, trace element (calcuim, iron...etc) and fiber.
In my (also not so) humble opinion fruits and veggies are really the thing that give a vegan
diet something interesting to eat. I would like to think I can find something to make out
of anything I find in the produce dept of my local store. (There are a could of veggies I
don't like, but only a very few). You can try getting some veggies in you diet by either
eating salads (the raw route) or experimenting with various cooking dishes. Either way, you
can add extra flavor with salad dressing and spices. Check out the different dishes on this
web site or a cook book. Don't be afraid to experiement and cook up some dishes that appeal
to you.
If I were to recommend a specific dish or way to cook something for you, it would be more of
a veggie dish than more carbs. Since I don't know what flavors you like, I'll refrain from
making a suggestion. If you give me some hints, perhaps I can think of some dish you might
try.
There are some "traditional" type foods where you can 'sneak in' lots of veggies, too (a trick my vegan friend taught me -- sneak in more/different veggies whereever you can). A couple that my meat-eating spouse likes are 3-bean chili (beans are a GREAT source of protein) and homemade spaghetti sauce (easy and a way to get lots of veggies). For the spaghetti, I also like to use spaghetti squash as I tend to get enough starchy carbs elsewhere, and throw in some soy-based ground meat substitute for protein. I haven't tried stew, but I'd imagine that is another good "traditional" one that easily becomes vegan without feeling like you're eating something 'weird' (my spouse's constant worry).
Also, I highly encourage you to pick one new fruit and one new veggie to try each week. I think you'll be amazed at the flavors that you begin to like. If you're luke warm on a particular one, put it on your 'repeat' list and try again in a month or two. What I found is that my tastebuds adapted and things I didn't initially care for were yummy flavors later! (Some people talk about cleansing/detoxing you palete - perhaps that's what it is...?)
Oh, and also, give different ethnic foods a try. I actually like Ethiopian food, amongst many others. Just check out the restaurant's menu online first to be sure there are vegan options.
Enjoy your new taste sensations!
Though still new to the veg life I also agree with Tweety. Variety is the spice of life. I'm doing my best to make whole grain choices when possible and remembering to eat veggies and fruit first to fill up.
My favorite are Mexican style dishes. I made veggie fajitas, squash, peppers, onions, brown rice, beans, beans and more beans, (love em') and whole grain tortillas. Everyday is a new adventure. I'm not real hip on veggies that are cooked, I've always liked my salad raw but I'm getting there.
Good luck. I personally like the fortified Rice Dream, so far anyway.
Even my non veggie family likes Silk's vanilla soy milk. I'm new to this way of eating, too, but I'm limited on my carbs. So I do two things every day...make a large garden salad with anything and everything I get ready to put in it and make a large fruit salad. I stick them in the refrigerator to munch on.
My family likes spaghetti sauce over whole wheat noodles (sans meat of course), vegetable soup (a pot can last me several days), and of course, any meal with pancakes. (although I'm still trying to perfect a vegan choice)
Wish you the best!
also beans and legumes are a really important part of a balanced vegan/vegetarian diet. if you find dried ones are too annoying to prepare, canned versions are still pretty good and so easy. you just rinse them and chuck them into whatever you're eating- curries, pasta sauces, salads. they're good for protien, fibre and lots of different vitamins. my favourites are lentils and chickpeas.
Hello New Veggie!!
Way back when I started my adventure into becoming veggie (almost 6 years now) I found some good books about going veg. If you have a large libary near you I bet you could find some there. Or you can definately find them in a big book store or online - they have great info on nutrition and food choices. I also love Vegetarian Resource Group - google them and you can check out their website. They write cookbooks and I think you can buy them off the site.
I started by thinking of all the meals I already liked that were naturally meat-free and ate those. In the meantime I found new recipes online or in cookbooks and tried to make a new recipe or two every week to increase variety in my diet. There are tons of great recipes on this site too! Also when I went out to eat, if possible I order a new veg dish and try to figure out what is in it so I can try and recreate it at home or find a recipe for something similar - I love to cook and I find this very interesting. Some people may find it daunting - take it at a pace you like, don't feel you have to become a chef overnight.
Pretty soon with new trial and error experiments you will have many new meals you like. Here are some I like:
When short on time I make stir fries with whatever veggies I have in the fridge plus either tofu or tempeh. I use olive oil OR Canola oil and whatever seasonings I like OR I use a non-creamy style salad dressing (like a vinagrette) as the saute liquid for flavor.
Salads are great - to the veggies I add some of the following (not all of them, just one per salad):
almonds/cashews/peanuts/sunflower seeds
and sometimes add: chopped apples, dried cranberries
I like veggie enchiladas with a baked sweet potato (hot)topped with diced canned tomatoes (cold) w/ chilies
Chili - yum! and Soup
Roasted veggies or veggie shishkabobs
seasoned and baked tofu
And various casseroles which I haven't made in a while and thinking of them is making me hungry!
Good luck, and come back and let us know how it's going. You came to the right place to find answers for your questions.
Delia
ecodel22
Hey there new veg! I agree with the others - variety in your diet is very important. Something I really enjoy are the unsalted nuts - different variety like soy nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. to eat as a snack. They're a great source of fat and protein. You'd be suprised at how tasty unsalted nuts can be - IMO they're MUCH better than salted.
A great dinner idea is stir-fry. I use a mixture of veggies and stir-fry them in my wok using olive oil or sesame oil. You can add your own seasoning like fresh ginger and garlic or low sodium soy sauce. :)
"Most importantly I wanted to know is there anyone who suggest some recipes and restaurants in the Detroit area that cater to veggies."
BD's Mongolian barbeque is a great place to try new things like tofu or soybeans that you may not be sure about. This way you only have to try one or two and if you don't like it, no harm done. And if you let them know you're a veggie, they'll even use special sticks to cook your food. There are 7 BD's in metro Detroit.
I live in the Novi area, where a lot of Japanese people also live. There are tons of Japanese markets as well as all kinds of Asian restaurants that use a lot of veggies and meatless foods in their cooking. Thai food is my favorite, get a veggie dish with fried tofu!!!
Where in Detroit do you live?
Hi there
being vegan I've found that my best friend is my blender. Im so inlove with my blender. Why? it makes everything easy!
For breakfast, I make a smoothie by blending 1/2 banana, some soy milk, less orange juice than soy milk and frozen berries. I also have muesli, home made or from the health food store, with soy milk or soy yoghurt.
Sometime before lunch i snack on something raw. raw stuff is reeeeally important, as lots of minerals and vitamins are lost when cooked. useually i ground one apple and one carrot and spice it up with some vineagar.
For lunch I love making things with TSP, Texturized Soy Protein. you buy it dry in plastic bags, and it really looks disgusting, but then you just boil it for ten minuites and use it like meat in any of your old meat dishes. I does crave som extra spice, though. Maybe a pasta sauce or a casserole, or a soup (blender!). (TSP's avaliable on line or in a helth food store)
In the afternoon theres plenty of snack time, and I love hommus wraps. you just spread hommus on a wrap, add ground carrot, tomato, lettuce, avocado, pear, walnuts, whatever! and wrap it. lovely (find hommus recipes in recipe-section)(the blender comes in use here).
Dinner time is bean time. When I'm lazy i rinse one can of kidney or soy beans under running cold water (for some time, you don't want the icky can-taste). Then I put on a nice plate and make a dressing of olive oil, vineagar and hearbs. kidney beans are great with garlic and ground cumin. I have this with a salad and quiona or bulgur (quinoa: one part q, two parts water boil for 10-15 mins, rinse carefully in hot water first, bulgur: one part bulgur two parts water, boil 10 and then leav it for 10 mins).
The key to being vegan/vegetarian is to eat all the time. Really. If you don't eat properly, you'll just end up craving fries, which is totally bad for you, or rethink the veggie-ism.
Also, start exploring your store. try all of the veggies youv never tried before. Don't know how to cook em? Improvise! Also, explore health food stores and markets. People working in helth food stores are almost always the nicest, most helpful people you've ever met.
Be adventorus, creative and original when cooking, and you'll have the time of your life!