Thinking about going from Vegan to Vegetarian - Help?

OK for breakfast, I recommend you get whole grain toast and English muffins, with nut butters, Earth Balance, and jellies.

Bisquick is vegan- just make it with flaxseed 'eggs' (1 tbsp flaxmeal + 3 tbsp water= 1 egg), and almond/soy milk or water, canola oil if with waffles, and they turn out great. I serve them to my omni family, you can't taste the flaxseed at all. Have the waffles/pancakes with syrup and fruit.

Also, buy some good granola or muesli- Trader Joe's Granny's Apple CInnamon Granola, for instance- love that stuff- or you can even make your own- and have it with some almond/soy milk and fruit.

Also for breakfast, make muffins!

Banana Nut Muffins

• 3 ripe bananas

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 2 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 dashes cloves

• Dash ginger

• ½ tsp cocoa powder

. walnuts or pecans (optional)

• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons maple syrup

• 1/8 c applesauce

• ¾ tsp vanilla

Mix together the bananas, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and applesauce; in another bowl, mix other ingredients. Mix together. Bake at 350; how long depends on the size of the muffin tins. I make these all the time.

I love pasta- who doesn't, really- I usually use Barilla whole grain pastas. One of my favorite pasta dishes is sauteeing zuchinni, onions, sun-dried tomato, garlic, and parsley in olive oil- steaming broccoli florets- boiling pata- and then mix it all together and eat it warm.

On the Italian line, there are also options like tomato and basil or wild mushroom bruschetta, minestrone soup, ziti made with soy cheese, etc.

Great minestrone soup recipe:

http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-olive-garden-mi...

I add more pasta, halve the spinach, and use low-sodium broth and whole wheat pasta.

Also, it sounds like you aren't eating many fats- unsalted nuts and seeds, trek mix, and nut butters- like almond butter and peanut butter, preferably without hydrogenated oils- are great options.

You could also try a recipe like vegetable samosas:

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=4743.0

I add a small amount of unsweetened applesauce and cornstarch to the dough, as binders, and add a bit of spices- ginger and chili powder- to the dough to make it non-bland. I also add minced celery to the filling and cut down on the peas. Since I couldn't find vegan korma sauce, I just used a mixture of curry spices- turmeric, cayenne, ginger, cumin, and chili powder. I also brush melted Earth Balance on the outside before baking to prevent the dough from drying out.

Look up recipes for chana masala and falafel- out-of-the-trodden-path food, really, but its delicious :)

Also try out some vegan baked goods:

http://theppk.com/blog/2009/03/30/peanut-butter-pi...

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegan-pumpkin-bread/

http://www.veganbakingsecrets.com/?page_id=137

And maybe try some cookbooks for a ton of other ideas- Viva vegan! has a ton of great Mexican recipes, and books like Veganomicon, Vegan With A Vengeance, Vegan Lunchbox, the Kind Diet, and I could go on. Simply google vegan cookbooks, or look on amazon, there are so many options.

For vegan junk, both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods carry a great variety of vegan crap.

I usually go to Trader Joe's, and I get their Cinnamon Twists, Chocolate Cat Cookies, Apple Strudel, Chocolate Soy Ice Cream Sandwiches, Brownie Truffle Mix, So Delicious coconut milk ice cream bars, and vanilla and cherry-chocolate-chip soy ice cream. Hersheys Syrup, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Fireballs, Airheads, Ritz, Lays, Fritos- all vegan.

Other meal suggestions off the top of my head are vegetable rice (from TJ's), spring rolls, black bean soup, bean&pepper&mushroom quesadillas, grilled portobello mushroom caps, vegetable pot pies, veggie stir fries, pasta salads, marinated bean salad, bagels, 3-bean chili with baked potatoes, grilled veggie kebabs, pita pizza (toasted pita, tomato sauce, soy cheese (optional), baked veggies), stuffed squash, and pita pockets stuffed with chickpeas and corn.

For B12, either a supplement or nutritional yeast is definitely necessary. I also recommend calcium supplements- 500-750 mg/day if you eat enough plant foods, and with vitamin d.

If your just starting out it's natural to be frustrated and feel like you have nothing left to eat and to feel like an outsider with others, especially meat eaters who can't understand why you would do this.

Aside from that, I think you've made a great decision!

Buy some books or go to your local library and get some books, these are my favorites: Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan cupcakes Take Over The World, Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis,The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Supermarkets that will make it easier: Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, Stop n Shop has a small health food section, browse your local stores.

There are many websites to help you on your journey:

chooseveg.com

vegcooking.com

vegetariantimes.com

supervegan.com

cosmosveganshoppe.com

vegan.org

http://www.peta.org/accidentallyvegan/

thekindlife.com

As for feeling weak/tired maybe you should see your doctor and try taking a multi-vitamin, I take one, some people say you should take it some don't, but I take one to be on the safe side.

You can get everything you need from a vegan diet as long as it is well planned.

Good luck and don't give up!

You have to know the city before you open a restaurant. I live in Winnipeg, Canada and it's a city that's known for having a lot of vegetarians/vegans. We have 3 successful vegetarian restaurants here, and many restaurants that have a separate veggie menu. Keep in mind that most successful vegetarian restaurants are Asian vegetarian. There's something about that style of food that works so well with veggie "meat" products, like veggie beef and chicken and shrimp and duck etc.

You need to get more creative with your food selection. I try to spice up just about everything I eat, plus I have a bit more options than you do. Maybe you could try looking up vegan recipes? I was actually a terrible cook until I became vegan, and now I make things without even having a recipe. I would broaden the horzons, what about peanut butter and jelly, raisins, popcorn, etc. You could also fry tofu. That is really good. I also cook rice, and add salsa and fresh garlic, and that tastes really good. When it comes to going out to eat, that is a tough one. It is really up to you if you want to go back to being vegetarian. Or maybe you could just do it when you go out. If youd o choose to go back to it, I would start off kind of slow depending on how long you've been vegan, you may not react all that well to dairy possibly, but I am not sure because I haven't gone back. Good luck in your decision.

I am sorry you had a bad experience with it. There are so many things to eat though! Examples: Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips

Dots

Dum Dums

Entenmann's Fudge Delights Fudge & Mint Cookies

Everest Gum

Famous Amos Sandwich Cookies (Chocolate, Oatmeal Macaroon, Peanut Butter, Vanilla)

Ferrara Wafer Swirls With Chocolate

Fireballs

I think it is ok to be vegetarian. But if you want to eat cheese, there's something you should be aware of. Cheese usually contains rennet from calves. It would be better if you eat home made pizza with vegetarian cheese.

First, I'm vegan and eat (vegan) pizza. Many pizzarias use vegan dough and sauce, so all you have to do is ask for no cheese, and then add everything else. (I like pineapple, green pepper, and fresh tomato.) A few of my local chains also offer vegan pepperoni as an option. (I'm lucky, in that one of the most popular Mexican chains in my area also offers a vegan ground "beef" substitute for things like tacos, etc. But I'm not really into fake meat, so I usually just get "beans instead of meat.") (Oh, but veg'ns have to be sure to check that restaurants don't use beef fat in the refried beans.)

My honest answer is that the dairy industry (and battery egg farms) is possibly worse than slaughter in some ways, in that the animals are treated badly, longer. At least slaughter animals are killed by 6-12 months of age. That's it. It's over. Sure, the conditions they're kept in are awful, but it's a shorter duration of captivity and potential cruelty. Dairy cows have a pretty bad life, even for a captive, domesticated animal. It goes on for years, until they're killed for meat like other cattle.

The milk cows provide is wholly and completely unnatural for humans to consume. (It's funny that the idea of humans drinking human milk as adults is so repugnant to most, but not the mammary secretions of another species. It's ludicrous, when you think about the hypocrisy.)

If animal welfare and ethics aren't enough to remind you why being vegan is terrific, then consider that many meat eaters are on an "alkaline diet" kick, these days. Dairy is a big offender in creating an acid environment in our bodies. Some studies suggest cancer cells thrive in an acid environment, while they don't in a more alkaline environment. ...Hence the alkaline diet craze.

What we do know is that all the hype to "get more calcium by consuming dairy, for strong bones and teeth" is actually the exact opposite. The acid environment created by consuming dairy actually leaches calcium from our bones. In studying African tribes, THE ONLY one that suffers from osteoporosis is the Masai and, as you know, the Masai are rather unique in that they are a cattle-owning tribe who consume milk as adults.

Go to any list of "superfoods" and you'll find they're all vegan, except for the lists which include salmon. Want to eat the cancer-fighting alkaline diet? It's vegan, too!

I loved, loved, loved milk and dairy products while I was a meat eater and vegetarian. I stopped consuming all animal products for ethical reasons. When I learned dairy may actually cause osteoporosis, I was glad I'd stopped consuming it. (Also, know that several large studies show a 30% increase in heart attack for those consuming calcium supplements, while there is no increase in risk to those consuming calcium-rich whole foods.)

EDIT: My husband is a meat eater as is every other family member and friend I have in my life. I don't find it "hard" being vegan. It just requires more thought because everything in our society is geared towards meat eaters, plus I was raised that way. Had I been raised vegan it would, obviously, be a piece of (vegan) cake.

You know, my husband wanted some snacks the other day. I decided to be "naughty" and get some junk food. I went out and bought some Coke, plain Lays chips, some Orville Redenbacher "Lime & Salt" popcorn, some bananas and a new pint of coconut milk "ice cream." I got home and prepared a bowl of chips, another bowl of popcorn, and two big glasses of Coke. Once we were done with that, I made vegan banana splits using bananas (of course), the vanilla coconut milk "ice cream", Hershey's chocolate sauce, Soyatoo Rice Whip (aerosol whipped topping), chopped peanuts, and a couple of cherries on top. You'll never miss the cruel variety of banana split!

My point is, if you just try new things, or new "workarounds," then you can live a pretty "normal" life while being vegan.

Oh, and my (meat-eating) husband didn't care (or probably even think about the fact) it was all vegan.

You should be getting all the nutrients you need from a healthy, vegan diet. If you want to take supplements, they exist in vegan form. (Avoid calcium supplements, as they've been closely linked to heart attack and have not been proved to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis. There is no increased risk for those consuming calcium-rich whole foods.)

Where doctors have put their meat-eating patients on a vegan diet (you know...for health reasons), their patients usually report a distinct INCREASE in energy. So, if you're feeling listless, it could be a bad diet. I'm sure you realize that simply not eating animal products doesn't automatically mean a healthy diet.

I'm no fan of PETA, but they do have an "accidentally vegan" list of processed food products: http://www.petakids.com/accvegan.asp

Of course, a healthy vegan diet is comprised primarily of whole foods, and very few processed ones.

Good luck!

EDIT: Yes, most cheese is not even vegetarian. You have to look for vegetarian cheese made with microbial enzymes or some other alternative to rennet. (Chuck-E-Cheese, for example, uses vegetarian cheese, according to a company statement.)

Having the occasional piece of pizza or a burger will not kill you.

If your craving a piece of pizza, have one. Who cares what others may think of it.

Your not a bad person because you want a slice of pizza, or a burger, or cheese fries, or ice cream.

As long as you don't overindulge, why should anyone care?

And your tired because your lacking all the vitamins and minerals you would get from eating animal products. Again, in moderation will not hurt you any.

What was your reason into going vegan in the first place? If it's for moral reasons (animal farming, etc), then you'd be turning your back on that cause.

start eating junk food