This Vegan Thing......?

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What I find very scary is that raising the food for meat eaters is causing more harm to the planet than any other form of pollution.
We could feed the entire world with the grains provided for the poor suffering animals that end up as food.
Since cutting out all animal product, I eat so much more. I eat such a variety of delicious nutritious foods now. I'm truly enjoying cooking now, I enjoy looking up what will be my next meal. I'm now at a point where I'm able to put certain foods together without following a recipe and it ends up tasting awesome.
I don't like any fake meats. I'm not a fan of seitan either or fake cheese. But that's ok, because what I'm eating is awesome! I've also noticed a change in Scott. He's enjoying my meals. I'm hoping he will soon join me in the fight against animal cruelty.
Not eating any animal product is spiritually cleansing.
 
I am very opinionated about diet... but I won't go into all of that. Just a few basics: I think in general people eat far too much meat and dairy, far too much processed food, and far too much of the wrong grains. I also think our food sources, both plant and animal, are done all the wrong way. I wish more people had to raise their own food, both plant and animal but especially animal. I think people would eat far far less animal products (and should eat less!) if they had to raise and slaughter it. I do not believe raising your own food necessarily saves you money, but I still believe it is better if done properly, because you at least KNOW what goes into it. I think organic food, both plant and animal products, cost way more than they should, and the system is bass ackwards, allowing farmers to inject and spray all kinds of stuff into and onto our food without labeling, but organic certification requires expensive inspection and fees, thus the cost gets passed onto consumers.

I am not vegetarian, but I don't eat a lot of meat. In a day I'm lucky if I even eat 8 ounces, and that's a lot for one day. Some days I don't eat any meat at all. I don't drink milk, haven't for years. I do use dairy products, but not on a daily basis. I do eat eggs, that come from my own home-grown free-range chickens. They aren't fed organic (not available in my area), but they get to eat bugs, weeds, chicken scraps, and all kinds of stuff they find around the yard. Very happy birds, each hen giving me an egg every day or two (they are breeds that average 4 eggs a week), going by natural daylight hours only (no supplemental lighting). I aspire to raise my own food some day, just not able to right now (zoning, etc). I am cutting out most conventional grains too, focusing on more traditional grains, such as amaranth and quinoa, and getting more veggies and fruits in my diet as a whole. I'm avoiding processed foods as much as possible, cooking from scratch using whole ingredients. It works out cheaper, especially when cooking with produce (plant foods really ARE cheaper than meat!), and you are healthier and feel better for it.
 
Sorraia said:
I think organic food, both plant and animal products, cost way more than they should, and the system is bass ackwards, allowing farmers to inject and spray all kinds of stuff into and onto our food without labeling, but organic certification requires expensive inspection and fees, thus the cost gets passed onto consumers.
Click to expand...


this is so true! I know someone with farm that is all organic, no pesticides etc and they could not afford the fees to get all of the certifications but what they did was ingenious.
they had people sign up to work so many hours per week or month growing the food. They would see with their own eyes how it was done, and learn about the beneficial insects used to eat the bugs that destroy the crops, learn about companion plants etc etc and for each chunk of time that they put in working the farm, they got a share of the produce.

they also shared recipes using some of the more unusual veggies and grains that they grew etc etc.

It is absurd that you have to pay so much to prove that you can grow foods without tons of chemicals and the factory farms don't need to tell you what kind of horrible chemicals etc they are using.

I've noticed lately that a lot of the frozen veggies I buy are no longer even grown here in the states. I am seeing labels like grown in Mexico (I will not buy produce grown in Mexico!)
and a few other places. I trust Canadian food but I don't know about some of these other places.
yes anyway I agree, it is backwards!

I grew up gardening and love to grow my own food. I have had community garden plots and back yard gardens and 4H gardens. Nothing tastes as good as food you've grown yourself! so that is why I feel very strongly about the Global initiative to save our seeds;
I don't know if you saw this, Sorraia, but they are trying to make it so that only huge companies control the vast majority of our seeds. Seeds should not be patented!! Seeds should not be owned by huge corporations.

see:http://seedfreedom.in/

and also:
http://seedsoffreedom.info/


and to quote from the FB page:
Join the Global Alliance for Seed Freedom to stop the corporate hijack of seed: http://www.seedfreedom.in/
Description
Seed is the source of life and the first link in the food chain. Control over seed means a control over our lives, our food and our freedom.
Corporations like Monsanto have created a seed emergency -- an emergency through patents on seeds, seed monopolies, biopiracy, genetic engineering and creation of non-renewable sterile seeds. Seed monopolies have pushed 250,000 farmers to commit suicide in India. After contaminating farmer's seeds and crops, Monsanto sues farmers "for stealing their gene", putting the polluter pays principle on its head, and making it the polluter gets paid principle.
The multidimensional emergency created by patents on seeds and GMOs needs a global collective response. Collectively, we must stop the patenting of seeds. Join the Global Movement for Seed Freedom to stop the corporate hijack of seed and with it the hijack of our food and our future.

• Sign the Declaration on Seed Freedom: http://seedfreedom.in/declaration/
• Act for Seed Freedom - ideas for action (ongoing): https://www.facebook.com/events/436131536428020/
• Add your actions to our Seed Freedom calendar: http://seedfreedom.in/events/community/add
• Share your Seed Freedom actions, art, writings and other related items: https://www.facebook.com/savetheseed

• Website: http://seedfreedom.in/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/occupytheseed
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/occupytheseed


OK that's my little rant on the subject. I am praying that enough people get involved and save seeds and set up seed banks etc. I have saved my own seeds any time I grew anything, I buy primarily open pollinated and heirloom seeds when I can, I have friends who garden and do the same but we need to do this on a much larger scale.
 
I've been vegan all my life & love it. I grew up eating that way because my family believed in it, mainly for health reasons. Now I also agree with the health reasons, plus I am appalled at how animals in the meat industry are treated.
Oh & I'm also so, so glad to see Jorats agrees with the fact that protein is pretty overrated! I'm usually alone on that fact :p When people find out I'm vegan the first question is "where do you get your protein!?", when I tell them I actually don't need as much as they'd think they think I'm crazy & going to die :p

Anyway, I've not read all 6 pages of this thread yet, so I apologize if this has already been mentioned but oh well :p
If you're missing cheese I highly recommend the cheese substitute daiya: http://www.daiyafoods.com/
I was never big on cheese subs but I LOVE this stuff. It melts like regular cheese, & tastes like it too (I've tasted cheese before :p)! My favorite thing to do with this stuff is make grilled cheese sandwiches & quesadillas. It melts perfectly, & holds them together amazingly. My favorite is definitely pepperjack. The only thing is this cheese is pretty pricey, but every now & again for a treat it's awesome.
 
Petunia said:
Sorraia said:
I think organic food, both plant and animal products, cost way more than they should, and the system is bass ackwards, allowing farmers to inject and spray all kinds of stuff into and onto our food without labeling, but organic certification requires expensive inspection and fees, thus the cost gets passed onto consumers.
Click to expand...


this is so true! I know someone with farm that is all organic, no pesticides etc and they could not afford the fees to get all of the certifications but what they did was ingenious.
they had people sign up to work so many hours per week or month growing the food. They would see with their own eyes how it was done, and learn about the beneficial insects used to eat the bugs that destroy the crops, learn about companion plants etc etc and for each chunk of time that they put in working the farm, they got a share of the produce.

they also shared recipes using some of the more unusual veggies and grains that they grew etc etc.

It is absurd that you have to pay so much to prove that you can grow foods without tons of chemicals and the factory farms don't need to tell you what kind of horrible chemicals etc they are using.

I've noticed lately that a lot of the frozen veggies I buy are no longer even grown here in the states. I am seeing labels like grown in Mexico (I will not buy produce grown in Mexico!)
and a few other places. I trust Canadian food but I don't know about some of these other places.
yes anyway I agree, it is backwards!

I grew up gardening and love to grow my own food. I have had community garden plots and back yard gardens and 4H gardens. Nothing tastes as good as food you've grown yourself! so that is why I feel very strongly about the Global initiative to save our seeds;
I don't know if you saw this, Sorraia, but they are trying to make it so that only huge companies control the vast majority of our seeds. Seeds should not be patented!! Seeds should not be owned by huge corporations.

see:http://seedfreedom.in/

and also:
http://seedsoffreedom.info/


and to quote from the FB page:
Join the Global Alliance for Seed Freedom to stop the corporate hijack of seed: http://www.seedfreedom.in/
Description
Seed is the source of life and the first link in the food chain. Control over seed means a control over our lives, our food and our freedom.
Corporations like Monsanto have created a seed emergency -- an emergency through patents on seeds, seed monopolies, biopiracy, genetic engineering and creation of non-renewable sterile seeds. Seed monopolies have pushed 250,000 farmers to commit suicide in India. After contaminating farmer's seeds and crops, Monsanto sues farmers "for stealing their gene", putting the polluter pays principle on its head, and making it the polluter gets paid principle.
The multidimensional emergency created by patents on seeds and GMOs needs a global collective response. Collectively, we must stop the patenting of seeds. Join the Global Movement for Seed Freedom to stop the corporate hijack of seed and with it the hijack of our food and our future.

• Sign the Declaration on Seed Freedom: http://seedfreedom.in/declaration/
• Act for Seed Freedom - ideas for action (ongoing): https://www.facebook.com/events/436131536428020/
• Add your actions to our Seed Freedom calendar: http://seedfreedom.in/events/community/add
• Share your Seed Freedom actions, art, writings and other related items: https://www.facebook.com/savetheseed

• Website: http://seedfreedom.in/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/occupytheseed
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/occupytheseed


OK that's my little rant on the subject. I am praying that enough people get involved and save seeds and set up seed banks etc. I have saved my own seeds any time I grew anything, I buy primarily open pollinated and heirloom seeds when I can, I have friends who garden and do the same but we need to do this on a much larger scale.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard about the seed issue specifically, but I have heard about companies trying to put patents on living organisms (i.e. something they discovered a gene for... not necessarily GMO's, but bacteria even!). I'm against it. Not ok! It's disgusting. These companies are trying to control our very existence, and force us to be dependent on them.

I'm going to try to have a vegetable garden this year. I'm not set up to put anything in the ground, and a LOT of work (and money) is required before I can, so everything is in pots. I'm buying heirloom varieties. My chickens are heritage breeds too, not the high-yield factory favorites. (They are Sussex and Wyandottes, and then I got a couple Maran/Americauana crosses from a friend).

One company I bought vegetable seeds from sells organic, heirloom seeds. They also sell kits to save and store seeds. Same company sells a "poultry package", seeds to grow food stuff for chickens. I bought that package to see what I could do for my birds, offer them more variety, fresher foods, and more non-commercial diet. I don't have the land to be able to grow all of my own food, or that for my chickens, but every little bit helps.
 
I have always been a big milk drinker. I have tried soy milk but I find it tastes weird. I just bought some almond milk and the flavour is much better, but I find it too thick and creamy (I am used to skim milk and it's like drinking whole milk.) What is the closest substitute for skim milk?
 
Joanne said:
I have always been a big milk drinker. I have tried soy milk but I find it tastes weird. I just bought some almond milk and the flavour is much better, but I find it too thick and creamy (I am used to skim milk and it's like drinking whole milk.) What is the closest substitute for skim milk?
Click to expand...

I had a hard time at first with soy milk as well but now I'm hooked on it. I agree that almond milk is thicker.
Have you tried rice milk or coconut milk?
 
Joanne, you might like rice milk. It is a lot thinner and has a touch of natural sweetness to it. I like that almond milk is a bit richer, but you might just prefer a different brand of almond milk, too. I know I've tried some that are thinner than others. I don't like soy milk at all unless I am cooking with it.
 
Joanne said:
I have always been a big milk drinker. I have tried soy milk but I find it tastes weird. I just bought some almond milk and the flavour is much better, but I find it too thick and creamy (I am used to skim milk and it's like drinking whole milk.) What is the closest substitute for skim milk?
Click to expand...


I used to drink skim milk too and so far I have not found anything that really compares to it.

Rice milk is thinner, but doesn't have the saltiness of cow's milk. It really doesn't seem to have much flavor at all, I think. I've made my own and I always add a handful of dry oats when I make it. I only used rice milk for putting on cereal, I didn't like just drinking it.

I get a coffee creamer called SO Delicious it's fat free and made with coconut milk, it def has a coconut taste, and the french vanilla one is very sweet, so it is good for coffee but I'd never drink it plain.

I find the store brand almond milk is better tasting than the name brand, like Moon says, sometimes all you need to do is try a different brand. But I don't think I'd want to drink it plain. I'll have to try it sometimes.

I used to drink a LOT of skim milk- a couple of gallons per week!

I've yet to find any milk substitute that I can drink straight the way I drank skim milk, but if I do, I'll let you know!
 
Haven't had milk in over two months now! I'm trying to cut cheese but I love it soool much! Didn't eat any meat this Monday, and I've been trying to pick healthier choices since reading this board.
 
KingCastaway said:
Haven't had milk in over two months now! I'm trying to cut cheese but I love it soool much! Didn't eat any meat this Monday, and I've been trying to pick healthier choices since reading this board.
Click to expand...
That's awesome!
 
KingCastaway said:
Haven't had milk in over two months now! I'm trying to cut cheese but I love it soool much! Didn't eat any meat this Monday, and I've been trying to pick healthier choices since reading this board.
Click to expand...

Every bit counts!

The more I read about dairy and our bodies, the more I think you have to approach cheese as a drug. It is addictive, no wonder people don't want to give it up! If you can be truly dairy free for a few weeks, you really will find the craving for cheese lessens. Don't get me wrong, if I smell pizza cooking my brain still says "that smells good" but then I am able to move on. I never used to be able to do that before!

On an entirely unrelated note: I don't buy the amande almond yogurt very often because its not cheap (though lots of dairy yogurts aren't) but I bought the larger container of the vanilla flavour as it was on sale. I hadn't tried it yet because I've never been a fan of vanilla yogurt. But this stuff is so good! Way more delicious than I expected.

Now I want some, but I are way too much dinner and my tummy hurts. Too much delicious!
 
I picked up a container of rice milk tonigt, so I'll try it on my cereal in the morning...

I tried the dark chocolate almond milk, and it was good - it definitely satisfied my chocolate craving, that's for sure!
 
I am in LOVE with the dark chocolate almond milk. It satisfies my craving for chocolate.
I'm now trying to cut out sweets. (heaven help me) so I've decided to buy dates for my desert. Dates are a naturally sweet and quite rich and delicious too. It's also a powerful food, really good for you.
I just saw a video about the goodness of dried apples. I need to find out how to make these.
 
jorats said:
I am in LOVE with the dark chocolate almond milk. It satisfies my craving for chocolate.
I'm now trying to cut out sweets. (heaven help me) so I've decided to buy dates for my desert. Dates are a naturally sweet and quite rich and delicious too. It's also a powerful food, really good for you.
I just saw a video about the goodness of dried apples. I need to find out how to make these.
Click to expand...

I think you can just core, slice, and slow bake at low temp. Wait! I have an actual recipe!

It calls for organic powdered sugar but you can skip that!
20-25 minutes at 250. Line cookie tray in foil and bake away!
 
jorats said:
I am in LOVE with the dark chocolate almond milk. It satisfies my craving for chocolate.
I'm now trying to cut out sweets. (heaven help me) so I've decided to buy dates for my desert. Dates are a naturally sweet and quite rich and delicious too. It's also a powerful food, really good for you.
I just saw a video about the goodness of dried apples. I need to find out how to make these.
Click to expand...

Good fiber, good vitamins and minerals. ;) :thumbup:

We have a food dehydrator. I hate buying dehydrated fruits and veggies because of the stuff they put into it Really like being able to make my own, control how much sugar (if any) is added, and know what else is going into it.
 
Sorraia said:
jorats said:
I am in LOVE with the dark chocolate almond milk. It satisfies my craving for chocolate.
I'm now trying to cut out sweets. (heaven help me) so I've decided to buy dates for my desert. Dates are a naturally sweet and quite rich and delicious too. It's also a powerful food, really good for you.
I just saw a video about the goodness of dried apples. I need to find out how to make these.
Click to expand...

Good fiber, good vitamins and minerals. ;) :thumbup:

We have a food dehydrator. I hate buying dehydrated fruits and veggies because of the stuff they put into it Really like being able to make my own, control how much sugar (if any) is added, and know what else is going into it.
Click to expand...
I'm going to look for a food dehydrator, otherwise it's 20 hours in the oven.
 
Ohhhh, I have missed this thread, we got flooded then we moved and I haven't had internet for 2 weeks. It's been awful. So sorry I haven't posted in a while.

I haven't had meat in a few weeks and I feel just great. I've even changed my Friday morning decaf mocha to a soy decaf mocha. I really feel something has changed within me where previously it would feel like deprivation not to eat meat but now I feel overwelmed and excited with so many vegatarian/vegan meals that I have to choose from. One of the things that I love is that there is no defrosting a slab of meat for supper and nothing has to be cooked properly so that it's safe to eat. I've had the refried beans - so good, I've had a lentil mix with roasted veges and tonight I had corn and vegetables (eggplant, pumpkin, sweet potato) roasted on the weber with brown rice and chilli beans.

Petunia said:
Rice milk is thinner, but doesn't have the saltiness of cow's milk. I've yet to find any milk substitute that I can drink straight the way I drank skim milk, but if I do, I'll let you know!
Click to expand...

That really makes me gag. Thinking about the 'saltiness' of cow's milk.
 

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