#vegan help

My nails and skin is fine. My hair has thinned out dramatically, but then again so has my omnivore twins’ hair.

I’m like really dumb and have poor memory. My twin claims to have poor memory too. But sometimes I wonder if mine is just a bit worse. Well I’m in working life and she is home mom so it’s kinda hard to compare as the challenges are different.

My blood results come out good usually. But like they don’t really do very complex tests. I have had full blood count and haemoglobine done. No issues.

My eye sight is ok. They did say it’s a bit borderline and would have to follow up. They say I might get glasses soon. My mom has glasses.

My health is ok. I’m not sick as often as my husband and kids. So I guess my immune system is ok.

My digestive system hates me and pooping is pain at times. Damn high fibre content.

I would never go back to eating land animals and their products because I hate the way they are kept in captivity. It doesn’t just seem natural or kind to keep someone captive their whole life.

But fish is my weak point. Sometimes I think some fish might be ok, provided it’s caught wild. Though I know fish industry has horrible by catch and they pollute oceans. I wish I could live by a lake in Finland and do my own fishing with hook and worm. But then again in Finland vegan products are so easily available I wouldn’t need to rely on killing fish.

I don’t know man. I guess I just miss fried fish.

thank you!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get to this!

My first bit of advice is to not beat yourself up over missteps in your goal. Being absolutist about veganism is boring and annoying.

The first vegan cookbook that was given to me was Vegan Vittles. My cooking has moved way beyond that, but it was simple and pretty good with basic techniques. There might be a better books now, there probably is.

The most important things about vegan cooking is having a well stocked kitchen, which is expensive upfront, but a great value over time if you stop eating out.

Staple tools for me include: tofu press, cast iron skillet, dutch oven, sheet pan, a good knife, parchment paper, and a my 20 year old Food processor.

The trick to making good tasting vegan food is to build flavors, and that takes time. Here's are some useful things that help: miso, soy sauce/tamari/liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, tomato paste, and a variety of veg broths. Some combination of these end up in most things I cook. Oh, and also Vegenaise and regular non sweetened non-dairy yogurt. We use the yogurt like sour cream because vegan sour cream is mostly trash.

Grains, legumes, and nuts are fun and all cultures have unique ways to make then from quinoa, spelt, rice, barley, lentils, chickpeas, beans of all types, lentils. People think beans give you gas, but that's because they don't eat them enough to acclimate the body's microbiom and gut health. The reason a product like Beano works is because it breaks the complex carbohydrates down for you.

Seeds and nuts are great, but kind of expensive. Only buy ones you know you like or will use.

Frozen veggies! We have so many and they are so useful, less waste, and cheaper. We keep frozen broccoli, corn, spinach, peas, and a veggie mix on hand. Toss them in an instant soup on a lazy day, add as a side, there's lots of way to use them.

Techniques: sauteing vegetables, roasting vegetables, pressing tofu (this is why a tofu press is soooo much easier!), a few different tofu marinades, tossing tofu in corn starch and frying to make them crispy,getting to know what vegetable cook faster than others, being able to make a soup with whatever you have in the kitchen, get a couple of sauces or dressing down like a lemon tahini dressing that can go on salads or veggies. Learn what's in seasonal regionally and learn to cook it.

I’ve always eaten Sour Patch Kids thinking they were vegan. I thought this based on the label, and based on what google and other vegans have told me. So I’ve also been telling everyone that they’re vegan. It’s recently come to my attention that people have been questioning whether or not their sugar is vegan, and if their “natural flavours” are derived from animal products- a lot of people even think that there’s actually gelatine in them after all, but disguised as other ingredients. I tried to do research, but couldn’t find very definite/ clear answers seeing as how some websites like peta say they’re vegan friendly, while others say they *assume* they’re not vegan. So I decided to reach out to them myself for peace of mind.

If you want more detailed info, here are some articles I've found: [x] [x] [x] (I’m aware that not everyone cares whether or not the sugar they eat is processed through bone char, but this is for anyone who does)

They were pretty vague and refused to give me a more detailed, specific answer, but I was told they can’t guarantee that any of their products are vegan. Then they said “if it doesn’t state on the package that it’s vegan, then it’s not.” So buy them at your own risk, I’m not trusting them anymore. Especially since they can’t just be transparent about what is in their food products that people are eating. If a company is telling me their product isn’t vegan, then I’m not going to be consuming it.

I’m super disappointed, but mostly in myself for potentially eating something that wasn’t vegan after all😣 Really beating myself up over this, and want to try to help other vegans avoid making the same mistake I did if they have the same concerns as me. I’ve been completely oblivious, and strongly recommend reading the articles I listed above! The rep I spoke to also told me their recipes are always changing, so I’m just hoping that the candies were vegan when I ate them😩 (it’s been a while)

1. Take it at your own pace. I think one misperception people have sometimes is that they’ve got to go vegan all at once, but that’s nowhere near the case. Take as long as you need - it took me 2 years to go fully vegan!

2. Start easy. Start by switching out things that are easier, that you don’t care so much about, and work your way up to switching out the more difficult things, that maybe you rely on more. For example I started by cutting out things like toast with butter and croissants, things u had sometimes but weren’t staples. The hardest thing for me was pizza, so I switched that out last (and was the reason I took 2 years lol)

3. Focus on replacing rather than replicating. What I mean by this is, instead of focusing purely on finding vegan versions of foods (vegan burgers, vegan cheese, etc), focus instead on finding something that satisfies the same desires as the original food. E.g. with my pizza-quest, at the time I was going vegan I couldn’t find any good vegan pizzas... but what got me to quit non-vegan pizzas in the end was pasta+tomato sauce - starchy, tomatoey, warm and filling, it satisfied essentially the same things I was eating pizzas for.

4. Explore. Try things you’ve never thought to try before. Try things just because they’re vegan. Try things that you’ve already tried and didn’t like before to see if you’ve changed you’re mind. In order to keep your diet varied, it’s important to try new things. You don’t have to keep anything you hate, obviously, but exploring different foods will help you find new favourites (very important!), more varied nutrition, and possibly better prices long-term. Not to mention having a variety of foods to eat is better for your mental health than just eating the same things over and over.