Veganism

[Danny O Flannagin]

Been thinking about going vegan for a while.

 

Any of y'all vegan? If not, why not? 

 

Any pro-tips about going vegan?

 

 

[zlemflolia]

I turned vegan cold turkey a couple months ago and here are my thoughts

 

-It's a lot easier than you think once you figure out your plan and execute it

-It's the right thing to do

-Meat becomes beans, nuts, seeds, and tofu

-Dairy becomes {almond, cashew, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, oat, flax, hazelnut, etc.} milk, whatever your local grocery store stocks and whatever you prefer. 

 

-You can still have junk food if you want, just get vegan versions like meat replacements such as Beyond Beef, Impossible Burgers, whatever you want

-Deserts become almond, soy, or coconut milk based dairy replacements which are surprisingly really good, especially soy milkshakes which are almost better than normal milkshakes

 

 

-It seems limiting at first but for many people it opens up a whole new world of food.  Many carnists fall into a boring routine of foods they always make but when you become vegan you have to abandon your old cooking methods and try new stuff which gives you more variety and makes you try new things you wouldn't have had as much before (lentil paste, hummus, vegetables with every meal without fail since it's your only option)

 

-Make sure not to become a junk food vegan where you eat nothing but meat replacements, tons of bread, deep fried tofu or any other bs.  But these foods exist as an option if you're in the mood to eat something good and don't feel like chewing vegetables for an abnormally long length of time

 

-Make sure to get Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 supplements as well as vegan multivitamins  I suggest the brand "Deva".  Note that your B12 supplement has to be the type that dissolves in your mouth and you let it soak into your mouth membranes because it's not as bioactive when you swallow it.  For instance some random multivitamin may say it has 100% of the daily value of B12 but in reality your body will absorb 0.0001% of that.  Ignore anti-supplement propaganda

 

-Prepare to stop going out to eat as much since there aren't nearly as many food options.  Fast food is almost entirely off limits for you as well now because barely anywhere has any vegan food.  This is a good thing though since you shouldn't be eating fast food anyway.

 

-Don't beat yourself up if you make mistakes, and don't fall off the wagon and say "Fuck it".  Keep going.  It's better to be 90% vegan than not to bother.  If you make mistakes (you will especially at first, and especially with dairy which is snuck into fucking everything for some reason, you realize this once you start explicitly looking), just write them down and maybe each year donate a bit of money to vegan causes equivalent to this food's value

 

Good luck

[zlemflolia]

Also:

 

-Notice how for milk, the vegan alternatives to milk make up an even longer list than milk.  And each of these milks are unique and taste different and are better for different uses.  It's great.  Almond milk is great for cereal, coconut milk is good for baking because it's high in fat (don't drink it plain very often for that reason).  A rare type that I fucking love and is amazingly delicious is Macadamia Nut Milk but it's rarer in the stores.

 

-Ignore anti-soy propaganda memes which is based on the fact that soy contains higher-than-usual amounts of phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) which are not scientifically proven to have any feminizing effects on males like the memes say.  In fact cow milk contains actual animal estrogen which is worse, alongside antibiotics and cortisol (stress hormone).  I personally don't like soy milk though and I never drink it, but I eat tofu regularly.

 

-The fancy vegan shit is expensive, vegan restaurants are expensive, meat replacements are expensive.  But you can do it cheaply with the standard rice + beans + vegetables + nuts + grains route.  You can go as cheap or expensive as you want.

[ambermonk]

^ Good insight and advice.

I've been primarily vegetarian myself, but not strictly so. I don't think I've bought any dairy milk in years - it's always almond milk with my breakfast cereal, which is still a good source of calcium. And coconut milk I use in making any Thai curry dish.

And reliance on solely plant-based protein sources is easier than many might think - not to mention better for our planet. Any kind of beans or legumes (especially lentils and chickpeas), quinoa, nuts, tofu, and wheat gluten products (like seitan) are all protein-rich. In fact I made a pot of vegan chili yesterday, and while I still have leftover shredded cheese, I opted for avocado and cilantro as garnish instead.

Plus going this route mitigates your B.O. and helps you lose weight faster - although you should still mind the amount of salt and sugar you consume.

[zlemflolia]

 

 

[Danny O Flannagin]

 

I turned vegan cold turkey a couple months ago and here are my thoughts

 

-It's a lot easier than you think once you figure out your plan and execute it

-It's the right thing to do

-Meat becomes beans, nuts, seeds, and tofu

-Dairy becomes {almond, cashew, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, oat, flax, hazelnut, etc.} milk, whatever your local grocery store stocks and whatever you prefer. 

 

-You can still have junk food if you want, just get vegan versions like meat replacements such as Beyond Beef, Impossible Burgers, whatever you want

-Deserts become almond, soy, or coconut milk based dairy replacements which are surprisingly really good, especially soy milkshakes which are almost better than normal milkshakes

 

 

-It seems limiting at first but for many people it opens up a whole new world of food.  Many carnists fall into a boring routine of foods they always make but when you become vegan you have to abandon your old cooking methods and try new stuff which gives you more variety and makes you try new things you wouldn't have had as much before (lentil paste, hummus, vegetables with every meal without fail since it's your only option)

 

-Make sure not to become a junk food vegan where you eat nothing but meat replacements, tons of bread, deep fried tofu or any other bs.  But these foods exist as an option if you're in the mood to eat something good and don't feel like chewing vegetables for an abnormally long length of time

 

-Make sure to get Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 supplements as well as vegan multivitamins  I suggest the brand "Deva".  Note that your B12 supplement has to be the type that dissolves in your mouth and you let it soak into your mouth membranes because it's not as bioactive when you swallow it.  For instance some random multivitamin may say it has 100% of the daily value of B12 but in reality your body will absorb 0.0001% of that.  Ignore anti-supplement propaganda

 

-Prepare to stop going out to eat as much since there aren't nearly as many food options.  Fast food is almost entirely off limits for you as well now because barely anywhere has any vegan food.  This is a good thing though since you shouldn't be eating fast food anyway.

 

-Don't beat yourself up if you make mistakes, and don't fall off the wagon and say "Fuck it".  Keep going.  It's better to be 90% vegan than not to bother.  If you make mistakes (you will especially at first, and especially with dairy which is snuck into fucking everything for some reason, you realize this once you start explicitly looking), just write them down and maybe each year donate a bit of money to vegan causes equivalent to this food's value

 

Good luck

 

 

Thanks for the info this was really informative. I've been slowly weening myself off meat and have been unofficially vegetarian here and there for a few weeks at a time. 

 

I guess my main concern is to continue to get the right amount of nutrients. 

 

You seem like a unique case because it doesn't sound like you had a significant transition period. Was there a significant change in your mood/body when you went vegan?

[tec]

I’m a vegetarian but slowly cutting down on dairy. Going veggie food wise was a piece of piss, but I was not prepared for how much of a misanthrope I would become. I want to choke people absent mindedly plowing through chicken wings without considering the suffering involved.

[zlemflolia]

I experienced no negative changes to my body in fact I think my mood has improved, but that could be correlated with me beginning Vitamin D supplements rather than going vegan, since I did it at the same time.  So far I've experienced no negative side effects of going vegan except one, which is extra self consciousness when eating out and having to be annoying asking about what the ingredients of something are or if they can make it without an ingredient, when in the past I just blindly ordered stuff not caring.  I don't eat out often though.  I'm also not sure what I'll do on family holidays when I eat at family members' houses.  I'm considering making exceptions on those days and being only a plain vegetarian, to avoid being annoying or rude bringing my own food, especially since on holiday events the food is pre-made in fixed quantities so there are no market effects to being vegan in that scenario.  idk

[Limo]

When vegans (Jains, I believe) from India moved to the UK in the 1950s they got really, really sick.

 

It turned out produce in the UK was much cleaner than in India so they weren't getting essential nutrients they used to unwittingly get from bugs and worms in their food.

[zlemflolia]

I’m a vegetarian but slowly cutting down on dairy. Going veggie food wise was a piece of piss, but I was not prepared for how much of a misanthrope I would become. I want to choke people absent mindedly plowing through chicken wings without considering the suffering involved.

 

I don't want to choke people but I know what you mean.  Now when I see people eating meat I just reflect and wonder how I could have been like them for so long and how I was to stupid that it took me this long to accept the reality.  I always knew but it just never came to the forefront of my mind, and then when it did I knew I couldn't ignore it any longer because I would only be lying to myself.  All the cultural symbols surrounding meat like the alpha macho manliness of eating a steak or things as mundane as the tradition of eggs and bacon as a tasty breakfast are things from which I've now been completely 100% disillusioned and will never again accept as reasonable.  Every egg you eat was painfully squeezed from the feces covered cloaca of a hen cramped into a cage and if you take one second to imagine it from a first-person perspective, this makes you too disgusted to take part any longer.  Vegans are bashed for being holier-than-though but it's not that way for me, it's more disgust at how it took me this long and disdain for how many people are left to be convinced, and pity at the absurdity of the depths of our cultural brainwashing and how many biological and social neuroses we have to overcome before we ascend to a truly ethical and capable society.  End overly long rant

[Soloman Tump]

I really like eating meat.

 

All meat we consume in our house comes from the butcher down the road that we can walk to.  All of his beef and pork is sourced from very local farms, the chicken is from Shropshire, eggs from about 3 miles away.  We take our own plastic containers so do not need his plastic bags.  We have our milk delivered to the door by local dairy (so further reducing plastic waste).

We grow some of our own veg or buy UK sourced where possible.  A lot of the supermarket veg comes from thousands of miles away which seems ridiculous to me - buy seasonal local veg and you are helping to solve the problem.

We don't feel the need to go vegan (or even veggie) as we hope we have made some good choices about where we source our food from.

 

That said, we are not perfect but making some good moves.

 

Every egg you eat was painfully squeezed from the feces covered cloaca of a hen cramped into a cage and if you take one second to imagine it from a first-person perspective, this makes you too disgusted to take part any longer. 

 

 

I still love eggs, sorry.  But I appreciate veganism and people who want to do it. 

 

I should probably add that we have 2 veggie nights a week.  Im good at veg curry now, proper tasty.

[Enthusiast]

I like meat but I am very concerned about animal welfare. I would like to eat people instead.

[Soloman Tump]

I like meat but I am very concerned about animal welfare. I would like to eat people instead.

 

http://boredomtherapy.com/modern-cannibals/

[eugene]

Any of y'all vegan? If not, why not?

 

i'm vegan.

 

 

Any pro-tips about going vegan?

yes. if you think you'll have trouble becoming or staying vegan, just think of how much of a spineless piece of shit you are if you have no control of your cravings or of what goes into your body. this realization, the notion of you being a spineless piece of shit if you can't sustain something as trivial as vegan diet, will force you to stay vegan.

(it also works for all other addictions, btw)

[tec]

I heard someone say that they couldn’t eat meat as they realised if they had to kill the animal themselves they wouldn’t be able to do it.

 

Surprised we’ve made it this far in the thread without mentioning Morrissey.

[Soloman Tump]

Seemingly, Veganism most IDM 2019

[manmower]

Although ethically nothing is ever watertight I found a number of rather compelling reasons to go vegan. In practice there are a couple of nutrients to pay attention to but it's not rocket science. It won't kill you or magically turn you into superman. I suppose it's turned me into more of a hermit than I already was but the jury's still out on whether that's a good or a bad thing for all concerned.

[Guest]

Good advice in this thread.

I gave it a go from Oct to Feb. I was personally fine with it, but the rest of the household couldn't do it. As the main cook of the family, I had a hard time planning two different meals every day so I got back on meat to make my life easier. I didn't feel any different physically when I was vegan or when I started eating meat again. I just farted more when I wasn't eating meat.

[Kidrodi]

I went vegetarian first and then vegan after a year or so. I'd recommend doing that if you're not comfortable doing a 180 with your diet. 

 

Also, watch Earthlings if you haven't yet. Footage from that movie still pops up in my head whenever I see meat.

[Ivan Ooze]

i eat meat just a few times a week and my wife is vegetarian since the end of last year, i'm proud of her cause the food industry is beyond fucked up. we never waste any food

she can cook great vegan meals and i actually feel more healty.

[zero]

I've changed to mostly a vegan diet in the past 6 months. I had a physical exam 5-6 years ago and I remember being told I had high cholesterol. I didn't think much of it and kept on eating what I wanted. I went to the doctor last fall and again was told I had high cholesterol. This time I thought, well I guess I should do something about it since it's not going down on its own. Started googling how to reduce cholesterol levels and everything pointed to cutting down (or out) meat consumption from your diet. Also reducing dairy, eliminating eggs, increasing beans/nuts/vegetables...most of what a vegan diet consists of. So I decided to stop eating all meat/dairy/eggs, but still eat fish on occasion so I guess that would be pescatarian or something but I don't like trying to label myself that way.

 

One thing changing my diet did help with was getting rid of my gut...I've lost roughly 10 lbs. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but I also stopped eating fast food/junk food and cut back on the wine consumption, which are of course are culprits for keeping that soft layer of blubber packed around your stomach.

 

I'm also not sure what I'll do on family holidays when I eat at family members' houses.  I'm considering making exceptions on those days and being only a plain vegetarian, to avoid being annoying or rude bringing my own food, especially since on holiday events the food is pre-made in fixed quantities so there are no market effects to being vegan in that scenario.  idk

 

Yeah this is a tough one. Going to the relatives house over the holidays and not wanting to make your new dietary decision into an issue and having everyone ask why you're not having any turkey and only eating potatoes, carrots, and green beans...

[mushroom]

i went vegetarian with my now ex-bf for like two years so now I can never do it again. Sorry

[caze]

I'm a non practicing vegan, I buy most of the philosophical arguments, I just enjoy the taste of meat too much. Will switch over once they get around to doing decent lab-grown meat.

[markedone]

Although ethically nothing is ever watertight I found a number of rather compelling reasons to go vegan.

Agree there are compeling reasons, and while Im technically not vegetarian or vegan (just heavily vegetarian leaning) try to push in a more concious direction.  When i lived in california i was lucky enough to have options for grass fed meat and cage free eggs (the former was a local and trustworthy farm, while the latter im not sure if its just sneaky wording.. worth looking into).  I realize with the industrial food production not everyone has these options and the best way to make a real impact is to actually go full vegan.  So respect to those who do.

 

If I had the land to do so I´d raise chickens and eat their delicious nutritious eggs and thank them for their service.. I like eggs..

[cwmbrancity]

My dog would definitely eat my corpse if I ever collapsed and died in front of the wee cunt