STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Hermes

going vegan for two weeks

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Just curious, why are you staying away from flour? Not knowing very much about vegan diets, but wouldn't flour be okay as long as it's not the over-processed white variety? I'm sure that there's good wheat types, right?

I know that I've recommended this book three thousand times before, but you really should check out the Moosewood Cookbook. The newer edition has been edited to add vegan recipes so it should really be a super help.

Hermes

relrel wrote:

Just curious, why are you staying away from flour? Not knowing very much about vegan diets, but wouldn't flour be okay as long as it's not the over-processed white variety? I'm sure that there's good wheat types, right?

I know that I've recommended this book three thousand times before, but you really should check out the Moosewood Cookbook. The newer edition has been edited to add vegan recipes so it should really be a super help.

Yes, simple flours and sugar. Although one can get fat on whole wheat pita, and calorie reduction is another focus as well.

I am focusing on eating food without labels. Whole foods only. No milk, egg, or cheese...

I'm going to look that cookbook up on Amazon right now (using the ST link, of course smile

)

kmd · Kate Spade

Just a rec. for flour, you could try spelt, it's wheat free and you can do a lot with it- baking proves a little difficult with it, but a few adjustments can make it work well.

Hermes

kmd wrote:

Just a rec. for flour, you could try spelt, it's wheat free and you can do a lot with it- baking proves a little difficult with it, but a few adjustments can make it work well.

yes, and I've tried oat flour in the past as well. I'm not that motivated, because they both suck to cook with hmm

I'm am thinking of picking up some ezekiel bread. That's gluten free, isn't it?

I do have problems with wheat, and have cut it out before. My skin improves dramatically when I stop consuming it.

Elle · Hermes

I've heard Vegan with a Vengeance is a good cookbook, too. There are quite a few vegan food blogs around as well, and I would link to them but allll my favorites bit the dust when I switched to my new computer

. Oh, and Vegetarian Times magazine has lots of vegan recipes, and they have a website as well as a cookbook.

I'd poke around online and maybe get a few cookbooks from your library too, and try to get familiar with some ingredients that you may not normally use otherwise (TVP, etc). Some of those types of things are a little less intuitive to work with, I've found.

Good luck!

I think there are better flourless breads out there than Ezekiel. My favorite brand is Healthy Way Organics, which I get at Costco believe it or not. It's much softer and moister, and makes better toast IMO.

-- Edited by Elle at 12:21, 2009-01-26

-- Edited by Elle at 12:22, 2009-01-26

Hermes

Elle wrote:

I've heard Vegan with a Vengeance is a good cookbook, too. There are quite a few vegan food blogs around as well, and I would link to them but allll my favorites bit the dust when I switched to my new computer . Oh, and Vegetarian Times magazine has lots of vegan recipes, and they have a website as well as a cookbook.

I'd poke around online and maybe get a few cookbooks from your library too, and try to get familiar with some ingredients that you may not normally use otherwise (TVP, etc). Some of those types of things are a little less intuitive to work with, I've found.

Good luck!

I think there are better flourless breads out there than Ezekiel. My favorite brand is Healthy Way Organics, which I get at Costco believe it or not. It's much softer and moister, and makes better toast IMO.

-- Edited by Elle at 12:21, 2009-01-26

-- Edited by Elle at 12:22, 2009-01-26

excellent! thanks for the tip - anything I can get at costco, then all the better smile

Ritz · Dooney & Bourke

D, I highly suggest you read Eat to Live, by Joel Fuhrman... he proposes a vegan lifestyle that he claims will reduce health problems (cholesterol, bp, headaches, diabetes, etc., etc.) within 6 weeks.... I am a life-long vegetarian and in the last year I began to limit dairy/eggs (I love cheese to much to give it up, but have cut down, and don't drink milk/eat yogurt/or eggs at home) and the book has really helped me to become a much healthier vegetarian, as opposed to the "carb-itarian" I used to be... I read it 3 weeks ago and have already lost 3 of the 10-15 pounds I'm trying to lose and i have NOT followed the plan in it's entirety, although I have stepped up my work outs.. I'm sure if I was following it 100%, I would have lost even more by now!

also, I saw your post about Oprah's 21 day cleanse. My team at work tried it in July but I lasted the longest at about 4 or 5 days...it's tough to avoid all of those foods, particularly when working at a company where it is regular for people to bring in truffles or chocolate puppy chow just for fun, but if you can do it, I think you will feel awesome!

conet · BCBG

Vegan - good for you. The organic grapefruit this time of year is awesome.
See you at the Health Food isle.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

Congratulations on going vegan, D!

I too am following a vegan diet. I have been since fall, with a few planned slip-ups for the holidays. The first time I tried it was last February. I decided to try it for a month, and decided to do it during the shorttest month. I didn't realize how good I started to feel until I went off of it during a slew of birthday celebrations and then had a hard time going back because I was at training sessions at another office and I couldn't hardly get them to understand a vegetarian diet, let alone a vegan one...

As for your question about social situations, I was just mentioning that in a post I think Tati started about vegetarianism. As a vegetarian, I don't have a problem refusing to eat meat at others homes or being a pain in a restaurant.

However, I haven't found the nerve to do so with veganism. I think partly because I can not have meat (my body refuses to swallow it. I can not get it down it grosses me out so much) so choking some down to be polite wasn't ever an option. As for being vegan, I am repulsed by dairy when I think about it, however, I still find it delicious (I'm working on this). So, refusing in a social situation feels different because I can eat it (although I do feel wonky afterward). With some friends and with my family I don't feel strange being a pain about my self imposed (that's why I have a hard time refusing in socail situations, I feel like it's self imposed and therefore not important enough to stnd up for I guess) dietary restrictions, but in other situations I read the guests and situation and determine what I can get away with.

Take a peek at the cookbook Vegan Planet. I got it for Christmas and I really like it.
I'm not a fan of the eziekiel bread, but it is a healthy option.

good luck!

Suasoria · Chanel

Ditto on the great vegan cookbooks on the market. Because vegans tend to be really REALLY into food, there are also a bazillion great sites and blogs. Pretty much any recipe you can imagine can be found by googling the name of the food and vegan (vegan lasagna, vegan ranch dressing, vegan chocolate pie).

Social situations...a couple of things I do, depending. I generally anticipate not being able to eat anything at parties, and by the same token I don't want hosts to fret over me. For evening/cocktail parties we eat first. It's easier to say "we just came from dinner" than it is to say "I wouldn't eat anything on this table." At an afternoon party I'll say "no thanks, we have dinner plans later."

Friends are generally aware of our eating habits so in case of a real dinner party, they'll consult us on the menu. One couple we know really enjoys a culinary challenge so they've done entire vegan menus before, for everybody. Other times DH and I are thrilled with whatever soup or salad and side dishes they want to throw at us.

For family parties we bring a dish to share - we had a family brunch with my in-laws a while back and I brought blueberry muffins and crustless tofu quiches. For dinner we'll bring pasta or something one-dish/casserole-y. I get all smug when omnis eat what I cook and like it.

Restaurants with a group can be tough indeed. I try to steer people to places where I know I can eat a decent meal. Ethnic foods like Thai, Middle Eastern and Indian are better choices than French or Mexican. I'll cruise menus online so I'm relatively prepared to ask questions and order something in a funky way...is the soup made with chicken stock or water, is there cream in it, can they make the shrimp risotto with vegetable stock and hold the shrimp, can I have this sandwich but with the portobello mushroom instead of chicken and can I have the sauteed spinach on the side from this other dish here?

I think we're seeing a "tipping point" of sorts where being vegan, gluten-free, and/or non-dairy isn't so strange and esoteric anymore, at least in relatively cosmopolitan areas. I'm finding it easier and easier to eat out as time goes by.

BTW I think I saw that show - did it have the raw athlete too?

Hermes

Excellent! Thank you all for your input and suggestions! I am feeling really good about taking this path.

Like I said, at this time, l am primarily focused on by body's fuel and function vs. a protest of the animal products industry. I think the health excuse (given my health issues over the last couple of years) should work as well. I also try to keep my dietary choices secret. I just choose things that I can eat and use other excuses if I'm questioned. I just don't want anyone to feel like they need to cater to me. I also don't like being barraged with questions and criticism about my food choices. NYOB smile

I really like the idea of bringing a dish for any dinners hosted outside our home. With vegetarianism, you can usually pick through things undetected, but I'm thinking about my husband's family holiday dinners where there would be absolutely nothing I could eat and no excuse would work - so bringing a dish that could be enjoyed not only by me but the rest of the family is a good idea. Guess I'll cross the path of what that dish will be next year, since it would result in a major upheaval of tradition...

Suasoria - the 60 min. piece is new. It does not have the raw athlete in it. I too saw the CRS coverage before, but this is different. You should watch it -- it's a really good piece.

I did briefly contemplate raw, but I need to take baby steps with my extreme dietary changes. I will probably try it down the road...

Elle · Hermes

D wrote:

I really like the idea of bringing a dish for any dinners hosted outside our home. With vegetarianism, you can usually pick through things undetected, but I'm thinking about my husband's family holiday dinners where there would be absolutely nothing I could eat and no excuse would work - so bringing a dish that could be enjoyed not only by me but the rest of the family is a good idea. Guess I'll cross the path of what that dish will be next year, since it would result in a major upheaval of tradition...

I brought from-scratch stuffing this year to get around it, and my SIL made roasted butternut squash wedges, and we had poached pears, apple-cranberry crisp, and pumpkin mousse for dessert. No one was the wiser in any case!

I found that I actually have quite a bit of luck taking non-vegan/vege recipes and subbing things in and out. Some recipes that come from vegan/vege specific sources leave something to be desired IMO, but that's not to say you can't change those, too! I was suprised too by how many 'normal' things are vegan (guacamole! spaghetti! black bean soup!) and I just hadn't thought about it before.

Anyway, good luck! I hope it ends up easier for you in public - I myself seem to find those who don't eat veggies but do meat are perceived as 'normal' and vegetarians/vegans are not, even though they're rather equally opposite when it comes to restrictions ...

ETA: D, I just ran across a forum called VeggieBoards while looking for TVP/Ground meat conversion amounts, and thought I'd stick the link up here. I haven't looked around too much, but I'm sure it would be interesting to look around!

-- Edited by Elle at 18:44, 2009-01-27

Suasoria · Chanel

I just watched the segment. Wow, there's a fine line between CR and orthorexia, and an adult eating baby food? qualifies as orthorexia in my book. (I'd like to say, "If you're hungry, have a piece of fruit," but I'd just sound like a nagging mom.)

In contrast, the people in this episode of My Life in Food on Food TV
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/shows/episode/0,1000011,FOOD_32078_61723,00.html

Showed a married couple following a CR diet who seemed to have a much healthier lifestyle and approach. (This is the one with the raw foodist/athlete I mentioned. Maybe Tivo it, because it's airing again soon and it's only a half hour).

Your health is a perfectly logical reason for why you eat Y and Y but not Z. Anyone familiar with your particular history shouldn't dare question you on it...but everyone around us is a mirror of some sort, reflecting back something about ourselves, and we serve as a mirror for others whether we like it or not. In my experience, our food choices especially have this unintentional "reflective" effect because of how intimate and personal food can be.

E.g., if I simply say "I eat this way because I love animals," it invites defensiveness because the inference is, "I love animals more than you do." If you say, "I'm eating this way for my health," people will hear it as "I care about my health more than you do." Honestly I haven't figured out a way around this...and I interpret Greendiamond's comment about lacking the "nerve" in social situations to perhaps resemble this experience.

Just a year ago or so I realized that in terms of personal interactions, it's really not necessary for me to answer intrusive questions about what I eat and why unless someone is really, really, dying to know. This was so significant because I've been some form of veg*n for almost 20 years so I became used to people regarding me as a circus freak, and pre-wired for those unproductive and superficial conversations about it. I now find it much easier to say "I'd rather not get into it, unless you're facing some sort of health crisis and are asking for my advice."

Conet, you are so right - I am loving me some grapefruit now. I hated it as a kid but I had no idea how many varieties there were!

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

D, you sound really dedicated to this and I know you'll experiment with food options. Thankfully there are plenty of good restaurants around that offer some kind of suitable option. In terms of being raw, I usually dedicate one day a week to it, so that I can try different things and experiment with it without having to give it too much thought during the week.

I have 2 simple vegan recipies/ideas for you....

If you are feeling Mexicany, mix some hummus in with refried beans and nuke them for a few minutes. It makes them creamy and they are vegan! In a taco/burrito with other veggies you'd never miss the cheese.

I made stuffed mushrooms with a mixture of asparagus, beans (I used garbanzo and fava last time) olive oil and spices. It was great! Next time I want to mix in some pecans and maybe some red grapes, or even some wild rice instead of the beans.

In one circle of friends we have one couple who does not get it and I don't think wants to understand it. One couple who thinks they get it but doesn't (apparently she was vegan for several years, but recently made an appetizer I could eat (her words), which contained mayo and parm cheese) and a single guy who is a hunter and card-carrying carnivor who is the only one thus far that made a real vegan dish that wasn't salad. I keep offering to bring a dish, but I think everyone is afraid I'll bring tofu and tofu is scary. They've had all vegan dishes, with a chicken breast on the side at my place and have been none the wiser...until I tell them because I like to be a smug pain in the ass sometimes.

Sausoria, you are right in your assumption... I've been a vegetarian for 15 years and have gotten use to explaining why I became vegetarian, and answering what do I eat. In recent years that has slowed down, in part because I live in a more hippie town than I grew up in, and because more people now know vegetarians and it's not as uncommon. However, here in the midwest, it is still highly uncommon. When I went vegan, it was the same thing all over again with the questions. Some days with some people I don't mind, because they are truly interested in learning and are more curious than being judgemental or feeling that I am judgemental. While it's not really anyone's business what I eat, when I'm at someone's house and they are trying to feed me it does become their business pretty quickly.

Hermes

My eyebrow rose as well with the baby food. I don't understand why that would be a better choice than a raw food. Perhaps it is condensed and has more nutrition by volume?

I will make a point to watch the raw athlete. Maybe I can find it on youtube before then.

In regard to my health, my test results have seen significant improvement just with a pescetarian diet. I have also found research that correlates a drop in ovarian cancer risk with a vegetarian or vegan diet.

My most hated question is "why?" And it usually accompanies a thinly veiled judgemental tone. Maybe I'll just start whipping out test names and how many points they dropped. But then again, I keep the cancer on the down-low as well. ugh. I'll give it some more thought. I wish there was a good canned answer that would keep people from prying.

That's a good point about not putting people on the defensive. I can see where those responses might not be well received.

GD - thanks for the easy meal ideas! I am a big fan of refried beans and was trying to think of a way to stretch that staple. My husband just bought more because he had a coupon, but unfortunately failed to read the label (they are Rosarita fat free, but have hydrogenated soybean oil in them.) I have found the Meijer organic beans to be really good - you should try those sometime if you haven't already.

Dinner for tonight is going to be mushroom and caramelized onion fried potato patties (mashed potatoes (mashed with soy milk, earth balance buttery spread, S&P) mixed with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions, formed in to patties and pan fried with a little olive oil spray (my own creation smile )) with steamed asparagus... I'm trying to make meals my husband will enjoy as well. Anyway, I'm looking forward to dinner tonight!

relrel - I ordered 3 Moosewood cookbooks! I can't wait to get them!

Elle & Ritz - I'll look into those books. thanks for the suggestions!

conet - I am all about grapefruit -- I snack on them often, and eat them like you would an orange. I will have to see if I can locate some organic ones...

Elle · Hermes

D wrote:

In regard to my health, my test results have seen significant improvement just with a pescetarian diet. I have also found research that correlates a drop in ovarian cancer risk with a vegetarian or vegan diet.

My most hated question is "why?" And it usually accompanies a thinly veiled judgemental tone. Maybe I'll just start whipping out test names and how many points they dropped. But then again, I keep the cancer on the down-low as well. ugh. I'll give it some more thought. I wish there was a good canned answer that would keep people from prying.

That's a good point about not putting people on the defensive. I can see where those responses might not be well received.

"Why do you ask?" is a good go-to 'answer' for, well, anything really! At least then you're aware of their intentions ...

Hermes

Elle wrote:

D wrote:

In regard to my health, my test results have seen significant improvement just with a pescetarian diet. I have also found research that correlates a drop in ovarian cancer risk with a vegetarian or vegan diet.

My most hated question is "why?" And it usually accompanies a thinly veiled judgemental tone. Maybe I'll just start whipping out test names and how many points they dropped. But then again, I keep the cancer on the down-low as well. ugh. I'll give it some more thought. I wish there was a good canned answer that would keep people from prying.

That's a good point about not putting people on the defensive. I can see where those responses might not be well received.
"Why do you ask?" is a good go-to 'answer' for, well, anything really! At least then you're aware of their intentions ...

good point. I'll try this!

Elle · Hermes

D, I just wanted to let you know I'm hopping on board! My husband (who is skeptical of some stranger menu items) is going out of town, so I've stocked up on stuff I haven't worked with before to experiment with while he's gone.

So, here in solidarity

.

Hermes

Elle wrote:

D, I just wanted to let you know I'm hopping on board! My husband (who is skeptical of some stranger menu items) is going out of town, so I've stocked up on stuff I haven't worked with before to experiment with while he's gone.

So, here in solidarity .

Excellent! Strength in numbers smile

You'll have to share any new recipes you come up with...