Why I'm giving up forums- I AM VEGAN

I used to be a forum addict.
I LOVED finding a forum full of interesting people and ideas and shared goals.
I loved filling in my profile and choosing an avatar and introducing myself.

However I am now officially giving them up.

What have a learned about forums?

Mostly that in this sort of online situation you have a handful of extremists and the rest playing along to keep in with the cool kids.
I've lost count of the amount of times I have found myself playing devils advocate because people are talking bollocks basically.
I even once found myself DEFENDING fox hunting because the loud mouth who was banging on about it was horse rider (ie rich bastard toff) bashing and missing all the good points he could of been making! Instead of focusing on the fact that hunting was cruel he used it as a platform to stage a class war.

It seems that the world of forums are full of "Polly Pures", people who are the very heroes we mere mortals aspire to be.
If you use a green soap powder you can bet someone uses soap nuts, and that someone else hand washed and yet another person only uses  rain water and all the way up to "PP" who never washes her clothes because its a waste of resources.

You get the picture?

In real life you would have congratulated the person who brought green soap powder, you would have patted them on the back for making a good choice.
On the forum however she is now left feeling like she can never EVER possibly reach an acceptable level and she may as well go and chop some pandas heads off.

The catalyst for me was joining a vegan forum a few days ago.
I was super excited about it!

The creator is a vegan I admire greatly and the food is amazing, so I was really looking forwards to joining. (No I'm not naming it, some of the people there were very nice).

So I joined and went through the posts and said hi and thought "This is sooooo coooool! I love this place!" 

Then I made a mistake.

I admitted that I had rescue hens and maybe ate an egg a week.

Immediately I was bombarded with "You're not a vegan then"

Well.... Yeah I am...

A vegan is one who seeks to eliminate animal suffering and exploitation as much as possible, a vegan consume no animal product, but as I live how I live and wanted to offer these hens some freedom and compassion after their bad start in life I wasn't exploiting or hurting anyone was I?

Grey area.

Nope I was told in no uncertain terms that I absolutely was not a vegan and shouldn't call myself one. I was offered "Ethical vegetarian".

WTF????

You want to throw me a bone and say I can stay as a slightly yukky pet so long as I know my place?

Correct me if I'm wrong but if they can be vegan and still feed meat to their pets (directly contributing to the meat industry), take medication tested on animals and containing animal products like milk and opt to have the flu jab (suspended in egg) why the hell can't I call myself a vegan???

I rescued those hens, they have no cockerel so the eggs are not fertilized, they will lay no matter what I do but I MUST NOT EAT THEM!!

Apparently I can give the eggs away or feed them to the dogs but I MUST NOT EAT THEM!!

But wait... If I gave the eggs to someone else isn;t that passing the buck? Isn't that like the Christian who won't kill but is happy to let someone else do it while he watches?

Forgive me... I don't GET this?

You can buy factory farmed meat for your cat but I can't eat an egg from my rescue hens?

Now You know apart from this egg (and it really is 1 or 2 a week TOPS) I am 100% vegan. When the hens don't lay I don't BUY eggs, I never eat eggs elsewhere, and all my friends know that vegans don't eat eggs and so they don't serve them to me.

This narrow minded black and white view is what has made me throw in the towel.

After this thread I was in bed worrying about the fact that all of a sudden people didn't like me.

I had allowed myself to be cyberbullied.

I am a person who understands the grey in all areas.

I don't need to follow the rules to do the right thing.

I don't need the acceptance of groups to make me feel good.

vegan is not a diet it is a lifestyle.

I AM vegan.    

Ladies!! Save the planet!! Every month!

OK.
First things first.... the more squeamish men among you may wish to go do something manly about now. Dig a hole, light a fire, club some tofu... Because this post is about WOMANLY things ;)

That's right folks.... The painters are in. The Cardinal is in town. Great Aunt is here for the week.

Between staring to menstruate and going through the menopause, a woman could use @ 12000 disposable sanitary products, and if you go for a belt and braces approach (ie tampon AND towel) you're looking at a whole lot more!
However, while many women are happy to consider the use of reusable nappies (diapers) for 2 or 3 years, many are still amazingly squeamish about the thought of dealing with their own MONTHLY disposables. That's @ 35 years or so of throwing away tampons and towels and not just the product itself, but the applicators (sometimes plastic) and the packaging (often non-recyclable). Not to mention the fact that most if these products are cotton based, sprayed with pesticides, bleached and then you..... well you know where it goes.

Can that be good for us?

Rise in ovarian cancer anyone?

Anyway I've been playing with some products and thought I'd be frank about them, demystify them, make them sound appealing?

Ready??

I'll start you easy!

Reusable sanitary pads have come a long way.

I brought the Eco-Femme washable sanitary pads last year but the company I brought them from no longer stocks them.
However they are similar to many other brands I've looked at, in as much as they have "wings" which close around the crotch of your pants (panties) with a snap fastener.
I found them to be as easy to use as disposables and suitable for over night use.

Washing is easy.
A quick rinse under the tap and then wash as normal.
They dry super quick and so you only need @ 3 pads or so if you are at home and can wash them daily. You may want more if you are out and about.
If you need to change them during the day just take a small "nappy bag" with you to leave them in until you get home.

Mama Pads
Earthwise Girls
Draper's organic
WeMoon Menstral pads
Lollipop Washable Sanitary Pads
Moon rabbits cotton comforts

Some sites to get you started!
Of course I'm sure some handy ladies could run up their own at a fraction of the cost!

Now for the scary one!!

The MOONCUP!!!

OK, I will admit the Mooncup freaked me out at first. Not the idea of it (basically a silicon "cup" that sits inside the vagina and collects the menstrual flow) but the SIZE of the damn thing!
Which is silly when I've had sex and have three kids and its no where NEAR as big as .... OK, moving on....

The mental barrier you have to get through is the fact that while you're thinking "tampon" the mooncup looks like a giant plumbers mate.
Also unlike a tampon you have to get personal.
The most popular tampons are still the ones that come with applicators which mean you can keep your delicate repressed hands away from any "naughty" bits.

Oh come on!

Suck it up ladies and get acquainted with your womanly bits!
Yes, using a mooncup is definitely hands on but hugely rewarding for your bank balance, your health and the environment.

So here is a diagram so I don't have to say too much!

 

It also comes with a cute little baggie to keep it in!

Anyway.

Like a tampon you change the mooncup every 4-6 hrs or so, emptying the contents down the loo and washing or wiping the cup out before re-inserting it.

Does it feel huge?

Sure the first couple of times, much like when I was a teenager and using tampons, it feels like you have to waddle at first! 

By the end of day one though I'd got the hang of it and by day two I forgot I was wearing it at all.

No leaking (unlike tampons) and no mess.

Win win folks.

Anyway, that's my red letter day post. Any thoughts? 



World Vegan Day: meal suggestions

Linda Barbaro posted on the face Book page for World vegan day- " OK I can do it for a day. Any help? What can I have. Not what can't I have. :)"

The trouble is on the surface a Vegan diet seems highly restrictive with a long list of foods to avoid, BUT to make a list of foods you can eat would take years and be highly boring to read!
Most supermarkets have a list online of food in their stores that  is suitable for vegan, I have yet to get past the first page of any of them yet *yawn*.

So today I am going to post a few suggestions for meals to make on World Vegan day! Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section :)

Breakfast:

Yeah yeah yeah we know, its the most important meal of the day! but what do you usually have?

Cereal: Most plain cereal is vegan friendly. watch out for hidden D3 vitamins, go for D2 or none fortified cereals.
Porridge is fantastic as a slow release food.
You can make your own muesli by adding a few oats to your choice of fresh or dried fruit, seeds and nuts. Use none dairy milk and agave syrup rather than honey.

Cooked:  If you like scrambled egg you need to try scrambled tofu! Like this real "manly man!!"

 

A quick search on youtube will yield lots of other methods!

You can serve it on toast or as part of a cooked breakfast.
Vegan sausages, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, slices of fried smoked tofu.... Mmmm.

Toast: toast toast toast! Quick and easy whats not to love! Marmite on toast (with vegan spread) is a great source of B vitamins. Peanut butter is a great protein boost. I like to add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes to peanut butter to add B vits :)

Light meals

A lot of people come unstuck when faced with lunch. If you have been surviving on cheese sarnies you'll wonder what on earth you can eat!

Some easy sandwich/wrap/roll fillings:
Hummus and salad
Smoked tofu and bean sprouts with vegan mayonnaise.
P,B & J!
Mushroom pate (recipe to follow soon)
Mashed beans in hot sauce.
Fake cheese and pickle.   

The trick is to pack in flavour and texture. A slice of fake cheese between two slices of bread is dull, add pickle, salad, grated carrot, vegan mayo, sliced peppers, onion etc, although maybe not all at the same time!



Don't forget the power of soup as a meal on the go! Make your own for superior flavour and nutritional value or check out canned soups that are suitable for vegans.
When I make soup I always go for a mix of veg and a high protein source like beans and lentils. You can leave it chunky or blend it smooth or have it somewhere in the middle :)

Other foods that travel well for lunch at work/school are:

Couscous or rice, with veggies, raisins and nuts.
Small portions of pasta in tomato based sauces.

Most leftovers from an evening meal can be packed for lunch.

Add fruit juice, water, a piece of fruit and a none dairy yogurt for a power packed lunch.

Main meal. 

Vegan main meals are easy  to make and prepare. Some family style ideas are:

Curry and rice, many Indian curries are meat free and rely heavily on lentils (dahl) or beans and vegetables.
Chili and rice/baked potato. Either make a bean heavy chili or replace the beef mince with TVP pr veggie mince.
Chinese stir fry: sliced veggies, tofu, rice noodles... yum! 



Spaghetti bolognese, use a tomato based sauce and some veggie mince /tvp.
Shepherd-less pie, again you can use TVP instead of mince or you could make it with brown lentils, both versions are good! Make your own gravy or use a vegan store brought one. Either way a good spoonful of marmite makes that "meaty" flavour come out and also add important vitamins.
Veggie loaf "roast" The magical loaf studio is a fantastic online tools that helps you make a veggie loaf recipe out of the ingredients YOU have to hand! Serve with roast potatoes and veggies with gravy! (also slices well cold for sandwiches!!)

Don't forget that many shop brought jars of sauce (pasta/curry/etc) are suitable for vegans, just check the labels! Nothing simpler than chucking a jar of sauce onto some cooked pasta for a quick meal!
There are also a heap of mock meats that  you can use to replace meat in a meal.

What to replace!
 Your own cook books are still very much a help to you!

When a recipe calls for milk use none dairy milk instead.
Any meat can be replaced with either a straight swap for mock meat or by using beans or lentils.
Butter can be substituted with oil or vegan margarine.   
Eggs in baking can be replaced with a sup of soya milk that has been curdled with a spoon of cider vinegar (really!).
Eggs for glazing can be replaced with none dairy milk.

What about snacks?
Ok we all know this is the bit where I should say fruit.... So.... Fruit!

Now thats over we can look at the real snacks *evil chuckle*
Some store brought goods are vegan, ginger biscuits, bourbons and dark chocolate are usually ok, but (again!) check the labels first!
Crisps (chips for you US folks!) are another danger point. Even safe sounding flavours like salt and vinegar can have milk in them in the form of powder. Normally plain crisps are fine but some surprising vegan flavours can be found, beef and onion and BBQ are often vegan friendly!

If you have a sweet tooth it pays to learn how to bake. Vegan cupcakes take over the world takes you on a sweet food porn journey that has vegans and omnivores salivating in delight!

  

So I hope this post helped some of you who where wondering what to eat! Comment if you have any questions or ask on the wall at World Vegan day on Face Book.   

Vegan store cupboard- World Vegan Day Post.

The thought of eating vegan seems to fill most people with a sort of slow, creeping dread.




What the hell am I going to eat!!!!??????



Even the limited cupboard of a confirmed meat eater is likely to yield the ingredients of a vegan meal.


But what DO vegans eat?

The common misconception is that the vegan diet is salad and lentils, alone, dry, boooooorrring.



Well YEAH I’d be pretty bored too if that all I had to eat, but….

But what if I told you that vegans ate stir fries and curries, south American food, junk food, snacks, cakes, fried food and all manner of highly flavoured meals.

Can a Thai curry with its rich creamy coconut milk base and mouth tingling chillies be called bland?

Could a rich hot Mexican chilli, with white rice be boring?

How about fried chips with a selection of sauces and dips, crispy onion rings and battered tofu? Sound gross?



To be vegan is to be inventive, to look at every recipe and understand that it only needs a couple of items replacing to make it vegan.



I kept all my cook books, even the meat heavy ones, 99% of the recipes within can be adapted.



There is no need to miss out on any of your favourite meals.



Vegan means compassionate eating, not a life of chewing dried mung beans and navel gazing.



Some store cupboard staples make life a lot easier though, so here’s a few things you might consider getting in for World Vegan Day.



TOFU. (Most major supermarkets)

Much maligned and often used incorrectly, tofu is a great source of protein and a must have health food for any post-menopausal woman (and the rest of us!). Scare stories abound about Soya, but the general consensus is that consumed in moderation it is a healthy food and a great friend to the vegan.

Tofu comes in many kinds though and it is IMPERITIVE that you use the right one for the job!



Firm tofu (from the fridge section), is your guy for using as a straight meat replacer in stir fries, curries etc. drain well and weight down between two clean tea towels to really firm it up so that it keeps its shape when cooking.



Firm tofu (UHT packed) is no good for cooking in chunks. Makes good mock scrambled “egg” and can be blitzed with a blender to make sauces and dips.



Silken tofu (UHT packed) lighter than UHT firm, use as above, also good in smoothies.



Smoked tofu (from the fridge section) tastes like bacon!! Fantastic in sandwiches, wraps etc, stir fry’s. very very firm.



Braised tofu (Some supermarkets), sheets of tofu, packed in brine and in a tin. A good tuna replacement.



TEMPAH (Some supermarkets, independent shops/whole food)

Like tofu, this Indonesian Soya bean food can be used in numerous ways. Often come in jars of brine in flat sausage shapes.



MILK ALTERNATIVES (All Major supermarkets)



Soya milk can be an acquired taste when drunk alone, but is very good for tea and cooking. Be sure to use unsweetened milk for savoury cooking!



Other common milks are rice, almond, and oat.



When using milks that have added calcium and vitamins make sure that they are suitable for vegans. Some use Vitamin D3, which is derived from sheep’s wool! D2 is vegan friendly!



Another thing to note is that Soya milk should be purchased from companies who are rainforest friendly. As Soya is grown cheaply for cattle feed many supermarkets now produce their own brand Soya milk. This is not guaranteed rainforest friendly! Alpro Soya and Provamil both have good ethics.



NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES (Independent food shops/whole food)



These cheesy flavoured flakes are not only yummy but are packed with B vitamins. Sprinkle on soups, pasta, even on toast for a vitamin boost.



MARMITE/ VEGEMITE

Savoury yeast spread full of B vitamins, add to stews for a “meaty” flavour, spread on toast and crumpets.



VEGAN MARGARINE

Nearly all margarine has milk in it somewhere. In the UK there are only a few spreads that are vegan.



Pure (all major supermarkets) a choice of Soya or sunflower spread, Vegan society approved.



Vitalite (Most major supermarkets) Suitable for Vegans BUT made by dairy crest, so debatable if it can really be “vegan”. Personal choice.



Suma (online, independent shops) Vegan sunflower spread.



OTHER PRODUCTS



Agave syrup (Most supermarkets) syrup from the agave plant, sweeten drinks and cereal and use in place of honey.



Parmezano (most supermarkets) parmesan cheese replacer in a shaker, nice to add to mock mac n cheese!



Mayola vegan mayonnaise (Most supermarkets) I found this while I was still an lacto-ovo veggie and couldn’t find a decent free range egg mayo, they all tasted nasty! This meanwhile was lovely and is still a sandwich staple!


TVP (Textured vegetable protien) Deydrated soya mince, great for chilli's and pasta sauces.




THINGS THAT ARE NOT VEGAN BUT YOU THINK THEY ARE!!



Crisps! Even flavours that don’t appear on the surface to have any animals in it (i.e. salt and vinegar) can still use whey powder and lactic acid in the flavouring. Never trust, always check the label. Perversely steak and onion walkers crisps are vegan… go figure.



Bread. Some bread will have dairy products in it. Look out for milk powder, whey powder etc.



Drinks. Not all drinks are vegan. Even some Soya drinks contain milk! This is more often in drinks brought from Asian markets.



Chips/hash browns/ croquettes. Anything that has a coating is potentially none vegan. Yes even plain old chips!



Sweets. Most sweets contain gelatine, milk products, or egg products.



It sounds hard work, reading labels, but its really all you should be doing anyway.

To pick food blindly and not check what you are putting in your body is foolish for vegan and meat eater alike.



HIDDEN THINGS TO LOOK FOR



Whey /Whey powder (milk)

Milk/ Milk powder (Milk)

Lactic acid (Some is vegetable derived)

Lactose (Milk)

Casein (Milk)

Rennet (extract of calf stomach)

Albumen (from egg white or blood)

Aspic (Meat/fish jelly)

Carmine/ Carminic acid (red dye from bugs!)

Cholecalciferol (Vit D3 from fish or Lanolin)

Glycerine (Animal fat)

Isinglass (fresh fish air bladder)

Lanolin (sheep’s wool fat)

Lecithin (egg yolk fat)

Shellac (Insect secretion)

Stearin/ Stearin acid (Form animals fat)



CALM DOWN THOUGH!!!!



Notice how many of these hidden animal products are the kind that crop up in processed food?

Why else would you eat sheep wool fat?



If you are eating a good diet of fruit, veg, whole grains and protein foods like beans, peas and Soya, you will not even come across most of these things. Pick up some sweets a packet of crisps and a cheap pre-made sandwich and you have them by the truck load!



Learning to look at labels is a good lesson in food generally even if you don’t decide to go vegan.



Any questions or other vegan stuff you want covered please comment here or on the FB event page!

World Vegan day : Why do you think you can't do it?

So you kind of, sort of, maybe get the idea that being vegan is not a dumb thing to do.... but you're sure YOU can't do it, you have excuses and conditions and NEEDS that plainly mean you HAVE to eat meat/fish/dairy.

OK.

So shall we debunk some?

I NEED to eat meat for protein.

You NEED meat? Are you an obligate carnivore?
Some of the biggest, strongest animals in the world live on a vegan diet. Did you ever see a weedy gorilla?  Presuming you are a a healthy weight, you should try to eat around one gram of protein per one kilogram of body weight, or around 0.4 grams per pound. Roughly, if you weigh 120 pounds, you should eat about 50 grams of protein. 
Tofu packs around 10g of protein in 100g, Chickpeas 7.2g and a tin of baked beans has 4.2g.
Steak can come in at a whopping 40+ g BUT with steak you also get the fat, and overloading on animal proteins can cause the body to fight back against the rise in acidity buy "borrowing" the alkaline calcium from your body... in essence if you eat too much meat you will piss more and you will be pissing your bones away, which is why people on the Aitkins diet are always peeing!
By including a protein rich food in your meals EVERY meal you will find you have more than enough plant based protein to keep you healthy.

But I'm into sports/ body building, I can't be vegan, I'm going to use LOTS of protein.

 





I have a medical condition, I need to eat meat/dairy.
I have searched HARD on this one, been through medical sites and forums and have yet to find a REAL condition that means a person HAS to eat meat or dairy rather than the alternatives. Mostly this is said by people who have maybe been anemic (lack of iron, readily available in green veg, lentils, beans, seeds, dried apricots and many other foods), or suffered from fatigue (often anemia or lack of B12, found in nearly all fortified foods, in nutritional yeast flakes and marmite). In these cases a Dr might have said "eat a little more meat" but not because it was the ONLY way to do it! My Dr and the practice nurse have never had a problem with mine or my kids vegan diets, no dire warnings, no lectures. However if YOU are a Dr and know of such a condition PLEASE comment and let me know!

OK, its fine for an adult to do this but what about kids!! Surely they need these foods!
This is always the BIG one.
The subtle suggestion that raising kids vegan is cruel, dangerous and just wrong.
Dear Omnivore, we have spent a lifetime watching TV commercials telling us how good milk and meat is for our children, now its in plentiful supply though we also have significantly higher rates of childhood obesity, Asthma, Eczema, Allergies and Diabetes.
In the past it was difficult to meet a child's needs with a vegan diet, but now we have the wonders of calcium and vitamin fortified none dairy milks. My kids have often had their minimum calcium requirement by 9am and not a cow in sight.
True you can't just grab and go, meals need a little thought, occasional planning, making from scratch in most cases, but ANY parent should be doing this. If life is easy we become lazy, how easy it would be for me to go to t shops and grab a pizza off the shelf rather than making my own, to throw a pack of cheap sausages into the basket instead of ordering vegan ones.
Most of our choices are lean in fat but high in nutrients.
Still think its a faddy diet?
When I worked as a childminder I met children with incredibly limited diets, one would only eat chicken and jam and bread and crisps. Not very balanced at all!



But what about calcium! I'm worried about Osteoporosis!
Osteoporosis (brittle bones) is a scary complaint, and almost unheard of in parts of the world that don't traditionally use dairy.
How can this bee when we are told that milk is THE ultimate source of calcium!?
Bone density scans on Asian women found that although their scans pre-menopause were slightly lower (although so slight as to not make any difference) it found that post menapausal women in the western world had huge drops in bone density, unlike Asian women whose bone density stayed roughlythe same as pre-menapause.
Calcium is found naturally in Almonds, broccoli, green leafy vegetables and swede, as well as fortified milks and foods.
Remember : too much animal protein means depleted calcium.

But all you eat is whole food and lentils! Life's too short and I enjoy my food!
Couldn't agree more!!
That's why I'll be sharing some recipes, links and websites packed with sinful, yummy, elasticated -waist-time food!
Hope you come back!

If you have a genuine question about vegan please comment below and I'll do my best to answer!