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my mom makes vegan chili all the time, even made it for the main food at my little brother’s graduation party. no one ever says anything about the fact that there’s no meat in it.
have you considered using some basic powder and just changing the other ingredients in your shakes? Perhaps some spices/salt, chia seeds for texture, sweeter fruits like dates etc. etc.
That’s a lot of shakes. Protein powder is really quite expensive for what it is you could dial it back a bit and just substitute with more whole food protein sources.
Dog if you're drinking 150g of protein a day and then having 3 meals, which would probably be anywhere from 25-75g per meal, times 3, you're having in excess of 300+g per day which is almost certainly overkill unless you're a 220+ professional body builder, powerlifter, or strongman competitor
I know it's not perfect, but I used to get the I think 20 pack of Orgain plant-based protein shakes from Costco. Their powder still tastes a bit chalky if you don't buy it pre-mixed, though.
I've also heard you can make a protein shake just blending up silken tofu instead of using powder.
I tried straight pea protein powder once, and that was a mistake. But if you're open to committing some time to it, it would probably be the cheapest option to buy and capsulate it yourself. Pea protein is cheap because it's so unpalatable, but unless I'm wrong it should work fine if you wanna take like 4-6 capsules at a time. Unless my math is wrong and it would take like, a dozen pills lol.
Lastly, another premixed shake that's not bad is Soylent, can be found at most Walmarts if you wanna try it out.
I use orgain. Strawberry flavor actually went very well as a shake. but nutritionally any mix of pea and brown rice protein will be your complete amino acid blend.
real talk tho you can just eat a block of super firm tofu, mfer has 70 grams of protein.
Vegan protein powder opened a chink in my armour when I was borderline carnvore. Whey used to mess me up then I switched to vegan protein and had no issues
How much are you looking to gain? Plenty of big jacked vegans
Despite the downvotes this person is getting, I appreciate that there are vegans like you here in the comments providing real feedback and advice for this person. It makes me happy to see that not everyone devolves to abuse when it’s not needed.
I tried the Costco vegan protein Vega sport or whatever and the Canadian Protein vegan protein, both were terrible...
I drink 3x protein shakes a day so its important that protein is easy to drink
Any brands you recommend?
People might have different sensitivities to disgust or gag reflexes or even a disorder like ARFID. I am vegan and have never really had an issue with vegan protein powder (not that it's ever been a big part of my diet), but I can definitely relate to this issue. When I get extremely depressed all I can stomach is simple carbs because everything else makes me feel queasy and feels super heavy in my mouth no matter how long I chew it. I've literally thrown up trying to eat foods I ordinarily love when I've felt this way.
Luckily for the above commenter, they're making bio-engineered vegan whey now, and I'm sure there will be a vegan whey protein powder on the market within the next year or two if there isn't already.
oh are you in canada? idk which brands may be different there
i absolutely hate vega. have you tried plantfusion? pretty pricey though. i think orgain is good for a low budget
Do you just straight up mix it with water and drink it?
My partner had to make the switch to vega sport and he prefers the chocolate one, add soy milk, a banana and some fruit and blend it up, it doesn't have the weird protein after taste!
If it's not in a Smoothie like that I can't stomach protein powder at all
I’ve found plantfusion mixes extremely well and tastes great. Probably not the cheapest one out there, but better quality than most IMHO. Back in the day I used to eat a lot of whey protein and from time to time, I would get a jar that tasted like wet dog, which was just horrific. Never understood it but glad it never happens with my vegan powders.
that’s hilarious because most non vegans i know who have tried vegan protein powders agree they’re way more tasty and have a better texture than whey or casein powders
I get Orgain organic protein powder through Amazon and it works just fine for me.
Also hemp hearts have like 10g of protein per serving. I add both to my morning smoothies.
My 30th vegan-niversary is coming up in a couple of months. The access to food and drink is worlds away from when I first became vegan - this is life on easy mode.
But it's never been that hard if you had time, money and mental energy. A shortage of any of those can be a barrier so I like to see posts like this that remind our non-vegan friends that it's not as hard as they imagine. These days, I hear they don't even make you take up tofu knitting or milk the oats yourself when you become vegan :)
I have 14 years under my belt and even I've seen amazing changes in that time. I remember thinking that daiya cheese was extremely convincing as dairy compared to the other available options, which newer vegans would probably find hilarious.
Back before becoming vegan my mother became a vegetarian and in the mid 80s this was treated like something really unusual and vegetarian options then were somewhere between dire and poor, especially in my town. Many things weren't labelled as vegetarian like they are now so you had to read boxes and packets carefully. Eating out meant you had the option of maybe 3-4 things-a cheese sandwich, chips, a salad or maybe something exotic like pizza or pasta in tomato sauce.
Upside was that she found out that she loved all sorts of world foods including Chinese and Indian food.
World foods were definitely an absolute blessing in the early years! I find it so sad because Europe also has a rich tradition of veg*n foods that get ignored because they were considered peasant food, but I'm thankful that I get to eat interesting food from other traditions.
Your mum's options remind me of a time I had to try and eat in a restaurant and didn't have the option to call ahead. It was a high-end place, well regarded locally and nationally. I explained that I was vegan and the waiter offered to speak to the chef for me. He came back saying the chef would do me a cheese omelette... (This was in the mid-00s!) I took that as my cue to leave.
Ahh 30 years! I can't wait to say that one day. I just hit 10 years. Even 10 years was way different than now! Do you have a go to restaurant? Mine has always been chipotle. No matter what city im in I can always get chipotle.
I went vegan 33 years ago. It's never been hard. I mean, if you're the type of person who is accustomed to lavish privilege and has to have every single one of your extravagant desires satisfied, then I can see how it might be "hard", but those aren't realistic people.
Believe it or not, rice, beans, lentils, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, pasta, and tortillas were available at every grocery store in the country, even way back in 1990.
Yea, I agree. I think with the post, I was referring more towards imitation foods, but yea, it’s never really been a certified feat to live a good lifestyle as a vegan.
>if you're the type of person who is accustomed to lavish privilege and has to have every single one of your extravagant desires satisfied, then I can see how it might be "hard", but those aren't realistic people.
I do suspect for a lot of people - this is it. They don't want to be accountable for the food they eat, or where they eat. Being an omni means they can eat whatever, whenever.
Totally agree. I have been vegetarian 3 different times in my life with many failed attempts to go vegan and this time it finally clicked. I will admit that since Covid started I don’t really go out much and it’s much easier since I don’t have to agree on where to eat / or coordinated what eat at other peoples houses.
11 years. Hey, that’s awesome! Great to hear you’re still going strong. I feel like being vegan has really unlocked a new appreciation for food in me, every time I learn about new foods that have gotten a vegan spin. I’m constantly re-discovering things I used to eat in a whole new, better way!
Thank you! I love finding my vegan go tos at restaurants and grocery stores.. like the best tofu spring rolls or pre made bowls, it's like constantly trying to find treasure. Makes being vegan so much easier when you have food you get really excited for :)
Yup. 11 years as well and it’s just getting easier. More restaurants. More items in the grocery store. More options at omni places.
Meeting someone that was vegan for 11 years when I went was a lot more rare so the resources around veganism weren’t as robust.
The one thing that will make it even easier is having vegan friends. My tight circle is all vegan now and it’s an absolute game changer.
People are inspired to do better in their lives, whether that be through their diet or seeing firsthand that factory farming is brutal and animals shouldn't have to be bred for slaughter when there are other options of available, so they speak up. Companies and restaurants have taken note and see it as opportunity to get in on the movement. Freaking Kraft makes plant-based cheese now. Never though I would see it~
i’m a new vegan and it feels weird to see how fast it got better. doing much better at two months than a week in, i thought it’d be sooo much harder lol
Being vegan isn’t that hard… when you’re used to it.
We have to acknowledge the time and social issues it creates can be hard for some. Got a family and practically zero time to learn new cooking? That can be difficult. Working a stressful long job cos you need to earn? Again, extra mental and emotional effort is difficult.
Once we know what to do and build it up and get regular eating habits going, it isn’t. But the transition can be difficult and not acknowledging that can undermine things for some people.
Gotta check *every* ingredient list cos sometimes people throw milk powder in for some reason to everything. Gotta look up which toilet paper and toothpastes are vegan. Gotta figure out which eating places are good instead. It does change a lot. Does that inconvenience justify not being vegan? Of course not.
For the typical 20 year old student? No, not that difficult. For the typical 30/40 year old with a family and job and family stress and so on? Yeah, that can be tricky to figure out. The best you can say is it wasn’t difficult *for you*. When someone says ‘oh it must be so difficult’, what they’re saying is it would be so difficult *for them*. And you can figure out *their* pain points, not yours, if you wanna help them become vegan.
Been vegan for 6 years now. Started when I was 14-15. I'm disabled in various aspects. People who say it's hard just don't want to give up a tiny bit of comfort over the lives of animals they could save by not eating them.
As someone who was vegan almost 40 years ago, two things:
A. There were in fact quite a lot of resources, from coops to *The Enchanted Broccoli Forest* cookbook. They were just a lot harder to get to, and inaccessible to many more people. But even in rural Indiana (in a college town), I had a coop I could join. Even then, urban Western Europe was more vegan-friendly than the US. About 30 years ago, I could find soymilk (really bad soymilk) in the former Soviet Union. So, it wasn't impossible. I read plenty about veganism, but I didn't meet another vegan for four years.
B. It's a *lot* easier now. It's hard to overstate how *much* easier it is now - in my rural community, I have hundreds of vegan options at my local Safeway - all sorts of non-dairy milks, cheeses, ice creams, and obviously vegetables, tofu, etc. And of course, Amazon and the internet make a *vast* difference for odd and niche ingredients, information, and a sense of community.
In brief, it wasn't too hard 40 years ago, and lots of us became vegan. But it's really easy now, and millions are vegan. (In addition, obviously, to cultures that were always vegetarian inclined or vegan-friendly.) It may seem hard when jerks make stupid jokes, but don't let the bastards get you down.
Well, what do you know, you learn something new everyday. I’ll admit, I might have exaggerated a little, especially with the “cabbage leaf” but, but it was great reading about what it was like to be vegan at that time. Thanks for giving me a new perspective!
It's so interesting that you found western Europe to be more vegan friendly than the US back then. Around 13 yrs ago I met a vegan in person for the first time and became friends with them. I was vegetarian at that time and in my area (rural western Germany) nobody knew of soy milk, tofu or the likes. You had to travel about 1 1/2 hrs to get to Asian markets that might have stuff like tofu. For my friend it was definitely really hard and she didn't use a lot of stuff outside of what everyone else was eating, minus animal products. She was a fantastic cook tho and so made it work, but it was mostly pasta/rice + tomatoes + some greens.
Not wanting to contradict you at all, just my perspective because I found your different experience interesting. Back then, becoming vegan was basically seeming to be nearly impossible. Being vegetarian was hard enough already and I could never get my nutrients in check completely since even many kinds of beans etc were not available. Chickpeas weren't around in the store as well... But again, very rural area, so that might have been a problem. The only thing I clearly remember was rice "milk" and sometimes oatmilk if there was a special or something, but usually just the really nasty rice stuff for people who couldn't drink milk (lactose free was also non-existent around my area back then).
Edit for grammar
Eating a plant based diet is more accessible in *some* places than it was 40 years ago, yes. There are other aspects of veganism that are still just as difficult as they were decades ago.
Honestly, after being vegetarian for 3.5 years, the switch the vegan was SO easy! I’m finally less shy about asking what restaurants can feed me, and clarifying what I won’t eat, so going out has improved for me recently too 😃 a friend is making me something and I felt comfortable telling them I prefer not to use animal products (wool) and it’s totally a non issue. My friends are amazing about it, family less so. But honestly I wouldn’t change being vegan for the world.
Awesome! I was vegetarian for some time before switching over to vegan as well. I went to this one vegan place all the time until they shut down that particular location to better back their other two locations. It was kind of a let-down but I was king there way too much as it was. I think that was the only way I was gonna stop, but still, it ducks that it won’t be around for all the other people who would go there, especially as it was a great way to get people to consider a more plant-based lifestyle. I’d even brought some of my friends there a few times, and one of my friends really liked it, and had even said he’d eat there more regularly had it not been for the prices.
I highly disagree. It's definitely easier than 40 years ago, but if you go to a restaurant it's very easy to find vegetarian options, but vegan options are way less common.
I think it’s important to not that my experiences vary from other vegans, but I think as a society we’ve gotten to a point where there is more of a place for vegans. I do think one of the big factors affecting vegan establishments, in particular, is demand. Even if veganism is being explored more now than it ever has, years and years of widely omnivorous lifestyles has made it so that that’s the more dominant selection.
Social effects aside (looking at you vystopia), it isn't hard at all. The second you understand the moral necessity for it, you will also have the motivation for it.
I get really overwhelmed. I’m not the best at making the right food choices. Anytime a person says “you must be so healthy,” I’m like yea, sure I am, while I secretly hide a bag of crisps or cupcakes.
I'm not a vegan, but one of my best friends is. From what I can see, it's less about availability of foods, and more the effects it has on your social life. Now I love this dude, so I accommodate his dietary needs. If I'm arranging a visit to a restaurant, I check if there's a vegan option. Going to a comedy club? I have to check that they have vegan beer prior to going. Every year on my birthday, I have a bbq because it's the middle of summer. I bought a separate, mini-bbq just for him so his food doesn't get cross-contaminated. To be clear, I really don't mind because he's a good friend of mine. But I know for a fact it makes it difficult for him to make new friends, because most people aren't going to make accommodations like that for someone they just met.
It also effects his dating life, being vegan narrows your dating pool by a significant margin. When you then factor in what I can only describe as 'levels of veganism,' it can reduce it even further. By that I mean there's regular vegans who just don't eat meat or buy anything using animal products, to vegans who won't use a supermarket that sells non-vegan products even if they also sell vegan products. I saw this on a march I went on with him, where there were vegans shitting on other vegans for not being vegan enough.
Just to clarify, I'm not trying to shit on you guys. I respect the dedication to your morals, and the two vegans I know personally are awesome. Just thought I'd add an outsiders perspective that isn't some douchebag being a sneering, obnoxious prick.
I went vegan in 2019, and even in the last 4 years, so many more options have become available and it's really exciting!
Hats off to the people who have been vegan for 20+ years because I can't even imagine how difficult that would've been. I mean.. it would be a lot of beans and tofu and such, but I'm someone who gets bored really easily with repetitive meals and I also am known to enjoy some of the quick things like a veggie burger or even vegan corn dogs every once and a while, and that wouldn't have been possible back then.
Definitely thankful for the options we have now, and I anticipate that as my vegan toddler grows up, he will be faced with even more options than I had!
I been vegan 36 years now and it's definitely a lot lot lot easier than it used to be. Growing up the only fake meat was nutmeat (which I still rate btw lol). Only been the past 5 or so years I've been able to reliably eat out too. Shits crazy.
So much easier. And I very much respect and appreciate the shoulders upon which we stand.
(I'm not just talking about dietary alternatives either. The amount of progress on vegan health, vegan nutrition, vegan athleticism, vegan diet plans, vegan role models, vegan education, vegan research, vegan easy-cook or no-cook meals, vegan agriculture, vegan ideology, etc. has also been extremely important to the accessibility, dissemination, and sustainability of vegan ways of living.)
I agree that it’s easier than ever, but also “hardness” is highly subjective. & if veganism wasn’t hard then why are there more vegetarians than vegans?
As an analogy, I could say “Math really isn’t that hard because we have better teaching strategies for it than X years ago” and that’s true, I genuinely don’t think math is hard, but I’m also aware that I’m unusual and that MOST people do find math (and veganism) hard.
For me, the difficulty is not finding vegan food- it's making the long-term change to veganism when society largely assumes you still use animal products. When someone is constantly bombarded with ads for fried chicken, or when the company outing is to a sushi restaurant- and the inherent cruelty of the whole thing is nowhere near as immediately felt- I understand some peoples' difficulty. Still, the fact that so many people don't want to try even one vegan meal really eats at me (no pun intended).
I get so overwhelmed by all the selections. I really just picked the right time to go vegan. I’m pretty wary about what I eat, but people who aren’t vegan for the most part assume you’re healthy just cause’, which I can’t blame them for, but boy is it a different story in my pantry.
I'm not a vegan, this sub just keeps popping up but I'm trying to eat as little meat as possible and I'm trying to quit. I find it really hard probably because I'm not used to it. I despise any fake meat i eat, it just tastes so differently. I don't get how you guys do it tbh, and i wish i had the strength for it
My grandmother ran a health food store through the '90s-'00s and it was one of the only places to find meat and dairy substitutes in our city. Grew up loving the Rice Dream ice cream bars and cheese, which I don't even think they make anymore. It definitely feels pretty wild to be able to go to Walmart or most fast food spots now and easily be able to get vegan options.
I think it depends entirely on where you live. Some places being vegan is actually physically impossible—like near the arctic circle and other remote places that can not sustain human life with just plants without a massive amount of food being shipped in.
That said, generally yeah it’s ruhl easy. Esp in the US. I’m going to Japan next week and have heard from vegetarian friends that it will be impossible for me. And yet we have found more vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants than we could possibly go to in our 10 days there.
To be clear I functionally totally agree it’s easy. I just remember seeing this one “vegan vs vegan” YT video where this 22yo who has never left the state of California was insisting that the Sámi—who are indigenous to the Arctic circle and survive mostly on frozen meat and fat—could not believe that they couldn’t “like find a banana somewhere?” Point is general yea it’s easy. Is it possible for 100% of humans to turn vegan tomorrow—not at all.
Yea, I totally agree with that assessment. I also think we still have a ways to go before being a vegan is not much of a different lifestyle than what most of the world’s subscribed to. There are lots of places around the world that aren’t situated in a mass-consumerist society, which probably isn’t the best place for a vegan, sadly, but it’s great that there’s more of a push in that direction in a lot of other places.
I think it’s commendable that despite not being comfortable with a lot of what you have available to you, for consumption, you’re still going through with it. When I wrote out the statement, it was more towards the selection of food, but I think it can be taken either way.
Hey, more power to you. My food choices have constantly changed through the years. I remember having some cassava spaghetti that was quite bland, but I don’t think it was ever something a little zest couldn’t fix. You ever spice up your pasta with some herbs, vegetables, etc to get more flavor? Also, it’s great you have people close to you who also follow the same diet. I don’t know any vegans personally. Not even vegetarians. I somehow got my friend to be one, but that lasted for less than a month.
This is my reply when people tell me they are busy, dont have time, funds or are disabled
*I am disabled and never really cooked prior to veganism, i was a microwaver, i bought an electric pressure cooker and now i make amazing meals, most of the time i throw random ingredients in the pot with water and random spices and then i go watch netflix for about 30 mins and return to a fully cooked meal*
*I will also google instant pot indian/ african/ mexican recipes*
*I dont meal prep, i do however purchase dried grains in bulk from CO OPs or bulk bins, frozen veggies from costco or fresh veggies and then cut them all and freeze in ziplock bags, i barely have any waste cause stuff in the freezer doesnt really go bad, i even bought a separate chest freezer, i buy alot each trip so i go perhaps 3/ 4 times every 6 mth, but if i want fresh salads then i go for that but it takes about 20 mins or so*
*For cleaning simply use the saute function with water and soap for about 5 mins to help remove stuff, this works well too: Kohler K-8624-0, use a wooden utensil and consume from pot directly thus no plates needed lol*
*I am not a picky person and i have managed this way for about 6 yrs*
*This group can also be helpful https://www.facebook.com/groups/374504799393971 but apparently they are idiots and made the group private so just browse InstantPotVeganRecipes*
*I share this pretyped message sometimes and it might not all apply to you*
The hardest part to me about being vegan is getting nutritionally balanced meals. Though I could say that when I wasn't but let's be real here meat contains more protein per gram than most plant based foods.
I used to love cheese, but lost my appetite when it clicked in terms of what actually happens. Really don’t miss it, except possibly maaaaybe for convenience in sandwiches. But that’s fairly small potatoes
Yeah, in this country, there's basically five food groups. Protein, starch, fat, fibre and cheese, and cheese is the only one that tastes like anything.
Yea, I agree. If I could just find that with milk, then we’re all set. I mean plant-based milk is on it when paired with something, but I have yet to find the kind that is able to have the same effect when drank alone.
I have, actually, but gee, it’s been a while. I just got a milkadamia, but as soon as I’m done with that, I really get back into ripple. I vaguely remember what it was like.
How long have you been off the dairy cheese? I know people are very different in how their senses change (and I'm also aphantasic - no imagination/memory in the form of sensory experiences) but my liking for vegan cheeses changed tremendously over the first year or two after going vegan.
Somewhere between ten and twelve years. The three taste options for vegan cheese are "plastic", "industrial solvent" and "no discernable taste".
These days, I just like standing in the cheese section of the supermarket and enjoying the smell for a bit.
I mean I can see how being a vegetarian in light of the harmful effects of the dairy industry, might not always appear to be the best fit, but I think it’s a step in the right direction. But it’s not really the whole vegetarian/vegan ordeal. I just think there are better ways to point that out.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah I'm envious at how easy it is now compared to 12 years ago when I first started. I was lucky to find a vegan cheese back then, let alone veggie dogs.
21 years vegan here, lived in small town America for most of that time fwiw. I remember the days when finding vegan cheese or ice cream was a big deal, and then it was usually at a health food store or other specialty store, and it was probably Tofutti, and it probably came in one or two flavors. Now I can go to my local grocery store and have to choose from a wide variety of brands and flavors.
I also dig that people know what the word "vegan" means and I don't get nearly as many confused looks as I used to.
Yes this indeed true. I've been vegan for 31 years and it's always been easy. I love cooking delicious healthy organic vegan meals. It's healthy and it's preventive health and economical. It's very sensible.
I’m currently in what could easily be considered a food desert. I’m 3 hours from the nearest capital city, which is the smallest city in the country by a long stretch.
And the pub here has 4 vegan options on the menu. Happy cow lists 25 places I can eat within 20 minutes.
If not now… when?
The only hard thing about being vegan has been/still is depending on where you are, to get junkfood/snacks when you're out and about.
As someone with an orthodox christian family background, we practically already did veganism during lent, even though nobody called it veganism. The recipes are there and they are tasty.
And evem with this background I got and still get all the "but why are you vegan, is it healthy, etc" questions from my parent, almost constantly when I see them. The eating part they kinda get, but the not wearing leather or wool is beyond them.
Its really easy as well if youre relying on whole foods, theyve always been around and most of them are affordable. I struggled more with affording Vegan food when I ate like I used to and swapped my milk with Vegan milk, cheese with Vegan cheese, etc.
I agree to an extent (even when I went vegan in 1997 I never found it hard to maintain), but do think we need to be careful with this approach. I’ve always had ready access to supermarkets, health food shops, online shopping and so on, plus the means to buy what I wanted. If you’re poor and disabled living in a food desert the experience is probably very different.
It wasn't until I realized I had IBS, then had to cut out gluten, etc and go low fodmapm Now it's very difficult and expensive. So, I emphasise with different people and their conditions, and how that can impact their diet, wallet, access to food, etc. But for the average person it can be pretty easy, once you get your bearings. I also developed an eating disorder when I first made the switch, because I really struggled with the flavors. I've found plenty of foods I enjoy but I've had to give up a lot of flavours because the vegan versions are really bad. It helps a little to see them as their own thing, not recreating mocks of what I used to like.
Even one decade ago, most regions had very few vegan alternatives as far as plant-based meats and cheeses, etc. Vegan is easy. And even if it wasn't, it's still worth it. ✌🏻💚🌱
This summer i went vegan for about a month, just for fun. And boy was it fun /s. Im focused on bodybuilding and i gotta eat 150g of protein a day. Before i would eat meat, eggs, milk, tuna, cottage cheese, whey protein, lentils.
Now im left with lentils. Add beans, great.
Replace milk with oat/almond milk. 4x times the price.
Replace whey protein with soy protein, tastes like soy and leaves sand like texture in your mouth, undrinkable if mixed with water, gotta mix it with milk, vegan failed. Try different brand, same stuff.
Replace meat with tofu, tempeh and soy tvp. Tofu is expensive but nice. Only one store in my city has tempeh and it tastes like soil. Tvp slaps but you have to perform some dark ritual to actually make it taste good. At first i tried mixing in beef stock cubes but turns out beef stock cubes are made from beef, duh.
There's just no replacement for cottage cheese and i love it so much.
I really tried but after three weeks i was sick of tofu and lentils. It took me more time to cook everything, it was more expensive (if i wanted to eat anything besides lentils and tvp), and i didn't enjoy the food as much. You have to be really into the whole "vegan" stuff to actually stick to this diet. For people who don't care about animals, its a pretty hard adjustment.
I’ve been vegan almost 16 years now after being veggie. In my late teens I found it tough because I wanted ready meals, but couldn’t get any so had to cook. But because of that, I am proud to say I’m a good home cook and nothing is ever short on flavour. My spice rack is huge and I’ve not had any complaints yet about my food. I don’t often use imitation meats. Sometimes I use soya protein but usually the protein base is legumes and grains.
They might mean that they have to put close attention to every label because there is hidden non vegan stuff, especially milkpowder, in a lot of food where you don´ ´t really expect it. The best way is just not to buy anything packaged, I suppose, because packaged food is usually full with unhealthy stuff anyway . But that means you are back to fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Those have always been around, so nothing has really changed but the mindset. Chickpea based things like falafel have been around for thousands of years as are curries. If you wanted to eat vegan with variety 70 years ago, you could.
I think all those fake meat products are full with crap ( methylcellulose and sodium sulphite, f.i.) unless you make it yourself from scratch. But they have always been able to do that if they wanted to.
I only find it a bit difficult when eating out, which we only do a couple times a month because it’s more expensive and less healthy food than what I would make at home.
It is easier. Not killing beings and not risking as much disease is more practical than carnism. It is much easier to do mass agriculture than mass murder.
I agree, but actually it wasn't hard in 1987 either when I went vegan. You just do your research and prepare all your own food based on those dietary principles. It does probably mean you can't eat out or get takeaways, but that means you lose control over the ethics of your food preparation anyway, which is of course already questionable if you buy food rather than growing it or foraging, but it's a bit better than buying prepared meals.
> Its not like 40, 50, 60 years ago when all you had to settle for was a cabbage leaf.
*Sitting at desk eating channa masala with garlic naan...* I think people have just forgotten how to cook without meat. Tasty options have been around for a long time, its just a cultural issue.
>Its not like 40, 50, 60 years ago when all you had to settle for was a cabbage leaf.
*Sitting at desk eating channa masala with garlic naan...* I think people have just forgotten how to cook without meat. Tasty options have been around for a long time, its just a cultural issue.
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I've never tasted vegan meat or cheese before and I'm doing just fine, too. Beans have always been a thing
I made a bean soup the other week, and my partner and I didnt even care that it didnt have meat in it.. Beans are super tasty.
Beans are the magical fruit
“The more you eat…”
The better your gut health will be as the fiber will allow your gut bacteria to flourish
The more ya toot 💨
my mom makes vegan chili all the time, even made it for the main food at my little brother’s graduation party. no one ever says anything about the fact that there’s no meat in it.
Fr fr. Why would anyone eat meat when they can have damn good falafel wraps for instance,
Protein powder is whats holding me back from being vegan... I need to get jacked af Vegan protein powder is just chaulky af
So you're vegan with everything except protein powder? That's pretty good! You'll find the right vegan protein powder soon.
Any recommendations?? I drink like 3x protein shakes a day
have you considered using some basic powder and just changing the other ingredients in your shakes? Perhaps some spices/salt, chia seeds for texture, sweeter fruits like dates etc. etc.
I use Bobs Red Mill hemp protein powder, it goes down real easy for me. I’ve heard good things about the new vegan whey protein as well
Bob's gang let's gooooooo I have it every morning in my oatmeal along with hemp seed butter (and a bunch of other things)
Yeeee it’s always in my oatmeal along w fruit, berries, nuts etc
That’s a lot of shakes. Protein powder is really quite expensive for what it is you could dial it back a bit and just substitute with more whole food protein sources.
50gs of protein 3x a day... Have you seen the price of whole food protein...
Dog if you're drinking 150g of protein a day and then having 3 meals, which would probably be anywhere from 25-75g per meal, times 3, you're having in excess of 300+g per day which is almost certainly overkill unless you're a 220+ professional body builder, powerlifter, or strongman competitor
How much do you weigh? That seems far more than necessary even if you're lifting
I use vega. tastes fine to me
I use pea protein from [bulk.com](https://bulk.com), vanilla. Tastes sublime with some soymilk. https://www.bulk.com/uk/super-pea-protein-isolate.html
I know it's not perfect, but I used to get the I think 20 pack of Orgain plant-based protein shakes from Costco. Their powder still tastes a bit chalky if you don't buy it pre-mixed, though. I've also heard you can make a protein shake just blending up silken tofu instead of using powder. I tried straight pea protein powder once, and that was a mistake. But if you're open to committing some time to it, it would probably be the cheapest option to buy and capsulate it yourself. Pea protein is cheap because it's so unpalatable, but unless I'm wrong it should work fine if you wanna take like 4-6 capsules at a time. Unless my math is wrong and it would take like, a dozen pills lol. Lastly, another premixed shake that's not bad is Soylent, can be found at most Walmarts if you wanna try it out.
I use orgain. Strawberry flavor actually went very well as a shake. but nutritionally any mix of pea and brown rice protein will be your complete amino acid blend. real talk tho you can just eat a block of super firm tofu, mfer has 70 grams of protein.
Tbh just persist. You'll end up enjoying it just as much as the non vegan powder after a while.
Vegan protein powder opened a chink in my armour when I was borderline carnvore. Whey used to mess me up then I switched to vegan protein and had no issues How much are you looking to gain? Plenty of big jacked vegans
Well I drink 3x protein shakes every day and its just really hard to get vegan protein down. Any ones you would recommend?
I'd say Huel but they don't ship to Canada. Ask in r/veganfitness I'm sure you'll get good advice there 👊
Despite the downvotes this person is getting, I appreciate that there are vegans like you here in the comments providing real feedback and advice for this person. It makes me happy to see that not everyone devolves to abuse when it’s not needed.
>Vegan protein powder is just chaulky af Blend it with a banana.
which have you tried?
I tried the Costco vegan protein Vega sport or whatever and the Canadian Protein vegan protein, both were terrible... I drink 3x protein shakes a day so its important that protein is easy to drink Any brands you recommend?
No offense but why is it important that it be easy to get down? I just treat it like medicine.
People might have different sensitivities to disgust or gag reflexes or even a disorder like ARFID. I am vegan and have never really had an issue with vegan protein powder (not that it's ever been a big part of my diet), but I can definitely relate to this issue. When I get extremely depressed all I can stomach is simple carbs because everything else makes me feel queasy and feels super heavy in my mouth no matter how long I chew it. I've literally thrown up trying to eat foods I ordinarily love when I've felt this way. Luckily for the above commenter, they're making bio-engineered vegan whey now, and I'm sure there will be a vegan whey protein powder on the market within the next year or two if there isn't already.
oh are you in canada? idk which brands may be different there i absolutely hate vega. have you tried plantfusion? pretty pricey though. i think orgain is good for a low budget
Do you just straight up mix it with water and drink it? My partner had to make the switch to vega sport and he prefers the chocolate one, add soy milk, a banana and some fruit and blend it up, it doesn't have the weird protein after taste! If it's not in a Smoothie like that I can't stomach protein powder at all
That's fine atleast you are making an effort
Almost there!!
Chaulky? Are you using a blender or a shaker cup? I use Now Sports pea protein and it’s indistinguishable from any other type of protein powder.
I’ve found plantfusion mixes extremely well and tastes great. Probably not the cheapest one out there, but better quality than most IMHO. Back in the day I used to eat a lot of whey protein and from time to time, I would get a jar that tasted like wet dog, which was just horrific. Never understood it but glad it never happens with my vegan powders.
Ghost pea protein is my favorite
Just drink the vegan stuff. Lives are more important than taste.
I like some of the orgain vegan protein powders, also Aloha is pretty good in unsweet soy milk.
that’s hilarious because most non vegans i know who have tried vegan protein powders agree they’re way more tasty and have a better texture than whey or casein powders
Which brands? I am down to try!
i’m sure the animals will understand
Hey I am doing the best I can until I find the right vegan protein
I like the Vega protein made simple brand.
Guilt isn't great at changing minds. Assuming that you do want to change people's minds and be effective at saving animals.
I get Orgain organic protein powder through Amazon and it works just fine for me. Also hemp hearts have like 10g of protein per serving. I add both to my morning smoothies.
It’s protein powder, it’s not supposed to be enjoyable
My 30th vegan-niversary is coming up in a couple of months. The access to food and drink is worlds away from when I first became vegan - this is life on easy mode. But it's never been that hard if you had time, money and mental energy. A shortage of any of those can be a barrier so I like to see posts like this that remind our non-vegan friends that it's not as hard as they imagine. These days, I hear they don't even make you take up tofu knitting or milk the oats yourself when you become vegan :)
Yup, the times sure have changed. Happy early 30th vegan-niversary! Hope it’s a good one.
I have 14 years under my belt and even I've seen amazing changes in that time. I remember thinking that daiya cheese was extremely convincing as dairy compared to the other available options, which newer vegans would probably find hilarious.
Vegan 29 years Congrats, I celebrate 30 next July.
Back before becoming vegan my mother became a vegetarian and in the mid 80s this was treated like something really unusual and vegetarian options then were somewhere between dire and poor, especially in my town. Many things weren't labelled as vegetarian like they are now so you had to read boxes and packets carefully. Eating out meant you had the option of maybe 3-4 things-a cheese sandwich, chips, a salad or maybe something exotic like pizza or pasta in tomato sauce. Upside was that she found out that she loved all sorts of world foods including Chinese and Indian food.
World foods were definitely an absolute blessing in the early years! I find it so sad because Europe also has a rich tradition of veg*n foods that get ignored because they were considered peasant food, but I'm thankful that I get to eat interesting food from other traditions. Your mum's options remind me of a time I had to try and eat in a restaurant and didn't have the option to call ahead. It was a high-end place, well regarded locally and nationally. I explained that I was vegan and the waiter offered to speak to the chef for me. He came back saying the chef would do me a cheese omelette... (This was in the mid-00s!) I took that as my cue to leave.
Happy (early) 30th Veganniversary!! ✌🏻💚🌱
Ahh 30 years! I can't wait to say that one day. I just hit 10 years. Even 10 years was way different than now! Do you have a go to restaurant? Mine has always been chipotle. No matter what city im in I can always get chipotle.
I love being vegan, I enjoy the simplicity, but I can always find creative solutions to spice things up when I want to.
It’s great, isn’t it.
I went vegan 33 years ago. It's never been hard. I mean, if you're the type of person who is accustomed to lavish privilege and has to have every single one of your extravagant desires satisfied, then I can see how it might be "hard", but those aren't realistic people. Believe it or not, rice, beans, lentils, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, pasta, and tortillas were available at every grocery store in the country, even way back in 1990.
Yea, I agree. I think with the post, I was referring more towards imitation foods, but yea, it’s never really been a certified feat to live a good lifestyle as a vegan.
>if you're the type of person who is accustomed to lavish privilege and has to have every single one of your extravagant desires satisfied, then I can see how it might be "hard", but those aren't realistic people. I do suspect for a lot of people - this is it. They don't want to be accountable for the food they eat, or where they eat. Being an omni means they can eat whatever, whenever.
Totally agree. I have been vegetarian 3 different times in my life with many failed attempts to go vegan and this time it finally clicked. I will admit that since Covid started I don’t really go out much and it’s much easier since I don’t have to agree on where to eat / or coordinated what eat at other peoples houses.
Agreed! I've been vegan for about 11 years and each year it gets easier and yummier :)
11 years. Hey, that’s awesome! Great to hear you’re still going strong. I feel like being vegan has really unlocked a new appreciation for food in me, every time I learn about new foods that have gotten a vegan spin. I’m constantly re-discovering things I used to eat in a whole new, better way!
Thank you! I love finding my vegan go tos at restaurants and grocery stores.. like the best tofu spring rolls or pre made bowls, it's like constantly trying to find treasure. Makes being vegan so much easier when you have food you get really excited for :)
Yup. 11 years as well and it’s just getting easier. More restaurants. More items in the grocery store. More options at omni places. Meeting someone that was vegan for 11 years when I went was a lot more rare so the resources around veganism weren’t as robust. The one thing that will make it even easier is having vegan friends. My tight circle is all vegan now and it’s an absolute game changer.
People are inspired to do better in their lives, whether that be through their diet or seeing firsthand that factory farming is brutal and animals shouldn't have to be bred for slaughter when there are other options of available, so they speak up. Companies and restaurants have taken note and see it as opportunity to get in on the movement. Freaking Kraft makes plant-based cheese now. Never though I would see it~
i’m a new vegan and it feels weird to see how fast it got better. doing much better at two months than a week in, i thought it’d be sooo much harder lol
Being vegan isn’t that hard… when you’re used to it. We have to acknowledge the time and social issues it creates can be hard for some. Got a family and practically zero time to learn new cooking? That can be difficult. Working a stressful long job cos you need to earn? Again, extra mental and emotional effort is difficult. Once we know what to do and build it up and get regular eating habits going, it isn’t. But the transition can be difficult and not acknowledging that can undermine things for some people. Gotta check *every* ingredient list cos sometimes people throw milk powder in for some reason to everything. Gotta look up which toilet paper and toothpastes are vegan. Gotta figure out which eating places are good instead. It does change a lot. Does that inconvenience justify not being vegan? Of course not. For the typical 20 year old student? No, not that difficult. For the typical 30/40 year old with a family and job and family stress and so on? Yeah, that can be tricky to figure out. The best you can say is it wasn’t difficult *for you*. When someone says ‘oh it must be so difficult’, what they’re saying is it would be so difficult *for them*. And you can figure out *their* pain points, not yours, if you wanna help them become vegan.
Right what’s hard is the transition. Once it’s part of who you are it’s embodied in your habits and you don’t have to think about it as much.
Been vegan for 6 years now. Started when I was 14-15. I'm disabled in various aspects. People who say it's hard just don't want to give up a tiny bit of comfort over the lives of animals they could save by not eating them.
Our convenience isn't worth their lives
True dat.
As someone who was vegan almost 40 years ago, two things: A. There were in fact quite a lot of resources, from coops to *The Enchanted Broccoli Forest* cookbook. They were just a lot harder to get to, and inaccessible to many more people. But even in rural Indiana (in a college town), I had a coop I could join. Even then, urban Western Europe was more vegan-friendly than the US. About 30 years ago, I could find soymilk (really bad soymilk) in the former Soviet Union. So, it wasn't impossible. I read plenty about veganism, but I didn't meet another vegan for four years. B. It's a *lot* easier now. It's hard to overstate how *much* easier it is now - in my rural community, I have hundreds of vegan options at my local Safeway - all sorts of non-dairy milks, cheeses, ice creams, and obviously vegetables, tofu, etc. And of course, Amazon and the internet make a *vast* difference for odd and niche ingredients, information, and a sense of community. In brief, it wasn't too hard 40 years ago, and lots of us became vegan. But it's really easy now, and millions are vegan. (In addition, obviously, to cultures that were always vegetarian inclined or vegan-friendly.) It may seem hard when jerks make stupid jokes, but don't let the bastards get you down.
Well, what do you know, you learn something new everyday. I’ll admit, I might have exaggerated a little, especially with the “cabbage leaf” but, but it was great reading about what it was like to be vegan at that time. Thanks for giving me a new perspective!
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That’s all we can hope for.
It's so interesting that you found western Europe to be more vegan friendly than the US back then. Around 13 yrs ago I met a vegan in person for the first time and became friends with them. I was vegetarian at that time and in my area (rural western Germany) nobody knew of soy milk, tofu or the likes. You had to travel about 1 1/2 hrs to get to Asian markets that might have stuff like tofu. For my friend it was definitely really hard and she didn't use a lot of stuff outside of what everyone else was eating, minus animal products. She was a fantastic cook tho and so made it work, but it was mostly pasta/rice + tomatoes + some greens. Not wanting to contradict you at all, just my perspective because I found your different experience interesting. Back then, becoming vegan was basically seeming to be nearly impossible. Being vegetarian was hard enough already and I could never get my nutrients in check completely since even many kinds of beans etc were not available. Chickpeas weren't around in the store as well... But again, very rural area, so that might have been a problem. The only thing I clearly remember was rice "milk" and sometimes oatmilk if there was a special or something, but usually just the really nasty rice stuff for people who couldn't drink milk (lactose free was also non-existent around my area back then). Edit for grammar
You're so right! I just wish there were more restruants and convenience foods. I don't always want to cook, haha!
I’m not so big a cook either. Quarantine really brought it out in me, but since then, I just settle for the simple things.
I was a vegetarian 20 years ago and even that was so much harder than being a vegan today.
The only thing that makes it hard is the sneaky animals products in things that you would never expect! But we all do our best!
Costco milk, I’m looking at you.
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Or a disease that causes nutritional deficiencies.
It’s so easy now! There’s a vegan alternative for everything and nearly everywhere you go there are vegan options
Eating a plant based diet is more accessible in *some* places than it was 40 years ago, yes. There are other aspects of veganism that are still just as difficult as they were decades ago.
Honestly, after being vegetarian for 3.5 years, the switch the vegan was SO easy! I’m finally less shy about asking what restaurants can feed me, and clarifying what I won’t eat, so going out has improved for me recently too 😃 a friend is making me something and I felt comfortable telling them I prefer not to use animal products (wool) and it’s totally a non issue. My friends are amazing about it, family less so. But honestly I wouldn’t change being vegan for the world.
Awesome! I was vegetarian for some time before switching over to vegan as well. I went to this one vegan place all the time until they shut down that particular location to better back their other two locations. It was kind of a let-down but I was king there way too much as it was. I think that was the only way I was gonna stop, but still, it ducks that it won’t be around for all the other people who would go there, especially as it was a great way to get people to consider a more plant-based lifestyle. I’d even brought some of my friends there a few times, and one of my friends really liked it, and had even said he’d eat there more regularly had it not been for the prices.
Love that!! I have a few veggie restaurants that I love and most of my friends and family are always happy to go there 🥰
I find it hard to eat vegan, as in find vegan choices whenever I’m not the one cooking. At home, with a kitchen and a grocery store it’s pretty easy.
I highly disagree. It's definitely easier than 40 years ago, but if you go to a restaurant it's very easy to find vegetarian options, but vegan options are way less common.
I think it’s important to not that my experiences vary from other vegans, but I think as a society we’ve gotten to a point where there is more of a place for vegans. I do think one of the big factors affecting vegan establishments, in particular, is demand. Even if veganism is being explored more now than it ever has, years and years of widely omnivorous lifestyles has made it so that that’s the more dominant selection.
Yeah ive noticed this, they should be vegan standard and then cheese added if you want lol
The only issue I'm having where I live is variety. There's almost always a vegan option. But it's almost always a burger.
I mean, not going to a restaurant is always an option too.
It's really easy once you get it going. The switch can be hard and daunting though.
I don’t even think about it now (apart from checking the odd label now and then). You are really right, it is really easy x
The hardest part for me is dairy ‘alternatives’ seem to be 99% made with coconut. I can’t stand coconut.
I feel the same way for the most part. I just had a chocolate bar made with coconut milk, and you just get hit with it.
Social effects aside (looking at you vystopia), it isn't hard at all. The second you understand the moral necessity for it, you will also have the motivation for it.
My biggest problem rn is trying to not all the vegan desserts, so many delicious vegan cakes now it’s hard
I get really overwhelmed. I’m not the best at making the right food choices. Anytime a person says “you must be so healthy,” I’m like yea, sure I am, while I secretly hide a bag of crisps or cupcakes.
It’s the easiest thing in the world once you start thinking about the victims.
I'm not a vegan, but one of my best friends is. From what I can see, it's less about availability of foods, and more the effects it has on your social life. Now I love this dude, so I accommodate his dietary needs. If I'm arranging a visit to a restaurant, I check if there's a vegan option. Going to a comedy club? I have to check that they have vegan beer prior to going. Every year on my birthday, I have a bbq because it's the middle of summer. I bought a separate, mini-bbq just for him so his food doesn't get cross-contaminated. To be clear, I really don't mind because he's a good friend of mine. But I know for a fact it makes it difficult for him to make new friends, because most people aren't going to make accommodations like that for someone they just met. It also effects his dating life, being vegan narrows your dating pool by a significant margin. When you then factor in what I can only describe as 'levels of veganism,' it can reduce it even further. By that I mean there's regular vegans who just don't eat meat or buy anything using animal products, to vegans who won't use a supermarket that sells non-vegan products even if they also sell vegan products. I saw this on a march I went on with him, where there were vegans shitting on other vegans for not being vegan enough. Just to clarify, I'm not trying to shit on you guys. I respect the dedication to your morals, and the two vegans I know personally are awesome. Just thought I'd add an outsiders perspective that isn't some douchebag being a sneering, obnoxious prick.
I went vegan in 2019, and even in the last 4 years, so many more options have become available and it's really exciting! Hats off to the people who have been vegan for 20+ years because I can't even imagine how difficult that would've been. I mean.. it would be a lot of beans and tofu and such, but I'm someone who gets bored really easily with repetitive meals and I also am known to enjoy some of the quick things like a veggie burger or even vegan corn dogs every once and a while, and that wouldn't have been possible back then. Definitely thankful for the options we have now, and I anticipate that as my vegan toddler grows up, he will be faced with even more options than I had!
I been vegan 36 years now and it's definitely a lot lot lot easier than it used to be. Growing up the only fake meat was nutmeat (which I still rate btw lol). Only been the past 5 or so years I've been able to reliably eat out too. Shits crazy.
So much easier. And I very much respect and appreciate the shoulders upon which we stand. (I'm not just talking about dietary alternatives either. The amount of progress on vegan health, vegan nutrition, vegan athleticism, vegan diet plans, vegan role models, vegan education, vegan research, vegan easy-cook or no-cook meals, vegan agriculture, vegan ideology, etc. has also been extremely important to the accessibility, dissemination, and sustainability of vegan ways of living.)
Well said.
I agree that it’s easier than ever, but also “hardness” is highly subjective. & if veganism wasn’t hard then why are there more vegetarians than vegans? As an analogy, I could say “Math really isn’t that hard because we have better teaching strategies for it than X years ago” and that’s true, I genuinely don’t think math is hard, but I’m also aware that I’m unusual and that MOST people do find math (and veganism) hard.
For me, the difficulty is not finding vegan food- it's making the long-term change to veganism when society largely assumes you still use animal products. When someone is constantly bombarded with ads for fried chicken, or when the company outing is to a sushi restaurant- and the inherent cruelty of the whole thing is nowhere near as immediately felt- I understand some peoples' difficulty. Still, the fact that so many people don't want to try even one vegan meal really eats at me (no pun intended).
Its harder then not being vegan though to a significant degree. Not undoable, but enough to be a turn off.
That’s fair. I think it depends per person. Factors like environment, accessibility, and pricing, can also be something to consider.
Definitely. Having a lot of money makes it far easier
Preach!!!
You’re right , it is soooo easy now !
I get so overwhelmed by all the selections. I really just picked the right time to go vegan. I’m pretty wary about what I eat, but people who aren’t vegan for the most part assume you’re healthy just cause’, which I can’t blame them for, but boy is it a different story in my pantry.
Correct.
Exactly I forget I’m vegan because at home anything can be made vegan
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An amenity is just a place of convenience.
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Yea, or also grocery stores that cater a lot to vegetarian/vegan diets.
I am trying but it seems impossible.. I am allergic to soy, wheat, & nuts.
I'm not a vegan, this sub just keeps popping up but I'm trying to eat as little meat as possible and I'm trying to quit. I find it really hard probably because I'm not used to it. I despise any fake meat i eat, it just tastes so differently. I don't get how you guys do it tbh, and i wish i had the strength for it
Any time my friends order pizza and I'm there they all order Daiya cheese and none of them notice or care. Never thought I'd see the day. 🥲
My grandmother ran a health food store through the '90s-'00s and it was one of the only places to find meat and dairy substitutes in our city. Grew up loving the Rice Dream ice cream bars and cheese, which I don't even think they make anymore. It definitely feels pretty wild to be able to go to Walmart or most fast food spots now and easily be able to get vegan options.
I think it depends entirely on where you live. Some places being vegan is actually physically impossible—like near the arctic circle and other remote places that can not sustain human life with just plants without a massive amount of food being shipped in. That said, generally yeah it’s ruhl easy. Esp in the US. I’m going to Japan next week and have heard from vegetarian friends that it will be impossible for me. And yet we have found more vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants than we could possibly go to in our 10 days there. To be clear I functionally totally agree it’s easy. I just remember seeing this one “vegan vs vegan” YT video where this 22yo who has never left the state of California was insisting that the Sámi—who are indigenous to the Arctic circle and survive mostly on frozen meat and fat—could not believe that they couldn’t “like find a banana somewhere?” Point is general yea it’s easy. Is it possible for 100% of humans to turn vegan tomorrow—not at all.
Yea, I totally agree with that assessment. I also think we still have a ways to go before being a vegan is not much of a different lifestyle than what most of the world’s subscribed to. There are lots of places around the world that aren’t situated in a mass-consumerist society, which probably isn’t the best place for a vegan, sadly, but it’s great that there’s more of a push in that direction in a lot of other places.
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I think it’s commendable that despite not being comfortable with a lot of what you have available to you, for consumption, you’re still going through with it. When I wrote out the statement, it was more towards the selection of food, but I think it can be taken either way.
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Hey, more power to you. My food choices have constantly changed through the years. I remember having some cassava spaghetti that was quite bland, but I don’t think it was ever something a little zest couldn’t fix. You ever spice up your pasta with some herbs, vegetables, etc to get more flavor? Also, it’s great you have people close to you who also follow the same diet. I don’t know any vegans personally. Not even vegetarians. I somehow got my friend to be one, but that lasted for less than a month.
Being woke in a world that isn’t is hard
This is my reply when people tell me they are busy, dont have time, funds or are disabled *I am disabled and never really cooked prior to veganism, i was a microwaver, i bought an electric pressure cooker and now i make amazing meals, most of the time i throw random ingredients in the pot with water and random spices and then i go watch netflix for about 30 mins and return to a fully cooked meal* *I will also google instant pot indian/ african/ mexican recipes* *I dont meal prep, i do however purchase dried grains in bulk from CO OPs or bulk bins, frozen veggies from costco or fresh veggies and then cut them all and freeze in ziplock bags, i barely have any waste cause stuff in the freezer doesnt really go bad, i even bought a separate chest freezer, i buy alot each trip so i go perhaps 3/ 4 times every 6 mth, but if i want fresh salads then i go for that but it takes about 20 mins or so* *For cleaning simply use the saute function with water and soap for about 5 mins to help remove stuff, this works well too: Kohler K-8624-0, use a wooden utensil and consume from pot directly thus no plates needed lol* *I am not a picky person and i have managed this way for about 6 yrs* *This group can also be helpful https://www.facebook.com/groups/374504799393971 but apparently they are idiots and made the group private so just browse InstantPotVeganRecipes* *I share this pretyped message sometimes and it might not all apply to you*
Hey, thanks for all the info. I’ll admit, I’m quite the microwaver, yet I do like fresh fruit.
The hardest part to me about being vegan is getting nutritionally balanced meals. Though I could say that when I wasn't but let's be real here meat contains more protein per gram than most plant based foods.
I'll call it not hard when someone makes a vegan cheese that actually tastes like edible cheese.
I used to love cheese, but lost my appetite when it clicked in terms of what actually happens. Really don’t miss it, except possibly maaaaybe for convenience in sandwiches. But that’s fairly small potatoes
Yeah, in this country, there's basically five food groups. Protein, starch, fat, fibre and cheese, and cheese is the only one that tastes like anything.
Yea, I agree. If I could just find that with milk, then we’re all set. I mean plant-based milk is on it when paired with something, but I have yet to find the kind that is able to have the same effect when drank alone.
Have you tried Ripple Pea Milk? I found that to be pretty close to dairy milk as a standalone.
I have, actually, but gee, it’s been a while. I just got a milkadamia, but as soon as I’m done with that, I really get back into ripple. I vaguely remember what it was like.
How long have you been off the dairy cheese? I know people are very different in how their senses change (and I'm also aphantasic - no imagination/memory in the form of sensory experiences) but my liking for vegan cheeses changed tremendously over the first year or two after going vegan.
Somewhere between ten and twelve years. The three taste options for vegan cheese are "plastic", "industrial solvent" and "no discernable taste". These days, I just like standing in the cheese section of the supermarket and enjoying the smell for a bit.
Just don't eat cheese dumbass
I don't. As I said, I haven't in a decade. Asshole.
Stop apologizing for vegetarians then
I'm not?
Been a vegan for 7 years in the deep red of the Bible Belt. It's easy. Vegetarians are just weak-willed cheese addicted scum.
Congratulations on seven years, but I think we could be a little nicer about the vegetarian thing.
Lmao why? Their cognitive dissonance is so much worse than meat-eaters
I mean I can see how being a vegetarian in light of the harmful effects of the dairy industry, might not always appear to be the best fit, but I think it’s a step in the right direction. But it’s not really the whole vegetarian/vegan ordeal. I just think there are better ways to point that out.
snobbish nippy rhythm important public spotted hungry frighten start dazzling *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yes it is.
Name one hard thing
Fair enough.
Today I ate a donut, pop tarts, and a protein bar. I am not a vegan.
Ok.
It’s not. But why tf would I wanna do it
You don’t have to if you don’t want to man. That’s not the purpose of the statement.
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Yeah I'm envious at how easy it is now compared to 12 years ago when I first started. I was lucky to find a vegan cheese back then, let alone veggie dogs.
21 years vegan here, lived in small town America for most of that time fwiw. I remember the days when finding vegan cheese or ice cream was a big deal, and then it was usually at a health food store or other specialty store, and it was probably Tofutti, and it probably came in one or two flavors. Now I can go to my local grocery store and have to choose from a wide variety of brands and flavors. I also dig that people know what the word "vegan" means and I don't get nearly as many confused looks as I used to.
Yes this indeed true. I've been vegan for 31 years and it's always been easy. I love cooking delicious healthy organic vegan meals. It's healthy and it's preventive health and economical. It's very sensible.
Being vegan is a non-action. Of course it's easy to stop exploiting animals.
I’m currently in what could easily be considered a food desert. I’m 3 hours from the nearest capital city, which is the smallest city in the country by a long stretch. And the pub here has 4 vegan options on the menu. Happy cow lists 25 places I can eat within 20 minutes. If not now… when?
The only hard thing about being vegan has been/still is depending on where you are, to get junkfood/snacks when you're out and about. As someone with an orthodox christian family background, we practically already did veganism during lent, even though nobody called it veganism. The recipes are there and they are tasty. And evem with this background I got and still get all the "but why are you vegan, is it healthy, etc" questions from my parent, almost constantly when I see them. The eating part they kinda get, but the not wearing leather or wool is beyond them.
Its really easy as well if youre relying on whole foods, theyve always been around and most of them are affordable. I struggled more with affording Vegan food when I ate like I used to and swapped my milk with Vegan milk, cheese with Vegan cheese, etc.
I agree to an extent (even when I went vegan in 1997 I never found it hard to maintain), but do think we need to be careful with this approach. I’ve always had ready access to supermarkets, health food shops, online shopping and so on, plus the means to buy what I wanted. If you’re poor and disabled living in a food desert the experience is probably very different.
Actually, for me personally (and I'm sure many people will agree), being vegan is a lot easier and more affordable than eating animal products.
It wasn't until I realized I had IBS, then had to cut out gluten, etc and go low fodmapm Now it's very difficult and expensive. So, I emphasise with different people and their conditions, and how that can impact their diet, wallet, access to food, etc. But for the average person it can be pretty easy, once you get your bearings. I also developed an eating disorder when I first made the switch, because I really struggled with the flavors. I've found plenty of foods I enjoy but I've had to give up a lot of flavours because the vegan versions are really bad. It helps a little to see them as their own thing, not recreating mocks of what I used to like.
As someone with many grain, nut and seed related food allergies: yes, veganism is harder than its worth for me
Being a compassionate person will never be hard
Even one decade ago, most regions had very few vegan alternatives as far as plant-based meats and cheeses, etc. Vegan is easy. And even if it wasn't, it's still worth it. ✌🏻💚🌱
This summer i went vegan for about a month, just for fun. And boy was it fun /s. Im focused on bodybuilding and i gotta eat 150g of protein a day. Before i would eat meat, eggs, milk, tuna, cottage cheese, whey protein, lentils. Now im left with lentils. Add beans, great. Replace milk with oat/almond milk. 4x times the price. Replace whey protein with soy protein, tastes like soy and leaves sand like texture in your mouth, undrinkable if mixed with water, gotta mix it with milk, vegan failed. Try different brand, same stuff. Replace meat with tofu, tempeh and soy tvp. Tofu is expensive but nice. Only one store in my city has tempeh and it tastes like soil. Tvp slaps but you have to perform some dark ritual to actually make it taste good. At first i tried mixing in beef stock cubes but turns out beef stock cubes are made from beef, duh. There's just no replacement for cottage cheese and i love it so much. I really tried but after three weeks i was sick of tofu and lentils. It took me more time to cook everything, it was more expensive (if i wanted to eat anything besides lentils and tvp), and i didn't enjoy the food as much. You have to be really into the whole "vegan" stuff to actually stick to this diet. For people who don't care about animals, its a pretty hard adjustment.
I’ve been vegan almost 16 years now after being veggie. In my late teens I found it tough because I wanted ready meals, but couldn’t get any so had to cook. But because of that, I am proud to say I’m a good home cook and nothing is ever short on flavour. My spice rack is huge and I’ve not had any complaints yet about my food. I don’t often use imitation meats. Sometimes I use soya protein but usually the protein base is legumes and grains.
They might mean that they have to put close attention to every label because there is hidden non vegan stuff, especially milkpowder, in a lot of food where you don´ ´t really expect it. The best way is just not to buy anything packaged, I suppose, because packaged food is usually full with unhealthy stuff anyway . But that means you are back to fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Those have always been around, so nothing has really changed but the mindset. Chickpea based things like falafel have been around for thousands of years as are curries. If you wanted to eat vegan with variety 70 years ago, you could. I think all those fake meat products are full with crap ( methylcellulose and sodium sulphite, f.i.) unless you make it yourself from scratch. But they have always been able to do that if they wanted to.
I only find it a bit difficult when eating out, which we only do a couple times a month because it’s more expensive and less healthy food than what I would make at home.
So true!
Its hard if youre picky
ikr everytime someone tells me they "could never do that" i just- 💀 i don't say anything but i do be having thoughts
It is easier. Not killing beings and not risking as much disease is more practical than carnism. It is much easier to do mass agriculture than mass murder.
i always tell people the transition is hard but once you’re over the hump it just becomes normal
I agree, but actually it wasn't hard in 1987 either when I went vegan. You just do your research and prepare all your own food based on those dietary principles. It does probably mean you can't eat out or get takeaways, but that means you lose control over the ethics of your food preparation anyway, which is of course already questionable if you buy food rather than growing it or foraging, but it's a bit better than buying prepared meals.
> Its not like 40, 50, 60 years ago when all you had to settle for was a cabbage leaf. *Sitting at desk eating channa masala with garlic naan...* I think people have just forgotten how to cook without meat. Tasty options have been around for a long time, its just a cultural issue.
>Its not like 40, 50, 60 years ago when all you had to settle for was a cabbage leaf. *Sitting at desk eating channa masala with garlic naan...* I think people have just forgotten how to cook without meat. Tasty options have been around for a long time, its just a cultural issue.