the trials & tribulations of going vegan.

[stephanie]

Please, o herbivorous cooks & culinary masters of LPTJ (I know you're out there):  help me not starve to death.

Back story:  I haven't eaten beef or pork in almost 4 years, when I woke up one morning and simply could not stomach the idea of ever eating meat ever again.  I've been pretty happy as an actual (no poultry) vegetarian for coming up on 2 calendars.  But I woke up about a month ago absolutely repulsed by the idea of eating dairy ever, ever again -- this is a difficult thing to do in, y'know, Wisconsin.  Even the sweet, delicious perfection that is freshly churned butter makes me feel queasy.


I feel like I'm missing something, though; I've gone from eating regular meals to feeling pretty desperately hungry 24/7.
Now, I guess I am down with eating beans & rice & lots of fruit every day -- it is all very delicious and people keep telling me beans are the perfect protein -- but I am starting to feel kind of spaced out and woozy all the time, and am thus apparently in need of some new vitamins or nutrients or something.  Do I need to go to a nutritionist?  I'm the world's pickiest eater, so my idea of adventurous cuisine is, like, a baked potato loaded with cayenne.
Yesterday, I ate pinto beans and rice with salsa twice, along with 2 apples, 2 bananas and 2 plums.  Today I've had wheat toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam, teriyaki stir-fried broccoli, water chestnuts and snap peas for lunch, and another half-dozen pieces of fruit.  Dinner looks like it'll be.. uh, black beans and rice?  Maybe with some lard-free tortillas?

Any experienced vegans out there wanna give me some tips on how they survived their initial adjustment period?  Should I start taking a vegetarian multivitamin or something?  The whole lightheadedness thing is starting to worry me.
Any/all help much appreciated; much obliged, as always.

Love,
Stephanie

EDIT:  The place to go with this info is here, now.  Soz to've unwittingly caused a ruckus!

[FreddyKnuckles]

I'm not a vegan, obviously, but of the not-coming-from-animals spectrum of my diet, I'll give a shout out to bread.  Seems simple but bread is filling and loaded with carbs.  make yourself a big ol' sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce and pickles(is there anything in mustard that comes from animals?)  

a tasty treat I made a lot last semester was cut up potatoes in a big pan of canola oil.  fry em till they're golden brown and take em out and salt em.  mmm delicious.

any drastic change in your diet is probably going to leave you a little light-headed.  My dad went on this all fish and poultry, no red meat diet, and he felt so awful he quit it.

Take a multivitamin for sure(you can't be getting much calcium), drink lots of OJ(you can get kinds with calcium added, to make up for the absence of milk)  

keep with the beans and rice, I'm sure all of these vegans have like a thousand recipes to tell you.

[Ah_Pook]

hahaha vegans

[lucky strike]

hahaha vegans

[Lalitree]

OH please you guys.

[Lalitree]

Furthermore, I have several vegan friends, they are happy and healthy and some of coolest people I know.

Anyway, to avoid feeling tired and hungry, you have to watch that you're not consuming ONLY carbohydrates. The array of veggie products in the store these days is large, most likely lots of them are vegan as well. Hell, there's even soy yogurt that's pretty good. There are tons of snack foods available, for example my favorite snack in the world right now is edamame boiled in salt water.

Everyone needs a multivitamin, not just vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters.

[dieblucasdie]

Tofu! Tofu!

[Marie]

dude.  bigass stir frys are the way to go.  tons of delicious vegetables, interesting textures, sauces that burn your mouth off, it does not GET any better.  i eat stir fry at least twice a week.  get yourself some snap peas and bean sprouts, yo.

[FreddyKnuckles]

for some reason, I thought more people up in here were vegan

here ya go stephanie
http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack/index.html

[John]

that bourdain quote is funny in pretty much exactly the same way the The Jeff Foxworthy show is funny, and just about as bright

[FreddyKnuckles]

comparing vegans to Hezbollah is pretty offensive in its own right

[Ah_Pook]

vegans have no sense of humor

 8)

[FreddyKnuckles]

ha!  I'm not even vegan.
I just ate one of these


I still think the Hezbollah reference is terrible

[dieblucasdie]

At this point in time, veggies/vegans have been around and part of the culture long enough that shit like that ain't really funny.  I'm not offended or nothing, just not laughing.

Marie's right! Stir-frys.  And I know you said you're picky, but you won't survive long unless you branch out and try some new vegetables/fruits.  Before I went vegetarian two years ago, I ate pretty much like Freddy.  For a while I was a "candy bar vegetarian"  but after a while you've got to learn to love veggies.  Start small.  Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, get used to those, then move on to the harder stuff.

My lunch today = pita+hummus+tomato+lettuce+hot sauce = simple and delicious.

[FreddyKnuckles]

"Hezbollah-like splinter faction" is the best part of that quote, chief.   besides, nobody really thinks vegans are terrorists

eh, I didn't like it.  If you're going to call me 'chief', I'm going to start calling you 'turbo'.

[swilkes]

"Hezbollah-like splinter faction" is the best part of that quote, chief.   besides, nobody really thinks vegans are terrorists

Some do, I've seen a lot of criticism of PETA get conflated with veganism. ...Oh shit, is there a special Godwin's Law of the LPTJ Forums that sez that once PETA is mentioned, the argument's dead and lost? If so, sorry, I guess I lose.   >   Anyway, I'm all for admiring florid satirical prose even if it's aimed at something/body I like, but the Hezbollah comparison is PATENTLY OFFENSIVE.

back to the matter at hand: I'm not a vegan, nor even a vegetarian, but I frequently go for weeks on end w/out partaking of animal products (my rationale: diet for a small planet, meat processors pollute more than grain & veg, etc.), and I have never had the wooziness problem that stephanie is experiencing. My general advice: eat LOTS of vegetables. Like, at least one serving leafy greens a day, and iceberg lettuce doesn't count. Load up on root vegetables other than potatoes: sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabegas, beets.  Lotsa soy products: tofu, edamame, soy yogurt (tastes kinda gross, but load it with fruit or honey) and best of all, frozen fake meats, which have been discussed elsewhere--I can't recommend the Gardenburger Riblets enough, so if you see them on sale, buy enough to fill your freezer. Lentil soup is good, and dried lentils are dirt fuckin' cheap.  Also, you need extra fats: put a few tbs. of olive or vegetable oil in everything you make, and make sure you dress your salads in actual oil dressing, none of that processed "lo-cal" dressing crap. Actually, stay away from processed food, even if it's vegan, in general. All the high fructose corn syrup that's hiding in everything these days is gonna fuck up your metabolism,

Finally, stephanie: you're gonna have to stop being a picky eater.  :wink:

[bucko]

asian fucking pears, yo!

[ecoulage]

make sure you take a B12 vitamin supplement [or a multivitamin], 'cause you can only get B12 from animal products, and apparently it's important for your immune system.   also, if you don't have it yet, "Becoming Vegan" by Vesanto Melina, Vesanto, R.D. Melina and Brenda Davis is a great/informative book.

[crystalcakes]

comparing vegans to Hezbollah is pretty offensive in its own right

bourdain is a very particular, snooty ahole.  i like kitchen confidential but that is what he is.  he used to make fun of all the chefs on food network but then admitted it was just because they wouldn't offer him a show.  i find him pretty funny in that i-think-i-am-so-much-better-than-you-but-i-make-my-living-serving-you kind of way.  

also, that only would have been offensive if he was talking about muslim vegans.

kidding!

[FreddyKnuckles]

thats just the thing.  If I thought that the quote you posted was either witty or even mildly humorous, I wouldn't have cared.  I'm not even vegan, why would I care what he says about them.  But when it's not even that well done, it just comes across as some dumb ass that thinks he knows what he's talking about (hence the jeff foxworthy).  You say engaging but abrasive, I say juvenile and sensationalistic.

[FreddyKnuckles]

I must be feelin' antsy tonight or something.  but for reals, what about a circle jerk?

seriously, you talk any more shit, and I'll cut your arm off.

[lucky strike]

Furthermore, I have several vegan friends, they are happy and healthy and some of coolest people I know.

dude, no way
i firmly believe diet is an accurate way to judge character

[lucky strike]

for the record, i was fucking around earlier and am considering going vegetarian


but i still think y'all suckers need to be more hiphop

[justinh]

this may have all been covered before, but load up on the soy milk and tofu and other soy products.  You need 40 g of protein a day to maintain muscle mass.  Other than that, keep with the veggies, others bean-related foods and whole grain carbs.  

Also, you might want to ease into things a bit more if you keep feeling off.  Going from meat sources to no animal related sources of protein can be heavy.  Also, there are some people (although rare) that just can't handle a vegan diet for whatever reason.  

I was vegan for about 3 years once long ago and found it to be a healthy and amusing lifestyle when not combined with an overly self-righteous attitude.  The best thing is that it forces you to eat some strange foods, and thus broadens food appreciation.  good luck!

[John]

for the record, i was fucking around earlier and am considering going vegetarian


but i still think y'all suckers need to be more hiphop

Russell Simmons is vegan!