Veg*n still trying to make the switch...

homeschoolmama · Nov 16, 2005

I sure hope I don't offend anyone here, but I truly have a few questions. I have been trying to go meat-free for about 6 years now. We are a natural & whole-foods family, (for the most part) by choice as well as for allergies to this that & the other thing.

I am a huge fan of the Vegsource website & recipe archive, and we have switched over to more green choices for nearly everything. My husband & I drink soy milk only, but we've heard plenty of conflicting evidence about the phytoestrogens from soy in prepubescent children & still feed them cow's milk and cheeses. We've tried rice & almond milk, but they won't touch either one. And we haven't found a non-dairy cheese that tastes like anything but goo yet. Does anyone have any suggestions here?

My other question, (please please don't hate me!) is what alternates are there for red meat... that would have roughly the same amount of iron? We do just fine on a meatless diet, and then about once every 6 weeks we just start craving red meat something awful. I'm positive that it's got to be an iron deficiency, but taking supplement pills doesn't seem to work for us. We're addicted to Boca & Gardenburgers, but they just don't work for this craving. Are we missing something? Does it go away over time? Has anyone else dealt with this?

Jeanne · Nov 16, 2005

Iron can be found in many dark green, leafy vegetables. Spinach is an especially good source for iron, as is soybeans and lentils. You can also get iron-enriched breads.

I have never found a good non-dairy cheese. I doubt one exists. The non-dairy cheese doesn't really melt and tastes a bit like rubber.

I wouldn't worry about the phytoestrogens. I have spoken to nutritionists about raising our baby vegetarian, and they told me that soymilk is better for children than regular milk. It has more vitamins in it and the same amount of calcium. The only danger in soymilk is using this solely when the child is an infant. Soymilk does not have the fats that a baby needs.

As for meat cravings, they do go away with time. I think it took a couple months for me to stop craving meat products.

Sabriel · Nov 16, 2005

For Canadians: I *heart* Veggie Shreads and Veggie Slices. They do taste like cheese. Even my husband can't tell the differnce between a Veggie Slice and a normal Kraft Single. Not that it's cuisine or anything, but they taste yummy on soy burgers, sloppy joes, soy dogs, "cheese" and cuc sandwiches, etc.

I havn't found Veggie Shreads close to home so I havn't bought them since the first try at going veg. I can't give you a husband rating on that.

KP24ROXY · Nov 20, 2005

I am not sure how much iron you are looking to get but I can give you a GREAT Boca recipe. It's not really a recipe but more of a substitution. Make tacos with Boca ground burger. My husband, a meat eater

LOVES it and for him to say that it must be good. I am making a vegetarian loaf, vegi gravy and veggie stuffing. I will let you know how it comes out.

Keely

homeschoolmama said:
I sure hope I don't offend anyone here, but I truly have a few questions. I have been trying to go meat-free for about 6 years now. We are a natural & whole-foods family, (for the most part) by choice as well as for allergies to this that & the other thing.

I am a huge fan of the Vegsource website & recipe archive, and we have switched over to more green choices for nearly everything. My husband & I drink soy milk only, but we've heard plenty of conflicting evidence about the phytoestrogens from soy in prepubescent children & still feed them cow's milk and cheeses. We've tried rice & almond milk, but they won't touch either one. And we haven't found a non-dairy cheese that tastes like anything but goo yet. Does anyone have any suggestions here?

My other question, (please please don't hate me!) is what alternates are there for red meat... that would have roughly the same amount of iron? We do just fine on a meatless diet, and then about once every 6 weeks we just start craving red meat something awful. I'm positive that it's got to be an iron deficiency, but taking supplement pills doesn't seem to work for us. We're addicted to Boca & Gardenburgers, but they just don't work for this craving. Are we missing something? Does it go away over time? Has anyone else dealt with this?

BabyGrl · Nov 21, 2005

For Canadians: I *heart* Veggie Shreads and Veggie Slices. They do taste like cheese.

Actually I saw these at Meijers last week. Do they really taste like cheese or do they taste like cheese in the same fashion as fat free dressing tastes like regular dressing?

Sabriel · Nov 21, 2005

Veggie Slices taste just like Kraft singles. When we run out of Kraft Singles my husband starts stealing my Veggie Slices. If I were to make my husband a sandwich and put a Veggie Slice on it he would never know if I didn't tell him.

I saw Veggie Shreads and the new block style cheese this weekend but as my cart was pretty full and I don't know if I need shreaded cheese in anything this week so I didn't pick up any. When I do I'll let you know how it tastes.

BabyGrl · Nov 24, 2005

That is good to know. I have been very successful at removing meat out of my diet and I know that the dairy and eggs are going to be the hardest part for me. It is good to know I can get some good cheese. I will definitly have to try it.

Greenwalker · Dec 11, 2005

You might want to try this stuff called Sun Chlorella. Make sure to buy it off the internet, though, because otherwise it's reeeeally expensive! I'm a teenage vegan (I'm homeschooled - what a coincidence!) and I was starting to feel kinda tired and light-headed, but this stuff totally helped, although it took about a month to take full effect. My mother, who isn't a vegetarian, also takes it and says she feels better sence. Oh, and it's safe for kids; it even comes with specific directions about how much kids of specific ages should take. Also, I've noticed that nuts, such as cashews, are high in iron, so mabe you could snack on those if you start craving meat. I've also found that flax seeds and oil are very tasty and healthy. Try puttin some flax oil on plain pop-corn and it tastes alot like butter, only high in protien and omega fatty acids. (Mabe iron, too, but I'm not sure.)

Oh, and about the veggie cheese, I've never found veggie slices that don't contain whey, except one that is, as you say, verry runny and gooey. I have, however, discovered a secret about this gooey cheese; it tastes pretty good melted in with refried pinto beans on chips as a dip. This is high in iron and protien, just make sure the beans are vegan (we get Rosareta (sp?))

futureguineamom · Dec 15, 2005

Oh, I don't know what this will do or if it will be useful but..

smoked almonds taste like bacon bits!

homeschoolmama · Dec 16, 2005

Oh, thank you futureguineamom! I developed a severe allergy to all pork products about 15 years ago. I don't miss anything at all, except a nice BLT sandwich when the tomatoes are ripe in the garden. Those I miss with a passion. I tried turkey bacon, but it's like chewing on a rubber hose. Maybe a few slivered almonds would be similar? They'd have a similar amount of protein too... that sounds wonderful!

For the "record," I am currently 5 weeks into a vegetarian diet. (Next week, I will have been dairy-free for 1 year) This is the turning point for me, when I really really start craving meat. I am committed to sticking it through this time, and not caving in. So any & all high-protein alternate ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've lost count on how many times I've tried, and gotten this far to give in.

BabyGrl · Dec 16, 2005

You can do it. Anytime you start to crave meat just think of how you will feel afterward knowing that it is going to rot in your gut for 6 days before being fully digested. Maybe that will help =).

homeschoolmama · Dec 16, 2005

Blecch! Already, I'm considering a salad for lunch now! Thanks babygrl, that's nasty... and just might work!

BabyGrl · Dec 16, 2005

Anything I can do to gross you out. =)

futureguineamom · Dec 16, 2005

Haha, or if you get the free dvd and vegan starter kit from Peta, just watch that dvd everytime you feel like you want meat, or dairy, etc. That sure would do it for me!

homeschoolmama · Dec 21, 2005

Today marks week 6. And I'm still a veggie!

I wasn't feeling well last night & my husband was a dear and brought home the most wonderful gardenburger TV dinner, and a pint of soy "ice cream." Ohhh, it was so good! I haven't had ice cream in over a year!

Now I just need to make it through Christmas... at my mom's house.

BabyGrl · Dec 21, 2005

Christmas is going to be rough for me too. Already my mom has bought some of the stuff that she is cooking and I look at it drooling. I have not really craved too much since the last time I had meat (Nov 5) but today it was really bad. I almost fell off the wagon when I opened the fridge and got a huge whiff of ham. I had to run downstairs and get on the computer and watch Meet your Meat. I'm a little better now.

WritingLife · Jan 2, 2006

babygrl1234 said:
You can do it. Anytime you start to crave meat just think of how you will feel afterward knowing that it is going to rot in your gut for 6 days before being fully digested. Maybe that will help =).

Actually, it doesn't. It moves along with all the rest of the food, and like all other food, takes about 24 hours to complete the trip. The human digestive system is designed for omnivory, and there's no place for certain foods to be sorted out from the others to sit and rot. Kind of like the old belief that chewing gum sits in your stomach for years -- it doesn't.

However, if you want a picture to turn you off to meat, picture tumors forming from nitrites used in bacon, lunch meats, and other processed meats. Or your arteries slowly clogging with fatty gunk from the saturated fats in meats.

Or picture your meat on the hoof. In our modern society, we're so separated from the sources of our food that we seldom think that the slab of flesh on the styrofoam tray was once a living animal, and we certainly don't want to picture the process that turned that living animal into a slab of flesh under plastic wrap.

homeschoolmama · Jan 13, 2006

I'm at 8 1/2 weeks, and still a veggie. I think I've finally done it! No more "gotta getta burger" impulses, and I've passed the detox phase without too much problem.

Now to consider eggs... I dunno if I can do that one though. The eggs I get are from a local farm, and all the chickies are free-range so there just isn't the pressure to give them up.

honeysmum · Jan 19, 2006

WritingLife - sorry - though we don't have more than one stomach like cows we do have a very long digestive system. Especially in people who eat a diet high in processed foods, it can take between one and three days, and in extreme cases, up to a week to digest a heavy meal. Having a diet high in fibre and water intake can assist your digestive system greatly. Even if it only took 24 hours from in the mouth to out the other end - try leaving a nice bit of cooked steak sitting somewhere for even three hours at approximately 60 degrees celsius! For more great info. have a look at (broken link removed).

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Veg*n still trying to make the switch...

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