Veg*n Support Thread

[Rhea]

I'm a vegan foodie who loves to cook (and loves even more to eat!). I was vegetarian for many years and have just recently I made the switch to veganism. I've never felt healthier!

Who else is with me? Any veggos here?

[Nut]

No, I'm not, but I love vegetarian food and cook it a lot

What's your favourite vegan recipe? Why did you make the switch? Do you use things like tofu cheese as a substitute? I really like tofuti AND ... how similar are NZ supermarkets to Australian ones?

[Rhea]

I think the difference between NZ and Australia wouldn't be that noticeable except we moved from Sydney which had GREAT vegan shops and restaurants to the middle of nowhere. I think if we were in Auckland it might be different.

Why did I make the switch to veganism you mean? I started to feel about Milk and Cheese the way I used to feel about eating meat when I was an omni, like I could eat it as long as I didn't think too hard about what it was or where it came from. I used to be the same with meat, could only eat it if it had no bones or skin or anything that reminded me of the fact that it was meat, and I could only eat it if I tried really hard not to think about the reality of what was on my plate. When I finally went vegetarian it was such a relief not to have to do that anymore, but then the more I learned about the dairy industry the more I had to do the same thing with dairy, in the end I decided that my heart was telling me something and I should listen to it. I don't think there is many things that make me feel better than finishing a meal and knowing that it was completely cruelty free.

I don't use a lot of vegan cheese or things like that, mainly because I don't think they are good substitutes so I would rather just go without.. I'm really excited about the prospect of Daiya finally making it to NZ though, I suspect when it gets here I'll go back to being a cheese junkie. I haven't tried any of the tofutti products, I can't find them anywhere here!

My favourite vegan recipe.. that's a tough one.. it changes every week at the moment I'm going through a bit of a nut loaf phase. I made one for the first time at Christmas and now I crave it all the time.. so good!

What are your favourites?

[Nut]

Well as I don't do vegan I don't have an extensive list of recipes. But I love salad with tofu nuggets, baby rocket, lentils, mini grape tomatoes, and dressed with a tiny bit of olive oil, a good whack of lime juice and a fresh crushed clove or two of garlic. We usually have fetta in it, but you could easily do without .

Nut loaf recipe please!!! I've never had nut loaf but it sounds YUUUMMMMYYYYY! I love nuts.

[me fein]

Genuinely interested here - if you had your own house cow would you have dairy again?
I generally eat vegetarian out of necessity due to cost factors, but it is one of those things I think about yk? I am thinking about the vaccination stuff at the moment though and only have room for one big issue at a time in my brain

[Rhea]

No, I don't think that I would. While my main motivation for veganism is animal cruelty, a big part of it is also about animal exploitation. I don't believe that it is our right to exploit animals for our gain no matter how "harmless" that exploitation may seem.

Of course then there is the issues of what happens to the calf? Obviously the mother is only lactating because she was pregnant and in the case of dairy cows the baby gets taken away to be veal (or another dairy cow if it is female) but what happened to the calf in this theoretical situation? That would also be a consideration for me.

Also, I didn't used to think this before I was vegan but now that I have lived a vegan lifestyle I honestly think it is healthier NOT to eat dairy, my insides feel cleaner (I don't know how to describe it) I eat much less and crave much less than I used to, I have more energy etc etc, so since experiencing those things I also think - beyond the animal stuff - that humans just weren't supposed to drink cows milk.

[me fein]

fak
the whole not supposed to drink it stuff has crossed my mind too. Thanks for answering, trying to get my head around it all.

[Rhea]

No problem, I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

[Nut]

From the perspective of respecting animals I would definitely like to be vego, and I can imagine how
much better you would feel. It's amazing how much toxicity our body can process but still can't deal with iykwim (not sure I explained that very well ) I know that when I dropped carbs I had bad issues for about three days (omg I was a shit to be around ) but once I detoxed I felt amazing! So much energy! I craved less, ate less on that too.

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