Anyone here Vegan?

[slickdtc]

The local farmer's market is truly amazing. Everything about it is better then a grocery store, minus the distance and ease to get there.

[RockinDaMike]

Re: Anyone here Vegan?

For the vegetarian/vegans on here, what are your favorite foods or dishes to eat?

For me, Rice and beans have been my main staple. Yesterday had grilled mix veggies, lentils rice and mix beans for dinner.

Have been slacking on my juicing the last week but got started after a week hiatus.

[EnigmaNemesis]

Re: Anyone here Vegan?

Girlfriend and I went Vegan a few weeks ago. And staying to it, and loving it.

Just can not be OK with myself with all the mistreatment of animals and environment. We were limiting meat over the course of the last six months, so going cold turkey (no pun intended) was not hard at all. Watching http://www.getvegucated.com/ did the trick. And that was after watching Fat Sick & Nearly Dead, Food Matters, Hungry for Change, Food Inc, etc over the course of the past year.

Do not miss meat at all, there is plenty of substitutes that fill the needs perfectly.

For protein I like Quinoa (it is a COMPLETE protein), Hemp, Amaranth, etc.

Love adding Chia seeds to shakes, do not do much soy unless it is fully organic, since Soy is the highest GMO/Pesticide crop next to the meat industry.

So for milk I have been LOVING Almond milk. So freaking good, much better than regular milk. And way better for you. Organic Coconut Oil for cooking, since heating that oil does not have negative effects like every other oil including Olive Oils (which should only be used uncooked), etc. And Organic Coconut Spread by Earth Balance instead of butter.

Daiya makes great cheese that stretches and taste like melted cheese, and is not soy based, but tapioca. And also for more higher end cheeses, there is a company that is new that uses ground cashews called Treeline Cheese, which it taste amazing. Also a trick to get the cheese taste sprinkled on things is nutritional yeast.

Also love Vegan baked goods better. They seem to be the right balance of sweet, and not overly done. And doesn't give you the crappy feeling after eating them like most butter and fat rich baked goods do.

Also juicing all the time. Nice Breville juicer does the trick!

Vietnamese Restaurants are usually very Vegan friendly when you ask. So we have this wonderful one in the Orlando area (Oviedo) called Saigon Flavors. Amazing quality and fantastic service.

Being in Orlando has more opportunity for Vegan eating too we noticed. Great Farmer's Markets, but also a great produce place that is cheap and has top quality produce called Freshfield Farms. A nice cafe run by monks in the Asian section that is all Vegan called Loving Hut. And also a place in Winter Park called Ethos Vegan Restaurant. Not to mention various Pizza Places like Mellow Mushroom that will use Daiya Cheese on Vegan Pizza's.

All in all, loving the switch. Feeling better inside and out. Mentally and physically.

[RockinDaMike]

That's great enigma! I have to try and cut the soy products but love tofu too much.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[EnigmaNemesis]

Re: Anyone here Vegan?

That's great enigma! I have to try and cut the soy products but love tofu too much.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I love it too! Try Tempeh (Indonesia), Miso (Japanese), Natto (Japanese) etc. They are fermented so it alters the soy in a positive way.

And make sure if you are eating tofu, it is mostly organic at home. Because most of the "soy issues" that are currently coming out are, A) pioneered by a man who has main interested in the dairy cattle industry, and B) pesticide and GMO which is the true cause of the issues, not soy itself.

Also various seaweeds are awesome in dishes, salads, and soups! Great for you and yummy texture!

Here is a great recipe, though substitute the vegetable oil with coconut oil. Vegetable oils are not good for you, coconut oils are. I use Spectrum Organic Coconut. It is refined to take coconut taste out, but still organic and pressed so it still retains its positive properties. And can be bought at Wal-Mart for about $6 a jar that will last a long time. Nutiva is the best brand, but the coconut taste can be there to those who are sensitive to it. And it is more money, hover cheap on Amazon.

http://justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/natto-or-tempeh-fried-rice

[EnigmaNemesis]

Re: Anyone here Vegan?

A little quick insight to coconut oil...

The first, extra-virgin olive oil, is a better monounsaturated fat. It works great as a salad dressing.

However, it is not the best oil to cook with. Due to its chemical structure, cooking makes it susceptible to oxidative damage.

And polyunsaturated fats, which include common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to use in cooking. These omega-6 oils are highly susceptible to heat damage because of all the double bonds they have.

I strongly urge you to throw out those omega-6 vegetable oils in your cabinets. Why?
Reason #1: Most people believe that frying creates trans fats. That is not the major problem, in my opinion. Although some are created, they are relatively minor. There are FAR more toxic chemicals produced by frying omega-6 oils than trans fats.

Frying destroys the antioxidants in oils and as such oxidizes the oils. This causes cross-linking, cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and polymerization of oils that cause far more damage than trans fats.

Reason #2: They contribute to the overabundance of omega-6 fats in your diet, and the imbalance of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. As you know from my extensive writing on this subject, I believe that excessive consumption of omega-6 fats contributes to many health concerns.

There is only one oil that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage, while it also helps you promote heart health, maintain normal cholesterol levels and even supports weight loss -- coconut oil.

So, whenever you need an oil to cook with, use coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, or any other type of oil called for in recipes. Even though I don't fully recommend frying foods, if you must fry, by all means use coconut oil -- it's your smartest choice.

Curiously, coconut oil contains the most saturated fat of all edible oils. We continue to be inundated by media portrayals of saturated fats as dangerous, but now you know better

http://products.mercola.com/coconut-oil/ Good site for facts on it. (never tried their products)