buzzingtalk

ok so i have been vegetarian for 14 years now. im finally taking the steps towards going vegan, hopefully permenantly. every time i try, i run out of money as it is waaaay expensive to live this way in the uk. when i first stoppped eating meat i was vegan (my best mate was and at age 6, her family supplied me with info) i am gradually doing it - working towards it and also finding out which thing i miss the most and how much things cost to replace!!

week one (nearly over) - give up drinking milk and all egg products
week 2 - give up butter, honey, start giving up cheese (argh!) and other milk products.
week 3 - give up all milk egg products, final wean off cheeese (im an addict)
week 4 - vegan!! (hopefully)

i have done it before, for about a month, then starting getting ill cos i cant afford the right foods. i was jus wonderign if theres any other vegans out there that have any advice on paying for things. milk is easy to replace, as is cheese (i use grated carrot instead its lush) egg is easy cos i dont eat it anyway and honey is easy also. butter is easy as i use soy butter. dont wear make up or leather

also do any of you non meat eaters, how do you find your experiences as a veggie when you travel? i find vegetarianism easy, some people need explaining that i am a proper veggie that DOESNT EAT FISH!! ive been some palces and said im veggie, so they bring out fish i guess im worried about going to asia and trying to maintain veganism - i might have to stop it while i travel this summer and be vegan in the uk for a year to learn more. and to give me more time to study malaysian to explain what i cant eat!!!

yeah long thread. im just really excited and exhilarated at the same time. its somehing ive been building too and was eventually going to do it, so i guess sharing it with you wil spur me on

thoughts/advice/anecdotes appreciated!

buzzingtalk

oh yeah and my dad is really really anti me being veeggie - he just loves meat, any meat, and thinks im denying myself of food. (lies!!) im sure he will be pleased when i go out this year, and have to be a meticulous fussy eater

raoulduke

Sorry I can't help you out. I really love all the things your trying to give up.

Just out of curiosity though what are your reasons for doing it?

...and good luck!

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louse

Well I used to be a "practical" vegan I guess. That's my own term to describe
being practical about it, being practically a vegan. A year ago, I wasn't eating dairy or eggs as such because I didn't like the taste (as well as the fact that I was eating animal products), but I didn't avoid things like cake etc that used these as ingredients.
But then I moved to Holland and just to make life easier I stayed vegetarian but started eating dairy again. I don't think it is bad to be flexible.
I agree that when you are travelling by yourself it is easy to be vegetarian. But when you rely on other people...I always feel guilty and awkward about being so annoying when I am staying at other people's houses.
What exactly is so expensive about being vegan in England? I know you've said that before and I'm curious about the answer. I guess it depends what kind of things you eat. Theoretically, vegetarianism at least can be much cheaper. Especially buying dried beans and lentils and stuff compared to the cost of meat.
Anyhoo, congrats on the decision. When I hit the road again I will go back to my practical veganism I think.
Oh, for anyone who wants to give up eggs... just remember they are chicken's periods!!!!

Joker

SE Asia (specifically Thailand) has a long history of vegetarian cuisine that is remarkably good given the fact that it doesn't include my favorite stuff- pork.

Same goes for parts of India as well.

Bone up on some of the dietary supplements out there, since there are essential vitamins and nutrients like calcium your body has gotten used to via dairy that will need to be replaced.

Be ready to give up many beers, as they are clarified with egg whites (the larger mass-produced beers typically are filtered, but your smaller craft beers are sometimes still). Same goes for refined sugar- usually bleached with animal bone.

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pinknic38

Good luck! Are you doing it for health reasons, or you don't want to eat animal products, or what? My best friend is a veggie cos she's an animal lover and recently informed me that jello was made of horse hooves or something. I was like... whoa.

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buzzingtalk

wicked tips people - ive been vegan for a month of every year as a detox thing, and when i first stopped eating meat at age 6 my best freinds mum (who was strictly vegan all her live) told me about all sorts that even at the age i am now, wouldnt think animal products are in!!!

one weird modern example is dorito's crisps - the blue and red packets are vegetarian approved, but not the orange??? weird.

rauolduke - ok so my reasons for going vegan? well its something ive stood for by personal choice from a very young age and i think the treatment of animals be for dairy or meat is appauling in my country (the uk) and i dont want to be a part of it any more. increasingly theres progammes on tv over here showing you EXACRTLY how your meat is processed and where it comes from etc. and i think it tipped me over the edge watching a cow get slaughtered on tv. it wassn't humane, i think ending the life of an animal before its natural death can in no way be humane, which is why i am veggie. but recently these programmes show how the dairy animals are treated, and granted some of them 'better' than others but i think its horrible that these animals are born into the world with one purpose- to provide milk. i dont mind a small farmer with a few cattle that gives them a humane life (natural as possible - feilds and fresh air please!) milks them, and then when they die eats them, cos thats humane to me. and i dont have a problem with meat eaters...its the way the animals are processed that bugs me. *sigh* long answer! but yes, i don't like the way animals are treated


louse - yeah i think i will have to use personal discrecion at times - when i went to holland last month it was horrible - we were in the centre of amsterdam and i struggled to find anything healthy to eat that was veggie, the only thing i ate in 4 days was falafel and chips. and those looovely waffles i think in certain places, i would be happy to drink milk, or use egg, i wont buy it myself, but if for example i was in a place where that is the natural and only way to support the people there, then fine. if i was on a farm that uses humane milking, ok i will have milk. but in the UK, i refuse to support it. i think it is very very hard to be a 'perfect' vegan - youd have to refuse lifts in cars that have leather interiors, not use certain companies cos they support animal farming etc. confusing!
its expensive over here because i live in london. and EVERYTYHING is fucking over priced in london. where i live, fruit and veg comes at hightly inflated prices, i spent £12 on a weeks worth of fruit and veg last week, and it didnt last me long. there is only a waitrose near me (if anyone knows, its the most expensive supermarket in the uk) so if i need to pop down and get some milk, its gonna cost me £1.50. etc. see where im comming from? and thats for the basics. if i want a cake, im gonna have to pay for egg replacers, which is expensive, etc etc etc. free-from chocoalte buiscuits (vegan) are £1.50!! i dunoo, i just think vegan is the most pure way to live, off plant based foods, yet its the most expensive.
why can a meat eater walk into a supermarket and buy 20 chicken wings for £3 when i have to pay £3 for 2 veggie fillets. oh well im now willing to pay the price (if i can)
but also remember im living on £14 at the moment so i really dont have any money!!!

joker - i dont really drink a lot, i only have one kidney!!! but when i do drink its cider & wine SE Asia is a wicked place to be vegan and veggie- vveg is cheap out there and a staple food, as is rice and basic carbs. i always always loose weight out there and not deliberatley, the food is much better and to my taste than the shit we get out in the uk i dont take suppliments at the moment, you have to be careful with some as they use fish in them!! my trimethaprine i used for years in kidney treatment had fish in it and if my other kideny gets infected, i have to choose between total kidney failure or fishy pills

soory for the long message!!!! just its really really lovely to speak to people who are nice and supportive/curious about it - only one of my mates backs me, and my mum backs me. the rest of them think im making a mistake going vegan its wicked to have some support for once!!!

joe7f

I guess people are different. Right now all I can think about is how much I want to make myself a hard boiled chicken period with ground black pepper



When I travel I become a little more vegetarian (just because that is what is cheap and available) but I think I also lost a little hair over that fortunately I had a lot to start with. I decided for the future to pack some vitamins.

--Joey

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