I'm considering going vegetarian, after researching the kind of horrific treatment that the animals I've eaten recieved. So my reasons are not for health or diet, just strictly that I don't want to be part of the cycle of terrible treatment that these poor animals have to endure...

There's a lot of conflicting information out there on the pro's & con's of soy - does anyone have any good information &/or sites about this? I already eat a lot of soy products (burgers, chik'n patties, sausages, etc.) and I will probably switch over to egg beaters or something like that until I'm able to have my own chicken coop later on down the road. Just want to make sure that my information is correct.

I don't think that Egg Beaters are egg free. I could be wrong. I looked on Morningstar's frozen egg package too, and even those contain egg whites. I'm not sure of the name of any true egg replacements out there. Maybe someone else can help you out with that.

I just found this online and hopefully it will help you out some. Maybe someone else can help out with the soy question.

Egg Substitutes
It's not hard to substitute for eggs in most vegan recipes. The substitute used depends on the recipe it's being used in. Try some of these and let me know how they work for you.

Ener-G Egg Replacer: This is the one I use most often in baking; it's really only good for recipes that call for 1 or 2 eggs. You can find it at natural food stores. One whole egg = 1 tsp powder + 2 tbsp water. It's made from potato flour and other vegan leaveners.

Tofu: Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of egg (like quiches). To substitute for only one egg in a recipe, whip 1/4 cup tofu and add to your cooking.

Stuff around your kitchen:
1 whole egg = 2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder
1 egg = 1 tbsp ground flax seed simmered in 3 tbsp water
1 egg = 2 tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder
egg white = dissolve 1 tbsp plain agar powder in 1 tbsp water. Whip, chill and whip again.

For use in sweet baking:
Try substituting 1 banana or 1/4 cup apple sauce for each egg called for in a sweet, baked recipe. These will flavour the recipe, however, so make sure banana or apple will taste good in it.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo mooooooooooooooooooooooooooore!!!!!!

Please do a search for "Soy" and look through the recent threads on the topic--there have been a million! :) Good luck on your vegetarian journey!

Brooklyn said "vegetarian", so egg beaters will be fine.

But what I really wanted to comment on was your idea of having own chicken coop later on down the road. Though it wouldn't be hard at all to provide a life for your chickens that's better than that on a farm, it's still a life of slavery. Doesn't this create a problem in your mind, seeing as your reasons for your diet are based in animal rights?

I don't see how having chickens & a chicken coop is a life of slavery. My father has a coop at his acrage, and the chickens are free to roam his two acres as they wish (it's fenced, but there are dogs who would come in and eat them if they could) He provides a clean coop and fresh seed for them every day. I've always found it to be very quaint, to see some of the beautiful chickens clucking around, raising young, taking dust baths, and just living out their chicken lives. How is that slavery?

I understand that some view having a dog in the home as a form of slavery. Ultimately PETA and followers would like to see companion animals phased out, until we can just "watch them in the wild". ??? This doesn't make any sense to me either. My dog has a large yard, is taken on twice daily walks, and at least four times a week is brought to the country where he can run and play with us. He's fed holistic foods supplimented with a raw diet, and is well adjusted and well socialized. To me, neither dog nor chicken would be a slave. It's more of a symbiotic sort of thing.

I don't want to perpetuate the sort of animal cruelty that goes on with mass production foods. If I later on have a cow, I'd milk it if it had a calf. I would treat it with respect as a fellow living creature.

I would suggest reading:
Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1570671036/qid=1121385941/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl14/104-8444776-5007962?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
and this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558322116/qid=1121386068/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/104-8444776-5007962?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
I personally wouldnt worry too much about soy, just try to eat less processed foods.(maybe less prepared patties) Tempeh and tofu are the shizznit. If you are becoming veg, I wouldn't worry about soy, just try to eat more whole foods, and over time you will evolve into a better veg. It takes a bit of time to transition, so don't stress yourself out. When I decided I wanted to be veg, I ate cereal for like a year, so you are off to a better start than me. ( I was only 12, so cut me a break! now I am totally at ease with massive amounts of food choices that I didn't know existed)

Also, as you are horrified by the treatment that the animals people eat receive, I would suggest picking up a copy of 'Empty Cages' by Tom Regan.
Much luck at going veg, you can do it!:D

If the animals were under either your or your family's care, I don't think most people here wouldn't have any problem eating milk and eggs produced from them.

Remember, this is "Veggieboards" not "Peta2" :)

Keeping chickens and eating their eggs is not a life of slavery. :rolleyes: Chickens produce eggs whether you eat them or not. It's a byproduct. Having some nice pet chickens and eating their eggs is no different than having any other kind of pet and using their byproducts for something, if they produce any.

But "using" can imply different things--ingesting being only one of them. I choose not to ingest anything that comes from a pet. I see that as highly different than, say, moving the manure from where a cow dropped it to a field.

Because this is the new to vegetarianism forum, this is not the place to critique or debate. This is a bickering free zone. Please refer to the sticky at the top of this forum. http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=38968

thanks for that

I would recommend trying the tofu scrambler stuff, really pretty good , put some onion, peppers, garlic, maybe some soy sausages, mmmmm....if you have to have eggs maybe you could find someone local who does seem to take good care of the chickens, although you might find gettig away from eggs isn't all that tough.

I don't think that Egg Beaters are egg free. I could be wrong. I looked on Morningstar's frozen egg package too, and even those contain egg whites. I'm not sure of the name of any true egg replacements out there. Maybe someone else can help you out with that.

EggBeaters from what I understand are eggwhites with a little lemon juice added. They're still eggs with the cholesterol reduced.

You can also make an egg replacer for cooking from ground flax seeds:

As an egg replacer - Flax seed meal is very useful to vegans as a
replacement for eggs in baked goods recipes. You can use a water/flax seed meal mixture instead of an egg in recipes, such as pancakes, muffins and cookies.

One-egg substitute formula:
15 mL (1 Tbsp.) Flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
45 mL (3 Tbsp.) Water

Instructions:
Mix the flax seed meal and water in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for two to three minutes to thicken it, before adding it to the recipe.

from http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/Vegetarian/Meal.htm

we've used it for baking and such,and it works well but gets super gloopy the longer it sits, so don't leave it sitting in a bowl on the counter overnight or you'll have a bowl full of flaxconcrete. (not that I speak from experience or anything :o )

Another thought: organic farmer's markets or organic free run eggs. You want to do some research on the company, though, because definitions of "free run hens" differ.

If you're eating a lot of soy products such as veggie burgers, chick'n patties, smart dogs, etc... then just keep in mind that they're highly processed and that you're not getting much variety. You could get proteins from other sources such as nuts, eggs (since you're eating them :) ), etc... Variety is key in a healthy diet.

I like your chicken coop idea. I'm jealous that you have a big enough yard to have a bunch of animals... I live in an apartment so small I can't even have a dog. :(

I agree, keeping the processed foods to a minimum is best, eating veggies, fruits, beans, rice, pasta as the staple of a diet is a good idea.

Hmmmm.... So would flaxcrete make a good building material?


You can also make an egg replacer for cooking from ground flax seeds:

As an egg replacer - Flax seed meal is very useful to vegans as a
replacement for eggs in baked goods recipes. You can use a water/flax seed meal mixture instead of an egg in recipes, such as pancakes, muffins and cookies.

One-egg substitute formula:
15 mL (1 Tbsp.) Flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
45 mL (3 Tbsp.) Water

Instructions:
Mix the flax seed meal and water in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for two to three minutes to thicken it, before adding it to the recipe.

from http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/Vegetarian/Meal.htm

we've used it for baking and such,and it works well but gets super gloopy the longer it sits, so don't leave it sitting in a bowl on the counter overnight or you'll have a bowl full of flaxconcrete. (not that I speak from experience or anything :o )

Another thought: organic farmer's markets or organic free run eggs. You want to do some research on the company, though, because definitions of "free run hens" differ.

:lol: :lol: at "flaxcrete"... been there, done that...

Good luck with the free-range chickens; we had several, they eventually free-ranged right out of our yard down the road to the neighbor who offered them a nice, secure CAGE where they willingly live, fat and happy and not having to move a muscle to get their chicken feed... silly birds...

There is a lot of debate out there regarding soy, but from my research it seems that large amounts of soy (as in processed soy based foods) as the main part of every meal is a no go, BUT to have say some tofu, tempeh, soy milk as part of the meal with veggies as the main is actually very healthy for you.

I'd not rely on soy as your protien source, try mix it up with other nuts and beans etc and you'll be so healthy you'll shine :)

Stay away from the Soy Protein Isolate, too. That stuff's bad news. :no: