[Apple_Blossem]

I'm curious to know some of the main reasons of what holds most vegetarians from going semi-vegan (or more)? Semi-vegan is the use of plant based milk, and limited egg, cheese and cream use.

Is it because you:

-Need more info on a vegan diet and wonder if eliminating dairy is healthy

-It's inconvienent (It appears hard and time consuming)

-Don't believe in it (I'm not eating meat! Leave me my cheese!

)

-Peer pressure (You don't want to be classified as "weird" by your friends/coworkers)

-Would like to, but haven't gotten around to it

-Still adjusting to your vegetarian diet and its too soon to even think about making more alterations to your diet

-It isn't necassary for the animals well-being

-Other reason (if so, list it!)

My reason: I didn't think that a semi-vegan diet was healthy.

This is mere curiousity!

 

[Dirty Martini]

Why do you ask?

 

[Apple_Blossem]

Out of sheer curiousity. Although I am a semi-vegan now, I thought a semi-vegan diet didnt sound healthy. I'm wondering what the majority of vegetarians think about a semi-vegan diet. I like to hear people's thoughts

.

 

[Michael]

If this turns into a convince people why they should go vegan thread it'll be moved to the vegan forum. Just thought I'd put that out there before we get too far into it.

 

[Apple_Blossem]

This is not a "convince people" thread. Hopefully people just list their reasons because I thought it would be interesting to hear their view points.

 

[wildtigercubs]

I am semi vegan at the moment. My reasons being

1. Selfishness-I cannot give up my morning coffee or my pre made pikelets.

2. Family-most of the time I eat vegan and cook a meal for myself and a meal for my husband and kids (takes forever) but some days when I'm really pressed for time I'll cook a pasta dish with ricotta cheese or something in it (hubby WILL NOT eat vegan food, I have to push for vegetarian) but it's pretty rare. Other than that I'm vegan with everything. I don't eat normal cheese so it's really only a bit of fetta or ricotta that I have (not that I'm justifying that as okay, cause it's not and I feel guilty when I eat it

)

 

[danakscully64]

I would love to be vegan, but I honestly don't have the time or energy to do it. I went vegan for a week and was absolutely miserable. I limit all animal products a lot now, but doubt I'll ever go completely vegan. Reading all of those labels killed my eyesight!

Plus, some of my favorite foods have animal products and cannot be replaced (Like pudding, many morningstar farm products, some chocolates, french toast, etc.) I use vegan butter, drink chocolate soy milk, and other veg things, but cutting it out would be too difficult. Eating out would be almost impossible!

 

[SuperChicken]

I guess I'd be a "semi-vegan" for the purposes of this thread. I don't buy dairy/eggs/etc for food at home but I don't worry about it when I go out to eat, or to friend's homes, etc.

My reasons are because I live in a very rural area & it would be 100% impossible to go out to eat as a vegan here, ever. And because I think that the small amount of animal product I do consume in those instances is SO insignificant that it makes no difference whatsoever in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Lumos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by danakscully64

I would love to be vegan, but I honestly don't have the time or energy to do it. I went vegan for a week and was absolutely miserable. I limit all animal products a lot now, but doubt I'll ever go completely vegan. Reading all of those labels killed my eyesight!

Plus, some of my favorite foods have animal products and cannot be replaced (Like pudding, many morningstar farm products, some chocolates, french toast, etc.) I use vegan butter, drink chocolate soy milk, and other veg things, but cutting it out would be too difficult. Eating out would be almost impossible!

There are a lot of replacements for the non-vegan products you mentioned. There are lots of french toast and pudding recipes on websites such as www.theppk.com most of which take about 10 minutes at the most to make and use pretty everyday ingredients (pudding has soymilk, conrstarch, cocoa powder and sugar/maple syrups I believe). Not trying to prove your wrong, just pointing out some awesome recipes.

 

[Kiz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildtigercubs

I cannot give up my morning coffee

What's not vegan about coffee?

 

[danakscully64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumos

There are a lot of replacements for the non-vegan products you mentioned. There are lots of french toast and pudding recipes on websites such as www.theppk.com most of which take about 10 minutes at the most to make and use pretty everyday ingredients (pudding has soymilk, conrstarch, cocoa powder and sugar/maple syrups I believe). Not trying to prove your wrong, just pointing out some awesome recipes.

When I said cannot be replaced, I mean in terms of taste. I've tried the vegan versions to all that I can and I didn't like them at all. The worst was vegan yogurt. I almost threw up after putting it in my mouth.

I will check out that site and try a recipe or two. The versions I had must have just been really bad. Thanks for the link.

Also, most of the time, I don't even have 10 minutes. I'm a full time worker, full time student, and full time pet owner (6 beautiful "children"). Many times, I don't even have time to stop for 2 minutes to throw together a lunch for the day. I try not to, but I end up eating out a lot too. I work at a restaurant that has only 1 vegan item - veggie soup. It's okay, but I couldn't have it for every meal for more than once a week. I have time when I'm not in school, but the semester just started up, so my time is so limited. Since I started, I've had to cut out 2 hours of sleep every night to study, change animal cages, and do laundry. It's crazy. The only reason I'm here right now is because I missed class tonight because I woke up this morning very sick. I was still going to class, but I layed down at 1:30 and fell asleep until 5. I woke up feeling worse than before, so I decided to stay home. Tomorrow, back to class I go. I need a clone to send to my classes for me...

Thanks again for the link. Sorry I just kept talking... I do that sometimes

 

[Dirty Martini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiz

What's not vegan about coffee?

creamer/milk, probably.

 

[GhostUser]

I can seem to give up everything apart from cheese because there's no decent substitute. Not being able to eat it makes me unhappy. I feel like there's no point in me making huge sacrifices to help animals if Im getting around being all miserable and cranky.

Ive tried veganism several times and it hasnt worked for me so Im content to go on eating a bit of dairy until someone invents a faux feta or provolone that is acceptable to my taste buds.

 

[curstilace]

Just out of curiosity, how is semi-vegan an acceptable term, yet semi-vegetarian is not? Is this hypocrisy I sense? I`m not trying to be hostile, just wondering is all.

 

[wildtigercubs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiz

What's not vegan about coffee?

Yep, it's the evaporated milk I can't give up

I've tried all sorts of things but being soy intolerant soy is the only thing I can stand the taste of in my coffee and I can't drink it. I'm working on it though.

I also don't call myself "semi vegan" in general. Just used the term for this post. I am vegetarian and I think even if I move into veganism I'll still just consider myself a vegetarian, just in the dairyless and eggless sense of the word.

 

[Fromper]

I just went vegetarian last month, and I'd already qualify as what you call "semi-vegan".

My dairy intake was actually decling in recent years, due to developing minor lactose intolerance with age. So when I decided to go veg and start trying out new foods, soy milk was one of the first things I tried. It's got all the positives of cow's milk (calcium, vitamin D added, protein), with none of the negatives (cholesterol, saturated fat, lactose, cruelty to cows). And the kind I get (Silk brand) is fortified with vitamin B12 and has omega-3 fatty acids, which are both important nutrients for veg*ns to make sure we get enough of in our diets. This is the one thing I recommend everyone try. Even if you consume other dairy products, replacing the cartons of milk in your fridge with soy or rice based milk is easy enough to be worth trying, at least.

As for eggs, I never really bought them much anyway. Maybe once a year, I'd buy half a dozen eggs when I was looking for some variety in my diet, and I'd eat eggs occasionally when eating breakfast food at restaurants, which I really only do when on vacation away from home. So giving up eggs was easy.

Other than pizza and a little cheese here and there, I was never a huge cheese eater. I may still eat a little cheese now and then, but I've cut down, and I never ate that much, so my intake is pretty low.

And I've switched to dairy free dark chocolate, which is better than the generic stuff, anyway. Oddly, most dark chocolate does have milk in it. I have to go to Whole Foods for the vegan stuff.

There are still some things I eat with dairy or eggs in them, like Morningstar fake meat products. I've tried vegan hamburgers, and they're just awful, so I switched back to Morningstar Grillers. At least I tried.

And as for the terminology, I don't think I've seen "semi-vegan" anywhere before. I have seen the term "near vegan", though, which I probably qualify for by the standards of whoever invented it. I've started calling myself a "strict vegetarian", just so people will be less likely to ask if I eat fish.

Wow. I've really rambled. Hope this helps.

--Fromper

 

[Medesha]

I just don't care enough to yet.

 

[Kiz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildtigercubs

Yep, it's the evaporated milk I can't give up

I've tried all sorts of things but being soy intolerant soy is the only thing I can stand the taste of in my coffee and I can't drink it. I'm working on it though.

Heh. I thought that at first but then I thought no, she said the actual coffee not the milk. And what's not vegan about coffee? (Yeah, I know, I'm a real airhead some days.

) Have you tried drinking it black? You know what they say about the perfect cup of coffee "Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love"

 

[anthony11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildtigercubs

I am semi vegan at the moment. My reasons being

1. Selfishness-I cannot give up my morning coffee or my pre made pikelets.

I have no idea what a pikelet is, but how does coffee enter into it?

 

[Kiz]

I asked that anthony! wildtigercubs has milk in their coffee. Oh, and a pikelet is a small pancake. I think they are also called "flap jacks".