improving health

starkandie · Aug 4, 2006

ok i'm new so don't mind my ignorance. 
My family and I currently eat what is probably typical american diet and the more I think about it the more grossed out I get. I don't know if i'm looking to become 100% vegan or even 100% vegetarian at the moment. I'm going to start small and maybe someday work into it. 
ok so here are a few questions.. 
Does veggie "meat" actually taste anywhere near the real thing? 
Does soy milk taste like cow milk? 
(will my four year old notice?) 
If I switch too fast will I or my family get sick? 
I'm currently breastfeeding what should I be sure to eat to make sure my daughter gets what she needs?... ( i take a prenatal vitamin everday) 
Can I eat this way on a tight budget? 
I think i'm going to start by having a few meatless days a week and going from there... 
I know its my right as a human being to make this switch but i'm scared to tell my husband. I just think he'll laugh and say I won't actually do it. Which might be true but i'm going to TRY!!

Raspberry06 · Aug 4, 2006

well, first off welcome to veggie boards! and second Iv tried veggie burgers and they taste nothing like real meat! there discusting in my opinion and iv never really tried the other fake meats. Also soy milk (well the chocolate kind anyway) taste awesome and nothing like cows milk, in my opinion its better. the regular taste gross and the vanilla is ok, just kinda taste like a watery vanilla shake. AS for your baby soy milk has been proven to be easier on a babys stomach than cows milk. cows milk has lead to asthma, colic and ear infections in babys. Generally if you stick to the basics like beans, whole grain pasta, rice and fruits ad veggies you should be able to get those things even on a tight budget. if you buy the expensive things like veggie burgers and fake meats its more expensive....lol trust me I know form experience. For now I say keep breast feeding her, but try to avoide giving her cows milk, after all you would be feeding her puss and other mucus and chemicals they they put in cows milk. 
When shes old enough, give her soy milk instead and try to get her to eat less meat and more fruits and veggies. Studies have shown that kids raised vegan or vegetarian get sick less often and actually grow at a healthy rate and there bones are more stronger than kids who eat meat. (This is becuase the calcium in soy milk and leafy veggies is more absorbant than cows milk and other animals foods) 
I hope I have helped you...lol im only 19, but I promise your family will be healthy is you allgo veggie! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sunny.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":sunny:">

karenlovessnow · Aug 4, 2006

Welcome to VB! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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I don't eat a lot of mock meats, but I do think they taste similar to the real thing. You have to experiment with the different brands and see what works for you. I am not a fan of soymilk. I use it in minimal cooking but that's it. I prefer almond milk for stuff like cereal. Again, it's a personal choice and you should give soy milk a try. There is a forum here on raising vegetarian children: <a href="http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=110" target="_blank">http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/f...play.php?f=110</a> 
Perhaps you will find some tips there. I think eating veggie is great for a tight budget! Good luck on your new venture! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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elibrown · Aug 4, 2006

Does veggie "meat" actually taste anywhere near the real thing? Not really. 
Does soy milk taste like cow milk? Not at all. 
(will my four year old notice?) Probably, but the idea is to transition, not decieve. 
If I switch too fast will I or my family get sick? If you don't educate yourself thoroughly, it's possible. 
I'm currently breastfeeding what should I be sure to eat to make sure my daughter gets what she needs?... ( i take a prenatal vitamin everday) I'm not a pediatrician, but as far as I know, if you are eating healthy your daughter will be eating healthy too. 
Can I eat this way on a tight budget? Non-meat foods are almost always far less expensive than meats. Compare the price of a pound of black beans to a pound of bacon, and you'll see what I mean. 
I think i'm going to start by having a few meatless days a week and going from there... Great idea!

ketivnilloc · Aug 4, 2006

Soy milk: better than cow milk. I get silk vanilla, and i can just drink the whole container in one drink....(i've done it once) 
Will you kids notice? Probable not 
Budget: If you stay away from fake meats, you can probably cut your spending down.

codemonkey · Aug 4, 2006

A few fake meats like sausages and hot dogs, I think taste just like the real thing (which isn't that difficult since the real thing is mostly just byproducts anyway.) The burger and chik'n patties taste really good, but they don't taste the same as meat. My husband and kids actually like them better than the real thing (my husband has been veggie for a little less than a month and my kids are still omni.) About soymilk, there are lots of different varieties of non-dairy milk and none of them taste like the real thing (not bad, just different.) Which one you like tends to be a very personal thing the one I like may not be the one you like and vice versa. Rice milk seems to be very popular but I don't like it at all (too watery). My family likes soymilk best and we usually have plain, vanilla and chocolate in the house (vanilla for cereal and baking, chocolate for drinking and plain for cooking.) My kids actually stopped drinking cow's milk because they like the soy better (I had to throw away a whole gallon of milk because my kids wouldn't drink it.) 
About telling your husband, just do what I did. I told my husband that I was giving up meat because a vegetarian diet is so much healthier. He was welcome to order meat in restaurants, but I wouldn't be cooking it at home. A month later, he was vegetarian too. 
Having a few meatless meals a week is a great way to start. I started doing that about two years ago. Once I decided to give up meat completely, I had a lot of recipes under my belt. If you like cooking and are a bit daring, you'll have no problems making the switch.

rabid_child · Aug 4, 2006

Does veggie "meat" actually taste anywhere near the real thing? 
I don't really remember what the real thing tastes like, it's been so long since I've eaten animals. Try things and see if you like any of them. I can rate things in terms of "tastes good" and "tastes bad" not in terms of "tastes like a dead animal" or not. Some of the fake chickeny things have realistically disgusting gristle bits and I can't eat them. There are TONS of different kinds of products so trying one isn't going to tell you whether or not you like any faux meats. Does soy milk taste like cow milk? (will my four year old notice?) 
Nope. To me, cow milk tastes soured and rotten even when it isn't. I prefer rice milk over soy milk because it's lighter. There are also grain milks and nut milks. If you haven't decided whether you're going vegan or vegetarian yet, then probably dealing with the meat issue would come first. Again, try some different ~milks, let your four year old try some, maybe s/he'll like it, maybe s/he won't. Some kids don't like cow's milk either. If I switch too fast will I or my family get sick? 
Nothing in the act of becoming vegetarian will make you sick. You may find yourself more gassy temporarily, or having more bowel movements than you're used to as your body transitions to having more fiber in your diet. Since living with me, my omni bf has found that when he's out with his friends and eats very heavy/fatty meals (i.e. chicken in cream sauce, more than a slice or two of pizza, greasy chinese food, a big sub sandwich) he ends up with the runs because his body has gotten used to a lower fat diet. Over the long term, any poorly planned diet, vegetarian or omni, will negatively impact your health. Just because one eats meat does not make one's diet balanced. I'm currently breastfeeding what should I be sure to eat to make sure my daughter gets what she needs?... ( i take a prenatal vitamin everday) 
Make sure you're getting enough good fats, and things like flax oil for omega fatty acids. (Good fats = olive oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts, etc...) Can I eat this way on a tight budget? 
I live with my omni boyfriend. We are both students and dirt poor. I eat a strict vegetarian diet, he eats the a vegetarian diet at home (I don't eat cheese/milk, he does). The only meat we buy is for his lunches that he brings to work. We eat all meals either at home or packed from home. We spend an average of $75/wk on groceries for the both of us (that includes household needs like toilet paper and soap as well), which averages to $5 per person, per day... or $1.66/meal. We also have one of his friends over for dinner at least once a week, and every other week I feed a group of his friends dinner when they come to game, and still spend the same amt. Since I moved in with him, the amount of faux meats in our diets has jumped considerably (still it's only about once a week, though I am buying more seitan/tempeh/tofu). Faux meats and meat substitutes are a LOT more expensive than just eating a whole foods diet. Thats our compromise to keep him vegetarian at home though, is trying to keep meals looking more "normal" for him by having a distinct "protein" in the meal (whereas I'm happy with whole grains and a pile of veg). I buy a lot of whole grains, fruits and vegetables in season, also frozen veggies, and canned beans and corn and tomatoes. 
You may want to start with meals you're familiar with... pasta and marinara sauce, cheese/veggie pizza (or french bread pizza), cheese lasagna, quiche, tacos or sloppy joes with burger crumbles or (even better AND much cheaper) TVP granules in lieu of ground meat, experiment with different stir fry sauces and veggie combos (check out the sauces though for animal ingredients), rice and beans, veggie burgers and (sweet potato!) fries and corn on the cob, minestrone soup. You'll find a lot of ethnic cuisine has vegetarian options, like Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai foods. Go to the library and check out some books on vegetarian diets and vegetarian cookbooks. 
Good luck!

Ayrlin · Aug 4, 2006

Does veggie "meat" actually taste anywhere near the real thing? I do not think so but I have only tried one kind so far and I much perfer skiping the fake meats but that is just me, I know many omni's love boca burgers 
Does soy milk taste like cow milk? 
(will my four year old notice?) No they taste nothing alike and your 4 year old will certainly notice 
I like soy but I hate soy milk tastes a bit like vomit to me hence I drink cows milk and why I'm a vegetarian and not a vegan 
If I switch too fast will I or my family get sick? occasionaly people can go through a detox of sorts 
I'm currently breastfeeding what should I be sure to eat to make sure my daughter gets what she needs?... ( i take a prenatal vitamin everday) as long as your meals have a good varity you should'nt even need a vitamin but if you want to tke one it certainly will not hurt. 
Just ets lots of multi colored foods, greens, yellow,reds,blues etc 
Can I eat this way on a tight budget? for my family it is far cheaper than eating meat. 
Meat costs over 2$ a pound most of the time, and combined with my gardin I feed my family on about 80$ a week for food there are 4 of us this does not factor in the cost of household items just the food but my kids like the more "costly" foods like melons and berries a lot 
I know its my right as a human being to make this switch but i'm scared to tell my husband. I just think he'll laugh and say I won't actually do it. Which might be true but i'm going to TRY!! My husband is an omni and it works out OK, the meals I cook are vegetarian if he wants something else he knows were the kitchen is. 
Though I will cook like several burgers for him and freeze them but thats about it.

starkandie · Aug 4, 2006

First off thanks for the replies.. 
Second I didn't mean to offend anyone by asking if veggie "meat" tasted like the real thing. I guess I was mainly asking the people who have recently switched. I asked because I just think for my personal situation it would make it easier if my family likes the veggie meat BUT I guess that's for me to find out. 
I also don't plan on feeding my baby cow's milk, she's only 3 months and you can't till they're 1 year of age anyways.. but knowing what i know now i probably won't give it to her. 
my husband and son LOVE chineese food so maybe i can find some recipes like that...I actually don't think it'll be that hard my family is pretty good at eating veggies/fruits/pasta/rice i'll just have to add more and take out the meat. I plan on telling my husband that i'm going to try different kinds of milk and hopefully we can find one we like. I'm also going to tell him that i'm done cooking meat. 
I'm sorry if you think i'm a bad person because I eat meat. It's how I was raised.. It's what I've known all my life to be "normal". But like I said.. I'm done with it. and I'm making the switch next time i go grocery shopping. 
I always feel tired and low energy I really hope this helps.. 
I have a couple more questions 
My husband has eczema. He's had since he was a kid and NOTHING works for him.. has anyone had this problem? and did it get better when you started eating a better diet? If I can tell him his skin could clear up maybe he'd be more willing to switch. I guess he has no choice in the matter I am the one that cooks.. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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ketivnilloc · Aug 4, 2006

dairy is a common eczema trigger, and cow milk can cause allergies and asthma in children. 
also, none of us think you are a bad person for growing up with meat. Just about everyone on this board did. 
EDIT: got a site for you <a href="http://www.vitaminusa.com/gotecitmaybe.html" target="_blank">http://www.vitaminusa.com/gotecitmaybe.html</a>

Shantih · Aug 4, 2006

I found with a good brand of soymilk (experiment to find your favourite) that in cereals, tea, coffee, etc, there isn't much difference in taste. I had always drank fully skimmed milk though, so I'm used to less creamy milk either way. I'd get your kids to try soy milk first in cereal or something, the taste change is less of a shock that way. 
Don't feel bad for eating meat, like ketivnilloc said, nearly all of us did at one point, and the important thing is that you want to change <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/pibo.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

ibo:"> 
Hardly any veggie replacements taste like the meat, but I've found my younger sister loves them anyway, and she's an omni, and so does my stepfather who's a huge meat eater. Try introducing them as an alternative as opposed to an outright replacement.

elibrown · Aug 5, 2006

I wanted to make my first reply very simple because I wanted to answer your questions, so now I want to tell you this story: 
When I first became a vegetarian several years ago, through doing some reading I had convinced myself that simply removing meat and junk food from one's diet was the key to healthy living. I planned to eat exactly the same as I already did, only subbing veggie replacers. I had also read some pamphlets and PETA stuff that said, "Being veg is so easy! There are so many options!" with pictures of ice cream sundaes, cheeseburgers, turkey sandwiches and other typical American foods, only they were supposed to be veggie versions. 
So I went to the store and bought myself several different kinds of Smart Deli and a few flavors of soy cheese to try. One of my favorite meals used to be a boloney and cheese sandwich on potato bread, grilled. So I used Smart Boloney and soy cheese and tried to make the same thing. I was so excited. 
When I went outside and sat down to eat and took a huge bite, my heart sank. To my untrained palate, that sandwich was AWFUL! It was so revolting that I actually had to spit out the bite in my mouth, and I threw all the rest of the products away. I thought "There's no way I can be a vegetarian..." 
But as time went by, I learned more and more about whole foods, practiced cooking until I got really good, and something magical happened- my tastes changed! I gradually forgot the taste of meat and kept trying replacers until one day, about at my six month point, I bought a real hamburger and it was repulsive...I MUCH preferred Boca and Tofurkey for a meat craving. I had learned to be nourished mentally and physically by a big bowl of brown rice and steamed vegetables, or a cucumber and soy cream cheese sandwich, etc. Four years I could I couldn't even imagine eating the types of foods that now I eat every day. I was a total cheese addict and always knew that's why I could never be vegan, but now if I try to eat a piece of cheese I can't even finish it because it just feels so strange and unnatural in my mouth. 
So I don't know if that helps you or not, but I thought I'd share just in case. Becoming a happy veg*n is something that can't happen overnight, but once you reach your veg*n "nirvana", you'll be happier than you ever could have been before.

chiaraluna · Aug 5, 2006

Like rabid_child said already, consider the fake meats and nondairy milks completely seperate from the real things and you will be far more likely to enjoy them. Comparing them to real meat and real dairy won't get you very far, as they taste similar at best... but that doesn't mean that some of them are not incredibly tasty! There are hundreds of brands of both, so just because you don't like the first few kinds you try, don't give up! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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I wouldn't worry too much about your family getting ill from making the switch. I and a lot of other veggies I know went veg*n (vegan in my case) overnight, and the only effects I felt were positive. You may find that you're eating a lot more fiber than you were before, so you can expect a couple of days of a rather predictable digestive response... It is a good thing, though, as the SAD often grossly lacks fiber, so don't sweat it and just give your bodies a week or so to even themselves out. 
I think that the other questions you asked have been covered pretty well, so I'll just wish you good luck and a very enthusiastic congratulations on making such a healthy dietary choice for you and your family! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/grin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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Vegnik · Aug 11, 2006

I have a section on my Eco-Eating web site - <a href="http://www.brook.com/veg" target="_blank">www.brook.com/veg</a> - called Making the Switch. That, and other in fo on the site, might be very helpful for you. I hope so. Best of luck with your transition toward veg!

derwenna · Aug 13, 2006

Hi Starkandie and welcome <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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If you can buy it where you live, you could try rice milk as well as soy milk. I find it doesn't have such a strong taste as soy milk and seems more similar to cow milk, on breakfast cereal anyway. You mention your husband has eczema - I found that when I gave up cow milk my eczema disappeared completely. I noticed a difference within two or three weeks, so you could suggest he gives up milk products as a trial for a few weeks to see if it might work for him. 
Going veg*an straight away doesn't work for everyone, trying to replace meat gradually and learning new recipes over time can also be a good way to go and mean you have more chance of sticking with it long-term. Even if you don't get to being completely vegetarian, cutting down on meat and replacing it with alternative healthy food is still a positive step. Good luck!

ChiKat · Aug 13, 2006

I really like what elibrown said about how your tastes change. Many of the soy burgers and soy milk products are an "acquired taste" 
I've only been a vegetarian for two weeks, but the idea of eating animal flesh- er, meat- already makes me feel sick. I just can't stomach it. I think even if I wanted to switch back to eating meat- I couldn't!

Michael · Aug 14, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Does veggie "meat" actually taste anywhere near the real thing?</div>
</div>
 
Veggie "meat" can be good or bad. Depends on the brand. If you don't like one I'd recommend trying other brands before deciding to give up on it. <div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Does soy milk taste like cow milk?</div>
</div>
 
If you're converting from cow's milk I'd recommend switching to skim milk first (or if you're drinking whole milk go to 2% and then skim). That'll make the transition easier and less noticeable. Also keep in mind there is also rice milk and almond milk in case you don't like the soy milk. There are also flavored versions, including chocolate, which your child will probably love. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

"> <div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">If I switch too fast will I or my family get sick?</div>
</div>
 
That's hard to say. Any change in diet can result in changes to the way you feel. It may take a little time to get used to. Just do your research and ensure that your family will be receiving the proper nutrition. <div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">I think i'm going to start by having a few meatless days a week and going from there...</div>
</div>
 
I feel that's an excellent approach. I sometimes suggest people try eating vegetarian 1 day the first week, 2 days the second week, 3 days the third week, etc. That'll give you time to get used to it - both mentally and physically. <div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">I know its my right as a human being to make this switch but i'm scared to tell my husband. I just think he'll laugh and say I won't actually do it. Which might be true but i'm going to TRY!!</div>
</div>
 
Regardless of what happens with your vegetarianism making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of suffering you cause is something to be proud of. Do what you feel will help you make the biggest impact long-term.

improving health

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