Trying to be vegan - Need some help

1134 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Tom, Mar 19, 2016

TryingToQuit

Discussion Starter · Mar 15, 2016

Hi,

I'll start by saying I'm Polish and well Polish people LOVE meat, thus i grew up eating lots of meat. Over the last couple years, I've done research and have seen how animals are treated before they are bought by grocery stores... it's not pretty. I myself, love animals, and the thought of me eating one isn't sitting well with me anymore.

I'm looking for some encouragement with becoming vegan, I've tried before, but i keep defaulting back to meat, maybe because my taste buds are so used to meat? Or it could be that i eat really late when i go out sometimes and unfortunately there isn't any 24/7 vegan fast food places

.

I think the hardest part of being a vegan is the taste for me. Everything i eat is extremely bland and has 0 taste to it. It's like eating everything raw. Has anyone experienced this? What have you done to make your food taste better?

I'm also looking for some good vegan recipes, so if anyone has any websites with a good amount of recipes, please do share.

Thank you!

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Spudulika

· #2 · Mar 15, 2016

Hi there, do you typically eat traditional Polish foods?
What are the kinds of meat you are used to?
What kinds of flavours taste good to you?
Are there any herbs or spices that you like?

I use a lot of spices and herbs in my food and have an extensive range for different types of dishes (eg: pasta, curry, stir-fry, roast dinners etc.). Also for the person new to plant-based eating, the lower levels of fat can be unsatisfying. You may want to make sure you use a decent bit of oil when starting out. I've cut back on the amount of oil I typically use in cooking, but I still have to have plenty of oil in a curry for the rich flavour it imparts.

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TryingToQuit

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 15, 2016

Spudulika said:
Hi there, do you typically eat traditional Polish foods?
What are the kinds of meat you are used to?
What kinds of flavours taste good to you?
Are there any herbs or spices that you like?

I use a lot of spices and herbs in my food and have an extensive range for different types of dishes (eg: pasta, curry, stir-fry, roast dinners etc.). Also for the person new to plant-based eating, the lower levels of fat can be unsatisfying. You may want to make sure you use a decent bit of oil when starting out. I've cut back on the amount of oil I typically use in cooking, but I still have to have plenty of oil in a curry for the rich flavour it imparts.

What are the kinds of meat you are used to?

Chicken and Pork

What kinds of flavours taste good to you?

I really love curry and tomato sauce, I also enjoy eating asian dishes such as "Pho". I'm a very open minded person and i like all flavours, except parsley

Are there any herbs or spices that you like?

Again, I'm very open minded

Thanks for the tip, I will be cooking with some extra oil in my dishes

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Purp

· #4 · Mar 19, 2016

TryingToQuit said:
Hi,

I'll start by saying I'm Polish and well Polish people LOVE meat, thus i grew up eating lots of meat. Over the last couple years, I've done research and have seen how animals are treated before they are bought by grocery stores... it's not pretty. I myself, love animals, and the thought of me eating one isn't sitting well with me anymore.

I'm looking for some encouragement with becoming vegan, I've tried before, but i keep defaulting back to meat, maybe because my taste buds are so used to meat? Or it could be that i eat really late when i go out sometimes and unfortunately there isn't any 24/7 vegan fast food places .

I think the hardest part of being a vegan is the taste for me. Everything i eat is extremely bland and has 0 taste to it. It's like eating everything raw. Has anyone experienced this? What have you done to make your food taste better?

I'm also looking for some good vegan recipes, so if anyone has any websites with a good amount of recipes, please do share.

Thank you!

My advice is stock up on what you like, and what herbs and spices you like. Take it one day at a time, and don't be to hard on yourself. If you are in or near a major metropolitan area like Warsaw or Krakow, there should be plenty of places that cater to veg*ans. If you live in a more rural area, try Farmer's markets and the fruits and veggies there. Good luck.

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David3

· #5 · Mar 19, 2016 (Edited)

Here is a fantastic Vegetarian Starter Guide. It explains vegetarian nutrition on page 13, and it has lots of very easy meal ideas: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/files/VSG.pdf

Yep, bland food is terrible. It's easy to make things taste good though; the most flavorful cuisines in the world can be made vegan - Indian, Lebanese, Mexican, Italian, Thai, etc.

Here are some good ones that you can make at home:

Falafel sandwich with pickles, tomato, lettuce, and tahini sauce (falafel mix is available at many large markets)
(The red things in the sandwich are special pickles)

Chana Masala (spiced garbanzo beans - mixes available at many markets). Serve over rice

Whole wheat spaghetti with lentils and marinara sauce

Burrito with vegetarian chili and/or fake meat, sliced celery, chopped jicama, tomatoes, and lots of salsa

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Tom

· #6 · Mar 19, 2016

I don't much care for bland food, either. But with time, you will learn to season your food so that it will be satisfying, even if it doesn't taste exactly like meat.

I've actually been happy with "fake" meats. For example, last might I had a veggie burger with potato fries on my way home, and it was good. Unfortunately, vegan food is usually harder to find in restaurants- you will probably have to make it yourself.

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