I am going vegetarian and I need some advice.?

Question

I have been doing the vegetarian thing for a week now and I definitely feel better. However, I am still drinking milk and eating eggs. I want to take it in steps. Also, I really like cheese.

What are some good substitutes for dairy, cheese and eggs?

Blue cheese is one of my favorites. I wish I could find a vegan substitute for that.

Answer 1

I have heard many things about you on ths forum lately..and decided to check it out .....these are quotes of your questions ..........1) " I am reading in my medical journal and it says they performed an experiment on vegetarians and meat eaters. In every experiment, the vegetarians were much weaker and in some cases, actually died." .......... 2) Does anyone know the extremity of nerve damaged caused by a vegan diet? .......... 3) Vegans harassed my son at school? .......... 4)
Did you know a vegetarian diet is deficient?

and so on and so on .... Lots more ... what is up ? Could you explain ?

Answer 2

You're the last person I would have expected to veggie, let alone vegan. Glad to hear it's working for you. You can get egg and milk substitutes in most wholefood stores and the clerks are usually pretty good sources of advice.
I can't give too much advice on eggs, and I've never managed to find a nice non-soya based vegan cheese (soya makes me ill), so I'll be reading the other answers with interest.
For drinking, I quite like almond milk. The only downside is that it is quite expensive, so its a bit of a treat thing.
If you have a sweet tooth and want some chocolate advice - Green and Blacks Maya Gold, Plamil and Booja-booja are all dairy free and delicious.

Answer 3

Hmm... how about 'Cauldron' marinated Tofu pieces? I suppose they have a slight cheesy feel to them... but I don't think you'll ever replace blue cheese. It's too unique. Have a look for that Tofu though, it's pretty damned good... also, check out your local Chinese supermarket- you should be able to find a good variety of tofus/bean curds there, and some way out vegetables to boot :)

It's not strictly a dairy/egg/cheese substitute, but why not have a go with miso soup? It's another soy bean permutation, and it never goes off (at least, I've been picking at the same packet for months)... it makes quite a rich soup, you can have it with noodles and sea weed... I'm not certain about giving up eggs yet myself, so I will break one into the soup before I put the rest in... very tasty.

Good luck man!

Answer 4

Good vegan recipe.
Serves at least 6.

Vegetable Satay.
Fry some garlic, 3tsp cinnamon, 3tsp low salt soy sauce, 1 and1/2 tsp garam masala, 3tsp mixed spice in a wok add a little olive oil cook two chopped onions and 5-6 chopped peppers, 3lb mushrooms,pack of bean sprouts, a little sweetcorn and water chestnuts. When cooked add 1/2 a squeezy tube tomato puree 150ml of cold water and 6 tsp of organic peanut butter (the type without any sugar in) - if you are British 'Meridian foods' brand is best. Stir until hot and sauce has thickened sufficiently. Serve over vegan rice noodles.
Check out the 'Absolutely animal free cook book' by Wendy Turner-Webster.

I use rice milk, I don't miss cheese a lot but the Redwood co's fake cheeses are nice also tofutti soft 'cheese' is nice. You could make your own oat milk. Some egg subs are in sweet recipes - apple juice/sauce. You can use linseed oil or silken tofu and greenghost on here makes great fake eggs , if you are nice to him I'm sure he will share the recipe.

Congrats on becoming a vegan. I would have recommended that you went from Omnivore to lacto-ovo vegetarian first to see if you liked it and then went vegan. But good on you - see we aren't members of a cult!!! ;0)

Answer 5

Well for milk there is Soy milk, rice milk, and oat milk.

A company called Ener-G makes a powdered egg-substitute that they claim is a suitable replacement for eggs in cooking. It costs about $5.00 (U.S.) for the equivalent of 9 or 10 dozen eggs, and it contains no animal products. It's made from potato starch.

This website is devoted to vegetarian cheese http://nutmeg.gen.nz/veggie/cheese.html

Extra Info below:

For many other recipes go to www.vegetariantimes.com

Vegan Ice Cream
www.PurelyDecadent.com

Answer 6

Good for you!

My husband switched to Soy Milk, his preferred brand is Silk.

I substitute tofu for ricotta cheese in some dishes, like stuffed shells (pasta), mixing it with spinach and seasonings.

We use Crumbles, by Morningstar Farms for ground meat in tacos, etc...

Many brands of "tofu dogs" are just as good as meat hot dogs, without all of the "mystery" filling to it.

I haven't found a very tasty substitute for cheese as far as putting it on tacos etc... veggy "cheese" is an aquired taste.

I don't use eggs in cake mixes etc, I do use "scramblers" or other egg substitute but many are just the egg white, not yolk.

If you cannot give up something completely, trying mixing half of the real thing along with half substitute.

Go to Trader Joe's or Henry's or Whole Foods etc... and see what they have. Try something new from their shelves. I love these stores.

Answer 7

Good for you! Feels great doesn't it?

You can get "milk" ice cream, cheese, and puddings made out of rice, almonds, or soy. They are really good. Personal favourites? I would suggest rice cheeses (don't get vegan style! The non vegan has a tiny bit of casein (a milk protein) to hold it together but no rennet ( this is the lining of a calf's stomach used to make most regular dairy cheeses). Almond milk and tofutti or so good "ice cream" are Deli-sh!

Some further advice if I may?
1)Most veg. proteins are incomplete but, if you blend them they make a complete! They tend to fall into one of 3 groups.
Whole Grains, Legumes (peas and beans), and nuts or seeds. Any 2 foods taken from 2 different groups will work. So a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread...whole protein! Cereal with nuts or almond milk...whole protein! Rice and soy sauce...whole protein!
2)Your body will absorb iron from meat easily, to trick your body into thinking you have had meat...make sure you have some vitamin c with each veg. meal. Your system can't tell the difference!
3) If you try something...and don't like it. Try another brand. Alot of tofu products come in different textures no one is perfect for everyone!

Good Luck and good for you!

Answer 8

Go to the Vegan Society website - they have loads of advice about different substitutes you can get, plus info about products to watch out for that have 'unexpected' non-vegan ingredients.

You're very brave going from being a complete meat-lover to vegan, but the very best of good luck to you and kudos for doing it!

PS: Somebody upthread mentioned miso soup - it's great, but do beware and check the pack. I picked up one in Tesco a couple of months ago, and it was only when I was checking the instructions that I noticed it contained fish paste! The one and only time I forgot to check the ingredients when picking up a new product... Can't remember what brand it was now as I chucked it straight in the bin, but I think it had a red & black packet.

Answer 9

I'm vegetarian. I don't eat meat purely because I don't like the taste of it. I don't eat fish as I'd feel guilty being a fish keeper. There are good alternatives to milk, such as soya milk (it tastes just like skimmed milk), and oat milk. You can buy vegan cheese, but it is quite an acquired taste. I haven't managed to find a decent substitute for eggs yet.

It's up to you if you want to go totally vegan or just stay eating vegetarian. Don't let anyone "push" their consciences onto you.

Answer 10

There is actually a lot of vegan "cheese" and "milk" out there. It's really easy to find soy milk, but cheese is a little harder. There are a few vegan sites out there where you can find it; Some is really good.

Good luck!

Answer 11

Good for you Foxhunter (=! Well at least you will fit in with the other people in Veganvill now.

I am not sure if you are looking for food that will replace the texture and taste or milk and eggs, or if you are looking for foods that have the nutrients of eggs and dairy. So I will give you both. Good milk substitutes would be soy milk, rice milk and almond milk you can buy these beverages fortified as well. You can buy soy cheese (personally I have never tried it myself) the only ones I have found have casein (milk protein) casein has been known to irritate some peoples mucus membranes to produce extra mucus and even allergies. Nutritional yeast aka red star yeast tastes allot like mild cheese it is high in B vitamins including B12. It can be bought in health food stores. You can find recipes using nutritional yeast to make cheese like sauce, you can sprinkle it on pasta like Parmesan cheese, it even tastes good on popcorn. If you are concerned about calcium make sure you eat your greens, almost all plants contain calcium. Some other good sources are sesame seeds, oranges, almonds, carob, soy beans, tofu, brazil nuts.

As for the eggs you can buy egg replacer that works well in most baked items. Some people prepare tofu in certain way to simulate scrambled eggs ( I have never tried this myself) To get your omega 3 eat raw flax seed or sesame ground in a coffee grinder, sprinkle a tablespoon or more on salad, in wraps, hot cereal, pasta etc. Avocado is another good source of omega 3, a ripe avocado tastes great spread on toast, mashed into guacamole and dipped with tortilla chips, sliced up in salad, or in a sandwich, I even like it on its own. Raw nuts are another good source of healthy oils, almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazilnuts. I like to buy them in the shell and crack them myself.

Other than that do some research and learn how to balance out your diet. Knowledge is power!