Is anyone here vegan or vegetarian?

@Slayer22

Iwant to become vegetarian

Hi!

I am a vegeterian or possibly even vegan :)

My vegetarianism recipe is a mixed bag: a little desire, a little willpower, a little luck, with a dash of consciousness and conviction in my ideas. I never thought I'd become a vegetarian, but life is so complicated :)

In short, I first stopped eating meat.A year or a year and a half passed and I went back to eating meat, even though I realized I no longer had the desire to eat it. A year or so later i ran over a pigeon on the road, and since that day I've never touched meat.

And not long ago, maybe about a year, I tried to give up dairy products. I gave up eggs and milk easily; I can't even look at eggs. Cheese was more difficult  — it's everywhere, but gradually, without being too stubborn, day by day, I stopped eating it too.

In general, my main idea is this: animals are just the other nations.

I've been a vegetarian for about eight years now, and one of the most important lessons I've learned is that I don't listen to fanatics and opponents of vegetarianism.

I also try not to listen to most doctors, dietitians, nutritionists and the like—there's a sea of ​​them, they contradict themselves, don't know what they're talking about, and so on.

Although I'm always open to healthy and calm opinions and discussions.

I'm neither but I dabble because I just slowly craved less meat over the years. Have you tried vegan cheese?

Perhaps you could wean off eggs or just eat them? 

Some people like the meat free substitutions like veggie sausages and some prefer them not tasting like meat at all.

@Slayer22

Hey there. I'm a vegetarian, always been. I do consume dairy products.

@Slayer22 You can still enjoy burgers eggs etc and be vegan you just gotta buy the right stuff. I eat impossible burgers (I buy the patties, nuggets, etc:) another good brand is beyond beef. They're a little pricey but I dont mind since I'm not incentivizing animal cruelty indirectly. 

Also a good vegan egg brand I love been using for a few months is called "just egg". 

Also Oatly and So Delicious are good dairy free ice creams. Oatly is actually vegan ice cream but $5 a cup for me is a little much so I freeze my bananas and berries I put them in a blender with some ice and almond milk and I make my own vegan ice cream at home.

@Slayer22

I've been vegan for about 20 years. I was vegetarian for about 6 months beforehand.

Was motivated by ethical reasons (factory farming). I was young when I started and kind of morally shocked by what I came across, so I was pretty angry and fiercely determined to make the shift happen. As a result, the transition happened effortlessly and didn't feel like a sacrifice for me. I know that's not the case for most people.

Nutrition-wise, it's not hard to get enough protein as long as you're willing to eat beans/legumes (or healthy processed forms like tofu, tempeh, etc.) The main nutrients of concern that need conscious attention to avoid deficiencies are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and omega-3's.

Things that come to mind taste/sustainability-wise:

• I think it makes things easier if instead of trying to find 1-to-1 substitutes for old foods, you focus on finding things that taste good to you that are cheap and easy to make. Your favorite food/recipe might be something that you've never tried yet. Plant-based substitutes have improved dramatically taste-wise in the past 5 years or so, but they're still often expensive, unhealthy, or might not taste exactly like the original.

• Eggs have some possible substitutes depending on the application. (E.g. in baking, ground flaxseeds + water can mimic the binding/textural effect of eggs. There are tofu scramble recipes that mimic the texture of scrambled eggs.)

• I remember loving cheese when I was younger. If you enjoy cheese, you might look for other foods that have a similar flavor profile (e.g. salty/savory, umami-rich, fermented). Nowadays I really love soy sauce, miso paste, nutritional yeast, olives, kimchi, pickled foods, etc.

• If you dislike certain foods, don't force yourself to eat them. Chances are that there are alternatives that you'll enjoy a lot more that accomplish the same nutritional goals. (E.g. most non-vegetarians I know eat raw vegetables in the form of salads. I dislike raw vegetables and instead eat a bunch of cooked vegetables. Instead of lettuce, I'm getting my leafy greens through kale/spinach.)

• Spices are really amazing (borderline mandatory) for making things taste good.