ERIN - Confessions of a wannabe vegan

[Guest guest]

This is great, Pat! Thanks for all the super info! So much handier

than reading a vegan cookbook. I'll definitely be looking through

the recipes you mentioned to get vegan ideas. I'm excited to be in

this group!

 

 

 

-- In , " Pat " <drpatsant wrote:

>

> Hello there, Erin

>

> I have a comment on the soy topic, but first: Welcome to our group

(although I see that

> you have been been made welcome by Marie, one of our moderators,

while I've been away

> and have been chatting with other members too. Great!) I do hope you

enjoy the group.

> We love to chat, and to exchange recipes and food information, menu

ideas, etc., and to

> solve various problems connected with the vegetarian lifestyle. And

sometimes we just like

> to chat! LOL We're pretty informal here, and although the group is

themed towards hot and

> spicy vegetarian food, we welcome recipes of all kinds (as long as

they're vegetarian), so

> you might like to look through our Files for those! If there's

anything you can't find, just

> let us know and someone probably knows a recipe for it or has an idea

>

> Now about soy. You recently wrote:

>

> > I merely

> > wondered if anyone else has faced health problems since adopting the

> > vegetarian diet, and what people generally link about the link between

> > soy and health problems. Soy is a pretty controversial food!

>

> Okay, first about the controversy - that's a hot one, because so

much of the research that

> has been done to show that soy is 'bad' for us has been funded by

and popularized by the

> dairy industry and others (non-veg protein producers) - therefore

much of it is pretty

> suspect. Otoh, some people do have a problem with soy just as some

have a problem with

> other foodstuffs. And most of us do better without an overload of

processed food of any

> kind. We are all different, and various hereditary and cultural

factors get in the way of any

> usefulness in exchanging information on what does and doesn't suit

each one of us - not

> to mention differing medical problems and physical makeup.

>

> If you think you may have a problem with soy, then I'd like to make

a suggestion - not a

> very radical one really - that you try cutting it out of your diet

for a few weeks. Substitute

> beans or lentils for tofu or soy faux me*t products OR use seitan

(which is from gluten)

> and has a great texture. (I'd add something called 'Quorn' but that

isn't vegan, and you say

> you are now following a vegan diet and I can't in all conscience try

to steer you away from

> that.) As for dairy, you could do without the soy cheez for this

short time, and use rice or

> almond milk (there are others too) instead of soy milk. Then see how

you feel. You may

> find no difference whatsoever, then you will probably have to look

elsewhere for the cause

> of your malaise. But you might find it does the trick. Then you will

be like quite a few

> vegetarians and vegans who either don't like to use soy or just

don't trust it, for whatever

> reason, and can keep on without it altogether. It's just an idea.

>

> For myself, I use soy - but not much and not often (although I do

confess to pigging out

> on a new brand of vegan cheez some weeks ago LOL). A package of

tofu, for example, will

> almost always do three or four times for my dh and myself - and we

certainly don't have

> anything with soy more than a couple of times a week unless the

circumstances are

> unusual. Some weeks go by without using it at all, unless you count

a little tamari or miso

> to flavour a soup or a sauce.

>

> Before a very dear member reminds me of the uses of the faux me*ts I

will say this in their

> defence: some of them are very tasty and all of them, if liked, are

a very handly product

> under some circumstances: veggieburgers and soydogs at a barbecue,

faux deli me*ts for

> a quick luncheon sandwich or picnic fare (likewise soy cheez), and

the marinated chikken

> cutlets as an example of something that can be smothered in a sauce

of your choice and

> added to a potato and salad for a quick but pleasing meal. AND, as

has been discussed

> before on this group, faux me*ts are a lifesaver for stuffing into

casseroles, soups and

> stews (as well as the above items mentioned) for people who are in

transition from an

> omnivore to a vegetarian diet. It lets one feel, well, 'normal' -

you know? But they are

> processed, have things in them that are hard to pronounce, and

shouldn't be eaten in the

> same quantities that omnivores eat, er, the 'real' thing. We

generally stick to tofu, as

> stated, tempeh (which is a fermented Indonesian invention and is

delicious), and various

> kinds of miso for soups and sauces, etc., and those, as I have said,

not often.

>

> A tip: Whenever I need a boost in energy I go mad over eating greens

- all kinds of greens

> - in smoothies (with bananas and berries), in soups, steamed, or

raw. Works like a charm!

>

> Okay, I've gone on too long

>

> Welcome, again! Write in often and enjoy the group.

>

> Love and hugs, Pat (Group Owner)

>