Guest guest Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Hi Laurie! I recently returned to the group myself. It is such a helpful one! For me, baking is important. I like to make muffins. I keep several bulk containers of GF flour mixes on hand for when the mood strikes. My favorites are by Connie Sarros and Bette Hagman. All I have to do is add the appropriate ingredients for the particular muffin, and bake. If I had to assemble all the various flours each and every time, I'd never do it! I'd keep it VERY simple when starting out. Stick to basic fruits, grains, and veggies, and you can't go wrong! I believe it was Dr. Fuhrman who said " the salad IS the meal " . That's good to remember when you think you're not eating " complete " meals, or when someone else criticizes your food choices! Fresh raw fruits and veggies are so important! Hopefully by now you've gone through your cabinets and eliminated the non-vegan/GF items from your cupboards and refrigerator. And hopefully you know how to read ingredient labels to find out any sources of hidden gluten or dairy in grocery items. That will assure you that your kitchen will stay " clean " and you won't have to think about avoiding things in your own kitchen! Find tasty replacements for familiar items, such as a good quality soy margarine to replace butter, and a " milk " you like. Invest in a few good vegan cookbooks--you'll find most of them have not got just recipes, but nutrition information and handy hints for cooking and shopping as well. Of course, you can get all that here too! I just happen to be a cookbook collector, and always have been, long before I heard the words " gluten " or " vegan " . And maybe you need a good white flour or egg substitute RIGHT NOW and don't have time to ask online. That's when cookbooks come in handy. Sounds like you're off to a great start! Marilyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Thank you Marilyn, I realized after I pressed send that I hadn't mentioned that we've also been dairy free for most of a year-we're both allergic evidently. So yes, we've got the dairy replacements and the wheat replacement pieces all down! And replacing eggs is pretty easy also. I've even discovered to my amazement that I REALLY like tofu scrambles, maybe even better than I ever liked scrambled eggs (zucchini and bell pepper and thyme) It's really about finishing off the no meat part, the " is this a complete meal without a slab of...(fill in the blank). " I know the answer is yes-I've studied plenty of nutrition texts. But there's also an emotional shift-I guess that's what I'm really asking for help with. And you gave some good words for that too! Thanks! I love cookbooks also. I have many shelves stuffed with them. And it's kind of fun to have a new challenge and flip through many of them again to see which recipes I overlooked in the past that might fit the current scene. It's actually the vegetarian cookbooks that are the most difficult! My older ones are all about cheese, from the days when we worried too much about protein. (I was vegetarian for a while years ago. I gained a lot of weight. gotta watch it this time.) But there's a Moosewood chili on the stove right now (minus the bulgur) and some gf corn muffins in the oven. That looks like dinner to me! Thanks again. Laurie <lbilyeu lbilyeu _____ On Behalf Of sahmomof8 Monday, January 15, 2007 3:25 PM Re: New and questions Hi Laurie! I recently returned to the group myself. It is such a helpful one! For me, baking is important. I like to make muffins. I keep several bulk containers of GF flour mixes on hand for when the mood strikes. My favorites are by Connie Sarros and Bette Hagman. All I have to do is add the appropriate ingredients for the particular muffin, and bake. If I had to assemble all the various flours each and every time, I'd never do it! I'd keep it VERY simple when starting out. Stick to basic fruits, grains, and veggies, and you can't go wrong! I believe it was Dr. Fuhrman who said " the salad IS the meal " . That's good to remember when you think you're not eating " complete " meals, or when someone else criticizes your food choices! Fresh raw fruits and veggies are so important! Hopefully by now you've gone through your cabinets and eliminated the non-vegan/GF items from your cupboards and refrigerator. And hopefully you know how to read ingredient labels to find out any sources of hidden gluten or dairy in grocery items. That will assure you that your kitchen will stay " clean " and you won't have to think about avoiding things in your own kitchen! Find tasty replacements for familiar items, such as a good quality soy margarine to replace butter, and a " milk " you like. Invest in a few good vegan cookbooks--you'll find most of them have not got just recipes, but nutrition information and handy hints for cooking and shopping as well. Of course, you can get all that here too! I just happen to be a cookbook collector, and always have been, long before I heard the words " gluten " or " vegan " . And maybe you need a good white flour or egg substitute RIGHT NOW and don't have time to ask online. That's when cookbooks come in handy. Sounds like you're off to a great start! Marilyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Laurie--That's exactly what trips me up every time--the lure of meat. When one is raised on it, it is SO hard to not ever have it! And when people all around us are eating it, it's nearly impossible not to backslide--at least for me. I have gone back and forth so many times, even though I KNOW a vegan diet is healthier, and I would really benefit from sticking to it. I consider meat eating an addiction, stronger than cigarettes or heroin! Hope you enjoyed your chili! Marilyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 You might be right about the addiction factor! It's the kind of thing I have to be convinced of at a pretty deep level in order to be consistent. I believe at this point I am. I don't have everything purged from the kitchen yet. Still have some chicken bouillon I will use up, for instance. It's not like when I purged the house of gluten and even the wooden spoons and the toaster had to go! We did enjoy the chili. Here's the funny part. My son, though an adventurous eater, has never liked chili. Yesterday he said he thought he might like it. So I made it with an eye toward delicious flavor but not too much " heat " which I thought would be what he'd object to. His response? " Not much flavor mom. " I had to give him cumin to shake on it. Laurie <lbilyeu lbilyeu _____ On Behalf Of sahmomof8 Tuesday, January 16, 2007 7:41 AM Re: New and questions Laurie--That's exactly what trips me up every time--the lure of meat. When one is raised on it, it is SO hard to not ever have it! And when people all around us are eating it, it's nearly impossible not to backslide--at least for me. I have gone back and forth so many times, even though I KNOW a vegan diet is healthier, and I would really benefit from sticking to it. I consider meat eating an addiction, stronger than cigarettes or heroin! Hope you enjoyed your chili! Marilyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Hi Marilyn; Are you taking a substantial dose of vitamin B12 daily? Anyone who completely avoids animal products does need to take B12, so if you aren't yet, it would be a good idea to get started with that and see if that helps ease your transition. Many people need to supplement B12 anyway. While we only use a very tiny amount of B12 every day, absorbing it can be difficult so you may want to take a minimum of 250 micrograms per day to ensure good uptake. The limits on absorption guarantee no worries about taking too much, so it's better to take more than enough than too little. You're absolutely right about the addictive power of eating meat. Dr. Neal Barnard explains about this in his book Breaking the Food Seduction. It offers help in breaking the cycle. Wishing you all the best... Deborah Laurie--That's exactly what trips me up every time--the lure of meat. When one is raised on it, it is SO hard to not ever have it! And when people all around us are eating it, it's nearly impossible not to backslide--at least for me. I have gone back and forth so many times, even though I KNOW a vegan diet is healthier, and I would really benefit from sticking to it. I consider meat eating an addiction, stronger than cigarettes or heroin! Hope you enjoyed your chili! Marilyn . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Deborah, I don't know if you meant to talk to me or Marilyn, but it was good advice anyway. We do supplement B12, and everything else as well. I've just had blood tests though, one at least to check on nutrient absorption. My doc thinks I'm not feeling as well as I should after a year gf because I have been unable to absorb my food for so long and I can't catch up. I'm looking forward to getting the results next week. I've been reading Barnard's books recently. Haven't gotten that one yet, though, so I'll go check it out now! Thanks. Laurie <lbilyeu lbilyeu _____ On Behalf Of Deborah Pageau Tuesday, January 16, 2007 2:18 PM Re: New and questions Hi Marilyn; Are you taking a substantial dose of vitamin B12 daily? Anyone who completely avoids animal products does need to take B12, so if you aren't yet, it would be a good idea to get started with that and see if that helps ease your transition. Many people need to supplement B12 anyway. While we only use a very tiny amount of B12 every day, absorbing it can be difficult so you may want to take a minimum of 250 micrograms per day to ensure good uptake. The limits on absorption guarantee no worries about taking too much, so it's better to take more than enough than too little. You're absolutely right about the addictive power of eating meat. Dr. Neal Barnard explains about this in his book Breaking the Food Seduction. It offers help in breaking the cycle. Wishing you all the best... Deborah Laurie--That's exactly what trips me up every time--the lure of meat. When one is raised on it, it is SO hard to not ever have it! And when people all around us are eating it, it's nearly impossible not to backslide--at least for me. I have gone back and forth so many times, even though I KNOW a vegan diet is healthier, and I would really benefit from sticking to it. I consider meat eating an addiction, stronger than cigarettes or heroin! Hope you enjoyed your chili! Marilyn .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Deborah--Thanks for the book suggestion, and for the B12 info! Marilyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.