Help and Advice!

[Bunny]

Hey Everyone,

I am after some advice, guidance and general help about veganism in general. I really struggle with many aspects diet-wise. I miss cheese and milk chocolate a lot and can't find anything similar that is vegan (e.g. a Mars bar). I hate it that I find it so hard, I really do, but I find it hard.

I know that a lot of others find the transition much easier. For some, the very idea of what has gone on in order to have cheese/chocolate/milk is enough to stop them from craving those things, but I find it really difficult.

I suppose I wondered how long it has taken some of you to be totally not missing those things (if you ever did). Also, what (if anything) made it easier? Any tips? Encouragement?

I feel bad, but want to be enjoying this process, rather than spending time missing things.

Thank you :)

[Pob]

There is a choccy bar that's a bit like a mars bar. It's in a purple and black wrapper and says vegan in huge letters. There's quite a few other vegan choc bars too.

If it's junk food you're craving there are plenty of (accidentally) vegan sweets.
Starburst, most Turkish Delight, most supermarket after dinner mints, softmints, lots of boiled sweets, Ritter sport marzipan (and probably some of the other flavours).

Get some Blue Dragon smoked tofu! It's brilliant. Raw it makes good substitute for smoked cheese in a sarnie. I think it would be nice in a toasted sandwich with sliced apple. Or slice it thin and fry it till it's crispy and it's like bacon.

Alpro/provamel chocolate desserts are a life saver for me. Help me not to eat so much chocolate. They do a new darker chocolate flavour, too.

I think the best advice is just to have lots of vegan alternatives to the things you crave to hand. I know it's harder for you cos there will be non-vegan stuff all around you.

[Bunny]

Thank you!

There are some cool ideas. It is true that it is hard having all the non-vegan stuff to hand, but I need to get more vegan treats to hand. I will look out for the purple mars bar-ish things. I definitely need to get to Canterbury wholefoods again - I miss it! There is absolutely nothign like that here that I have found yet. Where do you get the blue dragon smoked Tofu from? I can only find Cauldron stuff here, but that is quite nice. NEver thought about having any raw....

I need to work on organisation. I leave the house at 7.45, get home at about 4.30, do tea for the kids and my other half then work all evening, so I never seem to find the time to get myself sorted with meals and thigns and end up living on Marmite. I am so dopey at times - who would want to be vegan if all they ate was marmite on toast?!! :P

I bought a whole load of vegan goodies today - including those Alpro desserts. The kids love them too!

I buy the Alpro chilled soya milk as it's the only one I can get to work well in coffee. I have tried other types of milk (oatly, rice dream etc) but don't like them as much. The chilled one is quite expensive compared to the non-chilled stuff, but I haven't tried the non-chillled and get a bit nervous at the thought it may be horrid! I am so odd. Are they all okay?!!

*toddles off to read food threads*

[Pob]

We have the secret to non-curdly coffee.
Use real coffee grounds in a caffetiere, but use 3 teaspoons for the full thing, rather than 3 tablespoons, quick stir, plunge and pour into mug that already has soya milk in. That makes coffee about as strong as instant, but it doesn't curdle.

We get the tofu from Canterbury Wholefoods. It's not like the cauldron stuff at all.

[Bunny]

a ha! I knew there would be a secret. I am definitely going to have to come down to Kent in half term. Definitely!!

[Gliondrach]

Soya Soleil soya milk is nice. About 72p. I buy the unsweetened. Morrison's own brand is quite nice too. About 69p. I don't know if you know, but if the milk curdles in coffee you need to add more until the curdleness goes away. I don't know where it goes to but it does. I've never tried the Pob method of making uncurdled coffee. I am not really a coffee drinker. And I don't have a posh, lardi-dah caffyteeair-thing.

Cheezly is the best uncheese I've had. Although I've only had two types. It comes in a 'chedar' style and, I think, a 'cheshire' style. Nice in sandwiches or on toast.


If you like tinned soup - handy for a quick snack with some bread - the Co-op sells Hawkwood soups and now Suma. The Hawkwood leek and potato is nice. I've just bought some Suma carrot and coriander but haven't tried it yet.

Green and Black make some nice dark chocolate. Maya gold and bitter cherry. And plain chocolate without any other flavour.

[Fauxmage]

I can't add much to the advice you are getting here Bunny, mostly because I'm not in the UK and don't know what goodies are available. I think it is good to discover a collection of vegan favorites you can rely on, if you find tasty subs. For some people, though, abstaining completely, for at least a year, from cheese especially, is more helpful than trying to find subs right away. Also, giving something a second try, that you didn't like the first time, can sometimes surprise you with pleasant results.

Its not always easy to retrain your palate to like new things, so don't be discouraged if it takes longer than you want, or if it takes you longer than it takes other people. Everyone's different!

[Bunny]

Wow - fantastic advice everyone thanks!

My life revolves around food too Tabs! I spend all my time either thinking about it or eating it!

I will have to look at H&B, time is so difficult to come by. I think I'll start a petition for more hours in a day. That would help a lot.

A recipe for vegan MArs bars? Stunning! I'd love it! Thank you :)

Adding more milk makes it uncurdle? Wow! That's like scientific magic. I shall try that and the posh way too ;)

A little bit a day is achievable. I will get there... :)

[Pob]

Personally I've never managed to uncurdle coffee by adding more soya milk.

Have you tried tins of braised tofu? They make great sandwich filling mashed up with mayola and sweetcorn. Perhaps with some or all of the following: chopped tomato, spring onions, grated gherkin, seaweed. I usually go with all of that :thumbsup: Lovely in a part baked baguette.

[Gliondrach]

You've never managed to uncurdle curdled soya milk!? You must be possessed.

[Bunny]

No... I've never tried braised tofu! That sounds really nice in a sandwich. I am going to try the uncurdling thing tomorrow at work.

I've just discovered those rice cakes covered in dark chocolate (by Kallo I think) and they are very more-ish...

[Pob]

Yeah, those Kallo ricecakes are good. The yeast extract ones are nice too.

[Bunny]

I've known about the yeast extract ones for a while. When I was pregnant with Alex I became rather obsessed with them. Mmmmmm ... hungry again!

[Bunny]

Thank you Tails!

I have discovered today, that is I put the milk in a cup and heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then add the hot water, then add the coffee, that it doesn't curdle! This will help a lot at work :)

I will look at the marmite biscuits. I adore marmite!

[Gliondrach]

Too complicated. If you are stranded on Dartmoor with just a Swiss Army knife, you will have to do the adding-more-milk solution.

[Bunny]

Or I could rub sticks together and build a fire, gently lower the mug into the flames and heat the milk that way?

[Pob]

Back on topic.

ASDA do some bags of kids sweets that are vegan. They're labelled veggie, but have no non-vegan ingredients. We bought some to give out at halloween. Two types of laces, some orange tubey things and some cola tubey things. I'm hoping the kids don't come round :whistle:

Also they do bags of fruit jellies that are really good. We may have bought some of them and accidentally sampled them all.

[Bunny]

On topic? What's that?!

Kids sweets.... I think I'll run off to Asda NOW! I love sweets. I think the trick to me being a perfect vegan is to have plenty of crap around for me to stuff my face with when the urge takes me.

The urge currently takes me about every 2 0r 3 minutes!

[Pob]

Oooh and there were mint creams, too. I think they're like the centre of Bendicks Bittermints, but without the chocolate. They looked nice but we didn't get any.

Most of the kids sweets have gelatine in, though. There's just a few that are labelled vegetarian, and as long as they don't have milk products or beeswax, they should be ok.

[Bunny]

Fan-bloody-tastic! I can't wait.

32 stone by the end of the year? End of the month.... :D

My other half was asking me about the forums and I explained that vegans are obsessed with food. Every time he wondered what I was talking about... FOOD!!

[Bunny]

Woohoo!

So far I have been really pleased with myself. I have been so good with everything. I've managed to find time to plan what I'm going to eat and I have really enjoyed being able to do that. I know that the kind ofthings I find difficult are when I am unprepared. I think the first birthday at work will be tricky, unless I plan for it. People bring in chocolates and if I am hungry and weak I know I'll find that hard.

I am conscious of trying to do this more healthily this time round as I often sink to tonnes of marmite on toast and tonnes of chocolate rice cakes and Maya Gold.

I had the Cauldron marinated Tofu for the first time tonight. I fried it til it was crispy and then fried leeks, garlic and cabbage for ages til they went gorgeous. Tonnes of couscous and that all jumbled up together was scrummy. Even my partner thought it was nice. I think it was the first time that I had got Tofu to taste that nice. REally crsipy on the outside and all squidgey on the inside.

Day by day :)

[Pob]

I can't find where Tails was asking about bagels, so I'll answer here.

New York Bagel Co Bagels are labelled vegan on the bottom of the pack. I dunno if they are all vegan, but Asda had 3 flavours and they all were.

The Food Doctor do seeded bagels that are vegan, too.

[Bunny]

So much help! Thank everyone. I am finding everything okay so far. I am plannign a run to Asda tomorrow to stock up on snacks (and childrens sweets). Enjoying it so far!

Tonight I am doing a test. I have had two migraines in my whole life. The last one was after I'd had some Maya Gold. It was about two months ago. Tonight I am trying MAya Gold again to see if it's a trigger. If it is, what migrain remedies are vegan? (No intention of foregoing Maya Gold!)

[Bunny]

But why? *is stunned and dismayed in equal measure*

[Bunny]

Oh bugger it. I just read the packet. It always bloody used to be. *sobs uncontrollably and hands the packet over to Steve*

[Bunny]

And I was about to eat it. I bet I'll get a migraine caused by sheer disappointment now. :((

[Bunny]

I am happy that Maya gold is as vegan as it ever was, and it didn't give me a migraine. I got some After Eights today. Not the normal ones, some wrapped ones and I have just discovered they contain butterfat :( . I haven't had any, luckily.

I'll look on that site, thanks Tails :)

[Oracl]

Wouldn't it be great if there was a 'vegan scanner' machine in all shops so that you could quickly scan any suspect foods to check their veganness! :daydream:

[Bunny]

It would be nice if Manufacturers had to say "Not suitable for vegans" or "suitable for vegans" by LAW.

I am forever reading stuff only to come home and find out it's not good to eat :(

[Gliondrach]

The Co-op has a 'suitable for vegans' note on their own products that are suitable. But you need to check every time because they sometimes take things off their suitableness list.

[Bunny]

I really wonder why firms do this. Why change something to definitely cut out a part of your customer base :confused:

[veggiesosage]

Wouldn't it be great if there was a 'vegan scanner' machine in all shops so that you could quickly scan any suspect foods to check their veganness! :daydream:

This isn't that far fetched. You can get an app for iphones to enable them to read bar codes. So if the Vegan Society were to pay some techy to combine it with a database based on the Animal Free Shopper you'd be away.

Not that the Vegan Society would ever be forward thinking enough to do this cos they're a bunch of luddites.

[Bunny]

IT would be great! Someone (nominates Veggie) should take it to the Dragon's Den!