Vegan for January

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If you want a lot of free recipes you can look at Veganuary
veganuary.com/recipes/
If you sign up with them they send you lots of ideas too.

Just seen this thread and hope all who went vegan in January found it worthwhile.
Like others I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years now and am trying to transition to veganism. I have given up milk, I use almond/cocunut milks which are fine. I didn’t buy or use butter before so no hardship there, and I have had no issue with ditching eggs as I rarely ate them anyway! Cheese is my weakness, I especially love halloumi cheese and Stilton neither of which I think you can get vegan versions of? I am trying not to buy cheese at the moment to avoid temptation.
I am lucky here, as our Waitrose has a lovely large range of vegan foods and that’s my nearest supermarket. the small shops all stock soya milk, and we have two really excellent health food shops, one of which attaches to a cafe is exclusively vegan.
The current trendiness of the vegetarian/ vegan life style is a huge benefit to us long standing veggies, as the choice and availability of veggie/vegan food has expanded hugely?

Confession: I'm not a veggie or a vegan and I still love meat. HOWEVER....I want to try and move more towards both for many reasons, both ethical, ecological and health-related.
I'm trying to eat a much more plant-based diet, moving gradually so any small changes become permanent.
DD1 is veggie and is moving towards a more vegan diet. I can see the benefits and I want to incorporate more vegan cooking into our diet. I'm really enjoying experimenting with spices and ingredients I'd never used before too. I want to learn more.
What I'd like are recommendations for really good vegan recipe books. Nothing too trendy, filled with pretty pictures and smoothie recipes (I don't do smoothies - I still have my teeth). And preferably something not USA in origin, though that isn't a deal-breaker if the book is good. I struggle with their use of 'cups' of this and that, not to mention ingredients unavailable in the UK. I'd like a book where a good proportion of the recipes are main meals , preferably, plus some for home baking and salads. Does anyone have a favourite book they return to again and again? If so, I'd love to know.
I see this as a journey and an exciting and enjoyable one, but eating out is a minefield, of course, which is why I'm still opting for meat dishes in many restaurants and pubs which generally don't offer anything really tempting for veggies, let alone vegans.
Haven't yet had time to read many posts on this thread, but I will!

My three daughters, all in their 20s, were brought up as vegetarians and have happily remained so. They are virtually vegan now. They have rarely been ill, only one of them has ever received antibiotics, they have excellent teeth. They are all very active, all run and one does marathons, her current time is 3 hours, 20 minutes.

It's not difficult to construct a tasty and nourishing diet without meat or fish. Rose Elliot was an early inspiration for me. Tofu is an excellent source of calcium as is broccoli. Protein is provided by a good mix of foods especially using pulses with a variety of vegetables.

I now live near a dairy farm and walking past the barn containing the calves saddens me. They are kept in little compartments according to age and the poor little things huddle together and suck each others ears. The mothers call for hours after they are removed. I think the farmer is a kind enough man but it's a business and I don't feel I want that on my conscience.

Surprised at the number of veggies or vegans on Gransnet.
I’m not getting evangelical about this, nobody cares what I eat but it feels quite exciting so far.
I rarely eat processed food anyway and don’t want things which are meant to look like meat. I enjoy cooking fresh food and have discovered decent vegan cheese, milk and butter. Pulses, nuts and seeds are good foods and I can still eat most carbohydrates and all fruits, salads and vegetables.
This is far easier than expected.

properties, sorry.

That would be an interesting book to look at, Jane, and finding out how practical the ideas would be now.
We are doing things like growing grapes and quinoa now in this country, because of the change in climate. Not sure I'd want to see the whole of the countryside covered in polytunnels to grow peppers, but places like Harlow Carr could find out what hardy peppers there are, etc.
Most National Trust proerties now grow their own veg, just as in pre-industrialisation of farming.

I have a book called ‘Good things in England’ published in 1932.
The author went round the country collecting recipes. It’s amazing what people ate less than 100 years ago, how much regional variation there was, and how much people utilised wild food.

jen when you think how much people’s diets have changed in the last 70 years, I think it’s quite possible that almost everyone will be vegan in 100 years’ time.
There will be a tipping point when it becomes easier to eat vegan food than non-vegan food, and more socially acceptable to be vegan than non-vegan.
Thank you for the link, I’ll look later.

From DJ's link:
"Science is rapidly coming to the conclusion that a diet high in alkalising plant foods, coupled with regular weight-bearing exercise, is the way to grow healthy bones and preserve them. Forget the white milk moustache – it should be green!"

Not likely, is it, Jane?

You could possibly find out what you want from

www.viva.org.uk

Here's a link to their research on osteoporosis.

www.vivahealth.org.uk/bones

They don't make it any more than people do.

Citations, please.

Where do you think animals get their vitamin B12?
They don't make it any more than people do.
B12 comes from microorganisms in the stomach.
B12 deficiency is much more common in the elderly who are taking stomach acid suppressants, particularly PPIs.

Other than dairy, there are other ways of getting calcium.
eg sardines, salmon, white beans almonds and some green veg.
I would love to be vegan at the moment, we're trying to eat all the meat and chicken in our big freezer before we move and I'm sick of it! We did have fish today.

I would like to know what the impact would be if the entire population of the UK were to follow a vegan diet.
What proportion if our food could be grown here, and what effect would it have on the countries supplying the things that can’t be grown here?
I’m not having a go at anyone BTW, I’d just like to know what research has been done and what conclusions were reached.

Vitamin B12 is more easily obtained from animal products, I would be seriously concerned about a shortage of this vitamin on a vegan diet.

It is now thought that dairy does not increase the uptake of calcium because it binds to protein and cannot be used.

That may not be the best advice Arty. I encourage you to look at other sources of calcium as well as the other minerals and vitamins needed for strong bones. Obviously I do not recommend going against medical advice but if you do some research on the internet you may be surprised.

durhamjen that is very reassuring. A vegan diet is so different to what I was raised on. As long as GS grows and thrives then I will be happy. Maybe I should give it a go myself but as I have osteoporosis I have been advised to take in lots of dairy.

How much protein do you think a child needs?

I have five grandchildren, from 4 months to 24 years.
None of them have touched meat. One of them eats fish occasionally. One has been vegan for years. She is no less healthy than the others.
More to the point, none of them are obese, or even overweight. The 15 year old does 10k runs, and has run 10 miles. The others dance and swim and play sports, apart from the 4 month old, obviously.

www.vivahealth.org.uk/healthfeatures/viva-mamas

It may be ok for fully grown adults but I worry that a child being brought up as vegan will not have the required protein needed for growth etc. My SIL is vegan but he supplements with protein powders. This seems contrary to the natural unprocessed foods which veganism is about.

I'd just ask those using almond milk if you've researched how many almonds it takes to make a carton and how much of California's scarce water is consumed by this industry?

Like many other gransnetters I have been a vegetarian for many years now and am doing my best to become a vegan. I think even if we can't do it all, it is still possible to instigate change a step at a time and I am delighted to read all the informative posts. Education is needed in some cases, e.g. I met a youngish woman at Christmas who had been give some choc covered insects as a gift. They are veggie aren't they? she said.......