General Chat

I suppose the real problem is not understanding the nutritional values of food, be it regular, veggie or vegan.
Sometimes catching half the story and making that the be all and end all of diets.

Interestingly I have just watched an episode of "come dine with me" where a vegetarian was most excited at the prospect of changing some of her guests predjudices.
She did have some success but this can have some serious ramifications for some on the fringes of vegetarianism etc.

My daughter who was always very slim, became so obsessed with eating the "right things" that she developed anorexia and just hovered like a stick for a couple of years.
Until recently she would still check the ingredients of every pack she bought which while being a very healthy attitude towards food, does end up being sort of scary.
When you see your child gradually wasting away with the knowledge that you can do nothing but pray, it really hits home.
Yes, you can put tubes in and force feed them but all you really want is for them to eat normally without telling you that the vegan next door does not eat more than three celery sticks for dinner followed by two litres of water because it's healthier that way.

Many of you may disagree, pointing out how healthy a veggie diet can be, BUT..............children are easily influenced and without all the facts, there can be problems.

Happily my daughter is now married, pregnant and eating for two...........
............and I can stop holding my breath !

A father.

Years ago we had friends who were Vegans - and who used to bring their own orange juice to our house when they came to see us. We thought this was a bit fanatical!!

Anyhow, when they got married, there were about 300 guests and out came bowls and bowls of green salad, no dressing, so we tucked in expecting nothing else. To our horror, when we were stuffed, out came 6 more courses of various things, including a type of macaroni, and we had to struggle to keep eating. The worst thing was the no-alcoholic "Passover" wine that they served which was terribly sweet.

When we left we were full but desperate for a pie and a pint on the way home!

PS they were very slim.

When I was first vegetarian the dining out choice was cheese salad which you don't always want in the evenings.

Probably the hardest thing to deal with was the fact that the beer making process involves a fish product,isinglass.

Like most vegetarians I yearned for bacon but made do with a Frazzles sandwich until veggi rashers became available.
I make a very good rasher roly with veg suet.

I'm not vegan or vegie but last year I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol 6.0 and weighing in at 14 stones.
Packed in the biscuits, chocolate,crisps, peanuts, cheese, processed foods, salt, pot noodles (sigh), red meat etc.
Porridge every morning, no lunch or snacks,and dinner of fish or chicken or pasta, plenty of vegetables and a large bowl of bran flakes / shredded wheat to finish
Four months later blood pressure is good, cholesterol 3.2 and I weigh 12 stones10 lbs.

As has been pointed out, whether you go vegie or full out vegan, you must ensure the correct vitamins and things are present in the diet.
Good luck.

I am very happy and don't miss the bad foods.
Had a few wee treats for christmas !

Maggie, o.h.'s stepmum does make a lot of nice dishes as o.h.'s father wouldn't accept being half starved, but it was in her early days of being a vegan that she didn't get it right and i suppose there wasn't so much choice of alternative things around. Unfortunately it has affected her bones and health from then but now everyone is happy to dine there..

Lizx

Not a lot to be said for it then!

Any particular reason why you have changed to this diet Chica?

Lizx

I went on a vegan diet about 1979 for six months and got elegantly slim or painfully thin depending on how fat the person speaking about me was.
Did not have an ache or pain anywhere and felt as fit as a fiddle. Spent the coldest winter I have ever felt and just could not get warm no matter how many clothes I had on because I was not eating anything warming. Breakfast one pound of fruit,lunch a salad, three bananas, four dates and seven almonds, afternoon tea one pound of water melon ,dinner a plate full of cooked vegetables plus a glass of carrot juice taken one hour before each meal. No water, tea or coffee or anything else worth eating or drinking and was always rushing to the toilet. A terribly monotonous diet to be on for the rest of your life.

I have been vege for 34 years and I am truly huge.

Over the years things have stopped using animal fat.Important things for your health like biscuits and chocolate.

Well done, I'm sure you will do well. Make sure you get enough protein and vitamins though. I am not vegan or vegetarian, just eat very little meat and no fish. A vegan or vegetarian diet has many advantages.
Happy New Year.

Nina, that was good going! Once o.h. gets more used to the restrictions and changes for his diabetes diagnosis, (he is seeing someone soon about the dietary changes he has to make as he can't seem to stick to them very well at the mo) I think it will help us both lose a bit of weight, if I could lose a stone or more I would be happy, just so I could get into more of my clothes that are currently packed away.

I assume you managed to keep the weight off but did you go back to eating meat?

Happy New Year,



Lizx

Hi Chica,good luck with your diet,I managed to lose 5st a few years ago on a vegetarian diet,easy as pie.

I don't think that I could have coped with the restrictions of a wholly vegan lifestyle.

You really have to have a good knowledge of nutrition to stay healthy without any animal products at all.

Once again,good luck and happy new year.

Nina from snowy Sheffield.

Not me Chica, but my o.h's stepmum is, and it makes it very difficult for us to buy her gifts, take her for a meal out or have her to visit. She is a sweet lady but has had huge health problems because of her diet and when her sons were younger I think around the time she met up with o.h.'s then non vegetarian father, her children were diagnosed with malnutrition. I am not sure but don't think they carried on being vegetarian even. One of her step grandsons is now vegetarian tho, not sure if he has gone the whole way with being vegan yet.
I hope you can keep up the diet if that's the way you want it. Step-mum does make some nice meals sometimes
If you are a chocoholic there are some lovely chocolates which I expect you can buy on line, called BoojaBooja that are vegan.

Hope you enjoy finding new recipes etc Was there any special reason that prompted this new diet?

Happy New Year

Lizxx

Now into my 3rd day of my diet. Can I keep it up?
Yes, yes, yes I can!
Any other vegans out there??
Chica