As the year draws to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about this space and what I can do in the new year to challenge myself (and hopefully you) in new ways. It probably doesn’t come across this way on the blog, but I often struggle with questions like – What am I doing to make a difference? What can I do to help people and animals? Am I growing on a personal level? Lately, these questions have gone mostly unanswered. Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing my recipes with you (and I know it makes a positive difference based on your feedback – thank you), so I have no plans to stop recipe development. It’s something I enjoy immensely more days than not. But there are other things I could be doing and I’ve felt this pull at my heart strings a lot in recent months. With only weeks to go until my cookbook manuscript is due, I’m feeling worn out and I’m sure this a big reason for the rut I feel like I’m stuck in. The good thing about a rut is that it usually prompts a change for the better (with time). Discomfort prompts motion.
In spirit of change, I’m starting a series on veganism this year – simple posts that can make the transition to a plant-based diet easier. I’m really excited about this. To be honest, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for over a year now, but I tend to suffer from the mindset that if I can’t do it exactly right or if I don’t know all the answers, then I shouldn’t do it at all. Well, this is a rather silly way to go through life, don’t you think? The truth is, I’m the only one holding myself back. I want to share whatever it is that I can offer and trust that it will be helpful for some of you. Even if you have no desire of going vegan or if you are already a vegan yourself, I still hope that this series will be inspiring and peak some curiosity about things you may want to know more about.
Here are some examples of questions I receive every week:
What can I replace yogurt with?
What’s a substitute for sour cream?
I have no idea what to do. Do you have a vegan 101 Series I can read through to get started?
What do you eat each day?
How do I get protein?
What the bleep is a flax egg????
What do I do if I have a craving for an old food?
Why do you soak beans and nuts? Will my husband fart less if I soak his nuts? (Yes someone wrote this once…I almost spit out my drink.)
I want to start TODAY…help me!
It occurred to me that it would be more helpful if I posted my experiences on the blog, rather than simply via email. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that a vegan diet isn’t about what you take away; it’s really about what you add in. I didn’t know this for a long time. For every food that I decided to forgo, I eventually added at least a handful of new, vibrant foods in its place. But first, I had to learn what it is I could add into my diet. This wasn’t easy for me in the beginning and I suspect it’s not for many. Three and a half years into it, I’m still very much learning.
To make this series a success, it’s important for me to have your feedback and input. I’d love to know some of the questions you are struggling with right now or perhaps things you struggled with in the past but triumphed over. Everyone loves a good success story, myself included. [Side note: I’m considering the return of reader success stories, perhaps in a Q & A format – would you enjoy this feature again on OSG?]
For those of you who are making some changes to your diet in 2013, I hope you’ll find this series timely and helpful in your journey. More on all of this very soon.
For more in this series, see:
Part 1: How To Make The Transition
Part 2: Replacing Dairy Milk
Part 3: Homemade Oat Milk
Part 4: Homemade Almond Milk
Part 5: Ten Tips for eating out as a vegan
I wish you a happy, fun, and safe New Year’s surrounded by the people you love! Happy New Year to you all. Thank you for reading Oh She Glows and bringing me into your home each week. I bid farewell to 2012 filled with gratitude.
Love this idea, Angela! I know I used to get this a lot: “You can’t be a vegan because you used to be anorexic/restrict.” That mostly came from dietitians and nutritionists because there’s this huge misconception that veganism is synonymous with restricting, and that’s just not the case at all. I love showing friends and family that you can absolutely be healthy (mentally and physically) on a vegan diet and that you aren’t compromising taste by being a vegan either. In fact, going vegan after my last inpatient treatment for my eating disorder (over a year ago!) was what helped me sustain my recovery for so long. I actually find that veganism is one of the biggest things that helps me stay in recovery and even though I’ve had my slips, I’m able to remember the tools that helped me live a happier and healthier life (e.g. veganism, yoga, spending time in nature, & surrounding myself with good people).
Love it, Ange!!!
Hi Angela!
I can’t say how much whatever you write inspires me to try to be better every day. I can totally relate to what you wrote in the second paragraph, the things about holding yourself back and so on.. I’d rather say nothing in school than say something that I cannot explain 100%. People keep telling me that being wrong once in a while is nothing to be ashamed of, but I feel it’s really hard to internalize what the say.
When I became vegan over a year ago, I think the hardest part was eating no cheese and whipped cream (I was vegetarian for 6 years before). Ok, whipped cream is still hard, I never manage to get coconut whipped cream right! :D
A happy new year and all the best wishes from Germany, Lara
I look forward to your posts. I would like to add to the list of topics, being a gluten-free vegan. Maybe you could highlight certain recipes or tips if you have any.
Thank you!! This sounds like an amazing series, and one that I will follow closely (not that I don’t already follow your blog religiously). I found 2012 to be a huge rut year for me – I started a new job that required me to commute 1.5 hours each way to work and my fiancée was promoted to a new position which meant longer hours. I absolutely love cooking and baking, and especially cooking using whole foods, but long works hours have got in the way, and I find that we choose quick, sometime unhealthy options more often than not during the week. I guess my issue is finding quick and simple vegan/vegetarian recipes that are healthy, tasty and exciting! Or, my issue might be in my meal planning – are there things I can do on the weekend to make week night dinners easier? Keep up the great work and happy new year :)
Hi Angela! I love your plan for 2013. My dietary leanings are mostly vegetarian, with vegan sometimes mixed in. The only time I eat chicken or fish is when going out to dinner. There aren’t many veggie or vegan options at restaurants – usually the vegetarian option is something smothered in cheese. The topics that I struggle with and would love you to cover are:
Good protein options for those who hate meat replacements (have tried seitan, tempeh and tofu –yick)
Eating well in restaurants that don’t seem to have good options.
Dishes to bring to family gatherings, I guess more crowd-friendly options…
Breakfast items – I dislike sweet flavors in the morning so if you don’t eat eggs or tofu what do you make that is quick and savory?
Make-ahead meals, or items, that can be “grab and go” throughout the week.
I love someone’s suggestion above about crockpot or Dutch oven meals
I would love to know your thoughts on vegans and blood sugar levels and why it seems that vegans are addicted to sugar (agave is just as bad for it’s affects in the body as HFCS) and also how peanuts cause an auto-immune response in the body as well as legumes being inflammatory. I would love to know your thoughts on these science based ideas or if it doesn’t matter to you because your veganism is all a moral choice not a science based one.
I am the antithesis of vegan being paleo (we love us some meat) but I have loved your blog for a long time and I am curious if you have thought about it the above (or if you are even aware).
Hi there, I’m not Angela but am a holistic nutritionist. I don’t know one person who went plant based that didn’t get off of medications for diabetes (among healing a plethora of other ailments). The moral? I don’t know one single health minded vegan with blood sugar issues. Grains, while mildly inflammatory (with the exception of wheat which is highly inflammatory), are far less inflammatory than all animal products and provide a much greater nutritional profile. Most of the vegans I personally know, myself included, do not use Agave. Health conscious vegans tend to use sweeteners that have high nutritional profiles and are lower GI like coconut palm sugar, molasses, date paste etc. They are whole, unrefined foods. Sugars are not created equally by any stretch. I personally choose not to eat peanuts because they are not kept properly and are usually riddled with molds, that’s the reason for many of the allergies that we have now linked to peanuts (which are actually legumes and not nuts at all). Cooked vegetables also cause a mild immune response as well, but the benefits definitely and heavily out weigh the minor downside. Animal products are also highly acidic, much more so than grains and legumes, which causes a myriad of health issues. There are 50 years of very reputable science backing plant based diets as the healthiest by a large degree than any other way of eating (and this science was written by meat eaters, vegetarian and vegans alike). Vegans have nearly 50% lower cancer rates than meat eaters and approximately 20-30% less than vegetarians. Hope this helps :)
Kristen,
I’d love to know more about your work as a holistic nutritionist. I am an RN, and am REALLY interested in shifting more towards nutrition/health than being surrounded by patients dealing with chronic illnesses that could be SOOOO easily reversed by diet.
Hi Brittany!
I have seen truly amazing things happen with many of my clients who have a variety of medical conditions which doctors say there are no cures for or medication for life will be required. This is simply not true in many, many cases. Diet plays the largest role in health and most people have truly lost sight of what proper nutrition is, especially with fad diet after fad diet being the latest trend and backed by extremely flawed science. Dangerous pseudo science in fact. The population’s view of what’s “healthy” has been so warped, which is why the majority are no longer healthy and suffer with disease that is/was highly preventable. Top five foods that lead to inflammation and disease are refined sugar, free oils (olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil etc. with the exception of flax seed oil and coconut oil), dairy, refined grains, commercial meats/deli meats/processed meats. Most people consume those foods as staples in their diet. Not only are they highly inflammatory, like I said above, they are highly acidic and lead to more illnesses than I could possibly list. If you’d like to chat further, feel free to leave a way for me to contact you. Health is what I do :)
What a great idea! Even though I’m not vegan, I eat a lot of plant-based meals so I’m really looking forward to this series! I would love to hear about your tips for vegan baking. :)
I know what you mean about feeling insecure or inadequate when not knowing all the answers, but realising that you don’t need to know everything but just a little more than others around you is all that it takes (p.s you do know a lot!). If you are not already familiar with it check out expertenough.com (in particular the manifesto). Sorry i haven’t actually answered any of your questions :-)
Oh, such series would be a blessing! The question I’m struggling the most with is how am I going to get enough of vitamin B12 and iron in my diet with going vegan. Hearing horror stories about vegan people developing a brain disorder really scares me. Plus we don’t have B12 fortified product, so would just taking supplements be enough? Thank you Angela, you’re such an amazing inspiration and I can’t wait for your book!
I have been a vegetarian for almost 3 years. I do like to incorporate vegan dishes when possible. A couple of topics I would like to discuss would be:
1. Small town living and being a vegan.
2. I almost always do some sort of lettuce salad with tons of veggies for lunch, but I’m currently in a salad rut. Healthy lunch ideas?!
That’s a great idea, Angela!!
I would like to learn more on successful vegan baking – for example, how to know when an egg can be substituted with flax egg, or when it could be subbed by applesauce and so on. Also, a small guide on the flours you use, the reasons and possible substitutions would be awesome.
Can’t wait to read your how to series :) Everyone has different experiences being vegetarian/vegan, and it is very enlightening to read these stories. :)
looking forward to this very much! thank you!
I have two questions!
What are some other delicious protein sources, other than peanut/nut butters? – I love PB and it’s my favorite protein source, but I fear that I’m eating too much of it!
Second…
What are your thoughts on fats – “healthy”, “unhealthy”, ect.?
Thank you and good luck on this series!
Hey Kristen,
I hope Angela doesn’t mind but I’d like to answer your first question :)
Delicious protein sources that I love are beans (throw them into salads, make lentil soup, hummus, bean burgers) Beans have tons of protein and fiber just get creative and you will find there are so many fun dishes.
Quinoa is another great protein source! I also love to add some hemp seeds to amp up the protein.
whole wheat breads and grains (brown rice, millet, bulgar, wheatberries) also have protein…add some beans and you can increase the protein that way too.
Chia seeds is another way to add in some protein, sprinkle them in salads or make Angela’s chia pudding.
Don’t forget dark green leafy veggies and even broccoli have protein.
Hope this helps! Happy new year :)
Love this idea for a series!! I’ve followed your blog since the beginning and still tune in everyday. I’ve been vegan for a year now and have never felt or looked better. At age 52, I am in the best shape of my life. My husband watched Forks Over Knives and read the China Study which all helped him to get totally on board and he only now eats meat when he has to travel and I’m not there to cook. I have loved trying out your creative recipes and you have really inspired me that being vegan is a healthy way to go – especially when I was first considering it. For me, knowing how to quickly throw a healthy meal together is key so I love any tips on how you shop, meal plan, store food, etc. Thanks for all you do and Happy New Year!
I have been trying to go vegan for 6 months now. It is my 2013 goal to go 100% veg. Some of my questions are:
1. My family or friends do not understand why anyone would be vegan. I live in a smaller community and the “meat and potatoes” meal is a staple. Becasue no one understands why go veg, I am sometimes ashamed of it, the only people who know are my non-veg husband and mom.
2. My husband is non-vegan. He supports me being veg, but will no go veg himself. I struggle when I want to make all these different veg meals and he wants a meat meal.
I really like your recipes since you use REAL food and ingred. I don’t like vegan cheese. And fake meat stuff. Cheese is not supposed to be vegan! Thanks for your authentic real recipes.
This series will be great. I am excited to connect with other vegans, and those still in transition!
I totally understand your plight! My husband loses all his energy and literally goes pale without animal protein. Our solution: I make a vegan meal, he cooks himself a piece of meat to go with it. It helps that he likes the recipes I make…he once said the only thing wrong with vegan food was that there was no meat in it!
Angela, this new series sounds great. I can’t wait to learn more about the vegan diet, what you do to keep it easy, and other tips and suggestions. Great idea!
Awesome series!
I started soaking my husbands nuts and his gas went waaay down. ;)
Hurrah!! So happy with your blog plan for 2013! Though I am not completely veg, I am a plant based eater because that’s what I choose to do and it works for my body. I am not having much success in getting my teenagers to buy in to this idea at all. Having you help us step by step, I think we can make some progress this year, not in making them vegetarians but in making them more healthful eaters who are mindful of what works for their bodies. I am comfortable in the kitchen but sometimes i get overwhelmed with your recipes. I plan to introduce the 2013 concept of one vegetarian dinner for the family each week so I’m counting on you!!
And just fyi: I could live on your rustic banana oat cake. Seriously.
haha I’m glad you enjoy it! I always forget about that one…not sure why b/c I love it too :)
Perfect timing! I’ve been vegetarian for a while now. I’m looking to remove dairy and eggs so I’ll be “mostly vegan”. I’m afraid of stating “I’m a vegan”, because I know family/friends won’t understand and will just assume that I’m being pretentious or something. I also travel for work a lot and know that sometimes I might really be in a pickle if I want to eat a well-rounded vegan diet on the road.
I could ask you a-bagillion questions, but I just have one for now: Do you take any supplements and if so, did your doctor direct you to do so, or did you decide to do it yourself? Thank you for your blog!