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.
Also any must have books? Cookbooks? Movies that may help,
Love this idea! I have been vegetarian for over half my life and have been vegan on and off for the past couple years. I would love to learn more about your transition as well as Q&As with readers’ challenges and successes transitioning to a plant based diet. I love your blog and look forward to this new series!
Thanks for this! I was vegan-ish for a year and a half in NYC, but since living in Mexico for the past 2.5 years have gone back to mostly-vegetarian. While it would be VERY HARD to be vegan in this culture and with the selection of grocieries I can buy, my goal is to lean as much as I can in that direction. The thing that gets me here is that, because tofu is very expensive here and there is no tempeh or wheat gluten, I just eat veggies and beans all the time. And then I get to a point where my body is so absolutely starving for a heavier protein-rich meal that I eat a little meat, to satisfy that deep cellular-level hunger. I’d like to avoid this pattern — any ideas are welcomed, with a focus on starting from the basics (dried beans, rice, assorted veggies, etc).
I don’t know if I’m expressing myself well, as I’m not an native English speaker, so bear with me please :) I have been a vegetarian for a few years now. I came to this from the ethical and environmental side of the thing, but I would hope to keep myself healthy too.. So here I am.
I’m not consuming any milk lately, because of all the things I’ve seen and learned, but I would like to keep things like yogurt on the menu by maybe switching more to the vegan side.. Same goes with cheese and egg replacement. But I’m really confused about how to feel about these substitutes?
My logic keeps telling me to eat food that is as simple as possible, with foods that are less processed and with less additives and ingredients. For example ( I think a lot of people have seen this in the internet ) the image of ants on a plate “choosing” real butter over ( normal / reduced fat ) margarine. This is part of a reasoning that makes me feel like butter would be the way to go for some occasions, but can I make myself overlook other things “for ants”? Anybody care to share their wisdom? Could someone enlighten me a little by telling how are products like, another example, Earth Balance seen? It has, among other things, soy beans and palm oil.. What about the environmental and social impacts of Palm oil? Then, a lot of the soy in the world have to do with OGM, so I have to buy organic? Not the case with Earth Balance, ok, but other products.. Tofu, soymilk?
Oh, I think my head just exploded..
Help! :)
Angela,
This is such a great idea! (And judging by the comments so far looks like I’m not the only one who thinks so.) I have been vegan for almost a year now but I still have so much to learn and will undoubtedly be re-inspired by your new series. Can’t wait. Happy New Year!
I’d be curious to see a regular post on your daily easts. I’m vegan myself, but always feel like I’m in a rut. Same thing every day, because I’m not sure what else to do with my meals!
Ditto!
Hi Angela – I am relatively new to your website but am already addicted to the overnight oats and also the date granola bars. They have become a staple in my house. I would love some suggestions for working mothers on how to find the time to cook healthy (vegan – ish) and how to get a 4 year old interested in healthy foods. I find myself always under a time crunch and this makes it hard to cook healthier at least for me. I so want 2013 to be a year of better health including weight loss for me (about 25 lbs). Thanks for providing such a great website.
Hi Happy New Year….I have been thinking about becoming a vegan living in a house of three terrible meaters I need help where to start even with my grocery list. I live in a small town(4 hours is nearest city Adelaide)…..so my shopping for certain things like flax eggs will be very limited……I love your post and reading comments from all over the world
So excited to read!! LOVE your recipes and am craving more knowledge to make sure my body is getting all the right nutrients! My biggest struggle is feeling trapped into eating more carbohydrates when eating out (someone else chooses a place with few options).
Maybe a guide for how to tweak substitutions? For example, I’ve had good luck with flax eggs in cookies and quick breads, but not so much with veggie-burger-like bean patties (that hold together great with a chicken egg, but are crumbly and dry with a flax egg). Perhaps a list of suggestions for things like “if your dough is too crumbly, try…” and “if your cookie dough is too soft, then add…” ?
Wow, this is going to be a wonderful series and I can’t wait! :D I’m not vegan, but because I write a healthy living blog, I’m excited to learn more about this dietary lifestyle so that I can better serve my readers who follow a vegan lifestyle. One of my questions is about GMOs – what are your thoughts on them? In my limited research on the subject, it seems that they are ubiquitous in many soy and other vegetarian products. I’d love to hear your take on them and if you try to avoid them or not and why. And, if you do try to avoid them, what are your favorite non-GMO brands etc.
Happy New Year, by the way!! May 2013 bring with it movement and growth from the rut you feel like you’ve been in. :)
I am so excited about this! I found your Blog about a year ago and read regularly. I am a pescatarian and have thoroughly enjoyed your recipes. Thank you for all of the helpful information.
Such a great idea, going vegan seems so intimidating for me. I don’t think I would ever go completely vegan, but I love trying out your recipes and cutting out dairy as much as possible. In the new year I’m going to try buying earth balance instead of butter and cutting way back on my cheese consumption. I do love cheese and yogurt.. and I think it would be very hard to give them up. I’ve tried a couple vegan cheeses and they are ok.. Have you found a good substitute for yogurt? Another reason for not going vegan is that I have my own chickens and I love fresh eggs and knowing exactly where they come from makes me totally ok with eating them!
Such perfect timing! Just this past month, my husband and I decided to attempt to go Vegan after seeing some not so nice animal videos. I’m a little overwhelmed with the transition and cannot wait for the series to begin!!
I have one topic to ask about. How do you refuse non-vegan foods in public? How do you prepare to eat in social and/or family settings? We don’t want to hurt people’s feelings but we also don’t want to ‘cheat’ for the cause.
I am so excited that you will be sharing some of your wisdom on transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. I have been working on my own transition from vegetarian to vegan over the last few months and was sort of waiting until after the holidays (at my mom’s request!) to make it easier on my hosts food wise, although I’ve been mostly vegan for the past month.
There are a few things I am still struggling with. I find it really difficult to go out and eat or go to others houses in some circumstances. Often I can suggest a place to go at which it is easier for me to get a vegan dish but other times I am not in the position where I can do so (it’s rude, or no one wants to go there) and I find it really hard to find something on the menu that doesn’t have dairy in it that’s easy to omit upon request. What do I do? Also, when going to others houses, sometimes I can bring my own dish so there is something to eat, which is great. I did that last night for our New Years Eve Party. However, all I got to eat was my dish (the salad) because everything else had dairy or meat or both in it, and then I was starving for most of the night – I ended up eating a lot of the vegan dessert I brought to fill up and then felt sick from all the sugar I ate. How could I have better handled that situation?
I am also struggling with replacing chocolate. I know there is vegan chocolate out there but it’s just not the same as chocolate with some milk fat in it. Any recommendations on some awesome brands?
Finally I am struggling with others opinions about my diet choices. I have done a lot of research on how to go vegan and thrive, but my meat-eating friends don’t think it’s enough. I also struggled with an eating disorder in the past and I think they are having a hard time believing that my change in diet actually stems from healthy thoughts and not from old unhealthy beliefs. How do I reassure them that I know what I’m doing and I am actually doing this for my own health?
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge – I love reading your posts and trying out your recipes! Your butternut squash burritos have become my new favorite dish :) Happy New Year!
I love your site tho I’m mostly a lurker. Because of your site, I started doing the Green Monster about 5 months ago. Shocked that I love it. Now my whole family does it a few times a week. Because of that, we’re headed into juicing which we love. You make healthy choices appealing to even us pizza&burger loving peeps. I’d say this series is a great idea. My struggles are replacing my old icky standbys… But we’re getting there! And can completely relate to the flax egg & nuts questions. Your tutorial on whipped coconut cream was a lifesaver. Thanks for all you do!
Hi Angela,
I found your blog about a month ago and have really enjoyed it. I would love to get ideas for more hearty vegetarian/vegan meals which would satisfy my carnivore teenage boys who never stop eating! Happy New Year and thanks for being so inspiring.
Angela,
This is great. I am not vegan, nor do I intend to go that way anytime soon, but I do like to consistently incorporate vegan/vegetarian meals into my diet. Your ideas and recipes simply can’t be beat! I also have a dairy allergy, so can always use ideas for substitutes for creams, yogurts, etc.
I am also interested in what Barbara said above, about your fall-back, quick, weekday “come home and need to make something delicious immediately” meals.
Thank you for all your work on this blog, and sharing your stories and skills with us. Here’s to 2013!
You are totally awesome Angela! I know exactly that feeling of wanting to do something on a level that will have more of an impact, and knowing that you are able, but figuring out the best way can be extremely challenging. I definitely think this is a great idea! I am in. My family and I eat veggie about 80% of the time and have all the vegan substitutes on hand most of the time…but it is still in my mind for some reason…just easier to stick an animal protein in somewhere along the way… I get real upset with myself because I love animals more than anything and after seeing what they endure..I am not able to comprehend how it is that I can still buy some piece of meat or fish and still have any conscience. I am SO looking forward to clicking on your page every other day or so and reading your words of wisdom, inspiration and pure deliciousness. By the way those coconut bars are AMAZING!!! THANKS for all you do and WHO YOU ARE!
Angela, wondering if you will write about how people raised on the standard American diet have a preconceived notion that then need large quantities of protein for each meal or a large animal based meat as the center of their dish and then they try to translate that to veganism with using meat replacements.
I think the most important thing about being vegan is understanding and freeing yourself from thinking that every meal needs to be focused on a large protein, i love having a bunch of veggies for a meal that are considered sides in the Standard American Diet. Like you said it is not about taking away the animal products but adding in all the plant based products.
Tell people they don’t need to focus on getting XX amount of protein, they don’t need to worry about replacements for dairy products
My husband is a 2:40 marathoner vegan and does not take any protein supplements, eat anything to try and hit a protein goal or get extra protein and never eats meat or dairy supplements.