A few tips for going vegan?

Question

I have been a strict lacto ovo vegetarian for 7 years and decided to go vegan.

I have tried Silk Soy milk but it made me sick, now I am going out tomorrow to try rice milk. Anyone like rice milk? It sounded strange to me at first.

Also, bread contains whey? Is there other kinds of bread I can eat? Wheat not have whey?

I know about gelatin being from animals, any other sneaking ingrediant like that I should watch out for?

Anyone MISS oreo cookies? Thats my main worry. lol I just love them! but that is selfish of me.

I am so excited (i have to finish my container of lactaid before I can officially go vegan. Can't wait!)

Answer 1

Good luck on your mission.

- Rice milk is good, and has a very liquid texture, but you will get used to it;

- don't know anything about Whey in bread; Bake your own and freeze it;

- Don't eat supermarket gelly (there are some vegetable ones in the right stores);

- Oreo cookies are not my favorite, but you just  have to find other favorite in the right store;

- Go Vegan! =)

Answer 2

You only live once - it's best to eat things you can't possibly enjoy!

Answer 3

Although I'm not a vegan, I'd recomend Leah Lenneman's books for vegan home cookery.

Answer 4

If you don't like Silk, try another soy milk, or try rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, or hemp milk.  I tried oat milk once and found it to be very creamy.  But I really don't drink plant milks, I just use them for baking, so I buy the Whole Foods store brand soy milk.

I haven't seen many brands of bread that contain whey.  Read labels, you'll find something you can have.

www.veganwolf.com has a very comprehensive list of nonvegan ingredients.  The ones I worry about are gelatin, whey, casein (and other milk derivatives), lactose, egg products (albumin is one), shellac, "food glaze" or "confectioners glaze," carmine (a.k.a. cochineal), honey, beeswax, royal jelly, and propolis.  

Nowadays, you can check the bottom of the ingredient list, and it will say in bold whether it contains milk, egg, or fish ingredients.  You'll still have to read through for insect-derived ingredients.  Red #40, by the way, is vegan; it's made of coal tar (ick).

Oreos are vegan, but I don't eat them because they have HFCS.  Try Newman O's.  They're a little more expensive, but they are vegan, and they come in several flavors.  They also have Ginger O's, which are ginger cookies with a creme filling.  Even my local Harris Teeter has Newman O's, but I can get them cheaper at Whole Foods or a local natural foods store.

Congrats on your decision, and good luck!

Answer 5

Yes, you got it half right.

Ita so that bees aren't enslaved and also because extraction of honey means destroyin the bees' natural habitat and there product, so its considered a bit equal to torture.

Therefore..

Answer 6

While i've never tried rice milk, i've head that it's good.

The main things you need to look out for are:

gelatin

lard

shellac

casein

whey

lanolin

I've never seen bread that contains whey. Ever. Wheat is wheat, it doesn't have whey (whey is from milk).

Oreos are vegan. The original ones are anyway

I suggest you find some good recipes. www.vegcooking.com, www.fatfreevegan.com and www.theppk.com are all great. Veganomicon is also a great cookbook

Good luck =D

Answer 7

I used rice milk when I first gave up cows milk as I hated the taste of soy milk. Many years later, I have now found a brand of soy milk I like and can't get enough of it :) I suggest you experiment with different brands as they all taste different. Or just stick with rice milk if you like it!

Most breads don't actually contain whey/other milk products. It is very simple to check ingredients lists. Ironically it is the cheaper breads that often are vegan... lucky us!

As for other ingredients to be aware of, this is the most comprehensive list I have found:

http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-in...

The amount of animal products in everyday items is staggering and can be overwhelming, especially to a new vegan. Don't stress too much about being "perfect", just try and incorporate animal friendly products into your life one at a time, where-ever possible.

I didn't like Oreo cookies previously but there were many foods I thought I would really struggle to give up. It turned out that becoming vegan was far easier than I thought it would be!  The joy and relief at finally living my life in a way that was consistent with my ethics far outweighed the initial cravings I had. Besides... you can always use your cravings an excuse to discover the joys of vegan baking :D But honestly, cravings was really a non-issue for me.

As for honey, take a look at the following site. It explains why honey isn't vegan a lot more eloquently than I ever could.

http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

Best of luck and good on you for going vegan :)