I need help starting to be vegan.?

Question

I asked a question earlier and some people were like "well why don't you try being a vegan"... I didn't have a chance to respond, but I have tried in the past and it didn't work.

Problem is, I'm allergic to soy. I can't eat soy without getting very irritating heartburn and indigestion. It won't kill me, but it will be annoying.

I don't really want to live off of salad, I'd like at least some not vegetable textured stuff, but being allergic to soy really narrows the vegan foods I can eat.

Does any one know how to do a vegan diet without soy? Is that even possible (or enjoyable)?

Answer 1

What are you trying to do? IM me, maybe I can help....

Don't kill your self with an awful diet though...:)

Answer 2

What would make you want to be vegan. Eating this way is like a new fad, hunny, there is nothing wrong with a juicy steak, burger, nice crispy piece of chicken or a yummy milkshake. Food is to be eaten, stop stressing the new diet craze.

Answer 3

I don't like soy (nor mushrooms or cilantro) and I do just fine. There's no end of wonderful foods out there if you're willing to explore a bit even if there are some things you don't like and are allergic to (those can be worked around). There's a Vegan diet for everyone including gluten-free, corn-free, low-carb, fat-free and more.

A sample soy-free suggestion would be a pizza with a cornmeal crust, topped with mashed squash (baked pumpkin/butternut types instead of tomato sauce) and veggies of your choice which could be scallions/onions, garlic, walnuts... pizza can even be grilled.

Lebanese and Greek food is pretty much soy-free, healthy, delicious, fairly easy, varied, and veggie-friendly. Same with Indian. Mexican can easily be vegan. In fact a lot of cuisines are or can be vegan and soy-free too.

There's also a plethora of breads, pastas, rices, and other grains such as amaranth and quinoa.

There are a number of milk alternatives too including almond, hazelnut, rice, oat, hemp, and coconut.

It's very doable and you'll get better and more skilled as you go. I've never eaten better or as much variety.

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EDIT TO ADD:

I'm sorry. In reading this over I see you've asked for meat alternatives, I think (not vegetable textured stuff).

There are several out there. I like to think of them as being patties rather than "burgers" because then they have their own value rather than being judged against something else.

I really, really like Sunshine Burgers and Dr. Praeger's has some good choices (I like the Southwest and TexMex versions of those two brands). Yves has a lentil and bulger patty which is very yummy too. There are others. Field Roast does a wheat gluten based roast and sausages which are both pretty good. The more you explore, the more you'll find.

Here are some good recipes to get you started:

http://www.cancerproject.org/recipes/ind...

Just do the "Most Good -- Least Harm" then celebrate your accomplishments and don't obsess on the rest. The carrot and not the stick. :)

Answer 4

You don't need soy to be a vegetarian/vegan, all: beens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains have large amounts of protein in them. What you do need is a couple veg cookbooks.