Your top 3 questions/issues when you went vegan

13 thoughts on “Your top 3 questions/issues when you went vegan”

1. Great questions!

   I actually have to think hard about this, because I find being vegan rather easy. (I think the title of your show is brilliant!)

   The questions I had and continue to hear relate to three areas:
   1. Cheese. Yes, cheese is a topic unto itself. “How do you live without brie? How do you go out for pizza? Don’t you miss grilled cheese sandwiches?”

   2. Kids. My 5 and 7-year old children are vegan at home and vegetarian everywhere else. That’s their choice and I’ve always supported their ability to choose, even when they were toddlers. As long as I educate them on the “why” behind veganism, then they can have a cake at friend’s birthday parties without making me feel like a bad vegan mom. When I get questions about this, people want to know if (a) it’s safe to raise a vegan kid and (b) if I’m militant about birthday party cake.

   3. Protein. I run long distances and love being a vegan athlete. People wonder how I can power myself through a half marathon based on plants. Naturally, they wonder about protein, but I really think this is less of a genuine curiosity and more of an excuse they hold onto.

   Just my 2 cents. I look forward to hearing the show!

   Best,
   Tamara

   1. Thanks, @tamarapaton:disqus! We’ll address these!

2. Awesome! Can’t wait to listen!!!

   Questions.
   1) EGGS! And CHEESE! So cliche but true. I was already a vegetarian for 10 years before I went vegan, so meat wasn’t an issue. But knowing I’d never have a fried egg sandwich or cheese pizza with cheese that actually stretches was tough. Of course, that was 11 years ago, and food science has gotten much better. With the Vegg, black salt, ,Daiya, Chao, and hopefully soon, Hampton Creek’s Just Eggs, life is pretty simple.
   2) Same as above. But I also worried about veganism being too expensive. As a print news reporter, I’m always on a budget. I make enough to make ends meet with a little leftover for beer and takeout a couple times a week. But I thought veganism would be cost-prohibitive until I bought a zine called The Cheap Vegan (sadly, now out of print). It was loaded with tips on making your own seitan, bread, even soymilk!
   3) I’m horrible with the protein question. I always say tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, and nuts. And while that’s a good answer, I feel like I could come with more info if I could just remember what to say. I’ve read responses a million times, but I don’t retain numbers and facts very well. Also, I have a hard time answering the honey question.

   1. Good ones, Bianca! We’ll tackle ’em!

3. Bianca, I found chaning my pantry expensive at first but now it’s no different than before I was vegan. Ellen Jaffe Jones has a cookbook called ‘eat vegan on $4 a day’ and it has some very tasty recipes. Ellen is not only a cookbook writer she’s a certified personal trainer and running coach. Her recipes are quick and easy to make. Great for a busy lifestyle. Robin Robertson also has a cookbook called ‘vegan on the cheap’. Robin has written over 20 cookbooks and has tons of tips on saving your hard earned cash while eating great tasting vegan meals.
   I agree with everyone else on the cheese thing. The hardest thing for me was redoing my pantry in an extremely rural area that doesn’t carry many vegan products. So I’ve learned to make many of my own vegan stables. I think they’re better and healthier than what’s sold commercially.

   1. Nice input@joannmlakeselliott:disqus. Bianca is an amazing cookbook author, too! (Cookin Crunk) and has deliciously inspiring blog: http://vegancrunk.blogspot.com/

      1. I have her cookbook also. Needless to say I enjoy cookbooks and vegan blogs, so please keep it up ladies!

         1. I see you and I suffer from a similar problem, @joannmlakeselliott:disqus: vegan-cookbook-itis! 😉

4. I have felt like a bit of a ‘social pariah’ at times in my boomer demographic, though I cannot imagine going back to a ‘standard diet’, in order to fit in. I have found it’s better to be low key & live by example. As much as I would like to at times, I can’t make choices for others, but will offer information if asked. Disheartening on occasion, but made abundantly clear in a video done by Cadry & someone else.

   I still eat eggs on occasion, so probably have no business lecturing someone else. I have found eggs more of a challenge to give up than cheese, which I’ve been able to replicate with the likes of Daiya & some awesome homemade cheese & cheese sauces.

   The protein thing continues to come up & I have to admit, I did the same thing. The other thing is the cheese & ice cream subs, which I think more people would be okay with, if they gave them a try.
   The other thing is the perception in the vegan community that your reasons for going vegan need to be compassion based rather than health based, in order to stay the course. I started eating ‘mostly vegan’ for my health, & somewhere along the way, the compassion thing kicked in, but to be perfectly honest, my reasons for eating this way are a mix of both, sometimes more one than the other, as well as a huge concern for the environment. Compassion sounds lovely, but it is much more of a mixed bag, I suspect, for most folks.

   1. Great points to cover, Gail. Thank you for your thoughtful response!

5. love your voice JL. it is soothing and interesting so I can be calm and free but not sleepy.

6. 1. I had Bariatric Surgery 3 years ago & I’m just having a hard time figuring out if I really need as much protein as the surgeon recommends (60 grams). I do follow Dr. Garth Davis & know he has a book coming out soon, but I’m just confused.
   2. My family just doesn’t get it & my mom worries about the protein thing because of my surgery, so back to #1, if I could just resolve that issue.
   3. I cannot figure out if Dr. McDougall is crazy or knows what he’s talking about – he doesn’t include oil in his diet.

   1. We’ll definitely tackle protein, Jamie!

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