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Welcome to the Vegetarian/Vegan Forum

I'll break it down for you since you want to jump down my throat and be a nit picker on a high horse.
Most people are vegetarian (fact) through not wanting to eat an animal that has been bred for food.
Most people will eat meat 2 times a day (those not vegan or vegetarian).
Being a vegetarian doesn't make you much healthier than a Omnivore.
Being Vegan purely is great for health but still lacks the B12 vitamin you need (yes you can take a pill).
Vegans are far healthier than the rest of the bunch out there.
I choose to eat 95% vegetables due to the improvement of health. The 5% is my indulgent side.
So yes I can claim I am a healthy eater and 95% vegan - I get my B12 supplement from my 2 pieces of organic meat in the week.
I eat healthier than most people - obviously not healthier than a Pure vegan but healthier than a vegetarian.

As for the pregnant thing, I see your point, but next time a fly lands in your mouth - you are no longer a vegan....
 
I don't believe Jennifer was having a go. She was just pointing out that stating you are ?% veg*n is a bit disrespectful. I believe that as veganism is more than a way of eating. It is a philosophy and a belief system. No half measures I believe.

When I was lacto, I was peed off by restaurants offering non-vegetarian cheeses as "suitable for vegetarians". By not following the true definition of what is vegetarian, this ignorance muddied the water for those following a vegetarian way of eating and makes it more difficult. From The Royle Family:

Nana - Would you like a ham sandwich Emma?
Emma - No thanks I'm vegetarian
Nana - Oh that's a shame for you Emma... Barbara can't she have some wafer thin ham?

B12 - I get my B12 the same as everyone else. It is a bacteria. I take a bacteria supplement. You can also eat animals which eat this bacteria or are injected with this bacteria as a supplement. I would recommend that anyone over 50 or taking metformin should take a B12 supplement.

Nobody here has suggested that vegan eating is healthier than any other way of eating. Plate of chips, bag of Skittles and a bottle of coke = vegan meal. Nobody is say that this is healthier.

I think even Buddha accidentally ate or killed the occasional fly. It is about doing the best you can
 
please don't think your veggie or vegan if you are still eating dead animal flesh ... I am not nit picking or getting on a high horse .. Being a veggie or vegan is a lifestyle choice .. Eating meat is just not in that lifestyle... ... You are an omnivore
 
I am a vegan. In other words, I won't eat animals, fish or animal products, including milk, milk products and honey. Now, am I better than someone who occasionally eats meat or fish? Of course not.

My transition to veganism was a process and I suspect it is the same for many others. If anyone cuts back on eating meat/ meat products for whatever reason, I commend them. Rather than being pilloried for aligning themselves to a vegetarian/ vegan lifestyle, they should be encouraged. And if they occasionally "relapse"? So what? To err is human and better to try than do nothing.

As for B12, there are a variety of sources of B12 for us veegs. For example, a portion of tofu (79g) contains about a third of our daily requirement. Then you have a quarter of your daily requirement in soya milk. And if you happen to like algae ie spirulina then you are home and dry without taking a single pill!

The bottom line is that many vegans opt for a B12 supplement because it suits them .. and that's fair enough. But it isn't the only option.

What veganism has given me is the satisfaction of knowing that no animal, fish, bird or insect has been pointlessly slaughtered on my account. It gives me a good feeling and I wouldn't want to change.

And to those "near" veggies and veegs out there, I simply say this .... keep it up. Don't give up and think about each week cutting back a little more on your meat/ fish. Before you know it, you'll have joined our happy throng. You'll feel cleaner, healthier ... and maybe for a little while a bit morally superior
 
Can anyone recomment an excellent vegetarian cook book which doesn't push tofu too much or butternut squash. I hate their texture on my tongue. Maybe one day that may change.
Ps. Is quorn totu?
 
ickihun said:
... Ps. Is quorn totu?
Click to expand...

No - very different things.

Tofu is one of a range of products made from soya beans - eaten widely in Asia but only the tofu / bean curd and soya milk are very widely available in the UK. For tempeh, for example, I have to go to a wholefood shop.

Quorn is something manufactured using the process of fermentation development (fermentation's basic to how yoghurt's made, and beer) and fungi development. It's not vegan - it includes egg white - or should I say I never see the vegan Quorn products in my local supermarket? Not that I search for it because I honestly think it doesn't agree with my digestive system. And I've now got hyperuricea (and attacks of gout) and it's one of the foods on my list to avoid.
 
I'm not supposed to have soya for my thyroid disease. I'm glad I asked. Thank you for keeping me right.
So no milk either. Any calcium filled foods which aren't soya?
 
ickihun said:
I'm not supposed to have soya for my thyroid disease. I'm glad I asked. Thank you for keeping me right.
So no milk either. Any calcium filled foods which aren't soya?
Click to expand...
Leafy green vegetables – broccoli, collards (cabbage family), bok choy, Chinese cabbage and spinach.
 
ickihun said:
I'm not supposed to have soya for my thyroid disease. I'm glad I asked. Thank you for keeping me right.
So no milk either. Any calcium filled foods which aren't soya?
Click to expand...

Are you vegan - not eating anything dairy either?

The almond 'milk' most supermarkets sell has a reasonable calcium level, but half that of dairy milks. Several of the beans have good levels of calcium. One of the Japanese seaweeds, wakame (which you'd probably only find in a specialist food store) is super-high in calcium and is the sort of thing you can chop up and add to all sorts of soups. They're all listed here: https://www.iofbonehealth.org/osteo...evention/calcium/calcium-content-common-foods

Some breakfast cereals are higher than you'd expect because they have added calcium - check the labels?
 
Thanks @Avocado Sevenfold
 
Thanks. Cannot have seaweed either (kelp interfers with thyroid too).
Uncooked kale and broccoli too.
 
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ickihun said:
Thanks. Cannot have seaweed either (kelp interfers with thyroid too).
Uncooked kale and broccoli too.
Click to expand...

This is hard! You really have to sort out what's OK for you and plan accordingly.
 
I am a really strict vegetarian and type 1 and I am concerned about the insulin, the doctors said that Lantus and Nova Rapid are suitable when I asked them but I'm not too sure I trust that they know what they were talking about, I was really concerned yesterday when I noticed a picture of a cow on the back of the packet. I've looked all over the internet but can't get a solid yes or no anywhere. Can anyone tell me definitively and with absolute clarity whether these types of insulin are suitable for vegetarians?
 
Hi Martie and welcome to the forum

I don't inject insulin, but will have a go at answering your question until someone with experience comes along.

As far as I can see, Novo Rapid and Lantus are both synthetic and not bovine despite the cow on the packet.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/analogue-insulin.html

The cow may in fact be a bull if it is the one in this link. It is just a trademark.

http://blog.ladd-design.com/2011/03/novo-nordisk-logo.html

All medicines are tested on animals. The Vegan Society states that we can only do our best "as far as practicable and possible" so please have no doubts about taking your insulin https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/medicines
 
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