NickW
Guest
My appetite is the biggest hurdle too, and I'm not vegan or vegetarian or specifically named diet....
Going Vegan
- Thread starter Mark Wilkinson
- Start date
I find higher quality, more nature foods tend to regulate my appetite better. I don't get excited about stuffing my face with an apple in the same way as I can about chips. I even have trouble finishing off an entire ribeye these days.
I just made a fantastic Vegan Chili. I used my usual secret chili recipe but simply substituted the ground beef for chickpeas, broad beans and green lentils. I also threw in a pile of mushrooms.
I've been veggie for about 2 months, and vegan for just over 3 weeks. I was starting to get bored with the same foods but I guess there are loads of nice recipes out there if you look for them.
I'm going to try making the Scott Jurek lentil/mushroom burgers next week.
Haven't quite made the leap myself yet, still hanging on to the fish.
I think I printed that mushroom burger recipe from a RW article, haven't tried it yet
I just made the burgers. They were good, but not quite as much flavor as I was hoping. Next time I make them I will add more balsamic vinegar, add more onion (and caramelize them), add more kale and add some roasted red pepper. I might also lower the amount of bread crumbs and up the flax meal. They tasted a little "bready", which could have something to do with my low-quality bread crumbs. They held together like champs on the grill though, I would recommend brushing them with oil before cooking, just to stop the surface from drying out. The texture is pretty good, but I might cut the mushrooms a little larger next time just to vary the texture a bit.
Also, I have been meat free for a little over a week now and I feel great so far. It hasn't really been difficult at all, I think the hardest part will be finding things other than beans to add as the main "protein" in the meal, things like these burgers help a lot. The biggest thing I noticed is that I actually know what feeling "full" is like now. I realized that before I was eating until I was feeling bloated. It's only been a week, but I have actually started craving apples whenever I feel like something sweet, things like donuts make me think of that bloated feeling and I quickly find them unappetizing.
My 2 cents: Get a slow-cooker aka crock pot. These make eating more veggies and legumes soooo easy. I sometimes find myself opting for more processed and carb centered meals because they are easy to prepare. Veggies (while they can be great raw) don't always feel hearty. But you can make awesome and filling soups, chilis, refried beans, and much more by simply tossing all the ingredients into the pot, turning it on before you go to bed and it's done in the morning.
Surprised I'm only seeing this now! I'm a semi-vegan. (eat seafood and egg-whites+honey) But IMO it's easy to eat healthy on a vegan diet. I don't feel deprived at all, and it certainly has never effected my running.
Green smoothies. I have been vegan for 25 years or so. I have been more of a fruit-nut-grain-atarian with out much veggies. I recently discovered the green smoothie. I wish I would have discovered it sooner. Finding Ultra by Rich Roll is another one for the reading list if it has not been mentioned yet.
does that make me an omnivegivegatarian? I eat game, fish, eggs, goats cheese (no cow, that would be wrong), and loads of veggies. And nuts, but that could just be me.
