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[-] MilitantVegan@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

A fair amount of vegans might say that their experiences made them change overnight. I was not one of those people, as addiction is significant in me. When I was transitioning, I would go all in and keep abstaining from animal products as long as I could. Then I would mess up, and fall back into bad habits for a while. But the key thing that made the difference is that I never gave up. I'd track how many days I went without animal products and count that as my high score. Then when I tried again I would gamify it by being determined to get an even higher score.

As time went on I became more skilled at cooking plant-based, which helped keep me going since the food I was eating was beginning to taste better. Likewise my palette was growing more accustomed to plant-based foods. Eventually I messed up one last time by eating some pepperoni, but the experience was different. Because I had gotten so used to eating more wholesome meals, the pepperoni was such an intense salt bomb that I found it inedible (and that's coming from a salt-fiend).

But the other thing that changed was in my mind. Consciously I was already well aware that vegan diets are entirely adequate nutritionally. But a lifetime of unconscious carnist societal conditioning gave me this constant feeling as if I could not survive on plants alone. That was one of the things that always got in the way - this strange feeling like I was missing something and had to eat the stuff that was missing or I would die.

But when I bit into that pepperoni I suddenly had this calm recognition: "I don't need this. In fact this isn't food."

And things have only gotten easier over time. Hopefully this helps?

[-] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 months ago

It does! The bits on reframing how you view food resonates. Burgers are still delicious to me, but I now feel more guilt and reach for plant-based equivalents more frequently. I no longer feel the necessity of meat, if that makes sense, so it is getting easier over time.

[-] KombatWombat@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Burgers are something I missed a lot too! Fortunately plant-based options are becoming more common in fast food places and grocery stores. It usually does come at an upcharge though, so I don't get them too much. Other people have mixed opinions on meat substitutes, but they have been great for me.

[-] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Have any recipe sites or suggestions?

[-] yoyolll@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

There is a universal type of โ€œrecipeโ€ that covers a ton of basic dishes around the world:

  1. Fry hard veggies in oil until soft - can be onions, leeks, carrots, celery, potatoes etc.
  2. Add spices, soft veggies, and/or pastes and stir to form a sauce - tomatoes, peppers, garlic, ginger, etc.
  3. Stir in your beans/chickpeas/lentils/peas. Most beans should be cooked, lentils and peas usually can be dry/raw.
  4. Add water, bring to a boil, and simmer. Amount and time depends on if you want a soup, stew, or just some sauce.
  5. Add leafy greens and anything that should be dissolved - spinach, kale, lemon, vinegar, sugar, cilantro etc.

This can make lentil soup, Mediterranean or South American style bean dishes, chana masala, coconut curry, and lots of other stuff. Most can be made with a single pot.

[-] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Helpful. Thanks a lot.

[-] MilitantVegan@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

For more wholesome foods I like Dr Greger's recipe books.

https://nutritionfacts.org/books/

I've had a few dishes from them as well, and they are really tasty.

https://thefirstmess.com/

There's plenty of others too, particularly on YouTube. Sauce Stache, Cheap Lazy Vegan, the Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show, etc.

[-] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago
[-] MilitantVegan@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Hope it goes well for you. ๐Ÿ˜

this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2024
983 points (96.0% liked)

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