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why vegan? > a guide to going and staying vegan

A Guide to Going and Staying Vegan

What will I eat?
The list below give a taster of just some of the dishes you can have. Practically all dishes can be adapted so that they are suitable for vegans, and as you explore, you will find there are many new tastes to experiment with.

What is a Vegan?
Someone following a vegan diet would exclude all animal products. This includes meat, animal fats, dairy products, eggs and honey. They would also seek to exclude other animal products from their lifestyle, e.g. leather, fur, wool and silk.

With many of the dishes below you can just follow the link to find a recipe. These are all from our recipe pages. Some of them are available ready-made, in this case it is important that you check the ingredients to ensure the dish is vegan.

If it seems overwhelming to give up all animal products, take a step back and take it at your own pace. Turn vegan overnight and you slam your door on the cruelty of the meat industry forever. It is quite safe if done properly. However, some people find they want to move over to an animal-free diet step-by-step, adjusting as they go along.

and for breakfast you will find cornflakes*, weetabix*. muesli*, toast*, and more.
For a full breakfast try Redwoods rashers, Heinz beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, chips and scrambled tofu.

*If you buy ready-made, check that the dish is suitable for vegans. An extensive guide to vegan products, ‘The Animal-Free Shopper’, is available from the Vegan Society. It includes food, alcohol, DIY and toiletries.

Switching over to animal free ingredients

Instead of.......

butter	switch to whey-free vegetable margarine’s and oils
milk	try plain, chocolate, vanilla, and almond soya milk. Use it in any way that you’d use milk. Comes in sweet and unsweetened varieties, sweetened is recommended when making the switch from cow milk. Experiment with brands and see which you like
ice cream	Toffuti and Swedish Glace make delicious vegan ice cream. Look out for other brands as well, and give sorbets a try as many are vegan
cheese	check health food shops for soya cheese, which is great on pizza and sandwiches and in sauces. You can also make a great ‘creamy’ sauce with nutritional yeast flakes
eggs	use commercial egg replacers in baked goods. For breakfast, scramble tofu with onions, mushrooms, turmeric, nutritional yeast and mustard
yogurt	experiment with the several brands of soya yogurt
jelly	look for agar-agar and kosher ‘gelatine’ made without boiling cows hooves and pigs bones
chocolate	you’ll find many vegan brands of chocolate in your local health food shop
honey	use syrup, date syrup, molasses or concentrated apple juice
hamburger	there are now many veggie burgers available
mince	use soya mince. Frozen is best - ensure it is vegan. If you use dry soya mince (tvp), try soaking it in vegetable stock first
bacon	use ‘Vegetarian Rashers’, now available from health food shops

As you can see it is easy to start by substituting vegan ingredients into your usual meat or dairy-based recipes. Here are some more examples:

Fill baked potatoes with garlic mushrooms or margarine and grated Cheezly
Take the meat out of your casserole and use vegan sausage, crumbled tofu or tempeh instead
Get egg-free mayo for your coleslaw
Try veggie burgers and soya hot dogs served with fresh tomato slices, onions and barbecue sauce
Use Cheezly in your cheese and pickle sandwiches; cheatin’ ham and Cheezly in your cheese and ham sandwiches
If you like baking cakes try our recipes

Specialist ingredients - an explanation
Here is a bit more information about some ingredients used in the production of vegan food. Some may already be very familiar.

SOYA MILK
Used as an alternative to cow’s milk by vegans, and people with an allergy to cow’s milk. Can be used in tea, coffee and on cereals, Nowadays, soya milk is much more palatable and undetectable in food and drink and can be substituted for cow’s milk in every case. The various brands of soya milk are quite different in taste so it is worth experimenting.

OTHER DAIRY ALTERNATIVES
You will find many other alternatives to dairy products in health food shops (and supermarkets). There are dairy-free replacements for cheese, yoghurt, cream, custard & ice cream.

CHEATIN' MEAT
There is a large selection of imitation meat now available, from rashers to imitation ‘turkey’ roast. Look out for delicious products by Redwoods and Frys. All their products are vegan.

TOFU
Tofu has become very popular, and is made from fermented soya beans. Tofu is nutritious and very versatile. It is bland, so can absorb any flavour, savoury or sweet. It can be used in stir-fry, pies, scramble and salad; and in sweet dishes like vegan cheesecake.

TEMPEH
Tempeh is made from fermented soya beans. It has a very good taste and comes as a solid block that can be sliced and then fried or steamed. It can also be cut into chunks and put into stew.

SEITAN
Seitan is a meat-free alternative made from the gluten of flour. It has a firm texture.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Delicious, gives dishes a cheesy taste. Can be used to flavour many dishes. Should be added off the heat so that the nutrients it contains are not destroyed.

London Living

VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS

Beatroot, 92 Berwick St, W1. Tel: 020 7437 8591. Fill a take-away box with a choice of hot food and salads
Café Pushkar, 16c Market Row, SW9. Tel: 020 7738 6161
CTJ, 339 Euston Rd, NW1. Tel: 020 7387 5450. One of a chain of oriental restaurants with branches all over London
Diwana Bhel Poori House. 121 Drummond Street, London, NW1 2HL. Indian.
Food for Thought, 31 Neal Street, WC2. 020-7836 9072
Indian Veg Bhelpoori, 92/93 Chapel Market, N1. 020-7837 4607. Indian, all you can eat for £2.95
Jai Krishna, 161 Stroud Green Rd, N4. Tel: 020 7272 1680. Indian
Mildreds, 45 Lexington Street, W1. Tel: 020 7494 1634. Expensive, good for a special night out
Peking Palace, 669 Holloway Rd, N19. Tel: 020 7281 8989
Pogo Cafe, 76 Clarence Rd, E5. 020-85331214. £5.75 main course, big portions. All vegan, mostly organic
Redveg, 95 Dean Street, W1. Vegetarian fast food

All the above are vegetarian restaurants/cafes (with the exception of Pogo Cafe, which is vegan) that offer a wide range of vegan dishes. With over 100 vegetarian restaurants and cafes in London this list is by no means extensive. Vegetarian London is an extensive guide and costs £6.95 from Vegetarian Guides, PO Box 2284, London W1.

HEALTHFOOD SHOPS

Alara Wholefoods, 58 Marchmont St, WC1. Tel: 7837 1172
Brixton Wholefoods, 59 Atlantic Rd, London SW9. Tel: 020 7737 2210
Bumblebee Natural Foods, 30, 32 and 33 Brecknock Rd, N7. Tel: 020 7607 1936
Bushwacker Wholefoods, 132 King St, W6. Tel: 020 8748 2061
Food For All, 3 Cazenove Rd, N16. Tel: 020 8806 4138
Haelan Centre, 41 The Broadway, N8. Tel: 020 8340 4258
Portobello Wholefoods, Unit 1, 266 Portobello Rd, W10. Tel: 020 8968 9133
People & Planet, 80 Sydenham Rd, SE26. Tel: 020 8473 7489
Second Nature Wholefoods, 78 Wood St, E17. Tel: 020 8520 7995
Tony’s Holistic Centre-1 Omega Place, N1 Tel: 020 7837 5223
Wholefood Express, 95 Southgate Rd, N1. Tel: 020 7354 4923. Mon-Sat 10.00-19.00

The above shops sell a wide range of products suitable for vegans, including fresh take-aways like sandwiches and snacks. None sell any meat.

Many ordinary shops now sell vegan products such as soya milk. All supermarkets carry large vegan ranges too. The Co-op and Sainsburys are now labelling their own-brand ranges as suitable for vegetarians and/or vegans.

For more cruelty-free resources in London including where to eat, where to stay and where to shop, check out Vegan London.

More Practical Support and Information

For extensive information on veganism see the Vegan Society’s website or call them on 0845 458 8244. They have a wide range of fact sheets available.
Get a vegan buddy. Vegan campaigning group Realfood operate a vegan buddies scheme, “Designed to help all those aspiring vegans to make the change. If you want to be vegan but are finding it hard going we will put you in touch with one of our vegan buddies who will help keep you on the right track - advising you what foods are available, where to shop, and what recipes to try.”

The Vegan Buddies website also has a forum where you can ask questions on a multitude of topics relating to veganism.
Animal Aid have lots of information about going veggie/vegan, including a free vegan information pack. They also have a wesite aimed at young people, Youth 4 Animals.
If you want to find out more about vegan parenting, the Vegan Society have a good number of very useful fact sheets, or look at the Vegan Family House to see the day to day lives of a vegan family.