Oh Shitake, Im almost a Vegan!

Arts & Media Food & Drink
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Intro

Welcome. Come one come all! No this isnt a Vegan thread. Its a whole foods thread. We have a picture thread that we talk about food we are eating in the moment but how about more sustainable habits? A healthier lifestyle. Maybe one that is a bit “Counter-Cultural”? Thats right up my alley HAH! It will be a continuously evolving thread and always a work in progress.

I have tried every diet in the book. A lot of restrictive and unrestricted diets. What do I mean by restrictive? Your examples are Keto and Atkins. While they had decent results I found them to be unbalanced and unsustainable. I have discovered after trying just about everything in the book the real balance is how do you balance the carbs, fats and proteins in an exceptionally healthy diet and really turn it into a lifestyle?

Well I met a vegan and while I wasnt willing to go all that far she showed me so many things and I tried it all out and I realized theres a very good middle way type balanced approach you can do. You can move to a Whole Foods Plant Centric diet. So you can still eat meat or have dairy products etc but remain healthy due to a predominant near vegetarian MO.

So I adopted this lifestyle and it’s been great for me so far my health is improved my blood pressure is amazing all my blood tests are perfect. Energy is great, my workouts are going better. My sexual health has gotten phenomenal. Everything across the board has just been better.

A personal list

Without any further shilling maybe I should talk a little bit about what’s in the pantry and what do I focus on stocking I’ll provide lists below. Categorized in a drop-down. A sort of rough shopping list if you will

Produce (Assume organic) (notes later) 
Apples
Asparagus
Avocado
Bananas
Bagged greens and salads
Beets
Bell pepper
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cabbage
Carrots
Purple Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Dried fruit (for hikes)
Grapefruit
Grapes
Kiwifruit
Kale
Spinach
Romaine
Bok Choi
Mushrooms
Onions
Oranges 
Pineapple
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Zucchini

Honestly ive found eating a variety is important so that you get a mix of different plant compounds and nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber and you ultimately feel fuller longer than other stuff

Snacks

Bare fruit and Veggie Chips
GoMacro Bars or RxBars
Cauliflower Hash Browns (freezer)
Myriads of other things I can find

Whole Grains

Amaranth
Barley
Bulgur
Farro
Kamut
Oats
Harmony Quinoa
Rice (Wild and Brown)
Spelt
Sprouted-grain products (think breads etc)
Sprouted Wheat Flour
Buck Wheat Flour
White Flour
Teff
TOFU and Tempeh

What you really should be looking for is just the product written on there not just “Whole this and Whole that” … Shopping for whole grains can be tricky. Dont fall for the tricks. Cambridge did a study illustrating just that. Consumer confusion about wholegrain content and healthfulness in product labels: a discrete choice experiment and comprehension assessment | Public Health Nutrition | Cambridge Core

Legumes

Canned CHickpeas (organic) - For hummus They are precooked and makes it easier
Peas
Chickpeas
Dry peas - Split greens
Edamame
Hummus
Lentils
Peanut and Peanut Butter

To understand why legumes are a must requires understanding the 9 essential amino acids… There are nine essential amino acids. Essential meansour bodies don’t make them and most plant proteins tend to be low in the amino acid, lysine. This is quite important. Legumes, on the other hand, are unique in that they contain lysine. Legumes are also a good source of fiber, iron, potassium, and folate. So incorporate them so you still have balanced nutrition. Thats the research ive found.

Stores I shop at

Trader Joe’s - Smaller selection but I can buy most of what I need from there. Do like the smaller store vibe
Whole Foods (though my opinion is dropping a lot) - Amazing selection. Lots of options
Smiths - Decent Selection. My walmart alternative
Harmons - EXPENSIVE but amazing quality stuff on the shelves. Good variety and good selection of premade foods if you should need it.
Mom and Pops Shops/ Family local owned - Various shops. Try to find some in your local area. Its better than supporting a corporation IMHO

Stores I do my best to avoid

Walmart - Terrible quality food. Bad policies towards employees. Most organic foods have no verifiable supply chain
Winco - Slim pickings. Otherwise decent place for bulk if you dont want organic
Albertsons - Over priced, Trying to be a whole foods competitor without the quality

Articles/Research done on the lifestyle

https://plantbasedresearch.org/ (focused page on it)

A note about ethics

I think the obvious question becomes do I believe in the vegan ethics since I did bring them up. The answer is yes but not to there degree. I highly admire it. Taking a stance and truly believing every single bit behind it and making your actions follow that is an admirable trait. I’ve always been a bit of a pacifist but I grew up being exposed to having to put animals down So I might not be as sensitive. However I really do believe in a lot of their anti-exploitation ethics. Their fight against animal exploitation doesn’t just include animals it includes child labor and other things that occur such as how chocolate is grown for example or how coffee is made down in South America, obeying free trade. As to the environmental side, there might be something to it but I think what’s more important is your personal health and how you feel about the food you’re eating and where it comes from. If you’re going to take the whole foods plant-based diet to the level of veganism understand that to fall within that philosophy is not just about the diet It’s about the ethics and an overall utilitarian view on the world and the environment So if you’re going to go to that extent don’t do it hypocritically.

My concluding message is healthy food and lifestyles are cheaper than medical bills in the long run. I dont see how it can get more distilled than that. So try something new incorporate more veggies be a little bit greener and feel good while doing it what can possibly go wrong?

Share your recipes! Join the fun!

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Recipes

(Reserved as I fill out with recipes and pictures over time) (ideally and hopefully unless I disappear again)

(I would have had this more filled out but theres a lot and its late)

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Tonight the wife and I made chicken breast with sautéed red onions, garlic, and oyster mushrooms that I grew myself on nann bread with a Tzatziki sauce.

One chicken breast (can substitute for vegan option)

Your choice of mushrooms

Half a red onion

4 cloves of garlic

Tzatziki sauce (I used this recipe
Tzatziki Recipe - Love and Lemons )

Grapeseed oil

Salt

1/4 stick of salted Butter

Cut chicken into thin strips and set aside.
Pull apart or cut mushrooms into strips and set aside.
Dice onion and set aside.
Peel and chop garlic then set aside.

Sauté the mushrooms first in an oiled pan over medium heat. Begin to sear chicken (or substitute) in a separate oiled pan as well. When mushrooms are about halfway cooked add butter, onions, and garlic. Continue to cook until onions have softened. Salt to taste. When the chicken and vegetables have finished cooking remove from heat and set aside. Heat nann bread in a pan until warmed and then top with vegetables then chicken then Tzatziki sauce.

Enjoy!

I know it isn’t vegan how I made it but it easily could be by replacing the chicken with tofu or something and not using butter when you cook the vegetables. All the vegetables were bought at the local co-op with the exception of the mushrooms which I grew myself.

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Went vegan for near 6months. Between the sense of monotony, regardless of food style I prepped at home, and restrictiveness whenever going out with family / some friends - I reverted back to vegetarian reel quick… Sinking muhh teeth into an Egg n’ Cheese

Lebanese Lentil

  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 pound red lentils
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice

Step 1-
Bring chicken stock and lentils to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 2-
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 3 minutes.

Step 3-
Stir onions into the lentils and season with cumin and cayenne. Continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 10 minutes.

Step 4-
Carefully puree the soup in a standing blender, or with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice before serving.

Additional options [that I do]:
1-2 additional cups of stock [add in initial prep]
1 Large sweet potato, diced [thickener, backdrop sweetness]
1 Habanero Pepper [backdrop heat; added source of warmth, with a slow exit]

Alternate options [I’ve done]:
Lime Juice [instead of Lemon Juice]
Vegetable stock [instead of Chicken stock]

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A huge thing I have found locally too is where you buy food from.

There’s a MASSIVE difference in quality of food between generic supermarkets and elsewhere.

I shop at a smaller/specialty local grocery and their produce tastes better, is maybe 15-20 percent more expensive but… here’s the big one…. Their fruit and vegetables last 2-3x as long. I suspect very much because they’re actually fresh and not already old when on sale.

You get what you pay for imho and I’m certain the large chains get the shit nobody wants, days or weeks after it would have been on sale elsewhere.

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You know Shiitake is a mushroom, no? :smiley: Just different pronunciation.

Bruh, there’s nothing counter-cultural about veganism, you can’t get more establishment than that, lmao.

Have you tried the full protein diet? Eating just meat, very low fiber (like, basically only flatbread), very few vegetables (10% total, usually made of lettuce, cucumber and onion) and the rest of about 80% meat (chicken, beef or lamb only). Me and a buddy of mine tried it (basically eating shawarma daily) and we felt great and took down quite a lot of pounds (in 3-4 months he lost 20 lbs, I wasn’t that fat to begin with, so I only lost about 7lbs). Just avoid potatoes and corn, eat mostly vegetables (nightshades are most recommended) - again, not more than 10%, a little bit of fiber and rest just meat. You could make it a permanent diet, but after a while, you will want to eat stuff like legumes and mushrooms, which will be almost absent (with the exception of maybe green peas and peanuts). For fast weight-loss, I recommend a meat-diet (avoid pork or fatty meats), but every body reacts differently, so YMMV obviously.

I actually like fiber-rich food and especially love whole grain cereals (unprocessed wheat, oat, rye and barley). I could eat cereals every morning (and I did eat almost daily for 6 months).

My secret is drinking lots of water. After I finish eating a small bowl or plate of whatever I happen to be eating (except cereals, which always make me feel full), I drink about 14oz (400ml) of water in one go. If I still feel hungry, I drink about half more. I feel satiated, just that it takes a lot of time for the brain to process that you’re actually full. At restaurants, I always order kid sized meals (and even those are hard to finish).

I don’t usually have snacks, because I always feel full after meals for quite a while. In a pinch, I’ll have some unsalted dried pretzels (the thicker ones, not the thin small ones) or non-sweet biscuits - or nuts. Oh, lordy, I love nuts and peanuts. If I have a choice for a snack, peanuts would be my go-to.

This ^
I especially love European shops (Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Turkish).

Personally, I don’t care what I eat, I just avoid sugar like a plague, don’t eat very salty either (I love spices, but I don’t like too much salt, actually, I don’t like what would be considered a normal dose of salt either, I feel it’s too much) and try to not eat like an elephant. Drinking lots of water after you finish is the key, you fill the void in your stomach with basically 0 calories (and you’re always the strange guy who goes to the toilet every 15 minutes).

Also, alcohol and sugar are treated the same by your liver, so I don’t drink alcohol at all either. I may drink a sugary drink once a month or less, but after you get used to not having a lot of sugar in your diet, you won’t crave sugar basically at all.

I fluctuate every 5-7 days between 137 lbs and 148 lbs (this is basically the food I eat, I don’t go to the toilet daily).

If you share recipes, maybe add them to based.cooking on Github.

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Yes I was just making a play on it I do love them in my miso soup

Perhaps the word was counter American culture. We live in a culture where everybody stuffs their face with the remarkable unhealthy food and then wonders why they have medical issues and then blames the medical system for all of their problems and their genetics. I’ve honestly found through healthy habits and healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle you can change how your genes are expressed because we have something called epigenetics. It’s a slow process but it can definitely occur with consistency and I think people really need to start respecting the fact that we do adapt over time.

I have definitely tried it and it definitely did work for my weight loss but it just wasn’t sustainable for me even though I felt pretty good it always required especially during when we had the meat packing closures a lot of meat and just a lot of expensive stuff for me and I find vegetables to be cheaper so I really do integrate them more not saying that you couldn’t have a full protein diet on plant-based stuff but I think balance is probably better

So some of us can’t eat meat easily namely me because of polycythemia. That said do be aware that I think the reason I also really lean towards a balanced diet is because I realized something in my research as I was going along. You can become allergic to something due to prolonged exposure. And that’s pretty dangerous if you have a meal based on something that you eat almost every day and then suddenly oh wow you can’t eat anymore your body’s just done… I’m not saying that’ll happen often but it does happen so it’s just a caution

Oh dude toss in the recommendations I’d love to know things that are purely whole when it comes to cereals. That would be fantastic for the morning

This is actually because hormones don’t react as fast as direct nervous responses. So yeah the brain is going to react a lot slower It’s a chemical response.

I definitely do support these I would just say there are some cautions like don’t pay way mark up for a product they can go buy at the supermarket if they’re importing something that’s different but if they’re literally just buying stuff from local big corp shops and then reselling it it’s not really supporting a small business in my opinion.

Yeah I actually might do that I didn’t even know it existed

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I get really serious about my cereals

Back in Europe, I used to find those at supermarkets (Kaufland and Auchan had their own brand packed whole grain cereals - not processed ones, like “whole grain” bran flakes, just bare, whole “seeds”). My cousin managed to find plain oats here in the US, but it’s hard to find the other ones (or we haven’t looked enough). Here there is Millville Rolled Oats (albeit Aldi is not a small business, but hey, it’s just plain rolled oats). Your best luck is finding Muesli cereals, but unfortunately, like almost anything else here, they have other stuff in them with lots of added sugar. Also, I hate raisins, Muesli cereals usually come with those. If you don’t mind dried fruits in your cereals, Muesli + corn flakes are your best bet. But Muesli is more expensive than simply buying whole grain cereals.

In any case, I used to combine rye, wheat, oats and barley (about equal proportions) with corn flakes (both because corn is cheaper and less dense, so fills your morning bowl with less weight), about 1:1 ratio, and ate them with milk in the morning. I like their crunchiness, but if you leave them 10 minutes, they will get softer. This insured that I had an adequate daily intake of fibers. My stomach felt great (and one big bowl of it even treats diarrhea, but some people may get constipated, I had no issues).

I really miss my favorite cereals, I haven’t eaten a lot since I came back here. Oh, sometimes I would buy different kinds of unsalted nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews) and combine them. About 10-20% nuts, 30-40% whole grain cereals and 50% corn flakes. I was just eyeballing it in the morning.

Back to cereals, for vegans, you have your alternatives, like almond, soy or rice milk. HOWEVER, those may be artificially sweetened, so careful what you buy. But that’s valid for milk as well…

Also, depending on your taste, you could eat them with water (you can boil them and eat them hot). For non-vegans, they also work well with yogurt. In a pinch, I ate them with coffee (wasn’t too bad, but wouldn’t want to try it again).

Just don’t crush them or cook them for extended periods, they will loose most of their properties (you are basically processing them).

We usually buy stuff from Europe, not things you can find here (like for example corn flour is coarser in Europe, the one here is really fine, so it may be worth paying a little more for it, but not too much obviously). There may also be difference in quality and the additives added (Europeans use less or none in some cases), so do check those out too.

Basically, if you read the label and can’t understand sh*t, you’re in a good spot. Just ask what you are actually buying if you can’t see inside the container, or if there’s no picture on the label, or if there are too many stuff in the picture on the label. But there should be other labels on the shelves with the price.

Yep, which is why filling myself with water gives such a fast reaction and feeling of fullness.

As for other foods, when I didn’t have a lot of money, I used to make beans. My own recipes are usually fast (because I’m lazy), so I was frying some onion a little, adding red bell peppers, then adding the beans along with water and boiling them. The non-vegan version involved adding sausages (kabanos) after the onion, then adding the peppers. At the end, add a pinch of salt and some spices (usually fresh or dried parsley and tarragon).

I have some more recipes, but I was hoping to add them to based.cooking at some point anyway. They’re all really basic and usually only involve using a big wok (because it’s basically a pan and a pot combined, so less dishes to wash, lmao).

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Holy crap I can’t do this post justice with a reply while on travel. Thanks man!

They have stricter laws do they not?

Lol I was more or less saying this.

Well I’d say you can try for stuff like beyond meat … You know their beyond sausage and stuff but I’ve never been a fan of overly processing a puree of god knows what vegetables and chemicals into pseudo meat. That seems to do far much more harm than good. I don’t yet have enough research that backs that up but something just seems off about pursuing a healthier diet only to run into more chemicals, more processed stuff? :joy:

Hey I’d love it if you dropped them here… I wish I could do your reply justice. I promise I’ll read it more when I’m back in town for now I’m traveling but recipes are always welcome! Might find someone else adapts them and it can get to he a good thread here

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This actually reminds me of a conversation in the lounge about cookware and recommended cooking oils. I thought I’d post it here, as well for my own reference.
https://forum.level1techs.com/t/the-lounge-for-the-sophisticated-shut-in-edition/159822/12919?u=bedhedd
@Log had a really good explanation of what oils are good for cooking and oils to avoid
https://forum.level1techs.com/t/the-lounge-for-the-sophisticated-shut-in-edition/159822/12951?u=bedhedd

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Excellent link back!

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They have less restrictive laws and less regulation. Yet it’s just that it’s easier to just serve you simple products and do good business, instead of spending money to enrich or add stuff to them and then market their products to make them more appealing, as in “high protein flour” or whatever the American counterparts are doing. Europeans don’t really buy into the bullsh*t, they prefer more natural products. And companies try their best to just sell stuff without investing too much in their product beyond making it, so again, adding more stuff means more money wasted and less profit margins (probably as a result of so much competition).

I didn’t try “beyond meat” or “impossible burger” yet. I tried vegan burgers countless of times. Obviously they don’t taste like meat, but that’s their appeal, if they’re vegan, they should not taste like meat. But unfortunately, vegan food always makes me hungry after 2h of eating. I tried a strictly vegan diet for 2 weeks (kind of like a “”“detox”"" period) back in 2019, but I’ve eaten more stuff than I usually did and still couldn’t feel satisfied, alongside feeling more tired, so veganism is not for me.

If you’re vegan and want some more protein, add soybeans and peanuts to your diet. There are some mushrooms with more protein out there, not sure which ones do though.

Fully agree. If you need to take supplements or consume highly processed foods, then something is wrong with your diet.

I’d have to remember them and also keep count of what I already mentioned.

I did green peas last week.

  • 1 lbs (500g) green peas
  • 1 big onion (3-4 normal sized ones)
  • 5-6 sweet red capia peppers (they have more flavor than bell peppers, but are slightly smaller - obviously, you can use bell peppers)
  • 3-4 carrots
  • tomato paste
  • 4-5 teaspoons of oil (I always use olive oil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoons of ground black pepper
  • 5 teaspoons of Italian seasoning (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil)
  • +/- 1 teaspoon of chili flakes / powder
  • +/- 1/2 lbs (~300g) of bacon (the smoked pork belly that’s slightly fattier, “kaiserfleisch”). You can replace this with sausages (“kabanos” again) or chicken breast

As always, get a large wok. Cut the onion, peppers, carrots and bacon into small cubes. Fry the onions first until they get a little yellowish-brown (not too much though), then add the bacon (or skip it if you’re vegan), keep frying until the meat looks smaller and browns a little. Add the peppers, fry. Add the carrots and fry just a little more, then add the green peas and water. Mix well, then let it boil. Boil until either the green peas aren’t crunchy anymore, or stop at your preferred crunch levels. Before you turn off the heat, add the tomato paste and then some more water if it needs (so it becomes more of a sauce) and mix well. Let it boil a minute or two, then add the seasonings. If there’s too much water, let the water boil off some more, it should be very thick so you can eat with a fork. You can eat it with bread, so you can really clean the sauce off the bowl or plate, but it’s not necessary (the sauce is the best part).

I’ll think of other stuff, but takes some time to write them.

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I am far from vegan (I love dairy too much, alas) but I have been dabbling in some vegetarian recipes. The cost of meat has gone up a lot, and I think if that trends continues it’s likely a better choice to treat it as an occasional treat instead of building meals around it.

A recipe that I can’t stop making is Vegan Red Lentil Curry, I mentioned it in the ‘Post Pics Of What You Ate’ thread:

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Like it used to be. We’re probably getting out of the bubble. We used to eat meat once a week and that was when with a single wage you could afford a house, a car and maintenance and related stuff.

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The best and easiest way to lose weight and stay healthy is to seriously eat home-cooked foods, mostly veggies/fruits, and avoid highly-processed (generally pre-made) foods (as already mentioned in this thread). Whether or not you go vegetarian/vegan doesn’t matter. Limiting your meat intake to 1/4 or less of your meal portions is majorly beneficial for long-term health and weight loss.

There will of course be all sorts of medical doctors recommending vegan and keto diets, but overwhelming, eating home cooked, unprocessed, is the best

10/10 advice right there. Limiting alcohol + sugar intake can massively effect your health (in a positive way), and aren’t things that are hard to do.

Imagine if meat wasn’t substantially subsidized, how much more expensive it would be…

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Broccoli, Spinach, and Shiitake mushroom soup with a drizzle of spicy honey on top with some naan bread. Also has some diced cauliflower for texture.

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I’m a big sucker for hummus! There are plenty of recipes around so try it out. It’s great for a spread on your sandwich and also as a dip for veggies. Fresh Naan and good hummus and I’m in heaven :innocent:

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Baking some veggies

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Bonus points for purple broccoli.

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you should lookup cauliflower wings. they are tasty. bbq, buffalo, teryaki, garlic parmesan

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