Surely being vegan is whatever a person says it is providing they can live with themselves.
I’ve still got leather shoes from years back. They’re perfectly serviceable and an animal died to make them so why not wear them until they wear out? I wouldn’t buy a new pair but have no qualms about wearing my old ones. I’ve been completely blanked by self-righteous ***hats who clocked my shoes and decided I wasn’t committed enough to the cause. I try really hard not to judge anyone. I’m not really in a position to judge anyone.
Adidas I believe brought out a vegan trainer. I'm sure it was them I can't remember where I saw it now.
I'm not saying you should go out and buy them but I found it pretty interesting how fake leather was seen as cheap and nasty stuff in the past. Now it's being marketed as vegan and likley at a premium. I'm sure some people would see a product like that and think wow I must buy it but I saw it and thought won't likley last as long as the real thing or look as good.
It's the same with fake meat and fake cheese. It's pretty nasty stuff some of it. It's loaded with all sorts of refined crap and you are so much better off just making the proper vegetarian alternative from scratch. With cheese that's hard to do so best either eating the real thing or just stop eating it altogether like a real vegan or find a different alternative. Vegan mayo is an interesting one it's worse for you than real mayo much like vegan cheeses.
You want a beef burger? Why not try a chickpea burger instead made from scratch? Lime zest with other veg added in and some flour. Make into patties and fry lightly there's a great recipe on hellofresh for the one we make.
The only fake meat I've had that I thought was decent is the Vivera schwarma and that's mainly because of all the additional spices I add to it and lemon juice even though it already comes spiced and pretty much ready to eat I don't all again from scratch. The other is meatballs. Again that's likley down to the sauce and the fact i fry them in garlic infused oil to get the flavours soaked into them.
I don't think you can say I'm vegan and then eat eggs, dairy, etc. I know someone who says they are vegan and they have been strict vegetarians the majority of their lives for religious reasons. However they will still eat butter, cheese, etc. He's just a vegetarian that doesn't take cow's milk in reality as he uses nut milks and he does buy vegan butter and cheeses but if he goes to someone else's house he will happily eat the real thing (cheese and butter). He even says it himself he's 90% vegan. You either go vegan and give up cheese and stay away from the fake stuff or just go vegetarian. Anyone who buys all the fake dairy and meat alternatives constantly is just kidding themselves on. It's also terrible for you. I'd rather eat the real thing.
The same way I'm 90% vegan although I also had a big Mac and chicken nuggets last week. 95% of all other food I ate was vegetarian and 90% vegan. Therefore I cannot seriously call myself a vegan or vegetarian even though it is what I eat majority of the time. In fact that big Mac and chicken nuggets is the only meat I've ate at home in 4 months. One meat meal in 4 months at home and I've spent the majority of my time at home. I cannot just call myself vegan if though the large majority of what I eat is.
If OP really wants to know where to get protein from that pretty much tells you that they know nothing about nutrition or food and should be broadening their horizons rather than looking for fake alternatives. You don't actually require huge amounts of protein not unless you are a bodybuilder and taking steroids to be able to absorb and make use of large amounts of protein. Even a normal person who goes to the gym regularly and trains hard doesn't require massive amounts of protein daily. There is only so much muscle your genetics will allow you to make in a day and carry naturally and you can easily get that amount without even trying if you eat real food.
Lentils (soup or daal)
Nuts (peanut butter, cashew powder count as well)
Beans (all the various types edamame, kidney, baked, black eyed, etc)
Chickpeas (hummus counts too)
Peas (have on the side or in rice or curries)
Chia seeds (put into porridge and smoothies)
Rice
If you want you can add eggs and dairy into that if you aren't vegan.
Eggs are the most easily digestible form of protein you can eat. So if you are worried about protein have eggs for breakfast or lunch, egg fried rice, egg on top of a meal, egg in a pitta with falafels or chickpea burger. There is a reason why jay cutler whilst going for Mr universe ate 300 egg whites per day. Protein doesn't get much better than eggs nutritionally although you should always eat in moderation and vary the source of protein.
It's also information easily available on Google. That's the reason why vegans will have been so negative towards the question because it's pretty easy to find the answer for and it's something they get ridiculed on by people who are clueless about protein. The amount of times they will have been told you cannot be getting enough protein or this and that on a vegan diet. Also on a vegan diet it's important that you know what it is your eating and getting all the nutrients that you need and these fake meats and fake dairy alternatives tend to be the least nutrient dense foods available for a proper vegetarian diet.
Worst comes to worst I'm sure there are at least 100 different vegan bodybuilders on YouTube who would love some views if you're still struggling.
I could never go full vegan but I'm seriously considering full vegetarian or pescatarian.
There's a place in the south side which does the best cakes and they are eggless. It's what we get for occasions now like birthdays, etc. I had some leftover and took into work a few years back and you should have seen the number of people who would normally have been all over cake refused to try it because it was eggless. It said it on the box I think the company may be even card the eggless cake company or something. Those that did try it commented on how light it was and tasty and couldn't tell it was eggless.
That's the reason why a lot of vegans and vegetarians are wary of people because the majority don't have a clue about food and turn their noses to vegans and vegetarians with zero basis for it.
There's so many tasty real vegetarian foods it's a shame so many are narrow minded.
Avocados is one of my favourite things to eat and a real superfood. It's got so much variance on uses too. On toast, guacamole, in burritos, salads, etc.
Salad is another favourite of mine. Especially gherkins but I like tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, red onion, pickled beetroot, etc.
Jars of pitted black olives.
Fresh green olives stuffed with garlic.
Buy real food and broaden your horizons. Fake meat should only be looked at as a food you eat when really craving meat. Not something you eat several times a week.
After writing all of this I could murder a mixed German doner kebab from the GDK franchise. Oh well Vivera schwarma which I haven't had in 6 or so months will need to be added onto the next shopping list.
