Vegan for lent?

So I am not catholic, I was rasied Christian, my husband is semi non practicing catholic, but I like the idea behind lent. Anyhow, I decided I would like to go vegan for lent. Being a vegan is something I admire in people and aspire to be. I just always decided against it because I went for the easy way out, and just ate what was around me instead of taking a big step against meat, eggs, dairy. But I think I am finally ready to take the step.

Yay! how wonderful.

Good for you.

I myself am a Catholic on a Vegan diet so there isn't much dietary stuff to give up. LOL! I gave up anger and gossip.  I'm failing at gossip.

I know how hard the gossip thing can be, sometimes we tend to do it without even realizing it. And then with all the tabloids out there with celebrity gossip makes it harder too. Lots of luck though, I am sure once you get the hang of things you should be gossip free in no time!

I became vegan for Lent last year and I'm still vegan. The first two weeks were the hardest (but not that hard) as I figured out which foods to eliminate and found new foods to try. But after that and after doing a lot of research and talking to other vegans, I think this way of life is best for me. Good luck!

I have also decided to go vegan for lent. The only thing that makes it hard for me is, having no dairy or meat, I get stuck on potatoes, rice, some pasta, and bread. ALL CARBS!!! This is what is hard. I think Im doing a good thing going vegan, but you consume so much CARBS. Well, good luck to everyone.

I know what you mean Kyankik. During the week hasn't been too hard for me since I have been making lunch from home, flax seed wrap with hummus, tomatos & cucumbers, SO good, with some fruits and a tiny bit of sesame seeds. I think if I can figure out ahead of time what I am eating I will be okay, after work, I usually make chicken and veggies for my husband, I have just been substituiting the chicken with rice & beans, soup, burritos, etc for me. Knowing ahead of time what I'm eating later seems to help me know how many calories I have eaten and stay organized. Hope this helps :)

Original Post by kyankik:

I have also decided to go vegan for lent. The only thing that makes it hard for me is, having no dairy or meat, I get stuck on potatoes, rice, some pasta, and bread. ALL CARBS!!! This is what is hard. I think Im doing a good thing going vegan, but you consume so much CARBS. Well, good luck to everyone.

 Check out vegweb.com for some recipes. And make sure you eat your fruits and vegetables, not just your grains! Beans are a good source of fiber and protein, so you'll want to look into adding that into your diet food.

Just don't make the mistake of eating animal crackers.  Vegetarians can eat animal crackers, vegans can not.  It's a topic of much debate for vegetarians, but there are eggs in animal crackers.  So definitely not vegan... which is sad... cause what a nice snack.

yay! I'm doing the same thing! :D

I'm just cutting out straight eggs and milk and not putting it into anything I cook...

I'm going to get rid of hidden ingredients and stuff after I turn 4 soon! yay!! :D because thats when I can get a job and earn money and buy food that I would want/need. I have a big family so I can't ask my mom to buy certain stuff for me :/

I decided to give up all meat except fish for lent.  I need a lunch I can bring to school though that travels well and of course has no meat.  I have no access to a microwave at school.  I am sick and tired of PB & J!  Any suggestions?

I'm doing the same!

Any vegans experience "negative" side effects at first?  I KNOW I'm not getting enough protein.  My stomach/head have been hurting like crazy for the last two days.  I didn't even get out of bed yesterday (okay..maybe I was just being lazy) let alone work out (training for a triathlon).  Any suggestions for college students with limited time to cook vegan meals?

I'm currently drinking soy milk, but besides that I don't really know what to do?

Hey there Ilovewater, I haven't had any negative side effects as of yet (knock on wood*) except for the pretzles I have been eating which had honey in them, which I now stay away from. But as far as  protein I have these flax seed wraps I have with my lunch I bring to work from home, they have only 110 calories and 12 grams of protein, that with some hummus and veggies soo good and under 250 calories. Maybe you can try something like that?  

that sounds delicious! I will definitely have to try it, thanks!!!

Every weekend, I make a huge crockpot of stew or soup.  I then portion it out, freeze half and eat the other half during the week for lunch.  I try something new every week.  My favorites to date have been Moroccan sweet potato stew, African peanut stew, a good Mexican vegan stew with tons of veggies and beans, and even a pureed potato/veggie broth soup that tastes great thawed.  The soups are filling, very low cal (with the exception of the peanut based soups) and so easy to warm up.

The days that I don't want soup for lunch, I have a huge spinach salad, topped with tons of fresh veggies, bean of my choice, and balsamic vinagrette with curry and dry mustard mixed in.  I buy the huge plastic box of organic spinach....it lasts weeks.

For dinners,  I have stirfried veggies, 1 boca burger a week, pasta with canned, diced tomatoes and boca crumbles once a week, sandwiches, or tofu scrambles which I LOVE. 

For snacks (and to get more calories and/or protein based on each day's food log), I have apples with peanut butter, hot green tea with organic honey (I know...not really vegan), flax seed bread with a light smear of soy garden spread and a healthy T. or two of nutritional yeast flakes.

My daily analysis is generally around 18-23% fat, 13-17% protein, and the rest carbs.   I shoot for 55g of protein a day based upon my 5'4" height and current body weight of 147.

I've been vegan for 4 weeks and it's been easier than I thought it would be.  I've tried very hard to steer clear of processed, prepared, faux meats though.

blueeyedchica try agave sweetener instead of honey- it has the same consistency and taste and best of all is totally vegan! its plant derived.  it sounds tropical but trader joes have now started stocking it... hooray for vegans!