EDIT: Thank you all so much for your quick reply!!🥹 I now know how to store my tofu and how to tell if it has gone bad or not 🫶🏼

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to going vegetarian, but so far I'm really enjoying it and I love trying out new plant-based recipes!

I wanted to try tofu the other day and this time I picked up a good local brand from the asian grocery store. Yesterday I made stir-fried noodles with vegetables and it was really yum! I had some tofu left over, so I put it in a glass container in the fridge. It was getting pretty late, so I planned to freeze it the next day. But I hadn't actually looked up the proper way to store tofu.. So the tofu was in the container without water.

The following evening, I went to put the tofu away in the freezer. I had already cut it into pieces, but I noticed that the texture felt a bit slimy. Now I’m worried that it might have gone bad.. But it’s only a day old after opening? There’s no sour smell, I suppose just a soy-like and fermented scent, I guess? And it still looks white.. Maybe the tofu is dehydrated?

I also read that you should check to make sure the water isn’t cloudy when buying tofu. But if I recall correctly, all the packages I saw looked a bit milky? I always grab products from the back of the shelf, but their own store-brand tofu came in a white plastic container, so it was hard to tell when comparing other brands ig. However, last week I bought some tofu from a regular supermarket and I noticed that the water was actually clear?

Any advice and help is appreciated🥺 Thank you!!

I was at dinner last night with my friends. I was the only vegetarian. They all started having a long conversation about how life cannot be fulfilling without eating meat etc etc. One of my friends complained about how it is so annoying when she goes out with her vegetarian family, 90% of the dishes on the table will be vegetarian (as if I'm not at a table where 90% of the dishes are meat and mine is the only vegetarian? that really got to me lol).

It's annoying because my friends are always very respectful and inclusive of my dietary choices (not even in a way where it's explicit they're doing it but just implicitly in the this is just the way it should be). This conversation was just triggered by someone in the group who does not usually join us.

I think people are allowed to choose if they want to eat meat or not and I don't shame people if they do. If you need to eat meat to feel fulfilled that's fine. But the way this conversation went about was very uncomfortable and isolating for me.

I keep second guessing my relationship with a meat eater because of this difference between us. I’m hoping to understand how those who view this as a core value manage their relationships with meat eaters who don’t have that same core value.

Or maybe vegetarianism is just an action derived from other values which you actually share with your partner. If I can frame it like this I’d be happier with my partner.

Hi all,

I'm looking for support to go veg again. About 15 years ago I was veg (7 years) and was even vegan for over a year.

Later in life I figured out I have genetic sensitivity to nightshades (potato, tomato, peppers, more).

My laziness and social lifestyle also made it hard to return to veg-ism and the limitations of not being able to have anything spicy or off the shelf substitutes (ie veggie burger) really make things hard.

But I like to try again - to at least greatly reduce my meat intake and prob less dairy.

Is there anyone else in the same boat?

Is there a network of support to communicate with others online?

any info or leads helps. Thanks

I want to go vegan and I’m autistic, I have a lot of texture sensitivities especially to meat alternatives like mushrooms and tofu, my mum suggested I try going vegetarian first before going fully vegan and slowly transitioning into fully vegan because she thinks if I do it that way I’ll have a higher chance of sticking to it, and I’ll have time to explore different kinds of alternatives to find ones that work for me.

My sister is a vegan and was vegetarian until 18, but I tried to broach the subject with her and I think she’s uncomfortable discussing it with me which is totally fine.

I think being a vegetarian is better than eating meat and not being plant based at all, and if everyone at least went vegetarian the global emissions would lessen by quite a lot.

I just feel like I’m going to struggle making it work because I don’t have as flexible options as my sister as she isn’t autistic and doesn’t have the same issues, which she understands but I understand she would rather not be involved anyway because of her beliefs.

I want to be vegan but I think jumping straight into it is going to backfire, I also don’t want to feel alienated from all of the nice people I’ve been talking to online about veganism and plant based lifestyles too.

I’m very stressed about this and I just need some advice I guess.

hey everyone, i’ve been vegetarian for nearly 5 months now and i also try my best to cut out as much dairy as i can. lately i haven’t really known what other things i can do for dinner other than tofu and chickpeas, does anyone have any relatively easy to find proteins?? also unrelated but what is the best kind of meat substitute, thanks :)

Hi all! I’m a biology student at Imperial College London, and I’m exploring a startup idea for my course: shaping the gut microbes of calves early in life so that they produce much less methane as adult cows. Before going further, I want to understand how people who’ve given up dairy think about this.

For those who’ve cut out milk: was the environmental side (e.g. methane emissions from cows) ever part of your decision, or was it strictly about the animals? And would lower-emission dairy make any difference to you, or not at all?

I’m not trying to start a debate or sell anything, I just want to hear the different reasons people have. Honest answers (including “no way”) are really helpful. Thanks in advance! 🙏

EDIT: I got my answer, I won't make a game out of the food. Mods, feel free to lock this if you'd like.

I'm planning a Halloween party, and because my spouse and I are hosting it, it'll be a vegetarian (or possibly vegan) Halloween party. I thought it could be fun to lean into the idea of serving "weird/fake" meat and make it part of the fun.

The menu items I'm thinking of are:

• Chili with beans and Morningstar Farms steakhouse burgers crumbled up (soy based)
• Pigs in a blanket with Morningstar hot dogs (wheat based)
• Beanie Joe, lentils in homemade sloppy joe sauce (naturally meatless)
• Burrito chips, refried beans, rice, corn and peppers spread between tortillas and baked or fried (naturally meatless, if I run out of time I'll skip these because they require the most prep time)

Conveniently, this has the wheat-based meat wrapped in visible wheat and the soy-based meat in a pot with a bunch of legumes, which should help with allergens. I'll also put a warning on the table to ask me which one has soy in it for anyone allergic to soy.

I thought it would be fun to add a 'guess the mystery meat' game, but I'm not totally sure how to do it. I was thinking of making little cards where you guess what's in stuff and there's a drawing where I keep drawing cards until one has the right answer, and then that person wins a prize - one prize for each of the foods? Do I include beef/pork/chicken and/or definitely-incorrect "weird" meats like flying pig, griffon and red-nosed reindeer?

Another option that would be more drop-in friendly (I don't expect everyone to stay for the whole party) would be putting a note pad and a flip-up sign next to each dish, suggesting guests taste and write down their guess before looking at the answer.

Do you see problems with either of these plans, or have alternate ideas for me?

This is kind of a mild rant / disappointed thing

The other day a group of us were hanging out and picking a lunch place and the place they picked didn't really have gluten-free options so i pointed out a friend's dietary requirement so that we would go somewhere we could all eat. Everyone was so astounded that i knew that he couldn't eat gluten, most of all himself. He told me that i'm the first person he's ever met who remembered his dietary requirement after being told once and took it into consideration.

I laughed it off then, but i thought about it later, and he's right. As a vegetarian myself, i could probably count on one hand the number of non-vegetarian friends i have who are aware of my dietary restriction and factor it in when choosing places to go out or eat, and have fingers left over. Meanwhile, my fellow vegetarians and I just somehow instinctively remember and know. And i think it's ridiculous. It's not hard. Just because you are the majority, it doesn't mean you have to show zero consideration for everybody else. It's really not hard to remember someone can't eat certain things, i would argue it is basic decency in a friendship and a small act of caring.

And it goes further than that. At any setting, omnivores will be (re)surprised that i am eating no meat, and they'll be sure to poke fun at me for it. I don't mind honest, curious questions about my diet choice and will always do my best to answer them, but i have classmates who on a weekly basis for years would say things like "do you want this chicken wing? oh wait you can't, that's so sad... you're missing out" or eat meat directly in front of me (which i don't mind, its the intent of it) and say "don't you wish you could have some doesn't it look good" or drop this banger "do you want to try a bite" NO I DO NOT. IF I DID I WOULD BUY IT AND EAT IT.

Why are we trying to convert others? Live and let live much? Show a little basic human empathy? Don't be an asshole? Shut the hell up?

I have been pescetarian for a few years now and recently decided to make the change to a full vegetarian diet.

I'm the kind of person that typically eats the same breakfast and lunch every day and I have a few dinners that I alternate between.

I prefer easy dinners utilizing the rice cooker (quinoa or rice) and air fryer (salmon or shrimp previously). I eat tofu here and there if I find a recipe I like. But I don't want tofu to be my main dinner protein. Nothing against it, it just takes a decent bit of effort to make it tasty lol.

Any suggestions or recommendations for easy and repeatable (relatively high in protein) dinner ideas I could throw into my rotation?

Some people don't know what no meat means

I’ve been wanting to eat less meat for a while now, both for ethical and environmental reasons and because sometimes the reality of eating animals genuinely grosses me out. I hopefully do wanna go vegetarian at some point!

My problem is that meat has always been a central part of my diet. I can eat a vegetarian meal and genuinely enjoy it, but then the next time I’m hungry, I’m thinking, “Okay, but where’s the meat?” It’s not even that I’m craving a specific meat dish. I’m just so accustomed to having meat that a meal sometimes feels incomplete without it.

I also really cannot get into fake meat. I’ve tried different meat substitutes, and they just don’t taste as good as the real thing to me. I’ve tried tofu too, and while I don’t dislike it, I prefer tofu when it’s prepared as tofu rather than trying to imitate chicken or beef. No matter how I prepare it, I can still taste the soy, and I’d rather just embrace it for what it is.

I actually enjoy beans, lentils, chickpeas, mushrooms, and plenty of vegetables. So it’s not that I dislike vegetarian food. I’ve made meatless meals I’ve really liked before! I just struggle with consistently choosing it over meat. I think i’d have an easier time eating mostly vegetarian if I found meals that were satisfying in their own right rather than trying to recreate meat-based dishes.

For people who grew up eating meat with almost every meal, how did you make that transition? Did you eventually stop feeling like something was missing from your plate?
I’d also love recommendations for hearty, flavorful vegetarian meals that aren’t centered around imitation meat! Something that will actually satisfy me. Or is this all something I have to keep doing until I get past that feeling?

Crazy amounts of protein, super tasty fried, a great vessel for sauces, I’m really loving this new find :D

my friend's mum is visiting and my friend invited us out to dinner with her. her mum loves seafood so she's chosen a restaurant that only serves fish. there's no vegetarian options except i could get a side of fries.

im a bit annoyed that she chose this place knowing i couldn't eat anything there. she's like "oh im not sure how vegetarian friendly they are" as if she doesn't know they have no options. I want to decline the invitation but I feel a bit rude towards her mum.

what would you do in this situation?

edit: ugh and the restaurant is so far out as well! this is really more a vent post because im annoyed

I went to the grocery shop today. Wanted to get some breadcrumbs to make Timballo with some leftover risotto I have.

First place I think to check is the baking section. They have ground almonds, oat flakes and lots of stuff like that. Can't find them.

Maybe near the bread. No, nothing.

I check the aisle where they usually put the Asian stuff cause many shops here have panko breadcrumbs there. But still nothing.

I check a bit all around.
I don't do in the meat fridges cause why would I. I haven't eaten meat since I'm 18 and never bought it at the grocery store so I literally just block it out and never go there cause I don't need anything from there.

I ask an employee where the breadcrumbs are and he looks at me like I'm stupid and walks me to the meat fridge. And there they are. INSIDE the fridge. He still looks at me like that's the most obvious place for them to be.

Now I know that you can make some stuffing for turkey I guess with breadcrumbs but like ??? It's definitely not the only thing nor the most common thing you use it for? There's so many things you can use them for. These types of things make me really feel like everything is so centred around meat here (I'm in Ireland)

Am I overreacting? Is it very common for the first thing people think when they think of breadcrumbs being meat?

Did you have any experience where you felt like you are in a meat centered world?

hey, I’ve been vegan 8 years but over the years due to policing I identify more with PB but use the word vegan for a quick understanding.

every now and again, I get this urge to go vegetarian just for ease. Id think about it, decide to wait a bit and it goes. this year, it’s been more frequent and louder.

for context, I’m in the uk and although we’re better than some places, we’re not booming like we were 5 years ago, it’s all about ”high protein”. anyway, I’m a carer for my wife and my nan. I’m about to start our first round of IVF anytime soon, my omni wife and I agreed to raise our child vegetarian - I’d always been set on vegan but social events in school, asking other people to look after them etc. it felt like a middle ground between us as parents.

yesterday, I considered the swap again and I decided to say it out loud. food very much just came a form of eating, lets say I run to Greggs for lunch, there’s no vegan sausage rolls - im grabbing wedges as food, and calling it my lunch. Im not that much of a cook and simply rely on quick things. my wife will do things like eggs on toast as something quick etc.

so, I bought a couple things to “test it”. I ate a small handful of maltesers (btw they don’t taste quite how I remember them), my throat felt like I was doing something wrong, I felt muggy, and I questioned every stomach twinge. I said I was going to try eggs for breakfast this morning but that I was going to stick to dairy free milks/yoghurts.

anyway, this morning I wake up at 5:30am panicking, like I’d thrown my identity into a spiral. i don’t know what to do. my compassion is still there; although not as loudly as it was in the beginning. I spoke to other people that made the switch. but here I am feeling stuck at an even bigger crossroads than I was before. I’ve said I was making the swap, I started making the swap, I gave myself permission but I’m double taking everything. I don’t think I can do it but my thoughts on why haven’t changed? I do still have desire for certain things. I worry about making sure I eat right during pregnancy because honestly, I haven’t been eating enough of anything lately I’d be surprised if I have. Today I’ve eaten vegan as it’s what I know and every time I try to figure it out in my mind; I get upset, cry/talk it out then I still feel like I should consider it. 😩

has anyone else been in this situation?

how do you navigate it?

easy quick swaps and grabs?

please no judgement - I’m doing my best

Whatever comes to mind, big or small. Such as what lead you to that decision. If you've always felt you would eventually. How did you handle fear of a big change like that? Was it a big change for you? What about those who live with meat eaters, how did you work around that? What about those who struggle with weight gain (before going vegaterian)? We're there concerns and if so, did you figure something out?

Thank you in advance. 🫶

Edit to clarify, by "struggle with weight gain" I (F28) mean, being underweight and struggles to put on weight. That is a concern of mine. I already have to drink protein shakes and mass gainer as it is. For years, I've been both consciously and subconsciously finding myself turned off by meat on my plate. I witnessed something traumatizing (to me) while in the Philippines on travel. Ever since, the idea of going vegetarian has been on my mind.

James Cromwell has criticized cage-free eggs as a way to "make humans feel better"

I have been interested in veganism but I grew up so heavy on meat, does anyone have tips to help me find meat less appealing or gross in smell, taste, or thought?

Hello all! I have been vegetarian on and off since I was 10 (parents never supported so i could never stick to it lol)! However, since I have moved out I have been consistently vegetarian for about 3 months now, and I truly don’t see myself ever going back. I enjoy learning new recipes and getting my fiancé to try stuff I make. He was hesitant at first, but is completely supportive now. The issue I’m worried about is I have a small collection of coach purses (5ish) and I don’t want to use them anymore. This is a personal decision, but I’m honestly grossed out by carrying around leather. I want to try and resell them, but am thinking maybe I should just keep them to not waste my money or whatever. Idk, I just feel like I already spent the money and don’t want to add them to the millions of purses that are wasted, but reselling is kinda preventing them from being wasted?? Lmk what yall think!

An excellent paper written by Alastair Norcross for vegetarianism with an eloquent example and articulation of arguments & counterarguments. I suggest reading at least the first section, Fred’s basement, and the section The Challenge of Marginal Cases, if not the full paper, as it beautifully articulates the logical flaws in common arguments against vegetarianism.

https://spot.colorado.edu/\\\~norcross/Puppies.pdf

Hello everyone! Recently I stopped to buy meat.

This is my second take on vegetarianism, first one I completely failed due to cravings and real or perceived malnutrition.

For context, I'm 35M, live in Mongolia, which is not a place associated with vegetarianism at all.

So, my diet consists of:

- Homemade yeast and non-yeast flatbreads, noodles.

- Rice, buckwheat, bulgur.

- Potatoes, cabbage (sauerkraut-like), onions, garlic, carrots, beets.

- Butter, different vegetable oils, eggs.

- Milk, kefir, sometimes cheese.

- Mayo, ketchup, mustard.

- Seaweed, miso paste, tofu.

- Raisins.

- Different spices like dill, parsley, paprica, ginger, etc.

Please give advice about sustainability of my diet and what should be added to it.

Also: what parameters aside from B12 should I monitor and how often?

EDIT: Everybody adviced beans, I managed to find them in a single vegan stall in Bombogor market.

It's kinda niche product here because nobody sells it in regular food stalls.

Not cheap either, cost around 5.5$ for 1kg. Interestingly, price is the same, in Russia chickpeas usually is much more expensive.

My husband and I are vegetarians by choice and religion. We grew up in a city where almost every place was vegetarian, so we never thought twice about it. After moving to a metro, we went to mixed veg/non-veg places for 2-3 years without caring.

Recently it started bothering us. What if the same utensils, spoons, or kitchen are used for our food? Now we only go to pure-veg places, and honestly we’re happy about it. It does limit the “cute café” options, though.

The problem is friends. They’re all vegetarian too, but they love going to places that look good on Instagram, even if they serve non-veg. We don’t feel comfortable there, and I don’t want to say it every time and have them think, *“inke toh nakhre hi bahut hain”*

I don’t want us to become the anti-social couple who always says no.

My boyfriend is telling me it’s pointless to be vegetarian if my dairy intake increases. What do you all think?