Basically from a Vulture to a Rabbit in one shot. So since my memories are still fresh and since the struggle is still not over it is an ideal time to make note of my observations.First of all i must admit that Hunger is the feeling that has associated itself most with Veganism so far. The first week i did not know what to eat. I was already reduced to minimalist food habits due to my high protein diet and now i needed something to replace the meats with something Vegan. So for a start Carbohydrates was the first easy option ( bread ) that i had not enjoyed for a longtime due to the diet. So lots of bread and since no more convenient meat and cheese cuts to go along i ended up eating jam and jelly. Again i am speaking about a non-gradual transition event and i was trying to survive with what was readily available from my pre-Vegan days. And of course lots of Bananas! Bananas because easy to eat and to calm hunger with. Of course the freezer was full of the delicious vegan Kebabs that i was constantly working to improve but i was keeping that for Lunch only and maybe dinner as well, but in the meantime there was breakfast and snack time
Also delicious as they are it is not possible to eat them everyday for almost 15 months.So when i went shopping i tried to stock up on replacement items and was at a total loss. Here i was in one of the biggest hyper-markets and could not find suitable prepared foods. Something like replacement cheese or a salty sandwich spread to replace cold cuts or or.. I spent 5 minutes trying to find Vegan 'butter' and read all of the stickers on different margarine spreads and they all would end up with some sort of milk powder or milk cream somewhere before the end of the list of ingredients. I wish it would have been in the beginning
Believe it or not i did not find any. To summarize i make note of the extreme difficulty in finding ready prepared foods that cater to a Vegan population in mainstream stores and i am in Paris, FRANCE ( reputed to be the world capital for fashion and lifestyle ) and the year is 2017. So Bravo! to all Vegans everywhere as the sacrifice they have chosen to make is not at all an easy one.I wish to also make note of feeling hungry almost all of the time. The first 2 weeks i would awake after 3 hours of sleep at night and go have a bite and return to bed. Knowing that i had eaten before going to bed as well because as i said i was always feeling hungry. One because the lack of appetizing food options made me barely eat enough to stop my hunger and also because my previous period of dieting had reduced food to a non-issue in my system. After some additional research i noted that another reason was the fact that meat is a very slow substance to digest. As such it gives a sensation of satiation for a much longer period than vegetables. So eating less and eating foods that digest rapidly created a constant feeling of hunger.
All of those observations have re-enforced my personal commitment to dedicate as much of my culinary abilities to finding convenient food solutions as an amateur and a professional. It is vital to my mind that if we wish to make our community retain new comers and to grow in a stable manner we need to work on finding solutions. We live in a fast paced consumer society and we are so used to convenient solutions that even-though it is healthier to cook and prepare foods it is not well integrated into our lifestyle. Add to that the lack of solutions in ready to eat places and restaurants ,which is a topic that i will revisit often, because it truly is an issue and because it fits into my professional activity.
Please share any personal comments and or suggestions on how to remedy the vegan food supply issue on a personal level. What type of easy to prepare foods is it good to have at home or to carry along? How to avoid the excess of calories in relying on nuts and dried fruits? Which food items satiate for a longer period?
Life Loving Thanks to all,
