Ah....one of my favorite topics. ? After several decades of eating a typical Standard American Diet, mostly southern comfort-food style, suffering from ongoing chronic conditions for most of those years, then having emergent health needs prompting a drastic overnight change in my consumption habits, I've learned there are
many sources of protein outside of animal products.
I've also learned we're never really purposely exposed to those options, and that's an unfortunate lifelong missed opportunity simply via omission for many. If I'd known it could be this easy to put it into practice and would benefit my overall well-being as much as it did, I could have saved myself, and many other living things, from a whole lot of suffering through the years. Here's a chart that highlights some options:
A Vegan Protein Sources Chart | VegKitchen.com
Having a whole lot of time on my hands due to being so severely ill and mostly bed-ridden for a while gave me more than enough time to research nutritional info, well-planned and balanced ingredients, recipes, the path that the products I choose must take to arrive on my plate, and to realize I don't just digest the product, but also the energies of each process. Yikes. That was a major eye-opener that I didn't even know I needed to be mindful of.
I had also visited multiple places like dairy farms (I live within ear shot of one now), meat producing farms (both the "humane" and the industrial), spoke with folks working in the factory scene and visited a few towns over where many of those factories operate. I felt like Dorothy in Oz peeking behind the curtain, and I couldn't unsee what I saw. I also related to the animals on a much deeper level than I ever anticipated as a survivor of sexual/physical abuse.
I was pretty certain I'd die of boredom and/or starvation if I gave up my favorite meats, cheeses, other dairy items, and eggs. But nope. Just the opposite, actually, after a period of adjustments and transition. I felt better than I realized was even possible - and better than all the docs/experts had told me I'd likely ever feel again.
I just got a little more creative with seasonings and such and learned how to craft similar flavors from plant-based ingredients. I already loved to cook, thankfully. I just had to get busy unlearning what I'd been taught to believe was genuinely nourishing and hydrating.
Walnut ground meat is a go-to for anything I'd use ground beef in. The trick to capturing the flavors you love is all in the seasonings, from what I discovered. I don't recall ever fixing meats without seasoning/coating/marinating/smoking/or putting some kind of sauce on it. Here's a sample of the walnut meat substitute:
Beef-Style Walnut Meat - vegan spicy ground meat, great for tacos!
Burgers can be made from many varieties/combinations of mushrooms, nuts, seeds, beans, beets, sweet potatoes, etc. There's a store-bought frozen brand I really enjoy that's named "No-Bull Burger". The savory mushroom variety is my favorite. Black bean varieties is another favorite of mine, as well as using the big portobella mushroom caps, marinated, as the burger replacement.
Meatloaf can be made from many things, too. My favorite, thus far, has been a lentil loaf. Here's a sample of that recipe (it takes time, but is the only one I've made, thus far, that reminds me of my mom's):
Lentil Nut Vegan "Meatloaf" | Minimalist Baker Recipes
One of the most surprisingly similar substitutes I learned to make is carrot dogs. It sounded bat shit crazy to me, but damn if it doesn't taste just like a hot dog once you put your favorite toppings on - the consistency is a bit different, but otherwise, YUM!:
I never liked tofu, but learned to make a non-fermented version of it myself with chickpea flour and water that doesn't gross me out:
Burmese Chickpea Tofu recipe (soy free tofu) {vegan + dairy free + gluten free} - Print
Tofu tastes exactly like whatever you marinate it in. On it's own, it has no flavor. One of my favorite recipes is this one, but there are so many other options, too:
Baked Italian Herb Tofu Recipe + How To Press Tofu Like a Champ
With the homemade Burmese tofu, you don't have to press it prior to marinating it.
I remember being teased/taunted/prodded with bacon jokes, etc./and would have folks/family offer me the things they knew damn well were once my weaknesses for quite some time, until they finally realized my health was drastically improving as a result of my efforts. It's like being a former crack addict trying to avoid all the crack houses.
They weren't comfortable with the thought of giving up their favorite comfort foods for any reason, which meant any compassionate discussion about it was off the table, and weren't really comfortable with me being so comfortable not indulging anymore.
Food is such a social and deeply programmed/ingrained thing and when there's a drastic change, there's ripple effects that go both ways and take time to adjust to. Taste bud addiction is a bitch to overcome/work around. I still struggle at times. Some food-like substances are specifically engineered to be addictive, unfortunately.
Best wishes in finding what most healthy nourishes you based on your specific needs and satiates your cravings and such. May your family give you the space and respect to experiment in the ways you feel are best for you.
I forgot to add one of my favorite ways of getting added protein in what pretty much tastes like a dessert/milkshake to me. I add chia and flax seeds to my morning/early afternoon smoothies, along with big handfuls of various fresh greens, frozen bananas, some of my favorite greens and mushroom powders, flax milk, and sunflower seed butter. I buy the flax and chia seeds whole and grind them before using, or just let the nutri-bullet do the grinding in the smoothies as I make them. The flax seeds are also my egg replacement in many baked goods recipes. One tbsp. of seeds ground up and soaked in 3 tbsp. of water, let it sit for at least 20 minutes, and ta-da!
