The introductions thread

[Suzanara]

Mostly wool and sometimes acrylic. Do you know of any animal-free replacements and are they as good to work with?

I use Hanamaka Aclaine which is an acrylic fibre from Sweetpeadolls it’s brilliant, felts quite quickly and lots of pastel and bright colours

Hamanaka Aclaine

Hamanaka Aclaine is a unique acrylic fibre developed in Japan, coming in a stunning array of colours! It felts together beautifully and easily, making it an ideal needle felting fibre for beginner felters. Made from acrylic, it's also perfect for Vegan felters and those who struggle with wool...

www.sweetpeadolls.co.uk

Does she know you can card out acrylic yarn into fibres? I’ve only just found this out and have used it in small amounts to decorate a piece. This is exciting as it gives me more colour choices.

 

[Brian W]

I use Hanamaka Aclaine which is an acrylic fibre from Sweetpeadolls it’s brilliant, felts quite quickly and lots of pastel and bright colours

Hamanaka Aclaine

Hamanaka Aclaine is a unique acrylic fibre developed in Japan, coming in a stunning array of colours! It felts together beautifully and easily, making it an ideal needle felting fibre for beginner felters. Made from acrylic, it's also perfect for Vegan felters and those who struggle with wool...

www.sweetpeadolls.co.uk

Does she know you can card out acrylic yarn into fibres? I’ve only just found this out and have used it in small amounts to decorate a piece. This is exciting as it gives me more colour choices.

Thank you, we will look into this.

 

[Emma JC]

welcome to the forum Suzanara

We look forward to sharing this amazing space with you and love your flowers!

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[sam82]

Hi there everyone I'm sam from the UK. I've been vegetarian for a little over 20 years and am nearly fully vegan. I tried veganism a couple of years ago but found it very overwhelming and bad for my state of mind as I was constantly worrying about what was "right" and "wrong" when buying food. Although I now buy mostly non-food vegan items eg toiletries and clothing if possible this is always difficult and I find using the term vegetarian is more relaxed and less pressured can anyone here give me a heads up one what vegan means to them as I feel I am doing all I can even though I make mistakes often.

 

[Brian W]

Hi sam82, welcome aboard. What sort of mistakes do you worry about. I have made mistakes as a vegan but I find it easy to accept that a mistake is human and I can't turn back time, but satisfy myself that I won't make the same mistake again. My last mistake was I saw sausages on sale and assumed they were vegan, like the sausages next to them. As I was about to cook them I noticed that it said ovo-vegetarian on the packet. Oops - too late! We ate them - it's better than throwing them away, but I will be more careful in the future. If you go vegan, start with what you know and try to relax about it, knowing that as you gradually acquire more knowledge, you can make more adjustments. No diet is 100% damage free - we are all just doing the best we can.

 

[1956]

Welcome @sam82 !
Good for you on being vegetarian for 20 years...
Please don’t feel bad about not being a “perfect“ Vegan, few of us are!
My feeling is just to do the best you are able to at least in the beginning and not to stress out about what you see to be a mistake. If you feel more comfortable with calling yourself a vegetarian that’s fine but, maybe try to actually behave like a Vegan that way you are really doing more than claimed !
Myself I have been Vegan more than half of my life now so I don’t feel like I make many ”mistakes“ however, in the beginning I will admit to slipping up many times...
Hope that you will find support and inspiration here on the forum...

 

[sam82]

Thanks, the comments are really helpful. I guess as I have been a vegetarian for so long I thought I would find this final step easier but I will learn to accept any mistakes I make in the future and learn from them so I can move on also not fixate on being perfect . My mistakes are generally items in my weekly shop that I expect will be vegan eg some no meat meats which have egg in and finding out there's milk in bread I think ? I didn't know that. But I'm learning.

 

[Brian W]

Thanks, the comments are really helpful. I guess as I have been a vegetarian for so long I thought I would find this final step easier but I will learn to accept any mistakes I make in the future and learn from them so I can move on also not fixate on being perfect . My mistakes are generally items in my weekly shop that I expect will be vegan eg some no meat meats which have egg in and finding out there's milk in bread I think ? I didn't know that. But I'm learning.

It takes time. I didn't even try to become a vegan because being vegetarian was too hard for me but I just decided to eat as many plant foods as possible and enjoy the adventure. I think that seeing myself as either omnivore or vegetarian actually made it difficult for me because I don't respond well to rules and barriers. After three weeks, I realized I had eaten so little animal produce that I may as well take the plunge. To summarize, try and make it easy on yourself and one day you might be surprised.

 

[sam82]

It takes time. I didn't even try to become a vegan because being vegetarian was too hard for me but I just decided to eat as many plant foods as possible and enjoy the adventure. I think that seeing myself as either omnivore or vegetarian actually made it difficult for me because I don't respond well to rules and barriers. After three weeks, I realized I had eaten so little animal produce that I may as well take the plunge. To summarize, try and make it easy on yourself and one day you might be surprised.

Thanks, that's really helpful advice, I think you've hit a few points that make a lot of sense to me. I'll try to have more fun with it from now on.

 

[Emma JC]

welcome to the forum @sam82

As veganism isn't just about food, you may wish to concentrate on one area at a time with food being the thing we buy most often.

Buying as many whole foods as you can ensures products are vegan, example, fruits, veggies, beans, rice, legumes, potatoes etc and it is also healthier and then try to have a list, when you go to the store, of items that you know are vegan or brands that you know and use on a regular basis, eg pastas, breads, canned items etc. I think it is when we impulse buy that we make mistakes and as others have said, we are human and can forgive ourselves, it is less stressful just to have a plan and stick to it.

We look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[shyvas]

Thanks, the comments are really helpful. I guess as I have been a vegetarian for so long I thought I would find this final step easier but I will learn to accept any mistakes I make in the future and learn from them so I can move on also not fixate on being perfect . My mistakes are generally items in my weekly shop that I expect will be vegan eg some no meat meats which have egg in and finding out there's milk in bread I think ? I didn't know that. But I'm learning.

It's quite easy to buy vegan food in the UK. The major supermarkets usually have distinct sections for plant based food and the labels are very clear to understand. Tesco apparently is the most friendly vegan supermarket and 'Sainsbury’s clearly labels its own-brand (V sign) products that are suitable for vegans'.
Waitrose have entire sections with plant based food and even pb ice creams are usually in a different section.

Most breads don't contain milk in the UK. However, some do have sugar so it's always handy to check the ingredients list.

How to Shop for Vegan Products in UK Supermarkets - PETA UK

Check out our guide to buying delicious, affordable vegan food at ASDA, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and all your other favourites.

www.peta.org.uk

 

[sam82]

It's quite easy to buy vegan food in the UK. The major supermarkets usually have distinct sections for plant based food and the labels are very clear to understand. Tesco apparently is the most friendly vegan supermarket and 'Sainsbury’s clearly labels its own-brand (V sign) products that are suitable for vegans'.
Waitrose have entire sections with plant based food and even pb ice creams are usually in a different section.

Most breads don't contain milk in the UK. However, some do have sugar so it's always handy to check the ingredients list.

How to Shop for Vegan Products in UK Supermarkets - PETA UK

Check out our guide to buying delicious, affordable vegan food at ASDA, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and all your other favourites.

www.peta.org.uk

oh, cool thanks, the link is really useful, I'm shopping later today at Sainsbury's so am going to check their website as well before I go and then I will be super organized.

 

[shyvas]

oh, cool thanks, the link is really useful, I'm shopping later today at Sainsbury's so am going to check their website as well before I go and then I will be super organized.

Sainsbury's have a Vegan food list and we also have a UK product thread in the UK section :

Sainsbury's - Please enable cookies or JavaScript

UK - Product Thread

www.veganforum.org

 

[shyvas]

Sainsbury's online Grocery Shopping and Fresh Food Delivery

www.sainsburys.co.uk

You have the mention 'suitable for vegans' in the description.

 

[Suzanara]

Vegan womble has supermarket lists of vegan food Latest Supermarket Vegan Lists UK • Vegan Womble

 

[JacobEdward]

 

[David3]

View attachment 24109View attachment 24110?

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Doesn't the world need grocery clerks, electricians, janitors, nurses, letter deliverers, roofers, etc.?
.

 

[JacobEdward]

.
Doesn't the world need grocery clerks, electricians, janitors, nurses, letter deliverers, roofers, etc.?
.

Sure, in an honest world there would still be "some" of those things, not enough for a real economy if they have to compete with robotics, the cost of materials is absurdly affordable... notice how there's an industrial robotic car wash next to taco bell... you're telling me you believe they couldn't figure out how to automate a taco machine?

 

[Daxx]

Hello, forum I'm new here, greetings from the UK!

Over the years I've been a bad vegetarian for about a decade, and dabbled with veganism for a mere few months. I plan to try going vegan again (if anyone can help with this question). I do like the taste of meat and cheese, so I'm glad that substitutes are so good these days, and I made my first seitan from flour this week (promising, but needs work!). My favourite dishes are spag bol and porridge. I actually enjoy vegan cooking most, as there is plenty of scope to think outside the box and experiment.

 

[beancounter]

Hello, forum I'm new here, greetings from the UK!

Over the years I've been a bad vegetarian for about a decade, and dabbled with veganism for a mere few months. I plan to try going vegan again (if anyone can help with this question). I do like the taste of meat and cheese, so I'm glad that substitutes are so good these days, and I made my first seitan from flour this week (promising, but needs work!). My favourite dishes are spag bol and porridge. I actually enjoy vegan cooking most, as there is plenty of scope to think outside the box and experiment.

Welcome to VF!