Hello all, I've always been against red meat or chicken on the bone and have had to eat ground turkey or boneless chicken because I get low on protein easy and I have issues with beans since getting sick from black beans as a child, probably a fluke but still stuck with me.  I heard that vegans get their protein from beans.  Maybe if it didn't look like beans it would be easier for me.  Anyhow I can't eat gluten and now I've been told to go dairy free and well why not try to go vegan BUT can I get some help with a few things....

1. Are there any cheese substitutions that you like a lot?? I've tried Daiya shredded cheddar flavor and mozzarella and didn't care for either, became too creamy and I didn't like it.

2. How do you get protein?  I also malnourish so need to make sure I get my protein and now can't have protein shakes either, well the kind I'm used to.

Any suggestions on how you got started and answers to my questions will be so appreciated!  Have a wonderful day!

Kat

Well, I can't speak on the cheese thing except to say...you probably aren't going to find "cheese" in the sense you're used to. There are several nut cheese recipes but eh...too much effort for me. Part of the vegan thing is opening up to new foods that perhaps you aren't use to. 

Protein, however, is much easier. Most people need somewhere around 45g to 70g [WebMD verified] a day. High protein foods include: All beans (black, chickpea, lentil, kidney, lima, navy, etc.), tofu, temper, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, brown rice, seeds and nuts (pumpkin seeds, peanuts, etc.), broccoli, non-dairy milks (soy, rice, hemp, almond, etc.), soy yogurts. A balanced vegan diet will often more than meet daily protein needs. 

Good luck! 

Keep in mind as you are vegan longer your taste buds will change. There are a few things I hated as an omni, then went vegan tried them again wasn't keen on them, but now I love them. Vegan cheese being one of those things. Every 6 months I would retry a few items and those that I still disliked I would tell myself "maybe in a few months". I still hate vegan cream cheese, but love many things that I couldn't stand in the first year of being vegan.

Thanks all.  I will keep all of that in mind.  I've recently had tofu and like it now.  Guess you get used to things over time.  I actually don't miss meat or chicken it's cheddar cheese I miss.  Since having to go gluten free I used cheese a lot.  It's nice though trying new foods.  Again, Thanks!

On the cheese issue - I really agree with imblissful. As a new vegan, so used to the texture/smell/taste/feel of "real" cheese, it was really hard for me or my family to like any of the "fake" cheeses, even the best ones. I found it easiest on me to just do away with it completely, for a while.

For protiens - You might want to try things like chickpea salad (I basically make this using whatever you'd normally put into a tuna or chicken salad - veganaise vegan mayonaise, celery, onions, pickle relish, etc, and mashed cooked chickpeas), or the Black-eyed Pea Croquettes in TKD, or maybe some hummus, just to experiment with "beans that don't look like beans". I'd try different recipes where the beans are mashed or somewhat "hidden" and see what you think.  Lentils or other smaller beans are another idea - they are tiny, and so versatile you may be able to forget they're beans!

Quinoa (a grain), brown rice, and oats are all, as Tania Katherine said, good sources of protien also, and are gluten free. Quinoa is one of my new favorite foods! All the soy-based products out there are also great (tofu, temph, soy milk). Also, how about leafy greens? Kale, chard, mustard greens and spinach all are good protein sources too!

I get a lot of my protein from spinach and sprouts (like alfalfa).  I sprout my own - very easy & so delicious.  Lentils, peas and broccoli are high in protein.  I try to stay away from soy because of the GMO issues, but to each his/her own.

Remember that with most foods, the closer you eat them to their natural state, the more nutritious they'll be.

And I'll echo what imblissful said - your taste buds will change.  I'll eat things now that I couldn't have imagined myself eating while I was eating SAD (standard american diet) food.