Scenes from a vegan hot dog eating contest

Vegan dishes can be quite delicious, but only very very rarely if they are pre-made or even in restaurants. So many health conscious folks seem to think that flavor is unhealthy. A big sin is severe under-salting. I see this all the damn time with online recipes, where the author is practically apologizing for that 1/8 tsp of salt in a 3 pound mass of beans and vegetables that needs more like 2 tsp and some other spices. Another thing I see is when someone takes a recipe traditionally made with butter and instead of substituting margarine (oh no, trans fats!), they’ll just omit the butter entirely and end up with a dish that doesn’t even work.

It’s not hard to imagine these people in dull grey lives when you see what kind of recipes they come up with.

Prepared vegan dishes seem to be paranoid about offending one of those flavor avoiders or are just bland because they want to put a lot of “no sodium!” “no MSG!” “fat free!” “no carbs!” “no gluten!” labels on the box.

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For sure, foods are best when the quality natural ingredients are combined skillfully and full of freshness and flavor. I was vegan for over 9 years and am a foodie, so I’ve eaten some pretty amazing vegan food. I’m always up for a huge plate of delicious vegetables. Coconut oil is a great substitute for butter, and healthy too.

I think I’m more against “manufactured foods” in general, as they are really harmful to health and often leave much to be desired taste wise. Vegan sausages are typically either commercially processed soy or wheat proteins that are both very problematic for many individuals health-wise and ironically much less healthy then their processed meat counterparts. Most prepared vegan meat substitutes are monstrosities of manufacturing, and worse for you then even TV dinner meats are, which I always found odd, especially since most vegans are both health conscious and aware of ingredients.

However people choose to eat, fresh, natural, whole foods will always win for flavor, nutrition, and health, regardless if vegan or paleo. :slight_smile:

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You’ve shared a reasonably balanced view based on personal observation and experience.

Thank you for introducing some diversity to the Internets!

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