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Canadian Chick
Started
by Amy H
on August 18, 2010
Hey Lisa I am also from Calgary =)
Do you have any favorite restaraunts/places to shop?
Hey Ladies:) I am from Lethbridge AB! Been a vegetarian for 19 years, and vegan for 2 weeks. Just wondering if you have checked out Amaranth, Community Natural foods, Planet Organic Market, or Sunnyside Market? I'm thinking of making a trip up to check out some of them. Our selection here is decent, but maybe the ones up there are better.... Basically we just have a Nutters here and they sell bulk, frozen and boxed/canned goods, vitamins and supplements etc. Then just the regular grocery stores, which sell a decent amount of vegan products, but there could always be more! haha. I also see that up in Calgary you have a "Farm fresh organics home delivery"... and a vegan bakery.... super jealous! I have heard that The Coup, Veggie Fusion express and Gratitude cafe are good, but I have never been myself.... You'll have to let me know!:)
Hey Girls I am from Canmore.... Glad to see some good ol' Alberta girls here!
Hi there, I'm from Canada too. I live in the Fraser Valley in BC. I've been eating mostly vegetarian for over a year and vegan since about June. No weight loss here though. I think I'm eating too many vegan "treats" so I wouldn't feel like I was missing anything. I'm getting used to no cheese no dairy now now and am hoping to get back to a healthier diet. I have had dairy a couple of times and woke up coughing during the night. Funny, I always thought it was the wheat that was the problem, and it is a problem if I eat too much. I didn't know the dairy would make it worse though. Oh yeah, and the bloating, and gassy, icky issues. That makes me want to stay off the cheese even more.
Hi everyone! I'm from about 40 min North of Toronto. Like Maiya, I've had a few too many vegan treats to be experiencing the weight loss, but I feel much less bloated, lighter, and more in tune with my body. A good start for a former carnivore. I also find some of the things in the book difficult to find. But, I'm not looking for superhero status just now, so I find I can make plenty of simpler dishes that are vegan and yummy. I have tried a handful of Alicia's recipes, and most have been big hits. One of my favorites is her caesar salad.
Anyway, good to see some Canadians here. Take care all!
I am just wondering if anyone in the To area, or wherever have been able to find some of the sea vegetables at "normal" grocery stores. I am not super close to a whole foods, and if I can find these things at the reg kind of grocery would be awesome, I just feel like I am not knowing where to look or something. I did get some nori from Longos, in the sushi section, but can't find any others, maybe it isn't possible
hope everyone is loving being a veggie girl:)
Try the Bulk Barn if you have one in TO I'm sure you do.
Wow, I just checked this post now! 
I'm in Niagara Falls. We have a new Commisso's here that sells primarily health oriented food. I love it, the soup aisle is all Amy's organics and organic stocks (not a Campbell's can in sight!). They sell a lot of vegan products including coconut milk, daiya and tempeh.
I'm still trucking along making changes but I'm finding more and more now that anything but vegan just upsets me so I don't bother.
A.
Yeahh!!! I'm so excited to find this discussion. Not that I don't love all you Americans on here. It just feels a little closer to home having some Canadian support... PLUS we may have some more grocery chains/restaurants in common.
I'm from Vancouver, BC... We have a huge Asian population here so I have no troubles getting the sea vegetables. If you have a little Asian grocery store/corner market, they may carry some. Or TnT market if you have one of those. You are guaranteed to get almost anything Asian and boy is it fun taking a peruse of those aisles. I did an afternoon in Wholefoods (they also have all the sea veg) as well and had so much fun. Although I've been buying a bit too much food out of my excitement to try new recipes. I got my Umeboshi plums at Wholefoods and have seen the paste there as well and at Choices (not sure if that chain is common outside Vancouver or not).
I've tried the rustic pasta (I added ground round) -- sooo good. Even a hit with my meat-loving Greek friend, haha. The radicchio pizza was also great but the truffle oil is pricey ($20 at wholefoods).
I've lost 2 lbs since going vegan (I started one week ago from today). I haven't really divulged in much dairy replacement. The occasional almond milk for granola and a couple of meals with tofu in it. The rest have been all beans, veg and grain. I did have a couple evenings with the original rice dream ice cream, but only 2.5 cups probably total. ALSO.... I think the chewing helps. I suck, but I'm trying. I seem to get full way faster and have a ton of energy. Don't forget your B-12 supplements. They help with the energy. :)
Oh ya... a couple of days after I started being vegan, I got my lovely monthly treat. I had one day of bad bloatedness and then it was a breeze the rest of the time. Mine are normally horrible. I wonder if you ladies are noticing the same.
Try plugging in your postal code into the following site... it may help you find restaurants/stores that are mostly vegetarian/vegan:
http://www.happycow.net/
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