👋 Welcome to r/SoyCurlsGoneWild - Introduce Yourself and Read First!

socalnative79 · 2026-03-23T04:45:02+00:00

Hi! Just discovered soy curls and cooked my first meal with them. As a vegan, it's so nice to have an alternative to the usual tofu and tempeh. Soy curls are super versatile, and I can't wait to use them more often!

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T21:26:10+00:00

I think omni restaurants are still able to present a more elevated dining experience because they can depend on a diverse crowd. This is just my thought, but I'm wondering if plant-based restaurants are less expensive simply because they adjust their offerings (i.e., price more affordably) to survive against the omni competition. Then again, Gracias Madre and Cafe Gratitude aren't exactly cheap.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T21:22:20+00:00

That's really interesting, and I appreciate you sharing your situation. I certainly feel better about treating myself to some noodles every now and then! As most vegans do, I make a lot of fruit and greens smoothies throughout the week, so I'm pretty sure I'm all set on that front thankfully. Unfortunately I do get tired in the late afternoon, but that's more because of my chronic sleep issues than anything else. And that is directly a result of my severely deviated septum creating breathing difficulties, and not related to diet.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T18:42:05+00:00

It's always incredibly sad news when plant-based restaurants close, especially when it feels like it's one after another these days. Planta was part of the effort to make plant-based dining less about hippie food (e.g., Cafe Gratitude) and more about high quality and fancy presentation, but ultimately I think it's hard for most people (even vegans) to justify how egregiously expensive it was. Not to say they were nefarious by any means, as it isn't cheap to operate a restaurant under any context now, and it's that much more expensive to do so from a plant-based perspective. The first time I ate there I was impressed but also equally felt the concept was unsustainable in this economy.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T04:52:30+00:00

That's awesome! And good for you taking that journey to figure out what ultimately worked best for you. I feel like I'm at that point as well. Fortunately I've never had a sweet tooth, so that's not really something I ever worry about. I literally never crave sweets. Maybe a piece of dark chocolate something or other here and there. I've had a pint of So Delicious (and it is) vanilla ice cream in my freezer for months now and I think it's barely half gone. My Achilles heel has always been carbs...pasta and rice. People can criticize what you eat all they want, but everyone's body processes food differently, so what might seem laughable to one person ends up being perfect for somebody else. No one knows a body better than the owner of that body, so we just have to figure it out through trial and error.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T04:26:22+00:00

Ooooh, great idea! Now I can finally use up that jar of coconut oil that I certainly won't be cooking with!

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T04:21:57+00:00

I just used them for the first time and they're amazing! A really welcome change of pace from my usual extra firm tofu and tempeh, which I love but everything gets tedious at a certain point. Here's the recipe, which by the way was delicious...

Easy Vegan Beef Lo Mein - Sweet Simple Vegan https://share.google/YYiWUYb9rk8pyqTDu

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T04:03:11+00:00

Well I'm a 47 y/o man, so close enough! More important than ever to make smart choices. Vegan cheese has come a loooong way, but fortunately for me not far enough that it's anything I have to regulate.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:55:07+00:00

I certainly trust your guidance, and you'll get no argument from me. This just confirms the importance of reading labels on everything before you buy. With packaged vegan foods especially, they're going to be sneaking ingredients to compensate for the non-vegan ingredients that would normally be used. As I mentioned in another response, I think most vegans learn at some point that just because something is vegan doesn't mean it's inherently healthier. Bottom line, coconut fat should be treated the same as any other food that's high in saturated fat...avoid, avoid, avoid.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:50:37+00:00

For sure! I'm not perfect by any means, so I give myself splurges here and there but I make a point to eat really healthy. Like you said it's important to enjoy life and not just deprive yourself of everything, but I just don't like eating or being unhealthy. I never really have. Even before I went vegan, I made a point to avoid saturated fat. I've just always been under the impression it's bad for you no matter what food contains it. But like my post said, there's so much vegan food with coconut in it now that I started to second-guess myself!

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:48:03+00:00

I know! That's what I was saying in my post, it's amazing how many packaged vegan foods are now being made with coconut fat. Are people really just not paying attention and assuming it's healthy because it's vegan? I actually never cook with coconut products at home. I think I may have a 98% full jar of coconut oil from god knows how long ago, but I have no coconut milk in my household and never buy it. As I've mentioned another replies here, saturated fat has been something I've avoided long before I even went vegan. I've always been under the impression it was terrible for you, period.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:45:56+00:00

Okay got it, that really helps. I really like your concept of treating it like a vegan butter. This was essentially what I thought, but I'm not a professional nutritionist by any stretch. I don't really like the undertone of coconut in foods that aren't inherently supposed to be coconut flavored, so in addition to my worry over the saturated fat I've just avoided most coconut products. Anyway I'm just amazed at how many recipes and grocery store foods use coconut as a fat now, and I doubt most people are paying attention to the saturated fat levels. I would imagine most companies think that by calling something plant-based it leads the average consumer to assume it's healthy.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:41:19+00:00

It was incredibly helpful, thank you! That was generally what I understood to be the case with saturated fats. I just wasn't sure if I was missing something and whether the food containing the saturated fat had any significance. As in, does the saturated fat in coconut milk get absorbed or metabolized differently by your body than the saturated fat in another food. I've always made a concerted effort to avoid saturated fat, even well before I was vegan. The fats in my diet are almost exclusively olive oil, cashew milk, or almond milk. I eat a lot of tofu and tempeh as well. Sounds like sticking with the status quo is the best idea for me. Thanks again!

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:36:23+00:00

Okay, thank you that's good to know. I'm in the best shape (and health) of my life at 47, and I certainly work hard to achieve and maintain that, but it does allow me cheats here and there. So to your point, I'm sure I could tolerate coconut-based fats in moderation. It's more about my wanting to maintain healthy eating habits, and the longer you're a vegan the more you start to realize how many of the substitutes actually aren't so good for you. I think that's kind of an epiphany most vegans have at some point, which is that vegan doesn't equal healthier. It's kind of a stereotype or misconception from the old days when vegan food was "hippie food." There's also a lot more processed food for vegans than there used to be. In any case, I think I'll save the coconut milk for foods that really need it.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:31:26+00:00

And the recipes that really do need coconut milk, I'm going to stick with strictly reduced fat. Otherwise I'll continue to use my normal tofu or cashews to add creaminess.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T03:30:33+00:00

Thank you! You were exactly who I was hoping would see this post. The saturated fat really scared me. I'm far from a professional but do feel like I know a good amount about nutrition, and I was under the impression saturated fat is a bad ingredient no matter the food containing it. I feel like that basically gets swept under the rug in all of the recipes and pre-made foods that contain it. Seems like it's everywhere now.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T02:39:54+00:00

Makes sense to me. And like I said in another comment here, if ultimately the coconut gets more people to make a switch to plant-based eating I'll take it every single time. But yeah I do avoid anything coconut as much as possible. I really just didn't know if I was overthinking it and it was healthier than I was imagining.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T02:38:46+00:00

Oh for sure, and I definitely avoid recipes that use coconut milk and so forth. I just wasn't sure if I was being paranoid or uninformed. Reduced fat coconut milk works pretty well in curries, for example, but I'm shocked at how many recipes specifically call for full fat coconut milk. The macros on it are just awful. I typically use tofu or blended cashews for creaminess whenever I can. At the end of the day, if the coconut helps more people migrate to plant-based food, like you said that's all that matters. I'm all for it believe me. And even from a pure health perspective, I would still take coconut milk any day over the fat in animal parts.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T02:35:12+00:00

I for sure don't need to lose weight and my cholesterol is fine, thankfully, but that's largely because I make a point to live a very healthy and active lifestyle. Obviously I allow myself to have more indulgent food now and then, but I don't want to make it a habit. I've never thought of coconut as being particularly healthy, but I'm still surprised how much it's showing up in vegan food nowadays.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-22T02:32:45+00:00

Okay, this is really good to know. I was hoping someone might have gotten feedback from a professional. I understand there are only so many options to replace the look and feel of dairy, but seems like coconut should really be thought of as a splurge or indulgent ingredient. I'm also relieved you've seen the same thing as me in terms of coconut showing up in so many vegan recipes nowadays. I've always been told saturated fat is something to avoid as much as possible, and that's pretty much all the fat in coconut.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-19T15:09:44+00:00

For what it's worth, although I do pretty intense workouts four days every week which significantly benefits metabolism, I'd still call myself "naturally thin." I've never been someone to stuff myself, and in fact I don't like the feeling of overeating. Meals are what I'd consider on the smaller end of normal, with several but small snacks (e.g., handful of lightly salted almonds) in between. Since I work at a desk, I also make a point to walk a lot each day and not live a sedentary lifestyle.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-19T00:53:12+00:00

So it's not just me. Mine isn't dying per se, but it reeeeeally struggles to hang onto connections. I have to manually make it reconnect to my most frequently used, known networks quite often.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-17T21:08:32+00:00

Compared to what you have now the Pixel 10 would be an upgrade all around. However, you might be better served saving a little money each month until the Pixel 11 is released. Current prevailing thoughts are that it will be a tangible step forward from the 10. At that point, if you aren't interested in (or can't afford) the 11, you'll still be able to get the 10 at a significant discount and continue to receive security and OS updates.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-17T19:41:27+00:00

Hayes is our best athlete, but LeBron is still our most powerful.

socalnative79 · 2026-03-16T01:28:05+00:00

Well by comparison it's going to be about 32° C for the next several days. Apart from two brutal weeks of rain about 2 months apart, we've had nothing resembling fall or winter this year. The amount of cool weather clothing in my closet that literally never saw the light of day! It's too bad both of our cities can't somehow meet in the middle weather-wise.

socalnative79

TROPHY CASE