Some questions

[Orcadia]

I'm a vegetarian and I've just found out I am lactose intolerant and yeast intolerant. I'm thinking of becoming vegan but am concerned about a few things. I live on an island in Scotland so don't have ready access to health food shops and big supermarkets - can i become vegan without having easy access to vegan foods? I can't even buy things bu mail order as the charges to the islands are so high.

With being yeast intolerant I can't have any fermented foods eg vinegar. So I assume I can't have vegan cheese, and tofu is also mentioned as something which i may have problems with.

I'm also concerned as I've been trying to find out from food manufacturers which of their products contain no yeast or dairy. Some have been great, others not so helpful. The manufacturers of Quorn for example simply refused to tell me whether their products were safe for me to eat. I've been getting contadictory information from some sources - eg companies telling me that their food doesn't contain lactose then seeing websites (containing press releases from the same company) which states thet their products do contain lactose. I'm now starting to feel that nothing is 'safe' for me to eat. Does everyone feel like this at first? Can anyone give me any advice, any you can give would be most appreciated.

[Erin Pavlina]

I would stay away from Quorn whether you're vegetarian or not, and it's not vegan anyway.

Start by eating a ton of fruits and vegetables. You should have no problem with those. You can probably also eat beans and grains like rice, millet, barley, quinoa.

I know there are yeast-free breads, but not sure of their availability in Scotland.

I would get a couple of vegan cookbooks and select recipes that work for you. Expand your repertoire as you become used to the things you can eat.

Good luck!