Whole Foods Plant Based
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cmcollard
Posts: 7 Member
I've lost 40lbs on a whole foods, plant based diet. No pills, no shakes, no magic with it. It's probably the easiest and cheapest diet there is. My macros are high carb, low fat and low protein. I have animal foods (meat/dairy) only a few times a week. I have 1-2 cheat meals a week where i splurge. I've been aiming for at least 35g of fiber daily from grains, beans, veggies and fruits. I cut out all extra sugars and no artificial sweetners at all. I'm very interested in the starch-based ideology of Dr McDougall and Dr Greger (YouTube) and also some of the ideas from Michael Pollan's book and In Defense of Food documentary. I feel like it's definitely sustainable for the long term and consists of very satisfying foods. Anybody else out there follow this type of diet?
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Replies
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Nah, I lost over 50lbs still eating all the foods I like, just less of them (also no pills, no shakes and no magic here either
). I don't track macros, just calories, but it works for me-I've lost the extra weight, have been maintaining the loss for 3 years now, and I'm in excellent health.
You gotta figure out what works for you, if what you're doing is working and it's something you can do for the next 20, 30, 40+ years, then keep at it 1 -
I've been following whole food plant based like you have cmcollard, with a few animal foods and sweets on the weekends. I haven't lost but I haven't gained. I'm also menopausal and had been gaining the last few years. I'm trying to get 30 pounds off but I've learned at 51 that eating this way is much kinder to my body in the long run than eating all the junk and animal products. Now I'm tracking calories, trying to keep my net calories under 1200 average daily. I just started that this week.0
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Cmcollard I just took a peek at your food diary-you're saying in your OP that you're doing a whole foods diet, but your diary is full of things like nutrigrain bars, creamer, ice cream, cereal, salad dressings, pretzels and crackers etc etc. Nothing wrong with these foods, but I thought a 'whole foods' diet meant food in it's natural form (no refined sugars/white flour etc), cooking your foods from scratch/avoiding foods that come in packages or cans/eating foods that aren't 'processed' etc.
It seems like you're just eating a regular diet without animal products. Why are you feeling the need to label the way you eat in a certain way? And the label doesn't even match your actual diet?
Very confused now
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ReaderGirl3 wrote: »Cmcollard I just took a peek at your food diary-you're saying in your OP that you're doing a whole foods diet, but your diary is full of things like nutrigrain bars, creamer, ice cream, cereal, salad dressings, pretzels and crackers etc etc. Nothing wrong with these foods, but I thought a 'whole foods' diet meant food in it's natural form (no refined sugars/white flour etc), cooking your foods from scratch/avoiding foods that come in packages or cans/eating foods that aren't 'processed' etc.
It seems like you're just eating a regular diet without animal products. Why are you feeling the need to label the way you eat in a certain way? And the label doesn't even match your actual diet?
Very confused now
OP isn't avoiding animal products either -- I see things like pepperoni & cheese pizza, chicken taquitos, pork chops, honey, and cheese crackers within the last month. Maybe OP is reducing the amount of meat and dairy he's eating, but he isn't avoiding it.0 -
ReaderGirl3 wrote: »Nah, I lost over 50lbs still eating all the foods I like, just less of them (also no pills, no shakes and no magic here either ). I don't track macros, just calories, but it works for me-I've lost the extra weight, have been maintaining the loss for 3 years now, and I'm in excellent health.
You gotta figure out what works for you, if what you're doing is working and it's something you can do for the next 20, 30, 40+ years, then keep at it
+10 -
janejellyroll wrote: »ReaderGirl3 wrote: »Cmcollard I just took a peek at your food diary-you're saying in your OP that you're doing a whole foods diet, but your diary is full of things like nutrigrain bars, creamer, ice cream, cereal, salad dressings, pretzels and crackers etc etc. Nothing wrong with these foods, but I thought a 'whole foods' diet meant food in it's natural form (no refined sugars/white flour etc), cooking your foods from scratch/avoiding foods that come in packages or cans/eating foods that aren't 'processed' etc.
It seems like you're just eating a regular diet without animal products. Why are you feeling the need to label the way you eat in a certain way? And the label doesn't even match your actual diet?
Very confused now
OP isn't avoiding animal products either -- I see things like pepperoni & cheese pizza, chicken taquitos, pork chops, honey, and cheese crackers within the last month. Maybe OP is reducing the amount of meat and dairy he's eating, but he isn't avoiding it.
Yeah, noticed those too. His woe of eating is actually pretty close to mine. Or, with the dairy alternatives it's really close to what my lactose intolerant daughter eats. I just can't imagine labeling this as a 'whole foods/animal free' diet.
Would love some clarification from OP?0 -
I eat vegan and then will have a burger or something 1x a week. It is cheap and has some great effects for my skin, energy levels, etc. it's cheap too- $35 a week or so for groceries plus my one cheat meal out.
Also had success eating whatever i want tho and staying in my caloric limit. vegan seems to have some long term health benefits tho.2 -
I typically eat a plant-based diet (30 - 40g of fiber) because it's very filling and satisfying. I eat eggs about 4X per week, and meat maybe 2 - 3X per week, and avoid carbs just because I don't want to spend the calories on them unless they're in the form of alcohol!1
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I eat vegan and then will have a burger or something 1x a week. It is cheap and has some great effects for my skin, energy levels, etc. it's cheap too- $35 a week or so for groceries plus my one cheat meal out.
Also had success eating whatever i want tho and staying in my caloric limit. vegan seems to have some long term health benefits tho.
Is your burger made with meat? If so you're not eating vegan.
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rosebarnalice wrote: »I typically eat a plant-based diet (30 - 40g of fiber) because it's very filling and satisfying. I eat eggs about 4X per week, and meat maybe 2 - 3X per week, and avoid carbs just because I don't want to spend the calories on them unless they're in the form of alcohol!
I don't understand how you avoid carbohydrates on a mostly plant-based diet. What are you eating besides eggs and meat?0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »rosebarnalice wrote: »I typically eat a plant-based diet (30 - 40g of fiber) because it's very filling and satisfying. I eat eggs about 4X per week, and meat maybe 2 - 3X per week, and avoid carbs just because I don't want to spend the calories on them unless they're in the form of alcohol!
I don't understand how you avoid carbohydrates on a mostly plant-based diet. What are you eating besides eggs and meat?
So to summarize this thread so far-
we have a person who advocates the benefits of a whole foods, plant based diet (though he doesn't actually eat a whole foods, plant based diet), a person who eats a vegan diet (though he eats burgers), a plant based dieter (who eats meat several times a week and also somehow avoids carbs), and then one person who says she eats a whole foods, plant based diet (though she eat animal foods/'sweets' -whatever that means-diary's locked).
Yep, sounds legit 5 -
I want to give this thread a hug. It's had me laughing the whole time.
10/10 would thread again.3 -
BecomingBane wrote: »I want to give this thread a hug. It's had me laughing the whole time.
10/10 would thread again.
It's convinced me that a whole foods, plant-based diet is sustainable. It includes anything you can possibly eat, so it's impossible to abandon it!1 -
Nope.
I'm vegetarian and have been my entire life, but when i was eating in that manner for an extended period of time i started having some real issues with vitamin and mineral deficiency. In addition, i dealt with quite a few problems energy wise, feeling cold all the time, brittle hair/nails, and i started getting some little divots in my nails that looked like this. This was from a zinc deficiency.
As stated i was feeling run down, having a hard time recovering from any kind of workout, cold all the time, brain fog, etc. etc. so i went to my doctor. I was deficient in: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Zinc, Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium.
I've switched to a more balanced diet (40c/30p/30f) and i've resolved almost all of these issues. The problem with having fat so low especially makes it difficult to get many of these vital nutrients as they are found in nuts, seeds, and other fat-inclusive sources. In addition, by adding in the proper amount of protein in my diet (from vegetarian sources, as stated) my issues with hair/nails/skin and poor muscle recovery resolved. I also started including BCAAs in my diet as it's not necissarily the total amount of protein but really the proper amount of amino acids thats important. Some that are very hard to acheive with a vegan/plant based diet include leucine and lysine. Here's a chart below of the functions of these essential amino acids along with another chart of where they're commonly found:
In addition to needing the above aminos (which make up total protein) it's important to note that if you are getting your protein from vegetable sources you may require more than someone getting them from meats/eggs/fish as the proteins found in vegetables have a lower bioavailability. I think the only real exception to that would be soy or soy based products.
Please don't misunderstand, i think that eating plant based, vegetarian, or even vegan CAN be a healthy and sustainable diet.... HOWEVER, it requires careful planning and consistent attention to nutrition. Unlike what these doctors (mc dougal, gregor, etc.) or popular figures (like youtubers) would have you believe you cannot just "eat a variety of foods" and assume all of your nutritional needs will be met and taken care of. This is complete BS.
Also, there's quite a bit of pseudoscience from mc dougal with the whole "the fat you eat is the fat you wear" thing. That's actually not true, at all, and having fats in your diet is incredibly important for brain function, nutrient absorption, and many many other biological functions. I think for most people 10% is FAR too low to function optimally.
If you are serious about this change, i highly recommend you check out the following information which supplies you facts based on the current nutritional science.
The fat you eat is not the fat you wear
Some infomation about protein intake and amino acids
veganhealth.org/
An acceptable plate for a plant based diet
A great website you can use to more closely track all your amino acids, vitamins, mineral, essential fats, etc.
I'd be happy to provide you with some more information if you should seek it.5 -
rainbowbow wrote: »Nope.
I'm vegetarian and have been my entire life, but when i was eating in that manner for an extended period of time i started having some real issues with vitamin and mineral deficiency. In addition, i dealt with quite a few problems energy wise, feeling cold all the time, brittle hair/nails, and i started getting some little divots in my nails that looked like this. This was from a zinc deficiency.
As stated i was feeling run down, having a hard time recovering from any kind of workout, cold all the time, brain fog, etc. etc. so i went to my doctor. I was deficient in: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Zinc, Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium.
I've switched to a more balanced diet (40c/30p/30f) and i've resolved almost all of these issues. The problem with having fat so low especially makes it difficult to get many of these vital nutrients as they are found in nuts, seeds, and other fat-inclusive sources. In addition, by adding in the proper amount of protein in my diet (from vegetarian sources, as stated) my issues with hair/nails/skin and poor muscle recovery resolved. I also started including BCAAs in my diet as it's not necissarily the total amount of protein but really the proper amount of amino acids thats important. Some that are very hard to acheive with a vegan/plant based diet include leucine and lysine. Here's a chart below of the functions of these essential amino acids along with another chart of where they're commonly found:
In addition to needing the above aminos (which make up total protein) it's important to note that if you are getting your protein from vegetable sources you may require more than someone getting them from meats/eggs/fish as the proteins found in vegetables have a lower bioavailability. I think the only real exception to that would be soy or soy based products.
Please don't misunderstand, i think that eating plant based, vegetarian, or even vegan CAN be a healthy and sustainable diet.... HOWEVER, it requires careful planning and consistent attention to nutrition. Unlike what these doctors (mc dougal, gregor, etc.) or popular figures (like youtubers) would have you believe you cannot just "eat a variety of foods" and assume all of your nutritional needs will be met and taken care of. This is complete BS.
Also, there's quite a bit of pseudoscience from mc dougal with the whole "the fat you eat is the fat you wear" thing. That's actually not true, at all, and having fats in your diet is incredibly important for brain function, nutrient absorption, and many many other biological functions. I think for most people 10% is FAR too low to function optimally.
If you are serious about this change, i highly recommend you check out the following information which supplies you facts based on the current nutritional science.
The fat you eat is not the fat you wear
Some infomation about protein intake and amino acids
veganhealth.org/
An acceptable plate for a plant based diet
A great website you can use to more closely track all your amino acids, vitamins, mineral, essential fats, etc.
I'd be happy to provide you with some more information if you should seek it.
I agree with you that there is a lot of unjustified fear of fat in the plant-based community. I don't find low fat veganism to be personally sustainable. And, after reading, I don't think it's a diet that is required for health and, if too low, I think it will even hurt us.
I've been tracking my intake on Cronometer for a couple of weeks and I noticed that my lysine and leucine are both over the recommended level (about 150% to requirements). I'm not sure if that means I'm just lucky in what I'm choosing to eat, but I was surprised to see that I'm regularly exceeding the amino acid goals without having to think much about it. It looks like my top sources for both of those aminos were lentil soup, garbanzo bean-red pepper soup, and tofu scramble. Since these are foods that many vegans consume regularly, it surprises me that it would be considered hard to achieve.
I think I'm in the middle here. I completely disagree with those who say "Just eat what you want and you'll meet your needs." I know -- from reading and my own experience -- that isn't true (I supplement a few things, including Vitamin D, iron, and iodine). But I'm not sure the amino acid situation is as dire as you paint it for all vegans. The two weeks I've been tracking on Cronometer have been pretty typical weeks and didn't involve a lot of careful planning. But maybe I'm not the norm.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »rainbowbow wrote: »Nope.
I'm vegetarian and have been my entire life, but when i was eating in that manner for an extended period of time i started having some real issues with vitamin and mineral deficiency. In addition, i dealt with quite a few problems energy wise, feeling cold all the time, brittle hair/nails, and i started getting some little divots in my nails that looked like this. This was from a zinc deficiency.
As stated i was feeling run down, having a hard time recovering from any kind of workout, cold all the time, brain fog, etc. etc. so i went to my doctor. I was deficient in: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Zinc, Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium.
I've switched to a more balanced diet (40c/30p/30f) and i've resolved almost all of these issues. The problem with having fat so low especially makes it difficult to get many of these vital nutrients as they are found in nuts, seeds, and other fat-inclusive sources. In addition, by adding in the proper amount of protein in my diet (from vegetarian sources, as stated) my issues with hair/nails/skin and poor muscle recovery resolved. I also started including BCAAs in my diet as it's not necissarily the total amount of protein but really the proper amount of amino acids thats important. Some that are very hard to acheive with a vegan/plant based diet include leucine and lysine. Here's a chart below of the functions of these essential amino acids along with another chart of where they're commonly found:
In addition to needing the above aminos (which make up total protein) it's important to note that if you are getting your protein from vegetable sources you may require more than someone getting them from meats/eggs/fish as the proteins found in vegetables have a lower bioavailability. I think the only real exception to that would be soy or soy based products.
Please don't misunderstand, i think that eating plant based, vegetarian, or even vegan CAN be a healthy and sustainable diet.... HOWEVER, it requires careful planning and consistent attention to nutrition. Unlike what these doctors (mc dougal, gregor, etc.) or popular figures (like youtubers) would have you believe you cannot just "eat a variety of foods" and assume all of your nutritional needs will be met and taken care of. This is complete BS.
Also, there's quite a bit of pseudoscience from mc dougal with the whole "the fat you eat is the fat you wear" thing. That's actually not true, at all, and having fats in your diet is incredibly important for brain function, nutrient absorption, and many many other biological functions. I think for most people 10% is FAR too low to function optimally.
If you are serious about this change, i highly recommend you check out the following information which supplies you facts based on the current nutritional science.
The fat you eat is not the fat you wear
Some infomation about protein intake and amino acids
veganhealth.org/
An acceptable plate for a plant based diet
A great website you can use to more closely track all your amino acids, vitamins, mineral, essential fats, etc.
I'd be happy to provide you with some more information if you should seek it.
I agree with you that there is a lot of unjustified fear of fat in the plant-based community. I don't find low fat veganism to be personally sustainable. And, after reading, I don't think it's a diet that is required for health and, if too low, I think it will even hurt us.
I've been tracking my intake on Cronometer for a couple of weeks and I noticed that my lysine and leucine are both over the recommended level (about 150% to requirements). I'm not sure if that means I'm just lucky in what I'm choosing to eat, but I was surprised to see that I'm regularly exceeding the amino acid goals without having to think much about it. It looks like my top sources for both of those aminos were lentil soup, garbanzo bean-red pepper soup, and tofu scramble. Since these are foods that many vegans consume regularly, it surprises me that it would be considered hard to achieve.
I think I'm in the middle here. I completely disagree with those who say "Just eat what you want and you'll meet your needs." I know -- from reading and my own experience -- that isn't true (I supplement a few things, including Vitamin D, iron, and iodine). But I'm not sure the amino acid situation is as dire as you paint it for all vegans. The two weeks I've been tracking on Cronometer have been pretty typical weeks and didn't involve a lot of careful planning. But maybe I'm not the norm.
oh, it's not as dire for all vegans. I meant vegans who are eating in this 80/10/10 style like OP stated. It is difficult because these amino acids are found in higher protein vegan foods like: lentils, beans, soy, nuts, and seeds and to consume adequate amounts in the diet would mean eating a more balanced macronutrient ratio.
edit: PS this may be generalizing, but i think most of the people eating in this 80/10/10 style also eat mostly fruit with a sprinkling of greens. 0 -
I try to eat plenty of nutrient dense plant foods. I aim to have them at every meal, actually. I usually have a protein of some kind then as well. I'm definitely NOT high carb. Congrats on your loss!0
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To clarify: those plants with all that fiber are carbs... and most alcohol doesn't have many carbs. But I guess I get what you mean.rosebarnalice wrote: »I typically eat a plant-based diet (30 - 40g of fiber) because it's very filling and satisfying. I eat eggs about 4X per week, and meat maybe 2 - 3X per week, and avoid carbs just because I don't want to spend the calories on them unless they're in the form of alcohol!0 -
ReaderGirl3 wrote: »Cmcollard I just took a peek at your food diary-you're saying in your OP that you're doing a whole foods diet, but your diary is full of things like nutrigrain bars, creamer, ice cream, cereal, salad dressings, pretzels and crackers etc etc. Nothing wrong with these foods, but I thought a 'whole foods' diet meant food in it's natural form (no refined sugars/white flour etc), cooking your foods from scratch/avoiding foods that come in packages or cans/eating foods that aren't 'processed' etc.
It seems like you're just eating a regular diet without animal products. Why are you feeling the need to label the way you eat in a certain way? And the label doesn't even match your actual diet?
Very confused now
She closed her diary real quick, lol.0
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