Oh crap! I think im becoming a Vegan!!

RockMe777

I never thought I would, but within the last few weeks I started cutting way down on my meat / fish / poultry. I got to the point of going 3 - 4 days. Now I have started cutting out dairy this week, and actually I feel better than I have in quite a while!

My BP usually runs around 140/95 most of the time even with the meds I take, today I checked it - 111/65! I don't think I have ever seen my numbers that low, and of course I am losing weight too so cool.

So maybe I should really take up the Vegan thing?? Any thoughts?

Thriceshy

ROFL, you sound like me, except I'm not going Vegan, but rather more vegetarian/pescatarian. However, my rule is this--if I like a food and it does the job, it can be vegan and I'll be happy with that. So my "bologna" is now vegan, my melty-cheddar for my meat-free/fake beef tacos is vegan, etc. I haven't been eating beef/lamb/pork/chicken for over a month, and I feel really good. We'll see where it takes me. I hope you wind up where you want to be and happy/healthy/successful with it!

Kris

SkinnyMozza

Firstly thats great!!! Its always important to listen to your body, and as a follow veggo, I am all for anything that supports the animals :flowerforyou:

However.. from reading your post I would warn you against going all in too soon, as it may back fire. If you ate meat etc before.. try cutting out meat, but still eating fish and diary.. then cut out diary... then fish... all bit by bit. If you do it in steps you can be sure that you are committed to each step, otherwise you may start feeling deprived.

You may have already done this though.

When I started eating veggo a few years ago it made me feel sooo much better. My digestion improved dramatically and I look and feel 100 times better. I find I stay awake better in the afternoons now, and dont have that after food slump (think after thanksgiving).

Anyway so happy to hear about the path you are on. Good luck and I hope you keep it going!! All the best! :flowerforyou:

RockMe777

Well at this point I m just kind of dipping my toes in the water to see how it goes. I can't say for sure I will go all in but I can't deny how much better I feel now!

grimendale

I went vegetarian 7 years ago (and I keep my dairy intake to a bare minimum, mostly for eating out) for ethical reasons, but I noticed at the same time that my blood pressure dropped, I stopped getting migraines, my energy went up and I felt all around better. I had originally thought that eating according to my ethics would be tough to stick with (I used to eat almost exclusively meat and hated most vegetables), I found that my tastes changed to accomodate my new diet and that the health benefits helped to positively reinforce the decision. I ended up not having any trouble with it at all.

AndreannaTamira

Well, if you feel it's right for you go with it.

Just make sure to take a B 12 supplement and maybe check you get enough iron.

whitney_simpson

I would say go for it for sure. But maybe ease into the veganism thing. Plant based diets can be tricky and definitely take a lot of time and research to get right. You have to be diligent about making sure you get all of your essential and nutrients along with checking all labels at the grocery store. If you have the drive the plant based diet is a wonderful thing!

gangsterfurious

That was the best thing I ever did for myself. I have never felt better.

angelams1019

Raeontherun

I am vegan!

kelsully

I never thought I would, but within the last few weeks I started cutting way down on my meat / fish / poultry. I got to the point of going 3 - 4 days. Now I have started cutting out dairy this week, and actually I feel better than I have in quite a while!

My BP usually runs around 140/95 most of the time even with the meds I take, today I checked it - 111/65! I don't think I have ever seen my numbers that low, and of course I am losing weight too so cool.

So maybe I should really take up the Vegan thing?? Any thoughts?

I think you don't have to "be" anything. You get to make the rules for you. I have been a non meat eater 95% of the time for 16 years...a bit of fish when it is the healthiest choice every so often, although it can go months without even considering fish. I am trying wheat and dairy free right now too...but I will eat goats cheese crumbles ...I did not sign a contract with anyone that said I was doing anything or not doing anything so if i want crab legs once or twice a year, goat cheese crumbles on my sweet potatoes, eat eggs for breakfast but make vegan choices the rest of the day who am I hurting?

Eat what works for you.

kaylabrose

How will you get your protein?????

SteelySunshine

It's so cool when people accidently stumble upon the right answer. I started to diet by accident. I cut out meat and I try to keep dairy and eggs to a minimum. It would be even more minimum but budget and traveling to Whole Foods problems. Still I think that 90-99% vegan is working for me. I won't really know til my next round of blood work. The first round was only a couple weeks after I quit dairy so...a lot of stuff wasn't worked out of my system yet. Long story short, I was losing weight long before I knew I was losing weight then I found this place after I figured out what was going on.

whitney_simpson

How will you get your protein?????

You don't have to eat meat to get protein. Protein is in everything we eat and our body does marvelous things to break it all down and create the protein we need. Also, there is an abundance of food that is not meat that is incredibly protein dense. These include legumes, such as chickpeas and kidney beans, tofu, quinoa, nuts and seeds, avocado, lentils, brown rice, barley, and spinach even. The list goes on and on.

kaylabrose

How will you get your protein?????

You don't have to eat meat to get protein. Protein is in everything we eat and our body does marvelous things to break it all down and create the protein we need. Also, there is an abundance of food that is not meat that is incredibly protein dense. These include legumes, such as chickpeas and kidney beans, tofu, quinoa, nuts and seeds, avocado, lentils, brown rice, barley, and spinach even. The list goes on and on.

I know I was being sarcastic with the OP! I was Vegan for four years! :-)

:flowerforyou:

RockMe777

How will you get your protein?????

Well.. Beans, nuts, soy as in tofu and some vegan meat replacements are a start. I need to figure it out and see what works. I'm sure there is a learning curve I need to deal with. But that's what makes it fun!!

Oh, and beer is still on the menu for me now and then, but hey it's grain yeast and hops so I'm good right??

HollisGrant

How will you get your protein?????

Beans have loads of protein. The protein in 1 cup of lentils = the protein in 3 eggs (18 protein units for 1 cup of lentils vs 6 per egg), with none of the cholesterol.

For example, a nutritious, protein rich meal could be 1 cup brown rice, 1-2 cups of lentils, butternut squash and steamed kale, seasoned with tamari and dry-roasted/toasted sesame seeds. That meal has 18 or 36 units of protein for 1-2 cups of lentils and 5 units of protein in the rice, ending up with 40 units of protein for one meal.

RockMe777

How will you get your protein?????

Beans have loads of protein. The protein in 1 cup of lentils = the protein in 3 eggs (18 protein units for 1 cup of lentils vs 6 per egg), with none of the cholesterol.

For example, a nutritious, protein rich meal could be 1 cup brown rice, 1-2 cups of lentils, butternut squash and steamed kale, seasoned with tamari and dry-roasted/toasted sesame seeds. That meal has 18 or 36 units of protein for 1-2 cups of lentils and 5 units of protein in the rice, ending up with 40 units of protein for one meal.

Thas sounds awesome!!

HollisGrant

How will you get your protein?????

Beans have loads of protein. The protein in 1 cup of lentils = the protein in 3 eggs (18 protein units for 1 cup of lentils vs 6 per egg), with none of the cholesterol.

For example, a nutritious, protein rich meal could be 1 cup brown rice, 1-2 cups of lentils, butternut squash and steamed kale, seasoned with tamari and dry-roasted/toasted sesame seeds. That meal has 18 or 36 units of protein for 1-2 cups of lentils and 5 units of protein in the rice, ending up with 40 units of protein for one meal.

Thas sounds awesome!!

It is awesome! Call me Lentil Woman, LOL! Lentils don't require soaking and cook in about 30 minutes. I make some for several days at a time. Butternut and acorn squash are delish and go great with lentils.

You can buy large bags of sesame seeds in health food stores (the grocery stores just have the tiny expensive bottles in the spice area). Pour some seeds in a fry pan with no oil or water, turn heat on high, and stir until toasted. They make a great, no-salt condiment on anything and are about 30 calories a spoonful.

lemonmon1

I've been vegan for over 6 years and it's so amazing! My health is so much better. I feel great, and a cashier at a grocery store told me I have "the vegan glow" once! There are a lot of us here. Try joining the groups Happy Herbivores and Plant Strong. Also add some vegan friends to your list! Here is a list of 57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan: http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/19/57-health-benefits-of-going-vegan

lemonmon1

P.S. I never have to worry about getting enough protein or iron. I get PLENTY of that without trying! I do take a multivitamin that has B12, and I also use Nutritional Yeast in my cooking sometimes. I keep an eye on my calcium, but that hasn't really been a problem and I don't need to take a supplement on a regular basis.

RockMe777

Thanks everyone for the replys and the advice!! Lemonmon1, I like your idea of joining a group or two. I can really use the help.

whitney_simpson

How will you get your protein?????

You don't have to eat meat to get protein. Protein is in everything we eat and our body does marvelous things to break it all down and create the protein we need. Also, there is an abundance of food that is not meat that is incredibly protein dense. These include legumes, such as chickpeas and kidney beans, tofu, quinoa, nuts and seeds, avocado, lentils, brown rice, barley, and spinach even. The list goes on and on.

I know I was being sarcastic with the OP! I was Vegan for four years! :-)

:flowerforyou:

Oh! That protein question is so tiresome as you are obviously aware! haha!

:happy:

AndreannaTamira

P.S. I never have to worry about getting enough protein or iron. I get PLENTY of that without trying! I do take a multivitamin that has B12, and I also use Nutritional Yeast in my cooking sometimes. I keep an eye on my calcium, but that hasn't really been a problem and I don't need to take a supplement on a regular basis.

How do you do it? The iron, that is. I am really trying, but am nearly always low. Protein is simple for me, calcium relatively easy, but iron? Nope!

HollisGrant

How do you do it? The iron, that is. I am really trying, but am nearly always low. Protein is simple for me, calcium relatively easy, but iron? Nope!

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php

Iron can be found in spinach, beans, and many other plant foods.

AndreannaTamira

How do you do it? The iron, that is. I am really trying, but am nearly always low. Protein is simple for me, calcium relatively easy, but iron? Nope!

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php

Iron can be found in spinach, beans, and many other plant foods.

I know. I eat beans or lentils most days, am aware that while there is iron in spinach the calcium hinders absoion to an extent and have begun snacking on pumpkin seeds. I also know that vitamin c helps with the absorption of iron...

I fear I am just not eating enough of the iron rich food. Maybe I should get a a cast iron skillet?

Thanks for the link, though. Maybe there is some food that I could give a try.going to check it out right now.

deb3129

I have been on a plant based diet for a little over a year.I say plant based instead of vegan because I will every once in a while eat something with cheese, or bread that may have milk or eggs in it. But for the most part, I eat a whole foods, plant based diet. I feel better than I ever have in my entire life. I have a ton of energy, my skin looks fantastic, and health problems that I had before are gone. For me, it was the best decision I ever made! Oh, and I eat a LOT of food, which is good, cause I really like food. I have lost 119 pounds eating this way, and I don't see me going back.

RM10003

My mother's been eating vegan since December or so. She occasionally has milk, etc. but is really pleased with how it's working for her health-wise; all the numbers that are supposed to go down are doing so. I, of course, am a bad daughter and tempted her with smoked fish today (I'm supposed to be going to a smoked fish factory that only sells direct to the public off the loading dock on Friday mornings).

HappyElizabeth

I have been on a plant based diet for a little over a year.I say plant based instead of vegan because I will every once in a while eat something with cheese, or bread that may have milk or eggs in it. But for the most part, I eat a whole foods, plant based diet. I feel better than I ever have in my entire life. I have a ton of energy, my skin looks fantastic, and health problems that I had before are gone. For me, it was the best decision I ever made! Oh, and I eat a LOT of food, which is good, cause I really like food. I have lost 119 pounds eating this way, and I don't see me going back.

Wow! Congratulations on your incredible weight loss and healthy outlook!

GiddyupTim

If it doesn't work for you, you can always go back. I think it makes you expend a bit more effort and think a bit more when you eat, and that tends to mean less junk and less unconscious eating. That can help in weight loss.

fitbum19

I "accidently" eat about 99.9% vegan, lol I only make exceptions for ice cream on occasion, lol and I feel so much better when I am eating that way!!!