Oh crap! I think im becoming a Vegan!!

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  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    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.

    Vegetarians who eat a variety of foods really can get quite enough iron and protein. Quinoa, beans, greens are super healthy. I have lots of meatless days but really enjoy fish so I would never give it all up but I do try to pound the veggies in!
  • organic0gf
    organic0gf Posts: 87 Member
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    To those who wonder about getting complete protein on a vegan diet:

    I recently checked this out. There are many sites that explain how to get the complete amino acids in protein. Here's the simplest one I found. It just involves eating certain combinations, like beans and rice; but there are complete-protein veggies like quinoa. I love quinoa. I prepare the red quinoa per package instructions then put it in the fridge. Each morning I measure out a cupful and heat it in the microwave. I put a little agave nectar and rice milk in it and eat it like hot cereal. It is so satisfying and the little "bite" in consistency is delightful.

    Anyway, here's the site:
    http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/protein_combo.htm

    BTW I am not vegan nor even vegetarian. I guess you'd call me veggie curious.
  • GameOfHealthy
    GameOfHealthy Posts: 3
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    But is the quality of protein in beans etc. equal to animal product protein? Is it as absorbable?

    I'm asking only out of curiosity since I have given up on eating red meat since last year and I'm not a fan of fish either.
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
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    Lets all try and support each others with some of our own recipes?!
    You can find a lot of recipes in the Happy Herbivores group.

    Here's my pinterest board of vegetarian and vegan recipes if you'd like to check it out: http://pinterest.com/crista_b/living-the-veg-life/
  • JustSinging
    JustSinging Posts: 21 Member
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    from what I understand vegatarian and Vegan are a little different.... A Vegan will not even wear something made from an animal where there are different types of vegatarians.
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
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    from what I understand vegatarian and Vegan are a little different.... A Vegan will not even wear something made from an animal where there are different types of vegatarians.
    Right. Most vegetarians won't wear animal products either, but that's not necessarily the distinction.

    http://www.ireallylikefood.com/739086986/9-types-of-vegetarians-yes-theres-more-than-one/
  • JennetteMac
    JennetteMac Posts: 763 Member
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    I'm vegetarian over 17 years!! Friend me Veggies or those who don't mind veggies :) I'm not preachy ;)

    I went veggie when I left home to go to uni, that was in 1980!! Still alive and kicking and generally healthy. Also had 3 children and brought them up veggie too. All still healthy!
    It works if you like vegetables, and I never found a problem with iron/protein.
    But the bit about finding what works for you is so true.
    I found it easy cos I don''t actually like meat!
    Have been thinking seriously about vegan for aa while. Just got to cut out the dairy, which I do sometimes, with no problem except everything works out more expensive!
    One day...
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    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!

    You can get iron from a number of sources, however non heme iron (non meat) cannot readily be absorbed without Vit C (unlike heme iron) so you need to make sure you get enough of that.

    However, that being said, iron deficiency in vegans or vegetarians is actually pretty low.

    Squash, pumpkin seeds, lentils, nuts, beans, whole grains and tofu are all pretty good for iron as well as dark leafy greens.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    But is the quality of protein in beans etc. equal to animal product protein? Is it as absorbable?

    I'm asking only out of curiosity since I have given up on eating red meat since last year and I'm not a fan of fish either.

    You need to make sure that you get your proteins from a variety of sources to ensure a complete amino acid profile, but if you do, it is fine.

    Some vegan complete proteins are nutritional yeast and hemp seeds.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    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!

    You can get iron from a number of sources, however non heme iron (non meat) cannot readily be absorbed without Vit C (unlike heme iron) so you need to make sure you get enough of that.

    However, that being said, iron deficiency in vegans or vegetarians is actually pretty low.

    Squash, pumpkin seeds, lentils, nuts, beans, whole grains and tofu are all pretty good for iron as well as dark leafy greens.

    I think women in general are much more prone to iron deficiency anemia than men. Learned about it in scool with women and kids eating non food products. PICA

    @OP

    I do not consider veganism a healthy diet, nor will I ever. Even the correlation of data that was not posted on the China study showed that plant diets had more health problems than meat eaters.

    Lacto ovo or pescetarianism are the only diets that I would suggest if you do not enjoy eating pigs, cows, or chicken
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    Kale and Spinach are very high in Iron :)

    also high in cadmium.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    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.

    Stumble upon the right answer? Yeah..ok. And people wonder why we can't have nice discussions about vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores :grumble:
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    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!!!
    So really you are a vegetarian then.

    Nothing wrong with that..lol. One of the coolest people on here is a vegetarian and she loves her ice cream. *eyes Sara*
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    But is the quality of protein in beans etc. equal to animal product protein? Is it as absorbable?

    I'm asking only out of curiosity since I have given up on eating red meat since last year and I'm not a fan of fish either.

    You need to make sure that you get your proteins from a variety of sources to ensure a complete amino acid profile, but if you do, it is fine.

    Some vegan complete proteins are nutritional yeast and hemp seeds.

    ^Exactly! And, it's not necessary that you combined all those in one meal. The combination can be done over the course of the day through all your meals.
  • AmyJoShanks
    AmyJoShanks Posts: 40 Member
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    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:
    :laugh:

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNSyqzNR4P5hl_1MV51opAPpSTRekUOQZtYvKc8_2xzsbeuWOm
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfDhfd5Infd0vUXyMUDkn-upjz38VFmYeOoE2eYD5dK3SPpkI_rg
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6oFvw3QScU8XRKUcwgtzd6wC5a3OosZcrfapflA_bmqXXJWFZ
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1bi7l_0MhTw2SlUgF5Da3vwh5dqRX5rWWihhSZ0z7C43vGr2r]


    LOL, i love this!!! I'm a vegetarian and I get so annoyed when people ask me that. Just because something doesn't have PARENTS doesn't mean it doesn't have protein...GAWD!
  • Rosplosion
    Rosplosion Posts: 739 Member
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    Robin-Wants-Her-Food-In-How-I-Met-Your-Mother-Reaction-Gif_zps03d3744d.gif
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    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:
    :laugh:

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNSyqzNR4P5hl_1MV51opAPpSTRekUOQZtYvKc8_2xzsbeuWOm
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfDhfd5Infd0vUXyMUDkn-upjz38VFmYeOoE2eYD5dK3SPpkI_rg
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6oFvw3QScU8XRKUcwgtzd6wC5a3OosZcrfapflA_bmqXXJWFZ
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1bi7l_0MhTw2SlUgF5Da3vwh5dqRX5rWWihhSZ0z7C43vGr2r]


    LOL, i love this!!! I'm a vegetarian and I get so annoyed when people ask me that. Just because something doesn't have PARENTS doesn't mean it doesn't have protein...GAWD!

    To point out..I know I will ask because there are many people that don't think about what they will need to supplement their protein. A lot of vegetarians I've come across admit to that mistake and will even ask this question themselves of new people to get them thinking about being aware of their complete nutritional needs.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    But is the quality of protein in beans etc. equal to animal product protein? Is it as absorbable?

    I'm asking only out of curiosity since I have given up on eating red meat since last year and I'm not a fan of fish either.

    You need to make sure that you get your proteins from a variety of sources to ensure a complete amino acid profile, but if you do, it is fine.

    Some vegan complete proteins are nutritional yeast and hemp seeds.

    ^Exactly! And, it's not necessary that you combined all those in one meal. The combination can be done over the course of the day through all your meals.
    well its not even just protein or the complete amino profile. How much of the EAAs are in there? There really aren't that much.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    But is the quality of protein in beans etc. equal to animal product protein? Is it as absorbable?

    I'm asking only out of curiosity since I have given up on eating red meat since last year and I'm not a fan of fish either.

    You need to make sure that you get your proteins from a variety of sources to ensure a complete amino acid profile, but if you do, it is fine.

    Some vegan complete proteins are nutritional yeast and hemp seeds.

    ^Exactly! And, it's not necessary that you combined all those in one meal. The combination can be done over the course of the day through all your meals.
    well its not even just protein or the complete amino profile. How much of the EAAs are in there? There really aren't that much.

    There actually are in some - specially if you combine correctly. However, it is harder to do, especially when on a calorie restriction.

    If you look at many, they are only 'lacking' in one of the EAAs to make them complete.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    But is the quality of protein in beans etc. equal to animal product protein? Is it as absorbable?

    I'm asking only out of curiosity since I have given up on eating red meat since last year and I'm not a fan of fish either.

    You need to make sure that you get your proteins from a variety of sources to ensure a complete amino acid profile, but if you do, it is fine.

    Some vegan complete proteins are nutritional yeast and hemp seeds.

    ^Exactly! And, it's not necessary that you combined all those in one meal. The combination can be done over the course of the day through all your meals.
    well its not even just protein or the complete amino profile. How much of the EAAs are in there? There really aren't that much.

    There actually are in some - specially if you combine correctly. However, it is harder to do, especially when on a calorie restriction.

    If you look at many, they are only 'lacking' in one of the EAAs to make them complete.

    but how much?
    its like saying there is fat in X. it only has .5g of fat

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