What good/bad have you've experienced from a mostly plant based diet?

crzycatlady1

This is a spin off question from the 'plant based....mostly' thread. Several posters said they've experienced health benefits from reducing meat consumption and I'm curious to hear others experiences with this as well. Animal rights issues aside, what has your experience with reducing/eliminating meat been?

I'm currently in maintenance and in good health by all the markers my doctor uses, but I'm getting the itch to shake things up with how I eat (ie I'm bored lol). I eat meat every day, usually twice a day. Thinking of reducing this to 3-4 times a week and just playing around with different food options. I know I'll save some money doing this, but I'm also curious if anything else will change. I guess I'll be experimenting with a flexitarian woe?

So, what have your experiences been-both good and bad-with reducing meat consumption?

janejellyroll

I went from completely non-vegan to vegan about ten years ago and I didn't have any transitional period. I didn't really notice any changes in how I felt day-to-day. For context, I would say that my health was good before I went vegan. Some of the people who talk about health changes were having health problems before they went vegan and so they have a different point of reference. As far as the type of changes that can be noticed at a doctor's visit -- my blood pressure went down and my overall cholesterol got better (it wasn't bad before, but now it's really, really good). I attribute this not necessarily to veganism itself, but to the fact that my diet now includes many more vegetables and beans than it did before I went vegan.

What can be hard (at least at first): It can be more challenging to find tasty calorie-friendly options at some places. When I'm travelling for work, my calorie-conscious co-workers can easily find meat-centered dishes that meet their needs and it can sometimes be more challenging for me.

Lots of people have enjoyed making dinners on certain days of the week meat-free -- it seems to work really well when you take flavor profiles you enjoy and find meat-free recipes in that family (like meat-free Mexican or Italian night).

AmandaDanceMore

I am mostly plant based and have been for the better part of a year. I wasn't a big meat eater, anyway, and had already cut way back on dairy due to digestion issues over the last few years. By mostly plant based I mean very very little dairy (I will still eat cheese and butter but I limit it-especially the cheese since I have no will power with it). I will eat things with dairy in it (so, I don't obsessively read labels except to avoid meat and gelatin). I will also occasionally eat some fish and what seafood I can eat. That being said, it's still easy to eat like a frat boy when you don't eat meat, and I have good days and bad days.

I DO notice benefits, though, when I'm being good. I have less headaches, my mood is better, I sleep better and have more energy. I also feel like I recover from muscle fatigue and soreness better. A big thing I've noticed, and something that has been an ongoing struggle for me, is how much better my skin is when I'm eating mostly plants. I have extremely dry and very sensitive skin. It does so much better, staying soft and with an even complexion when I'm eating well. A few bad days and I start to notice more dryness and redness, and if I go too long, all hell breaks loose and it's an uphill battle healing the damage I've caused.

Internally, I'm not sure what benefits, if any, I'm seeing. I typically only go to the doctor when I'm really sick or really hurt

cwolfman13

I eat vegetarian 3-4 days per week...honestly, any diet can be as healthy or nutritionally void as you make it. When I ate more meat, I still ate a lot of veggies and other whole foods...I actually eat about the same amount of veggies and fruit now as I did then...I tend to eat more legumes and lentils and whatnot than I did before...I haven't really seen any particular health benefits either way.

shaumom

I ate mostly vegetarian for a while, and it was pretty awful, health-wise, for me.

Everything in my body was inflamed, even my gut was inflamed, I was tired all the time - it was pretty bad.

At this point, the better diet for me seems to be completely grain free, and avoiding almost all nuts and legumes. Doesn't work so well with a vegetarian diet, you know?

But those ingredients seem to make my body react quite poorly, and with the extra inflammation, I wasn't absorbing nutrients properly (even though I even had a nutritionist looking at my diet), so I was quite ill.

Brittni__duh

Since I was a teenager, I limited my meat consumption. I just didn't like meat. I was flexitarian for years and finally went vegetarian about three years ago. I've been primarily plant based for about a year now. I try to eat dairy maybe once a week and eggs even less than that. I have fibromyalgia and I find that limiting my dairy consumption has definitely helped in a lot of ways. For one, I'm lactose intolerant so my digestive issues are almost completely gone. For another, I experience less severe flare ups now that I'm mostly plant based. This past month has been hectic and I've been eating like a junk food vegetarian and I can sure feel the difference in my energy and pain levels.

schwest76

I tried the flexitarian approach but it didn't work well. I have PCOS so I need a more high protein/low carb diet and trying to make that work on a vegetarian diet was definitely challenging. I was really tired and run down when I started and it seemed to take awhile for myself body to adjust. Also, it seemed to really slow my weight loss since I was eating more carbs than before. Other than the fatigue and slowed weight loss it wasn't bad.

littlechiaseed

I don't think you'll see much of a difference if you're still eating it almost daily tbh

butterbuns123

It is entirely feasible to live animal product free. Our ancestors did and so can we. The main problem with vegan diets is that people often just jump onto a vegan diet without learning anything. They just eat lettuce and veggies and become malnourished. Proper planning and research before starting is important.

butterbuns123

Also you digestive system will take a few weeks to get used to any diet change so expect that. The amount of fiber you will consume switching to a vegan diet is pretty extreme

crzycatlady1

Thanks for the input everyone

janejellyroll

butterbuns123 wrote: »

Also you digestive system will take a few weeks to get used to any diet change so expect that. The amount of fiber you will consume switching to a vegan diet is pretty extreme

Many vegans do eat more fiber, but it isn't automatic. People who need or want lower fiber diets can still do veganism, as there are lower fiber plant foods available.

dopeysmelly

I ate a very healthy diet before going plant-based (mostly), but I have noticed a lot of benefits anyway. My total cholesterol plunged from 300 to 173, and LDL "bad" cholesterol from 202 to 88. Most of that drop was within the first 4 weeks of switching. My blood pressure was good anyway, but DH's blood pressure improved far more by cutting out the meat and dairy than when he cut salt/increased potassium. Aside from the hard numbers, my skin is the best it's ever been although it took about a year for me to notice that.

I switched about 18 months ago. Started by having meat and cheese once a month, then just forgot to have them. I have fish very, very occasionally, maybe once every couple of months, when I eat out and there really isn't any other option, and have an egg maybe once a month. I've always eaten a lot of fruit and vegetables, beans and pulses etc, so it really was a matter of cutting out dairy and meat for me and just adding more of the other in.

Your taste buds do change and "normal" food can be hopelessly bland. A great way of introducing more meatless meals is to go ethnic/spicy. A lot of non-Western cuisines are heavily vegetarian any way e.g. Indian. Also, if you do make the switch completely, you might notice that you get incredibly hungry until you adjust to having to eat increased volumes.

Downsides? None that I can think of. You learn to navigate menus and other people's interest and comments, but I quite enjoy the challenge and sharing my experiences. No one at work noticed I didn't eat meat or cheese until I pointed it out recently. Oh and I have absolutely loved learning to cook in a different way using herbs and spices.

soupandcookies

I have been plant based for about 20 years, vegan for some of the years, but mostly vegetarian. Honestly, I wish I ate meat, but i find it very icky, and I can't wrap my head around eating it. I just have zero interest. Eating meat is a major chore, and I simply can't get myself to do it. As a veg, I find that I am hungry a lot, and it's tough not to overeat carbs. I eat a ton of veggies and beans, and not much soy. I love soy, but I find that when I consume it, I always consume too much. It's very easy to fall into processed food, as a vegetarian. I could eat veggie lasagna and French fries constantly. I try not to, but for me, it's a challenge. I think it can be a great, balanced choice. For me, it probably hasn't been the best option, but it's just part of my life.

Editing to add- i am always trying to start working meat into my life, but I don't tend to last very long. Bad habits die hard...

VeganRaptor

I'm vegan pretty much exclusively for animal rights and the environment, so health benefits aren't hugely important to me.
I did, however, notice my skin and my digestion improved significantly on a plant based diet.
I also used to get terrible tonsil stones (ew) and they completely cleared up after going vegan! It was a great surprise

The important thing with eating a plant based diet is to do your research and understand how to balance your meals to ensure you get the right nutrients. Seeing a dietitian for this is a great idea (just make sure they aren't anti vegan).
It's best to avoid diets within veganism (Raw til 4, fully raw etc), as they can be pretty unbalanced and unhealthy in the long term, in my experience. You need a good mix of macro and micro nutrients that those diets just don't meet adequately.

crzycatlady1

dopeysmelly wrote: »

I ate a very healthy diet before going plant-based (mostly), but I have noticed a lot of benefits anyway. My total cholesterol plunged from 300 to 173, and LDL "bad" cholesterol from 202 to 88. Most of that drop was within the first 4 weeks of switching. My blood pressure was good anyway, but DH's blood pressure improved far more by cutting out the meat and dairy than when he cut salt/increased potassium. Aside from the hard numbers, my skin is the best it's ever been although it took about a year for me to notice that.

I switched about 18 months ago. Started by having meat and cheese once a month, then just forgot to have them. I have fish very, very occasionally, maybe once every couple of months, when I eat out and there really isn't any other option, and have an egg maybe once a month. I've always eaten a lot of fruit and vegetables, beans and pulses etc, so it really was a matter of cutting out dairy and meat for me and just adding more of the other in.

Your taste buds do change and "normal" food can be hopelessly bland. A great way of introducing more meatless meals is to go ethnic/spicy. A lot of non-Western cuisines are heavily vegetarian any way e.g. Indian. Also, if you do make the switch completely, you might notice that you get incredibly hungry until you adjust to having to eat increased volumes.

Downsides? None that I can think of. You learn to navigate menus and other people's interest and comments, but I quite enjoy the challenge and sharing my experiences. No one at work noticed I didn't eat meat or cheese until I pointed it out recently. Oh and I have absolutely loved learning to cook in a different way using herbs and spices.

My total cholesterol is currently 143, so I don't know that I want it going down much further The skin thing is interesting though, I've seen others mention that as well. I've always had bad skin, and deal with adult acne.

VeggieBarbells

I know I'll save some money doing this, but I'm also curious if anything else will change. I guess I'll be experimenting with a flexitarian woe? So, what have your experiences been-both good and bad-with reducing meat consumption?

My journey to vegetarianism must have taken years. I've always been funny about meat, since my childhood when my mother explained what really went into meat sausages. Yuk!

Since then I've toyed with not eating meat, then giving up and coming back to it because its what everyone else ate. In the end my route was: Flexitarian, Pescetarian, Vegetarian, Vegan and back to Vegetarian. I'm still educating myself about vegan foods however many are already present in my diet. I'm about 80% there but prefer not to use the label until I hit 100%.

Good things:
- I've found it easy to maintain / drop weight
- My body shape, muscle definition and dropping fat
- I feel healthy, lighter and much more agile
- I'm never ill, colds are a thing of the past

Bad things:
- You go from full to hungry in like seconds, I always pack healthy snacks
- Other people's opinions on why meat is so good and plant based is bad. RME

Apart from that just dive in and see how you feel. My best introduction to vegetarian foods was:

a) Having a vegetarian girlfriend, you soon realise there's more to vegetarian than salad.
b) Eating at vegetarian restaurants << such a taste-bud eye opener and so much choice.
c) Buying the cookbook 1,000 vegan recipes. I adapt recipes and bingo, I've 1,000 to choose from.
d) Base everything on taste. If it taste good stick with it, if not try something else. You soon build up an array of veggie foods you like.

lew0017

I have been trying to eat mostly vegetarian for about 2 months now, meat maybe once a week. I have gained 5lbs, darn. I am working on tweaking this better, I do eat a lot of vegetables, maybe one or two pieces of fruit each day. I wonder if the beans or just maybe two many carbs for me. I want to go vegetarian for health reasons as I have a history of high cholesterol and am concerned about it. I read a book called "how not to die", written by Dr. Greger, he is vegan and shows compelling evidence of curing heart disease and a myriad of other illnesses with a vegan diet. I find the diet rather daunting and my husband is not thrilled with that drastic a change so I thought I would try to go vegetarian first. We are not huge meat eaters, even when we eat meat it's a small portion, I guess for me its the learning curve to cooking differently and figuring out meal plans.

I will go back to counting calories for a while and get back on track. I hope to see my blood lipids change like some that have posted here.

vegan4lyfe2012

TOO MUCH INFORMATION ALERT!

I had my gall bladder removed 13 years ago. For 11 solid years, I had to take powdered medicine mixed in water (yuck!) to "bind" me because my gall bladder stem wouldn't make bile. I suffered from horrible ongoing stomach cramps and if I didn't take my medicine each morning by 10 am, I would have to run to the bathroom once every couple hours. I suffered from constant diarrhea. I envied my mother who complained of constipation. By the 10th year of taking the medicine, it was losing its effectiveness and I had to add on a second medication. This time, it was a pill I had to take 20 minutes before eating ANYTHING. What a pain. And it gave me cotton-mouth.

I "went vegan" on February 22, 2012. By March 1st, I wasn't having any stomach cramps or diarrhea. I stopped taking the pills before eating. I felt wonderful! By the end of March, I stopped the powdered medicine and told my doctor. I don't know who was more ecstatic - him or me!

lemurcat12

lew0017 wrote: »

I have been trying to eat mostly vegetarian for about 2 months now, meat maybe once a week. I have gained 5lbs, darn. I am working on tweaking this better, I do eat a lot of vegetables, maybe one or two pieces of fruit each day. I wonder if the beans or just maybe two many carbs for me. I want to go vegetarian for health reasons as I have a history of high cholesterol and am concerned about it. I read a book called "how not to die", written by Dr. Greger, he is vegan and shows compelling evidence of curing heart disease and a myriad of other illnesses with a vegan diet. I find the diet rather daunting and my husband is not thrilled with that drastic a change so I thought I would try to go vegetarian first. We are not huge meat eaters, even when we eat meat it's a small portion, I guess for me its the learning curve to cooking differently and figuring out meal plans.

I will go back to counting calories for a while and get back on track. I hope to see my blood lipids change like some that have posted here.

I've toyed with going vegetarian (not doing it for now, but do try to do it a few days a week). As part of that I've done a vegetarian diet for periods of time. One thing I'd say is that there's nothing inherently more healthy or low cal (especially the latter) about eating vegetarian, so you do generally have to count calories if you are someone who would otherwise count calories, but that there's also nothing especially harder about doing it and with the same calories you'll lose the same amount of weight, pretty much.

One reason I think some people find that a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthier is that they increase the amount of vegetables they eat (which plenty of people who are vegetarian for ethical reasons don't necessarily do, IME). For me it's not that different to eat vegetarian, I just use vegetarian sources of protein (like beans, lentils, tofu/tempeh, of course eggs if vegetarian, not vegan) as my main dish. Anyway, I think you shouldn't think of "going back to calorie counting" as the alternative to eating vegetarian -- why not do both?

If it is harder for you to make the change probably focusing on doing it for a certain number of days a week or changing one meal at a time (vegetarian breakfasts and lunches and 3 dinners per week or some such) until you have a larger set of meals that are easy for you and you know works for your family is maybe an idea.

I'm skeptical about the claims that eating vegan is going to be a lot healthier, but if cholesterol is a concern and you are attracted to that way of eating I certainly don't see that experimenting with it would hurt.