Plant-Based Eating for 21 Days- New To This- Anyone Else

lemurcat12

nutmegoreo wrote: »

dance4life5678mfp wrote: »

I have switched to plant based and I love it. Protein isn't a problem, I find it funny how most people think you can't get protein without meat. I have an Instagram page with ideas if you're interested it's call <snip>

People aren't saying you can't get enough protein. In fact I've started adding more vegetarian meals and still hit my protein goals. They are saying that protein needs to be monitored to make sure it is enough. Often people move into a different diet without considering their nutritional needs. That's all anyone is saying, be mindful to ensure nutritional balance.

Yes, this.

bturner28

Hi Everyone, I started plant based diet/Vegan last week. I'm also aware of the vitamin deficiencies that can occur, so I also take a vegan organic protein drink along with organic superfoods fruits/veggies/multi vitamin to help. I keep track of all my food intake/nutritional info through fitness pal app. I pull up recipes online to keep it interesting with different recipes. I exercise every other day. Looking to feel better, be healthier, & lose some weight in the process. For being on it for a week, I must say I feel pretty good so far and lost 5 pounds. I realize that's a lot of weight for a week, so it's probably water weight, but I'll take it! Had a few headaches at first, but I think I was detoxing from processed foods. My cravings for dairy, fast food, sweets are minimal (which is crazy because I used to crave sweets, fast food, diet pop all the time!) I drink black coffee, unseeetened tea & water. I'm looking for a support group to relate/share info that is also doing plant based diet/vegan. Thanks!

yager8725

snickerscharlie wrote: »

littlechiaseed wrote: »

Protein isn't going to be a challenge. You don't need a lot. Just eat a variety of vegan proteins during the day no problem. No one ever died from a protein deficiency. Lots of people are vegan and vegetarian and have been for many years with no issue, like any diet, just eat a variety of foods. Personally veggie chili is one of my favorite meals high in lots of nutrients including fiber, protein, iron and other vitamins and it's very versatile.

You're wrong on that - dead wrong, actually.

I agree that this is wrong! Especially if you work out. Lean muscles must get enough protein!

CharlieBeansmomTracey

bturner28 wrote: »

Hi Everyone, I started plant based diet/Vegan last week. I'm also aware of the vitamin deficiencies that can occur, so I also take a vegan organic protein drink along with organic superfoods fruits/veggies/multi vitamin to help. I keep track of all my food intake/nutritional info through fitness pal app. I pull up recipes online to keep it interesting with different recipes. I exercise every other day. Looking to feel better, be healthier, & lose some weight in the process. For being on it for a week, I must say I feel pretty good so far and lost 5 pounds. I realize that's a lot of weight for a week, so it's probably water weight, but I'll take it! Had a few headaches at first, but I think I was detoxing from processed foods. My cravings for dairy, fast food, sweets are minimal (which is crazy because I used to crave sweets, fast food, diet pop all the time!) I drink black coffee, unseeetened tea & water. I'm looking for a support group to relate/share info that is also doing plant based diet/vegan. Thanks!

you werent detoxing from processed foods. the headaches could have been from anything but its not detoxing. there is no such thing as detoxing from foods.

bturner28

Interesting. Thanks for your input. I think it was from sugar/caffeine withdrawal as it was significantly reduced. I never used to get headaches. I have no more headaches now though, just the first few days of the diet change. Regardless, I feel great now!

crzycatlady1

bturner28 wrote: »

Interesting. Thanks for your input. I think it was from sugar/caffeine withdrawal as it was significantly reduced. I never used to get headaches. I have no more headaches now though, just the first few days of the diet change. Regardless, I feel great now!

Cutting out/down caffeine will definitely cause headaches.

jordan_bowden

Budget friendly advice would be to stick to lots of dry staples that can be stored (brown rice, lentils, black beans, oats, pasta, quinoa, buckwheat). Doing lots of research is essential, although I highly recommend high carb low fat! Carbs are your friends, they give you insane amounts of energy, muscle strength and trim down fat! Also, frozen fruits and veggies are really handy to have if you cannot afford to buy fresh produce all the time. If you're ever craving ice cream, just cut bananas in half ( make sure they are spotty before you peel them for optimal nutrition, sweetness and digestion ) and freeze them overnight. When they're ready, let them thaw for a few minutes and put them in the food processor or high speed blender until they are all smooth and creamy and viola! I never liked bananas but I eat this every single day! Feel free to invite me and message if you would like some helpful tips or ideas!

bturner28

Thanks for the info! I noticed this is a more expensive eating plan-I'll need to start getting more frozen items! Someone else mentioned the frozen banana too and it's the best thing ever! My breakfast smoothie tastes like ice cream.. I add organic vanilla protein & a superfood/multivitamin & almond milk. I crave it every morning. I have a carb battle as I used to do high protein low carb (paleo), but now I'm in trying the other spectrum. I need to realize carbs are okay. Any good recipes plant based/vegan, let me know!

jordan_bowden

bturner28 wrote: »

Thanks for the info! I noticed this is a more expensive eating plan-I'll need to start getting more frozen items! Someone else mentioned the frozen banana too and it's the best thing ever! My breakfast smoothie tastes like ice cream.. I add organic vanilla protein & a superfood/multivitamin & almond milk. I crave it every morning. I have a carb battle as I used to do high protein low carb (paleo), but now I'm in trying the other spectrum. I need to realize carbs are okay. Any good recipes plant based/vegan, let me know!

I also used to do paleo and I thought that is was super healthy but after all the research I did when I became vegan, I realized how dangerous ketogenic diets truly are! I know it's quite a challenge to eat a significantly higher amount of carbs than you're used to. An easy way to get them in is through lots of fruits, beans and legumes. They don't block up your stomach as much as pasta and bread and rice, as I'm sure you have encountered since paleo. Plus they are complex carbs which means they are not only a carb but also high in protein. They are probably the best source of protein and they are wonderful for muscle toning because carbs are like brain and muscle fuel! Feel free to personal message for any specific meal ideas

crzycatlady1

bturner28 wrote: »

Thanks for the info! I noticed this is a more expensive eating plan-I'll need to start getting more frozen items! Someone else mentioned the frozen banana too and it's the best thing ever! My breakfast smoothie tastes like ice cream.. I add organic vanilla protein & a superfood/multivitamin & almond milk. I crave it every morning. I have a carb battle as I used to do high protein low carb (paleo), but now I'm in trying the other spectrum. I need to realize carbs are okay. Any good recipes plant based/vegan, let me know!

I'm not totally plant based but I get most of my veggies frozen-way cheaper, especially during off seasons, than fresh. Also-if you have an Aldi nearby they have great prices on frozen fruit. And many dollar stores now have small freezer sections and carry frozen fruit as well (frozen fruit is usually more expensive than frozen veggies at conventional grocery stores).

janejellyroll

jordan_bowden wrote: »

bturner28 wrote: »

Thanks for the info! I noticed this is a more expensive eating plan-I'll need to start getting more frozen items! Someone else mentioned the frozen banana too and it's the best thing ever! My breakfast smoothie tastes like ice cream.. I add organic vanilla protein & a superfood/multivitamin & almond milk. I crave it every morning. I have a carb battle as I used to do high protein low carb (paleo), but now I'm in trying the other spectrum. I need to realize carbs are okay. Any good recipes plant based/vegan, let me know!

I also used to do paleo and I thought that is was super healthy but after all the research I did when I became vegan, I realized how dangerous ketogenic diets truly are! I know it's quite a challenge to eat a significantly higher amount of carbs than you're used to. An easy way to get them in is through lots of fruits, beans and legumes. They don't block up your stomach as much as pasta and bread and rice, as I'm sure you have encountered since paleo. Plus they are complex carbs which means they are not only a carb but also high in protein. They are probably the best source of protein and they are wonderful for muscle toning because carbs are like brain and muscle fuel! Feel free to personal message for any specific meal ideas

You can do Paleo without doing keto. They're two different plans, although I'm sure you can combine them.

Complex carbohydrates may have protein, but something isn't high in protein simply because it is a complex carbohydrate. There are plenty of complex carbohydrates that don't have much protein at all (fruit, for example, is a terrible source of protein) and some nutritional experts even question the validity of the whole "simple" versus "complex" classification -- it just isn't that useful in deciding what to eat. For example, pasta, rice, and bread can also be classified as complex carbohydrates (and some of them are good sources of protein too).

kshama2001

bturner28 wrote: »

Thanks for the info! I noticed this is a more expensive eating plan-I'll need to start getting more frozen items! Someone else mentioned the frozen banana too and it's the best thing ever! My breakfast smoothie tastes like ice cream.. I add organic vanilla protein & a superfood/multivitamin & almond milk. I crave it every morning. I have a carb battle as I used to do high protein low carb (paleo), but now I'm in trying the other spectrum. I need to realize carbs are okay. Any good recipes plant based/vegan, let me know!

Ah, the good old days when quinoa was $2 a pound, before demand outstripped supply. Do shop around. Buying grains and beans in bulk is much cheaper than buying them in boxes. I don't think eating vegan would be that expensive for someone in the US making meals from scratch & bulk and avoiding convenience vegan foods. More labor intensive though, for sure! Chop chop chop.

Here are 1,171 vegan recipes: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/search/ ?f[0]=field_special_diet:158786

I'm sure there are also plenty of websites with recipes. Do also see what your library system has available for cookbooks. Mine has 313 vegan cookbooks.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

bturner28 wrote: »

Interesting. Thanks for your input. I think it was from sugar/caffeine withdrawal as it was significantly reduced. I never used to get headaches. I have no more headaches now though, just the first few days of the diet change. Regardless, I feel great now!

Cutting out/down caffeine will definitely cause headaches.

I agree it can be caffeine withdrawal (the headaches) because she didnt mention she stopped caffeine intake,but op its still not detoxing from foods.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

jordan_bowden wrote: »

bturner28 wrote: »

Thanks for the info! I noticed this is a more expensive eating plan-I'll need to start getting more frozen items! Someone else mentioned the frozen banana too and it's the best thing ever! My breakfast smoothie tastes like ice cream.. I add organic vanilla protein & a superfood/multivitamin & almond milk. I crave it every morning. I have a carb battle as I used to do high protein low carb (paleo), but now I'm in trying the other spectrum. I need to realize carbs are okay. Any good recipes plant based/vegan, let me know!

I also used to do paleo and I thought that is was super healthy but after all the research I did when I became vegan, I realized how dangerous ketogenic diets truly are! I know it's quite a challenge to eat a significantly higher amount of carbs than you're used to. An easy way to get them in is through lots of fruits, beans and legumes. They don't block up your stomach as much as pasta and bread and rice, as I'm sure you have encountered since paleo. Plus they are complex carbs which means they are not only a carb but also high in protein. They are probably the best source of protein and they are wonderful for muscle toning because carbs are like brain and muscle fuel! Feel free to personal message for any specific meal ideas

keto diets are not dangerous unless you have a health issue that would warrant it to be dangerous,pasta,bread and rice dont bock up your stomach(again unless you have issues with your stomach or those foods and if you are doing keto you dont eat many of those foods)

Irishmaggie

Overnight oatmeal with tasty dried fruit added and Mason Jar salads have been a big help for me sticking to plant based during the week. I just prep everything on Sunday and I'm good to go. I'm one month in and cravings are gone which is crazy since I used to be a big snacker

raylo1313

http://engine2diet.com/tag/21-day-vegan-kickstart/
I initially started plant based eating for just the 21 days. I am now 45 days into it because it was an easy transistion for me and I enjoy the extra energy that came with it. I've lost 8 lbs so far with no planned exercising. However, I do move alot during the day. One thing I do consistently is eat a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal with approx. 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 dried cranberries - EVERY morning. Please don't go off on the calories of the fruit and nuts. I AM losing and feel great and that is all that matters and lipids are great. When you eat plant based you can eat any plants - no restrictions as long as it is in moderation but not deprivation. If you are hungry, eat. If not, don't. Variety is the spice of life, therefore you shouldn't overload on any one food! This is what is works for me but may not for you. You need to find your life/eating style that you KNOW you can stick with...that is the hardest part - persistence. But the reward is fantastic! The weight will come off fast for some, slow for others - we are all different in our metabolisms. Good luck to you all!

FruityFridays

I wouldn't get hung up on protein, if you're eating a balanced diet, enough calories and a range of whole plant foods, you don't need to worry about protein. The Vegan community really differ on importance placed on protein, than those following a SAD. I've been a vegan for a year, I am very aware of my iron and B12 intake, but not protein.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

FruityFridays wrote: »

I wouldn't get hung up on protein, if you're eating a balanced diet, enough calories and a range of whole plant foods, you don't need to worry about protein. The Vegan community really differ on importance placed on protein, than those following a SAD. I've been a vegan for a year, I am very aware of my iron and B12 intake, but not protein.

you do have to worry about protein when losing weight and for general health. protein helps prevents loss of lean mass and there is such a thing as protein deficiency,look it up. you need to get enough of all the macros(carbs,protein and fats)

tlnm158

Hi everyone! I eat mostly plant based, and need some inspiration for meals. Does anyone log food and have an open diary? Would love to see some plant based clean eating! Thanks

Christine_72

FruityFridays wrote: »

I wouldn't get hung up on protein, if you're eating a balanced diet, enough calories and a range of whole plant foods, you don't need to worry about protein. The Vegan community really differ on importance placed on protein, than those following a SAD. I've been a vegan for a year, I am very aware of my iron and B12 intake, but not protein.

Protein is very important, it is the one thing i strive to get enough of, eg a lot more than the inadequate amount mfp suggests.
As was mentioned, protein deficiency is real.