Plant based diet

Secondhalf35
Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone switched to a plant based diet and found switch ok. I've heard so many positive reports
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Replies

  • Secondhalf35
    Secondhalf35 Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you very much
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I also switched to a (almost) vegan diet in March -- sadly, I've not dropped that much weight. The only exception I make is eating fish or shrimp once a week (a bit of a compromise with my carnivore spouse).

    I find it simple and I feel great. Try vegetarian first if you need some time to adjust. Tempeh and black bean burgers are my favs so far. Oh, and invest in some Gas X for the first few weeks. :#
  • Mentiri
    Mentiri Posts: 1,356 Member
    I've been a vegetarian for 20 years - lost 100 pounds, lowered my cholesterol by 70 points with no meds, never felt deprived! I still drool at the smell of good barbeque, but there are so many delicious vegetarian/vegan options and recipes available I have no trouble resisting the temptation. I truly believe it's a better way of life for myself and for the planet.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
    How is vegan not plant based when all you eat is plants and things that are made with plants?

    I am mostly vegetarian (I eat a small amount of fish, mostly in the form of the occasional sushi), and I am mostly plant based when not eating the above mentioned sushi (I haven't kicked the cheese habit, though it is greatly reduced). My eating habits can be fabulous or very frat boy like, so it can depend, but when I'm eating well, I reap many benefits- better skin (I have very very dry skin, but more plants help), fewer headaches, better sleep, more energy, less issues with my stomach. I also drop a few pounds pretty much automatically after a week or two.
  • Cecily55
    Cecily55 Posts: 15 Member
    AmandaDanceMore wrote: »
    How is vegan not plant based when all you eat is plants and things that are made with plants?

    I am mostly vegetarian (I eat a small amount of fish, mostly in the form of the occasional sushi), and I am mostly plant based when not eating the above mentioned sushi (I haven't kicked the cheese habit, though it is greatly reduced). My eating habits can be fabulous or very frat boy like, so it can depend, but when I'm eating well, I reap many benefits- better skin (I have very very dry skin, but more plants help), fewer headaches, better sleep, more energy, less issues with my stomach. I also drop a few pounds pretty much automatically after a week or two.

    I agree absolutely. My dietary choices were made by necessity, but the benefits you list are right on. I've also noticed that my joints and tendons aren't as "achy" anymore.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
    Cecily55 wrote: »
    AmandaDanceMore wrote: »
    How is vegan not plant based when all you eat is plants and things that are made with plants?

    I am mostly vegetarian (I eat a small amount of fish, mostly in the form of the occasional sushi), and I am mostly plant based when not eating the above mentioned sushi (I haven't kicked the cheese habit, though it is greatly reduced). My eating habits can be fabulous or very frat boy like, so it can depend, but when I'm eating well, I reap many benefits- better skin (I have very very dry skin, but more plants help), fewer headaches, better sleep, more energy, less issues with my stomach. I also drop a few pounds pretty much automatically after a week or two.

    I agree absolutely. My dietary choices were made by necessity, but the benefits you list are right on. I've also noticed that my joints and tendons aren't as "achy" anymore.

    Yep! I forgot that one! When I eat right, my old injuries and general wear and tear bother me less and I recover much, much faster!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    AmandaDanceMore wrote: »
    How is vegan not plant based when all you eat is plants and things that are made with plants?
    TracySulejmani wrote: »
    Plum5027 wrote: »
    Vegan does not equal plant based diet

    Vegan is plant based. Plant based is not always vegan.

    This.

    Although some (Happy Herbivore, I think, is one) seem to use "plant based" as short hand for "whole food plant based" and vegan means "no animal products for ethical reasons" and could include, say, Oreos.

    I assumed the person meant you could be plant based without being vegan, which is true, especially as many people don't use plant based to mean only 100% plant based.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    seekingbetterme wrote: »
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    Hard to do for long term. This means no doritos - ever.

    That's where you're wrong! Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos AND the new BBQ Heat Wave Doritos are vegan ;)

    I switched to a vegan diet in March of this year and I've gone from 160 to 130 lbs. My skin has become perfectly clear, I have more energy, and overall I'm generally happier and healthier. Best life style change I've ever made!

    This is awesome -- I had no idea they'd added another vegan one! :)
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    Plum5027 wrote: »
    Vegan does not equal plant based diet


    I have noticed that too.. Vegan is not necessarily "whole food plant based". Vegeterian recipes can be loaded with stuff that I dont eat. like pie. or Doritos. or cake.
  • Veganniee
    Veganniee Posts: 460 Member
    I suppose it depends on whether you mean a vegan/plant based diet or a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet. I am vegan but getting closer to WFPB. I've been vegan for years and had no difference in how I felt, but when I eat exclusively WFPB for a few days I do.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Plant based doesn't mean vegan. Doesn't even mean vegetarian. It just means the majority of your diet is plant based. I eat meat, fish etc and still consider my diet to fall under plant based because the vast majority of my foods are plants, or things that come from plants.
  • Cecily55
    Cecily55 Posts: 15 Member
    Sassia wrote: »
    I suppose it depends on whether you mean a vegan/plant based diet or a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet. I am vegan but getting closer to WFPB. I've been vegan for years and had no difference in how I felt, but when I eat exclusively WFPB for a few days I do.

    Absolutely. You can be technically vegan and still eat junk food. I am certainly not following a WFPB diet for ethical reasons, but that doesn't keep me from reaping the health benefits of eating WFPB. I would cheerfully eat a huge porterhouse steak, but the aftereffects just wouldn't be worth it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,173 Member
    edited June 2017
    Perhaps the perceived benefits of vegan WFPB eating are more about the presence of plants, then, rather than the absence of animal products?

    I wouldn't discourage someone becoming vegan for a range of ethical reasons, but think the health argument is a bit more tenuous.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
    I went vegan a long long time ago -- very easy. I went whole foods plant based many times -- slightly harder. Whole foods plant based has some of the best peer-reviewed science behind it being one of the healthiest ways for humans to eat.

    I have been having a hard time with maintenance, so I am giving it another go. Feel free to add me, my diary is open to friends :) You can see what vegan and WFPB looks like.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    On the chips discussion: https://www.peta2.com/news/vegan-potato-tortilla-chips/

    Sun chips! Earth balance chips! Doritos! Pop chips! There are sweet potato chips sitting right in front of me this very minute. Nothing in them but sweet potatoes, canola oil, and salt--they're vegan! If you're vegetarian, then most chips would be fine. People use the term "plant based" to encompass all sorts of different diets, from eating mostly plants and a small amount of animal products, to being vegan. It's not clear what OP meant by it.

    Don't even get me started on sweets. I eat chocolate every day. Equal Exchange makes some excellent vegan dark chocolate. The point is that plant based does not mean no sweets or salty snacks, unless that's how the individual chooses to eat.

    OP, I found when I stopped eating meat that I really did have to re-learn how to cook. I grew up in a meat and potatoes family. I had never eaten most vegetables! Even things that seem simple to me now, like substituting soy crumbles for beef in a taco recipe, had to be learned. I'm glad I did it, though. I'm really happy with how I eat now and I wouldn't want to go back to eating meat.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Plum5027 wrote: »
    Vegan does not equal plant based diet

    LOL.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    On the chips discussion: https://www.peta2.com/news/vegan-potato-tortilla-chips/

    Sun chips! Earth balance chips! Doritos! Pop chips! There are sweet potato chips sitting right in front of me this very minute. Nothing in them but sweet potatoes, canola oil, and salt--they're vegan! If you're vegetarian, then most chips would be fine. People use the term "plant based" to encompass all sorts of different diets, from eating mostly plants and a small amount of animal products, to being vegan. It's not clear what OP meant by it.

    Don't even get me started on sweets. I eat chocolate every day. Equal Exchange makes some excellent vegan dark chocolate. The point is that plant based does not mean no sweets or salty snacks, unless that's how the individual chooses to eat.

    OP, I found when I stopped eating meat that I really did have to re-learn how to cook. I grew up in a meat and potatoes family. I had never eaten most vegetables! Even things that seem simple to me now, like substituting soy crumbles for beef in a taco recipe, had to be learned. I'm glad I did it, though. I'm really happy with how I eat now and I wouldn't want to go back to eating meat.

    I had an Equal Exchange bar yesterday with lemon, ginger, and black pepper. It was amazing!

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