Going VEGAN, please help!

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  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
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    cristoleyz wrote: »
    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    Just wanted to ask a piggy back question off this post, what is everyone favorite vegan protein bar? If kaleb says Gratitude I am going to flag it so please don't bother. I was looking at the "no cow" bars in GNC and some of the flavors looked good but I am hesitant since I am new to this. Also has anyone tried the "Olly" vegan protein powder? I was thinking about trying that as well. Thanks!

    I've had the now cow bars.... not bad tasting but I'm an avid lover of Quest so for me I find nothing compares lol

    If only whey didn't make me vomit.. *sigh* I do miss Quest bars! Becoming Lactose Intolerant at 25 is worse then being born with it because I know what I'm missing! :(
  • cristoleyz
    cristoleyz Posts: 6 Member
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    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    cristoleyz wrote: »
    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    Just wanted to ask a piggy back question off this post, what is everyone favorite vegan protein bar? If kaleb says Gratitude I am going to flag it so please don't bother. I was looking at the "no cow" bars in GNC and some of the flavors looked good but I am hesitant since I am new to this. Also has anyone tried the "Olly" vegan protein powder? I was thinking about trying that as well. Thanks!

    I've had the now cow bars.... not bad tasting but I'm an avid lover of Quest so for me I find nothing compares lol

    If only whey didn't make me vomit.. *sigh* I do miss Quest bars! Becoming Lactose Intolerant at 25 is worse then being born with it because I know what I'm missing! :(

  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
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    I have not read every single post in this thread, so I apologize if someone has already covered this. If you are interested in discussing a vegan diet, thing to eat that don't suck, and coping techniques, or whatever whatever whatever, RATHER than getting bogged down in a debate about doing your research and the back and forth that has consumed these forums since time immemorial, I'm happy to do that.

    Here's where I am:

    -Since attempting to be vaguely vegan (the title of my new Christian New Wave Rap-Metal album, coincidentally), I have become a solid vegetarian and not the best vegan;
    -I am tempted to eat too many meatless products and "cheat" foods that happen to be vegan, like french fries and chips and stuff (I'm not going to get into the processed bad or good debate, I just happen to think that if the spirit of the lifestyle is plant-based, I'd rather do that than eat boca burgers all of the time)
    -I have found a solid four or five meals that I LOVE and are either vegan or almost so (the only dairy I really do is a bit of cheese, sometimes an egg)

    Happy to talk! Shoot me a PM or I'll try to check back on this thread.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    kricard86 wrote: »
    Ok, so after watching the documentary What The Health, I am going vegan. I have already given up milk, after seeing the poor treatment of the cows on dairy farms. I am seeking to speak with vegans only. Please if you are an avid protein fan, I do not care about the lack of protein. I am looking for people who actively and successfully eat vegan.

    So what are your staples?

    I pretty much eat the same thing day in and day out, so having variety is not important. However, at this moment, I can only see veggies and fruits. I was a low carber for a long time and rarely eat grains, unless its cereal.

    Your help would be greatly appreciated. Also any recommendations for cookbooks would be a major help.

    I do not have a budget for food, per se, however, eating organic and blowing money is not an option.

    Thanks in advance!

    Kahesha

    I have to say the movie had the same impact on me for a few days while I researched the validity of the science stated in the movie.

    Read up on how to maintain Vitamin D levels in the 50-75 ng range while you are eating that way.

    @kricard86 best of success with your new way of eating.
  • kricard86
    kricard86 Posts: 50 Member
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    madwells1 wrote: »
    I was vegan for years a long time ago, but have two good friends that are avid 'veganeers' (no dairy, meat, honey, the whole 9 yards). They eat a lot seitan, tofu, and legumes with their vegetables.

    One is a semi serious chef, and makes lots of cream sauces with raw cashews and stuff like that. I've also dabbled with tofu mousse's, pies, etc., which have all turned out great.

    I personally think the processed vegan stuff is nasty (think tofurkey, and products like that), but that's just me. Keep things simple if you are starting off.

    For example, make a pesto with olive oil, basil and garlic for your pasta. Use vegetables and vegetable broth seasoned with spices (garlic, ginger, green onions) and make homemade ramen (not the packaged stuff). Throw in bok choy and spinach, carrots and such.

    Learn how to buy the right tofu for the right means (i.e. extra firm for stir fries and soft for desserts), learn to cook tofu the right way (tons of online resources). If you can get tofu down, then move to seitan. You can make the stuff taste amazing with the right ingredients.

    Moral of the story, experiment and don't be afraid to try vegetables you never would have tried.

    Thank you thank you thank you! I really appreciate the help and that you took my question seriously! Thanks! I have been eating tofu and it's growing on me. And I have not tried the processed stuff simply because even eating meat etc, I don't eat much processed food. My issue is wine :blush:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    kricard86 wrote: »
    Oh and just an update!! I am a few days short of 2 weeks. Still no desire to eat meat.

    how much protein are you getting per day?
  • kricard86
    kricard86 Posts: 50 Member
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    JaxxieKat wrote: »
    Anti- What the Health vegan checking in. Everyone else covered the tomfoolery of the documentary, so I'll answer your question. My staples are tofu, frozen veggies, canned beans (without pork fat), sourdough bread, avocados, potatoes, and nutritional yeast. I rarely buy organic. I save my pennies for vegan ice cream.

    The only vegan cookbook I recommend is Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar. For recipes online visit Oh She Glows and Hot For Food.

    Thanks! It seems I have been grocery shopping a million times this week. Slowly but surely I am getting my pantry in order. I appreciate your help. My co-workers just told me to keep quinoa handy... I absolutely hate it but will try again :neutral:
  • kricard86
    kricard86 Posts: 50 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    kricard86 wrote: »
    Oh and just an update!! I am a few days short of 2 weeks. Still no desire to eat meat.

    how much protein are you getting per day?

    On average I get between 45g- about 60g, unless I'm supplementing with shakes, then it's more.
  • kricard86
    kricard86 Posts: 50 Member
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    AJ_G wrote: »
    didcrywolf wrote: »
    Be specific

    They claimed an unnamed surgeon at an unnamed hospital's unnamed P.R. person told them that the surgeon will not speak with them about dietary prevention of diseases explicitly because the hospital and the surgeon make money off surgeries that treat the resulting illnesses. That's a load of crap, even if that were the case, they would never explicitly state that as the reason.

    They continually quoted the study about 50g of processed meats per day increasing your risk for colon cancer by 18%, which is not technically incorrect, but is extremely misleading. In reality, everyone has a default 5% risk of colon cancer, and the 50g of processed meats per day increases that risk to 5.9%. That 18% number that gets thrown around is straight fear mongering and is misleading.

    They cited the Canadian study that compares egg consumption to cigarettes, even though that study got ripped to shreds and debunked almost immediately after it came out over 5 years ago.

    The narrator spends the first half hour of the movie "proving"(in his mind) that animal products are equally as bad as cigarettes and other group 1 carcinogens like plutonium(give me a break). He then uses this as a trump card when calling different American health agencies, and when the very first person who picks up the phone at each agency(most likely a receptionist) tries to explain that they're not the proper person to ask these questions of, the narrator goes "well see here, these agencies won't even answer my questions". It's so transparent it's actually pretty embarrassing.

    At one point in the movie, one of the doctors even says "carbohydrates cannot cause you to gain weight in and of themselves because your body can store them as glycogen or use the glucose in the blood stream." That is just a completely inaccurate statement and that doctor should be ashamed that he ever said it.

    I didn't buy into many things in the documentary. It was the animals that bothered me. BTW, I am from the hog plant area in North Carolina so I grew up smelling pigs and watching chickens head to the slaughter (all my friends work at those plants). I can't change how it made me feel. I do however disagree with some egg/cheese myths and that's why I am teetering on the veg/vegan line... but thank you for the breakdown.

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