Transitioning to a plant based diet! (first day)
rayraynicole15
Posts: 22 Member
Hi everyone! I have recently decided to start following a more plant based diet due to ethical reasons & to see if it would help my anxiety. Today was my first day and was wondering if anyone had any tips for me! I don’t eat pork or red meat at all and cut that out last summer and Right now I am going to switch to vegetarian first. I am still eating a small amount of dairy and eggs. Which will be the hard part to cut out lol. Taking it one step at a time and definitely could use any tips/support ❤️
Here is what I ate today:
Breakfast: quick oats cooked in water with cinnamon, frozen blueberries & a banana.
Lunch: went to chipotle with my mom and got a salad no dressing, added black beans, salsa, corn, and guacamole.
Dinner: chick pea “meatballs” and spaghetti with marinara
I also worked out and did circuit training burning 326 cals. I’m 5’1.
Here is what I ate today:
Breakfast: quick oats cooked in water with cinnamon, frozen blueberries & a banana.
Lunch: went to chipotle with my mom and got a salad no dressing, added black beans, salsa, corn, and guacamole.
Dinner: chick pea “meatballs” and spaghetti with marinara
I also worked out and did circuit training burning 326 cals. I’m 5’1.
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Replies
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What was your protein and fat for the day? It is hard to tell from a list but it looks like you could be low on both depending on quantities.8
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Protein: 43 gramsWhat was your protein and fat for the day? It is hard to tell from a list but it looks like you could be low on both depending on quantities.
Fat 36 grams so I’m under for both.
Went over on fiber and carbs 😳 still trying to research some good recipes especially to get protein in!
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There are more plant based options than ever out there now for people who choose that lifestyle. I am not plant-based, but I have started to switch out some of my beef for plant based burger options. I have somewhat more limited options than you do in the US, but I am enjoying the Field Burger as a replacement.3
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As long as you are aware of it you should be fine. Obviously one low day is no big deal especially with eating one of your meals out.
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There are more plant based options than ever out there now for people who choose that lifestyle. I am not plant-based, but I have started to switch out some of my beef for plant based burger options. I have somewhat more limited options than you do in the US, but I am enjoying the Field Burger as a replacement.
Yes we are getting a lot more options here in the US for sure! It definitely helps make the transition a little better! I’m going to have to try the Field Burger!
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I'm mainly plant based. But 100% vegetarian
occasionally I'll have something that has egg. Feel free to add me, my diary is open so take a look if you need some ideas. Good luck 1 -
Thank you so much I’ll definitely add you! Right now I’m transitioning into fully vegetarian gonna limit my meat intake to once a week. I love egg and dairy so that will be the hardest part for me but I’m not gonna rush it! Just trying to do as much research as I can!I'm mainly plant based. But 100% vegetarian occasionally I'll have something that has egg. Feel free to add me, my diary is open so take a look if you need some ideas. Good luck
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rayraynicole15 wrote: »
Thank you so much I’ll definitely add you! Right now I’m transitioning into fully vegetarian gonna limit my meat intake to once a week. I love egg and dairy so that will be the hardest part for me but I’m not gonna rush it! Just trying to do as much research as I can!I'm mainly plant based. But 100% vegetarian occasionally I'll have something that has egg. Feel free to add me, my diary is open so take a look if you need some ideas. Good luck
I should probably point out that I'm a carb queen and struggle with my protein intake but I always have even when I did eat meat. But I've never been a big meat eater anyway. Always preferred vegetarian options.
Not rushing and doing your research is very wise each lil step you take is a step forward. 0 -
"Plant based" does not have a specific meaning other than "eating mostly plants." You don't have to make your diet fit any of the established labels if you don't want to, but it's important to be clear about your dietary needs and what you are asking for help with.
If you want to cut out all animal products, then you are looking at a vegan diet (or a vegan lifestyle, if you stop using other animal products in your life). If you want to eliminate foods that directly involved killing an animal (such as meat, gelatin, broth, etc.) then your diet is vegetarian. There are various other labels such as pescatarian (no meat except fish), ovo-vegetarian (no meat or dairy, but eggs are okay), lacto-vegetarian (no meat or eggs, but dairy is oaky), etc.
I'm a 14 year vegetarian. When I started paying attention to my protein intake, I realized I needed to be very intentional about getting enough, since I don't necessarily crave protein-rich foods. If I'm not being intentional, I will grab carbs over protein every time.
If you eat dairy, then Greek yogurt is a good protein source. Protein powder or bars may also be good options. Most protein powders/bars are whey based (dairy, meaning they are not vegan but are usually vegetarian), but there are many vegan options as well.
I also eat a lot of TVP/soy curls, since they are relatively high protein and low calorie. These products are just dehydrated soy, so they are vegan. Like tofu, they don't have a lot of flavor on their own. I usually rehydrate them, squeeze out the extra water, and then marinate them in the fridge for several hours.
My usual menu looks something like:
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with protein powder, PB2, and fiber cereal. Black tea. Four or five cups of it.
Lunch: leftovers. Sometimes a Quest bar or two if I don't have time for a meal. Sometimes a pint of Enlightened. Don't judge. Decaf iced tea.
Snack: Protein bar, granola bar, dried fruit, etc. More decaf iced tea.
Dinner: Veggies and protein with sauce. Tonight it's an "egg roll bowl:" stir fried tofu and slaw mix veggies with a soy sauce based seasoning and dressing of light vegan mayo mixed with Sriracha. You can guess what I'm drinking by this point.
Dessert: Half a chocolate bar that I split with my husband.2 -
Sounds like a good plan.rayraynicole15 wrote: »Right now I’m transitioning into fully vegetarian gonna limit my meat intake to once a week.
After completing the transition monitor your vitamin B12 on a regular basis. Vegetarians and Vegans quite often have problems with sufficient supply.
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Lots of good meat replacements out there and a lot of them have pretty good protein. The field burger I was mentioning is 25g protein.
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I've been vegetarian (ovo lacto) for 45 years (yes, since 1974). I don't eat imitation meat, protein powder or protein bars (nothing wrong with them; just don't like 'em, personally), and get a minimum of 100g protein daily (in maintenance, at 5'5", weight mid-130s - I do use a good bit of dairy, personally, though I think I could hit my protein goal without it).
My advice would be not only to look for "one big protein" in each meal (the way omnivores think: "What's for dinner?" "Chicken"
). Instead, for sure include major protein sources you enjoy, but also look to get little bits of protein in pretty much any calorie-dense thing you eat. Those little bits throughout the day can really add up. There are veggies with protein, grains with more protein, even fruits with protein. Most plant foods have only incomplete protein (not the full complement of essential amino acids in the proper ratios), but by varying your sources and getting plenty of protein grams, you mitigate that incompleteness. (Soy foods and quinoa, among others, do have complete protein).
This thread is a great source:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods by protein efficiency, most protein for fewest calories. As a veg, you'll need to scroll past the mostly meaty/fishy things at the top of the list, but you'll find many veg-friendly sources further down the spreadsheet. Eat the ones you enjoy.
If you completely eliminate animal foods (dairy, eggs), you'll want to pay attention to certain micronutrients: Iron, calcium, and B12 are important ones, though I'm not going to try to give you a whole treatise here on veg nutrition. The bottom line is that your nutritional needs as a veg are no different than the needs of omnivores (don't let the more extreme advocacy sites try to tell you otherwise!). The only things that differ are where you get those nutrients (and some will require a bit more thought/attention). Malnutrition doesn't happen immediately, so you have some time to figure this all out.
A particular thing that a lot of omivores aren't aware of, that's helpful for fully plant-based folks, is nutritional yeast. Most brands are B12-supplemented, it's got a bit of protein, and has a vaguely cheese-like taste. You'll find it in quite a few vegan recipes.
Overall, for eating satisfaction, I find it important to accent umami flavors. Some veg foods inherently are umami (mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, toasted nuts, etc.). There are also umami ingredients you can use to add that richness: Dark miso, unsweetened cocoa (try it in veg chili), kombu, and some others.
If you want to see what I eat, feel free to friend me. I'll warn you that now, in year 3 of maintenance, I don't log completely every day.
Best wishes!4 -
I’ve been vegan for 4 years and have tried all the variations. Raw till 4, high carb low fat, low carb high fat, low carb high protein, fully raw, fruitarian, literally errythaang.
However when I realized I didn’t need to follow somebody else’s choices, I let go of my eating disordered patterns and listened to the signs my body was showing me.
I started eating more fat, which I got from nuts and seeds, omega mayonnaise, peanut butter, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil,flaxseed, avocado.
Don’t underestimate the power of healthy fats!
For protein, I mainly stick to beans.
My favourite is bean salad (and it shoots my calcium, iron and zinc right up), peas, ground flaxseed (in oats or smoothies is the bomb), chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans, green beans, tofu, mock meat, soy yoghurt, plant protein powder (post workout), quinoa.
I often focus mainly on my fats and proteins and then once I’ve met my goals, I add in more carbs if I have any left.
All plant foods have carbs and fiber, so when planning your meals for the day, try incorporate as many high fat and protein you can do that you don’t fill up mainly on carbs and miss your other goals!
Best of luck xx7 -
congratulations on choosing a kinder diet! i have been vegan for a while now and i have been able to come off my anxiety and depression medication.
i highly recommend pinterest for recipe ideas, i get 99% of my meal plans from there.4 -
Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.10 -
I've been veg for about 13 years now (vegan for the first two, vegetarian since). It's all about getting a varied diet. A lot of the veg people I know love spice (myself included), which can help keep things varied. There are a lot of great recipe resources out there. My diary is open if you want to poke around, and I tend to log pretty consistently.0
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I drink BCAAS mixed with water during my workout would it be a good idea to drink it through out the day? I have a pea protein powder not sure if it has a lot of BCAAS in it! Will have to look , thank you for this info!!Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
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Added you!grimendale wrote: »I've been veg for about 13 years now (vegan for the first two, vegetarian since). It's all about getting a varied diet. A lot of the veg people I know love spice (myself included), which can help keep things varied. There are a lot of great recipe resources out there. My diary is open if you want to poke around, and I tend to log pretty consistently.
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Good luck on your journey. I've been vegetarian for 26 year with several stints of vegan. I do find it easier to get levels of protein for me from dairy and eggs, but it is definitely more than possible without. I like faux-meat but I find the added salt and other bits to be less to my liking so I try to go for the most natural sources as I can find and mix it up. I am a bit fan of seitan, the store bought is overly salty, but it is reasonably easy to make at home. It is pure gluten though, so if you are gluten sensitive it will not work for you. It is by far the most protein dense vegan option. Tempeh, sprouted tofu, beans peas, quinoa are all great sources of protein. I use pea protein in some things as well, but it still tastes like peas so best mixed inot things and not alone. Broccoli and asparagus are actually pretty good protein sources as well. Good luck with your journey.4
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rayraynicole15 wrote: »
I drink BCAAS mixed with water during my workout would it be a good idea to drink it through out the day? I have a pea protein powder not sure if it has a lot of BCAAS in it! Will have to look , thank you for this info!!Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
What I would suggest is just do a bit of research and see what amount of the amino acids amounts are present in what foods that you prepare.
Protein without the amino acids basically becomes a more expensive fuel source and not what it can do optimally. Which is engage muscle protein synthesis which will either help retain muscle or build muscle when combined with adequate resistance training while either in a caloric surplus(gain muscle) or deficit(lose fat).
Certain "vegan" friendly foods combined give a pretty close dosage of the eccential amino acids such as royal red beans and brown rice which a 100g of each nets about 3g of leucine which is very desirable.
Some do not give much at all, which can be problematic.
Here is a site that can reflect a lot nutritional info that you might want to look into.
https://www.traditionaloven.com/foods/details/legume/beans-kidney-royal-red-mature-seeds-raw.html
I wouldn't suggest consuming BCAAs throughout the day but certainly when you are consuming foods low in EAAs.4 -
Always meal prep!!!!!! Also, a good low-Cal way to get protein in is tofu. I know that the texture seems weird at first but if you freeze it for 1-2 days and then thaw it before you cook it, it has more of a shredded-chicken texture instead of a grainy-jello texture.
I am vegan and here is a lesson I want all vegans to learn: DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP IF YOU MESS UP. Sometimes we make mistakes, we’re human. Just the other day, I accidentally ate chocolate that had milk in it. I just had to move on and not dwindle in it for too long. In the beginning of becoming a vegan, I would get incredibly mad at myself if I messed up. I just had to learn that accidentally eating an animal product is fine. Just get back on track!!!
I wish you good luck!!! 😉5 -
Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
Curious why anybody feels the need to woo this?
There is overwhelming science based evidence on the importance of eccential amino acids particularly leucine, valine, & isoleucine which is easily obtained if eating a carnivirous diet. Not a absolute for those who choose to eat a plant based or vegan diet.
There is also plenty of evidence on how losing muscle mass is a giant red flag to poor health and lesser quality of life.
A valid point to or citation would be greatly appreciated.4 -
Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
Curious why anybody feels the need to woo this?
There is overwhelming science based evidence on the importance of eccential amino acids particularly leucine, valine, & isoleucine which is easily obtained if eating a carnivirous diet. Not a absolute for those who choose to eat a plant based or vegan diet.
There is also plenty of evidence on how losing muscle mass is a giant red flag to poor health and lesser quality of life.
A valid point to or citation would be greatly appreciated.
@Chieflrg there is a lot of confusion about the Woo button - many people think it means Woo Hoo. There are also people who misuse it. I've been advocating that it be changed to a clearer "Disagree" for some time now, to no avail.
See https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10737777/woo-does-not-mean-woo-hoo/p13 -
@Chieflrg appreciate your posts and they’ve added to my curiosity and pursuit of new fitness, health and wellness knowledge. Keep them coming.
Off topic, I believe those who hit the woo button know exactly what it means which is what you’re thinking. After a while, it becomes like a fly in your car while driving that you’d like to swat but can’t so instead you ignore.4 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
Curious why anybody feels the need to woo this?
There is overwhelming science based evidence on the importance of eccential amino acids particularly leucine, valine, & isoleucine which is easily obtained if eating a carnivirous diet. Not a absolute for those who choose to eat a plant based or vegan diet.
There is also plenty of evidence on how losing muscle mass is a giant red flag to poor health and lesser quality of life.
A valid point to or citation would be greatly appreciated.
@Chieflrg there is a lot of confusion about the Woo button - many people think it means Woo Hoo. There are also people who misuse it. I've been advocating that it be changed to a clearer "Disagree" for some time now, to no avail.
See https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10737777/woo-does-not-mean-woo-hoo/p1
Yes I understand this and I've witnesses this over the years on MFP while I've tried to help people or learn something myself. This seems to be one of another reasoning.
1. Possible dislike for the bluntness and loyalty towards current science based evidence. Which is fine...just if any of the "woo" clickees would like to shed some knowledge, this would be a great place to share. Last call?
2. "Woo monsters" who just do it because they can and/or they have petty reasons. Which then the woo button was just child play, which again is fine. I wouldn't hazard any woo'r to actually reply as its not their nature to act within some sort of reason and we move on because of indifference.
Oh well, I apologize to you @rayraynicole15 if my request disrupted your thread. I hope you have great success with your diet and goals.
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rayraynicole15 wrote: »
I drink BCAAS mixed with water during my workout would it be a good idea to drink it through out the day? I have a pea protein powder not sure if it has a lot of BCAAS in it! Will have to look , thank you for this info!!Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
What I would suggest is just do a bit of research and see what amount of the amino acids amounts are present in what foods that you prepare.
Protein without the amino acids basically becomes a more expensive fuel source and not what it can do optimally. Which is engage muscle protein synthesis which will either help retain muscle or build muscle when combined with adequate resistance training while either in a caloric surplus(gain muscle) or deficit(lose fat).
Certain "vegan" friendly foods combined give a pretty close dosage of the eccential amino acids such as royal red beans and brown rice which a 100g of each nets about 3g of leucine which is very desirable.
Some do not give much at all, which can be problematic.
Here is a site that can reflect a lot nutritional info that you might want to look into.
https://www.traditionaloven.com/foods/details/legume/beans-kidney-royal-red-mature-seeds-raw.html
I wouldn't suggest consuming BCAAs throughout the day but certainly when you are consuming foods low in EAAs.
I didn't woo you and thought it was helpful information, but it's certainly possible to get all the amino acids without too much trouble eating a plant-based diet. I agree it's important, so personally have used Cronometer when I've chosen to eat 100% plant based for a while, as it has a nice breakdown of those, plus tons of other nutrients so you can see if you are tending to get what you need or not (which is why I've converted to it as my place to log when I log no matter how I'm eating). For what it's worth, I've never had an issue with protein or any of the amino acids even when eating no animal products (beans and lentils are helpful for that, among other things).
The one thing I'd take issue with is the notion of combining (although it happens naturally in a lot of common dishes, as you note). That used to be considered necessary (you need the beans and rice in one meal), but now it's understood that it's more like over the course of a day or so, they need not be eaten at the same time.4 -
Some good info here for you, but would echo many of the other sentiments. Get Beans and Lentils as a staple in the diet, with some tofu or tempeh and the protein takes care of itself. Nuts and seeds give you the healthy fats and some protein. Specifically Pepittas in a 50 gram serving gives you 18 grams of protein. I would stay away from the fake meats as they are just processed crap anyways. In regard to your protein intake the average woman needs 46 grams of protein to maintain healthy levels, so your not that far off. If you get into serious strength training or bodybuilding moderately higher protein levels would be helpful.0
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rayraynicole15 wrote: »
I drink BCAAS mixed with water during my workout would it be a good idea to drink it through out the day? I have a pea protein powder not sure if it has a lot of BCAAS in it! Will have to look , thank you for this info!!Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
What I would suggest is just do a bit of research and see what amount of the amino acids amounts are present in what foods that you prepare.
Protein without the amino acids basically becomes a more expensive fuel source and not what it can do optimally. Which is engage muscle protein synthesis which will either help retain muscle or build muscle when combined with adequate resistance training while either in a caloric surplus(gain muscle) or deficit(lose fat).
Certain "vegan" friendly foods combined give a pretty close dosage of the eccential amino acids such as royal red beans and brown rice which a 100g of each nets about 3g of leucine which is very desirable.
Some do not give much at all, which can be problematic.
Here is a site that can reflect a lot nutritional info that you might want to look into.
https://www.traditionaloven.com/foods/details/legume/beans-kidney-royal-red-mature-seeds-raw.html
I wouldn't suggest consuming BCAAs throughout the day but certainly when you are consuming foods low in EAAs.
I didn't woo you and thought it was helpful information, but it's certainly possible to get all the amino acids without too much trouble eating a plant-based diet. I agree it's important, so personally have used Cronometer when I've chosen to eat 100% plant based for a while, as it has a nice breakdown of those, plus tons of other nutrients so you can see if you are tending to get what you need or not (which is why I've converted to it as my place to log when I log no matter how I'm eating). For what it's worth, I've never had an issue with protein or any of the amino acids even when eating no animal products (beans and lentils are helpful for that, among other things).
The one thing I'd take issue with is the notion of combining (although it happens naturally in a lot of common dishes, as you note). That used to be considered necessary (you need the beans and rice in one meal), but now it's understood that it's more like over the course of a day or so, they need not be eaten at the same time.
My point is without leucine specifically MPS cannot happen at all. So if you have a meal full of vegan protein source that leucine is next to nil and don't eat again for six hours. That protein will be used for fuel(which is ok) but not used for MPS.
In long-term studies, leucine intakes equivalent to 8 or more grams per day are recommended in divided doses so that at least 2.5 grams of leucine are consumed at each meal.
So if the idea in the woo'rs mind is that consuming leucine and other EAAs without balancing the meals out reasonably throughout the day is optimal, than I would certainly disagree and would still ask for a citation from a long term study that shows this.
I appreciate your reply ☺.
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rayraynicole15 wrote: »
I drink BCAAS mixed with water during my workout would it be a good idea to drink it through out the day? I have a pea protein powder not sure if it has a lot of BCAAS in it! Will have to look , thank you for this info!!Since you will have cut out the majority of a carnivorous diet you more than likely will be depleted on eccential BCAA's of leucine, value, & isoleucine.
It's very important to your health to retain muscle mass. Without leucine (3-4g per meal recommended)muscle protein synthesis cannot take place.
I would suggest to supplement this meals you are very low on the essential amino acids.
Barbell Medicine has a high quality pea protein isolate that matched the protein/bcaa compared to whey if that is something that you are concerned about.
What I would suggest is just do a bit of research and see what amount of the amino acids amounts are present in what foods that you prepare.
Protein without the amino acids basically becomes a more expensive fuel source and not what it can do optimally. Which is engage muscle protein synthesis which will either help retain muscle or build muscle when combined with adequate resistance training while either in a caloric surplus(gain muscle) or deficit(lose fat).
Certain "vegan" friendly foods combined give a pretty close dosage of the eccential amino acids such as royal red beans and brown rice which a 100g of each nets about 3g of leucine which is very desirable.
Some do not give much at all, which can be problematic.
Here is a site that can reflect a lot nutritional info that you might want to look into.
https://www.traditionaloven.com/foods/details/legume/beans-kidney-royal-red-mature-seeds-raw.html
I wouldn't suggest consuming BCAAs throughout the day but certainly when you are consuming foods low in EAAs.
I didn't woo you and thought it was helpful information, but it's certainly possible to get all the amino acids without too much trouble eating a plant-based diet. I agree it's important, so personally have used Cronometer when I've chosen to eat 100% plant based for a while, as it has a nice breakdown of those, plus tons of other nutrients so you can see if you are tending to get what you need or not (which is why I've converted to it as my place to log when I log no matter how I'm eating). For what it's worth, I've never had an issue with protein or any of the amino acids even when eating no animal products (beans and lentils are helpful for that, among other things).
The one thing I'd take issue with is the notion of combining (although it happens naturally in a lot of common dishes, as you note). That used to be considered necessary (you need the beans and rice in one meal), but now it's understood that it's more like over the course of a day or so, they need not be eaten at the same time.
My point is without leucine specifically MPS cannot happen at all. So if you have a meal full of vegan protein source that leucine is next to nil and don't eat again for six hours. That protein will be used for fuel(which is ok) but not used for MPS.
In long-term studies, leucine intakes equivalent to 8 or more grams per day are recommended in divided doses so that at least 2.5 grams of leucine are consumed at each meal.
So if the idea in the woo'rs mind is that consuming leucine and other EAAs without balancing the meals out reasonably throughout the day is optimal, than I would certainly disagree and would still ask for a citation from a long term study that shows this.
I appreciate your reply ☺.
Well, that's close to three times the RDI for leucine for someone who weights 70 kg (154 lbs/11 stone), but I'll bite.
I could eat 3/4 of a cup of tofu to get 2.5 g of leucine. Maybe stir-fry some shiitake to go with it -- 100 g of fresh shiitake would add another 190 mg of leucine, for only 39 kcal. Call that lunch.
Maybe at dinner I'd have chickpeas (about 1 g of leucine for 200 g of chickpeas/280 kcal), sauteed spinach (200 mg of leucine for 100 g of spinach at 23 kcal), a slice of polenta (1.2 g of leucine for a quarter-cup/110 kcal of whole-grain cornmeal), and sprinkle 15 g of pumpkin seeds over the spinach for another 200 mg of leucine and 60 kcal). That's 2.6 g of leucine, and 473 kcal, plus whatever fat I might use cooking the spinach and polenta.
I'm pretty traditional about breakfast most of the time, so maybe I'd go with a double serving of oatmeal topped off several tablespoons of hemp or chia seeds. Or maybe stir in some of my favorite vegan "protein powder" -- plain partially defatted peanut meal, with just over half a gram of leucine per 100 kcal serving (if I could find a source for the completely defatted version, that would double the leucine to calorie ratio). Personally, I'm not a huge fan of soy protein isolate, but that gets you about 2 g of leucine per 100 kcal serving.
Maybe "supplement" my leucine with some tasty roasted seaweed as a snack at some point in the day.
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