Anyone tried going vegan?

Bentley2718

I always thought people went vegan for an activist cause, not for nutrition.

In dietary terms humans need essential fatty acids (fat) and essential amino acids (protein/meat), so I wouldn't ever consider it unless they could demonstrate a healthy vegan lifestyle that doesn't require them to take supplements such as B12 (sourced primarily from meat) to thrive.

Just my opinion.

There are plenty of plant sources of both essential fatty acids and amino acids. With a modest amount of effort, one can eat a very healthy, well rounded, vegan diet. The only thing you can't get from a vegan diet is B12, and there is evidence that even some meat eaters should take b12 supplements.

poquosonrn

I agree. My husband, children and the rest of my family eat meat, but it's amazing how many people want to make fun or be critical of someone elses food choices. Being vegan is not easy, but it is a choice I try to stick with for my own reasons. I think everyone should research it themselves. There will always be people who have nothing intelligent to bring to the conversation. I simply encourage anyone who wishes to give it a try to look into it. I do not do it for health reasons, but for ethical reasons so it is a lot easier for me to stick with it.

MattGetsMad

Just thought I'd throw my hat (story) into the ring (thread).

I've been eating a "vegan" diet since 11/01/11. I put "vegan" in quotations because my diet is very nearly vegan. The only food I eat that a "Vegan" would not is honey.

Anyway, since that time I have had a few achievements that I'd like to share. I stopped snoring completely the first week of my "mucous free diet". I previously sounded like an oncoming train in my "sleep". My total serum cholesterol now rests at 140, a full 35 points lower than when I started. My blood pressure has returned to 110/70 without any medications (I was previously on a powerful beta-blocker), and last but not least, I've lost 99lbs.

I did not post this story to make anybody mad about vegans or vegetarians, or to directly contradict previous posters, but it is all true. I am definitely an advocate of this lifestyle and I think anybody looking to live a meat-less or at least less-meat lifestyle can do so safely and healthy.

Good luck to you OP! I hope you are able to achieve your goals, whichever way you choose to get there.

tam120

The reason folks who eat plant-based need to take B12 supplements is because our plants need to be so clean in order to get rid of the bacteria and other no-see-ums that will make us sick that we kill the bacteria responsible for B12 as well. Animals eat "uncleaned" plants so they get their B12 from bacteria on the plants, omnivores get their B12 from the animals because they get it from the plants. I would suspect that if one grew veggies in an back yard organic garden a plant based eater may not have to take a B12 supplement at all.

heatherldietrich

Either way, there are many vegan athletes who thrive. Everyone must choose for themselves. Many of our great minds have been vegetarian. To quote Brian Greene(scientist) "vegetarians typically are people who are willing to challenge the usual, accepted order of things. Moreover, they're often people willing to sacrifice their own pleasures in pursuit of what they believe is right. These same qualities are often what's needed to make great breakthroughs in the arts and sciences" to the question of why so many great geniuses have been vegetarian

Speaking of vegan athletes and thriving, Brendan Brazier is a professional triathelete who is vegan . His book, the Thrive Diet, talks about his journey as an athlete and his endeavours to find the optimal diet to fuel your body. He supports a whole foods, plant based diet, which I have been following, for the most part, for the last two months.

http://www.thrivediet.com/

aldousmom

I eat a vegan diet now! there is so much information available on how many health benefits there are, plus tons of web sites, books, blogs, facebook pages, mfp forums, etc, that it's not hard at all to make the switch.
The biggest argument I've heard is that it's restrictive and can socially isolate you, neither of which I've found to be true for me. I eat a larger variety of food now than I once did, and most of them are vegetables! plus, in my city there are so many vegan or vegan friendly restaurants, and with the Happy Cow website and app to help you find appropriate restaurants, there's no reason to avoid eating out with friends. Additionally, there are other vegans in my running club (I'm an endurance athlete) and several vegan/vegetarian meet up groups, too.

The only thing I *don't* like about it that people who aren't vegan (and some who ARE!!) seem to place some sort of hierarchy on which "kind" of vegan you are: animal welfare, environmental, or health. IMO, regardless of which reason belongs to you, becoming vegan still effects all three. (unless you eat a diet of soda, boca burgers, and oreos, which isn't very healthy).

the websites for Engine 2 Diet and Happy Herbivore both have a lot info for becoming a plant-strong vegan (as opposed to a junk-food vegan), also both have books available and tons of references. Both also have menu plans, recipes and shopping lists available to help newbies.

FWIW, I had tried south beach diet and then Paleo, and ended up with acidosis and diverticulitis. I also didn't lose weight. Changed to plant-strong vegan and the weight fell off, blood tests are spectacular, my running speed greatly improved and I feel so much better. Plus, it was so easy to do. I love it!

aldousmom

Hindus and some other indian cultures

Hindus eat meat. For religious reasons they do not eat cows. Also there are other religious reasons for cutting out meat at certain times kind of like Lent. But the do eat meat, just not a large amount apparently.

Not trying to pick an argument, just was curious.

LMGTFY

Jainism, Hinduism (despite that you said some eat meat, vegetarianism is the ideal), Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity (historically), Islamic faiths, Baha'i faith, Rastafarianism, hare krishna. All of these religious groups endorse vegetarianism as the ideal. Obviously, much like other aspects of religion, people often choose differently than the ideal. And, of the vegetarians there are varying amounts of any/all animal products consumed, of course. some have dairy, some don't.

Some of the other pretty prevalent reasons people choose not to eat meat are health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns. There has actually been a lot of awareness brought to the positive effects of a plant based diet on health in the last few years, so a quick google search of "plant strong diet" will give you a rundown. Of course, changing the animal product/vegetable ratio to include more vegetables is beneficial to anyone, even if they still eat a bit of meat.

eleqtriq

First thing I say to people who tell me "I don't know if I can be vegan!" is this...

You're never going to convince a fat mexican who loves carne asada that you that you can't stop eating meat.

I've been a vegan since September 11th. That's because a week before I got some blood tests results that scared me to death. My fasting blood sugar was through the roof at 130 and my cholesterol was sky high at 243 (high is above 190). A lot of research went into my decision.

On November 10th I got new blood work. Cholesterol down to 183 to blood sugar all the way to 77. Just three months of being vegan.

I started doing the diet for health reasons, but I was exposed to so much data about meat - ethical, philosophical, governmental, environmental - that it became more than that very quickly. So much so that I started a website about it.

http://www.whyimvegan.com/

There is no monetary value in my site. It's just that I got so tired of arguing about it with people (arguments I never start) that I just tell them to read my website. There are categories for celebrities, athletes, nutrition, etc. If anyone has anything good for me to add, let me know.

10KEyes

LMGTFY

I did as well before I said what I did.

Not all Hindus avoid eating meat. A great majority of Hindus eat it. In ancient India even the Brahmins ate certain types of sacrificial meat. Hindu law books do not prohibit the eating of meat in general, but only certain types of meat.

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_food.asp

busymommyx3

Best decision I have ever made. My advice is that you do tons of research. Read books, online articles, etc. Veganism makes so much sense for so many reasons. My original reasons for being Vegan were because of health reasons, and then after diving into more research I am now doing it moslty for ethical and environmental reasons and the health part is just an added bonus! I started off saying I would give it one month and if I didn't like it I would switch back and when I realized how great it is I decided I would never go back. It is amazing how much I was ignorant to as an ominvore, a whole new world has opened up to me ever since. I also feel absolutely fantastic!!! Good luck! Some great reads are: Vegan for Life by Jack Norris, The Ultimate Vegan Guide by Erik Marcus, The China Study by T Collin Campbell, and many more. These were ones I started off with

poquosonrn

I read his book recently. So many people eat unhealthy whether they eat meat or are vegan. I really try to meet all my vitamin,minerals,protein etc for the day. I was already cutting out a lot of dairy an meats due to the desire to lose weight so it wasn't such a shock to my system. I don't eat a lot of junk. Lots of fruits and veggies, beans, whole grain breads and cereals,etc. I have only been eating vegan a few months, but I truly feel it is easier for me to stick with because I did it for the animals. My health just happens to benefit as well. I wish everyone would try to eat less junk food and meat for health reasons. I am a nurse and see just how obese americans have gotten. Living healthy should be the focus.

poquosonrn

Why is it that people who aren't vegan are so critical of those of us who are? And it's usually overweight unhealthy people being the most critical. I run 3 mile three times a week. My lab work is great. I am a healthy weight and my doctor agrees I am healthy so I will continue to live by example and take care of all the overweight people dying from heart disease, diabetes, hypertension etc on a regular basis

determinedbutlazy

Me! I went vegan from september to march, but I now eat fish once a week or so. I don't eat any dairy products or meat.
It hasn't been a problem for me, there's lots of dairy replacements that are much nicer or just as good. I do miss cheese sometimes.

Mollydolly10

I'm not vegan, but my brother is - and he LOVES it. He loves the way he feels now and with some preparation and experimenting, he's now able to eat it quite naturally (going out to eat is a little harder).

I got my edition of Runner's World this month and there was a long article about ultramarathoner Scott Jurek who is vegan (we are talking 100 mile races here)! If that doesn't convince you that you can eat vegan and get everything your body needs, I don't know what would! :-)

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-308-14320-0,00.html

munkey418

I tried a Vegan one time, she tasted funny.

oh man i LOL'd like crazy at this one!!!! :laugh:

woopidydoo

I've been vegan for 7 years. It comes pretty naturally to me and always has. After the first month it was all smooth sailing. I never feel deprived of anything.. I hate eggs, milk, and meat so it's great.

Cara343

I have been working on eating a plant-based diet. I feel so much better when I am successful at it, and notice how differently I feel when I eat the standard American diet. The hardest part about following a vegan diet is resisting all the pressure from commercial sources (TV ads, etc.) and even the comments from family and friends who don't follow the diet. But once you commit you don't have to make it a do or die decision. I'm comfortable with choosing non-vegan if that's what I feel like eating. There's a lot of good information out there right now, and I think plant-based diets are becoming more mainstream these days. Best wishes!

mncodergal

Last night I watched a great DVD, Forks over Knives. It's about how one can lessen or reverse many chronic health problems by eating a plant-based diet. I started about a month ago and though I haven't lost much weight - probably due to eating too many plant-based items, the pain in my hips and knees has lessened, I sleep better and have more energy. Once a week or so I eat organic beef but most of the time I don't crave it. I use almond and coconut milk and enjoy finding creative ways to replace the crap I used to eat with similar tasting recipes. I'm a carb-a-holic so also finding something to "crunch" was important. I went to my local health food store and found some dehydrated veggie "chips" that fit the bill.

I'm big on finding non-gmo food items too.

Do your research and find foods that satisfy you. Good Luck!

fmbomzo

I haven't tried going vegan, but I did try a raw food plan earlier this year. I loved it. I just wasn't creative enough to get enough calories in each day. I could only manage about 900 calories because I was so full from the additional fiber. And I began to hate eating nuts for protein. I think I will go back to doing raw food in intervals because in a 10 day stretch I lost 12 lbs that I've never regained, my skin cleared, I slept better (needed less sleep as well) and the "brain fog" disappeared.

And it's way easier to shop because you don't cruise the whole store. I'm in produce and then at checkout.

poquosonrn

You can get everything you need minus B12 from a vegan diet. quinoa is a food that provides those amino acids, etc you described. Many vegans eat that way due to ethics, but it also the healthiest way to eat and the most sustainable for the planet.

Mof3wc

I'm not vegan, but my brother is - and he LOVES it. He loves the way he feels now and with some preparation and experimenting, he's now able to eat it quite naturally (going out to eat is a little harder).

I got my edition of Runner's World this month and there was a long article about ultramarathoner Scott Jurek who is vegan (we are talking 100 mile races here)! If that doesn't convince you that you can eat vegan and get everything your body needs, I don't know what would! :-)

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-308-14320-0,00.html

Rich Roll is a vegan ultramarathoner too - amazing!

Voww

You can get everything you need minus B12 from a vegan diet. quinoa is a food that provides those amino acids, etc you described. Many vegans eat that way due to ethics, but it also the healthiest way to eat and the most sustainable for the planet.

Been vegan 3 years now, think you can get B12 from yeast extract spreads but most either love or hate it (I love it on wholemeal toast). It's also found in some fortified cereals and soya products. I take a daily multi-vit/mineral mainly for the minerals and that supplies 100% of the recommended daily amount of B12.

Kenazwa

I've tried and failed but will probably try again. The hardest thing for me is that none of the rest of my family is the least bit interested in eating vegan. Unfortunately, I find cooking meat appetizing, so it's hard to resist.

But I'm eating as vegetarian as I can.

endermako

I'm vegan in between meals.

numinousnymph

I became vegan in mid-September 2013. for the most part, i really enjoy it. i love exploring cooking and eating all kinds of plant foods. it's only difficult when i go to get-togethers, parties, or road trips where finding stuff to eat that's not just a plain fruit or vegetable (i'm not always in the mood for that!) is more difficult. but there are great vegan options out there and you can eat plenty of non-"boring" food -- pastas, burgers, pizzas, burritos, and desserts for when i allow myself a "junk" snack or meal, and grains, legumes, nuts, soups, salads, stir-frys filled with all colors of the rainbow and all kinds of different textures and tastes. and there's always lots of yummy thai or indian food that you can get vegan. i'm finding it pretty fun. i take a vegan multi-vitamin and get extra protein if i need it from a vegan protein powder. oh, and it (in combination with MFP) has DEFINITELY helped me lose weight! almost 40 lbs. i never thought i'd be able to give up meat, eggs, dairy and honey, but it surprisingly wasn't as difficult as i thought it was going to be! and you get used to it over time as well, and cravings decrease or disappear. overall i'm quite satisfied with it.

misdreagus

I am vegan and it's super easy here in the UK

littlekitty3

I was a vegetarian for 11 years. Went back to eating meat for a year and came down with intestinal issues (IBS, ****ting blood, severe constipation for days and random diarrhea), extreme facial breakouts, hair falling out, weight gain, sleeping over 12 hours a day.
Rediscovered veganism through YouTube (during the days my TV stopped working) with bite sized vegan, Freelee (found through researching all my digestion issues because my health care sucks), vegan zombie, black metal vegan chef, just to name a few.
Now I'm a high raw vegan. And eat twice the calories I used to eat.
I've seen people go vegan and fail. I don't blame them. The key is to educate yourself and to get away from mainstream broscience and high protein.
I find it best to stay away from processed food as much as possible. Eat a lot of fruit. Eat a lot of veggies (2 pounds worth if you plan on going high raw). Also eating enough calories.
Also check out nutritionfacts.org.

RINat612

...Judaism, Christianity (historically)...

Well this is interesting. As someone who has been a Christian my whole life (31 years) and someone who is quite familiar with Judaism... This is all new to me.

Please point out in the Old or New Testament where it states that followers of either covenant should be vegetarians please. I would love to research your selections when I get home from work today.

Thanks.

ShraddhaOm

happy healthy vegan for years here, with a happy healthy vegan husband, son, and sister too. we take b12 but that's it for vitamins/supplements. i really learned to cook when i went vegan (7 years ago) and everyone says the things i make are delicious, some of the best food they've had. i just follow the recipes. ;-) the "oh she glows" blog is a great place to start in finding some healthy vegan recipes and tips.

loves3sons

Just bookmarked the "oh she glows" site, love finding new recipes, especially those that don't have soy. I do eat Tofu/Soy products quite a bit during the transition, but I would like to reduce the intake as time goes by and I build up my recipes. Recently Vegan since January (5 Months now) It was a little bit harder than going vegetarian 14 years ago. But I do not regret it for a second. My husband who eats meat, as well as my sons, are very supportive of my choice as long as I keep cooking meat. He is always the one who tells any waiter if we are out, that I am Vegan. My body just can't handle dairy products anymore. I feel great and love the choice I made for myself.