Vegan Diet

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  • veganfoodie
    veganfoodie Posts: 10 Member
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    Just wondering peoples thoughts on a Vegan Diet. If someone has tried it and loves it, hated it. Thinking about trying it out. Watched a few documentries on it and got a lil tramatized w the footage of slaughter houses and confined chicken coops!!

    It is so EASY being vegan! I was vegetarian for 25 years before finally going vegan. A new world opened up to me in the way of various foods and dishes I would not have tried before (like quinoa, spaghetti squash, nutritional yeast). If you live in a major city, there should be veg friendly restaurants. There are tons of recipes on YouTube. Just be mindful of limiting your processed carbs like pasta. Eat real, whole foods. Good luck and happy eating!
  • simplyeater
    simplyeater Posts: 270 Member
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    I can't tell you what to do (and you shouldn't let me), but I will tell you my experience since you asked. I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years and a vegan for about 8 months. In the past eight months:

    1) my cholesterol dropped 52 points to a normal range
    2) my chronic sinus issues that I've had since childhood have disappeared
    3) I no longer snore at night (Yay!)
    4) An inflamed rotator cuff that plagued me for 6 months (and wasn't helped with physical therapy) resolved in 2 weeks

    For me it has been a life changing decision, one that I wish I had made years ago. I became a vegan for many reasons, but I had no idea that it would improve my quality of life so much. Not everyone is the same, so like anything else do research, conduct an experiment and discover your own results.
  • DesireeLovesOrganic
    DesireeLovesOrganic Posts: 456 Member
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    I went vegan cold turkey after seeing some documentaries (and reading "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer) about 1.5 years ago. Best thing I ever did. Not only did I lose 30 pounds but I never get sick anymore (I was sick constantly prior.) Haven't even had a cold in almost a year (neither have my kids who are in public school with all the little contagious snotdrippers.) I did switch to all organic everything so that could be the difference too though. Lots of fruits and veggies (antioxidants, yay!) I don't eat soy so I do have to plan out my meals to make sure I get enough protein (I do.) Lentils, beans, peas, quinoa, pepitas, hemp powder raw cacao smoothies (yum!), nuts, chia, flax, potatoes, oatmeal, veggies, nutritional yeast, leafy greens, mushrooms, etc.....it all adds up!

    My husband and children are not vegan but they do limit their meat intake to about 1-2x a week and only get organic pasture "humanely raised" meat. No antibiotics, no factory farms. Same with dairy, if they eat dairy it's all organic (raw.) You don't have to support factory farming even if you choose not to go vegan. (My husband lost 20 pounds also and he doesn't count any type of calories at all. LOL)

    Mitzi- a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses has 20% calcium (and iron.)
  • live2dream
    live2dream Posts: 614 Member
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    Just wondering peoples thoughts on a Vegan Diet. If someone has tried it and loves it, hated it. Thinking about trying it out. Watched a few documentries on it and got a lil tramatized w the footage of slaughter houses and confined chicken coops!!

    It is so EASY being vegan! I was vegetarian for 25 years before finally going vegan. A new world opened up to me in the way of various foods and dishes I would not have tried before (like quinoa, spaghetti squash, nutritional yeast). If you live in a major city, there should be veg friendly restaurants. There are tons of recipes on YouTube. Just be mindful of limiting your processed carbs like pasta. Eat real, whole foods. Good luck and happy eating!

    ^^^THIS! Being vegan really is easy and fun even to try new recipes and be the change you wish to see in the world! I avoid gluten and soy 'meat' replacements most of the time because I have bad reactions, but it helped with transitioning at first. Yet I STILL have a huge variety of food to eat!

    Just think - our closest relatives, the orangutan, eat over 400 types of food in the wild (mostly fruits) and they thrive. Skeletons of Roman Gladiators were just found and determined to be vegan. So it's really not that abnormal or restrictive. Society just makes it seem that way (mostly for their own agendas and profit). I'm a happy vegan and proud of it! :flowerforyou:
  • dbradberry1
    dbradberry1 Posts: 3 Member
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    I too was affected by slaughter house videos and decided to try vegan about 8 months ago. Initially I was very strict and avoided anything that had eggs or milk in it. Now I'm vegetarian I'll eat things that contain milk and eggs but not eat actual milk or eggs. I have so much more energy and I'm much less irritable. I love my new lifestyle and how it makes me feel. Now if I eat something like chips, fries, or chocolate I feel bad.
    I did have trouble with muscle recovery after workouts. I would be sore for 5 or more days. I take calcium with vitamin D and Perfect Iron and I don't have anymore problems.
  • Softrbreeze
    Softrbreeze Posts: 156 Member
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    Again, it depends on who you ask. Many doctors, such as Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., M.D would disagree with you. He helped patients with serious heart problems regain their health with a strictly vegan diet. His book and research is fascinating.

    People with serious heart problems are not representative of the whole population, so propagandizing that veganism is generally healthier than being an omnivore because it's helped heart disease patients is a skewed claim.

    You need to read about The China Study, the most comprehensive study to date spanning decades of research. Bottom line- consuming animal products directly correlates with the development of disease in humans. The more meat/dairy/eggs you eat, the greater your chance of developing diseases like cancer, heart disease, etc. Heart disease, cancer, etc are on the rise in all of the developed nations BECAUSE of consumption of animal products. Not only this, but raising animals for meat, dairy, and eggs is the greatest contributor to the destruction of the environment. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, The World Health Organization, and lots more all recommend people adopt a vegan diet in the hopes of saving this planet. More resources go to feeding and watering animals for human consumption than go to humans and meanwhile children in 3rd world nations are starving to death. It's a travesty. We are destroying the planet for a product we don't even need to be healthy. Those people who have tried it and didn't feel good, I would question how well they were eating. Not enough calories, too many processed foods, etc can all contribute to fatigue and "not feeling good". I did that myself when I first went vegetarian and did it again when I went vegan. Now I feel better than ever. To the OPP, I advice you to get involved with one or more of the vegetarian/vegan groups on here to get support and education and proceed slowly. Get lots of new veggie friends so you can look at their diaries and get ideas for meal planning. And stay positive! There are great benefits once you've acclimated to the lifestyle. You'll feel lighter in body and spirit. I have a mixed household myself- 2 omnivores, 1 vegetarian, and me. It takes some adjusting but it is well worth it :flowerforyou:
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
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    "Corpse-eating" is a hilarious term, definitely makes you sound like a sane and rational person to argue with civilly. You sure have a lot of hatred, gingerveg.
    um..its an accurate term really. it IS what meat eaters are eating....

    And continues to make the point. Good show old chap!
  • freckles_cmj
    freckles_cmj Posts: 205 Member
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    I am having trouble getting enough caicum in any diet I choose. What do you eat to get enough each week.
    kale, spinach, soymilk, kale kale kale lol
  • bobbyherome
    bobbyherome Posts: 4 Member
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    I tried it for a while and found it VERY restrictive. I read "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone, and used some of her recipes. I think I lasted maybe 3 months, did see some weight loss, but really didn't enjoy it.
    Now I'm eating locally raised pork and beef, actually from the farmer just one km down the road. I have my own chickens for eggs and am planning to do meat birds this year. I think knowing where your food comes from and knowing how it's raised and treated really helps me to be thankful for the food that the animals provide. I also cut back on the amount of meat our family eats. Portion size has been a big focus of mine lately!!
    Have you read "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan? There are some good 'rules' on meat eating.. part II talks about what kinds of foods to eat... meat as a flavouring, not an entree, best to eat mostly plants, then fowl, then pork/beef...
    :-)

    Michael Pollan is a perfectly reasonable person who takes a lot of the bias out of eating, I really like his viewpoints in the books of his I've read. Worth reading if you want to eat better and learn where food comes from, but aren't interested in being converted to someone else's food religion

    I heard Michael Pollan recently went vegan. I need to verify that before I say that it's fact, but worth looking into.
  • AmandaMonster
    AmandaMonster Posts: 27 Member
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    vegan here! (of 2 years) never felt healthier in my life......was vegetarian for 3 years before i went vegan. i love the lifestyle. it makes me very happy. i have an open diary if you'd like to take a look.






    Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored. -Alice Walker

    The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer?" -Jeremy Bentham



    <3
  • flamedic
    flamedic Posts: 18 Member
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    I've been considering the vegan diet for awhile now. I've seen to cut out quite a bit of meat from my diet. A friend of mine is vegan and I've been talking with him about it. It seems as though I'll have him as a support person to really get going on it. Of course, I'm doing researching about it and seeing if it's def something I can/want to pursue.
  • thevegangladiator
    thevegangladiator Posts: 33 Member
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    Go Vegan check out Dr. Mcdougall's books or videos on youtube or add me i have been vegan for 3 years and on Dr. Mcdougall's diet/lifestyle for about a year best way to go highcarb lowfat Vegan is the best
  • xxvogue
    xxvogue Posts: 172 Member
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    I lost a significant amount of weight (relatively quickly, but I haven't gained it back) by following Eat to Live for awhile which is a vegan and mostly low-carb plan. I have been debating going back to it, when I'm back at my own place.

    There's tons of good recipes and meal ideas in there.

    Just remember your B12.

    I've been a vegetarian/pescetarian for about a year now.

    Edit: Btw, I think there is some merit to the statement that everyone's bodies respond to different foods differently though. Right before becoming a vegetarian I was eating high-protein (mostly meat) and was sick constantly, to the point where I'd be inches away from throwing up at work. I actually didn't attribute it to that until after I became a vegetarian, and did some research that for some people eating those quantities of meat is very unsettling to the stomach.

    The more you know ;)
  • onceuponadream
    onceuponadream Posts: 13 Member
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    Try not to humanize animals

    Way to get in on the topic, buddy. If you have a problem with vegetarians/vegans, or people who don't like watching other living beings suffer, you're welcome to your opinion -- but the OP asked for opinions from vegans, not people who are anti-vegan.

    Right on!!!


    I wasn't vegan, but I was vegetarian and ended up using a lot of vegan recipes. Milk is my favorite drink, and cheese is one of my favorite foods, so I had a lot of trouble going any farther than vegetarian. However, there are a lot of good recipes. If you're serious about it, do some research. The Internet knows all...and has people who think they know it all. But seriously, it's a good place to start, and a great resource for recipes and tips for people new to just about any kind of lifestyle/diet/anything. Just make sure you're getting enough of everything you need through your diet or a multivitamin.
  • oceanrose78
    oceanrose78 Posts: 133 Member
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    I have been eating a plant based diet for 14 months now. Once in awhile I eat fish- typically if we're out somewhere and it's the healthiest option.

    I originally changed over due to my sister being diagnosed with MS, and researching the Swank diet. My mom has Rheumathoid arthritis, and I cut out even lowfat dairy out of our diet when I read some studies on that. In our extended family, 8 of us, has switched over to a plant based diet in the last year. Collectively, we've noticed:

    MS symptoms (and lesions) are GONE!
    RA is more controlled
    Chronic acne is cleared up..
    Average weightloss is 20#
    Cholesterol in the one person who has chronic high, is down 70 points.
    High blood pressure in the one person, is down to normal range.

    I mainly use Happy Herbivore, and Engine 2 recipes. Anything that anyone craves, can be made vegan. The hardest to cut out is cheese - but that is entirely mental. Pizza is awesome with veggies and no cheese, and after a few weeks your tastes change, it's like a veil is lifted, you can taste food better, the flavors are more complex and you really don't miss the meat or cheese, or whatever. The thought of eating a steak now makes me gag. The cheese, mostly adds salty flavor to the food, and can be mimicked by nutritional yeast and seasonings.

    It's your choice, but I can't imagine eating a standard diet again. The way I feel now is so much better, and I enjoy food so much more. I would encourage you to check out the engine2diet or Forks Over Knives. Whole Foods have 30 day Vegan challenges this time of year too.
  • painauxraisin
    painauxraisin Posts: 299 Member
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    bump!
  • vanessahoussels
    vanessahoussels Posts: 1
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    I live and teach a Plantbased diet...I love my lifestyle...you can check out my website for great recipes and inspiration towards a plant based diet. I call my lifestyle Plantfire... www.VanessaChamberlin.com
    Good luck on your journey!
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    Try not to humanize animals

    Way to get in on the topic, buddy. If you have a problem with vegetarians/vegans, or people who don't like watching other living beings suffer, you're welcome to your opinion -- but the OP asked for opinions from vegans, not people who are anti-vegan.



    I wasn't vegan, but I was vegetarian and ended up using a lot of vegan recipes. Milk is my favorite drink, and cheese is one of my favorite foods, so I had a lot of trouble going any farther than vegetarian. However, there are a lot of good recipes. If you're serious about it, do some research. The Internet knows all...and has people who think they know it all. But seriously, it's a good place to start, and a great resource for recipes and tips for people new to just about any kind of lifestyle/diet/anything. Just make sure you're getting enough of everything you need through your diet or a multivitamin.

    I guess you need to work on your reading skills. Although the post you quote didn't answer her question, she did NOT ask for opinions from vegans. She asked for opinions from people who had tried a vegan diet. She seems to want advice from both people who loved and hated the vegan diet.
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Try not to humanize animals

    Way to get in on the topic, buddy. If you have a problem with vegetarians/vegans, or people who don't like watching other living beings suffer, you're welcome to your opinion -- but the OP asked for opinions from vegans, not people who are anti-vegan.



    I wasn't vegan, but I was vegetarian and ended up using a lot of vegan recipes. Milk is my favorite drink, and cheese is one of my favorite foods, so I had a lot of trouble going any farther than vegetarian. However, there are a lot of good recipes. If you're serious about it, do some research. The Internet knows all...and has people who think they know it all. But seriously, it's a good place to start, and a great resource for recipes and tips for people new to just about any kind of lifestyle/diet/anything. Just make sure you're getting enough of everything you need through your diet or a multivitamin.

    I guess you need to work on your reading skills. Although the post you quote didn't answer her question, she did NOT ask for opinions from vegans. She asked for opinions from people who had tried a vegan diet. She seems to want advice from both people who loved and hated the vegan diet.

    Here's the quote: "Just wondering peoples thoughts on a Vegan Diet. If someone has tried it and loves it, hated it." 'Tried' is past tense. 'Loves' is present tense. I would say there's some confusion in that statement. However, 'Just wondering people's thoughts on a vegan diet' seems open to all. So, I default to the clearer of the two sentences. Are my 'reading skills' good enough, or do I need to be able to read the unwritten word between those that are there?
  • sublimechik28
    sublimechik28 Posts: 74 Member
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    Thanks everyone for thoughts and comments. I am going to try to transition to vegan and see how i feel after a few weeks. i still have chicken and turkey in the fridge. i will eat that this week and next week still have the dairy and eggs but no meat, then week after give it all the boot. Another question is eating too much soy bad for you?wondeing because i will probably be doing soy yogurt n cheese unless theres other options. kinda clueless any imput on this please.

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