vegan diet?

rosiecbolton

I have been on MFP for under a month and already lost 4lb :happy:

Anyway I am wondering about going vegan, partially because it may be more healthy and partially due to animal rights issues.
Does anyone have any experience of a vegan diet? Love some advice.

Lalasharni

Ah yes. I have a girlfriend who is vegan and I really couldnt follow her diet. I've eaten food that she's cooked for me and it really doesnt satisfy - well not me anyhow. I dont like her vegan cheeses; spreads or textured soy. That's just my opinion. She doesnt wear leather shoes, drink milk or eat any dairy at all. Her coffee is roasted chickory (not vegan, but by choice) and she never has the pleasure of REAL chocolate. She is not slim BTW, and rarely without a cold, or some sort of minor illness, I suspect from the lack of real proteins due to her lack of knowledge.
Whilst I go by the addage of 'your body, your choice' and I wouldnt dare decry anyone's beliefs, I think Veganism is somewhat extreme. We are omnivores with teeth that are evolved to eat meats well as grind pulses and I firmly believe in MFP's adage that a good balanced diet is the way to go, not that you CANNOT balance vegal dietary ingredients, but its restrictive and lacking in a lot of essential nutrients that you would need to add into your vegan eating plan.
If you really LOVE pulses, nuts and seeds, then way to go and good luck, but it is definitely NOT for me. Do you really want to throw out your leather shoes, gloves etc (if you have them?) I love animals, but believe that some are there to be a natural part of our food chain, as long as they are raised responsibily and slaughtered humanely.

All written here with love and the greatest of respect.

laserturkey

I'm vegetarian for ethical reasons, but not vegan. If you aren't vegetarian, that might be an easier change to adjust to. Then, you could decide from there whether or not to take the next step to a vegan diet.

Also, I have to report that there is vegan chocolate out there! No need to be chocolate-free as a vegan.

minkmagic

Hi there! I'm a strict vegetarian but I mostly follow a vegan based diet and I've had no problems whatsoever to maintain a diet. It's just about finding good recipes (I can give you some awesome links if you'd like) and make sure that you get all the vitamins etc that you need. Vegan food is often very filling, at least in my opinion, and with recurrent ingredients like tofu, chickpeas, broccoli and so on you're pretty much sorted for eating healthy.

It's a shame that people still believe that being a vegan limits your options, it's not true at all! Pretty much all of the vegan recipes I've made have a low level of calories as well, and that is without me looking for these kind of recipes. I eat yoghurt if it's organic or from a good farm, same goes for cheese, so maybe think about reasons for becoming a vegan and maybe consider buying organic stuff rather than omitting all dairy and egg products.

Just remember that you'll feel better for supporting a choice you believe in, and this alongside with the fact that you will eat food that is super healthy so I say yay for vegan food, especially whilst dieting!

toddslaten1

I've been vegetarian for 2 years and vegan for over a year and half. I echo minkmagic, vegan food is very filling and getting the proper nutrients is simple. Dr. John McDougall provides great info, in my opinion, on how to do it! I'm a triathlete/runner and training after going vegan has been much better! I have more energy than I did before and I feel my recovery is faster. One good piece of advice I've learned, take advice about being vegan from vegans...........and congrats on the weight loss, so far!!

devrinator

I tried to be a vegan for a while, and I found the food choices great! There were two main challenges:

1. Family pressure and family eating styles

2. Choices out in public

My mother is weird when it comes to different eating and living styles. She kept giving me flack about it. I wasn't really doing it for health, but I was trying to do it for environmental concerns. Our world produces more corn for livestock than it does for people, meaning that land is being used up at a rapid rate. Oops, a bit of a tangent is growing here, but anyway, I tried it for environmental concerns and had some negative feedback from the peanut gallery, which is difficult for me.

My husband and children love meaty foods, and I found it difficult to create meals for us all.

Going out was terribly frustrating for my husband, because I was too timid to ask people to make vegan versions of food on the menu. If you can do that, it should be no problem; however, you have to ask a lot of questions. Some breads have milk-based products in them. Even vegetarian cheeses have dairy, which I think is odd. Why make a "vegetarian cheese" when cheese is already vegetarian? Shouldn't it have no dairy?

I ate LOTS of new vegetables and my husband even liked some of the vegan things I made. I just mixed random veggies that I thought would taste good.

It may be common sense, but I didn't realize that plant-based foods themselves NEVER contain cholesterol. It can be healthy and fun, but there are challenges if you are going from meat-eater to vegan.

minkmagic

Yeaah, eating out is difficult as a vegan, that's very true. Nowadays almost all restaurants have vegetarian choices but vegan... not so much. The 'vegetarian cheese' means that the cheese doesn't have rennet in it. Rennet is a substance that comes from the bellies of calves. Nowadays most cheeses are rennet free though, which is a relief.

Anyway, check out these sites, they have a lot of yummy food that even meat eaters will find irresistible. All of Maple's recipes look amazing too, which always helps

http://www.maplespice.com/p/savoury-recipes.html

http://www.ilovevegan.com/recipes/

http://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/

Ahh, I feel like cooking now, ahem.

Softrbreeze

I'm vegetarian for ethical reasons, but not vegan. If you aren't vegetarian, that might be an easier change to adjust to. Then, you could decide from there whether or not to take the next step to a vegan diet.

Also, I have to report that there is vegan chocolate out there! No need to be chocolate-free as a vegan.

I am ADDICTED to Chocolove's Almond Sea salt chocolate bars! Their dark chocolate is completely vegan. I have to hide it from my 9 year old daughter LOL

devrinator

Yeaah, eating out is difficult as a vegan, that's very true. Nowadays almost all restaurants have vegetarian choices but vegan... not so much. The 'vegetarian cheese' means that the cheese doesn't have rennet in it. Rennet is a substance that comes from the bellies of calves. Nowadays most cheeses are rennet free though, which is a relief.

Anyway, check out these sites, they have a lot of yummy food that even meat eaters will find irresistible. All of Maple's recipes look amazing too, which always helps

http://www.maplespice.com/p/savoury-recipes.html

http://www.ilovevegan.com/recipes/

http://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/

Ahh, I feel like cooking now, ahem.

Oh, those are great sites! I didn't know about the rennet. Good to know!

jjrichard83

I have been on MFP for under a month and already lost 4lb :happy:

Anyway I am wondering about going vegan, partially because it may be more healthy and partially due to animal rights issues.
Does anyone have any experience of a vegan diet? Love some advice.

If you are going to go vegan, you need to stick with it for at least a month... After a week or two your palate will be more refined and you'll enjoy veggies much more. Also - herbs & spices are your friend. You'll feel much better as well!

Just DON'T limit yourself. and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nclHgRDRsUY

jjrichard83

Also- I have eaten most of my meals as a vegan (not all) and in just 18 days I've dropped 21 lb. with hardly ANY exercise at all.

It is nutrient dense, which means you don't even need as many calories in order to feel satisfied.

Also check out this site - http://thriveforward.com/ it is full of tons of short videos to help with all the questions of eating clean - etc.

shanmackie

being vegan is super easy, and i have no problem finding something to eat in restaurants. my meals are more delicious now than I ever imagined when i was just vegetarian or omni. i have rediscovered my love of food.

and to the guy with the vegan girlfriend - real chocolate? what on earth are you talking about? are you referring to milk chocolate? milk chocolate is crap and you should be eating PURE chocolate, dark chocolate. that is real chocolate. and if your girlfriend is sick a lot she needs to see a nutritionist, because she's probably doing it wrong. i'm the only person i know that hasn't gotten the flu that's going around yet, and i'm the healthiest one in my family.

you can get a good start try getmealplans.com - i highly recommend these, and veggiegirl.com offers lessons if you want to make sure you're getting a good variety of yummy foods

MelissaOnPurpose

I have been vegan for 3 weeks now. If you'd like to talk more, please feel free to message me!

ThriftyChica12

been vegan a few years...best choice i ever made in my life. message if u have any questions...snoop my diary for meal ideas

Luvmyhubby222

I very happy, healthy, and almost never gets sick vegan here. Cannot tell you how much better I feel since going vegan. Message me with questions (one gets tired of fielding the same old "protein/sickly/canine teeth" debate on an open forum). :grumble:

SwimFan1981

Vegetarian for most of my life, recent vegan!

dgljones

It's not for everyone. If you are always craving meat and cheese then it will be difficult. If you are cooking for other people who demand meat with every meal it will be very difficult. If you eat out at fast food restaurants or are having to pick up food in a hurry on your lunch break it will be difficult.
However, no matter what others will come on here and tell you, it is possible to eat well, get every nutrient you need, lose weight, have the energy to work out and remain healthy, never get colds or the flu and many other benefits.

redraidergirl2009

It's not for everyone. If you are always craving meat and cheese then it will be difficult. If you are cooking for other people who demand meat with every meal it will be very difficult. If you eat out at fast food restaurants or are having to pick up food in a hurry on your lunch break it will be difficult.
However, no matter what others will come on here and tell you, it is possible to eat well, get every nutrient you need, lose weight, have the energy to work out and remain healthy, never get colds or the flu and many other benefits.

Actually for many people it's not difficult to switch to a vegan diet. The OP also says it aligns with their animal rights beliefs so I don't think it is purely a health decision.

tomatini

Congrats on your weight loss!

I've eaten a strict vegan diet for over three years so I figured I'd weigh in (no pun intended). In my opinion it's completely sustainable as a lifestyle and diet, otherwise I don't know how I would still be doing it! I think it's ridiculous when people say that you can't get a balanced diet or enough nutrients eating vegan, because other than vitamin B-12 you can get everything you need. Are you already a vegetarian or eating a mostly vegetarian diet? If you're not super-familiar with vegetarian/vegan cooking then I think it helps to transition gradually. I was briefly eating a pescetarian diet and then eating a vegetarian diet for a while before going vegan. It's not necessary to do it that way, but it allowed me some time to learn new recipes and figure out how to eat a nutritionally balanced diet.

For me, the biggest challenges have been:

- Eating out. There are fewer options, and the options some restaurants have are sort of sad. There's also the risk of having animal products (namely milk, eggs, and chicken/beef stock) hidden in your food.
- Parties/dinner parties/etc. Some hosts will be accommodating, others won't care or won't be able to accommodate you. For example, if you're invited to a wedding thrown by non-vegans, tuck an emergency granola bar into your purse.
- Rude comments from people who don't really understand veganism. You'd be amazed at what people feel like they have license to say to you about your diet once they find out you're vegan, even if you've never said boo about theirs. Be prepared for everybody you know to ask something along the lines of "but how do you get protein?" and other ridiculous questions.

Anyway, for me the benefits far outweigh those minor annoyances. Some of the more concrete ones include:

- Feeling good because I am not supporting cruelty (this is my number one reason for going vegan)
- Having fewer issues with acid reflux and constipation (TMI?)
- An improved immune system (I get sick far less often now than I did pre-vegetarian)
- I've become a better cook since I have to "get creative" sometimes

So yeah, I think it's worth it. So my basic advice for you is:

- Learn a few easy vegan recipes to get you started and master them. Veganism is soooo much easier when you know how to cook food that you like. Things like lentil or split pea soups are easy to prepare, relatively low in calories and nutrient-dense. Check a few cookbooks out of the library if you can, and of course there are a ton of resources on the internet!
- Be aware that a vegan diet can be extremely healthy, but just like any diet you have to be careful about which types of recipes you choose if you're trying to lose weight. Common sense, right?
-Take a B-12 supplement. There's a lot of conflicting information out there about what supplements you need, and honestly a lot of it depends on your diet, but the one thing you MUST start taking is B-12 (or a multivitamin containing B-12). Some foods are fortified with it but you will not get enough of it from diet alone.

Oh, and anyone who says there aren't good vegan sweets and treats out there is crazy. There are about a million kinds of vegan candy, awesome dark chocolate, cookies, non-dairy ice cream and sorbet, etc. Why do you think people like me need to lose weight? Haha.

If you (or anyone looking at this) has more specific questions or wants to add me please feel free.

JackiePenner

I've been on a vegan diet for a month and already feel like I have gained back 15 years of my life! My blood pressure has dropped back into the norm! You couldn't pay me to go back to meat and dairy!

now_or_never13

I have been on MFP for under a month and already lost 4lb :happy:

Anyway I am wondering about going vegan, partially because it may be more healthy and partially due to animal rights issues.
Does anyone have any experience of a vegan diet? Love some advice.

It's not a healthier diet than any other diet out there. It actually can be less healthy if you are not properly prepared and knowledgable about it.

Being vegan is much more than the diet. It's not using products with animal by products in them (most moisturizers for example), a lot of vitamins are out, cosmetics, clothing etc.

Don't go vegan for weight loss... go vegan for either your environmental or ethical reasons behind the meat industry.

Really do your research and decide whats best for you. There are a lot of foods that you would think are vegan that aren't. Jello, McDonalds Fries depending on which country you are in, etc./

Poetic_Photography

I switched to a vegetarian diet and love it! My advice is to do a lot of reading, find recipes, and slowly switch over. A good documentary to watch is "Forks Over Knives" followed by the video "Forks Over Knives Presents: Engine 2 Diet"... also, the "Engine 2 Diet" is a good book :-)

I wouldn't dream of going back on a meat/dairy based diet.. I feel so much better!!!

Contrarian

If you don't like lentils, you're ****ed.

Tatiyanya

I used to follow vegan diet for few months at begining of my weight loss adventure. Its sure beneficial to health, it made me feel better mentaly about annimal rights and not suporting murderous industry etc etc. What broke it for me was yoghurt >.> I LOVE MY DIARY PRODUCTS, soya and almond replacements are erally expensive in my current country, so I gave up.

If you are not lusting over milk and yoghurts or cheeses or other stuff like that , vegan is good for you for sure

SyntonicGarden

I tried to be a vegan for a while, and I found the food choices great! There were two main challenges:

1. Family pressure and family eating styles

2. Choices out in public

My mother is weird when it comes to different eating and living styles. She kept giving me flack about it. I wasn't really doing it for health, but I was trying to do it for environmental concerns. Our world produces more corn for livestock than it does for people, meaning that land is being used up at a rapid rate. Oops, a bit of a tangent is growing here, but anyway, I tried it for environmental concerns and had some negative feedback from the peanut gallery, which is difficult for me.

My husband and children love meaty foods, and I found it difficult to create meals for us all.

Going out was terribly frustrating for my husband, because I was too timid to ask people to make vegan versions of food on the menu. If you can do that, it should be no problem; however, you have to ask a lot of questions. Some breads have milk-based products in them. Even vegetarian cheeses have dairy, which I think is odd. Why make a "vegetarian cheese" when cheese is already vegetarian? Shouldn't it have no dairy?

I ate LOTS of new vegetables and my husband even liked some of the vegan things I made. I just mixed random veggies that I thought would taste good.

It may be common sense, but I didn't realize that plant-based foods themselves NEVER contain cholesterol. It can be healthy and fun, but there are challenges if you are going from meat-eater to vegan.

Vegetarian cheese means that the rennet that's used is plant based, not animal based. Rennet is a required ingredient for making hard, usually aged cheeses. If you explore the cheese aisle and read the ingredients, some will say "sheep rennet" and the like. Others will say "microbial" something-or other, which means there's no way of telling. The only surefire way to know is if it's either labeled vegeterian of labeled "Kosher" since meat and dairy can't be mixed. I won't get into what rennet is, because I try not to think about it...

stephgas

i would first recommend trying a vegetarian, plant-based diet and cut out meat. i think going straight into a vegan lifestyle can be jarring and a bit stressful. most people believe 'vegetarian' means 'not eating meat or animal flesh' and vegan means 'not eating any animal flesh or by products'. many vegans will tell you that veganism is a lifestyle, not a diet - it includes ensuring your toiletries do not include animal by products, your clothing does not include leather or wool, etc.

i have heard of people having trouble adjusting to not eating meat, but that's usually because they do not obtain adequate nutrients from their vegetarian diet. swapping out morningstar farms veg burgers for meat at meals is not really a healthy option (although i love their tomato basil patties). you sound a lot like my husband and i - we're researching vegetarianism because of both health and eco-concerns. we have cut out cow's milk but are still eating cheese and yogurt. in the past week, we have only eaten meat once - fish. i'm uncertain whether i want to cut put meat entirely, but i want to be as animal friendly and humane as possible. we've decided to limit our meat intake to one or two meals a week (although one is more likely) and it will be either chicken or fish produced locally. once the weather breaks and the farms in new york open for the season (usually march), we're going to take field trips to a couple of farms and see if we can find local, organically and humanely produced eggs and cheeses. we may continue to eat chicken if we find a farm that supplies it that we are happy with, but we're both leaning towards no meat at all.

i think asking questions and researching are your best options. remember that everyone has a different path, and not everyone is as open-minded as other people. i've already had family members making comments about my not eating meat (not positive comments). but i feel great, physically and emotionally, not eating meat. i also recommend checking with your doctor about his concerns. i've had the same doctor for many years and when i told him about it, he was excited that i was excited about eating healthier and losing weight. he shared his concerns about me eating a vegetarian diet, and now i know what to do for my body. because we're all different. what i need to do to stay healthy may be different than what you need to do. good luck

NurseAshoRN

I would recommend cutting out meat a few days a week at first...this was how I started. All of a sudden I had gone a week without meat and never missed it. Definitely do some research and maybe even talk with your doctor. I'm getting ready to have some lab work done just to make sure I'm supplementing correctly with b12 and so on.

MuddyEquestrian

Hey there!
I recently went Vegan (about two weeks ago). For me I did it mostly as a challenge and I was pretty disgusted with the meat industry after watching "vegucated". (Yup, I jumped on that bandwagon). Personally i LOVE it. I feel better after I eat, I don't feel bloated and tired after eating. OVerall it's much more difficult to be vegan but as of right now I'm going to continue because I just feel so great. It's not for everyone, depending on where you live and your lifestyle. I won't ever go "full" vegan and not buy any animal products (I will not give up my Justin boots!) but as far as food I see a million reasons you should at least try it! My advice is to start slow, don't put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect and to do lots of research! Good luck!

Beautiful_Disaster108

First off its not a diet it's a lifestyle!
And I've been on and off vegetarian for 6 years recently went vegan and love it!!
I recommend you do your research I just finished reading Skinny Bi*ch and I have a whole new out look, it also has a 1 month meal plan at the end to help non vegans get started and learn about how to eat and what vegan foods to say away from as well as safe vegan products.
But I will say since going completely vegan I do feel alot healthier and better with my food choices and I have become a much better cook. There's so much variety some days idk what to eat Cus I have so many options make sure you make healthy choices over unhealthy ones though. Like whole wheat pasta/rice over white pasta/rice or dark chocolate over Oreos (yes those are sadly vegan) but its not that difficult. I've found a toooon of vegan recipes online all amazing and very easy.

Beautiful_Disaster108

Hey there!
I recently went Vegan (about two weeks ago). For me I did it mostly as a challenge and I was pretty disgusted with the meat industry after watching "vegucated". (Yup, I jumped on that bandwagon). Personally i LOVE it. I feel better after I eat, I don't feel bloated and tired after eating. OVerall it's much more difficult to be vegan but as of right now I'm going to continue because I just feel so great. It's not for everyone, depending on where you live and your lifestyle. I won't ever go "full" vegan and not buy any animal products (I will not give up my Justin boots!) but as far as food I see a million reasons you should at least try it! My advice is to start slow, don't put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect and to do lots of research! Good luck!

Lol I jumped on THAT bandwagon to and I'm the same way with my boots!!

Judddilicious

Vegan diets are strange because it isnt just what you eat. It depebds on what degree you want to be ethical. (Im not vegan anymore but I was as a teenager, I dont know everything and this is just my opinion)

If you are doing it for ethical reasons then you really need to go the whole hog. (Not eat meat or dairy but then glugging down wine that has fish guts used in its brewing process may seem to some as hypocritical) like many have said veganism is a life choice. So many products these days have animal parts used in them that it may seem daughnting to someone who is new to the vegan world because there is alot to learn! I definitely believe veganism is a love and a passion and it needs to be as sourcing vegan products (not just food) can be more difficult for someone who is less educated on the vegan lifestyle.

If you are dedicated to becoming vegan IMO I would start with a wholefoods plant based diet while slowly phasing out meat and dairy products. While doing this I would research into vegan clothing, cosmetics, glues and other products that people wouldnt neccesarily assume as having animal parts in them, and slowly transition into using them. In my eyes the word vegan is banded around to often, some people who says they are vegan are just veggies who dont eat dairy. True vegans wear its as a badge of pride and it is a 100% commitment and I agree it should be.


*controversial bit* IMO I dont believe people should class themselves as vegan because they dont eat meat and dairy. A vegan is someone whos lifestyle doesnt not included animal products of anykind in anyway shape or form.

Now the apologies part. This post wasnt intended to offend, guarentee some of the facts will be wrong (please feel free to correct me) and apologies for my dreadful typos, spelling and grammar.