CALLING TO VEGANS!

tomatini

You absolutely do not need to take vitamins. You'll get lots of calcium from broccoli or magnesium from nuts. Protien is everywhere, beans, nuts, legumes, seeds even some veggies have protien.

This is terrible advice for a new vegan. Whether you'll need calcium supplements or not really depends on what foods you choose to eat, but ALL vegans need to take a B-12 supplement on a regular basis. There are some foods that are fortified with B-12 (like certain brands of nutritional yeast) but it's difficult to consume enough of them daily to really provide an adequate supply. Also, protein is not a vitamin (but yes, it is possible to get a lot of protein from food on a vegan diet.)

Someone posted this on one of the other boards recently: http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/11/recommended-supplements-for-vegans.html

I think it gives a pretty good rundown of the vitamins and minerals vegans should be extra-aware of. You can even track some of them (like calcium and iron) right in your diary on MFP to see how high your intake is!

geebusuk

I've been hearing a lot lately about becoming a vegan and it helping with weight loss!
Just wondering if anyone can tell me a bit about it ?

I expect that affect is like a lot of 'scam' diets, Atkins, etc; if you seriously reduce the amount of types of food you're likely to eat, you're likely to eat less.
Vegan food tends to not be very dense in macro-nutrients, so it's harder to eat a lot of calories.

CumbriaBeval

I highly recommend the movie "Forks Over Knives." You might want to read some of the reviews on the Amazon link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B0053ZHZI2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361819219&sr=8-2&keywords=forks+over+knives

I've been on a vegan diet for a week and so far, it's much easier than I expected. In fact, I haven't missed meat or dairy once. There is protein in almost everything -- you just need to educate yourself a little (I also read the Engine 2 Diet). I had terrible habits and lived on junk food so this is a major change for me.

Eating this way has also cut my cravings. So far, it's the easiest thing I've done but I was greatly motivated by "Forks Over Knives." There is plenty of proof out there that this is the healthiest way to eat. I was very critical of it for years because it seemed so extreme and honestly, I just didn't want to stop eating the food I loved. I feel if you could even go 90% on a vegan diet -- it would greatly improve your health. And I have actually added more variety to my diet than I ever had before.

geebusuk

I highly recommend the movie "Forks Over Knives." You might want to read some of the reviews on the Amazon link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B0053ZHZI2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361819219&sr=8-2&keywords=forks+over+knives

Or better, read some of the analysis of the 'science' in it, before you decide whether you want to believe it's claims.
This is from some who considers themself a 'raw foodist':
http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/

MoLouw

A great vegan cookbook is: "Everyday Happy Herbivore".

Some vegan role models that you should checkout include:-
- Rich Roll (ultra endurance triathlete, i.e. completed 5 Ironman in 5 days, called the EPIC5)
- Brendan Brazier (endurance vegan athlete)
- Scott Jurek (ultra endurance runner who ran with the Tarahumara).

They suggest vegan nutrition options for athletes or those wanting to keep fit.

The "Forks over Knives" DVD was great, but if you really want to see benefits of adopting a vegan diet (medically peer reviewed and not just commentary), you should checkout "The China Study" at: http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361856046&sr=1-1&keywords=the+china+study

benol1

I've been hearing a lot lately about becoming a vegan and it helping with weight loss!
Just wondering if anyone can tell me a bit about it ?
I'm going shopping today, can anyone give me some ideas of foods and snacks etc that I can buy??
Thanks!

I recommend that you investigate it a bit more deeply before trying it out.
If you are not already vegetarian, it will make the transition easier.
kind regards,

Ben

meeper123

Ubeware of processed food for vegetarians as well soy "meat" products in particular. We have canines for a reason people are ment to eat meat so if you choose to stop make sure you arent losing vital nutriants. I can only eat like this for a few weeks at a time since iron in vitamins make me so sick. Making your calories will also be a bit of a problem but its do able

mmddwechanged

I wouldn't promote being vegan for weight loss.

spinnybecky

I am vegan! I haven't read everyone's replies, but being vegan can be healthy in many ways, particularly because when you tend to increase your intake of fruit, vegetables, and beans when you go vegan - which adds a lot of healthful nutrients to the diet and replaces some less healthy things. When it comes to weight loss, statistically vegans as a group weigh less than non-vegans. However, not everyone finds that they lose weight automatically when they go vegan. Overeating vegan food leads to weight gain just as overeating non-vegan food does. If you are overweight because of a tendency to overeat, then going vegan won't necessarily help. That's why I'm here. I think my vegan diet is very healthy for me overall, and I feel great - but I am learning to watch my portions here by tracking my food.

MoLouw

Holistically, a whole foods plant based diet is better (refer "The China Study" book), however, you must ensure you eat a varied vegan diet and that you are getting all the required vitamins (B12 specifically, but also Iron and others).

redraidergirl2009

If you eat healthy foods and portions it can help...but that goes for any diet. If your reason for going vegan is weightloss I discourage it as it's not guaranteed. If it were, I doubt we'd have any vegans here on mfp like myself.

geebusuk

(refer "The China Study" book)

Then refer to the well-researched criticisms of said book which points to it being political more than fact.

And yes, I'd lose weight pretty well if I was vegan - because I don't like a lot of vegan food .

MoLouw

Then refer to the well-researched criticisms of said book which points to it being political more than fact.

Thanks, I will check in to that too.