Vegan Diet Questions

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Hellguy76137
Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am more than a year on a vegetarian diet and am transitioning this week to a full vegan diet starting next week. That is the plan at least. I know that a plant-strong diet will never lack in protein. I also know that I stick to the old-school idea of loading up on protein for bulking purposes(weight lifting). My main concerns are how much of the old-school ideas are applied to a vegan diet. Mainly concerning tracking macros and total calories. Who is doing it? What are your intake levels as far as carbs and proteins? Are you tracking calories? Who is supplementing their protein? Who is not? I would like to here from some current vegans on this. I know this works but I am still stuck on needing to research stuff to death so I know what to expect.
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  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    To answer your questions:
    I eat vegan 90% of the time, except fish for dinner, that's all.
    I eat roughly 40:40:20 carbs:protein:fats
    Yes I track calories, I am trying to gain some muscle so I know I need to eat more than I currently do, but food costs money and I am a full-time student with only a part-time job, so it's hard financially wise to eat more and more.
    Yes I supplement: pea/soya/whey protein, creatine, glutamine, green tea extract and greens powder.

    Eat clean, work hard, get results!
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    I'm not vegan now, but i was for 11 years. And i'm raising a vegan child. Now I'm vegetarian and I lift heavy and I have put in significant effort to hit my macros.

    I aim for 30% protein; 30% fat; 40% carbs. I have only been able to hit this stuff through eating tempeh, tofu, and using vegan protein shakes (yes, I also eat eggs, but really when I was hitting these macros like a sharpshooter, it was all due to vegan sources).

    I think that vegans/vegetarians can achieve the same goals as meat eaters in terms of muscle mass, etc, but I do think it takes longer and a significant amount of extra effort. But I think it can be done. And also, I believe vegans who don't worry about protein aren't going to die from some sort of crazy protein shortage, but they aren't going to be hitting the higher levels of protein one needs to build muscle like a weight lifter.

    I'm glad I got into MFP and lifting heavy because knowing what I know now, I've re-evaluated my ideas about how much protein my child needs. He is vegan, as I said, and has no illness as a result of not eating enough protein, but the kid does push ups and chin ups and is working on building his strength (because he is going to be a pro baseball player someday, you see, and he has to start his training early, apparently :) BTW did I mention I LOVE MY SON????)....I addressed that for him through vegan protein bars like luna bars and cliff builder bars.

    But he doesn't need to watch his calories. You and I on the other hand, would need to. BTW, when I was vegan, I was super chunky. I think vegans need to be mindful of how they eat because, I assure you, vegan bagels and vegan brownies and vegan potato chips are really no solution to an imbalanced diet.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    I eat less than 30% fat, 20% protein, 50% carbs I guess? sometimes more protein up to 30% and less carbs. Fats limited mostly to healthy fats with some occassionally coming from vegan cheese that are not so great. I don't really supplement protein. I used to get a vegan protein powder but it was kind of pointless for how much it costs and the better ones are hard to find and thats not really something I'd feel comfortable ordering online..
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    I appreciate all of the input thus far. I am pretty confident that plant sources of protein are sufficient to support a persons needs. I am also trying to be cautious and learn from others' experience and put that with my own research. One thing that I am going to need to consider is how much MORE protein I am going to need to add to increase lean mass. The macros that you guys put out are far less than the typical bodybuilder or athlete. My own are still high even. I am getting 200-250 grams of protein/day right now.

    I do know also that just because something is vegan/vegetarian it does not mean that it is healthy. I am honestly trying to adopt a completely whole foods diet, no oils, not fats, and nothing processed. I am seeing that oils and fats are not healthy, not even the so called "healthy fats".

    I will have to update this thread with my progress for you guys just to let everyone know what results i get.
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    Tomorrow I am going grocery shopping for foods to get me through the week. I will be starting my full vegan journey Monday morning. If anyone has any recipe or food idea I would be glad to hear them. I am going to start with the Engine 2 Diet and see what looks good. I am very optimistic at this point so I am not expecting any issues.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    From the men I've spoken to, you'll love the Engine 2 Diet!

    I supplement my protein with pea protein powders, but that is more due to food allergies that prevent me from getting enough protein from other non-meat sources. I eat a lot of healthy fats and focus on getting enough protein. I also count calories. Carbs will fall where they will.
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    Today is day one of the E2 diet. I am optimistic. I have an entire week of foods already planned and ready to go. This should be easy. I am not even craving anything...yet. ;-)

    In truth, I have been vegetarian for over a year and have had no cravings for meats at all so I am sure I will be fine.
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    From the men I've spoken to, you'll love the Engine 2 Diet!

    I supplement my protein with pea protein powders, but that is more due to food allergies that prevent me from getting enough protein from other non-meat sources. I eat a lot of healthy fats and focus on getting enough protein. I also count calories. Carbs will fall where they will.

    I am hoping that it will be great for me. I am not looking to lose weight so we will see what happens. I have bee trying to get used to rice protein but it is gritty. I did drink some today in some almond milk and it was palatable so there is hope.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I am hoping that it will be great for me. I am not looking to lose weight so we will see what happens. I have bee trying to get used to rice protein but it is gritty. I did drink some today in some almond milk and it was palatable so there is hope.

    I don't know what the E2 entails, but if you can have fruit smoothies, vegan protein will go down a lot smoother that way. The only way I can ever choke down protein powder without the fruit is if I have it in a chilled coffee, ice, and milk substitute blended drink ... and then only sometimes. Check out NOW Pea Protein--28 g for 130 calories and very inexpensive on drugstore.com
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    I am hoping that it will be great for me. I am not looking to lose weight so we will see what happens. I have bee trying to get used to rice protein but it is gritty. I did drink some today in some almond milk and it was palatable so there is hope.

    I don't know what the E2 entails, but if you can have fruit smoothies, vegan protein will go down a lot smoother that way. The only way I can ever choke down protein powder without the fruit is if I have it in a chilled coffee, ice, and milk substitute blended drink ... and then only sometimes. Check out NOW Pea Protein--28 g for 130 calories and very inexpensive on drugstore.com

    The E2 is simple. It is an oil-free vegan diet. Basically, eat whole foods only and don't add any extra oils to your food. I actually like whey protein. I have tried Vega Sport and almost gagged. Since I am moving to vegan the whey is out. I will definitely look at some pea protein. I use The Vitamin Shop for my supplements and there is one in my neighborhood so it is convenient.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Look bro, UNFLAVOURED pea, brown rice (or soya if you are allowing it into your diet) is cheap, good quality and high in protein. What it isn't is a delicious piece of chocolate. It tastes disgusting. It's unflavoured, there are no sweeteners or cocoa or whatever - that's the whole point of unflavoured protein.

    Understand that not everything healthy that you put into your mouth is going to taste like Heaven. Suck it up and just drink the shake if you need to up your protein. The horrible taste lasts 15 seconds.
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    Look bro, UNFLAVOURED pea, brown rice (or soya if you are allowing it into your diet) is cheap, good quality and high in protein. What it isn't is a delicious piece of chocolate. It tastes disgusting. It's unflavoured, there are no sweeteners or cocoa or whatever - that's the whole point of unflavoured protein.

    Understand that not everything healthy that you put into your mouth is going to taste like Heaven. Suck it up and just drink the shake if you need to up your protein. The horrible taste lasts 15 seconds.
    Harsh much? Nah, it's cool. I appreciate harsh.

    I agree that not everything you eat will taste good. I have given up many things over the last two years that I liked because it wasn't good for me. I do still have a few vices but I am doing my best. Right now I am doing well with the rice protein and the sweetened almond milk. I do plan to add some pea protein to my diet for the variety.
  • foodcart
    foodcart Posts: 42 Member
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    I also like hemp protein. You can get both pea protein and hemp protein (and I'm sure many more) at vitacost.com pretty inexpensively. Good luck.
  • Mochila09
    Mochila09 Posts: 51 Member
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    Blender Girl is a pretty cool website that offers recipes for green smoothies, (and other foods), some with recommended protein powders: http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/type/green_smoothies. I have tried a few and have to say, they're pretty darn good! Good luck!
  • mrtobias50
    mrtobias50 Posts: 93 Member
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    You may also want to check out Brendan Brazier. He has written Thrive and is a vegan Ironman triathlete. Engine 2 is a great resource that i see you are using.
  • nutrinancy
    nutrinancy Posts: 9
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    I purchased an excellent cookbook--quick Fix Vegan--a couple months ago. It is very good. All the recipes are accurate and the flavor profile is excellent. The author included lots of lists and tips.
  • smoffette
    smoffette Posts: 56 Member
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    I haven't tried Vega Sport, but I like their regular line of shakes. The Vega ONE vanilla is delicious! Not sure how it compares to the Sport stuff since I never tried that...

    I do eat a tofu, beans, and lentils to up my protein at times when I'm getting more into working out, although I am not into bulking. Silken tofu + Vegg (vegan egg replacer powder - basically nutritional yeast) + maple syrup = just like flan, tons of protein!
  • maerieanne
    maerieanne Posts: 42 Member
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    I've been following a vegan diet for a little over 5 years but I never tracked macros and calories untill this year.

    Right now I eat 1450cal (40%c / 30%f / 30%p), my daily protein intake its usually around 105-115grs, most of it comes from protein powder, soy in different presentations (textured, burgers, sausages) and legumes (mostly beans, lentils and chickpeas), and on a smaller meaurse from nuts, tofu and leafy greens.

    If you say you've been vegetarian then I guess you were depending on dairy and eggs for protein, you must by now know that soy milk and cheese alternatives have much less protein than the animal source ones and they're really processed so don't get discouraged if you have trouble at first, you'll learn how to balance everything and maybe even discover new foods! It's all about experimenting, besides, it isn't easy either for omnivores to get their macros right at first :)
  • Hellguy76137
    Hellguy76137 Posts: 53 Member
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    I have finished my first week as a vegan and i honestly am enjoying it. The only trouble is that I lost 7 pounds last week. I am not wanting to drop any so I am going to hope that it was just my body adjusting to the new diet. We will see. This week will let me know what to expect from this diet and any adjustments will be made for next week it they are needed.

    I tried Vega once and couldn't stand it. Sorry. I will stick to what I am currently doing. (food log is public) I had certainly been relying on whey powder for protein and am not sure that I miss it at all. I reset my macros to be higher in carbs and lower in the proteins and fats and and so far able to hit those numbers easily so I am not too worried.

    I will check out Brendan Brazier and see what he says. I may learn some new things. One thing that helps me is that I am not a novice. I know much of the basics for nutrition and exercise and am now just having to add the new information onto what I know so it isn't going to be that much to learn. I am sure that if I were a noob I would have a much harder time of things.

    I plan to update this thread to keep y'all informed so keep checking back.
  • DesireeLovesOrganic
    DesireeLovesOrganic Posts: 456 Member
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    My fave is Nutiva organic hemp powder (40 iron too.) I mix it with 2.5 tablespoons of raw organic cacao + banana + unsweetened almond or soy + chia or almonds. Eden brand unsweetened soy has 12 grams of protein (and the only one who consistently shows no GMO contamination in their testing and also no hexane in the extraction process.) I am also vegan but not a weight lifter so I don't get too paranoid about protein. I average around 70-80 grams per day (130 pounds.) I still use some organic coconut oil (no free radicals at high heat) as well as avocado and nuts. Does E2 limit avocado and nuts? (I don't have high BP or cholesterol) If you follow E2 and Forks Over Knives on Facebook, they post recipes sometimes.

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