vegan diet?

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rosiecbolton
rosiecbolton Posts: 85 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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.
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Replies

  • Lalasharni
    Lalasharni Posts: 353 Member
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    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
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    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
    minkmagic Posts: 7
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    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
    toddslaten1 Posts: 15 Member
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    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
    devrinator Posts: 77 Member
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    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
    minkmagic Posts: 7
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    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
    Softrbreeze Posts: 156 Member
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    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
    devrinator Posts: 77 Member
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    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
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
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    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
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
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    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
    shanmackie Posts: 194 Member
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    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
    MelissaOnPurpose Posts: 111 Member
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    I have been vegan for 3 weeks now. If you'd like to talk more, please feel free to message me! :)
  • ThriftyChica12
    ThriftyChica12 Posts: 373 Member
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    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
    Luvmyhubby222 Posts: 149 Member
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    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
    SwimFan1981 Posts: 1,430 Member
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    Vegetarian for most of my life, recent vegan!
  • dgljones
    dgljones Posts: 89
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    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
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    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
    tomatini Posts: 61 Member
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    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
    JackiePenner Posts: 74 Member
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    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
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    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./

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