Veganism - advice please!

My favorite sources of vegan protein are tempeh, edamame, and beans in general. Other than protein powders, I haven't found anything vegan that is higher in protein than soy and legumes, and also reasonably tasty. There's spirulina of course.

Thanks! Would you recommend protein powders or are they really not necessary if I'm not lifting or similar?

I would use MFP to log what you eat and make sure that you're getting enough protein for your needs, whether that's lifting, keeping your muscle mass while you eat at a deficit, curbing your hunger. Protein powders are actually pretty economical when compared to meat. I still don't like them, but I add them to pancakes.

Full disclosure: I'm not in favor of a completely vegan diet. I think it's perfectly healthy, and admirable, to eat a mostly plant based diet, but there are a few things that you can't get from plants. Of course, it's your choice. But you only get one body.

At a minimum I would eat fatty fish, for the DHA and EPA. You could get DHA from an algae based supplement, but there is no non-animal source of EPA. You'd also get B12. Full fat grass fed dairy products, if you're really opposed to eating meat, would be another source.

The stuff already mentioned is great. Also, seitan (vital wheat gluten "meat") has a TON of vegan protein. If you don't have gluten issues, it's a good thing to add in now and then to take a break from soy. Depending on how much protein you're aiming for, it's really not that hard to get enough from "normal" vegan foods, if you're eating a variety of whole, non-processed stuff. Dark leafy greens, nuts, nut butters, legumes, soy (which is in tempeh, tofu, edamame, soya milk etc.), and seitan are all good sources. Other veggies have varying amounts of protein as well. Hemp (seeds, the hulled hemp hearts or hemp protein powders) is a great source of vegan protein that's very nutritious in other ways too and can be added to various things (salad, smoothies, stir fries, etc.)

Personally, I've been working on getting lots of protein lately, as a bit of an experiment, to try to kickstart my metabolism after too many years of messing it up with food restrictions of various sorts. I'm not totally sold on the low-carb/high-protein thing (ESPECIALLY as a vegan) but I'm trying it to see what happens. (After a couple months, I am very happy with how I feel very satiated... rarely have cravings, have much less of a problem craving processed carbs like bread/pasta). To this end, I've been using a lot of vegan protein powders in my diet — usually having a smoothie with 25g worth of protein powder, some fruit, some greens and some peanut butter (for fat & more protein) for breakfast. It keeps me full for hours.

There are quite a few brands of vegan protein powders in the US that are good... no idea what's available in the UK, sadly. But if you go that route, just check out the amount of protein, carbs (if you care), and what kind of sweetener is used (if you care)... stuff like that. Vegan protein powders tend to use pea protein, brown rice protein, hemp, chia, and other seeds. Avoid whey (not vegan).

At heart, I'm more in the camp of NOT using protein powders... of eating a truly unprocessed whole food vegan diet. But the weird thing is that my protein powder "experiment" is actually going pretty well... so I'm not sure what to think!

I started to write this because someone had commented that there's no vegan source of EPA but there are now capsules available. I then thought perhaps I had something to contribute after all. I'm a female living in the UK and I've been a vegetarian for 40 yrs and a vegan for one. I'm not good with too many carbs, even oats which are supposed to be low GL make me starving. I find there can be an emphasis on sugary foods on a vegan diet which really destabilizes your blood sugar and I think a lot of the problems people have with being terribly hungry on a vegan diet comes from blood sugar swings rather than lack of protein.. For breakfast I have 1 portion low GL fruit, Alpro soya yogurt with nuts and seeds, wheatgerm (4g protein for 16g wheatgerm) and a small amount of muesli (1 or 2 dsp only) or occasionally I substitute chia seeds for wheatgerm. I find it good to emphasise beans and particularly lentils with a small portion of carb, say 0.5 to 1 oz uncooked grain for main meals (I freeze small portions). I also use tofu and veggie meats. Vegusto do a gluten mince which is tasty and very high in protein. I will often mix beans and lentils or tofu and lentils or beans to make a really satisfying meal and I make sure I have a good protein source for both lunch and supper. It goes without saying that a good variety of veggies are needed as well. As I am in my 60s I use a few supplements. Solgar sublingual B12 (also contains other B vits), 1 kelp tablet (iodine), 3-6 chlorella tablets (iron) and calcium/magnesium tablets, plus EPA and DHA with vegan D3 algal supplement from Opti3 (www.opti3omega.com). I feel these should cover most eventualities. At the moment I'm also following the 5:2 Fast Diet as I needed to lose about a stone. I'm down 6 lbs so far and think it's a great way to lose weight. It is hard to keep the protein levels up on the fast days and that's one of the reasons I'm using MyFitnessPal to keep track.

At a minimum I would eat fatty fish, for the DHA and EPA. You could get DHA from an algae based supplement, but there is no non-animal source of EPA. You'd also get B12. Full fat grass fed dairy products, if you're really opposed to eating meat, would be another source.

Some legumes, nuts/seeds, dark leafy greens will give you DHA and EPA (well, not directly EPA however these foods contain ALA which is converted to EPA by the body). Soy milk also has ALA. Flaxseed can give you omegas too.

For B12, nutritional yeast gives a great amount. Two tbsp. of nutritional yeast has more than the RDA of B12.

OP, I wouldn't go vegan just thinking you would be healthier as it doesn't mean a healthier diet or body. You can be an unhealthy vegan and a vegan diet/lifestyle can be difficult as a lot of things you would think are vegan aren't.

I am working towards a vegan diet and have fallen in love with homemade seitan. It's amazing! Gluten flour (also called vital wheat gluten) with some spices and vegetable broth/stock. Tastes amazing and you can flavour it and shape it however you'd like. I make cutlets, nuggets, strips, etc. Beans, quinoa, dark greens, and TVP are great sources of protein. I love seitan and TVP because you can flavour it however you'd like.

Ensure you either take a flaxseed supplement or eat either chia seeds or ground flaxseed to get your omega oil. Get some nutritional yeast and add it to things for your B12. Nutritional yeast has a decent amount of protein for a serving as well. It has a nutty/cheesy flavour and is amazing in sauces, dressings, on salads, on popcorn, etc.

If you decided to check out protein powder make sure you are getting a vegan protein powder, I believe that there are a good number of vegan hemp protein powders out there.

At a minimum I would eat fatty fish, for the DHA and EPA. You could get DHA from an algae based supplement, but there is no non-animal source of EPA. You'd also get B12. Full fat grass fed dairy products, if you're really opposed to eating meat, would be another source.

Some legumes, nuts/seeds, dark leafy greens will give you DHA and EPA (well, not directly EPA however these foods contain ALA which is converted to EPA by the body). Soy milk also has ALA. Flaxseed can give you omegas too.

The conversion rate of ALA in the human body is very poor, especially to DHA. I have not read any credible source that says that legumes, nuts, seeds or dark leafy greens will give you DHA. There are algae based DHA supplements. I have read that dietary DHA is converted to EPA, more effectively raising EPA levels in the body than dietary EPA, so just taking a DHA supplement might be sufficient. ALA is what flax seeds contain and that isn't sufficient. My choice is to eat fish and drink whole milk, two foods which contain both DHA and EPA, in preference to taking a supplement.

For anyone who chooses fish, it's helpful to choose sustainable fish. I use the Seafood Watch lists. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

I'm not completely vegan but I practice a lifestyle with limited animal protein. The items I use sparingly is Greek yogurt, fish, eggs, and lean poultry. I may have one or two servings a day though.

Everyone's body is different. For me, when I decided to go limited Vegan, the results were immediate: less bloating, less stomach fat, more energy, clearer skin, etc. From what I can see also, I have not lost any of the muscle gains I experienced from eating the high animal protein diet I used to do. I'm leaner and I'm eating at least 50% less protein. Go figure! I am officially hooked and think that this is the way of eating I will adopt for life.

One of the Godsend's for me as far as gettign additional protein is concerned is this product here: Pea Protein Powder.

http://www.nowfoods.com/Sports/Products/M102076.htm

It has 24 grams of protein per serving, and its clean. I mean REALLY clean. The only ingredient is 100% Pure, Non-GMO Pea Protein Isolate.

Now it does NOT taste very good, so you will definitely have to add it with other ingredients in your smoothies. At least that is how I was when I first started using. I am now able to chug it with water since my taste buds have gotten used to it.

Good luck! Make sure to take additional supplements to get what you may be missing from the animal protein. New Chapter has a great line of 100% natural vitamins and supplements. Do a quick search.

My body reacted wonderfully when I became fully vegan, but I had been vegetarian for 12 years. I don't know how a body will react to making that kind of change over night. Gradually worked well for me, but I started at a child, and got more devoted to the cause as I grew up. Vegan now for 3.5 years and my doctor is very impressed with my blood results and general health improvements. I don't think 30 days is enough to feel the benefits I felt though, and there are some things I had to develop a taste for, like soy yogurts, plant milk and, a favourite of mine now, nutritional yeast.

I've never been overly concerned about protein though, whatever I get is from beans and soy, and nuts, the very occasional tofu. B vitamins and omegas are the ones to watch. I get enough iron without even trying, according to my iron levels, that used to be something I worried about too but not anymore. I feel good, look healthy, never get sick, have energy and I smile a lot The closest thing to a vitamin supplement was echinacea liquid I took for a week last Winter when my friend who had the flu stayed with me, and that was just incase I caught it, and I didn't.

If you want you can add me and see some of my meals, I have all my dinners written in a recipes but if you seen something you liked the sound of I would tell you the recipe, they're all kinda made up

Bake up some potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc with a little bit of garlic salt on them if you need something savory. Just cut them up like fries and go to town. Don't add much oil as that will kindof defeat the baking purpose, but do what you gotta do. I can attest to energy levels being higher and more consistent on a vegan diet, and your recovery times shorter, your mood better, etc. You should keep it up after the 30 days if you are able. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This page has a lot of information about getting enough of particular essential amino acids in a vegan diet, including a chart, which you can input your weight to, to show how many servings of various foods it would take to meet your needs for lysine and other AAs.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein.php