Engine 2 Diet - My 28 day plant-based diet trial

JPriceGA
JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
Hello there! I started the Engine 2 diet yesterday. I've not traveled a vegan road before, so I'd love some support. I'm following the book, just because I'm fond of roadmaps when in uncharted territory.

The basic idea, I'm sure, is quite familiar to you:
*eat nothing who had a face or a mother
*no dairy, eggs, or animal products
*no white sugar/flour/pasta
*no oil (this idea was very new to me)

So, I'm trying new ingredients I've never heard of like "nutritional yeast" and "liquid amino acids." Others, like "textured vegetable protein" are more familiar, but kinda creep me out - Isn't that just another processed food?

I watched "Forks over Knives" after reading the Engine 2 Diet book, but I haven't really looked to see if there are differences in the E2 plan and the FoK plan. I'm currently reading "The China Study".

My motiviation is simply to get off of blood pressure and cholesterol medicine.

I had a lipid profile run yesterday so I'd know my baseline numbers. With my meds, my numbers are good, but my goal is for them to be just as good without the meds :-) Before hearing about this, I didn't know that was possible - so that's my story.

So far, the recipies have been good and featured very generous portions. I haven't been hungry, which often is a problem and has made it hard to be consistent with MFP.

I'd really appreciate any tips you have for surviving in a non-vegan world!

Replies

  • sphyxy
    sphyxy Posts: 202 Member
    Well I commend you for going the raw vegan route. I recently transitioned from a guilt stricken meat eater to a happy herbivore and find its pretty easy. That said, I still use oils and not as extreme as the engine 2 diet. There are so many wonderful websites out there that I suggest you spend some time on them. Type vegan recipes, vegan transition, or anything of that nature into Google and you get lots of results! Anything can become vegan with the right substitutions. Take some of your favorite foods that you loved before and learn to make them vegan and healthy. They may not taste the same but you may fins that you enjoy them more!

    I recently learned that I LOVE cheeseless pizza! So amazing without drowning in cheese. Good luck and don't he afraid to experiment!
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    Thanks sphyxy! I'm having cheeseless pizza for the first time for dinner tonight!
  • sphyxy
    sphyxy Posts: 202 Member
    Just be careful with the doughs. Some sneak dairy into their dough : / It's amazing how many companies sneak dairy or gelatin into their products that really don't need it in there. It can be VERY frustrating sometimes!
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Agree with above--some nuts have gelatin in them. WTF?

    Also, if you have Netflix, there is something on the Engine2 on the instant que. I hope it's still there--I wanted to watch it.
  • mamaclose
    mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
    I have a super simple vegan pizza dough recipe I can share once I get home after work.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    The Engine 2 Diet is one of my favorite books. It's really just excellent. I've read E2 at least three times. However, I follow "Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes" which is basically the same diet, but it comes at it from a low-glycemic angle. I've had excellent results, down 80 pounds, my last A1C was 4.7 (Dr. was shocked), Triglycerides down 300 points, etc. etc.

    Survival in a non-vegan world can be tough. You have to stick to your guns, and especially in these forums let the criticism roll off your back or just ignore it. Vegans take a lot of abuse in the main forums. Sometimes it's just easiest to say that you eat a plant-based diet, as they say in Engine 2, instead of calling yourself a vegan. Some people just freak out over that word.

    I can't recommend Engine 2 enough, and if you know someone who's diabetic Dr. Barnard's plan is fantastic.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    Agree with above--some nuts have gelatin in them. WTF?

    Also, if you have Netflix, there is something on the Engine2 on the instant que. I hope it's still there--I wanted to watch it.

    Yeah, it's still there. It's not "Forks Over Knives", but it's still pretty good.
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
    some other great online recipe resources include:

    fatfreevegan.com
    happyherbivore.com
    ohsheglows.com

    Good luck, I hope you stick to it indefinitely. :smile:
  • melsped
    melsped Posts: 2
    Congrats on your new healthy diet! Best thing about the vegan diet is the endurance it gives you. I run a lot and prefer long distance over short sprints or 5ks and I find this diet optimally suited for longer distance exercise
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    Thank you for all the feedback!

    Melsped - I'm hoping for more endurance! I finished my first sprint triathlon in June, and I'm very proud of that! I definitely want to continue cycling & swimming, with just enough running to get by ;-) I was concerned that the switch would impact my stamina. Hearing that it is likely to make it even better is great news!

    Skimpstah - thanks for the websites to check out!

    Carld256 - great results! How awesome! I have some diabetic family members. My plan is to avoid traveling the road to diabetes if I can! I'm not sure I'm ready/willing to give myself a label because of how I eat yet - and I think they intentionally talk about a plant-based diet to widen the appeal of the book/food plan. Rip tells some fun stories about being a firefighter, and makes good analogies from them. I was also impressed that he was such a good triathlete.

    Mamaclose - love your cycling pic! I'll look forward to the recipe!
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    For the fourth I went to a friends house who was having a vegan potluck for the 4th. That made it really easy to get through a holiday with no problems!

    I took a lasagne from the Engine 2 Diet (E2) book. It took a long time to prepare - over an hour, but it smelled great when it was cooking, and everyone really liked it. Here is the recipe:

    http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianlasagnarecipes/r/engine2lasagna.htm

    I used only one box of lasagna noodles instead of two, and had about two cups more filling than would fit in my 13x9 pan, so you could cut down a bit on all of the chopped ingredients (onion, corn, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, tofu) and skip the second box of noodles.

    Everyone took some home with them, so you know they really liked it too!
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    I'm not much of a cook, but I've been tempted to try that lasagna several times. Maybe I'll be adventurous and give it a try this weekend.
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    I tried the meatloaf last night. It was probably an "8" out of 10. I'm still not used to the idea of "veggie crumbles" as a protein. I also fixed collards from a Dean Ornish book - "Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish" http://tinyurl.com/82fxy7x The collards were a "10" out of 10!

    Tomorrow will be a week, but I've lost 4 lbs this week. That hasn't happend in a couple of years. I'm sure it's sodium reduction, but it feels great.
  • mamaclose
    mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
    Vegan Pizza Dough

    Ingredients:
    1 package active dry yeast (0.25 oz.)
    1 c warm water
    2 c whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill WW Pastry Flour)
    1/2 c wheat germ
    1 tsp salt
    1 tbsp agave nectar

    Directions:
    Place warm water in small bowl. Add yeast. Allow yeast to dissolve and set aside until mixture becomes creamy (about 10 min).
    In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Scoop a well in the middle of the mix and add agave and yeast mixture. Stir until ingredients are well combined. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place and allow to raise for about 5-10 min. *At this point I drizzle with grapeseed oil, but not necessary*
    Roll dough on floured pizza pan. Using a fork, poke a few holes in dough
    Bake at 350 degrees until desired crispiness.
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    Vegan Pizza Dough

    Ingredients:
    1 package active dry yeast (0.25 oz.)
    1 c warm water
    2 c whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill WW Pastry Flour)
    1/2 c wheat germ
    1 tsp salt
    1 tbsp agave nectar

    Directions:
    Place warm water in small bowl. Add yeast. Allow yeast to dissolve and set aside until mixture becomes creamy (about 10 min).
    In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Scoop a well in the middle of the mix and add agave and yeast mixture. Stir until ingredients are well combined. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place and allow to raise for about 5-10 min. *At this point I drizzle with grapeseed oil, but not necessary*
    Roll dough on floured pizza pan. Using a fork, poke a few holes in dough
    Bake at 350 degrees until desired crispiness.

    Sounds good an no more complex than anything else I've made this week!

    When you use it, do you bake it a bit before adding toppings to make it toasty on the bottom? The first one I made stayed doughy because of all the liquid cooking out of the veggies.
  • martielou
    martielou Posts: 50 Member
    Thx for the pizza dough recipe! I just got a new cookbook- heart healthy pizza- (I think that's the title) and I'm excited to try out some low fat vegan pizzas. Maybe even find one my husband will eat without cheese! :)
  • mamaclose
    mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
    Yes I usually cook the dough for a few minutes in the oven then take it out and add sauce/pesto & veggies then cook it again!
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    New to plant based diet here, primarily for nutritional purposes...but I like that "don't eat anything that had a face" thing; something to consider!
    For me the big thing I'm learning is read labels a little closer. I've been pretty good at that since trying to get healthy over the last couple of years, now I'm having to take things to another level. It is pretty easy when the label says something like "vegan", but others aren't so bad if you see "allergen warning", that may be a clue that there is going to be some sort of dairy or other animal protein.
    Hope this works out for you!
  • ckleczka
    ckleczka Posts: 27 Member
    GPrice,

    How is your E2 experience going?

    I have recently switched to a plant-based diet and settling into it well. The resource that has helped me the most to date has been The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. I have delved into other related books as well, but am finding this one to sort of bring everything together for me.
  • maradot
    maradot Posts: 95 Member
    Stock your fridge with a variety of fresh fruits, veges, and nuts. Have some emergency vegan food on hand like frozen beanie burgers. Buy Almond milk. I like the unsweetened vanilla 40 - if I want it sweeter I can add a drop of stevia.

    Most of all keep yourself motivated by learning about how other people work their vegan diet. There is a lot on U-tube. If you are in a city there may be a vegan "community.'

    I recently watched, "Fat, sick and nearly Dead" on http://www.hulu.com. It is about a man who went on a vegan juice diet for 6 months. Not necessarily what you want to do, but still interesting.
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    I obviously stopped counting calories!

    I've stayed on a plant-based diet this entire year, got off of my blood pressure and cholesterol meds. When I checked yesterday my blood pressure was 120/85. I haven't had a cholesterol check in a while, but it went down after 30 days on the Engine2. I don't necessarily follow that exact plan... but pretty close.

    Started juicing and getting more greens that way about six months ago. I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and thought I'd never do a juice "reboot", but over the summer I got depressed and started gaining a few pounds back after a full year of slow steady loss. I decided to try nothing but juice to see what that would be like.

    I didn't think I'd have any "withdrawal" since I hardly eat processed foods - but I did drink a large volume of decaf coffee, which still has some caffeine. I had headaches for a few days and felt tired, but after that, I was AMAZED that the juice really supported my body. It's clearly not a "fast" in that you're getting about 1200 calories a day in juice, but it's all fruit/veggie, and I haven't had any problems with daily life. What I thought I might be able to do for 3 days, I've done for 24. This is my last day as I'm going on a 90 mile bike ride with some friends this weekend and want to be back to my normal plant-based diet.

    When I started Engine 2, I didn't understand the oil restrictions, but over the year, I've read more and learned more and now realize our culture is not only obsessed with anima based protein, but oil as well. I now view my high blood pressure as a vascular disease that effects every blood vessel in my body, and that reducing oil as much as possible is the best thing I can do to help heal the lining of those blood vessels, which will in tern prevent heart attack and stroke.

    I take B12 every week, but no other supplement, no meds. I'm at my lowest weight in a long time... I have 5 years of tracking data, and I'm at my lowest point in my data set. This path changed my life.

    Oh, and although I've lost weight over the past year just on the plant-based diet (about 10 lbs, of which I gained back 5), today I'm down 19.2 lbs from the day I started Engine 2.

    I'll be back to logging food for a while as I transition back from juicing. :-)
  • katefitness8
    katefitness8 Posts: 16 Member
    Congratulations! Thanks for the update!
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    Hi JPriceGA

    I went on a wholefoods plant-based eating regime about eight weeks ago and I highly recommend it.
    Something you should keep in your bookmarks is http://www.nutritionfacts.org It is my number one source for nutritional information. It is very well researched, respected and independent and is a registered charity.
    Wishing you all the best,

    Ben
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    Ben,

    That is my go to nutrition site! He really distills information well and makes it fun. I also like Jeff Novick who is a dietician and chef.
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    Hi JPriceGA,

    No worries. What I found useful were two longish videos down the bottom "Uprooting the leading causes of death" and "More than an apple a day". They are about one hour in duration each but are well worth it. And it should provide ample motivation - as it did me. In fact, visiting www.nutritionfacts.org precipitated me to re-adopt wholefoods plant-based eating after a 25 year hiatus.

    I don't know Jeff Novick - I will have to check his site out.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
    Enjoying the discussion.
    Dr Joel Furham 's Eat to Live' is a good read, and 'This rawsome life' is a great site for recipes.
    I think this is definitely the way to go for health and vitality as well as the ethical reasons.
  • SkinneyGirl28
    SkinneyGirl28 Posts: 145 Member
    Yes commercial burger crumbles are a processed food. I have been a vegan for 28 years. This last 6 months I have been cutting out all processed foods. 8 weeks ago I slammed my hip into a tree and broke it. Today I am walking, still using a walker, but in 2 weeks I graduate to a cane then graduate out of that. The Doc who fixed my hip with a titanium rod and screw, said my ex-rays showed stronger bones than most people in their 60's. Then when he operated on me, he learned my bones were really strong! Also my EKG was that of a 20 year old. I didn't tell him I haven't used animal products for 28 years!
    How are you doing without oil? I am trying, but that one seems really difficult, as I like a few things fried.
    Since I have been laid up, my hubby, who is a professional chief, has wanted to feed me processed foods. If i don't want them, he asks what I want. He says my choices are the same, fruits or vegetables. I had some Big Bertha Burgers in the freezer and some Gluten steaks, and now I am beginning to cook again. This week I have made tapioca pudding, lasagna, black bean Enchilada casserole and tomorrow I am making Chickpea Korma. Being a chief, he couldn't make any of these for me as they were too much work. I'm glad I'm back to cooking!
    Google Hans Diehl, or CHIP (Coronary Health Improvements Program) program. He has lots of great recipes. That's where I got the Big Bertha burgers. There are lots of vegan books out there. My chickpea korma recipe comes from the book, 'Simple, Tasty, Good' plant-based recipes for top taste and vital health.