Getting the right nutrients as a vegetarian and vegan

If I understood Sarauk2sf correctly, beans alone are not a whole protein? do you combine them with other foods? My main issue (and the reason I am no longer vegan) is the combination of a student budget and the expensive vegetarian supplements sold in denmark (only in specialty stores). Its inspiring to hear that turning vegetarian has helped with your depression. I became vegetarian before I was diagnosed with depression and I have always been concerned that it was making it worse rather than better but my strong beliefs of not eating meat as always prevented me from testing this theory.

Hi,

I try to stay out of these forums, but wanted to say hello, and tell you what I've learned.

My wife, daughter and I all went veg about four years ago....(I was an over-eating "Carbotarian" for the past few years, and I have learned that "Bread-Pasta-Cheese" is not a healthy diet plan, and in retrospect, it's clear that packing on the weight, flab and physical tiredness went hand in hand)

I've evolved a couple of specific actions since I stopped eating meat (I eat fish, but more and more rarely, as it's beginning to not feel "right" to me....) I use ONLY brown rice, and eat sweet peas, black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans in a myriad of ways.

I also use "Naturade Total Soy" as a meal supplement/replacement drink, and I use a "green food" powder called "Catie's Organic Greens".

Both of these seem to be excellent nutrient sources, and have helped my energy levels immensely....

This leads to the ability and desire to get off my a** and move, which is the only thing I've ever found to relieve my (clincally diagnosed) depression.

For me, it's critical to walk somewhere EVERY day.

If I understood Sarauk2sf correctly, beans alone are not a whole protein? do you combine them with other foods? My main issue (and the reason I am no longer vegan) is the combination of a student budget and the expensive vegetarian supplements sold in denmark (only in specialty stores). Its inspiring to hear that turning vegetarian has helped with your depression. I became vegetarian before I was diagnosed with depression and I have always been concerned that it was making it worse rather than better but my strong beliefs of not eating meat as always prevented me from testing this theory.

I have been chronically depressed since I entered my teens. I was never extremely overweight. I am 5'7 and my peak weight was 76 kg. I am now 21 and 58 kgs. I have been vegetarian for 9 years and was vegan for four of them. I am now eating dairy again. I am on a journey to find the right diet and exercise which will help me fight my depression and boost my very low confidence level while still maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet. I am focused on eating the right combination of foods which will help me with my energy levels, anxiety, and general happiness. I know that there are certain foods which help build up the serotonin in your brain (in combination with a carb) such as plums and sunflower seeds. Are there any other vegans/vegetarians out there who have any advice on a diet which will not cut out any important vitamins and give me the amino acids and nutrients I need?

If I understood Sarauk2sf correctly, beans alone are not a whole protein? do you combine them with other foods? My main issue (and the reason I am no longer vegan) is the combination of a student budget and the expensive vegetarian supplements sold in denmark (only in specialty stores). Its inspiring to hear that turning vegetarian has helped with your depression. I became vegetarian before I was diagnosed with depression and I have always been concerned that it was making it worse rather than better but my strong beliefs of not eating meat as always prevented me from testing this theory.

Beans themselves are not a complete protein but actually can be combined with rice or corn to form a complete protein (you do not have to do it in the same meal though). There are 9 essential amino acids - beans are missing at least one (would have to look up which ones), but corn or rice have the missing ones.

The common misconception, repeated so often that most everyone believes it, is that " beans are not a 'complete" protein....It's been disproven many times...Please look at the sources below:

Andrew Weil, M.D.:

"You may have heard that vegetable sources of protein are "incomplete" and become "complete" only when correctly combined. Research has discredited that notion so you don't have to worry that you won't get enough usable protein if you don't put together some magical combination of foods at each meal."

Charles Attwood, M.D.:

"Beans, however, are rich sources of all essential amino acids. The old ideas about the necessity of carefully combining vegetables at every meal to ensure the supply of essential amino acids has been totally refuted."

The common misconception, repeated so often that most everyone believes it, is that " beans are not a 'complete" protein....It's been disproven many times...Please look at the sources below:

Andrew Weil, M.D.:

"You may have heard that vegetable sources of protein are "incomplete" and become "complete" only when correctly combined. Research has discredited that notion so you don't have to worry that you won't get enough usable protein if you don't put together some magical combination of foods at each meal."

Charles Attwood, M.D.:

"Beans, however, are rich sources of all essential amino acids. The old ideas about the necessity of carefully combining vegetables at every meal to ensure the supply of essential amino acids has been totally refuted."

I'm confused about the point of your post. Are you saying that you do not need to get all your amino acids? If so, I disagree. You still need all your essential amino acids (humans can't synthesize any of them). None of your examples disproved that. Andrew Weil is right in that something doesn't transform if you eat something else. And Charles is correct when he says you do not need to combine vegetables with every meal to make sure you get all the amino acids.