Going vegan and maintaining protein intake.

twowheeltam
twowheeltam Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am so frustrated :ohwell: right now and could use some help.

I've been very careful about my diet and exercise over the last two years, I life heavy, do cardio and eat what I thought, was a health diet. No processed foods, whole grains, fresh produce, egg whites, lean meats, etc. Well, just got the results of my wellness check and that's not enough. My cholesterol actually went up! Are you kidding me?!

It was suggested that I adopt a vegan diet. No milk, no eggs, no cheese, no yogurt, no meat. Once I got past the "what more do you expect me to give up" then I started to worry about protein. The thing is, I've seen the most change in my body since I really started paying attention to my protein intake and now I have to eliminate the major sources of protein, including my protein powder.

I could really use some suggestions on how to ramp up the protein intake and maintain a vegan diet. I feel like I take 3 steps forward and a huge lunge backward!

Thanks!

T.
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Replies

  • jamieo70
    jamieo70 Posts: 24
    Rice and Beans, together, will give you a dietary complete protein. Quinoa and soybeans/soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh, etc), and seitan are also plant-based sources of complete proteins (they contain all of the essential amino acids).
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  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Beans, Tofu, Soya, Hemp, Quinoa, Peas, Nuts, Chick peas, Spinach, Brocolli, seeds ........... and many more you've got to make a real effort NOT to get enough protein.

    You may find this link useful

    http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
    I am wondering who told you to omit animal products to lower your cholesterol. If you are overweight, perhaps just eating less and getting to a healthier weight will be enough. I personally believe that a perfect diet includes some meat, but not as much as the average person eats. How about eating vegan some of the time and then only eating lean sources of animal protein the rest of the time? I think that lean sources include lean beef, chicken breast, skim milk, and egg whites. Eliminating your main source of protein, whey, seems a bit extreme to me.

    However, if you want to keep your protein up eating plant based only here are my thoughts:

    When I eat plant based I have to do a lot of weekly prep and cooking for meals that are high in protein. I live with two meat eaters and a vegetarian. It is because of the extra work involved that I only eat this way for a few months in the year.

    - I make currys with legumes, seitan, lentil quinoa soups, eat lots of broccoli and brussel sprouts and salads with nuts.
    - There are lots of ways to prepare tofu and seitan and I find learning different cooking techniques really helps.
    - I like various chilli dishes, beans and rice, and baked vegetables with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.
    - My fat is usually a little high, which is alright.
    - Seitan is my best friend, it is quite close to chicken breast in macros and it.
    - I love the curried lentil cous cous soup in the app 21 day vegan kick start and I replace the cous cous with quinoa.
    - make sure you research your B12 requirements and find a way to supplement. Usually tofu and vegan "milks" are supplemented with b12. You don't need very much B12 and I like to sprinkle nutritional yeast on my rice and popcorn.
    - basically I have to do lots of chopping and baking.
    - You can also buy lots of vegan meatless products that help out.
  • twowheeltam
    twowheeltam Posts: 13 Member
    It was actually the physician who recommended this change. I am still overweight but I watch what I eat every day. I do allow myself a cheat day but don't go to any extremes. His suggestion was that I try the vegan approach for 6 months and we test again to see if it's working.

    I appreciate the suggestions. I wasn't familiar with seitan, however, it's wheat based which is another issue of mine :( I do use tofu and i use it in place of eggs in several recipes, sometimes I add it just for a different texture. I LOVE nutritional yeast and eat it on popcorn and add sprinkle it on my vegetables.

    I do often make curry dishes, I use lentils, quinoa and chia seeds. I've not tried any of the vegan meatless products, but I'll be checking some of those out.

    Thank you all for your suggestions.
  • shanfat
    shanfat Posts: 3
    I'm sure your Dr. Has told you this, but some people are genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol, etc. Diet and exercise don't always change the numbers that much. Medication MAY be the answer.
  • illuvatree
    illuvatree Posts: 185 Member
    Like others have said, there are options. I highly recommend lentils, maybe making lentil soup or looking up a recipe for vegan lentil burgers. Quinoa has a lot of protein and you can flavor it, making it awesome. And like it was mentioned, beans are good for protein too!
  • HipsterGuy33
    HipsterGuy33 Posts: 36
    All these ppl are right. I'm vegan and get lots of protein. PM me for more info if ya want
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    I'm sure your Dr. Has told you this, but some people are genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol, etc. Diet and exercise don't always change the numbers that much. Medication MAY be the answer.

    And some people can just stick two middle fingers up at "high cholesterol" and live totally healthy lives free of heart disease.

    If you're exercising, eating "right", maintaining a healthy weight and don't have any family history of early death from heart disease or stroke, you may be in a group who just genetically has high cholesterol. No scientific evidence says there is a 100% correlation with high cholesterol and disease.

    Again, read the "ifs" in what I posted.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Your physician told you to go vegan?
  • MiloBloom83
    MiloBloom83 Posts: 2,724 Member
    Beans, Tofu, Soya, Hemp, Quinoa, Peas, Nuts, Chick peas, Spinach, Brocolli, seeds ........... and many more you've got to make a real effort NOT to get enough protein.

    You may find this link useful

    http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/

    I'm just curious from anyone who actually eats this kind of diet. How bad is your gas? Beans and broccoli can clear a room by themselves.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I assumed that OP got the idea from an MFP blog.
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  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    A reasonable intake of dietary cholesterol isn't going to affect your blood cholesterol. Excessive carbohydrate intake will. If you aren't careful, your solution will make your problem worse.
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  • bluntlysally
    bluntlysally Posts: 150 Member
    i think you need a new doctor.

    find a good cardiologist near you. have them do actual cardio specific tests/panels and not just the ones a primary care doctor will do during your physical. there are a bunch of places that do these panels (like berkely heart lab, health diagnostic lab, etc), which ever one your doctor uses is fine. with these tests (usually done every 6 months), comes access to a nutritionist via phone for 6 months from the blood draw. this person will be able to read and understand your test results and help you figure out how to eat.

    like others have said, you might just be one of those folks who has a genetic pre-disposition to this crap. then your cardiologist/nutritionist will be even MORE helpful... and medication might be involved.

    on a personal note, i have no idea how going vegan will help. i eat high fat (35%) compared to most folks - and mostly eat meat, veggies, and good fats. my last test results have been better than ever!!!
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    Hi, the only thing I would add is making sure your bread is rich in protein. Check the labels to compare grams of protein. Even whole grain breads can vary quite a bit from brand to brand. I am eating a vegan brand right now with 6 grams of protein per slice. If you make a sandwich with nut butter or a chickpea sandwich filling with sprouts, you can get quite a bit of protein. Try having half a sandwich and a cup of lentil soup if the calorie count gets too high with all the bread.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    Going vegan will likely make your cholesterol worse.
  • bluntlysally
    bluntlysally Posts: 150 Member
    the problem to be faced isn't really about "high cholesterol" (which i am taking to mean high bad or total cholesterol - OP didn't specify).

    really of concern is the ratio of good to bad, followed by the size of both good and bad. a good cardiologist will get your ratio right and then work on size and other result stuff (hcrp/inflammation, vitamin d, omega 3, and many more).

    for example, if your bad is low you might think woohooo - BUT that is not a good thing if you good is also low.

    did i say find a good cardiologist yet? ok, one more time. >>>find. a. good. cardiologist.<<<
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  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Trader Joe's has a great high protein tofu. It's very firm and takes on the taste of whatever put on it or in it. I also love Gardein "chicken." Stuff is so freakin yummy! Also like beyond "chicken" strips. All these are soy products. There's also a yummy "cheese" made of almonds from Lisanatti foods.

    Good luck!!!
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    I'm sure your Dr. Has told you this, but some people are genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol, etc. Diet and exercise don't always change the numbers that much. Medication MAY be the answer.

    And some people can just stick two middle fingers up at "high cholesterol" and live totally healthy lives free of heart disease.

    If you're exercising, eating "right", maintaining a healthy weight and don't have any family history of early death from heart disease or stroke, you may be in a group who just genetically has high cholesterol. No scientific evidence says there is a 100% correlation with high cholesterol and disease.

    Again, read the "ifs" in what I posted.
    The Framingham study gives us a pretty good idea of the relationship between cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
    http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=363237

    http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=692673

    http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/79/1/8.short

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19081406

    CONCLUSIONS:

    In a large cohort of patients hospitalized with CAD, almost half have admission LDL levels <100 mg/dL. More than half the patients have admission HDL levels <40 mg/dL, whereas <10% have HDL > or =60 mg/dL. These findings may provide further support for recent guideline revisions with even lower LDL goals and for developing effective treatments to raise HDL.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Going vegan will likely make your cholesterol worse.
    Source?
    I personally don't believe that to be true statement across the board. Refined grains, sugar, refined vegetable oils, which are classified as vegan can and do when they represent a large percentage of a diet have predictable influence on cholesterol levels.........cholesterol levels drop but not in a good way. HDL is drastically reduced, along with LDL, triglycerides are also increased quite a bit and TG levels above 70 will need to be investigated as to which LDL particle type is subsequently predominant. The small dense LDL particles with increased TG levels and with low HDL is an almost perfect storm indicator of inflammation and artery damage. Keep in mind that not all vegans eat these foods and don't live a sedentary lifestyle, so I wouldn't default that a vegan diet will increase a persons CAD changes per se.

    EDIT: spelling
  • twowheeltam
    twowheeltam Posts: 13 Member
    To clear up a few things...no, my doctor's name is not Dr. Oz. This is not some fad that I came across on any web site and this isn't something I'm doing for animal rights reasons. This is, however, a result of having a Dr. that I like and trust. One who isn't a pill pusher - and yes, I have a real problem with those that are. Of course I could take a cholesterol lowering medication, but I've seen the affects on older family members from taking those types of medications and I don't think we fully know what all of this will do to us as we get older. So yes, if he suggests removing animal fats from my diet for 6 months to see if that makes a difference, I'm willing to try it. Yes, I'm frustrated because I thought I'd been doing everything the way I was supposed to do it and things went the other direction. I'm losing weight and still have more to lose but I'm not morbidly obese. I was simply looking to those who have chosen or been placed in the same position how they get their protein and I didn't ask for judgment from those that don't agree with this idea.

    And thank you to the person who suggested getting a cardiologist. I do have a good one but for other reasons. He's on board with this idea as anything that will make your heart healthier is a good thing.

    And thank you to those that have posted the food ideas and links and recipes. I will be trying all of it, I'm sure.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'm going to disagree with going vegan making your cholesterol worse, but I am going to suggest a second opinion. I have no science behind this, my personal experience doesn't count for much, but based on your OP, I'm wondering if you'll be happy on a vegan diet.

    If you think you can do this for six months and not be unhappy, then I don't see any harm in going along with what you and your doctor agreed on.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    To clear up a few things...no, my doctor's name is not Dr. Oz. This is not some fad that I came across on any web site and this isn't something I'm doing for animal rights reasons. This is, however, a result of having a Dr. that I like and trust. One who isn't a pill pusher - and yes, I have a real problem with those that are. Of course I could take a cholesterol lowering medication, but I've seen the affects on older family members from taking those types of medications and I don't think we fully know what all of this will do to us as we get older. So yes, if he suggests removing animal fats from my diet for 6 months to see if that makes a difference, I'm willing to try it. Yes, I'm frustrated because I thought I'd been doing everything the way I was supposed to do it and things went the other direction. I'm losing weight and still have more to lose but I'm not morbidly obese. I was simply looking to those who have chosen or been placed in the same position how they get their protein and I didn't ask for judgment from those that don't agree with this idea.

    And thank you to the person who suggested getting a cardiologist. I do have a good one but for other reasons. He's on board with this idea as anything that will make your heart healthier is a good thing.

    And thank you to those that have posted the food ideas and links and recipes. I will be trying all of it, I'm sure.
    I just have to echo the advice to remove animal fats..........this will drop your HDL quite a bit and increase your triglycerides which is not a good thing at all, and I suggest you do see a cardiologist as well. The problem with that advice is that your cholesterol will probably go lower and your Dr will continue to give out that advice going forward, which is not sound advice regarding cholesterol.......it far more complicated than that and why it's imperative you speak to someone that specializes. imo
  • cwsreddy
    cwsreddy Posts: 998 Member
    Reality time:

    If you don't WANT to go vegan, you won't stick to it - no matter how much anyone tells you you "need" it. If you truly WANT to try veganism, go for it. If you don't, then don't. Very simple.

    Honestly, add coconut oil, chia seeds, and any other medium chain fatty acid containing foods to your diet and watch your cholesterol drop.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Reality time:

    If you don't WANT to go vegan, you won't stick to it - no matter how much anyone tells you you "need" it. If you truly WANT to try veganism, go for it. If you don't, then don't. Very simple.

    Honestly, add coconut oil, chia seeds, and any other medium chain fatty acid containing foods to your diet and watch your cholesterol drop.
    Coconut oil increases cholesterol HDL and increases the amount of cholesterol that is contained in the LDL lipoproteins when it's used to replace carbs or other unsaturated fats. So basically cho levels go up.

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