plant based diet- how to not have too many carbs.

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mshannond
mshannond Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
I have digestive issues, Ibs and pcos. I am at a healthy weight, 5'4 112 pounds, and I've read a lot of research that eating more plant based can be helpful for all these issues as animal products contain hormones worsening pcos and too much meat can worsen digestion.

I was looking into eating a vegan breakfast lunch and snacks, then meat at dinner either chicken or turkey as I hate red meat and do not eat fish. I live at home and I feel this would be healthier then when I tried going vegetarian and had quorn meat for dinners which is preservative filled and didn't make me feel great.
I'm not too concerned about protein, as I have brown rice protein and can buy hemp or pea protein if needed, will eat tofu twice a week, chickpeas, quinoa, supplement spirulina into smoothies if needed. Also certain vegetables, nuts & seeds & grains can pack a small protein punch too and I will be having between 25-30g a night because of the meat.
I'm not concerned about fat either however I'm worried about eating too many carbs. I eat around 1500 calories a day, and track more to ensure I'm eating well rather than for weight loss.

Is there a way to eat vegan with my carbs under 100g every day? thankyou!
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Replies

  • JoyousRen
    JoyousRen Posts: 3,823 Member
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    I disagree that it's not possible to low carb and be vegan but it would have to be rather high fat so a lot of nuts and oils but, honestly, why are you worried about carbs? I can (kind of) see sugar which is easily controlled by eating less fruit but not general carbs especially since nutrition info considers fiber a carb.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    Carbs rock! Why would you want to limit them? People that limit them and lose weight are losing weight because of water loss and then an enforced calorie deficit.

    There's plenty of carbs that won't set off symptoms, I'm sure you know which ones your digestive system does and doesn't like.
  • tiddles_yeah
    tiddles_yeah Posts: 117 Member
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    No. 65-80 % of your diet will come from carbs if you go plant based/vegan/vegetarian

    This is a load of crap. It doesnt have to be

    Im vegan and have been since i was about 12 years old. 30% of my diet is from fat. 25% is from protein. You just have the get the right mix of foods
    Theres no need to go low carb, but it doesnt have to be 80% of your diet

    I should also mention that i have a tonne of allergies - coelic disease, cant each mushrooms, rice, potatoes, some berries and nuts...etc so i feel your pain in having dietary restrictions
  • mshannond
    mshannond Posts: 60
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    I disagree that it's not possible to low carb and be vegan but it would have to be rather high fat so a lot of nuts and oils but, honestly, why are you worried about carbs? I can (kind of) see sugar which is easily controlled by eating less fruit but not general carbs especially since nutrition info considers fiber a carb.

    I've read lot's of nutrition research regarding how carbs turn into sugar in the body, and sugar is stored as fat if the body is overloaded with it. I guess I could try and ease up and eat a few more and see how it impacts me.
  • mshannond
    mshannond Posts: 60
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    That's good to know, I'm ok with around 40% of my diet being carbs :)
    No. 65-80 % of your diet will come from carbs if you go plant based/vegan/vegetarian

    This is a load of crap. It doesnt have to be

    Im vegan and have been since i was about 12 years old. 30% of my diet is from fat. 25% is from protein. You just have the get the right mix of foods
    Theres no need to go low carb, but it doesnt have to be 80% of your diet
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
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    I have IBS as well as PCOS and I eat carbs. :smile:
  • stephgas
    stephgas Posts: 159 Member
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    carbs are energy. we need a good amount of carbs, but the difference is in where they come from. if your carbs are coming from fruit and veg and whole grains, that's so different than from refined sugar and white flour. they're yummy, they're filling, and they're necessary. most healthy diets discuss having roughly 50% of calories from carbs.

    it sounds like your digestive issues may be triggered by processed foods - i think eating a more plant based diet is a great idea for you. since you'll still be eating meat at times, be sure to buy stuff that's hormone/antibiotic free. the less extra additives you can put in your body, the better. with the carbs, it might be a bit of trial and error for you. when i drastically limit my carbs, i get sluggish and tired. you might find some carb sources or grains irritate your digestive tract more than others. keep logging your food and make notes when you have flares or issues.
  • mshannond
    mshannond Posts: 60
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    ok thankyou! I've cut out most refined sugar/ sweet junk food/ wheat but still eat processed things like crisps, doritos, popcorn and soda and things like that which I'm trying to cut down on and hoping to eliminate soon:)
    Ok thankyou :) i'll try making notes and see:)
    carbs are energy. we need a good amount of carbs, but the difference is in where they come from. if your carbs are coming from fruit and veg and whole grains, that's so different than from refined sugar and white flour. they're yummy, they're filling, and they're necessary. most healthy diets discuss having roughly 50% of calories from carbs.

    it sounds like your digestive issues may be triggered by processed foods - i think eating a more plant based diet is a great idea for you. since you'll still be eating meat at times, be sure to buy stuff that's hormone/antibiotic free. the less extra additives you can put in your body, the better. with the carbs, it might be a bit of trial and error for you. when i drastically limit my carbs, i get sluggish and tired. you might find some carb sources or grains irritate your digestive tract more than others. keep logging your food and make notes when you have flares or issues.
  • moglovesshoez
    moglovesshoez Posts: 83 Member
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    Grass fed meat doesn't contain the hormones.......
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
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    Grass fed meat doesn't contain the hormones.......

    This
  • biodigit
    biodigit Posts: 145 Member
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    You can eat carbs and use them as your pure energy source to workout, exercise or what not. So do not worry about not having carbs. They're important, as long as you're not sedentary and using them as pure energy source.

    I would still not completely phase out non-vegetarian protein sources as they contain essential amino acids that play a huge role as a building blocks in protein synthesis for your muscles.
  • biodigit
    biodigit Posts: 145 Member
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    Grass fed meat doesn't contain the hormones.......

    Agreed.

    All the meat I consume is locally farm grown and it's all grass fed.
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
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    I'm with nearly everyone who answered on this one. I cut out refined sugar, but I do eat vegan and whole foods. I am always "over" in carbs according to my daily food plan on MFP, but I'm doing fine and losing weight very quickly. I feel and look so much better in 1 month I can't even believe it.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    when I tried going vegetarian and had quorn meat for dinners which is preservative filled and didn't make me feel great.

    Whether they made you feel crappy or not is obviously up to you to determine, but there are no preservatives in quorn products.

    Quorn breaded chicken patty ingredients:
    Mycoprotein (47%): a fungus
    Wheat Flour
    Water
    Canola Oil
    Wheat Starch
    Potato Dextrin: A starch from, well, potato.
    Wheat Gluten
    Contains 2% or less of:
    Salt,
    Dextrose: a simple sugar. Can come from honey but often comes from corn.
    Turbinado Sugar: pure cane sugar extract, sugar in the raw is another nickname
    Spice,
    Eggs, Rehydrated Egg White,
    Yeast,
    Natural Flavors From Non-Meat Sources.

    I am a vegetarian. My diet, most days, is 50% carb, 30% fat, 20% protein. Although I am mainly plant based, I do consume some dairy (primarily in the form of cheese/sour cream). I also eat Morningstar brand fake meat, gardein brand fake meat, quorn, and tofu.

    You have IBS and you drink soda? Do you also drink beer? I do not have IBS, but my dad has ulcerative colitis and my brother has crohns. I've been tested for both, but they didn't find anything. My digestion has always ranged from finicky to clutching-intestines-in-agony. When I became a vegetarian, the gut-clutching episodes subsided for the most part. I went from having problems 2-3 times a week to now maybe once every few months. Before vegetarianism I was mostly a red meat and high fat person. Soda and beer still cause me some problems. Even my husband's homebrew, which leads me to believe carbonation does horrible things to me. Have you tried kicking carbonated beverages? They're a known IBS trigger.
  • mshannond
    mshannond Posts: 60
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    I live at home at the moment will be going to university next year I know I will struggle to pay for grass fed meat, so unfortunately thar's not an option :/
    Grass fed meat doesn't contain the hormones.......

    This
  • mshannond
    mshannond Posts: 60
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    I do not drink soda every day, however I've noticed they can make things worse.
    I'm wheat intolerant so that might have been why for some products and also there's ingredients like cane sugar, canola oil which aren't necessary idk. I know the plain quorn like chicken pieces are slightly better however quorn is processed and I'm trying to limit and cut out processed stuff.
    Thankyou I don't drink beer but yeah soda isn't great:')
    when I tried going vegetarian and had quorn meat for dinners which is preservative filled and didn't make me feel great.

    Whether they made you feel crappy or not is obviously up to you to determine, but there are no preservatives in quorn products.

    Quorn breaded chicken patty ingredients:
    Mycoprotein (47%): a fungus
    Wheat Flour
    Water
    Canola Oil
    Wheat Starch
    Potato Dextrin: A starch from, well, potato.
    Wheat Gluten
    Contains 2% or less of:
    Salt,
    Dextrose: a simple sugar. Can come from honey but often comes from corn.
    Turbinado Sugar: pure cane sugar extract, sugar in the raw is another nickname
    Spice,
    Eggs, Rehydrated Egg White,
    Yeast,
    Natural Flavors From Non-Meat Sources.

    I am a vegetarian. My diet, most days, is 50% carb, 30% fat, 20% protein. Although I am mainly plant based, I do consume some dairy (primarily in the form of cheese/sour cream). I also eat Morningstar brand fake meat, gardein brand fake meat, quorn, and tofu.

    You have IBS and you drink soda? Do you also drink beer? I do not have IBS, but my dad has ulcerative colitis and my brother has crohns. I've been tested for both, but they didn't find anything. My digestion has always ranged from finicky to clutching-intestines-in-agony. When I became a vegetarian, the gut-clutching episodes subsided for the most part. I went from having problems 2-3 times a week to now maybe once every few months. Before vegetarianism I was mostly a red meat and high fat person. Soda and beer still cause me some problems. Even my husband's homebrew, which leads me to believe carbonation does horrible things to me. Have you tried kicking carbonated beverages? They're a known IBS trigger.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    Looking at my data, my biggest sources of non-wheat, vegan, minimally processed protein are:

    Spinach, broccoli and mushrooms have a lot of protein for being vegies
    Soy nuts
    Lentils
    Beans
    Tofu
    TVP ("textured vegetable protein", you can add it to things like you'd add ground beef)
    Soy milk

    But most of these have quite a bit of carbs, too.
  • anastasiadietitian
    anastasiadietitian Posts: 19 Member
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    I am a vegetarian. I eat a lot of organic eggs, organic yogurt/cottage cheese, beans, nuts, lentils, chickpeas and tofu for protein. Feel free to add me :)
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
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    I like carbs, eat mostly vegetarian, & still often have a hard time hitting my goal of 40% carbs a day. I wouldn't mind having 50-60% carbs either since I eat healthy carbs like veggies, whole grain & some fruit. Veggies are really low in cals obviously, so if you eat a lot of them it still doesn't add up to much.
    My protein is at 35% and fats at 25% right now, & I feel this is optimal for my body currently. I slowly raised my protein over the last year & 1/2 from 15% to 35%. I was eating mostly vegan except for some cheese (the one thing I refuse to give up.) During the day now I usually have a protein shake/ smoothie for breakfast, a Greek yogurt, and a serving of meat, like tuna or chicken. I'm not fond of eating animals, but it is easier for me to control my eating this way. I also do strength training & some cardio but should be doing more.

    My day usually looks like this:
    Meal 1 Fruit protein smoothie, high fiber toast & jam or fiber bar
    Meal 2 Large salad w spinach, tomatoes, baby kale, avocado or edamame (great for fiber & protein), mozzarella or feta, some dried fruit or nuts & a balsamic dressing
    Meal 3 (snack) Greek Yogurt, or veggies with dip
    Meal 4 Tuna or chicken w quinoa or high fiber pasta, baked or sauteed veggies
    Meal 5 (treat) glass of wine & 1&1/2 oz cheese, or non-dairy ice cream

    I eat about 1,400cals/ day

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