Becoming a vegan

atekura89
atekura89 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 18 in Food and Nutrition
For about 3 weeks I have been vegan. I started slowly before hand cutting out all red meats to then slowly cutting out meat all together, and substituting it for tofu. Tofu was a little hard to get used to, but tofu is so versatile you can make it taste however you like, in whatever you like.
Instagram and Pintrest has helped a lot to keep motivated as well as trying new recipes out.
If anyone has any suggestions or any vegan recipes pls connect with me and share x

Replies

  • LadyTalulah
    LadyTalulah Posts: 174 Member
    Take B12 supplements. It's really tough to get the B12 necessary in a vegan diet.
    Also, get a blood test every 3 months or so for the first year to make sure you're not defficient in anything, especially iron which is common with vegetarian / vegan diets!
    Good luck (:
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    Have a google for the athlete "Rich Roll," lots of stuff on his sites.
    I can't really help out with recipes because I don't tend to cook very much, I keep things simple with whole foods; nuts, seeds and lots of varieties of vegetables, fruit and salad.
    I eat a lot of kale and spinach daily, as well as a lot of beans for calcium and protein respectively. Avocados and mushroom make great wraps with a "meaty" texture.
    One small tip is to mix up your colours in a salad as, very roughly, different colours indicate different nutrients.

    There's also a great app you can get with loads of different vegan recipes (free one, can't remember the name) as well as resources on facebook you can tap into.

    As above though, educate yourself on B12 as it's the only thing you can't get from a vegan diet. A lot of vegan milks and butters are fortified with B12, the tablets are cheap enough anyway so it's no big deal, but it's a dangerous thing to neglect.

    I don't know if calories are a concern of yours, but nuts, seeds and avocados are calorie dense so just letting you know if that's a concern. (I eat them daily, but weigh and log everything)

    Good luck!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Here is a group for people who are eating plant based:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    Here is a group for people who are eating plant based:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores

    Thanks for that, didn't realise there was one!

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  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    For some super tasty recipes that are vegan check out the Thug Kitchen website. You'll thank me later.

    I came in here to recommend this.

    I hope you like mashing beans! :D

    Seriously though, most of their recipes are excellent. I made their herb potato salad last night (Google it, I don't think it's in the cookbook).

    (I'm not vegan but I frequently cook vegan meals)
  • terrenceobrien1
    terrenceobrien1 Posts: 22 Member
    I'll share with you what I start my day with. 913 calories, 120g carb, 57g fat, 17g protien.

    Breakfast Shake: Blend with stick blender.
    2 bananas
    2 tbsp raw cacao powder
    1/4 cup walnuts
    1 tbsp whole flax seed (ground in coffee grinder. whole flax seeds must be ground to get any benefit.)
    ~2 cups unsweet almond milk

    Bowl of fruit: 1 sliced apple, 1 orange, 1 avocado.

    I've been following Dr Joel Furhman's eat to live nutruitarian plan. Lots of raw and cooked veggies, whole fruits, beans, limited starchy vegetables, and limited whole grains. No added salt, no added oils, no refined sugars.
  • atekura89
    atekura89 Posts: 13 Member
    Omg!!! Thanks sooooo much all of you! I will definitely look into getting my hands on B12, and trying out some recipes from the Thug Kitchen website.. Thanks heaps and will post shortly how I'm doing x ☺️
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    my doctor recommends centrum adults formula, and flintstones complete brands for multi vitamins
  • atekura89
    atekura89 Posts: 13 Member
    @melimomTARDIS oh Awesome! I'll look into that.. I'm going through the whole trial and error thing atm.. But I know for sure vegan life is the life for me..
  • EduardoCisneros
    EduardoCisneros Posts: 1 Member
    I recommend Manitoba hemp protein, which has a lot of nutrients and it's quickly absorbed by the body.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    melimomTARDIS wrote: »
    my doctor recommends centrum adults formula, and flintstones complete brands for multi vitamins

    Unfortunately Centrum isn't vegan and Flintstones aren't even vegetarian (they contain gelatin).
  • LadyFencer
    LadyFencer Posts: 51 Member
    Check out websites pcrm.org and vegan.com. There are many websites with information on how to be a healthy vegan. Do not take nutritional advice from non-vegans. They generally rely on discredited myths, which they will defend to the death. You do need a B12 supplement, but it's not an emergency. The body stores B12. You don't need special blood tests. Some people will take your veganism as a personal affront. Ignore them.
  • atekura89
    atekura89 Posts: 13 Member
    @LadyFencer omg!!! Thank you soooo so much for this info.. I'm a learner at all of this but am very passionate about being a full vegan.. My body hasn't felt this lively and full of energy ever until now.

    Thanks again xx
    I'll post updates soon

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  • LadyFencer
    LadyFencer Posts: 51 Member
    You're welcome atekura. Shell, I haven't seen it on this thread, but I've seen it in many others. There has already been misinformation (blood tests every three months!) on this thread.
    I would also suggest looking for a local vegetarian or vegan support group. Those can be invaluable. There is a learning curve for sure, but you can do it.
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
    Be careful with PCRM. They give out a lot of misinformation.
  • queenmedusa
    queenmedusa Posts: 247 Member
    Check out the Non-Dairy Evolution cookbook if you want to make your own vegan 'cheese' and egg substitutes. I love this book and it's really easy to make. Happy Herbivore is amazing and full of fab tips, I love her easy to make and inexpensive recipes.
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    Vitamin B12 advice from the vegan society:

    https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-health/vitamins-minerals-and-more/vitamin-b12-your-key-facts/what-every-vegan-should-know-about-vitamin-b12
  • LadyFencer
    LadyFencer Posts: 51 Member
    LoupGarouTFTs wrote: »
    Be careful with PCRM. They give out a lot of misinformation.

    Such as?
  • yogi323
    yogi323 Posts: 56 Member
    Five year vegetarian here! I second the B12 suggestion. It's impossible, without eating fortified foods, (Unless you are eating your vegetables straight from the ground without washing them or rinsing off the dirt) to get B12 in a vegan diet. A lot of vegan foods are fortified with it, such as Nasoya Tofu, Nutritional yeast, and most non dairy milks, but B12 is a critical vitamin. The body does store some of it, and some studies have shown that most people can get away with not supplementing for three to five years, but don't test it. Better safe than sorry. Don't trust everything you read. Several studies on the "health benefits" of veganism are very one sided. Can it be health? Sure. More so than a balanced diet? That, I'm not so sure about. Being vegan for ethical reasons is an absolutely commendable act though, and congratulations! A fantastic, well balanced book to read is Vegan for Her by Virginia Messina and JL Fields. It touches on the fine points of vegan nutrition, including general nutrition, weight loss, aging, athletic vegans, children, and pregnancy while vegan. It covers literally everything you'd need to know.


    Some great places for recipes are Thug Kitchen (the book is amazing!), Oh She Glows (Website and book) Kris Carr (Her recipes are great, most of her nutritional information is utter nonsense. So please don't take her advice, but her food is soo yummy!) and Happy Herbivore books and website are great resources. Again though, like with Kris Carr, a lot of her nutritional information is nonsense. She promotes a Whole food, plant based diet with NO oils and very limited added fats. I followed it for about a year, and then did some research myself and found out that the information it was based off of, The China Study, had been more or less debunked, and threw it out the window. Some of the recipes, especially the black bean and salsa soup and her quick burgers are to die for though!

    If you need any more help/advice, feel free to friend me. I'd be more than happy to help!
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