Vegan Journey Begins

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited January 2016
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    dopeysmelly wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    dopeysmelly wrote: »
    fluxduster wrote: »
    I switched to a vegan diet about three years ago and it very much changed my life for the better. I am healthier now at 47 years old and feel better than I did when I was in my 20s.
    My main advice is to dedicate some time to meal planning. There are a ton of online and other vegan recipe and cookbooks available. Most of the better ones will help guide you to some common staples you will want to have in your fridge and in your pantry. Initially, it can be difficult as any change can be. But trust me, in time, you will open your tastebuds up to so many new foods and tastes that you will quickly forget about the foods you have given up. As an added bonus, you will feel healthier because you will BE healthier.
    In my case, since plant foods contain no cholesterol at all, my cholesterol levels dropped significantly. Once my body was purged of years of animal fat clogging my arteries, my resting heart rate dropped about 10 points as well.
    I wish you well in your journey. You will benefit physically, mentally, and even spiritutally.

    I'm Mostly Vegan (cut out meat and full-fat dairy, but still eat fish and non-fat dairy), and actually did it after researching studies looking at reducing serum cholesterol through diet alone (what studies there are out there - it's shameful how few there are). My LDL "bad" cholesterol went from 202 (qualified me for drugs without any other risk factors and drove me into a google-panic) to 115 in about 5 weeks. I feel the healthiest I ever have, and DH has even cut out cheese after I told him it was much easier than I expected. He used to get through pounds of the stuff.

    I follow food blogs mainly. OneGreenPlanet is a really good one. Or just google "top vegan blogs". I like the pictures.. Happy Cow is a handy app - it lists restaurants. Also in apps like Yelp or OpenTable you can search for vegan-friendly restaurants.

    I tend to make batches of plain beans, lentils etc in my slow cooker, which I add to meals, flavor with spices and mix with other ingredients. Other than the beans, vegan cooking is liberating since it's quick, mixes easily together and you can go crazy on spices. You'll find that you can add more fats to food than you might expect like nuts and seeds as well as oils (since you're not eating meat products). Using tofu, seitan or tempeh is a matter of taste - I like them because they're easy and soak up strong flavors quickly, and I love the flavor of tempeh just by itself. I would avoid faux meat-products like "hot dogs" - honestly, they're pretty gross and have limited nutritional benefits.

    Since veganism is an ethical position on the exploitation of animals, it would be more accurate to say you're mostly on a plant-based diet.

    Whatever. I stated my reasons up-front and can call how I eat whatever I choose. The OP isn't looking for reinforcement of any personal beliefs but suggestions on things like recipes, which is what I provided.

    Of course you can call it whatever you choose. I'm addressing the accuracy of your self-chosen description. Words do have meanings. Your advice to the OP on a plant-based diet is just as helpful without you co-opting a term with a very specific history and meaning.

    My goal isn't to infringe on your personal choice as much as it is to attempt to preserve the meaning of a term that I think is quite useful. If we lose the only term we have to describe those with an ethical objection to animal exploitation, we have no other words to replace it. You, on the other hand, have a great way to describe your diet if you decide to not use "vegan."
  • darns76
    darns76 Posts: 2 Member
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    Trying to adopt a vegan diet - plant based nutrition so much better for you. I am just a little concerned that maybe I will or am lacking certain nutrients -calcium/protein/iron - should I worry? I do eat healthily and include variety in my diet but not a great fan of soy products.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    darns76 wrote: »
    Trying to adopt a vegan diet - plant based nutrition so much better for you. I am just a little concerned that maybe I will or am lacking certain nutrients -calcium/protein/iron - should I worry? I do eat healthily and include variety in my diet but not a great fan of soy products.

    There seems to be some conflict between those two sentences.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    edited January 2016
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    janejellyroll: Love your reply, which is so true.

    To the OP, instead of using protein powder: try using beans like: chick peas, cannellini and butter beans. Makes a big difference and without all the other stuff that is added to plant based protein powder - full of fiber and protein too.

    Use chick peas to make scrambled eggs instead of real eggs - very filling and full of fiber and protein. It's amazing what one can do with chick peas.
  • oceansideangoras
    oceansideangoras Posts: 6 Member
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    Happy Herbivore! Her books and recipes are great. happyherbivore.com
  • LexiLuLexi
    LexiLuLexi Posts: 12 Member
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    I've got a bunch of cookbooks from the Raw Till Whenever website which are all plant based vegan recipes and they're amazing! If you look for High Carb Hannah on YouTube she posts and lot of recipe videos on there.

    Best vegan protein powder I found was Vega. The Chocolate Smoothie one is to die for.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    darns76 wrote: »
    Trying to adopt a vegan diet - plant based nutrition so much better for you. I am just a little concerned that maybe I will or am lacking certain nutrients -calcium/protein/iron - should I worry? I do eat healthily and include variety in my diet but not a great fan of soy products.

    Your needs for calcium, protein, and iron don't change if you eliminate animal products from your diet. If you are concerned about meeting your needs for these nutrients, try tracking how much you get of them and then, if you wind up short, you can add plant foods with these nutrients to your meals. Or you can supplement.

    When you say you aren't a fan of soy, you mean you don't like the taste? There are many different ways in which soy is prepared and the taste can vary a great deal. If you don't care for the taste of one, maybe try some others? Or you can go without -- soy is not required for vegan nutrition.
  • VeganScientist
    VeganScientist Posts: 2 Member
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    Congrats! I've been vegan for 15 years and it is the best decision I have ever made in my life! Feel free to friend me. I have tons of recipes, meal ideas, cook books and other resources to help any aspiring vegan out! :)
  • Dave_Byrne
    Dave_Byrne Posts: 3 Member
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    Artemis68 wrote: »
    I highly recommend checking out youtube for great vegan tips on nutrition, dealing with questions or haters, recipes etc. Some of my fave vegan youtubers are Bite Size Vegan, Unnatural Vegan, Happy Healthy Vegan, The Friendly Activist, That Vegan Couple, Vegan Revolution and Jov Venus.

    Also, looking for vegan friends on here!
    I subscribe to those people on youtube too - they are GREAT for giving me motivation when I find myself flagging.

    The most important though, in my opinion is Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org - a truly phenomenal resource. You can subscribe to nutritionfacts.org on Youtube too! Check out "Mic the Vegan" too - he breaks down the science and is very informative.

    If you aren't easily offended then subscribe to "Freelee the Banana Girl" and "Durianrider" and "Joey Carbstrong" - who deliver a very solid but sometimes colorful message, and also "Vegan Gains" who has become very popular very quickly!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    codecolony wrote: »
    Artemis68 wrote: »
    I highly recommend checking out youtube for great vegan tips on nutrition, dealing with questions or haters, recipes etc. Some of my fave vegan youtubers are Bite Size Vegan, Unnatural Vegan, Happy Healthy Vegan, The Friendly Activist, That Vegan Couple, Vegan Revolution and Jov Venus.

    Also, looking for vegan friends on here!
    I subscribe to those people on youtube too - they are GREAT for giving me motivation when I find myself flagging.

    The most important though, in my opinion is Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org - a truly phenomenal resource. You can subscribe to nutritionfacts.org on Youtube too! Check out "Mic the Vegan" too - he breaks down the science and is very informative.

    If you aren't easily offended then subscribe to "Freelee the Banana Girl" and "Durianrider" and "Joey Carbstrong" - who deliver a very solid but sometimes colorful message, and also "Vegan Gains" who has become very popular very quickly!

    Freelee thinks that menstruation is unhealthy and that interrupted periods are a sign that a woman has "detoxed." I don't consider the information shared by her (or Durianrider) to be solid at all.
  • vegwrangler
    vegwrangler Posts: 143 Member
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    My favorite breakfast shake lately is Garden of Life Raw Meal Chocolate or Vanilla. They recently reformulated it and made vast improvements in taste and texture.
  • vegwrangler
    vegwrangler Posts: 143 Member
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    Some random advice:

    1.) Don't rely on processed foodstuffs (I'm looking at you random soy-meat-replacements) to oomph your protein intake. I learned the hard way that you can develop some pretty wacky food intolerances if you over consume anything that is a potential allergen. Variety is a must!

    That being said, adding soyrizo to soup, beans, anything really is amazingballs and I wish I could eat it everyday.

    2.) Look into possibly joining a CSA. You buy a farm share, they give you a box of food on a subscription basis (weekly, bi-weekly, whatever). This is a great motivation to try locally sourced fun veg that you wouldn't normally try. Most CSA's offer insight on recipes and preparation instructions for the fresh happy things they bring you.

    I found there are farms around my area that also let you volunteer for 3-4 hours and will just give you a share for free in exchange for the exercise I would have already done had I not volunteered.

    3.) Learn to love the bulk aisle. Raw nuts are a staple snacky time treat for me. I soak them in water overnight as I heard that it makes the healthy bits more digestible when rehydrated. Also really good added into veggie stir fry or even simple rice dishes.

    4.) I love the nooch. Nutritional yeast is kind of cheesy and a great sprinkle on popcorn, toast, whatever really.

    5.) My crockpot is my savior. Again, hang out in the bulk aisle, grab some beans/peas, and make yourself some awesomeness. I freeze leftovers in pre-portioned packages for easy lunch packing each day.

    Ok, I'm done :-P
  • vegwrangler
    vegwrangler Posts: 143 Member
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    ...and http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/46-team-vegan
  • Dave_Byrne
    Dave_Byrne Posts: 3 Member
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    Heh... I'm pretty sure she doesn't think that, but I know what you mean - they ARE offensive sometimes.
    By solid I mean "Robust"... kind of in-your-face... I watch their videos mostly for entertainment purposes... it's all part of the diverse vegan world that I let wash over me...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    codecolony wrote: »
    Heh... I'm pretty sure she doesn't think that, but I know what you mean - they ARE offensive sometimes.
    By solid I mean "Robust"... kind of in-your-face... I watch their videos mostly for entertainment purposes... it's all part of the diverse vegan world that I let wash over me...

    Are you claiming that she didn't say that "losing your period is good" and that she believes menstruation is toxins leaving the body? Or do you think that she said those things but doesn't actually think they're true?

    When new vegans request help and support, it may be best to hold on to the "entertainment" recommendations for another time and stick to recommendations of science-based and reputable information. A new vegan attempting to implement Freelee or Durianrider's recommendations may harm their health or give up on veganism. Better sources of information would be those who don't repudiate mainstream medicine, advocate for eliminating cooked food, or demonize macronutrients like protein or fat.
  • fluxduster
    fluxduster Posts: 2 Member
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    I certainly didn't mean to imply that simply going vegan will instantly make someone healthier. Oreo cookies are vegan and I don't think you would do well eating them 24/7. So if I offended anyone by saying that, let me clarify.
    After witnessing a relative go from about 9 prescriptions to 1 after three months on a PLANT-BASED DIET that included no meat or dairy, I decided to give it a whirl. I was of normal height and weight, was relatively healthy, but was sluggish, had little energy, participated in little or no sports, played little or none with my children, and just felt "blah" most of the time. By bloodwork right before I switched my eating habits showed that my cholesterol was high and my blood sugar was mid-high to high.
    After switching to a diet devoid of all meat and dairy, and replacing those items with large quanitites of fresh organic green vegetables, beans, legumes, grains, quinoa, etc... my health improved DRAMATICALLY. In short time my bloodwork when retested improved a ton and now is outstanding.
    Do I attribute all of that to my diet, well, that's tricky. My diet gave me the energy to begin running instead of just occassionaly walking the dog. And then running more. And running faster. And excercising. And tracking all of my eating closely (thanks MFP).
    So.... all of those things.... my change in diet, my attention to nutrition, my increased excersice... all of those things have contributed to my greatly improved health. The launching pad though was my change to a vegan diet.

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