Plant Based Diets

Options
amynichole119
amynichole119 Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Since I have switched my major to nutrition I have been seeing a lot of studies in Plant Based Diets in my research. Can someone who is on the diet explain the specs? I am very interested in trying it out sometime. :)
«13

Replies

  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Options
    Plant based diet simply means that you only consume plant based foods or their derivatives... no animal products used for food (no eggs, dairy, meat, cheese, etc.).

    Do you have other, more specific questions?
  • amynichole119
    amynichole119 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    What about beans, lentils and grains? I would consider those plant based.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Options
    That would be correct... those are all plants. I think the problem here lies in your definition of "plant", because, based on your previous question it seems like you may be referring only to leafy greens as plants.

    Please correct me if I'm misunderstanding.
  • tennileb
    tennileb Posts: 265 Member
    Options
    I eat a plant based diet, the only things I don't eat are meat, eggs and dairy....so any veggie, nut, bean, grain etc....are fair game. No meat athlete has some great resources.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Options
    It's a vegan diet without the ethical concerns. Does that help?
  • amynichole119
    amynichole119 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Yes, thats what I was wanting to confirm. I was wanting to try it out but if I was going to try it out I wanted to make sure I was doing it correctly. For example the paleo diet, you arent allowed to eat grains or beans which I didnt know when I did it, so it ended up being pointless. Lol.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Yep, you're ok to consume literally anything that is not an animal (that is also still considered food)

    That said, most will find that A) there is no magic about a plant based diet and B ) getting adequate micro-nutrition requires planning and supplementation simply because some micronutrients are not available from plant sources such as adequate D vitamins in appropriate quantities, B12, omega fatty acids, etc.

    If you choose to go plant based, more power to you, but make certain to educate yourself well or you'll set yourself up for some nutrient deficiency down the road.

    Edited to correct an accidental emoji and to add this link:

    http://www.veganhealth.org/

    There's some good info there regarding plant based nutrition. Just ignore all the vegan references and you should be good to go.
  • amynichole119
    amynichole119 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Yes it does. Now, people who changed their diet what differences did you notice?
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Options
    Just to let you know... you'll probably have better chances at getting answers to that type of questions in some of the groups...

    Here's a link to the most active plant based group that I've found here on MFP:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores


    As for my experience, things that changed for me... the cost of my grocery bill went down, and the cost of my supplements went up. I had to plan meals more effectively to avoid nutrient deficiency, and I had to go have my blood checked more often to make sure I was staying on track.

    That's about it.
  • amynichole119
    amynichole119 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Thank you so much for the information! I don't know how to cook meat so I am basically on a vegan diet except that I eat eggs. I don't really like cheese or milk. I also like bread, but I didn't know if that was put into the diet as well...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    amynichole119 wrote: »
    Thank you so much for the information! I don't know how to cook meat so I am basically on a vegan diet except that I eat eggs. I don't really like cheese or milk. I also like bread, but I didn't know if that was put into the diet as well...

    As long as the bread is free of animal ingredients, it's appropriate for a plant-based diet.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Options
    Bread is fine on a plant based diet as long as it doesn't contain milk or eggs (or honey for some people)
  • amynichole119
    amynichole119 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    Awesome! Good to know!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Options
    MichPainter wrote: »
    I stopped eating meat at the end of 2015. The transition to cooking meals was a little difficult at first. Mexican food lends itself to plant based diets - Italian food and stir fries are also easily switched to non-meat meals. The issue I found was that I gained weight, rather than loosing. I was eating far too much pasta and tortillas! It took me a few months and a lot of research, but I have finally gotten into the grove of eating plant based. And it is friggin' delicious! It is crazy how much I have fallen in love with sauteed spinach or roasted beets and carrots.

    I make fajitas, but use portobello mushrooms as the "meat". I make lasagna, but use thinly sliced eggplant or zucchini as the "noodle". Learn to cook with spices and learn to love raw food (my favorite lunch is open faced sandwich topped with homemade pesto, avocado, sweet grape tomatoes, and broccoli sprouts). You will get plenty of nutrition on plant based....and even if you aren't doing it full blown right away, you can ease it to it...cut meat out except for special occasions or weekends maybe - or just take the plunge and go all in!

    My journey began over a concern for my health, but you will find that the more you look into eating plant based, the deeper issues will effect you - animal agriculture is sickening and if you are on Facebook and start "liking" vegan pages you may just find, like I did, that your health/weight is the least of the issues when it comes to cutting out animal products. Not to mention making the change will create a better world because animal agriculture is not only horrendously cruel to the animals, it is also torturing our planet.

    There are plenty of reasons to make the switch - you will no longer be consuming dead meat, you will become healthier, you will help save thousands of animals lives, you will help save the planet. I know I feel better knowing that I'm not ingesting something that died in fear and anguish - because you know putting that *kitten* in your system cannot be good for you!

    While being a vegan is great, please don't spread misinformation about ingesting meat. It can be included in a perfectly healthy and balanced diet.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Options
    Hornsby wrote: »
    It's a vegan diet without the ethical concerns. Does that help?

    I hate that the vegans have stolen the term "plant based diet". I have long called my diet plant based, in that the bulk of my diet comes from plants (but not all). What sense does it make to say that your diet is "based" on plants if plants are all you eat? Plus, they already have a name for their diet. ::grumble::
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    It's a vegan diet without the ethical concerns. Does that help?

    I hate that the vegans have stolen the term "plant based diet". I have long called my diet plant based, in that the bulk of my diet comes from plants (but not all). What sense does it make to say that your diet is "based" on plants if plants are all you eat? Plus, they already have a name for their diet. ::grumble::

    Yea, I agree with you. My diet could be considered "plant based" as well, but like you, just not all of it as I do eat meat. Majority of my diet comes from beans and veggies (yes beans are veggies but separated for clarity :) with a smaller portions of meat at each meal. Mostly chicken or fish.

    But now it is thought of in the same light for some reason.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    It's a vegan diet without the ethical concerns. Does that help?

    I hate that the vegans have stolen the term "plant based diet". I have long called my diet plant based, in that the bulk of my diet comes from plants (but not all). What sense does it make to say that your diet is "based" on plants if plants are all you eat? Plus, they already have a name for their diet. ::grumble::

    But it doesn't describe vegans. Vegans have an ethical objection to animal exploitation and suffering. Diet is only a portion of this. People on a plant-based diet are avoiding animal products in the diet for health reasons.

    They're two different things. If anything, you should be annoyed with the plant-based dieters for not coming up with a new term to describe how *they* eat.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Options
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    It's a vegan diet without the ethical concerns. Does that help?

    I hate that the vegans have stolen the term "plant based diet". I have long called my diet plant based, in that the bulk of my diet comes from plants (but not all). What sense does it make to say that your diet is "based" on plants if plants are all you eat? Plus, they already have a name for their diet. ::grumble::

    But it doesn't describe vegans. Vegans have an ethical objection to animal exploitation and suffering. Diet is only a portion of this. People on a plant-based diet are avoiding animal products in the diet for health reasons.

    They're two different things. If anything, you should be annoyed with the plant-based dieters for not coming up with a new term to describe how *they* eat.

    It's the same diet though, right?

Categories