Eating vegan
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I'd still like to know what the OP is eating...I'm not a vegan by any stretch, but I do eat vegetarian a lot and many of the things I make are vegan friendly...I eat a lot of legumes and lentils and potatoes and such and find them to be very satisfying...I also eat a ton of mushrooms when I really want that meatiness without the meat.0
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The discussion of whether or not veganism is "ordinary" seems to be a bit besides the point, at least to me.
There are plenty of people here who eat in ways that are out of the ordinary but are perfectly happy and healthy. In fact, one could argue that an "ordinary diet" is what brought most of us here in the first place. Even by the simple act of logging and trying to hit a specific goal for calories and/or macronutrients, we're eating in a way that is "out of the ordinary" for many.
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I think the only reason it's important to know the reason behind the vegan diet is so we can actively be more sensitive with our advice. It's not wrong to ask, how you deal with the answer is what counts here. If she was going vegan for imaginary health benefits, that'd be the time to say "hey nothing wrong with milk". If she chose veganism out of a sincere desire to not harm animals, then knowing that would be important so we could help her do that. It's just clarification for the sake of giving better advice.4
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staylo1313 wrote: »There is only one reason to be a vegan - you philosophically do not believe in using animals for food. That's the one and only reason.
I respectfully disagree. Giving up all (100%) meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, and honey (yes, honey) is not perfectly ordinary at all. It's fine if that's how you want to live your life. More power to you. But it is not perfectly ordinary.[/quote]
Who are you to say that there is one and only one reason to become vegan or to say it is not "perfectly ordinary" (whatever that means)?? Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it's wrong. People on both sides of the vegan fence need to do their research before making comments because a lot of them are just opinions. You can find medical and scientific research that backs up both. There are both vegan and non-vegan people who are extremely healthy and those that are unhealthy. It depends on what you eat and your lifestyle on either way of eating.
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You did not read what I wrote. I did not criticize the OP. I responded to another poster who said that being a vegan was "perfectly ordinary." It is not perfectly ordinary at all, since 98% of Americans are not vegans.
And there is ZERO scientific research that eating an egg once a week from your neighbor's healthy and happy free-range chickens is detrimental to your health. And for that matter, neither is eating a 16-ounce steak a couple of times a year.
Being a vegan means major deprivation. Again, if you don't want to use animals for food, that is perfectly fine. But there is no benefit depriving yourself 100% of animal products for health reasons. None.1 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »staylo1313 wrote: »There is only one reason to be a vegan - you philosophically do not believe in using animals for food. That's the one and only reason.
I respectfully disagree. Giving up all (100%) meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, and honey (yes, honey) is not perfectly ordinary at all. It's fine if that's how you want to live your life. More power to you. But it is not perfectly ordinary.
Who are you to say that there is one and only one reason to become vegan or to say it is not "perfectly ordinary" (whatever that means)?? Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it's wrong. People on both sides of the vegan fence need to do their research before making comments because a lot of them are just opinions. You can find medical and scientific research that backs up both. There are both vegan and non-vegan people who are extremely healthy and those that are unhealthy. It depends on what you eat and your lifestyle on either way of eating.
[/quote]
You did not read what I wrote. I did not criticize the OP. I responded to another poster who said that being a vegan was "perfectly ordinary." It is not perfectly ordinary at all, since 98% of Americans are not vegans.
And there is ZERO scientific research that eating an egg once a week from your neighbor's healthy and happy free-range chickens is detrimental to your health. And for that matter, neither is eating a 16-ounce steak a couple of times a year.
Being a vegan means major deprivation. Again, if you don't want to use animals for food, that is perfectly fine. But there is no benefit depriving yourself 100% of animal products for health reasons. None.[/quote]
"Deprivation" is defined as not having that which one needs or a damaging lack of basic necessities. Vegans do avoid certain things, but I wouldn't define this as deprivation, especially not a major one.
Is it something that most people would choose? At this point, no. But to call is "deprivation" seems like an exaggeration. It's certainly not how I, and many other vegans, would describe our lives.3 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »I think the only reason it's important to know the reason behind the vegan diet is so we can actively be more sensitive with our advice. It's not wrong to ask, how you deal with the answer is what counts here. If she was going vegan for imaginary health benefits, that'd be the time to say "hey nothing wrong with milk". If she chose veganism out of a sincere desire to not harm animals, then knowing that would be important so we could help her do that. It's just clarification for the sake of giving better advice.
I hear what you're saying. My feeling is that when someone asks for advice on something and you have no reason to think they're mistaken about something, just offer the advice.
If someone said, "Hey, I'm on keto and I need some ways to get more fat in," I wouldn't jump in asking why they were on keto. I would just offer advice (if I had some). If they posted "Hey, I'm on keto because I know it's the only way one can lose weight and I need more fat," then I would consider it more appropriate to discuss whether or not it is the only way to lose weight.
Same with discussions of veganism. If OP had said s/he made this decision for health reasons or to lose weight, I think it would be worth discussing. But there is, as of right now, no evidence that OP is doing this for health reasons or to lose weight.
Just my two cents, obviously people can continue to challenge OP's reasons for choosing veganism if they choose to do so.5 -
janejellyroll wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »staylo1313 wrote: »There is only one reason to be a vegan - you philosophically do not believe in using animals for food. That's the one and only reason.
I respectfully disagree. Giving up all (100%) meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, and honey (yes, honey) is not perfectly ordinary at all. It's fine if that's how you want to live your life. More power to you. But it is not perfectly ordinary.
Who are you to say that there is one and only one reason to become vegan or to say it is not "perfectly ordinary" (whatever that means)?? Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it's wrong. People on both sides of the vegan fence need to do their research before making comments because a lot of them are just opinions. You can find medical and scientific research that backs up both. There are both vegan and non-vegan people who are extremely healthy and those that are unhealthy. It depends on what you eat and your lifestyle on either way of eating.
You did not read what I wrote. I did not criticize the OP. I responded to another poster who said that being a vegan was "perfectly ordinary." It is not perfectly ordinary at all, since 98% of Americans are not vegans.
And there is ZERO scientific research that eating an egg once a week from your neighbor's healthy and happy free-range chickens is detrimental to your health. And for that matter, neither is eating a 16-ounce steak a couple of times a year.
Being a vegan means major deprivation. Again, if you don't want to use animals for food, that is perfectly fine. But there is no benefit depriving yourself 100% of animal products for health reasons. None.[/quote]
"Deprivation" is defined as not having that which one needs or a damaging lack of basic necessities. Vegans do avoid certain things, but I wouldn't define this as deprivation, especially not a major one.
Is it something that most people would choose? At this point, no. But to call is "deprivation" seems like an exaggeration. It's certainly not how I, and many other vegans, would describe our lives.[/quote]
Yes, and you are the happy 2%.
But tell an overweight person that he/she should give up meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and honey (yes honey) for weight loss, and 98% will run the other way. Why? Because it is a major deprivation.
And healthy vegan recipes require lots of ingredients and are time consuming to prepare. Can't just throw a piece of chicken or fish on the grill.
Of course there are extraordinarily healthy vegans. But I am talking about depriving yourself of food that you really enjoy eating, and then limiting you diet to whole grains, lentils, beans, rice, fruit and vegetables. It just doesn't work for the 98%.0 -
PEOPLE!! Take it to the debate forum. Stop clogging up the OP question with your opinions. There are many reasons for people choosing veganism.
OP. As others have said. More beans and lentils.
Check out this link. It may help
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/vegan-sources-of-protein/ 5 -
Here are some good resources for awesome vegan food-
1. Post Punk Kitchen (Veganomicon)
2. Oh She Glows
I'm vegetarian- and these two got me through two rounds of forced veganism to accommodate my dairy/soy sensitive nurslings. I still make some things from both even though we are back on the dairy wagon. For me, having really GOOD food was key- and it takes a minute to learn to cook good vegan, if it wasn't always your norm.1 -
twinkles2121 wrote: »PEOPLE!! Take it to the debate forum. Stop clogging up the OP question with your opinions. There are many reasons for people choosing veganism.
OP. As others have said. More beans and lentils.
Check out this link. It may helphttp://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/vegan-sources-of-protein/
If the OP was still with us, I would love to know her reason for being a vegan.0 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »Kathyseiberling wrote: »Been eating vegan for one month. Finding it hard to get enough protein and I don't feel satisfied--any suggestions?
There is only one reason to be a vegan - you philosophically do not believe in using animals for food. That's the one and only reason.
No. It's called food allergies. IDGAF about using animals for food. I have to largely eat vegan due to lactose intolerance and egg allergies. And I grew up with meat and hate the texture and taste of it.2 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »twinkles2121 wrote: »PEOPLE!! Take it to the debate forum. Stop clogging up the OP question with your opinions. There are many reasons for people choosing veganism.
OP. As others have said. More beans and lentils.
Check out this link. It may helphttp://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/vegan-sources-of-protein/
If the OP was still with us, I would love to know her reason for being a vegan.
They are probably gone now that you have derailed the thread and baited responses.15 -
My husband and I did a lot of reading, watching documentaries, and planning before choosing to go to a vegan diet. We would like to improve our "numbers", lose some weight, and see if this change in diet would help my husband's painful joints instead of taking so much ibuprofen.(After one month, he is taking less!) After reading the research done in the China Study, we thought there was enough evidence to go to a plant food based diet for health reasons. We both love to cook and I think I'm struggling with the meal planning. I just feel like we are eating several side dishes instead of a meal that goes together. We are so used to planning around a usual protein so it is a challenge. And it takes longer to cook with all the whole grains and beans. Thanks for the suggestions for recipes and ingredients--using different spices and food combinations will help the food be more satisfying. I think I will just need to do better at weekly planning--then I will be able to try more of the main dish type meals that many of you have suggested. I know vegan is not for everyone but we really want to improve our health at the cellular level so we will see. We are keeping track of the nutritional values of what we are eating--hopefully finding the right balance will become easier as we go along.1
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Cutting out animal products won't help you lose weight, won't improve your health at "a cellular level" (whatever the heck that means, lol... step away from the documentaries), and likely won't help with your husband's joint pain, unless it it being caused by some food allergy, and even then only if that food happens to be eliminated on your vegan diet. If you want to improve your numbers and improve your health, eat at a calorie deficit, focus on getting adequate nutrition, and get some exercise. As for the joint pain, if it is in fact caused by diet, an elimination diet can help identify the culprit, but the culprit is just as likely to be all those whole grains as it is to be steak (maybe more likely, depending on who you ask). If he wants to try an elimination diet, he really should ask for guidance from a doctor or registered dietician. I wish you both luck.0
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
Yes, and you are the happy 2%.
But tell an overweight person that he/she should give up meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and honey (yes honey) for weight loss, and 98% will run the other way. Why? Because it is a major deprivation.
And healthy vegan recipes require lots of ingredients and are time consuming to prepare. Can't just throw a piece of chicken or fish on the grill.
Of course there are extraordinarily healthy vegans. But I am talking about depriving yourself of food that you really enjoy eating, and then limiting you diet to whole grains, lentils, beans, rice, fruit and vegetables. It just doesn't work for the 98%.
I would never tell an overweight person they had to give up animal products for weight loss so I am not sure what you are arguing against. OP hasn't said s/he adopted veganism for weight loss, it's a diversion that has been introduced into the thread by others.
I eat healthy vegan meals daily and there are dozens of recipes that don't require many ingredients and can be prepared quickly. Just because you can't throw a piece of fish or chicken on the grill doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of time preparing food. Have you been vegan? If not, you may want to consider that someone who has been vegan for ten years may know something about the lifestyle that you don't. If you're interested, I can recommend some cookbooks that have simple to prepare meals that don't require a lot of ingredients.
I'm not saying that veganism would be easy for everyone, but it isn't deprivation. Again, deprivation means that people aren't getting something that is necessary. And veganism isn't the the joyless slog that you seem to think that it is. I eat cake and fried foods, I drink beer, I get plenty of fat.
I'm not sure where you are getting your statistics, so I'm not sure how to address the "happy 2%."3 -
While I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, some of my go-to quick meals for myself (I often cook myself a quick dinner that's different than what the family is eating if they're eating meat) are vegan. These are simple things made from pantry staples, if you count the freezer as part of the pantry.
No long lists of ingredients, because I'm already cooking a lot of stuff for other people!
1. Roasted chickpeas and cauliflower
2. Beyond Meat and Green Giant Riced Cauliflower Medley with soy sauce
3. Canned black beans heated with canned tomatoes and some chili powder in corn tortillas1 -
Kathyseiberling wrote: »My husband and I did a lot of reading, watching documentaries, and planning before choosing to go to a vegan diet. We would like to improve our "numbers", lose some weight, and see if this change in diet would help my husband's painful joints instead of taking so much ibuprofen.(After one month, he is taking less!) After reading the research done in the China Study, we thought there was enough evidence to go to a plant food based diet for health reasons. We both love to cook and I think I'm struggling with the meal planning. I just feel like we are eating several side dishes instead of a meal that goes together. We are so used to planning around a usual protein so it is a challenge. And it takes longer to cook with all the whole grains and beans. Thanks for the suggestions for recipes and ingredients--using different spices and food combinations will help the food be more satisfying. I think I will just need to do better at weekly planning--then I will be able to try more of the main dish type meals that many of you have suggested. I know vegan is not for everyone but we really want to improve our health at the cellular level so we will see. We are keeping track of the nutritional values of what we are eating--hopefully finding the right balance will become easier as we go along.
Hooray for you! Trying to improve your health is a positive change!
My cholesterol has already dropped 30+ points and I am due to have it checked again this week. I did not change my diet, I simply ate fewer calories and lost over 30 lbs. I personally do not advocate any diet that eliminates any food unless you don't like that food, for medical reasons (allergy, Celiac disease, diabetes), or for ethical reasons (vegetarian, vegan). I personally would find a vegan diet unsatisfying and certainly not sustainable (and I have many friends that are either vegetarian or vegan).
Unfortunately, the China Study research was flawed. Also, as far as I know, improving your health at the "cellular level" is not really a thing, although I suppose any improvement in health is at the cellular level.
Regarding the joint pain - has his family doctor or rheumatologist ever suggested glucosamine/chondroitin supplements? Our vet suggested them for our older dog and I started my husband on them.
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Kathyseiberling wrote: »My husband and I did a lot of reading, watching documentaries, and planning before choosing to go to a vegan diet. We would like to improve our "numbers", lose some weight, and see if this change in diet would help my husband's painful joints instead of taking so much ibuprofen.(After one month, he is taking less!) After reading the research done in the China Study, we thought there was enough evidence to go to a plant food based diet for health reasons. We both love to cook and I think I'm struggling with the meal planning. I just feel like we are eating several side dishes instead of a meal that goes together. We are so used to planning around a usual protein so it is a challenge. And it takes longer to cook with all the whole grains and beans. Thanks for the suggestions for recipes and ingredients--using different spices and food combinations will help the food be more satisfying. I think I will just need to do better at weekly planning--then I will be able to try more of the main dish type meals that many of you have suggested. I know vegan is not for everyone but we really want to improve our health at the cellular level so we will see. We are keeping track of the nutritional values of what we are eating--hopefully finding the right balance will become easier as we go along.
If you don't already have one, I'd suggest a Pinterest account...My wife and I have been eating more vegetarian for awhile (not 100%) and Pinterest was a great resource in that we also struggled initially with "main courses" on meatless days. I started an account and just typed in "Vegetarian Main Course Recipes" or something to that effect in the search and a whole crap load of awesome stuff popped up.1 -
Beans, pumpkin seeds, protein supplement ( I like Vega)0
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I was vegan for 8 months. I've never in my life loved meat as much as I have since ending veganism. To this day I love it. I never used to until I started craving it on a vegan diet.
I fully support the vegan lifestyle, but I rarely felt satisfied on it. I thought I'd lose weight and be in optimal health when on the lifestyle. Rather, I was hungry very often, I craved cheese throughout most of it and toward the end I started craving meat, which I didn't eat that often before becoming vegan and never craved in my life. According to the numbers, I was getting plenty of protein through tofu, beans, quinoa, other grains, tempeh, soy, nuts, etc, but the quality of proteins in these sources aren't as high as that of eggs and meat. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids.... vegan sources don't (except quinoa). Therefore, as vegan, make sure you're eating a variety of protein sources (whole wheat toast with peanut butter, quinoa, rice with beans, etc) in order to get all the amino acids you need (note that they can be eaten separately throughout the day- you don't need to combine them at the same meal). For me though, I still was unsatisfied and I think it was because I ate so my carbs as a vegan. Nothing against carbs, but they aren't nearly as satiating as protein/fat. Something I didn't do, that I suggest for you, is adding in lots of healthy sources of fats like coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, nuts, nut butters, etc. These will help keep you full longer. And this might be an obvious one, but don't go for processed vegan foods. Stick to plants and you'll get all that fiber that will help keep you full. Hope that helps and good luck. Remember why you went vegan and use that to motivate you if you need!2
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