Part time vegan?

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I recently (last 2-3 weeks) have started having way less animal products. I've noticed that my hair is becoming thicker at a fast rate and my skin is glowing and less dry. This lifestyle change is messing with my digestive system though. Being an active teen, I'm not sure if this is healthy long term. Advice anyone?
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  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
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    About the digestive problems: your body is probably not used to the increased fiber if you are eating more beans, legumes, and vegetables.

    You might have an intolerance for some foods, too. I like Silk's protein nutmilk and cashew milk, but I can't drink soy milk (it upsets my stomach). I can eat tofu, though, another form of soy.

    Vegan diets are healthy if like other diets you get enough protein and other essential nutrients. If you are not familiar with eating that way then research will help you.

    There are many resources online like this one: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,363 Member
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    Part-time vegan as in someone who doesn't eat or use animal products...but only sometimes?

    How is it messing with your digestive system?




  • izzie218
    izzie218 Posts: 32 Member
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    Part-time vegan as in someone who doesn't eat or use animal products...but only sometimes?

    How is it messing with your digestive system?




    I've been bloated after meals
  • jordan_bowden
    jordan_bowden Posts: 90 Member
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    Bloating when coming to a vegan diet is 100% normal! Even digestion discomfort for the first few weeks! I had the exact same experience, including gas (tmi) when I transitioned and it stopped after a week or two. Your body will do a lot of internal changing, because the foods you are eating are so much lower in cholesterol, hormones and other animal biproduct effects, plus you're eating waaayy more fiber so you're kind of going through a "detox" or healing period. Many people experience this and think that it's just not working for them so they go back to the foods they were consuming before but I assure you, your body is just adapting and I really encourage you to persevere just a little bit longer!
  • brichards_
    brichards_ Posts: 113 Member
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    It gets better with time :) keep at it and see if it works for you!
  • izzie218
    izzie218 Posts: 32 Member
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    brichards_ wrote: »
    It gets better with time :) keep at it and see if it works for you!

    Thanks! I'm already getting used to it.

  • donsred
    donsred Posts: 16 Member
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    A vegan diet is not only "healthy enough", it is the healthiest way you can eat, whether you are a teen, or any other age. Glad your discomfort has gone away. Make sure you supplement your diet with B12 (not naturally available in plant foods). I just take a B-complex two or three times a week. I've been a vegetarian for over a decade, and then went vegan a bit over 4 years ago. My allergies all went away. My arthritis dwindled to almost nothing, from being very painful every day. Never going back!

    Read "The China Study" for more research on a "whole foods" diet. It's essentially a vegan diet, but most of the new research really shows that there is a difference between being an oreo vegan (yes, oreos are vegan), who eats vegan, but still eats mostly processed junk, and a "whole foods" vegan, who focuses their diet on whole, unprocessed plant foods as much as possible. "Whole foods" vegan is the way to go, even if you have to work your way into it.

    When you're ready to take it to the next level, try adding green smoothies to your diet. And don't give up after you try one recipe and didn't like the taste. Try new recipes until you find one you like - they're supposed to taste good AND be good for you!
  • Lavelle1980
    Lavelle1980 Posts: 367 Member
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    Been Vegan for over a year now. Some tips that helped with digestive issue were to eat my fruits separate from veggies. I mostly eat my fruits (smoothies) in the morning for a breakfast and will separate them about 2 hours apart. Legumes, beans, and broccoli does not do well with me. Although I know they are high in protein, I try to stick with Garbanzo beans which are easier to digest.

    I only eat the fruits, veggies, and grains that I enjoy eating.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    donsred wrote: »
    A vegan diet is not only "healthy enough", it is the healthiest way you can eat, whether you are a teen, or any other age. Glad your discomfort has gone away. Make sure you supplement your diet with B12 (not naturally available in plant foods). I just take a B-complex two or three times a week. I've been a vegetarian for over a decade, and then went vegan a bit over 4 years ago. My allergies all went away. My arthritis dwindled to almost nothing, from being very painful every day. Never going back!

    Read "The China Study" for more research on a "whole foods" diet. It's essentially a vegan diet, but most of the new research really shows that there is a difference between being an oreo vegan (yes, oreos are vegan), who eats vegan, but still eats mostly processed junk, and a "whole foods" vegan, who focuses their diet on whole, unprocessed plant foods as much as possible. "Whole foods" vegan is the way to go, even if you have to work your way into it.

    When you're ready to take it to the next level, try adding green smoothies to your diet. And don't give up after you try one recipe and didn't like the taste. Try new recipes until you find one you like - they're supposed to taste good AND be good for you!

    What is healthy for one person may not be healthy for another person. No one dietbis "healthiest".
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    The improvement in your hair and skin is likely down to eating more vegetables than less meat.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    It's good long term. The best advice i can say is, as with any other way of eating, that fresh fruits and veggies are foods to eat every day. Especially green veggies!
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I wouldn't criticize her for being a "part time vegan". I considered it - there's a book by Mark Bittman called "VB6" about being a vegan until dinner, and then eating what you want. He lost 40+lb doing it, and found it to be a simple way to create rules that helped him eat more plants and less calories for most of the day and then eat delicious things he loved for dinner.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    annacole94 wrote: »
    I wouldn't criticize her for being a "part time vegan". I considered it - there's a book by Mark Bittman called "VB6" about being a vegan until dinner, and then eating what you want. He lost 40+lb doing it, and found it to be a simple way to create rules that helped him eat more plants and less calories for most of the day and then eat delicious things he loved for dinner.

    But that's not vegan. Eating vegetables only before 6pm is just eating vegetables only before 6pm. A kind of form of intermittent fasting/using very few calories before dinner.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    annacole94 wrote: »
    I wouldn't criticize her for being a "part time vegan". I considered it - there's a book by Mark Bittman called "VB6" about being a vegan until dinner, and then eating what you want. He lost 40+lb doing it, and found it to be a simple way to create rules that helped him eat more plants and less calories for most of the day and then eat delicious things he loved for dinner.

    But that's not vegan. Eating vegetables only before 6pm is just eating vegetables only before 6pm. A kind of form of intermittent fasting/using very few calories before dinner.
    Well, according to you. According to him, who literally wrote "the book" on the subject, an effective way to communicate his eating style is to say he eats vegan before 6 pm. And that's not "vegetables only". So your words are not an effective way to communicate that eating style.
  • drawaimfire
    drawaimfire Posts: 83 Member
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    Too many labels and people potentially getting their panties/briefs in a bunch.

    A meal can be a vegan meal or a gluten free meal or a meat extravaganza. In the end though, it was just a meal that you hopefully enjoyed and doesn't need to be redefined or picked apart.

    Good luck and I hope your tummy distress has lessened. Usually just cashews do that to me...after I turn them into fluffy cashew butter and eat an almost criminal amount leaving me little room for any other foods that day and sitting with a spoon in my mouth.

    :#
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    annacole94 wrote: »
    annacole94 wrote: »
    I wouldn't criticize her for being a "part time vegan". I considered it - there's a book by Mark Bittman called "VB6" about being a vegan until dinner, and then eating what you want. He lost 40+lb doing it, and found it to be a simple way to create rules that helped him eat more plants and less calories for most of the day and then eat delicious things he loved for dinner.

    But that's not vegan. Eating vegetables only before 6pm is just eating vegetables only before 6pm. A kind of form of intermittent fasting/using very few calories before dinner.
    Well, according to you. According to him, who literally wrote "the book" on the subject, an effective way to communicate his eating style is to say he eats vegan before 6 pm. And that's not "vegetables only". So your words are not an effective way to communicate that eating style.

    So because he wrote a book saying he's a part-time vegan that means it's now definitely a thing? Anyone can write a book about anything at all, doesn't make it fact. I simplified by saying vegetables but the fact remains he does eat animals and animal products every day. Just because he limits that to his evening meal doesn't make him a part-time vegan. Anyone eating animals and animal products at any time is an omnivore. There are a lot of people, myself included, who may eat vegetarian meals often and for whole days, that doesn't make me a part-time vegetarian.

  • izzie218
    izzie218 Posts: 32 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone!