Vegan diet

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lovely_cienna
lovely_cienna Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to be vegan and see if I can maintain the lifestyle ,does anyone have any tips or recipes? o:)

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  • melcling
    melcling Posts: 3 Member
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    I would encourage you to not be afraid to play with what works for your body! Some vegans eat really high carb, while others are more restrictive. While I was vegan I had to be reaaallllyyy careful about my carbs because they make me pack on pounds, but for many people high carb works! Eventually I had to leave the vegan lifestyle because it wasn't sustainable for me at the time, but please don't let that discourage you! If you find a rhythm that works for you more power to you!
  • claremarie9
    claremarie9 Posts: 3 Member
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    Congrats! That's awesome that you've decided to make the lifestyle choice of veganism :) I've been vegan since July, and when I first started I tried to be super healthy and eat absolutely no junk food. I ended up just being super hungry all the time. I started making sure I was eating a balance of carbs and veggies (mostly veggies) and I felt a lot better! I also watch my protein intake, but honestly it's not hard to get enough protein because so many veggies are high in protein.. ie spinach, kale, peas. Being vegan is also helpful in stopping bad food choices, like if you no a cake has buttercream icing it's easier not to eat if you think about the animals suffering. Watching documentaries about animal agriculture will help reinforce your beliefs and keep you on track. YouTube is a wonderful source for vegan recipes and lifestyle tips, it's helped me so much over the past few months! Hope this helped :)
  • SunflowerDaisey
    SunflowerDaisey Posts: 54 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Hi. I was vegan for two years. Pay close attention to your B12 and iron. Many vegans are deficient. There are some crazy pseudoscience vegans. Don't listen to anyone who tells you stuff like protein isn't important. There are lots of recipes on Pinterest. I love vegan chili. http://henfamily.com/kid-friendly-vegetarian-chilli/
    Also The Minimalist Baker is good.
  • RedheadedPrincess14
    RedheadedPrincess14 Posts: 415 Member
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    I'm vegan and have lost a lot of weight. You can add me to chat but you can also just check my diary. Ask me for any recipes
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Since you sat "lifestyle," I'm assuming this is an ethical choice and you are not using the word vegan to mean a plant-based diet.

    I would suggest reading a good book or two regarding nutrition (sorry, I can't think of any off the top of my head right now, I've been vegan for years so it's been a long time since I've read such things). Don't believe the fear-mongerers who try to tell you that you can't get enough protein or you're going to immediately become deficient in certain things. Yes, you have to be smart, but it's not that difficult if you eat a balanced diet.

    A good starting website for recipes is happyherbivore.com, and her cookbooks are really good, too. Some of her recipes are more work than I'm willing to put in, but some are super-simple, and everything I've made is delicious. She doesn't use much fat, so I will sometimes add fat to the recipes. I really like her chickpea recipes - there's a taco recipe, Hawaiin BBQ bowl, and mock tuna salad that are really good (can't remember the names right now, but they're on the site and in her cookbooks). Those are all easy recipes. Substitute items if you don't have the exact one called for (like Tobasco for certain hot sauces or things like that).

    Just take it slow if you need to. I didn't need to, I literally became vegan overnight and it wasn't a problem for me, but some people need slower transitions. It's not about being perfect, it's about making the best choices you can as you go, and reducing your contribution to exploitation and suffering as you go.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    "Vegan For Life" is a great primer on vegan nutrition for all sorts of lifestyles. It's by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina. I highly recommend it for anyone considering veganism.
  • tashamagnet
    tashamagnet Posts: 5 Member
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    I second Minimalist Baker as a source for recipes. Oh She Glows was pretty nice too, especially when I was first starting out. If you want to buy a cookbook, I highly recommend anything by Thug Kitchen.
  • missmince
    missmince Posts: 76 Member
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    Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is my favorite. It gives the nutritional information you need when changing eating habits, and most of the recipes are good. I have other vegetarian/vegan recipe books, but I use this one the most. I have Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance by her, too, and they're fantastic, but much less calorie conscious. Great for deserts and baked goods, though.

    http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/category/favorites has lots of good online recipes I use a lot, fortunately not actually fat free. The ones I make most are: Barbecued Seitan Ribz, Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas, and My Favorite Lasagna. I like that there are reader comments from people who have actually made the recipes or are offering variations and helpful suggestions.

    I have been a vegetarian for a very long time, but going to vegan has been a challenge. I'm still eating some eggs in baked goods, and have started eating fish occasionally. Good luck! It's a lot of work, but there are a lot of vegans on the net who are very supportive and many recipes that omnivores also will like.
  • BonnieDundee78
    BonnieDundee78 Posts: 158 Member
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    tashamagnet wrote: »
    I second Minimalist Baker as a source for recipes. Oh She Glows was pretty nice too, especially when I was first starting out. If you want to buy a cookbook, I highly recommend anything by Thug Kitchen.

    THIS. All three of these sites are a goldmine. And the food is amazing. I'm not 100% vegan, but these are still my go-to sites when I'm looking for recipes. Also worth checking out Katy at http://littlemissmeatfree.com/ and Aine at http://www.peasoupeats.com/
  • mayafit405
    mayafit405 Posts: 61 Member
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    Check out The Vegan Zombie & Sweetpotatosoul on YouTube :) Great resources <3
  • yellingkimber
    yellingkimber Posts: 229 Member
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    mayafit405 wrote: »
    Check out The Vegan Zombie & Sweetpotatosoul on YouTube :) Great resources <3

    Here to second The Vegan Zombie!
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    missmince wrote: »
    Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is my favorite. It gives the nutritional information you need when changing eating habits, and most of the recipes are good. I have other vegetarian/vegan recipe books, but I use this one the most. I have Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance by her, too, and they're fantastic, but much less calorie conscious. Great for deserts and baked goods, though.
    I'm going to second Appetite for Reduction. It's a wonderful cookbook.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    Thirded! I'm ovo-lacto, but I mostly cook vegan.

    (Full disclosure: I'm strictly kosher and married to a meat-eater. There are some very complicated rules about not mixing meat and dairy that also applies to plates and utensils and not heating up meat and dairy in the same oven unless one is double-wrapped in foil and... when I buy "vegetarian" cookbooks, they seem to be more than 50% dairy so I feel like I'm not getting my money's worth. With a vegan cookbook, the only time I can't make a recipe alongside hubby's meat dish is if it calls for an 'ethnic' ingredient I can't find kosher-certified. And even then, I'll see if I can find a substitute online. I have no issues with eggs, but I have no issues not using them either.)

    I just made this today. Haven't tried it yet, but it looks good! One thing: I plugged the ingredients into the recipe builder ahead of time, using generics like 'one red onion, one red pepper' without weighing them. As for the squash, it actually calls for a medium butternut, but I find them a real pain to peel, seed, and chop, so I got 2 10z bags of frozen cubed instead.

    8u0ed3487mdb.png

    Heat the oil in a large pot (I used a 5-qt Dutch oven) on medium. Add onion, red pepper, garlic, and squash, cover and cook 10 minutes.

    Add broth, undrained diced tomatoes, drained chilis, sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

    Add kidney beans, corn, and salt and keep simmering.

    Add orange and heat through. Serve garnished with parsely.
  • KettleTO
    KettleTO Posts: 144 Member
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    Like any other "diet" you can eat badly as a vegan too. Focus on whole foods and homemade meals. Eating out can be a challenge, but research and healthy portable food (Simply Bars) are key.
  • lovely_cienna
    lovely_cienna Posts: 11 Member
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    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Thirded! I'm ovo-lacto, but I mostly cook vegan.

    (Full disclosure: I'm strictly kosher and married to a meat-eater. There are some very complicated rules about not mixing meat and dairy that also applies to plates and utensils and not heating up meat and dairy in the same oven unless one is double-wrapped in foil and... when I buy "vegetarian" cookbooks, they seem to be more than 50% dairy so I feel like I'm not getting my money's worth. With a vegan cookbook, the only time I can't make a recipe alongside hubby's meat dish is if it calls for an 'ethnic' ingredient I can't find kosher-certified. And even then, I'll see if I can find a substitute online. I have no issues with eggs, but I have no issues not using them either.)

    I just made this today. Haven't tried it yet, but it looks good! One thing: I plugged the ingredients into the recipe builder ahead of time, using generics like 'one red onion, one red pepper' without weighing them. As for the squash, it actually calls for a medium butternut, but I find them a real pain to peel, seed, and chop, so I got 2 10z bags of frozen cubed instead.

    8u0ed3487mdb.png

    Heat the oil in a large pot (I used a 5-qt Dutch oven) on medium. Add onion, red pepper, garlic, and squash, cover and cook 10 minutes.

    Add broth, undrained diced tomatoes, drained chilis, sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

    Add kidney beans, corn, and salt and keep simmering.

    Add orange and heat through. Serve garnished with parsely.

    Thank you so much! Very helpful
  • SarahLascelles1
    SarahLascelles1 Posts: 95 Member
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    The Veganomicon is an excellent cookbook. It uses US measurements, but has a conversation chat at the back. It also uses US, which confused me when I couldn't remember what a 'zucchini' is called in Britain :)
  • SarahLascelles1
    SarahLascelles1 Posts: 95 Member
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    (I remembered about 30 seconds later)
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    melcling wrote: »
    I would encourage you to not be afraid to play with what works for your body! Some vegans eat really high carb, while others are more restrictive. While I was vegan I had to be reaaallllyyy careful about my carbs because they make me pack on pounds, but for many people high carb works! Eventually I had to leave the vegan lifestyle because it wasn't sustainable for me at the time, but please don't let that discourage you! If you find a rhythm that works for you more power to you!

    Just pointing out to any lurkers/newcomers: If one is in a true deficit, carbs will not cause fat gain as energy cannot be created out of nothing. This goes for any living creature. Consume too many calories, bam, weight gain. If ones glycogen stores are close to empty or they're used to low carb then eat carbs, temporary water weight gain can happen.

    I was a vegetarian for 4 years. Ate only nutritious foods. I was also at my highest weight ever. Why? It wasn't because of the carbs. I didn't count calories. When I started logging, I was shocked at how many calories I was eating (400+ over my maintenance). Cut calories to TDEE -1000 (I was 275lbs), kept carbs high and lost weight.
  • lovely_cienna
    lovely_cienna Posts: 11 Member
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    SarahLascelles1 wrote: »
    The Veganomicon is an excellent cookbook. It uses US measurements, but has a conversation chat at the back. It also uses US, which confused me when I couldn't remember what a 'zucchini' is called in Britain :)

    Thanks love!❤

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