WANTED: Opinions on vegetarian/vegan diet

dancefit2015 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

My opinion: I have been vegan for ten years, one of the best decisions I have ever made. I wish the trend of documentaries trying to scare people into a plant-based diet would end.

If you are talking about the gory graphic videos of animals being slaughtered then I agree, but the one I recommended is all about the health and the misinformation surrounding diabetes, heart health, cancer, etc...

Isn't this the "documentary" that claims veganism will cure certain disease? As well as sensationalizes a number of other things?

I have been vegetarian for over a year. I would never go back to eating meat. I also eat clean and do Intermittent Fasting. I believe to each his own. If you want eat meat then that's your choice.

dancefit2015 wrote: »

@YvetteK2015 awesome advice and I completely agree! I have already decided I will be vegetarian, it's vegan that is hard. Last time I was vegan I was very unhealthy as there are many junk foods that are vegan *ahem* Oreos...
So if anyone has any delicious vegan recipes please share those here as well!

I don't understand this. Oreos and foods like that aren't *more tempting* to vegans than non-vegans. If you have trouble moderating your consumption of treats as a vegan and it keeps you from meeting your nutritional needs, wouldn't you have the same issues as a non-vegan?

dancefit2015 wrote: »

Also @janejellyroll I would eat many vegan food substitutes and just make these weird mock foods that just weren't healthy. It was my first go at it and I didn't have the right guidance

Yeah, whether you are vegan or non-vegan, you'll want to eat in a way that meets your nutritional needs. That can include vegan foods substitutes (foods like plant milks, seitan, and nut cheeses all have a lot of nutrients) or not, depending on your preferences.

jhildebrandt73 wrote: »

I don't think you should label yourself as one thing or another. Just be aware of what you are putting in your body and the way it affects you. Just care about yourself.

"Just care about yourself" seems like a potentially empty way to go through life. What if I also want to care about other individuals and the impact I have on them?

dancefit2015 wrote: »

I think it was just the place I was in when I tried being vegan. I hung out with people who didn't care about nutrition and at that period in time I wasn't too concerned either. Also there are less food options for vegans so I think it was just me compensating or something, honestly idk what I was doing back then. Now I eat much healthier, so I think it would be better and more nutrition based.

Yeah, I've been vegan for 20 years now and I don't regret it at all.

However, when I was in my teens I tried to go vegan once and failed at it, and it was because I was not eating for health at all. It wasn't that bad foods were more tempting to me as a vegan, but more that if I was hanging out with friends there often weren't really vegan options so what I'd eat would usually not be very nutritious. Oreos actually weren't vegan back then, but I ended up eating a lot of the same stuff all the time--steamed broccoli and rice, spaghetti marinara, and lots and lots of bread--if you notice a pattern there I was eating mostly refined carbs and no real protein.

I didn't have much guidance from others actually, but when I tried again, and this time I stuck with it, I made a real effort to eat a very balanced, whole foods based diet. Back then I mostly cooked everything I ate as there were not so many vegan "convenience foods." I'd have my friends over and I'd cook--most weren't vegan but were happy to eat something I'd cooked most of the time. And I was incredibly active then too, honestly.

However, now, it's just too easy for me to over-eat, even on so-called "healthy foods." For example, there are Amy's frozen dinners that are pretty decent and have good foods in the ingredients, but I still have to worry about the total calories I'm consuming. Now there are vegan desserts everywhere honestly. It's easy for a few extra calories here and there to add up over time.

However, now, since I've recommitted to being healthy I am eating more whole foods and salads (light on the dressing) and I'm doing a lot better. It was easy for me to fool myself that I could eat all the beans and rice I wanted because "it's healthy." In truth, for me to keep a healthy weight, I just cannot do that.