Healthier Food but Higher Calories/Carbs

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  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    ok let me be brave here. do you all eat any sugar, brown sugar or anything? I mean real sugar! a little bit for flavor, some vinegary foods need a bit of brown sugar to be edible.

    Yes. A teaspoon of sugar is 16 calories. I can fit that in my daily caloric allowance easily.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    ok let me be brave here. do you all eat any sugar, brown sugar or anything? I mean real sugar! a little bit for flavor, some vinegary foods need a bit of brown sugar to be edible.

    Yes. A teaspoon of sugar is 16 calories. I can fit that in my daily caloric allowance easily.

    This. If something I'm making calls for sugar I add it. I don't have much of a sweet tooth so not that often. If I want it, I fit it in. You really want to break the thought pattern of demonizing foods and seeing them as good or bad. It's all about amount and context.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    THANK YOU !!!!! this is liberating!!!!
  • ElizabethHanrahan
    ElizabethHanrahan Posts: 102 Member
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    Unless you have an ALLERGY to dairy, Don't stop because of things you "heard". The texture and flavor of the vegan items WILL NEVER be the same as the dairy ones. I have tried EVERY BRAND since I AM allergic to dairy so I am not just trying to talk you out of being vegan. If you have a reason to go vegan ( philosophy, allergy, or religion) then do it. For ME, the benefits of dairy free out weigh the taste and calories (to a point). Just keep everything within your calories and you will be fine.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    I'm beginning to think that the IIFYM crowd might be right after all! (if it fits your macros). I'm not trying to be silly, but it may be true after all.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    The biggest factors for health are body weight, activity level and genetic. Eating WFPB, LCHF, Paleo, etc... doesn't automatically make you healthier. And the whole reason vegans are regarded as healthier is they tend to make better decisions in terms of food they eat and work out. Being that you are on MFP, you are already probably doing that.

    So concentrate on whole foods, exercise and don't watch documentaries. If you want, focused on getting adequate fiber, lean protiens, healthy fats (PUFA/MUFA) and limiting added sugars and SFA.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Stop reading fear mongering nonsense that comes with an agenda...a vegan diet can be healthy or not so much...just as an omnivorous diet can be healthy or not so much. There are fat vegans...there are vegans who get cancer...there are vegans who get diabetes because they're over weight, etc...any diet can be as healthy or not so much as you want to make it...but the "eat meat and you're going to die" is a bunch of cherry picked nonsense with not much more than, "well there might be some kind of correlation"..."but we can't really tell because there are so many variables"...but agenda driven sites and shows will cherry pick the stuff that works with their particular world view and agenda.

    If you're worried about carbs I'm not sure why you'd go vegan...most vegans eat 60%+ of their calories in carbohydrates, basically by default.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Stop reading fear mongering nonsense that comes with an agenda...a vegan diet can be healthy or not so much...just as an omnivorous diet can be healthy or not so much. There are fat vegans...there are vegans who get cancer...there are vegans who get diabetes because they're over weight, etc...any diet can be as healthy or not so much as you want to make it...but the "eat meat and you're going to die" is a bunch of cherry picked nonsense with not much more than, "well there might be some kind of correlation"..."but we can't really tell because there are so many variables"...but agenda driven sites and shows will cherry pick the stuff that works with their particular world view and agenda.

    If you're worried about carbs I'm not sure why you'd go vegan...most vegans eat 60%+ of their calories in carbohydrates, basically by default.

    I'm eating complex carbs, I have a pre-diabetes issue, but that is beginning to reverse quickly. I have done various types of ways of eating and I keep evolving, so here I am at this place dealing with the vegan stuff.

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Stop reading fear mongering nonsense that comes with an agenda...a vegan diet can be healthy or not so much...just as an omnivorous diet can be healthy or not so much. There are fat vegans...there are vegans who get cancer...there are vegans who get diabetes because they're over weight, etc...any diet can be as healthy or not so much as you want to make it...but the "eat meat and you're going to die" is a bunch of cherry picked nonsense with not much more than, "well there might be some kind of correlation"..."but we can't really tell because there are so many variables"...but agenda driven sites and shows will cherry pick the stuff that works with their particular world view and agenda.

    If you're worried about carbs I'm not sure why you'd go vegan...most vegans eat 60%+ of their calories in carbohydrates, basically by default.

    I'm eating complex carbs, I have a pre-diabetes issue, but that is beginning to reverse quickly. I have done various types of ways of eating and I keep evolving, so here I am at this place dealing with the vegan stuff.

    There is one type of eating that you are missing: your type eating. Take your own eating style, the one you've always enjoyed, and do that. Make tweaks here and there to make the calories fit or if you wish to introduce more vegetables...etc and you're golden. Why are you hunting for another person's type of eating?
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    Scary headlines are the stock and trade of clickbait. "Eat more fish or die young!" "Eat fish and get mercury poisoning!" "Eat more raw veg or die young!" "Eat raw veg and get drug resistant e-coli!" "Newly identified superberry cures all ills!" "Superberry found to have large amounts of carcinogen in skins!"

    You'll drive yourself up the drapes trying to sort good info from bad, reality from "alternative truths." The old saw says, "Consider the source." This is exactly what will help you sort the wheat from the chaff. In general, government, university, hospital, and non-profit foundation sources are more reliable than others. My favorite source of dietary information is Harvard School of Public Health's "Nutritionsource." https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
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    You'll drive yourself up the drapes trying to sort good info from bad, reality from "alternative truths."

    Not at all related to the OP, but this is my new favorite phrase.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.

    I believe I can do alright if I eat more fruit & veg etc, but not restrict myself to vegan. the little bit I really want is not that much. just Half and Half creamer, a little bit of meat, Greek yogurt, really. And no fake foods that try to imitate real food :) like vegan cheese or vegan yogurt. I know people say to force yourself to eat it and your tastes will change, but who wants to do that? not me.

    I did need help in sorting these things out, because I got into the vegan diet hole and needed help to get out.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.

    I believe I can do alright if I eat more fruit & veg etc, but not restrict myself to vegan. the little bit I really want is not that much. just Half and Half creamer, a little bit of meat, Greek yogurt, really. And no fake foods that try to imitate real food :) like vegan cheese or vegan yogurt. I know people say to force yourself to eat it and your tastes will change, but who wants to do that? not me.

    I did need help in sorting these things out, because I got into the vegan diet hole and needed help to get out.

    Vegan cheese is no less real than dairy cheese. It may not be to your taste, but that doesn't somehow make it fake. Is cheese from cow's milk "fake" if cheese was first made from goat's milk? Foods change over time, new foods are created. It's part of the nature of human creativity.

    Nobody should force themselves to eat something they don't like. But a food isn't somehow "fake" just because you don't care for it.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.

    I believe I can do alright if I eat more fruit & veg etc, but not restrict myself to vegan. the little bit I really want is not that much. just Half and Half creamer, a little bit of meat, Greek yogurt, really. And no fake foods that try to imitate real food :) like vegan cheese or vegan yogurt. I know people say to force yourself to eat it and your tastes will change, but who wants to do that? not me.

    I did need help in sorting these things out, because I got into the vegan diet hole and needed help to get out.

    Vegan cheese is no less real than dairy cheese. It may not be to your taste, but that doesn't somehow make it fake. Is cheese from cow's milk "fake" if cheese was first made from goat's milk? Foods change over time, new foods are created. It's part of the nature of human creativity.

    Nobody should force themselves to eat something they don't like. But a food isn't somehow "fake" just because you don't care for it.

    Ok I wont argue that. I don't really know what's in vegan cheese, however, I use the word "fake" food as a generic term meaning things that are deviations from regular dairy cheese. But I also mean fake as in food processed to resemble real unprocessed food i.e. tempeh in order to substitute for a chunk of steak. its just my generic food term, not meaning to be precise & scientific and meaning for all people. Please do not take offense, none meant by me.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.

    I believe I can do alright if I eat more fruit & veg etc, but not restrict myself to vegan. the little bit I really want is not that much. just Half and Half creamer, a little bit of meat, Greek yogurt, really. And no fake foods that try to imitate real food :) like vegan cheese or vegan yogurt. I know people say to force yourself to eat it and your tastes will change, but who wants to do that? not me.

    I did need help in sorting these things out, because I got into the vegan diet hole and needed help to get out.

    Vegan cheese is no less real than dairy cheese. It may not be to your taste, but that doesn't somehow make it fake. Is cheese from cow's milk "fake" if cheese was first made from goat's milk? Foods change over time, new foods are created. It's part of the nature of human creativity.

    Nobody should force themselves to eat something they don't like. But a food isn't somehow "fake" just because you don't care for it.

    Ok I wont argue that. I don't really know what's in vegan cheese, however, I use the word "fake" food as a generic term meaning things that are deviations from regular dairy cheese. But I also mean fake as in food processed to resemble real unprocessed food i.e. tempeh in order to substitute for a chunk of steak. its just my generic food term, not meaning to be precise & scientific and meaning for all people. Please do not take offense, none meant by me.

    Tempeh is just crushed beans with a bacteria to ferment it. It's less processed than Dannon yogurt, which -- by the way -- is very different from the original yogurt. But does that mean your yogurt is fake? No. People have been eating tempeh for thousands of years. It's a traditional food. Just like yogurt.

    My point isn't that tempeh is somehow better than Dannon yogurt, it's that this isn't really a useful framework for evaluating food.

    I'm less offended than I am annoyed. You're not the first person to critique certain vegan foods on the grounds that they're "deviations" or "fake" or "processed" while regularly eating foods that also fit that description but somehow don't bother you. I'm sure you won't be the last, but it's just frustrating sometimes.

    If you don't know what's in vegan cheese, then why critique it as fake? You know what's in my cheese? Coconut or cashews with some cultures and maybe something to thicken it. It's not that different from the cheese you prefer except for that yours starts with milk from a cow and mine doesn't. They're both real foods.

  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.

    I believe I can do alright if I eat more fruit & veg etc, but not restrict myself to vegan. the little bit I really want is not that much. just Half and Half creamer, a little bit of meat, Greek yogurt, really. And no fake foods that try to imitate real food :) like vegan cheese or vegan yogurt. I know people say to force yourself to eat it and your tastes will change, but who wants to do that? not me.

    I did need help in sorting these things out, because I got into the vegan diet hole and needed help to get out.

    Vegan cheese is no less real than dairy cheese. It may not be to your taste, but that doesn't somehow make it fake. Is cheese from cow's milk "fake" if cheese was first made from goat's milk? Foods change over time, new foods are created. It's part of the nature of human creativity.

    Nobody should force themselves to eat something they don't like. But a food isn't somehow "fake" just because you don't care for it.

    Ok I wont argue that. I don't really know what's in vegan cheese, however, I use the word "fake" food as a generic term meaning things that are deviations from regular dairy cheese. But I also mean fake as in food processed to resemble real unprocessed food i.e. tempeh in order to substitute for a chunk of steak. its just my generic food term, not meaning to be precise & scientific and meaning for all people. Please do not take offense, none meant by me.

    Tempeh is just crushed beans with a bacteria to ferment it. It's less processed than Dannon yogurt, which -- by the way -- is very different from the original yogurt. But does that mean your yogurt is fake? No. People have been eating tempeh for thousands of years. It's a traditional food. Just like yogurt.

    My point isn't that tempeh is somehow better than Dannon yogurt, it's that this isn't really a useful framework for evaluating food.

    I'm less offended than I am annoyed. You're not the first person to critique certain vegan foods on the grounds that they're "deviations" or "fake" or "processed" while regularly eating foods that also fit that description but somehow don't bother you. I'm sure you won't be the last, but it's just frustrating sometimes.

    If you don't know what's in vegan cheese, then why critique it as fake? You know what's in my cheese? Coconut or cashews with some cultures and maybe something to thicken it. It's not that different from the cheese you prefer except for that yours starts with milk from a cow and mine doesn't. They're both real foods.

    I think you may be missing the point of my post. I'm expressing an emotion that is neither scientific nor factually logical. My point is I'm so happy to be able to eat food that I like that I'm used to without having to go to foods that try to mimic food I like. I'm not here to debate the factual evidence of it, just expressing my joy at being able to eat food I prefer that I already like. I'm trying to say I prefer certain kind of food in certain ways and not have to deviate from that food by making it into a vegan type food that tried to taste like the original food. i.e. Dannon Greek Yogurt - vs almond milk yogurt. the one brand of almond milk yogurt was horrid to my taste buds and i do not wish to take 6 weeks to get used to it. The dairy Greek yogurt has better macros for me that the vegan almond brand and tastes 3,000 times better to my tastebuds. I have a free sample of vegan mozzarella cheese in my fridge that Whole Foods let me sample last week, not sure how that will be.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    So, today I went back to my regular normal food - Danon Fit and lite and it was so good, I feel like I was in a food jail eating all that food trying to force myself to like it. And some of that vegan food has worse calories and sugar in it. No thanks! I am onto a new month where I shall eat as I want and still lose weight. (I mean within my macros and calories.

    I do not believe that veganism is required for health or weight loss, but honestly there are tons of vegan options that have reasonable amounts of calories and/or sugar. Some of the easiest foods to fit into a calorie-deficit are vegan and they're consumed by non-vegans all the time.

    I believe I can do alright if I eat more fruit & veg etc, but not restrict myself to vegan. the little bit I really want is not that much. just Half and Half creamer, a little bit of meat, Greek yogurt, really. And no fake foods that try to imitate real food :) like vegan cheese or vegan yogurt. I know people say to force yourself to eat it and your tastes will change, but who wants to do that? not me.

    I did need help in sorting these things out, because I got into the vegan diet hole and needed help to get out.

    Vegan cheese is no less real than dairy cheese. It may not be to your taste, but that doesn't somehow make it fake. Is cheese from cow's milk "fake" if cheese was first made from goat's milk? Foods change over time, new foods are created. It's part of the nature of human creativity.

    Nobody should force themselves to eat something they don't like. But a food isn't somehow "fake" just because you don't care for it.

    Ok I wont argue that. I don't really know what's in vegan cheese, however, I use the word "fake" food as a generic term meaning things that are deviations from regular dairy cheese. But I also mean fake as in food processed to resemble real unprocessed food i.e. tempeh in order to substitute for a chunk of steak. its just my generic food term, not meaning to be precise & scientific and meaning for all people. Please do not take offense, none meant by me.

    Tempeh is just crushed beans with a bacteria to ferment it. It's less processed than Dannon yogurt, which -- by the way -- is very different from the original yogurt. But does that mean your yogurt is fake? No. People have been eating tempeh for thousands of years. It's a traditional food. Just like yogurt.

    My point isn't that tempeh is somehow better than Dannon yogurt, it's that this isn't really a useful framework for evaluating food.

    I'm less offended than I am annoyed. You're not the first person to critique certain vegan foods on the grounds that they're "deviations" or "fake" or "processed" while regularly eating foods that also fit that description but somehow don't bother you. I'm sure you won't be the last, but it's just frustrating sometimes.

    If you don't know what's in vegan cheese, then why critique it as fake? You know what's in my cheese? Coconut or cashews with some cultures and maybe something to thicken it. It's not that different from the cheese you prefer except for that yours starts with milk from a cow and mine doesn't. They're both real foods.

    I think you may be missing the point of my post. I'm expressing an emotion that is neither scientific nor factually logical. My point is I'm so happy to be able to eat food that I like that I'm used to without having to go to foods that try to mimic food I like. I'm not here to debate the factual evidence of it, just expressing my joy at being able to eat food I prefer that I already like. I'm trying to say I prefer certain kind of food in certain ways and not have to deviate from that food by making it into a vegan type food that tried to taste like the original food. i.e. Dannon Greek Yogurt - vs almond milk yogurt. the one brand of almond milk yogurt was horrid to my taste buds and i do not wish to take 6 weeks to get used to it. The dairy Greek yogurt has better macros for me that the vegan almond brand and tastes 3,000 times better to my tastebuds. I have a free sample of vegan mozzarella cheese in my fridge that Whole Foods let me sample last week, not sure how that will be.

    I understand the point of your post. I am challenging the assertion that cheese (or another food) has some ideal form and all derivations are "fake." I understand that some people have different taste preferences -- that can be expressed without having to draw a line around "real" and "fake" foods.