Switching to vegan but higher carb concern?
Gaygirl2120
Posts: 541 Member
I ha e been thinking about trying a more vegan/vegetarian diet. I'm not huge on meat & never have been. I eat it for the protein. I have been looking into a lot of vegan recipes & while they sound amazing. I'm concerned about all the extra carbs I will have to take in. I know carbs aren't the devil & we shouldn't be afraid of them. But higher carbs & weight gain has been taught to us for so long that it will always be in the back of my head. FYI my goals are weight loss & muscle gain.
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Not vegan. I'm high carb and losing. Tonight I'm having a barley with sweet potato dish. It's all about keeping within your calories. If a problem, I just make the recipe without olive oil. Tomorrow I'm having wheat pasta. Weekend, baked chickpeas.
If my protein is low for the day, I'll drink a glass of milk or have a protein drink.4 -
I'm vegetarian (for 24 years as of this month) and while I don't track macros, I would imagine I eat roughly 60% carbs. I avoid refined grains most of the time and just eat whole grains (and legumes, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, etc.). I lost 45 pounds in 50 weeks eating that way last year, and have kept it off for 8 months. I am not building a ton of muscle, but I also haven't been lifting lately, so you can't use me as any kind of example for that.7
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That was my concern too. All of my protein sources come with a carb load too, so I aim for sufficient protein and don't worry if I'm having a lot of carbs as long as I'm within my calorie limit.2
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I've been vegan for 3 years and have maintained my weight without any issues. As you said, carbs are not the devil. However, if you're worried about your carb intake, remember that you can choose more complex carbohydrates (think ancient grains vs. semolina/wheat) and that carbs from fruits and veggies are paired with lots of fiber which helps to slow the absorption. You can also choose lower glycemic sweeteners like coconut palm sugar (which you can sub 1:1 for cane sugar), real maple syrup and agave nectar. There are tons of good alternatives.
For what it's worth - since being on a vegan diet, I've noticed that a lot more of my calories come from fats than I expected. I always assumed I'd be 75% carbs, but truly on an average day I'm anywhere between 35-45% fats (nuts, nut butters, avocado, etc.). You may be surprised, as you make the switch, that your diet isn't quite as carb-heavy as you may have expected it might be.2 -
I really think that I'm ready to give it a try. I'm not happy with the weight I'm at now anyway, so what have I got to lose?0
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I'm a vegan and I get about 50-60% of my calories from carbohydrates. I lost weight just fine.2
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I wish people word forget the word "protein". There's never been a single documented case of low protein levels in anyone who wasn't starving to death. The protein myth became popular way back when it was first discovered. It was one of the first nutrients discovered. So everyone became obsessed. Protein this, protein that. Come on.
Name a single person that has had a protein problem.
I bet you don't even know the name for a protein deficiency without using google.
High carb, low fat, high fiber... all good!
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OP, vegetables have alot of carbs. But you won't gain weight from them (unless you eat a bunch). The carbs you gain weight from are processed carbs, like white bread, cake, enriched pasta, etc. This is because they are high in calories and low in nutrition. Don't think of gaining weight from carbs, carbs are your friend. Think of gaining weight form processed carbs.7
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OP, vegetables have alot of carbs. But you won't gain weight from them (unless you eat a bunch). The carbs you gain weight from are processed carbs, like white bread, cake, enriched pasta, etc. This is because they are high in calories and low in nutrition. Don't think of gaining weight from carbs, carbs are your friend. Think of gaining weight form processed carbs.
Any carbohydrate can cause weight gain if it leads to someone consuming more calories than they burn. Any carbohydrate can be eating while losing weight (or maintaining weight) if someone hits their calorie goal.
The carbohydrates in bread or cake aren't different than the carbohydrates in vegetables. Yes, the calories and nutrients may differ. But a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate.3 -
SecularVegan wrote: »I wish people word forget the word "protein". There's never been a single documented case of low protein levels in anyone who wasn't starving to death. The protein myth became popular way back when it was first discovered. It was one of the first nutrients discovered. So everyone became obsessed. Protein this, protein that. Come on.
Name a single person that has had a protein problem.
I bet you don't even know the name for a protein deficiency without using google.
High carb, low fat, high fiber... all good!
You're probably referring to severe protein deficiency. Yes, this is rare in developed countries. But at subclinical levels, protein deficiency can absolutely lead to people losing muscle mass and not feeling good.
Most of us know people who claimed to have tried veganism, but it didn't work for them. Maybe they felt weak or they were hungry all the time. Lower protein intake could be a cause of this. But when we tell people that protein deficiency doesn't exist, we lead to people just quitting veganism (instead of exploring ways to feel better as a vegan). How does this help a single animal?
Plus, it's very possible to create a vegan diet that meets overall protein needs but is insufficient for lysine, an essential amino acid. Dismissing protein as a "myth" doesn't help vegans create diets that support their health and wellbeing.
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Higher carb concern? No concern, carbs are AWESOME!3
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SecularVegan wrote: »I wish people word forget the word "protein". There's never been a single documented case of low protein levels in anyone who wasn't starving to death. The protein myth became popular way back when it was first discovered. It was one of the first nutrients discovered. So everyone became obsessed. Protein this, protein that. Come on.
Name a single person that has had a protein problem.
I bet you don't even know the name for a protein deficiency without using google.
High carb, low fat, high fiber... all good!
In addition to the excellent points raised by janejellyroll, I'd like to address the issue that for older individuals, active individuals, and people eating at caloric deficit, there's a difference between the RDA for protein and optimal protein.
All three of the groups I mentioned need more (complete) protein than the RDA for various reasons. Sufficient intake going by guidelines isn't enough to prevent muscle loss in these groups.5 -
@SecularVegan I have had critically low albumin levels in my blood so yes I have had a protein deficiency. I had several blood transfusions. It was not fun but I guess I must of just imagined it since nobody has a protein problem.7
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higher carbs are not a concern. try to keep your protein intake near 0.8 gm per lean body weight in pounds. i cant achieve this (while on a deficit) being a vegetarian, so i use protein supplements.
i dont think theres any vegan source of protein with low calories per gram of protein (>70% calories from protein) like egg white or fish, so imo supplements are necessary in a deficit. in a surplus of course one can hit the protein goals with a vegan diet.2 -
higher carbs are not a concern. try to keep your protein intake near 0.8 gm per lean body weight in pounds. i cant achieve this (while on a deficit) being a vegetarian, so i use protein supplements.
i dont think theres any vegan source of protein with low calories per gram of protein (>70% calories from protein) like egg white or fish, so imo supplements are necessary in a deficit. in a surplus of course one can hit the protein goals with a vegan diet.
Seitan would qualify, I think. 100 grams of seitan has about 370 calories and 300 of those calories will be from protein.3 -
janejellyroll wrote: »higher carbs are not a concern. try to keep your protein intake near 0.8 gm per lean body weight in pounds. i cant achieve this (while on a deficit) being a vegetarian, so i use protein supplements.
i dont think theres any vegan source of protein with low calories per gram of protein (>70% calories from protein) like egg white or fish, so imo supplements are necessary in a deficit. in a surplus of course one can hit the protein goals with a vegan diet.
Seitan would qualify, I think. 100 grams of seitan has about 370 calories and 300 of those calories will be from protein.
ok. i didnt know what seitan was until now, but it seems to have 75-80% calories from protein, pretty good.0 -
Hi there! Today marks 10 days of being on a plant-based diet lifestyle change! This was my concern as well but after reading a few different articles and getting feedback from other vegans/vegetarians, I found that carbs aren't really an issue as long as you are within your calories. I still have a lot to learn though! and I know, I'm the same way! I was always taught that carbs are bad! But I am learning to leave that in the past. I have lost 4 pounds since I started this new diet and I just started to add exercise in this week. It was a bit scary for me because I come from a family that was raised on meat with every meal, BBQ's every weekend and not too many vegetables but I am off to a great start. It hasn't been easy but it is getting easier! I feel more energized, skin is clearing up, hair is shinier! Give it a shot and Good luck!3
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I ha e been thinking about trying a more vegan/vegetarian diet. I'm not huge on meat & never have been. I eat it for the protein. I have been looking into a lot of vegan recipes & while they sound amazing. I'm concerned about all the extra carbs I will have to take in. I know carbs aren't the devil & we shouldn't be afraid of them. But higher carbs & weight gain has been taught to us for so long that it will always be in the back of my head. FYI my goals are weight loss & muscle gain.
FYI the bolded goals are counterintuitive. A calorie deficit is required for weight loss and you won't build muscle while in a calorie deficit.
You need to ditch what you have been taught for so long that higher carbs result in weight gain. Weight gain results from a calorie surplus - which can come on a high carb, moderate carb, or low carb diet.2 -
OP, vegetables have alot of carbs. But you won't gain weight from them (unless you eat a bunch). The carbs you gain weight from are processed carbs, like white bread, cake, enriched pasta, etc. This is because they are high in calories and low in nutrition. Don't think of gaining weight from carbs, carbs are your friend. Think of gaining weight form processed carbs.
Most of this is incorrect.
Vegetables are comprised of carbs - true.
You can gain weight from eating vegetables, if you are eating in a calorie surplus overall. There are vegetarians/vegans on this thread who would attest to the fact that they were overweight at one point.
There is nothing about "processed carbs" (whatever that means) that inherently result in weight gain. You can eat foods like white bread, cake (mmm cake sandwich) and pasta in the context of a calorie deficit and still lose weight. You can also eat them as part of an overall balanced, nutritious diet.
OP doesn't need to think of any sort of carbs as tied to weight gain. She needs to understand that it is CI<CO that results in weight loss. The level of carbs, and the type of carbs, has nothing to do with it.2 -
I had to watch my protein levels while on a medically supervised VLCD diet. Low protein has some pretty obvious consequences, which show up about six weeks afterwards. This includes what you can see (hair falling out, brittle nails) and what you can't see (muscle damage).
OP, carbs will be fine. I suggest you reverse your goals and go for muscle gain first, weight loss second. It's called a "bulk" and then a "cut".0 -
I ate vegan for a week (last week as it happens), carbs weren't particularly high for me (but I don't do low carb anyway) but there was a lot of fats/oils to get my Calories up (I eat 2000-2500 a day).
Carbs were in the 200-260g range and I still lost 4lb that week (was on a bootcamp week with lots of exercise and a personalised meal plan, my usual rate of loss is 0.5-1lb week)1 -
Thank you so much everyone for your input. It gave me a lot of ideas & things to research more.1
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I'd just like to say, beans and plants are better for protein. Meat is full of fat, cholesterol and nothing healthy. With veganism, you need to increase your food intake to get your calories. No need to add fat/oil! People fail at veganism because they don't eat enough. They come from a diet full of fat and stodge and eat salads. Veganism is so much more than that. Add me if you like. 6
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msfuzzyvegan1 wrote: »I'd just like to say, beans and plants are better for protein. Meat is full of fat, cholesterol and nothing healthy. With veganism, you need to increase your food intake to get your calories. No need to add fat/oil! People fail at veganism because they don't eat enough. They come from a diet full of fat and stodge and eat salads. Veganism is so much more than that. Add me if you like.
Meat has nutrients beyond fat (which is also a necessary micronutrient). I'm a big proponent of veganism, but I think we represent it best when we keep things factual. Meat can provide iron and B vitamins.3 -
msfuzzyvegan1 wrote: »I'd just like to say, beans and plants are better for protein. Meat is full of fat, cholesterol and nothing healthy. With veganism, you need to increase your food intake to get your calories. No need to add fat/oil! People fail at veganism because they don't eat enough. They come from a diet full of fat and stodge and eat salads. Veganism is so much more than that. Add me if you like.
Fat isn't bad for you though.1
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