Calling all Vegans/ Vetarians

I love the Eat to Live book, and I strive to follow the philosophy of getting the most nutrition per calorie. I’ve been able to adjust for the long term by eating whatever (within reason) when I go out to eat, or have dinner at a friend’s house. Everyone has their thing, so you can adjust without throwing out all of the beneficial changes you make.

I also really suggest developing a taste for cooked greens, if you can. They are the lowest calorie non animal source of protein. I had to add fatty fish back in, for the b vitamins, but not everyone seems to have this problem.

Enjoy your journey, and let your own health benefits, and progress, keep you motivated!

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The cruelty of factory farming is real. It makes sense when you think about it. A good capitalist seeks to maximize profits while minimizing expenses. So since farm animals are excluded from animal cruelty laws in this country, large producers are almost forced to adopt inhumane practices in order to be competitive price wise. It's a race to the bottom from an animal welfare standpoint.

Being vegan has been great for me, physically and emotionally. Regardless of how you feel about different documentaries, there is no denying that when you put animal protein in your body, you have benefited from a system that is 1) cruel 2) environmentally problematic, and 3) often less healthy. (Yes, of course you can eat a healthy diet that includes animal products, but realistically most people don't.)

OP, lentils and chickpeas are my very favorite protein sources, followed closely by tofu.

This is an amazing chickpea curry (top with cilantro and a plain soy yogurt for extra deliciousness:

allrecipes.com/recipe/34689/chickpea-curry/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%201

Here is my favorite lentil stew (made with veggie broth, of course):

geniuskitchen.com/recipe/easy-lentil-stew-191459

And here's a tofu recipe I pinned recently but haven't tried yet but looks amazing(assuming you're not gluten free, you can just use soy sauce for the tamari):

https://food52.com/recipes/18211-spicy-ginger-orange-tofu

I recommend the cookbook Vegan Express by Nava Atlas. It's fast and tasty and she includes detailed nutrition for each recipe.

I hope this helps! Congratulations on one of the best decisions you will ever make. Living more compassionately and sustainably is never a bad thing.

Edit to add: There are a few things missing/low from a vegan diet, which you would be wise to supplement with either fortified foods or supplements. Those are most notably B12 (which is supplemented in animal feed in the U.S. so people get it when they consume animal products), iodine, and vitamin D. I drink soy milk which is fortified, eat nutritional yeast, take a b12 supplement once a week, and an iodine supplement.

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I've been vegetarian (not vegan) for 43 years. Please don't believe the bad, propaganda-oriented vegan/vegetarian sites that say you need less protein than mainstream nutritional authorities say, when eating plant-based. It's just not true.

Also not true: Those who say you can't get enough protein eating plant based. You can. It just takes more conscious attention. It also takes more attention to B12, calcium, and some other nutrients. Learn about those nutritional issues, and adopt habits that put you in a good spot.

I'm not much of a recipe gal - I just cook - but my best tip is to try to break out of the "one big protein per meal" way of thinking that many meat-eaters use. There's nothing wrong with a hearty protein source, but try also to think in terms of eating things in all food categories that contribute a bit of protein. Those small amounts add up, and the variety can help you get a well-rounded amino acid profile.

For meal ideas, one helpful thing is to learn about international/ethnic cuisines with a rich vegetarian tradition, such as Indian, Asian, African and middle Eastern vegetarian options. (If you dislike "exotic" spices, you can still learn from the core food choices and combinations.)

While losing weight, I found the thread pasted below very helpful. It links to a spreadsheet listing many, many foods by protein efficiency: Most protein for fewest calories. Scroll past the meaty/fishy things at the top, and you'll find good plant-based sources to enhance your eating.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

Best wishes!

nickssweetheart wrote: »

The cruelty of factory farming is real. It makes sense when you think about it. A good capitalist seeks to maximize profits while minimizing expenses. So since farm animals are excluded from animal cruelty laws in this country, large producers are almost forced to adopt inhumane practices in order to be competitive price wise. It's a race to the bottom from an animal welfare standpoint.

You are either completely missing or utterly ignoring in order to stack the deck the third leg of the successful business model stool that, without, the entire thing fails and collapses: Minimize expenses, maximize profits, and optimize production. Animal Science/Agribusiness 101 level stuff, it is. You cannot have either of the first two without the third.

And in this instance, optimization is all about the animals as even selective breeding/genetics and gene manipulation can only take you so far/achieve so much if the animal is not well cared for and stressors minimized. Biological systems above, say, the amoeba level are not and will never be widgets where those factors can be ignored.

Are there farms/ranches, big and small (including precious "organic" niche farms/ranches), that should be shut down for inhumane practices/cruelty? YES. Are there farms/ranches, mega CAFO and hobbyist alike, that are doing it right? ALSO YES. These are not either/or, all/none, questions and issues.

You cannot paint them all with the same broad brush. To do so is disingenuous at best. If you care about where your meat and milk comes from in terms of animal welfare? Well, then do your homework. Take the time to invest into researching/verifying claims and find those producers whose practices in reality agree with your own ethics. Or do it yourself - there are even co-ops and shares today for those with no land resources to accomplish this.