Vegans.

estherdragonbat wrote: »

Your body doesn't need to detox from anything. Your liver and kidneys handle that just fine. And meat doesn't hang around in your intestines. That being said, the main vegan protein sources are protein, tofu seitan, tempeh, beans, peas, lentils, quinoa, and whole grains. Never really thought of avocado as a protein source so much as a fat source.

Sorry! Mistyped.

You can buy nutrional yeast flakes which add a bit of protein to meals. I like them sprinkled on soup but you can mix them in with most dishes. Learn how to make a good tofu meal you love. I know its a hit or miss food. I don't struggle to get protein as vegan but I do like to make sure I have plenty to fill me up so I tend to have vegan protein shake for breakfast so I don't have to worry about what my other meals are protein-wise. The coffee and walnut one by Puriton is my favourite with half a banana, I at milk and some carob or cocoa nibs to being out the flavour.

ApeDog39 wrote: »

Hello I just started day two I'm a vegan for a month I want to shock my body. So tell me what works for you? What foods are you eating and tips please.

What are you hoping to accomplish by going vegan for a month? The body does not need to be "shocked" unless we are discussing a need for things like defibrillators or pacemakers. If you have specific health or fitness related goals that you would like advice about, I would recommend starting a new thread and telling us exactly what your goals are.

So as others have covered, detoxing, shocking, etc., not necessary, not even really things that apply to food changes.

That said, if you are interested in eating less meat/animal products or are motivated to try a vegan challenge for a mix of reasons, there's nothing wrong with it. But it can be a challenging way to eat, especially if you don't have that ethical motivation (in which case I'd call it plant-based), so changing so dramatically can be really hard.

Plant-based sources of protein are beans and lentils and peas, soy products (like tofu and tempeh), and then to a lesser degree whole grains and non starchy veg. Potatoes have some, not a lot. Nuts and seeds have some but are more of a fat source. Fruit has very little, and avocado doesn't have much either.

You would want to mix a variety of sources to get enough (especially if you choose not to use a supplement like a protein powder), and focus on adding some to all meals.

Looking at your day, some thoughts:

Oatmeal with almond milk -- soy milk has more protein or maybe pea milk, and I'd add some seeds and berries or nut butter too. (That will help with calories.) Oats vary in how much protein they have, try to find a higher protein option or think about doing mixed grains (you can add something like quinoa if you like it, although it's a bit overrated in how much protein it has). Oats is a good venue for a protein powder too.

Stir fry with plenty of veggies for lunch and dinner -- could get boring, which could affect your desire to eat enough. I'd say vary the veg a lot, and eat a lot of them, they will contribute some protein. Making one of these a stir fry with tofu and the other into a bean or lentil based dish with veg (and maybe some other kind of grain, I'm assuming you are eating rice with the stir fry) could help.

You can add seeds to the stirfry too, or some kind of nut, and if you cook with oil don't forget to log that.

Been snacking on black berries, blue berries and strawberries. If you want more cals, higher cal fruits or nuts and seeds or avocado. If you want more protein, nuts and seeds and non starchy veg (if you aren't getting too full). Edamame too. Hummus or roasted chickpeas.

Supplementing Omega-3 (or just DHA/EPA) and B12 is a good idea, and IMO D (but I should supplement D and always forget).

I actually don't think people should just jump into 100% plant-based, though, without some experience with vegetarianism or just being strongly motivated by ethics and doing some reading. But I do get wanting to try different ways of eating.

janejellyroll wrote: »

ruqayyahsmum wrote: »

ApeDog39 wrote: »

My breakfast this morning, Veggie omlete

Omlette with eggs?
Not vegan but it is vegetarian

I've made omelettes by blending tofu, no eggs required.

Speaking of which, they used to serve tofu scramble at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. My ex actually liked it.

http://www.nasoya.com/healthy-tofu-recipes/tofu-scramble/

Shocking your body is not necessary. However, with that in mind, a vegan lifestyle is not a bad thing. Some go vegan for the planet, cruelty free, and love of all animals. There are many great websites to help you choose your path. For me, I can say I’m not the slimmest girl in the world, but I do it for the animals. Learning where your food comes from is important.
But let’s not forget that the tasty Oreo is also vegan...but hey...moderation😉
Good luck!

@ApeDog39 congrats on choosing to be a fellow veggie! I'm not big on labeling because people tend to get their panties all bunched up. I eat a whole food plant based diet. No meat, no dairy and no processed vegan crap. Message me or send a friend request if you'd like to chat more. I'd be happy to help you. It is super easy to fall into the unhealthy vegetarian/vegan trap with all the products that are out there. I'll have some sometimes, but it is not a staple in my meals (I love MSF vegan chicken patties and can eat the whole box 🤷‍♀️ so I don't buy them often). Best of luck on your journey!

Okay first, vegan isn’t something you do for a detox, I think you mean your going plant based for a month. Second you don’t need to detox there’s no such thing, do you mean you just want to start eating healthier? Also avocado is more of a fat source, things with protein are tofu, Seitan, tempeh, nuts, edamame, lentils, chickpea, beans, hemp and chai, quinoa, oats, rice, all kinds of veggies etc. I wouldn’t worry about trying to eat a bunch of protein, your most likely eating enough. It’s a common myth that vegans are protein deficient... In most cases vegans eat more protein then a non vegan because we are more aware of what we’re eating and healthier. It’s super easy to rack up calories as a vegan. Add things like chai and hemp to your breakfasts, tofu to your veggie bowls, peanut butter etc. To be honest I’ve been vegan for 7 years and before that I found it easier to eat low calorie but the food wasn’t as nutritious.

Veganvibesss wrote: »

Okay first, vegan isn’t something you do for a detox, I think you mean your going plant based for a month. Second you don’t need to detox there’s no such thing, do you mean you just want to start eating healthier? Also avocado is more of a fat source, things with protein are tofu, Seitan, tempeh, nuts, edamame, lentils, chickpea, beans, hemp and chai, quinoa, oats, rice, all kinds of veggies etc. I wouldn’t worry about trying to eat a bunch of protein, your most likely eating enough. It’s a common myth that vegans are protein deficient... In most cases vegans eat more protein then a non vegan because we are more aware of what we’re eating and healthier. It’s super easy to rack up calories as a vegan. Add things like chai and hemp to your breakfasts, tofu to your veggie bowls, peanut butter etc. To be honest I’ve been vegan for 7 years and before that I found it easier to eat low calorie but the food wasn’t as nutritious.

I think you mean "chia," "chai" is tea.

Do you have a source for the claim that vegans eat more protein that non-vegans do? I certainly think it's possible for us to get enough protein, but I'm not aware of any research showing that we get *more*, as a population, than non-vegans do.

I learnt that from “science vs” on their podcast on vegans. They were looking at statistics in different regions and vegans vs non vegans and found that they ate more protein and said it was probably because most vegans are health conscious and plan and know a lot about what they’re eating and they’re nutritional needs!