need help getting on the vegan train!

soulbradda
soulbradda Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
aloha all, soul bradda here! so i have been through some hell healthwise but finally convinced going vegan or green (vegetarian) is the way to go. in my golden days, i was a solid 200-215, athletic and ate sensibly and health (cheat days once a week). my issue is i am 6'7", 42 now and weight is around 185lbs and want to maintain. i suffer from seasonal allergies and pnd which detinto my tummy and wreak havoc :( on top of that have gerd, lactose intolerant - its like it just all hit me. so looking for advice for upkeeping protein and iron going vegan probably and any pitfalls someone similar to me has had and how to overcome. also any advice for this getting older business :) lol. aloha mahalo always!!!

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I'm sure people will be along to answer your actual questions, but as someone with previous issues with GERD (losing weight and reducing fat has virtually eliminated that) and iron deficiency anemia, I'm going to address this from a different angle:

    All the long term vegans I know in real life do it for ethical reasons, not health reasons, and I believe this makes being vegan more sustainable.

    If you are lactose intolerant, sure, give up foods with lactose.

    While fatty meat can be a trigger for GERD, lean meats are suggested to help reduce symptoms.

    https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/diet-nutrition

    Keeping (lean) meat and seafood like oysters, clams, and mussels in your diet will make sources of heme iron available - this is more bio-available that the non-heme iron found in plants.

    Note: grains with high iron counts like breakfast cereals and enriched rice or bread are FORTIFIED - you may as well just supplement where you can get a better quality source of iron. If you truly need iron. As too much iron is a bad thing, one should always get tested before starting iron supplementation.

    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/iron/
  • lisakayreaves
    lisakayreaves Posts: 3 Member
    soulbradda wrote: »
    aloha all, soul bradda here! so i have been through some hell healthwise but finally convinced going vegan or green (vegetarian) is the way to go. in my golden days, i was a solid 200-215, athletic and ate sensibly and health (cheat days once a week). my issue is i am 6'7", 42 now and weight is around 185lbs and want to maintain. i suffer from seasonal allergies and pnd which detinto my tummy and wreak havoc :( on top of that have gerd, lactose intolerant - its like it just all hit me. so looking for advice for upkeeping protein and iron going vegan probably and any pitfalls someone similar to me has had and how to overcome. also any advice for this getting older business :) lol. aloha mahalo always!!!

  • lisakayreaves
    lisakayreaves Posts: 3 Member
    Hello from Texas 🙂
    I thought vegan would be impossible and never had any intention of doing it. I’m 40 now and saw a rise in cholesterol and watched the documentary “Game Changers” then I thought ok I want to be healthy! I watched Food, inc a long time ago which was eye opening about the food industry. Not only about what we eat but also how animals are treated. That did have some impact on me. Then recently watched another documentary that I’ll have to get back to you on but it was mind blowing. I decided vegan or for the most part vegan would be the life style change I would go with. (I still have honey occasionally and even a little fish every couple of months)
    I started this in February and do feel much better.
    There are plenty of ways to get the nutrients you need however if you’re super active and want to work out I would recommend a good vegan protein powder.
    I have extremely bad acid reflux which has even deteriorated my stomach lining (atrophy of the stomach) and I have noticed a big improvement with so much less fat in the vegan diet.

    You got this!
    Oh and watch game changers, it’s a life changer 😉
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    The biggest change when I turned herbivore was getting used to protein added in a variety of ways instead of as a centerpiece on a plate.

    For example, I make salad dressings and simmer sauces starting with pureed tofu, beans, lentils or chickpeas and nutritional yeast. Think curried veggies in a creamy simmer sauce or mushroom gravy over quinoa or barley. Green Goddess salad dressing with pureed tofu, avocado and seasonings.

    I also use a lot of peanut butter in savory dishes like satay eggplant or PB& tomato sandwiches.

    Explore! Experiment! Enjoy!
  • LenGray
    LenGray Posts: 858 Member
    Hi! I'd recommend looking into some of the whole-food plant-based books or documentaries that focus on health. Some good ones are 'How Not to Die' (or 'How Not to Diet') by Dr. Michael Gregor or 'The Starch Solution' by Dr. John McDougall. Some good health-based vegan documentaries are 'Forks over Knives', 'What the Health', and 'The Game Changers'. These will give you quite a bit of background information on how to eat a healthy, sustainable vegan diet and why you should.

    For a more action-based approach that will help you get used to the lifestyle and the ethics, I'd recommend Veganuary or Challenge 22 (https://challenge22.com/?group=351). There is also an app by Michael Gregor called the Daily Dozen, which has a basic checklist of foods for vegan health and how many servings you should aim for.

    Eating a plant-based diet is a little different, so some overall tips I'd recommend, especially since you're worried about iron and protein is to eat plenty of darky, leafy greens, legumes, and seeds. Also, double up on protein sources where you can! Have tofu with lentils or barbequed tempeh with quinoa, broccoli and chickpeas. I'd also recommend a multi-vitamin (or specifically, B12) It'll take a bit of practice, but you'll get the hang of it before you know it :)

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