Any vegan peeps out there?

I going to open my food diary to my friends you can check out mine, if you add me as a friend.

Hi! Been vegan for 10 years now. Trying to get in shape, running and a little P90x.
My favorite post-workout chocolate-y protein shake:
3/4 cup chocolate soymilk (or hemp or almond milk)
1 medium banana
1.5 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp Trader Joe's hemp protein powder, chocolate (or sometimes I just add hemp seeds)

Mix in the blender for 1-2 minutes. Great complete sources of protein (chia, hemp, soy).

I do a fair amount of cooking, but I try to keep it fast/easy since I have kids and a life. I like experimenting with different grains, especially quinoa and amaranth which are complete proteins. I cook them per instructions, add a little salt and earth balance if you want, plus my secret ingredient which is a container of squash baby food lol.

I'm trying to do a salad a day, and I like to complement that with a little trail mix. I also looove my mother in law's Puerto Rican cooking and just got her recipe for beans... yum. For dinner I like doing stir fries with different sauces, sometimes asian and sometimes Indian (Trader Joe's has a great variety). I might add seitan, or tempeh, or tofu, or noodles, or rice depending on how I feel.

For breakfast, I do a protein shake, fruit, and/or cereal or oatmeal w/ blackstrap molasses (awesome source of calcium, iron) and a little maple syrup.

For snacks lately, I like Ezekiel bread toasted w/ almond butter, or coconut yogurt. I keep trying to get around to making baked kale chips w/ nutritional yeast flakes, but I keep forgetting every time I go to the grocery store. I need to eat more leafy greens - I'm thinking about looking into green smoothies.

One thing I love about MFP - I can eat all my fave foods (as you can tell, there are a lot of them) but I do it in a way where I know how to control my portion sizes.

Good luck!

edit: another great snack: Mediterranean Co. baked lentil chips w/ sea salt and guacamole. So filling and so good for you.

Hi Veneal, I'm so glad for you that you've changed your diet! Gaining and losing weight has a lot to do as you know of course with calorie expenditure - you need to put out more than you put in. However, certain things can either increase or decrease our resting metabolic rate, as well. My first question is, what type of exercise do you do? Cardio will be essential to losing weight but if you're overweight, you want to do something low impact to help protect your joints. In addition, have you tried strength training? Although these exercises won't burn calories, building muscle will increase how many calories you burn at rest. Try to be creative and incorporate a variety of plant protein sources in your diet. And drink plenty of water!

Ultimately, if you are following this plan, I want to encourage you that you ARE making the best decision for your health! A low fat vegan diet reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Feel free to friend me, I'd love to watch your progress because I know you're going to see some changes in your health.

Hi,

I'm not vegan but I like to do severals vegan days in my week.

I was wondering: what is the best natural protein vegan source?

I like tofu but not too much. And some meals like bokka are full of salt...

Thanks

Hi Veneal,

Are you eating a lot of carbs? Those make me gain weight fast. I have to stick with whole foods for weight loss. I am struggling with the processed carbs now but I have made it a goal to lower them and then ultimatly get off of them.

I have been following the vegan Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone for 2 months. I was so happy to convert my life over to this new ethical way of living. Unfortunately, I have gained 10 pounds in this 2 months. I am so bummed. I have been tracking my calories and have kept them below the allowable daily allotment. I have consistently avoided cheese, meat, sugar, and processed foods. I would like to remain vegan but my weight is a health concern 251 pounds now. I'm not losing. Please help.