So recently, about a month ago, I gave up eating meat, for what I would term personal/spiritual reasons. Health wasn't really the motivation, but it has dawned on me that I need to be mindful of what I eat, and get enough protein. I've always avoided junk food and mass-produced things as much as I can, and am pretty picky in terms of quality, and preparing my own meals from fresh ingredients as much as possible. So I joined a site that tracks calories/nutrition/exercise, and it seems to be going pretty well, but I often find the carbs are a bit high and the proteins are a bit low. I gave up all sugary sodas, and don't add sugar to things; I do eat fruit, not a ton, but daily. So for protein, I have turned to: -Goat Milk (I oddly enough have only drank goat milk the past two years) -Lentils and beans -'Fake' GimmieLean brand Sausage Patties (Good, but kinda salty) -Tofu (best pan fried!) -Cheese (mainly from small farms, or from France/Italy/Spain) -Eggs (but only local ones, where I know the farm) and there seem to be traces in other foods, but it seems hard to get enough. So what did others do? It seems to get sorta repetitive, in ways. I have also given almost all seafood; the only thing I still eat are clams and bivalves, as they seem sorta like vegetables, relatively speaking...though I may also phase these out, and have only had clams twice this month. (steamed littlenecks) ~ I'm also on a diet, and on my way from having been 150 pounds (due to office work and a long commute), to reach my goal of 125 pounds...am at about 144 now, and things seem to be working, but I worry I feel a bit faint, sometimes. I've been taking b-12 and an Iron-complex supplement, as well as Vitamin D. Anyway, my goal is to lose 1 or 2 pounds a week, but stay healthy. Suggestions????
My advice to you is to eat "nature food" (fruits & veggies). Don't overexercise! You'll regret it ! And last don't take any supplements you suspect may be unsafe or really are just something you could buy on e - bay.
Yep, lots of fruits and veggies, every day I have a big salad which might have spinach, or some other green, along with cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, carrots, beets (cooked and chilled), and other stuff, generally with a vingar based or yogurt based dressing. And I love fruit. Now's a great time, because the farmer's markets have so many fresh tings, so it's been a good time to start. The one thing I noticed is that I feel lighter and maybe even more flexible, and my digestion is better; also, when I sweat, there's not much odor to it. Then again, I've always smelled very peasant
I've been vegan for about a year and a half. You seem to be doing great with your diet! You're on a very healthy diet already. One thing you should try to eat is walnuts, and linseed oil. For omega-3. Oh, and I don't know whether or not you're a lazy cook, but there's lots of delicious and varied recipes with lintels and stuff like that. And I guess you know already, but everything from hamburgers to tacos is still available. Cheers ~
I've been vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for about 5 years, and vegan for more or less a year, although I've had a mostly plant-based for about 3 years now. You really don't need as much protein as you think you do. I get around 50 grams of protein or less, and I'm fine. I actually work out 1–2 a week and do aerobic exercise 3–4 times a week and I'm not deficient. You need roughly 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram you weigh. Calcium inhibits the absorption of iron, so avoid mixing iron-rich foods with sources of calcium. I try to eat mostly raw food during the first half of the day, and I don't eat much during the evening. Today: breakfast: smoothie — 2 bananas, strawberries, blueberries, fresh squeezed OJ lunch — snack: roughly 2 lbs of strawberries dates plums sugar snap peas cherry tomatoes after four: baguette with hummus, leftovers from lunch evening: graham toast with hummus and home-made seitan slices about 4 pieces of dark chocolate and a glass of oat milk If you have any cravings for sweet and unhealthy stuff like cakes and the like, add more fruit to your diet. I have absolutely no cravings for sweets now that I eat a lot of fruit.
Thanks for all the advice! I do like nuts, and should have more of them on hand. I'm also wanting to learn to cook more Indain recipes, and asian dishes in general (Thai, Korean, &c.), as this affords a good deal of variety; I do like to eat fresh, raw things, but I also have a great love of cooking and do crave a nice, hot meal. But there's a ton of Italian dishes I can still make, and a host of other things; I just hope to expand my kitchen abilites a bit more. One thing I plan to make: Homeade veggie pot pies. I used to make these with duck, of all things, but I'll have to try a similar recipe, ommiting those poor birds! I have a certain foness for birds that live on the water...
I eat a lot of soy based products and Quorn as substitute for meat. We also grow a lot of fruits, berries, herbs and veggies in our garden and we always have a storage of fresh blueberries from the forest in our freezer. Which is awesome for snacks or cooking. My eating in a day usually looks something like this. Breakfast consists of a mixture of: Green smoothie, oat meal with fresh berries/fruit, rye sandwiches with vegetables and cheese, coffee, homemade granola + yogurt, långfil (swedish dairy product) with flatbread and lingonberry jam, blueberry porridge, semolina pudding. I usually don't prepare lunch that often but I instead eat a lot of my leftovers for lunch. If I do cook it's usually something easy: Big plate of salad with blueberries, feta cheese and sunflower seeds with loads of hummus and bread. Pasta and pesto with legumes. Broccoli/cauliflower soup with bread. Dinner is my biggest meal. I like to make foods similar to regular food but with a vegetarian twist on them: Cauliflower or bread pizza with loads of veggies and feta cheese. I swear at least once a week :lol: Casseroles Lasagna Tofu stir fry Pasta dishes etc. Snacks: I like to make smoothies at least once or twice a day either as snack or nighttime food and I'll often have a handful of nuts with them because they contain quite a bit of protein and other minerals and shit. For mid day snacks I'll have either: granola, granola bars, fruit, veggies and hummus or a loaf of healthy bread. Sometimes I like to boil some broccoli, cauliflower or carrots to eat as snacks xD. I also like to have a cup of ginger tea in the evening every once in a while. I would really suggest you eat some nuts every day. They contain a heck of protein, around the same amount or more than you'll find in beef, chicken and pork. 100 grams (which is around a generous handful) of nuts can account for almost half of your daily protein.
I just went vegan, again. Over the years I've trained myself to enjoy more vegetables so it's easier for me now. You don't really need that much protein, a lot of meat eaters have too much protein, or at least they don't need the amount they eat. Everything has protein in it. But eat lentils and nuts and you'll be fine Protein is probably the last thing you have to worry about! Indian and thai foods are great for vego people, they have plenty of vegetarian/vegan dishes and most meat dishes can be turned vegetarian/vegan. Good luck experimenting in the kitchen!
