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[BrokenIcarus]

I went mostly vegan about a year ago (I still have a cheat day once a week where I eat dairy) and it's been a lot easier than expected!
Eat lots of Beans, Nuts and chickpeas!

 

[Vire]

Not trying to deter you, but watch your Iron levels. I had a friend who went vegan and became incredibly sick, pale and fatigued because of her lack of iron. Part of the problem is that animal products have heme iron in them and is better absorbed than non-heme iron that is often found in the vegetables.

I think soybeans have a decent amount in it.

 

[The Rain King]

Nuts are your friend. Almonds in particular.

 

[entremet]

Also: Vegan community thread - Give Peas a Chance.



John McDougall is a bit of a quack tbh.

He can be, but he's helped hundreds of thousands of people.

I don't agree with him on everything. Heck, I'm not 100 percent vegan. But his criticism on vegetable oil is backed up by science.

 

[Pinkuss]

I'll second this. I'm a card-carrying, meat-eating sumbitch. Worked at a sandwich shop in my younger days that had a couple different sandwiches with tempeh and ate them regularly. It's good stuff.

I disagree It's okay but nothing compares to deep fried tofu with a skin. Nom!

On that note, if you do go down the meat analogue road (or more basic things such as tempeh/tofu which are kind of their own thing) then there's good brands, there's bad brands and there's shedloads of different brands which some like/some don't. I usually hear veggie burgers are crap etc then when I query the person they've tried like one brand.

Review sites like http://www.veganoo.net/ are helpful (although it's UK based, probably a similar US site). And Facebook groups are handy should you have any queries (usually get an answer to if somethings safe/recipe ideas etc in a few minutes).

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Vegan diets are fine, but none of this makes sense.

You don't need to cut out meat to lose weight. You can't be under eating at 1000 calories/day and be over weight. That doesn't make sense, like, at all.

As for vegan food, rice and beans are your best friends. You can get all your essential amino acids by combining those two.

correct it doesn't make sense in the grand scheme of things. I left out some context. usually I over ate at least once or twice a week in a massive way, but then under ate the rest of the week. basically my metabolism has been super slow for years because of it.

 

[Yager]

Avoid meat.

 

[autoduelist]

I was vegan for 15 years, and plan to be again. There are reasons that I am not currently that are unimportant to this, but I will be vegan again when possible.

Biggest tip:

You are probably mentally used to 'protein' being the feature of a meal. Spaghetti and veggies may not do it for you, because there are no 'meatballs'... that sort of thing. It's completely mental, but to that end, ensure you find replacements [faux meats, etc] early on as you're adjusting. This will help you feel 'full' mentally.

Your body/taste will adjust faster than you expect. In a few months, anything that may taste odd to you now [be it rice/soy/almond milk, tofu, or fake meat, or whatever] will become the new normal soon enough. Once your body/mind shifts to this new normal, it will become -much- easier to stick to your diet, and will, in fact, become simple as it's normal.

If you seriously need to make an exception one day - say, a hamburger 6 months from now - don't beat yourself up over it. Have that burger, get rid of the urge, and go back to being vegan. Don't hang your entire veganism on some imaginary line where if you ever cross it you're like 'ok, welp, that's over now, burgers everyday!'. That said, try not to make these exceptions... the urge will eventually just go away as per the 'new normal' mentioned above. Find alternatives for the biggest urges... you can make some kickass egg sandwich alternatives, for example, with some tofu + salt + tumeric.

Plan for travel. Travel is always the hardest -- airports, truck stops, etc. Plan well, bring your food.

It's very easy to be super healthy and vegan. Make sure you get your various vitamins, sure, but don't fear the scare tactics some use against veganism. You won't turn into a meek nothing... watch your diet, stay on top of everything, and you can be as fit as fit can be.

 

[White_sox]

Seems like a drastic lifestyle change to lose 20 pounds of weight - and the thinking that meat is the source of your problems is likely wrong.

 

[n0razi]

Sounds like you should go vegetarian/pescatarian and not vegan since its about health... some of the best calories come from eggs and fish.

Usually one goes vegan for ethical reasons (PETA, etc)

 

[Xero]

Yeah the reasoning for going vegan as like a weight loss diet doesnt make sense to me.

 

[Lonewolf_92]

Ethnic food. Learn to spice. Forget Jesus, seitan is your new master.

Hail Seitan!

I'm a filthy meat eater, but I have to admit there are some tasty vegan recipes. I bought the Seitanic Spellbook after watching and trying out a few of the recipes of the Vegan Black Metal Chef. It's actually pretty easy to make the recipes, and I actually enjoy cooking with (and eating) tofu and seitan, so I end up making a few vegan sides or main dishes a month mixed in my normal omnivorous diet.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Sounds like you should go vegetarian/pescatarian and not vegan since its about health... some of the best calories come from eggs and fish.

Usually one goes vegan for ethical reasons (PETA, etc)

Since it keeps coming up I'll just say that I love the vegan diet anyways. I want to remove meat as a primary form of food. While I'm against a lot of the meat industry and their practices, I'm personally not against meat. Yes, some meats are healthy, but it's been proven that a mostly plant based diet is the best for you.

I realized eating vegan is one of the easiest ways to regulate good health and make good choices.

Ultimately, it's what my wife and I wanna do. I'm asking the how's and not why's. I have answered those for myself. =)

 

[Conezays]

Since it keeps coming up I'll just say that I love the vegan diet anyways. I want to remove meat as a primary form of food. While I'm against a lot of the meat industry and their practices, I'm personally not against meat. Yes, some meats are healthy, but it's been proven that a mostly plant based diet is the best for you.

I realized eating vegan is one of the easiest ways to regulate good health and make good choices.

Ultimately, it's what my wife and I wanna do. I'm asking the how's and not why's. I have answered those for myself. =)

Congratulations on the positive change you and your wife are making I've only been vegan for a year but there have been various benefits. It's helped my acid reflux tremendously as well as feeling better in general. Besides the moral aspect (which is huge), you are also greatly reducing your emissions by going vegan. As for people's concerns about protein, examples like this are great at dispelling that misinformation:

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutritio...american-olympic-weightlifter-kendrick-farris

Good luck with your new cooking routines. I find I skew towards Indian-styled meals most of the time when wondering what to cook. A simple curry dish is generally simple, filling, and tastes good.

 

[Futureman]

OP broke down two days after this thread was created and ate an entire bucket of KFC in one sitting.

JUST kidding. Hope all is going well OP.

 

[Polioliolio]

This recipe will blow you away. You'll want to eat it everyday, and it's damned easy to make a bunch of it.

You'll want to prep all of this in a big bowl with a lid.

You'll want to strain the canned ingredients in a colander first.

- 2 cans of chick peas
- 2 cans of black beans
- Bag of frozen corn (put it in frozen)
- Green pepper, dice it
- Red/yellow pepper, dice it
- Red onion.. Not sure the amount. Just dice some in. Maybe half a red onion or something? Do what feels right here.
- jalapeño pepper, dice it
- diced cilantro (you don't need this for the recipe to be successful, but it helps
- 2 limes squeezed over the whole thing

Stir it all together without mashing the beans or chickpeas.

This recipe is the best. It's so good. You'll wonder why people need to eat meat when beans and chickpeas exist.

Pro tip: get a thirdlime to squeeze over any
Left overs, as you eat them as the zest seems to fade a bit over time.


You like meatloaf? You'll love carrot loaf. I don't know the recipe, but my roommate makes it, and it's damned good. It's so close to meatloaf you might think it is if you didn't really know. So it's carrot loaf with mash potatoes and vegan gravy.


Miscellaneous tips: beans beans beans beans beans beans beans.. Also, even if you don't like mushrooms, eat them. You can successfully sneak beans into pretty much every recipe, and why shouldn't you? Slice mushrooms thin and dice to get them into food even if you don't care for them.

I'm not vegan, but I cut out mammal meat 5 years ago, and spent time as a vegetarian, though I was mostly just eat greens, and suffered a bit I think.. anyway, today, most all of our meals are vegetarian.

Good luck! If you ever feel unfulfilled and it's an option for you, throw eggs back into your life, before ever going back to meat.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Congratulations on the positive change you and your wife are making I've only been vegan for a year but there have been various benefits. It's helped my acid reflux tremendously as well as feeling better in general. Besides the moral aspect (which is huge), you are also greatly reducing your emissions by going vegan. As for people's concerns about protein, examples like this are great at dispelling that misinformation:

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutritio...american-olympic-weightlifter-kendrick-farris

Good luck with your new cooking routines. I find I skew towards Indian-styled meals most of the time when wondering what to cook. A simple curry dish is generally simple, filling, and tastes good.

Thanks! We are doing really well. We get better sleep, have more energy throughout the day, losing weight at a fairly steady pace, and just feeling better emotionally.

We have been defaulting to a lot of beans, rice, potatoes, mixed veggies, and a lot of fruit! I love that I can pack in the food (not to excess obviously), feel full, and NOT feel guilty. The only issue we have been having is I bloat a lot towards the end of the night lol

OP broke down two days after this thread was created and ate an entire bucket of KFC in one sitting.

JUST kidding. Hope all is going well OP.

Haha. I'm pretty proud of myself. My brother came over to chill and I took him to a burger joint, but didn't eat any of it. We took his food home and I cooked up some veggies, rice, and beans and ate that while he enjoyed his juicy burger lol

This recipe will blow you away. You'll want to eat it everyday, and it's damned easy to make a bunch of it.

You'll want to prep all of this in a big bowl with a lid.

You'll want to strain the canned ingredients in a colander first.

- 2 cans of chick peas
- 2 cans of black beans
- Bag of frozen corn (put it in frozen)
- Green pepper, dice it
- Red/yellow pepper, dice it
- Red onion.. Not sure the amount. Just dice some in. Maybe half a red onion or something? Do what feels right here.
- jalapeño pepper, dice it
- diced cilantro (you don't need this for the recipe to be successful, but it helps
- 2 limes squeezed over the whole thing

Stir it all together without mashing the beans or chickpeas.

This recipe is the best. It's so good. You'll wonder why people need to eat meat when beans and chickpeas exist.

Pro tip: get a thirdlime to squeeze over any
Left overs, as you eat them as the zest seems to fade a bit over time.


You like meatloaf? You'll love carrot loaf. I don't know the recipe, but my roommate makes it, and it's damned good. It's so close to meatloaf you might think it is if you didn't really know. So it's carrot loaf with mash potatoes and vegan gravy.


Miscellaneous tips: beans beans beans beans beans beans beans.. Also, even if you don't like mushrooms, eat them. You can successfully sneak beans into pretty much every recipe, and why shouldn't you? Slice mushrooms thin and dice to get them into food even if you don't care for them.

I'm not vegan, but I cut out mammal meat 5 years ago, and spent time as a vegetarian, though I was mostly just eat greens, and suffered a bit I think.. anyway, today, most all of our meals are vegetarian.

Good luck! If you ever feel unfulfilled and it's an option for you, throw eggs back into your life, before ever going back to meat.

Wow! Thank you very much! This will certainly come in handy. Thanks for taking the time to write that up. We have been looking for a tasty dish to make in bulk since we are fairly busy and have inconsistent schedules.

 

[yonder]

Congrats on going vegan!

Here's my favourite lentil soup: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...up-parsley-garlic-lemon-gremolata-recipe.html I usually omit the gremolata due to laziness, and it still tastes great.

Also, check out the vegan community thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=849008

 

[Surfinn]

Been vegan for about 7 months now, and like other people are saying.. make sure you are eating mainly WHOLE foods when you're cooking meals. Of course, it's nice to snack just like any other diet.

Minimalist Baker has a ton of simple recipes that are fantastic (just go easy on the oil, they often dump on coconut oil).

I've been saving money actually switching to a vegan diet.

Believe it or not (people won't admit it), fast food is EXPENSIVE.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Just wanted to give an update if anyone cares. I'm just amazed at the results. We have been completely vegan for 2 weeks, eating a healthy balance of vegetables, high carbs, a lot of fruit, and trying out new food (ex: tofu). It's a game changer. We love it and never want to go back. I have lost a total of 9-10lbs in these short 2 weeks with minimal exercise.

Why this lifestyle isn't more reasonably mainstream is beyond me. For me it was just a simple lack of education. I guess it's the same for most.

 

[rokkerkory]

Good job!

I love meat so cant do this but props

 

[Zukuu]

Just wanted to give an update if anyone cares. I'm just amazed at the results. We have been completely vegan for 2 weeks, eating a healthy balance of vegetables, high carbs, a lot of fruit, and trying out new food (ex: tofu). It's a game changer. We love it and never want to go back. I have lost a total of 9-10lbs in these short 2 weeks with minimal exercise.

Why this lifestyle isn't more reasonably mainstream is beyond me. For me it was just a simple lack of education. I guess it's the same for most.

There is literally no benefit to "exclude dairy products". You need substitutes for it and at that point, you can just as well eat them. Meat doesn't stop you from "trying new things" or getting some results on the scale due to the new "exercise" and I guess a reduction in calorie intake. Nothing has to do with "being vegan". I can understand someone who doesn't want to consume meat for ethical reasons, but other than that, it's a pretty dumb commitment for no apparent reason other than being a fad and feeling better because you believe it's "healthier" (lol). Most vegans are one because they get a kick out of thinking they are on a moral high-ground (since eating meat is so wrong!!!!) and feel smug about it, since it's the hip and "hard" thing to do. The reasons they will tell you are an afterthought.

So yeah, you can obviously do whatever you want. I don't eat paprika because I don't like it, so you can perfectly well don't eat meat just because - but please accept the reality of being vegan and don't believe everything the BIO-hipster-culture tells you about the alleged advantages. It's like someone saying he doesn't eat any fruit for whatever reasons. Sure if you believe in it, why not, but it has no health benefits whatsoever - the opposite actually.

I guess what tip I want to give you is "believe in it for an actual reason". It's a somewhat high commitment, which makes no point in pursuing if you are in it for the wrong reasons.

 

[kiunchbb]

Don't eat to much soy.

 

[Electric Eye]

Just wanted to give an update if anyone cares. I'm just amazed at the results. We have been completely vegan for 2 weeks, eating a healthy balance of vegetables, high carbs, a lot of fruit, and trying out new food (ex: tofu). It's a game changer. We love it and never want to go back. I have lost a total of 9-10lbs in these short 2 weeks with minimal exercise.

Why this lifestyle isn't more reasonably mainstream is beyond me. For me it was just a simple lack of education. I guess it's the same for most.

Good job op! Most people just don't get that you can continue eating as you always have but without any animal products. There have been vegan alternatives for almost everything for years now and its mostly a matter of adjusting recipes.

 

[injurai]

Not vegan, not even vegetarian. But I've been trying to prepare a vegan/vegetarian meal 3-4 times a week. Usually dinner sometimes lunch.

I just find the recipes proposed by vegan cuisine to be so much more appealing. Pairing them with a protein is trivial, but preparing good veggies is a true skill to master.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

There is literally no benefit to "exclude dairy products". You need substitutes for it and at that point, you can just as well eat them. Meat doesn't stop you from "trying new things" or getting some results on the scale due to the new "exercise" and I guess a reduction in calorie intake. Nothing has to do with "being vegan". I can understand someone who doesn't want to consume meat for ethical reasons, but other than that, it's a pretty dumb commitment for no apparent reason other than being a fad and feeling better because you believe it's "healthier" (lol). Most vegans are one because they get a kick out of thinking they are on a moral high-ground (since eating meat is so wrong!!!!) and feel smug about it, since it's the hip and "hard" thing to do. The reasons they will tell you are an afterthought.

So yeah, you can obviously do whatever you want. I don't eat paprika because I don't like it, so you can perfectly well don't eat meat just because - but please accept the reality of being vegan and don't believe everything the BIO-hipster-culture tells you about the alleged advantages. It's like someone saying he doesn't eat any fruit for whatever reasons. Sure if you believe in it, why not, but it has no health benefits whatsoever - the opposite actually.

I guess what tip I want to give you is "believe in it for an actual reason". It's a somewhat high commitment, which makes no point in pursuing if you are in it for the wrong reasons.

lol okay? I don't even know how to respond. sorry. Just seems ridiculous. There's a vocal crowd of radicals in all forms in all areas of media, religion, diet, or lifestyles.

Don't eat to much soy.

Actually, if you look at actual science data from experiments, soy is not harmful. It's "estrogen" isn't even real estrogen. It doesn't cause cancer, or reduce your testosterone. Soy isn't something I will eat regularly, but it certainly isn't cause for concern.