Vegan Diet

[Teach]

Recently, my son told me that he's been experimenting with a vegan diet. He's only been on it for a week or two, but he says he's lost some weight. He also says he feels better. Has anyone on this forum experimented with a vegan diet? With what results?

[thaskalos]

For the past year...I have subsisted solely on fruits, vegetables, lentils, beans, nuts...and Ezekiel bread. I used to eat wild-caught fish, but I cut that out too for the past year...as part of a personal "experiment". I also own a Vitamix blender...which I use to make fresh fruit/vegetable drinks morning and night.

To say that I feel great is an UNDERSTATEMENT. I never considered myself a "morning person"...but I now get out of bed in the morning feeling strong enough to knock down my house's walls with my bare hands...and I'm not kidding. So energetic have I been feeling lately...that I've converted a spare bedroom of my home into a personal gym, fully equipped with strength and endurance/building equipment...which I use daily. And, as a result, I am, at 56 years old, in better shape now than I can ever remember being.

Believe me...it's all a matter of "habit". A healthy habit is as hard to break as an unhealthy one. The trick is to stay with it long enough for the "habit" to form. The good thing about nutritional adjustments is that you FEEL the difference a lot quicker than you can see it in the mirror...and this gives you the needed encouragement to go on. But you have to START.

[Teach]

Thaskalos,

Thanks for your response.

Teach

[Tom]

Never tried a vegan diet - do they taste like chicken?

[jocko699]

Originally Posted by Tom

Never tried a vegan diet - do they taste like chicken?

This is a great post!!!!

[HalvOnHorseracing]

I'd offer three things.

1. Be sure you know how it works. Not everyone can give up butter, cheese, etc.

2. Make sure your nutritional needs are met

3. Stay away from "junk vegan."

[Light]

Teach

I've been a vegetarian since 21. Now I'm 62. When i first started changing to a vegetarian diet, people were warning me of the dangers of not eating meat. Today the opposite is known. That eating a vegetarian diet is healthier than a diet with meat and the dangers are from a meat based diet.

Now that being a vegetarian is more mainstream,the same thing has happened with Vegan diets. Because of ignorance, it had been touted as "dangerous". It is actually a healthier diet than being a vegetarian which is healthier than being a meat eater.

In all three types I would recommend that one goes organic. The dangers from chemicals in your food, hormones or Gmo's etc. can negate the health affects of whatever diet you are on. If i have to pay more for organic, I've always looked at it as a cheap form of health insurance. After eating organic for 40 years i ponder how many pounds of chemicals and unhealthy substances I would have consumed over those 40 years. It makes me shudder to think, and I attribute my good heath to a large extent to not accumulating those toxins over the years.

[Dave Schwartz]

I was perfectly vegan for 18 months 22 years ago.

At the end of it I had lost 54 pounds. Decided that I wanted to go back to "normal" eating.

Three days after getting past the struggle of eating meat, I was shocked at how much more energy I had.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by HalvOnHorseracing

3. Stay away from "junk vegan."

Beer and pretzels aren't meat, so those are OK, right?

And even meatless pizza has all kinds of healthy grains and veggies and dairy products. Or so I've heard.

[ElKabong]

My wife and I started growing our own veggies in the back yard. Long story short, organic is so much better.

Having said that, I eat lean cuts of beef, chicken, fish and pork. No way I'd go vegan but that's me. The workouts I take in require a lot of protein to repair muscles. I take in two protein shakes per day, makes a lot of difference.

If you simply cut out sugar and grains from your eating plan you'll be amazed at how much more energy you'll have

I'll just add this, and be honest. It's amazing how differently people treat you when you're in good shape vs not. When I bet for a living I was between 45 and 50 yo, travelled a lot to Houston, San Antonio, Lafayette. Gained a few lbs eating food on the road. The difference in the way people treat you when you're in good shape vs not, both locally and on the road, is stark. When I got back in shape it was like night and day, the way people interact with you.