Going vegan

[ledboots]

I think you will do fine just by eating more calories. Fruit juice is good, nuts and nut butters, adding a splash of olive oil, dried fruits, any other calorie-dense food. Oatmeal in the morning with some of the above things plus a full-fat soya milk is a good start. Don't be afraid of healthy fats and even a few sweets. Carry a bag of mixed fruit and nuts or a protein bar in your pocket. Eat something before you go to bed at night (research shows this is healthy in any case).

My son is 20, vegan nearly 10 years now, and very active, as it sounds as if you are with your hiking and dogs. He eats very healthy, lots of fruit (we live in florida, so it's cheaper and easy to find). He eats lots of beans, loves tofu, stirfries anything. He likes oatmeal with peanut butter and also lately uses hemp powder in his morning fruit and green smoothie.(The smoothie is frozen fruit, a banana, orange juice, some greens, whizzed in a big cup with a stick blender.) He takes a sublingual vitamin B and gets lots of sun for vitamin D but otherwise no medicine or vitamins.

 

[Mikkel]

Thanks!

A typical day for me is
Breakfast: Smoothie with berries and plantmilk with hemp seeds in (and often some different
Lunch: Crispbread (made of corn) with nut butter (mostly peanuts, but I just got my almond butter from Iherb )
Dinner: Veggies in all sort of ways, and I try to always add a protein source like beans, lentils, quiona etc.

And then I snack on berries, veggies, nuts, fruits and some home made protein bars during the day.

My activity level is now low... I walk 20 km each night at work in a good speed + hiking with dogs or running before I go to work. And in the week I'm off work, I have longer hikes, longer runs and practice with my dogs (and planning to take up some weight lifting during the winter now). So yeah. I eat way too little I guess... No wonder my weight loss have stalled now.

 

[Mikkel]

An update from me!

I still haven't giving up the vegan project. In fact, it's going very well now. I haven't eaten eggs for a long time now. So it's only the darn milk and cheese again.

This week I've had 4 vegan days, and I'm planning to have 5 vegan days comming week. I'm very aware of eating enough, and eating enough proteins. I think this time it will work!!

I feel so well those days I don't eat milk product. Both in body and mind.

 

[Trinity]

Hi Mikkel,

This is really great to hear. I'm a long term vegan (20 years). I am hyper-sensitive to gluten and beans, so I have evolved a diet that involves lots of veggies and some fruits, with seeds ( I make pates and dips with seeds), avocados, some olives and nuts, healthy fats and quinoa. It works really well and has always felt healthy. I've never felt any issues with not taking in enough protein. It feels that eating healthy foods actually means you get exactly what you need.

Chia seeds are quite trendy lately and are supposed to be packed with protein, so you might like to look at that too? I've just bought a pack although I am still discovering how to use them.

Trinity
x

 

[Mikkel]

Thanks Trinity!

It's good to hear other make it works!

I have Chia seeds at home, but I've found so small use for it yet. But I guess I can just put them in my smoothie or something? I have a recepie for a chia pudding I can start to make more often. It's a great lunch too that I easily can bring to work also. I've startet to bring seeds to work to snack on too.

I guess I didn't eat good enough the last time (the very first time, my diet was so restricted in the try to find out what I was allergic too, that I almost had nothing to eat....). So I need to eat healty and with a good variety too, and then I'll be fine.

I know I need to loose some weight too, but instead of thinking to change my diet AND loose weight at the same time, I take one thing at the time. First changing my diet (and I think it will help), and then thinking of loosing weight again.

 

[Trinity]

I guess I didn't eat good enough the last time (the very first time, my diet was so restricted in the try to find out what I was allergic too, that I almost had nothing to eat....). So I need to eat healty and with a good variety too, and then I'll be fine.

Yes, I think it's easy to fall in to the restriction side of things. My approach is to get really excited about all the new things I discover that I can eat instead

First changing my diet (and I think it will help), and then thinking of loosing weight again.

Indeed. If you find the right harmony with your diet, then you might find that your weight will find a happy balance too.

 

[Trinity]

I decided to give up gluten recently. I've not eaten wheat for years, although I was eating a little spelt flour in things. I feel much better because of it.
So, I am on a bit of a mission to create some new vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free recipes at the moment. Do let me know if you have any nice ideas

 

[shyvas]

Thanks Trinity!

It's good to hear other make it works!

I have Chia seeds at home, but I've found so small use for it yet. But I guess I can just put them in my smoothie or something? I have a recepie for a chia pudding I can start to make more often. It's a great lunch too that I easily can bring to work also. I've startet to bring seeds to work to snack on too.

I guess I didn't eat good enough the last time (the very first time, my diet was so restricted in the try to find out what I was allergic too, that I almost had nothing to eat....). So I need to eat healty and with a good variety too, and then I'll be fine.

I know I need to loose some weight too, but instead of thinking to change my diet AND loose weight at the same time, I take one thing at the time. First changing my diet (and I think it will help), and then thinking of loosing weight again.

I add them to virtually everything ; salads, soups, smoothies, yogurt and cake batters.

The following book also is a good read. It is written by two Canadian dieticians and gives you lots of useful
information when adopting a healthy plant based diet.

 

[Mikkel]

Thanks a lot Trinity and shyvas!

 

[thefadedone]

So it's only the darn milk and cheese again.

Are you having problems with these when you are out or do you still have some dairy milk and cheese in your fridge?

 

[Mikkel]

Are you having problems with these when you are out or do you still have some dairy milk and cheese in your fridge?

I haven't taken it total out of my diet yet, since I failed two times of my vegan project (I guess I ate too little those two times). So I just take it over some weeks this time, and I think this works the best for me. I don't have much with dairy in it in the house now, and don't buy any new ingredients with dairy or buy it when I'm eating out. I have no cravings for milkproducts at all, so that part won't be hard luckly.

 

[Trinity]

The following book also is a good read. It is written by two Canadian dieticians and gives you lots of useful
information when adopting a healthy plant based diet.

Oh thanks - I love to know about good vegan books. Will check this one out.

 

[thefadedone]

I haven't taken it total out of my diet yet, since I failed two times of my vegan project (I guess I ate too little those two times). So I just take it over some weeks this time, and I think this works the best for me. I don't have much with dairy in it in the house now, and don't buy any new ingredients with dairy or buy it when I'm eating out. I have no cravings for milkproducts at all, so that part won't be hard luckly.

Try using hummus instead of cheese when cooking . I found that hummus works great as a cheese substitute in things that usually use cheese. Hummus is good in everything!

 

[Mikkel]

Try using hummus instead of cheese when cooking . I found that hummus works great as a cheese substitute in things that usually use cheese. Hummus is good in everything!

I tried hummus on pizza, and it was really good!

 

[thefadedone]

I tried hummus on pizza, and it was really good!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/21-things-that-happen-when-you-dont-eat-meat?bffb

Number 3 .

 

[shyvas]

Oh thanks - I love to know about good vegan books. Will check this one out.

I'm reading it second time round ; as it has valuble information especially concerning how to get enough protein from a plant based diet.

 

[spottygiraffe]

Liked the 21 things that happen when you don't eat meat -although I've never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

When I gave up dairy I wanted to find something I could have on bread rather than cheese or butter. As well as hummus I love this recipe, it's so easy and I always have a pot of it in my fridge:

Garlic & white bean dip/spread:

2 garlic cloves, skin on
400g can of white beans such as butter beans
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsps olive oïl
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
sea salt & black Pepper

Grill the garlic cloves for 2-3 minutes until roasted. Remove the skins and blitz the cloves with all the other ingredients.

 

[PTree15]

Liked the 21 things that happen when you don't eat meat -although I've never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

When I gave up dairy I wanted to find something I could have on bread rather than cheese or butter. As well as hummus I love this recipe, it's so easy and I always have a pot of it in my fridge:

Garlic & white bean dip/spread:

2 garlic cloves, skin on
400g can of white beans such as butter beans
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsps olive oïl
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
sea salt & black Pepper

Grill the garlic cloves for 2-3 minutes until roasted. Remove the skins and blitz the cloves with all the other ingredients.

That sounds great! I am going to try this. Thank you for the recipe.

 

[spottygiraffe]

You're very welcome. It is yummy.

 

[Mikkel]

I'll try that dip! I thought of trying to bake some bread this weekend. I found a recepie on FB on a cornbread, and I want to try on a banana bread. Glutenfree and vegan of cause.

I had a vegetarian dinner tonight, with some cheese. It has been one of my favorite dishes for a long time. Now it tasted just crap... I guess my palate changes now too.