How to transition according to my life

[Luis Arede]

So i have been seeing a youtuber called "Vegan Gains" , he's a little bit harsh on this but i got the point and have been thinking about going vegan. So, i dont really eat a lot of meat, the only meals in wich i eat meat is lunch and dinner. And the only dairy product i consume is milk (like, a lot of it, is my main source of protein). So it would be as easy as replacing meat/fish with fake meat tofu soy etc, and milk with soy milk. Now i wanna turn vegan primarly for health reasons since it has been proven to be better than meat diets in preventing a lot of diseases. Normally vegans start with it for the ethical side and then they discover the health benefits. Im the opposite, i wanna do it for my health but i get the ethical side too. But one thing, health is my primary focus still, if meat and dairy diets were healthier i would stick with them.

So , i hate veggies, i really hate it, the only one i like is lettuce, but i love fruits! My favourite snack is a peanut butter sandwich and thats vegan so np. Well, if i turn vegan i will never eat like, lentils and beans and rice and fruit for lunch, i really want something packed with protein that i can enjoy (tofu , fake meats etc). So are tofu and fake meats "unhealthier" than eating lentils/beans etc? I would like some tips on it, thanks in advance. (I go to the gym so i must eat 120-150g protein if i can)

 

[veganDreama]

Hello and Welcome! I'm a vegan for ethical reasons. I don't like the way farm animals are treated.

I didn't like vegetable's before I went vegan but my taste changed.

Fake meat is all right while you get used to being vegan. Once you've got used to it you can replace it with beans, tofu, Soya, Mushroom and other forms of protein.

Their are lots of plant based milks. Cows milk is definitely bad for you and is only meant for baby cows.

Transferring into a vegan diet can be hard at first but once you get used to it, it becomes easier. Good luck.

 

[Lou]

I follow a bunch of vegan YouTubers. Vegan gains is my least favorite vegan on YouTube. So first of all, I recommend you find a different role model. Just recently we had a thread on YouTubers. I don't think VeganGains even got mentioned. But here is the thread
https://veganforum.org/threads/vegan-youtuber.2383/#post-12414

One of our favorites was Pick Up Limes - and she has a great "How To Go Vegan" video.

Next suggestion is to make the Whole Foods Plant Based Diet (also called the Forks Over Knives diet) your goal - not veganism. Veganism is an ethical diet. WFPB is a healthy diet. They are compatible with each other, tho. But I think the WFPB diet is more your style. BTW, I am an ethical vegan who is slowly transitioning to WFPB.

You might want to check out the YouTuber PlantbasedAthlete. I think he is right up your alley. Another one is Meat Free Athlete.

Don't categorize tofu as "Fake Meat". I guess you can but most of the fake meats are made with lots of ingredients - some of which are not "natural". And usually not that healthy. Tofu is made with like 3 ingredients and with a natural process (curdling). Its one of the healthiest foods there is. Another good "fake meat" is what is called grain meat or seitan.

you can definitely use soymilk, tofu, peanut butter, and grains as major sources of protein.

I also go to the gym. And almost everyone there totally overestimates the amount of protein they need. I think between the livestock industry and the supplement industry - they have most everyone flummoxed. And I think you are also overestimating your protein requirements. There are two different ways to really calculate your protein needs. Maybe the most basic is to get 10 to 30% of your calories from protein. As you exercise more, your calorie needs go up and then your protein intake goes up automatically. If you are trying to change your weight, you can take your goal weight (in pounds) and multiply it by a factor. At the gym, I often hear people state the correct factor is 1, or even higher. But Doctors and dieticians use a much lower factor. For athletes, it's .44. For regular people it's .35 ( ± .02)

Keep in mind that our bodies do a really bad job of storing protein. What protein our bodies can not use gets broken down. the byproducts (mostly nitrogen compounds) are toxic and hard on your liver and kidneys. Recent studies show that much more than 20 g of protein per meal is too much - it can't be absorbed or utilized that fast. So even if you eat 120 g of protein a day - you are wasting about half of it.

As far as not liking veggies go... I bet you will be surprised. There is a definite role in accustomization. You just get used to it. Also, I just read an article on how our gut bacteria sends signals to our brains that create cravings. If we eat junk food, the bacteria that likes junk food grows to be in the majority and sends signals for more junk food. If we eat high fiber food we get cravings for more high fiber food.

Anyway, if you want to be healthy, you HAVE to eat dark green leafy veggies (like spinach), cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli), leafy veggies (like lettuce), other veggies (like carrots), beans, grains, fruits, seeds, and nuts. Not only do you need those things for protein and important micronutrients like Calcium and iron. but you need that much variety to hit all the different amino acids and the other micronutients, antioxidants and other stuff that makes a plant based diet so helathy.

 

[Luis Arede]

Hello and thank you for your responses. I don't wanna be the healthiest person in the world and obviously there is still an ethical side to my wantings. That said I want to change meat for you or seitan and then mix it with veggies pasta or rice. Then I change milk for soy milk to have with my cereal and to drink with my peanut butter sandwiches. I don't have much time to eat so I can't to a whole food plant based diet , there is too much to eat and I am already a naturally skinny person. That said , I'm basically going to try out changing meat for tofu , (or fake meats some time ) and seitan etc, and keep eating what I was eating already , pasta , rice , etc. And replace my milk for soy. Then i will see if I want to do other things.

 

[Sax]

So are tofu and fake meats "unhealthier" than eating lentils/beans etc?

You can generally assume that processed foods like tofu and meat substitutes are less healthy than unprocessed whole foods. But they're almost certainly healthier than processed animal products.

Transitioning to a vegan diet can change your palate, and you might find beans/lentils and vegetables in general to taste better after you've been off animal products for a while. Lemon/lime juice, garlic, salt/pepper and crushed red pepper can add a lot of flavor

 

[amberfunk]

Tofu is healthier than the fake meats. You can make your own fake meat with a little practice. I make what I call a loaf once a week usually. It's vital wheat gluten with spices and bouillon. It's more economical too.