Newbie

[Mjk412]

Hey Everyone. I am new to eating vegan. I want to stick with a whole foods plant-based diet. However, I’m going crazy trying to figure out things i want to eat, and what foods to put together so I can get the best nutrients. It’s actually stressing me out. I want to have three balanced meals a day breakfast lunch and dinner. Can someone point me in the right direction, recommend some recipes for a daily eating guide, or a book.

I’m just confused and Don’t know how to make balanced meals for everyday.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I think you need a specific meal plan:

https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/lifestyle/shopping/vegan-meal-plan
https://www.peta.org/living/food/two-week-vegan-meal-plan/
https://veganuary.com/starter-kit/vegan-meal-plans/

Have a quick look and pick the one you like best.

Don't stress out too much about precisely perfect quantities of everything, though.

If you follow the meal plans very closely and make sure you take a vitamin B12 supplement you presumably won't need to worry about nutrition as they should be specifically designed to include everything you need. In this case, you could even ignore the links I post below.

If you have time, read the articles on nutrients that need attention on vegan diets at http://www.veganhealth.org/ You can read one a week perhaps.
If you'd rather keep it simple, I made a simpler summary of vegan nutrition here: https://whytryveg.wordpress.com/2017/03/25/vegan-nutrition/
Don't stress about nutrition though. Just get on and do it. You'll probably be fine.

Another thing - consider whether you want to transition immediately or more slowly, steadily replacing one food with another over time. That can make it easier to adjust.

Good luck!

 

[Dave Sharpes]

It's nice to hear the support on here, i am also new to vegan life, my worry is what protein rich foods to eat.
I have read nuts are a good snack and also beans, quinoa, tofu and lentils.
I think i will get some b12 supplements just incase.
Thanks for the links above Jamie

 

[Jamie in Chile]

New report from the WWF (https://www.wwf.org.uk/…/WWF_AppetiteForDestruction_Summary…) this week says that UK nutritional guidelines recommend 45-55g of protein per day whereas the average UK consumption is 64-88g.

So, do you really need protein rich foods? Maybe you don't need to worry about it much. But read this:

Lysine: The Limiting Amino Acid in Vegan Diets

Before getting into a somewhat technical discussion about the protein needs of vegans, let's just cut to the chase - the RDA for lysine is more important than for protein. If you meet lysine requirements on a vegan diet, you will most likely meet protein requirements.


Per serving, legumes and seitan are the foods highest in the amino acid lysine. Tofu, tempeh, soy meats, lentils, and seitan are the highest, followed by other legume foods. Quinoa, amaranth, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds are also decent sources of lysine.

It is very hard to design a vegan diet that meets lysine requirements for a person who does not exercise daily without including legumes, seitan, quinoa, amaranth, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds without having too many calories. It is much easier to do for regular exercisers whose calorie requirements are higher.
Source: http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein

The bottom line is include at least some legumes (soy/lentils) etc in your diet, eat a generally balanaced diet, and you'll be fine.

See here for funny video:

Here is a blog I did on protein on a vegan diet: https://whytryveg.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/getting-enough-protein-is-easy/