Transitioning from paleo to vegan

JWA

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  1. Vegan newbie
Hello, I'm new here and looking to make a change in my lifestyle. I started eating paleo about 3 years ago and it was great in the beginning. I ate lots of fatty foods, etc. and lost a total of 60 lbs.

It served it's purpose, but within the last year, I have a consistent feeling of a lack of energy, brain fog, etc.

I need to make a change and am overly excited about eating carbs, veggies, fruit, etc!!! I know that sounds silly, but I can't wait.

I recently participated in a DNAFIT test and it concluded that I have a high carbohydrate sensitivity.

The report shows that I have a association with the PPARG and TCF7L2 genes, which indicate that I should only get 8% of my total daily calories from carbs.

I don't know what to believe at this point honestly and need some guidance.

The vegan lifestyle makes sense to me, but this test is throwing me off.

Please chime in with anything you can share to shed some light on the issue at hand.

Thank you,

Wilson
 
Had to look up DNAFIT.

I just read up on it for like 2 minutes, but it sounds like it is based on some pretty flimsy science. The thing about the 8% carb just made me even more sure that it is BS.

I also have no respect for Paleo. IMHO it is the stupidest diet there is. The science it is based on is very weak. I'm not a big fan of Keto either, but at least that is based on some real biology. Although even the Doctors who promote Keto admit that is only a short term solution and not a healthy long term diet.

Granted the landscape of nutritional studies can be confusing and contradictory. Some of that is because almost all nutritional studies have some basic flaws in common. And to make it worse, Big Food has done a pretty good job of muddying the waters. But if you look at the biggest, oldest, and most unbiased studies you can find some common themes. And one of the conclusions that are very common is that most of our calories should come from carbs. Forty to sixty percent of our calories should come from carbs.

Keeping your fat intake low is a very good goal. Yes, some fat is necessary in our diets. But you can meet your mRDA when about 20% of your calories come from fat. Twenty percent is a good goal but for most of us it is very hard to achieve. Thirty percent is the maximum amount. Protein should be in the 20 - 30% range, too.

A lot of new vegans will struggle with these goals. But like anything else, it gets easier with practice. Sometimes the best bet is to find a meal plan (like the one in the 21-day vegan kickstart), and just stick to it till you get things figured out. Or you can just track your nutrition in something like Cronometer and make adjustments as you go.
 
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Lou, thank you so much for chiming in!!! I really appreciate your time and advice.

I'm guessing the DNAFIT thing probably isn't something to lean on too much.

I ordered the 21 day vegan jumpstart book just now and can't wait to soak up some solid knowledge from it.

I appreciate the guidance and will keep on the right, vegan, track.
 
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Lou, thank you so much for chiming in!!! I really appreciate your time and advice.

I'm guessing the DNAFIT thing probably isn't something to lean on too much.

I ordered the 21 day vegan jumpstart book just now and can't wait to soak up some solid knowledge from it.

I appreciate the guidance and will keep on the right, vegan, track.

Oh! I'm so glad you liked my advice. Afterwards, I thought maybe I was a little too blunt.

Didn't even know there was a 21-day vegan jumpstart book. I was referring to the online program.
I should have been more specific. The reason I recommended the 21-day program is that it comes with a meal plan. And from many proto-vegans, having a meal plan makes it a lot more clear and easy.
Here is the link to the program. It's free

Which book did you order? I just googled it and there are a bunch. Did you order the one by Dr. Neal D. Barnard? If so, I don't think you can go wrong. Barnard is really good.

If you like books, I can recommend a few more that are good.

Good luck. And stay in touch.
 
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Here's the book I ordered: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446583820/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's the 21 day weight loss kickstart by Dr. Neil Barnard. He seems to be the man on this subject!

I agree on the meal plan info. I need guidance and meal plans as an example to follow!!!

Please recommend other books if you don't mind. I'm really excited about making the change and want to soak up as much knowledge as I can.

Thank you for taking the time to chime in and help a newbie!

Have a great weekend Lou
 
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You are welcome and thanks.

Like I said I hadn't even known about the book you ordered. And like I said you can't go wrong with Barnard. If you actually don't need to lose any weight - then maybe this book isn't the very best book for you.

IMHO, Barnard is one of the six best vegan nutrition experts. Them being Barnard, Esselstyn, Gregar, Campbell, McDougal, and Fuhrman. But you don't have to read all of them. Or even more than one. The diets they recommend are all just variations of the same thing. The major concepts are the same and they just vary a little in the details*. They also have different takes on practical issues.

The diets they all recommend are all variations of what we now call the Forks Over Knives Diet (FOK). (which has its own universe of books [and a movie!]). Or to give it a generic name - a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet (WFPB). You can be vegan and not follow a WFPB diet. I was for years. But nowadays, I think almost all vegans at least follow some aspects of the WFPB diet. In fact, technically you could follow a WFPB diet and not even be a vegan. But the WFPB diet is totally compatible with being vegan.

Veganism is not just about diet and nutrition, but that does get a lot of attention. Veganism is a lifestyle and it wouldn't be a bad idea to familiarize yourself with some of that too. My favorite vegan guru is Collen Patrick Goudreau. She has written a number of books but she also has a podcast. It's called Food For Thought. Back before there were a million podcasts, CPG kept me company on my commute. She is great.



* I haven't read all of these authors, but I'm fairly familiar with what they have written. As far as I can tell the main difference is on how much grains and starches one should eat. And even that is on the minor side.
 
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Thanks again Lou!

I really appreciate your input!

I will research more about the lifestyle, as I'm looking to make a real change, not just try a diet.

I do have about 25ish pounds to loose, so I think the Barnard book will work for me.

Thanks again and keep sharing your knowledge!
 
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I do have about 25ish pounds to loose, so I think the Barnard book will work for me.

Well, in that case, I think you got the best book. Just luck or was there some skill involved?

One suggestion that you might want to do is to go get a check-up now and get a copy of the numbers. Weight, BP, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. Also, do the BMI measurements.

Then in a couple of months check those numbers again. It's not all about the scale.

Maybe go online and join the 21 day vegan kickstart at PCRM. The videos and stuff they have online might be a good companion to the book.
 
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Pure skill......... I did some research on Barnard and thought he was very credible. Really I just got lucky ;)

Getting a checkup is a great idea. I will schedule one asap!

I will also checkout the online 21 day challenge.

Thanks again for all your help!
 
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I also have no respect for Paleo. IMHO it is the stupidest diet there is. The science it is based on is very weak. I'm not a big fan of Keto either, but at least that is based on some real biology. Although even the Doctors who promote Keto admit that is only a short term solution and not a healthy long term diet.


this this this 100% I just want to scream this from the top of the world
 
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