[NSC] Going Vegan (after xmas)

[Bakero]

funny thing is this doesnt quite say what you think, it highlights the preachy message. the fast food ads have a picture, a slogan, thats it. the vegan is wordy and telling you what to do.

as to the OP, seems to me the sensible approach is to decide to cut out meat and maybe meat products when convienent. making your self a slave to the alter of veganism is daft, having to constantly check if food is suitable, buying more expensive food to meat a self imposed dietry regime.

I know what you mean but why do people feel the need to but expensive substitute products? Veg is cheaper than meat.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Can someone tell me what results there have been on vegans longterm

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

making your self a slave to the alter of veganism is daft, having to constantly check if food is suitable, buying more expensive food to meat a self imposed dietry regime.

What utter nonsense. Being vegan is only as expensive as you make it, like any other diet. If you buy a load of meat, steak, pork, lamb etc, your food bill will be expensive, the same as if you buy loads of meat replacement foods it will expensive. But the idea that buying fruit and vegetables is more expensive is laughable.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

Can someone tell me what results there have been on vegans longterm

I’ve been vegan for over a year and have lost weight, feel much healthier and I’m much fitter. I’m a runner and my PBs have been coming thick and fast over every distance I’ve run from 5k to half marathons. I’m not saying that this is because I’m vegan, but I have gotten much faster, my recovery time has improved and I feel like I have more energy since going vegan. I also know vegan runners who have been vegan for 20+ years and are absolutely smashing it. The myth that being vegan makes you malnourished and have no energy is nonsense, as The Game Changers shows.

 

[The Large One]

After watching documentaries such as The Game Changers and What the Health on Netflix, I've decided to give going vegan a go.

I have tried once before, but I only last a week. I just found the food bland, uninteresting and difficult!

No meat is challenging enough. Adding in no cheese and no eggs just makes it near impossible! However, I am keen to really try. I'm running the Paris marathon in April and maybe this will help me improve my performance if the documentaries are to be believed along with anecdotes from friends.

So can anybody on here offer me any advice? What are your go to quick and tasty vegan meals as I don't have a lot of time to prepare.

Where can I find good vegan recipes? As at the moment I find the food uninspiring.

What can I have for snacks so I don't fall off the vegan wagon?

All help and advice is appreciated.

The vast majority of an entire curry spread is vegetarian, if not vegan.

Make yourself a veggie curry (sweet potato, chick pea and spinach is brilliant), and consider the side dishes; rice, bread, sag aloo, onion bhaji - all vegan.

If you don't want egg-based pasta, make a lasagne but use peeled leeks instead of lasagne sheets - it works just as well.

No end of soups and stews.

Or you can just have beans on toast or a bag of chips...

 

[Poojah]

I've made a conscious decision recently to eat (slightly) less meat in general, mainly for my own personal health, after inadvertantly going a couple of days at a time without eating meat and realising that I hadn't really missed it. I think I'd struggle with full-on veganism however as cutting out dairy and cheese in their entirety would be a hard slog - almond milk just doesn't do it for me.

In terms of recommendations, there's a vegitarian Indian restaurant up the road from me (I live in Leeds) which offers many vegan options, all of which rival any meat-based curries I'd ever had. Obviously a bit of a distance for you, but they have a cooking book which I can highly recommend with a number of really good, mostly straightforward recipes in them. It's available here on Amazon for reference.

Obviously anything spice-based is a good option if you like that kind of thing, as it helps you get around the fact that some of the ingredients may be a little bland in their own right. I spend quite a bit of time in Abu Dhabi these days through work, and I've had some really good Middle Eastern dishes (most of which I couldn't actually tell you the name of!) but there are some good suggestions here.

One other thing I'd recommend is something I was introduced to by a vegitarian South African colleague a number of years ago. They're called pampoenkoekies - essentally little deep fried balls of pumpkin, drizzled with caramel sauce and potentially served with a side of vegan ice cream. For obvious reasons, they're not particularly good for you so I wouldn't recommend them as an every day staple, but as an occasional indulgence they're really f**king good!

In terms of quick and easy stuff, I'm not a big fan of ready meals, but if you do find yourself tight for time M&S plant kitchen range is actually half-decent.

The other thing you'll want to be aware of is how much protein you're getting - with meat and fish probably contributing the lion's share of an average person's diet, it's a lot more difficult to do if you're going vegan. It's an important macronutrient for maintaining lean muscle, but it's also the most satiating so there's a risk you'll be hungry AF if you're not getting enough. Lentils, chickpeas, nuts and the like will serve you well, as will tofu if you can stomach the stuff (I can't), but you may want to look at adding a vegan protein shake into the mix to help with things.

Anyway, best of luck on your journey - hopefully this one will last longer than a week! I think, like most, I'd struggle doing a full week fully vegan so you're probably ahead of the game already in that respect. People will inevatibly snear, but if you're ultimately making a change to improve your health and for the betterment of the planet as a whole, then what the f**k's wrong with that? Each to their own for me.

 

[portslade seagull]

My son went Vegan about 10 months ago in support of his girlfriend. You'll be amazed how good some of the food is they prepare and eat. Nut roast on the menu Christmas day with various vegetables, Wifykins is nut roasting it as well

 

[Dick Head]

funny thing is this doesnt quite say what you think, it highlights the preachy message. the fast food ads have a picture, a slogan, thats it. the vegan is wordy and telling you what to do.

as to the OP, seems to me the sensible approach is to decide to cut out meat and maybe meat products when convienent. making your self a slave to the alter of veganism is daft, having to constantly check if food is suitable, buying more expensive food to meat a self imposed dietry regime.

Yes, it does. Three of them are selling me meat for profit and one is informing me, for free, that there is a healthier alternative. And stop preaching at me!

 

[beorhthelm]

Yes, it does. Three of them are selling me meat for profit and one is informing me,

exactly, the way they are putting their message is different. a Greggs vegan sausage picture "100% vegan!" would get which type of response?

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I’ve been vegan for over a year and have lost weight, feel much healthier and I’m much fitter. I’m a runner and my PBs have been coming thick and fast over every distance I’ve run from 5k to half marathons. I’m not saying that this is because I’m vegan, but I have gotten much faster, my recovery time has improved and I feel like I have more energy since going vegan. I also know vegan runners who have been vegan for 20+ years and are absolutely smashing it. The myth that being vegan makes you malnourished and have no energy is nonsense, as The Game Changers shows.

That sounds promising, meat has always tired me out after after meal. I find fish energises me though.
But my whole ethos to life is not too much of anything, whether that be running or eating meat or nuts.
I may give it a go, I have a pretty good metabolic rate and never been overweight anymore than a few a pounds, so I am quite lucky, I have always seen food as a fuel, so I get it.

On the plus side I have been getting PBs on meat! So what sort of gains could I realistically expect over a 5k did you achieve , 5% ,10%, 15% faster? How long would it to take to see a result?
Would I expect to lose muscle?

 

[Dick Head]

exactly, the way they are putting their message is different. a Greggs vegan sausage picture "100% vegan!" would get which type of response?

You sound angry.

 

[Hugo Rune]

You sound angry.

Too much red meat I’d wager!

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Standard response from someone that's wrong and stupid

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Standard response from a sour lefty Guardian reader who can't grasp how Labour lost the election.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

That sounds promising, meat has always tired me out after after meal. I find fish energises me though.
But my whole ethos to life is not too much of anything, whether that be running or eating meat or nuts.
I may give it a go, I have a pretty good metabolic rate and never been overweight anymore than a few a pounds, so I am quite lucky, I have always seen food as a fuel, so I get it.

On the plus side I have been getting PBs on meat! So what sort of gains could I realistically expect over a 5k did you achieve , 5% ,10%, 15% faster? How long would it to take to see a result?
Would I expect to lose muscle?

My PB over 5k, when eating meat, was 28:12. I went plant based last November and started seeing gains within a month or so. My new 5k PB (that I set in April) is 22:09 so a massive gain within 6 months. I’m sure the weight loss helped (not that I was drastically overweight in the first place) but, as I say, I feel like I have much more energy and my recovery has generally been better. Re losing muscle, I know several vegan PTs who are pretty ripped to say the least so I suppose it’s just making sure you get your nutrition right. Good protein sources are soy beans, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu and tempeh.

 

[beorhthelm]

You sound angry.

you seem to be missing the point, wanting to deflect and make personal

 

[Weezle]

The vast majority of an entire curry spread is vegetarian, if not vegan.

Make yourself a veggie curry (sweet potato, chick pea and spinach is brilliant), and consider the side dishes; rice, bread, sag aloo, onion bhaji - all vegan.

If you don't want egg-based pasta, make a lasagne but use peeled leeks instead of lasagne sheets - it works just as well.

No end of soups and stews.

Or you can just have beans on toast or a bag of chips...

Finally a recommendation!! Thank you. Sounds like sound advice.

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[Weezle]

I’ve been vegan for over a year and have lost weight, feel much healthier and I’m much fitter. I’m a runner and my PBs have been coming thick and fast over every distance I’ve run from 5k to half marathons. I’m not saying that this is because I’m vegan, but I have gotten much faster, my recovery time has improved and I feel like I have more energy since going vegan. I also know vegan runners who have been vegan for 20+ years and are absolutely smashing it. The myth that being vegan makes you malnourished and have no energy is nonsense, as The Game Changers shows.

Exactly the reasons I want to give it a go. I'm not in this for moral reasons, just my own health and performance.

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[Weezle]

I've made a conscious decision recently to eat (slightly) less meat in general, mainly for my own personal health, after inadvertantly going a couple of days at a time without eating meat and realising that I hadn't really missed it. I think I'd struggle with full-on veganism however as cutting out dairy and cheese in their entirety would be a hard slog - almond milk just doesn't do it for me.

In terms of recommendations, there's a vegitarian Indian restaurant up the road from me (I live in Leeds) which offers many vegan options, all of which rival any meat-based curries I'd ever had. Obviously a bit of a distance for you, but they have a cooking book which I can highly recommend with a number of really good, mostly straightforward recipes in them. It's available here on Amazon for reference.

Obviously anything spice-based is a good option if you like that kind of thing, as it helps you get around the fact that some of the ingredients may be a little bland in their own right. I spend quite a bit of time in Abu Dhabi these days through work, and I've had some really good Middle Eastern dishes (most of which I couldn't actually tell you the name of!) but there are some good suggestions here.

One other thing I'd recommend is something I was introduced to by a vegitarian South African colleague a number of years ago. They're called pampoenkoekies - essentally little deep fried balls of pumpkin, drizzled with caramel sauce and potentially served with a side of vegan ice cream. For obvious reasons, they're not particularly good for you so I wouldn't recommend them as an every day staple, but as an occasional indulgence they're really f**king good!

In terms of quick and easy stuff, I'm not a big fan of ready meals, but if you do find yourself tight for time M&S plant kitchen range is actually half-decent.

The other thing you'll want to be aware of is how much protein you're getting - with meat and fish probably contributing the lion's share of an average person's diet, it's a lot more difficult to do if you're going vegan. It's an important macronutrient for maintaining lean muscle, but it's also the most satiating so there's a risk you'll be hungry AF if you're not getting enough. Lentils, chickpeas, nuts and the like will serve you well, as will tofu if you can stomach the stuff (I can't), but you may want to look at adding a vegan protein shake into the mix to help with things.

Anyway, best of luck on your journey - hopefully this one will last longer than a week! I think, like most, I'd struggle doing a full week fully vegan so you're probably ahead of the game already in that respect. People will inevatibly snear, but if you're ultimately making a change to improve your health and for the betterment of the planet as a whole, then what the f**k's wrong with that? Each to their own for me.

Thank you for the advice and taking the time to share the links. I'll check them all out. I'll need all the help I can get!

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[Deleted member 2719]

My PB over 5k, when eating meat, was 28:12. I went plant based last November and started seeing gains within a month or so. My new 5k PB (that I set in April) is 22:09 so a massive gain within 6 months. I’m sure the weight loss helped (not that I was drastically overweight in the first place) but, as I say, I feel like I have much more energy and my recovery has generally been better. Re losing muscle, I know several vegan PTs who are pretty ripped to say the least so I suppose it’s just making sure you get your nutrition right. Good protein sources are soy beans, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu and tempeh.

That's some improvement!

I am not worried about being ripped in my mid fifties, but I just want overall body strength.


I will look into perhaps 3 days a week initially, as I am reluctant to make our kids vegan as they are still growing.

 

[Dick Head]

you seem to be missing the point, wanting to deflect and make personal

If I see an advert for a burger chain I think, 'that doesn't apply to me'. You see an advert from a vegan affiliation and feel put out about it and need to tell me why. Who's preaching to whom?