Considering Going Vegan for 30 Days - Questions!

[SpiritChaser]

Hey, everyone!! Vegan topics have been popping up all over the place for me (almost as much as the 11s, ha ha)... so with the topic of Steve's latest blog, I figured I should go ahead and jump in for the 30 day self challenge.

I have myriad questions before embarking on this challenge:

1- I lost 30 lbs. Part of that equation was eliminating most grains and getting my carbs from fruits and veggies. I already eat organic and unprocessed; however my diet consists of meats, produce, and greek strained yogurt for the most part. I consume about 70-90 g of protein daily, as I work out INTENSELY each morning. So at 5' 2", 106 lbs, will I now gain back some weight from reintroducing carbs into my diet? (not a goal)

2- Will I have enough energy to continue intense kettlebell and functional training for the Fire Dept (heavy equipment)?

3- Does anyone enjoy unsweetened carob as a vegan, or is that one of the foods avoided?

4- What are some sample meal plans you enjoy, without the use of soy?

5- How much protein do I REALLY need, and what are the best foods for it?

Thanks so much, I look forward to hearing more about this way of life!

[aelle]

Hi, and congratulations on your decision!

1- I lost 30 lbs. Part of that equation was eliminating most grains and getting my carbs from fruits and veggies. I already eat organic and unprocessed; however my diet consists of meats, produce, and greek strained yogurt for the most part. I consume about 70-90 g of protein daily, as I work out INTENSELY each morning. So at 5' 2", 106 lbs, will I now gain back some weight from reintroducing carbs into my diet? (not a goal)

You know, there is an equally wide variety of vegan diets as there is of omnivore diets. You may eat too much carbs and put the weight back on, you may keep it down. I lost a lot of weight when I went vegan and have been perfectly stable ever since I reached a healthy weight.

2- Will I have enough energy to continue intense kettlebell and functional training for the Fire Dept (heavy equipment)?

Sure, if you make sure to eat a balanced vegan diet. There are vegan athletes out there that may be more able than me to give you specific advice, but for my everyday life and moderate workouts, I just make sure I get enough calories, iron, B12 and proteins and my energy level is just fine.

3- Does anyone enjoy unsweetened carob as a vegan, or is that one of the foods avoided?

Carob is vegan, so sure, you can have it. You don't have to though.

4- What are some sample meal plans you enjoy, without the use of soy?

I don't follow a meal plan, I just... eat. I suggest getting a couple of cookbooks like Vegan with a Vengeance or Yellow Rose Recipes, or look up vegan foodie blogs and build up a list of your favorite meals. There is a learning curve, so the first weeks or even months may not be the best. Now I have a variety of standards I eat regularly, and I just make sure they balance out over a few days.
The things I do watch is to make sure to get a high source of proteins at least every other day and leafy greens every day. In my experience, it made a great difference in my health. Green smoothies are a great trick to incorporate daily greens in your diet.

5- How much protein do I REALLY need, and what are the best foods for it?

I don't track my food intake so I can't give you numbers, but I pay attention to how my body feels and know if my foods needs tweaking. You will know you lack of proteins if you're hungry all the time, even as you leave the table. Too much of it and your intestines will let you know.
My favorite protein rich foods are beans and pulses: hummus, falafels, burritos, beanballs, curries, dahl..., as well as nuts and seeds (I make sure to add a handful of nuts every time I make a salad, stirfry or smoothie, both for proteins and omega 3). Quinoa is also great: it's a complete protein and can be used as a cereal. I love quinoa taboulis. I eat tofu, tempeh and seitan every once in a while but know other vegans who just adore these.

[funchy]

Allelle already gave you some great answers. Here are my 2 cents worth:

Originally Posted by SpiritChaser

will I now gain back some weight from reintroducing carbs into my diet?

Not necessarily.

And tons of carbs are not a requirement for going vegan. There are so many ways you could do this diet.

You could for example delete the meat and replace it with higher-protein plant sources such as beans, soy, nuts, seeds, etc.

2- Will I have enough energy to continue intense kettlebell and functional training for the Fire Dept (heavy equipment)?

There are bodybuilders and professional athletes who are vegan. There's no reason why you can't keep doing what you're doing.

3- Does anyone enjoy unsweetened carob as a vegan, or is that one of the foods avoided?

It's vegan, though for some reason milk products are snuck into carobs/chocolates sometimes.

4- What are some sample meal plans you enjoy, without the use of soy?

I would never eat the level of protein you feel you need, so I am the wrong person to advise you. I might suggest you talk to a licensed nutritionist who has experience with vegan or who personally is vegan. Sadly not all nutritionists know what to do with vegans, and I can tell you from firsthand experience, they're not always up front about what they do/don't know. Your best bet is to get yourself well educated about food (which will continue to help you, even if you do go back to meat).

You can always supplement the protein with powders, if you really feed the need to. You probably know the whey ones are dairy-based, so avoid them! Rice protein comes to mind. I've heard people praise Sunwarrior brand of vegan protein.

And you may not believe me, but the whole soy fear thing is awfully exaggerated. Soy won't give you breasts, make your testicles shrivel up, or whatever it is people claim. The phytoestrogens are not human estrogen. They're also low level in comparison to the mammal hormones people consume when they eat meat.

For good help with vegan bodybuilding, check out VeganFitness.

5- How much protein do I REALLY need, and what are the best foods for it?

Depends on who you ask. Some people are so obsessed with protein they miss the bigger picture. Do NOT forget your body also runs on vitamins, minerals, some fats, plenty of water, electrolytes, etc.

If I had to suggest something, I'd say quinoa, which is a vegan source of "complete" protein plus other nutrients healthy muscles need such as calcium. It may look like a grain, but it's worlds away from plain old white rice.

You may also find that if you're eating enough calories of the moderate to lower fat vegan foods (veggies for example), the grams of protein they have do add up.

Tip:
Don't get discouraged. You'll get some "experts" telling you confidently that it cannot be done, and if you start to listen to them, you won't feel like sticking with your trial. It CAN be done.

Some good sites you may like:
Keri: Athletes who choose a vegetarian diet - ESPN Page 2
Vegan Athlete - achieve your full potential
Elite Island athletes who are vegetarians

[invisiblehouses]

I don't have any advice for you, but I wanted to wish you well. I'm doing my own 30-day vegan trial this September (using the meantime to try new recipes and learn as much as I can about nutrition and all that jazz). Let us know how it works out for you!

[Creative]

I don't think you'll put lots of weight back on- only if you eat lots of processed vegan foods. If you're sensible you will probably find little change in your weight, but you will feel great. I did a 30 day vegan trial in May and stayed vegan. I still only miss butter now and then.

I would look at Defiance's website (think it is called be-defiant.com). She is a vegan athlete and probably has relevant information on there. I think she promotes the Sun Warrior protein stuff.

Good luck!

[ginkgo]

1. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Fruits and vegetables are better than grains. There is no need to eat grains. Rice is very fattening. It ain't be no whole grain. Brown rice is a whole grain. It is not fattening.
2. Yes, why not? Most gorillas eat an almost all vegan diet.
3. Carob is a plant-- St John's bread. Carobs are not little animals.
4. Just eat whatever you eat but with fake meats like fakin bacon, or tofu, seitan or tempeh. Lots of restaurants have vegggie burgers. A mexican place near me has tacos and burritos where you can get fake cheese, fake meat and fake sour cream.
5. This is a big myth from the meat and dairy, the same people who sued Oprah Winfrey. See this article and see that college textbooks say that is almost impossible to eat and have a protein deficiency. Protein article in Health Related Articles. See how the American Dietetic Association says that vegans get twice the proteiin that they need. A gorilla is stronger than 5 of you. Beans, nuts and seeds are loaded with protein.