I'm a minimalist, how to do it vegan?

[B Lejon]

I try to live in the most minimalistic way I can, at least I try. I have no clue when it come to vegan food.

What is the least amount of every essentials I need to have a complete diet with sufficient nutrients? I do not need variety to be happy. I need food to have energy and be able to train hard. If it has some sweet, some salt, sour and spicy flavors I'm happy. So what is the essential I need and I'll find what I need to buy where I'm at.

Maybe it's a complex question, maybe the answer already is somewhere and you can just point? The most essential? Anybody knows?

Please help me stop eat animals and go back to be vegan again, I do not want to eat chicken anymore. So many people stop being vegan, I want to go back again, I don't want it to be hard and complicated. How do I do it in the most simple way? I need the nutrients, not satisfied taste buds, what are they?

Thanks!

 

[Lou]

What is the least amount of every essentials I need to have a complete diet with sufficient nutrients?

First off let me say Welcome Back to the Forum.

Being vegan AND a minimalist is totally compatible.

However I think your question misses the point. Having an unvaried diet does not make a diet better in any sense. We need a varied diet. It is much easier to hit all the nutrients required if you eat a lot of food and a lot of different foods.

In some places, they call it Eating Around the Rainbow. I think the system was designed to be appealing to children. It is maybe too simplistic but it is easy to understand.

A more complex but designed with vegans in mind is Dr. Gregar's Daily Dozen List. I'll put some links at the bottom.

A good vegan diet does not minimize the amount or variety of good foods.

We know a lot about nutrients and micronutrients. But we still don't know everything about phytonutrients. Maybe the only good strategy with phytonutrients is to eat a lot of different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Back to eating the rainbow.

Sticking with being minimalist in the grocery store, you need to find the stuff you like in your local grocery store's bulk food aisle. The bulk foods are best for minimalist because they have no packaging. I even bring my own reusable plastic "jars" to the store. I buy rice, beans, flaxseed, peas, and lentils. Most everything else I get in the produce aisle.

-https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist/

-https://foodrevolution.org/blog/eating-the-rainbow-health-benefits/

 

[Emma JC]

I agree with @Lou and would also suggest that you break up the day and then plan from there.

What do you like for breakfast? if you like steel cut oats then you are on your way as you can put all kinds of good options with the oatmeal and have a nutritious meal and if you vary that a little, from day to day, then you can keep oatmeal as the base and add, banana, frozen berries, raisins/cranberries, flax meal, hemp seeds, cinnamon, apple, maple syrup, etc. You can also make a batch of steel cut oats in advance and reheat it in the morning.

Lunches - do you have to pack a lunch or eat at home?
Dinners - same question?

Soups are a wonderful way to put in amazing ingredients and yet it is simple and quick. Canned beans or lentils, all kinds of vegetables, potatoes, rice or pasta or quinoa or whatever grain you prefer, spices, greens towards the end, lemon juice on top when serving. A simple or complicated as you prefer depending on what you have available.

Some people eat mostly potatoes and sweet potates and then spice it up from there with simple veggie/bean/lentil chillis and greens on the side. Eat whatever it takes to get you through to where you are comfortable again. Eat whole foods as much as possible and eat lots of them so that you don't feel that you are missing anything!

Emma JC

 

[TofuRobot]

Hi & Welcome!

I strive to be minimalist, though it wouldn't necessarily look like it to anyone else but me.
But, when it comes to my diet, I'm all about minimalist.
A whole food vegan diet is the essence of minimalism, IMO, especially if your diet is largely raw.

What I do is basically think of food as categories of what is essential -

Fruit
Veggies
Whole grains & potatoes
Nuts & seeds
Legumes
Herbs & spices

With those basic categories, you have a wide variety of choices and you should mix it up a bit, but I tend to make sure I get something pretty important in each, then branch out from there when feeling adventurous. But, a meal could consist of something as simple as a steamed potatoes & broccoli, salsa, avocado, & some legumes of some kind - lentils or black beans or whatever - with a generous helping of black & red pepper, maybe some nutritional yeast, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. With that I've basically covered all of the food groups except for leafy greens, but that's easy to add, and fruit & nuts, which I already consume a ton of pretty much all day. Bananas, apples, dates, dried mangos, almonds, & walnuts are pretty much staples. That's basically my life in a nutshell.

For a snack I make avocado toast (or toast a corn tortilla if I don't want the bread) and top it with S&P, turmeric, & sesame seeds, and maybe some salsa if I have it. If I'm feeling fancy and straying a bit from my whole food program, I'll heat up a frozen falafel or 2 and put it on top (works great in a bowl as well).

Doesn't really get much more minimal that that, unless you're on the "Potato diet" or something like that (not really recommended).

Cheers!

EDIT: So, by breaking down your food into categories, you can think of it as extremely minimal, but within those categories, you have such a HUGE variety of things to choose from, and that's actually important. But the basic categories helps me to keep things simple.

 

[B Lejon]

Thanks for your thoughts! Will see how I do, it sure doesn't seem easy though. I like as few as different products as possible. The least amount of different things to buy. Maybe 5-6 things I bought and then knew I had all I needed after that just adding whatever I want if I want after that. I guess it's not that easy

Thanks

 

[Andy_T]

B, my fear is that wanting to buy as few as possible ingredients might make it more difficult to cook a varied diet for yourself. If you buy ready-made foods or get take-away, sure, but that is typically not the most healthful and/or most cost-effiective way to go about it.
What exactly does a minimalist lifestyle entail? And would it be a bad thing if, in the kitchen, for the sake of a varied diet, you lifted your minimalist limits just a little bit?

 

[B Lejon]

I just want to know the absolute minimum. Then I can add things from there. Just want to know how I can get the essentials. If and when I'm not happy or satisfied I just eat whatever I feel like at that time. Just want to have a base where I know I get all my body needs, the rest is for pleasure if and when I want.

Did nature make us dependant on so many different things? I just want to know how few things can keep me at optimal health. After that I can easily make that delicious by adding some taste to it.

Hope that make sense

 

[Emma JC]

As Lou suggested Dr Greger has a great app called The Daily Dozen and if you check it out you will see his suggestions for the minimums.

This is what it looks like and there are lots more details either on his site or on the app itself.

Emma JC
BTW I do keep this in mind during the day and do not follow it exactly as I like more starches and less nuts.

 

[SapphireLightning]

Coincidentally, I was working out a basic plan for what staple foods I would grow if/when I get some land to farm on. I of course would want to start out minimalist about it as well, as it would be easier. For what is basically under 20 crops (some of them redundant) plus some sunlight and b12* I don't think I did too poorly. Primates may have thrived off of eating "a berry here... a fruit there... a leaf here", so there is some need for variety in the diet if you want to be healthy. Remember, there is no "eskimo paradox", that was bad reporting.

*I want to find a safe way to culture and test for the bacteria that makes b12 in a small farm setting. WOuld be interesting if there could be made a kit that was basically a "b12 growing kit".

Also note: the foods shown above are just a sample, and cronometer isn't perfect, but it should give you some ideas on just how minimalist a proper vegan diet can be.

 

[Lou]

The Dr. Gregars daily dozen.
At first glance, it looks like too much food. but when you start looking at the examples of what constitutes a serving size it makes more sense.

Sapphire Lightning's Crnonmometer
At first glance, it also looks like too much food. I'm pretty sure that SL is a small unicorn that spends a lot of time outside running around. Hence the big calorie burn. 100 grams of protein and 85 grams of fat is more than enough for even a large unicorn.

 

[SapphireLightning]

Sapphire Lightning's Crnonmometer
At first glance, it also looks like too much food. I'm pretty sure that SL is a small unicorn that spends a lot of time outside running around. Hence the big calorie burn. 100 grams of protein and 85 grams of fat is more than enough for even a large unicorn.

Well I did make this bearing in mind that I would be working the farm with little to no powered machinery. This means 2 gallons of canola oil hand/hoof pressed from 1/10th acre of canola plant seed each year for instance. I know it seems a bit far, but I am not counting on our high tech world being affordable for many much past the 2030's. Even briefly considered a decent sized artificial pond for growing algae for extracting oil from that to power the occasional gen-set or maybe the monthly diesel car trip in to town. All pie in the sky stuff, but that is what I happened to be planning in cronometer .

For those that think the items in the food list seem odd, here was my thinking:

Brekky:
Oatmeal in soya milk, topped with sunflower seeds and flax meal.
A slice of WW toast, with a little canola and some preserves (homemade idealy, using apples as the sweetener and pectin)

Apple and carrot to eat as snack.

Lunch:
Spicy beans and spinach.
Corn bread (the WW flour and corn meal)

Dinner salad:
cabbage, tomato, broccoli w/ vinegar based dressing

Dinner:
Tofu stirfry with potatoes on lentils.
2 dinner rolls (the ww bread 2 slices) with some oil to top.
The cherry tomatoes are for a snacky dessert.

But yeah the protein and fats are a bit high, if you have any suggestions on what other crops would be a good sub lemme know. The more minimalist I can start this (in a few years when it is viable) the better.

 

[B Lejon]

Thanks a lot! I think I've got enough to try a new diet with confidence

The daily dozen will be of great help, thanks!

 

[Emma JC]

Well I did make this bearing in mind that I would be working the farm with little to no powered machinery. This means 2 gallons of canola oil hand/hoof pressed from 1/10th acre of canola plant seed each year for instance. I know it seems a bit far, but I am not counting on our high tech world being affordable for many much past the 2030's. Even briefly considered a decent sized artificial pond for growing algae for extracting oil from that to power the occasional gen-set or maybe the monthly diesel car trip in to town. All pie in the sky stuff, but that is what I happened to be planning in cronometer .

For those that think the items in the food list seem odd, here was my thinking:

Brekky:
Oatmeal in soya milk, topped with sunflower seeds and flax meal.
A slice of WW toast, with a little canola and some preserves (homemade idealy, using apples as the sweetener and pectin)

Apple and carrot to eat as snack.

Lunch:
Spicy beans and spinach.
Corn bread (the WW flour and corn meal)

Dinner salad:
cabbage, tomato, broccoli w/ vinegar based dressing

Dinner:
Tofu stirfry with potatoes on lentils.
2 dinner rolls (the ww bread 2 slices) with some oil to top.
The cherry tomatoes are for a snacky dessert.

But yeah the protein and fats are a bit high, if you have any suggestions on what other crops would be a good sub lemme know. The more minimalist I can start this (in a few years when it is viable) the better.

P O T A T O E S - all colours!

Emma JC

 

[Mark Mywordz]

I try to live in the most minimalistic way I can, at least I try. I have no clue when it come to vegan food.

What is the least amount of every essentials I need to have a complete diet with sufficient nutrients? I do not need variety to be happy. I need food to have energy and be able to train hard. If it has some sweet, some salt, sour and spicy flavors I'm happy. So what is the essential I need and I'll find what I need to buy where I'm at.

Maybe it's a complex question, maybe the answer already is somewhere and you can just point? The most essential? Anybody knows?

Please help me stop eat animals and go back to be vegan again, I do not want to eat chicken anymore. So many people stop being vegan, I want to go back again, I don't want it to be hard and complicated. How do I do it in the most simple way? I need the nutrients, not satisfied taste buds, what are they?

Thanks!

 

[Mark Mywordz]

Hi there!
I do almost exactly what you are aiming to do, I think. That way I can eat a balanced diet and ensure that I don't eat too much. My daily food is:
1. Muesli with added nuts, flax seeds, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon and soy milk. 2 pieces of fruit. Coffee or tea.
2. A wrap with LOTS of veg in, that is lots in quantity not lots of variety. I spread hummus or peanut but on the wrap first. Soya yoghurt with berries and fruit.
3. Mixed veg curry with beans. Soya yoghurt with berries and fruit.
I cook the curry in bulk and freeze most of it.
I second the references to Dr Greger.
I think partly I eat this way because I'm lazy (i.e. have a life).
Good luck.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Minimalist doesn't mean "ascetic bare minimum of nutrients" that's called fasting or orthorexia unless you legitimately have religious beliefs that prevent you from eating a varied diet.

Minimalist usually implies owning less things. I sleep on a shikibuton on the floor, obtained my desk, mirror and bedside table for free second hand, and get a lot of my clothes from thrift stores and free piles though I do like buying new pieces especially from vegan companies.

My motivation is sustainability though not ascetism, so I still eat what I want, and go out and enjoy myself.

Honestly I don't understand the question. You could definitely be more minimalist than me, since I am not into hairshirts of prufrockery or self flaggelation, and some people are legitimately happy living out of a large back pack....and yet, I don't understand why this means restricting food aside from eliminating animal products, or processed food if you're into WFPB.

 

[TofuRobot]

You could definitely be more minimalist than me, since I am not into hairshirts of prufrockery or self flaggelation...

 

[Poppy]

To me, Minimalism is a movement meant to simplify rather than complicate in wherever it's applied. I would suggest that you try to eat seasonally, locally and sustainably. Visit your Farmer's Market, your local health food store and tap into your local Buy Nothing groups on social media for options. Personally, shopping cruelty free (plus a vitamin) is much less stressful than trying to manage meeting all of the nutritional requirements certain "diets" require these days.

 

[TofuRobot]

Simply (minimally) put, eat plants.

 

[Lou]

Simply (minimally) put, eat plants.

But not too much?