Is my whole food plant based diet good or/does need suggestions??

[aquaticfan]

Hello friends.
Please read my introduction if you can. I’ve just done it.

I’m wondering if my choice of foods to become whole food plant based 1.5 months going now is ideal or am in need of changes and is my fat to high???

My foods are:

Kidney beans canned but rinsed. Same below
Pinto beans canned as above and below
Chickpeas
Green lentils
Baked beans
White kidney beans
Haricot beans
Aduki beans
All cheap in uk. Diferent stores. If you need advice on where to get them then please pm me.

Canned: rinsed
Pineapple
Peaces

Frozen fruits:
Mixed berries
Blueberries

Frozen fruits:
Mixed berries
Blueberries

Dried fruits:
Dates
Prunes
Mixed fruits raisins, currents and orange peel etc
Raisins
Apricot

Fresh fruit:
Bananas
Kiwi fruit
Apple, all kinds
Mango

Fresh veg:
Peppers all colours
Salad greens
Garlic
Ginger
Sweet potatoes
Onions
Avocado
Fresh mint
Fresh herbs
Mushrooms

Frozen foods:
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Grains:
Basmati rice
Brown rice
Cous cous


Nuts:
Almond
Brazil
Walnuts
Peanuts but not to many
Coconut crushed

Seeds:
Chia
Pumpkin
Sunflower
Linseed golden

Almond milk
Hemp milk
Going to try oat milk soon

Peanut butter. Maybe to much when snacking.

I have snacked on cheese and a little meat minus 100g once a week when I feel real down. This will be stopped soon.
I didn’t know you could get vegan cheese in UK???

I shop in Tesco, pound shop as seeds are real cheap and from whitworths but I mainly buy my seeds and nuts from amazon in bulk.

I’m sure I’ve missed some things out and I think I’m getting to much fat from the seeds, nuts and prunes, dates when snacking.

I’ve had a cold the last couple weeks so my diet has been low in calories so I’ve been using more dates and prunes and seeds. Just to get something on my stomach.

I’m wondering if I’m getting to much fat although not saturated from the seeds and nuts as I snack a lot due to not sleeping well.

I’m on medication which makes me hungry at night and gives me hypokalemia. I’ve lost 4st of muscle mass due to my mental health and side effects of my meds. I want to be totally off the meds and soon. I’m very depressed at the moment. Feel like I’ve got worse over the last month. Maybe the cold I had. Just had 2 teeth out at the back so not ate to much last 24 hours. Going to have big mushrooms with avocado on top with beans and chia seeds.

I eat a lot of seeds and nuts with the fruit and worry about the fat I’m taking in. Maybe to much or is it ok with not being saturated???

Please could someone advise me on some meal plan websites with the foods I eat and got available please??

I’m trying to exercise but my mobility is sometimes bed bound due to shingles and hypokalemia. Then I can be ok for a couple weeks do I do my cardio then

My last bloods came back fine but my testosterone levels are low. So maybe that is the problem with my mental health. I’m getting help with that private cause in UK it’s hard to get on it. I’m waiting on another blood test to confirm my testosterone levels and free testosterone levels. Getting on Testosterone replacement treatment could be my magic cure.

I also just had a ECG and the doctor said I had a ventricular hypertrophy. He said it’s fine and the nurse said it’s usual in athletes but I’ve not trained hard for at least a couple years. So it should atrophy shouldn’t it??? I’ll keep an eye on that.

So sorry about the long post. Any help will be highly appreciated. I’m looking to get copies of my blood tests soon so will let you know the numbers of everything incase somone can look and advise.

Kind regards,
Aquaticfan.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I don't see too much fat there, especially not unhealthy fats. It looks healthy.

I reccomend you take vitamin B12 supplement or other source if not already.

Are you using salt. Can you check if it has iodine/ if it is iodized and let me know? Otherwise you need to get another source of iodine.

Apart from that, your diet looks fine.

I don't know what a ventricular hypertrophy is or much about shingles or hypokalemia. My advice is for people in general on this diet, so it could be wrong if those things cause changes to specific needs.

Grind/crush the chia seeds or your body won't absorb the omega 3s. This has been confirmed by scientific studies.

I did wonder if you could use less beans and more veg as veg is healthy. Add some things like broccoli/kale instead of just salad greens. But if you don't like them then fair enough.

 

[aquaticfan]

Hi Jamie!!

Thank you very much for your advice and I feel less anxious now. So thank you and god bless!

On the fat side of things I keep away from saturated but I feel sometimes when I can’t eat and I can only manage nuts, seeds and prunes and dates that I’m getting to much healthy fats.
Can you have to much healthy fat??? Is that a thing??

I watched a few YouTube videos and was hooked on vegan and plant based diet so I planned it out and as you’ve seen. That is my diet and supplies I got in. Cleared all the junk out. Not that there was much cause ive always ate 70-80 healthy. Especially since joining the army when I was 17. But then I left and the private security work was not ideal for much healthy foods. Client comes first but I tried when I could. That was only 2 years. Then we had a big fire fight and where on the run from extremist for a week and the things I saw and what they did to them poor Christian woman and men really shook me and plus my time in Afghanistan in the army. Thus the ptsd. I handed my notice in 4 weeks later after having my leave. Then I got into bodybuilding and started a gym and bought a couple flats with the money I made. Things where well but the bodybuilding was very high protein and complex carbs. I’m sure you know that lifestyle or have heard about how the diets go. I competed a few times but this was so unhealthy. You look amazing but feel like **** Honestly don’t do it unless you’ve got a good coach. Obviously steroids were taken and in large amounts with me being a heavyweight. Thus my test levels being what they are now. I’m still hypogonadal after 5 years clean. 21st at bulk eating 8 meals daily. Not do clean though until I got to Comp prep. We were a small team of bodybuilders and wanted to get the truth out about steroids and diet. Diet is the key was my signature. Because it is. We started a website and I became a moderator in the steroid, hormones and peptide forum plus the diet forum when getting ready for shows. It’s now the number 1 forum for all things bodybuilding in the UK. I left over some issues because I wanted to become a mma fighter and try and get to pride and the ufc. Which would have happened if injuries didn’t impair my fighting. Thus I hung up my gloves to coach and personal train and diet coach for people getting ready for fights and shows.
So sorry for going on about my life. I’ve been meaning to post on this website for a few weeks but my anxiety stopped me but I’m feeling abit better so though get it done and get your head cleared of fear.

Are there any other forums you would recommend for whole food plant based and vegan in the UK for me to join???

Yea Jamie I do take a top shelf I.e not the cheap £1-2 bottles of vitamins. I take a complex B vitamins with 25ug b12 and all the other vital vit B’s in my daily dose. Plus my multi vit/mineral gives me 25ug. That’s like 2000% nrv/rda. I also take vit C 1000mg per days. Sontimes 2000 if I’ve trained hard. When I can manage it. Hard isn’t really the word because I’m so weak due to the hypokalemia from this. The doctors know this is happening and allowing it so I want off it. Even states in the side effects of the drug.
Also take omega 3,6,9 but this is from gel caps abs from fish oil. Very expensive they are. But I will stop them if people say they are bad cause they are from fish and animals and get them else where???

I use the Saxa brand salt but I don’t use a lot of salt. I can do more though. Could you recommend me a salt to take???

I didn’t know that about the Chia seeds. Thanks for that. I usually have a 500ml jug of almond milk, hemp milk 50/50 and add chia, linseed and sometimes pumpkin and sunflower and drink this when I feeling down cause I warm it up.
I’m going to buy a new blender with a crushers now for the chia seeds to get at that omega 3

I meant to add that I do eat frozen veg including broccoli and cauliflower. Never had kale but I hear it blends well so I’ll buy some and have berry, kale and banana smoothie from now on. Use diferent fruits on diferent days.
I like to snack on carrots also. I crave them at times

I also missed out that I also eat basmati rice and brown rice and cous cous. I’ll edit my first post.

Jamie I cannot thank you enough for making me feel welcome and giving me great advice to which I’ll put to use tonight. I don’t sleep well so I’ll make a meal soon as I didn’t wake till the afternoon due to my nightmares keeping me awake.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Your diet looks super healthy. Do you not use oil at all to sautee your vegetables?

You could be craving cheese or meat because you're actually being too strict on yourself. Once or twice a week enjoy some vegan cheese or Tofurky sandwich with Vegenaise (or the UK equivalent) so you aren't tempted to eat animal foods!

Good luck. You seem really cool.

 

[aquaticfan]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I don't see too much fat there, especially not unhealthy fats. It looks healthy.

I reccomend you take vitamin B12 supplement or other source if not already.

Are you using salt. Can you check if it has iodine/ if it is iodized and let me know? Otherwise you need to get another source of iodine.

Apart from that, your diet looks fine.

I don't know what a ventricular hypertrophy is or much about shingles or hypokalemia. My advice is for people in general on this diet, so it could be wrong if those things cause changes to specific needs.

Grind/crush the chia seeds or your body won't absorb the omega 3s. This has been confirmed by scientific studies.

I did wonder if you could use less beans and more veg as veg is healthy. Add some things like broccoli/kale instead of just salad greens. But if you don't like them then fair enough.

Hi Jaime.
I’ve been using a cofffe, herbs and seed blender to do my chia, linseed, flax and pumpkin seeds. Plus my sunflower.
I’ve been trying to take your advice on iodine but I can’t seem to find it in the uk. I do have about 38% coming from my multi vit/min but I need more. Maybe to salt my food. Any suggestions for the UK?

 

[aquaticfan]

Hi Jamie!!

Thank you very much for your advice and I feel less anxious now. So thank you and god bless!

On the fat side of things I keep away from saturated but I feel sometimes when I can’t eat and I can only manage nuts, seeds and prunes and dates that I’m getting to much healthy fats.
Can you have to much healthy fat??? Is that a thing??

I watched a few YouTube videos and was hooked on vegan and plant based diet so I planned it out and as you’ve seen. That is my diet and supplies I got in. Cleared all the junk out. Not that there was much cause ive always ate 70-80 healthy. Especially since joining the army when I was 17. But then I left and the private security work was not ideal for much healthy foods. Client comes first but I tried when I could. That was only 2 years. Then we had a big fire fight and where on the run from extremist for a week and the things I saw and what they did to them poor Christian woman and men really shook me and plus my time in Afghanistan in the army. Thus the ptsd. I handed my notice in 4 weeks later after having my leave. Then I got into bodybuilding and started a gym and bought a couple flats with the money I made. Things where well but the bodybuilding was very high protein and complex carbs. I’m sure you know that lifestyle or have heard about how the diets go. I competed a few times but this was so unhealthy. You look amazing but feel like **** Honestly don’t do it unless you’ve got a good coach. Obviously steroids were taken and in large amounts with me being a heavyweight. Thus my test levels being what they are now. I’m still hypogonadal after 5 years clean. 21st at bulk eating 8 meals daily. Not do clean though until I got to Comp prep. We were a small team of bodybuilders and wanted to get the truth out about steroids and diet. Diet is the key was my signature. Because it is. We started a website and I became a moderator in the steroid, hormones and peptide forum plus the diet forum when getting ready for shows. It’s now the number 1 forum for all things bodybuilding in the UK. I left over some issues because I wanted to become a mma fighter and try and get to pride and the ufc. Which would have happened if injuries didn’t impair my fighting. Thus I hung up my gloves to coach and personal train and diet coach for people getting ready for fights and shows.
So sorry for going on about my life. I’ve been meaning to post on this website for a few weeks but my anxiety stopped me but I’m feeling abit better so though get it done and get your head cleared of fear.

Are there any other forums you would recommend for whole food plant based and vegan in the UK for me to join???

Yea Jamie I do take a top shelf I.e not the cheap £1-2 bottles of vitamins. I take a complex B vitamins with 25ug b12 and all the other vital vit B’s in my daily dose. Plus my multi vit/mineral gives me 25ug. That’s like 2000% nrv/rda. I also take vit C 1000mg per days. Sontimes 2000 if I’ve trained hard. When I can manage it. Hard isn’t really the word because I’m so weak due to the hypokalemia from this. The doctors know this is happening and allowing it so I want off it. Even states in the side effects of the drug.
Also take omega 3,6,9 but this is from gel caps abs from fish oil. Very expensive they are. But I will stop them if people say they are bad cause they are from fish and animals and get them else where???

I use the Saxa brand salt but I don’t use a lot of salt. I can do more though. Could you recommend me a salt to take???

I didn’t know that about the Chia seeds. Thanks for that. I usually have a 500ml jug of almond milk, hemp milk 50/50 and add chia, linseed and sometimes pumpkin and sunflower and drink this when I feeling down cause I warm it up.
I’m going to buy a new blender with a crushers now for the chia seeds to get at that omega 3

I meant to add that I do eat frozen veg including broccoli and cauliflower. Never had kale but I hear it blends well so I’ll buy some and have berry, kale and banana smoothie from now on. Use diferent fruits on diferent days.
I like to snack on carrots also. I crave them at times

I also missed out that I also eat basmati rice and brown rice and cous cous. I’ll edit my first post.

Jamie I cannot thank you enough for making me feel welcome and giving me great advice to which I’ll put to use tonight. I don’t sleep well so I’ll make a meal soon as I didn’t wake till the afternoon due to my nightmares keeping me awake.

I’ve changed my omega 3.6.9 from fish oil to flaxseed based from Holland and barret. 10ml per day is recommend

 

[aquaticfan]

Your diet looks super healthy. Do you not use oil at all to sautee your vegetables?

You could be craving cheese or meat because you're actually being too strict on yourself. Once or twice a week enjoy some vegan cheese or Tofurky sandwich with Vegenaise (or the UK equivalent) so you aren't tempted to eat animal foods!

Good luck. You seem really cool.

Hi FM!!

Yea I’ve been buying and eating done vegan cheese from Tesco in uk. Jalapeño vegan cheese. 250g for under £3 plus I’ve just tried my first tofu from the tofoo company. 200g for £2.40 Already pressed and ready to eat. I tried it cold and it was ok. So looked on YouTube and found a few recipes and had it sliced in blocks with soya sauce and teriyaki. I added some avocado with peppers and spinach and salad. Along with kidney beans. Tasted great and I’ll defo be eating more vegan cheese per week plus tofu. I’ll try the Chinese shops for bigger and cheaper tofu. But I’ll have to presss it I suppose. But that’s not s problem. Going to have tofu tonight actually.

Thanks for your advice. Please keep it coming. Just need a good source of iodine now.

Kind regards,
Scott.

 

[aquaticfan]

I just saw my dentist today and she said stop eating to many dates as the sugars will ruin my teeth. But I love them with walnuts. So I’ll just brush after eating dates. I’m sure that will be fine.

I’ve also added

Potato’s and sweet potatoes to my menu. I can’t believe I missed them out as when bodybuilding. All I ate pre contest was brown rice or sweet potatoes. Obviously with my protein and good fat source.
My cupboards are fully stocked with everything plant based and whole food

 

[Nicky]

Looks good! I went through a phase of eating lots of dates when I was transitioning too - they're so tasty and easy to eat that it's easy to go overboard make sure you eat enough at mealtimes and you might not need to do so much snacking?

I agree with everyone that your diet looks good, but that you're probably being too strict with yourself if you are craving meat and cheese. I mostly stick to whole foods, too, but Linda McCartney has some frozen vegan options that really hit the spot, without animal products. The country pie (I think that's what it's called - pack of 2 from Tesco) is really tasty, and won't do you any harm as an occasional treat.

 

[aquaticfan]

Can someone advise me on iodine please. I’m only get 38% per RDA.
Is there a iodine supplementary out there or iodine salt in the uk that’s sold?
I don’t use a lot of salt. My salt is the 50/50 so half the salt. That’s what it states from Saxa.
I looked on amazon for iodine tablets but they where all home made pressed. And I really don’t trust them as I’ve used presses myself even selling supplements when I was in that business. and the dosing can go terribly wrong. Either to high or to low. You need milligrams scales and exspenive ones at that to get things right. Plus a 15k press. Not like these drug dealer few 100 dollar hammer presses where it’s one at a time.

Any help will be great.
If your watching FM. Hope your Xmas was good and new year.
All the best.

 

[aquaticfan]

Looks good! I went through a phase of eating lots of dates when I was transitioning too - they're so tasty and easy to eat that it's easy to go overboard make sure you eat enough at mealtimes and you might not need to do so much snacking?

I agree with everyone that your diet looks good, but that you're probably being too strict with yourself if you are craving meat and cheese. I mostly stick to whole foods, too, but Linda McCartney has some frozen vegan options that really hit the spot, without animal products. The country pie (I think that's what it's called - pack of 2 from Tesco) is really tasty, and won't do you any harm as an occasional treat.

Hi Nicky.

Thanks for popping in. Yea dates are my fav with almonds and Brazil nuts. Few prunes aswell. Your right. I’m not eating enough at meal times. I’ve just came out of a bad depression and my sleep pattern was upside down. But my new year resolution was to get up early. Do cardio after I eat my oats and frozen berry mix with chia. Sorry FM. Not crushed cause only a little bit lol. But I’m going to get a few mason jars and do a load at a time. So it’s ready. How much chia is to much cause I use it a lot. In everything. Along with goji berries I just got into. I heard flaxseed are cheaper and better than chia??? I do have both. But chia is only 8£ per kilo. Dark chia.

As I get back into full training I’ll be eating more meals so that will stop the snacking. I hope. I’m eating more and more per meal as the weeks go on.
Yea I’ve bought some Linda McCartney’s burgers and chicken pieces. But they do have a little diary I see. But should not notice much impact.
I did cheat at Xmas and ate some meat but twice the veg and dates and nuts. This was at my grandmothers.

Thanks for your advice she help.
Highly appreciated.
Scott.