CA Questions from a transitioning vegan

[Canadianguy95]

Hey everyone! I'm used to a Paleo diet, but lately I find chicken and turkey just don't sit right with me and I wanted to try to slowly transition to a vegan diet. I decided to cut out chicken and turkey now, but keep fish and eggs until I'm ready to cut those out too. As for dairy I'm not a fan of dairy so that's an easy one to cut out. The things that confuse me is that

1: vital wheat gluten, it's high in protein. But is it fine to eat one serving per day? (Like one day it's dinner, one day it's lunch, etc)

2: texture vegetable protein, can I also have one serving of that a day? (I won't have vwg and tvp both in one day, I will spread them out so they're different days)

3: beans and lentils, are they the same? If not what's the difference between them?

4: For people that went vegan for weight loss, how did you go about it? I'm fairly active with MMA and my own workouts. But I find when I cut down I find I gotta reduce carbs and go in a caloric deficit. How do you go about it considering beans and other foods may contain a high carb %?

5: supplements, do you guys supplement for anything that the vegan diet may be missing in that department? I hear B12 may be an issue, but wouldn't nutritional yeast solve that issue?

Thanks for listening to the rant, hope it wasn't too much. Can't wait to hear your guys feedback.

 

[Sproutskies]

Hey everyone! I'm used to a Paleo diet, but lately I find chicken and turkey just don't sit right with me and I wanted to try to slowly transition to a vegan diet. I decided to cut out chicken and turkey now, but keep fish and eggs until I'm ready to cut those out too. As for dairy I'm not a fan of dairy so that's an easy one to cut out. The things that confuse me is that

1: vital wheat gluten, it's high in protein. But is it fine to eat one serving per day? (Like one day it's dinner, one day it's lunch, etc)

2: texture vegetable protein, can I also have one serving of that a day? (I won't have vwg and tvp both in one day, I will spread them out so they're different days)

3: beans and lentils, are they the same? If not what's the difference between them?

4: For people that went vegan for weight loss, how did you go about it? I'm fairly active with MMA and my own workouts. But I find when I cut down I find I gotta reduce carbs and go in a caloric deficit. How do you go about it considering beans and other foods may contain a high carb %?

5: supplements, do you guys supplement for anything that the vegan diet may be missing in that department? I hear B12 may be an issue, but wouldn't nutritional yeast solve that issue?

Thanks for listening to the rant, hope it wasn't too much. Can't wait to hear your guys feedback.

Hey, Also very new to being full vegan but have been learning about food for years and making sure to get proper macros/nutrition in the diet.

Many of the problems attributed to gluten can be that with the advent of the herbicide roundup we are finding many side effects, illnesses, and destruction of the gut lining with. The main chemical compound glyphosate has been classified as "possibly carcinogenic" and more recently linked to diseases like non Hodgkin's lymphoma/parkinsons/celiac disease. Much of the research and lawsuits around this have found correlation's with people who have had high exposure.

Going with non-GMO and certified organic wheat, soy, corn.. these problems can become less of a worry. If you already have an intolerance or gut issue related then it might help to eliminate these types of foods altogether. Humans have been eating grains for thousands of years and for some it's not as big of a problem.

Darin Olien's Top Sources of Protein From Plants

Quick High Protein Vegan Meals | Full Day of Eating

Beans and lentils are both generally high in protein, fiber, and contain different vitamins and minerals. Both apart of the legume family along with peas. Red lentils are very fast to cook after giving a good rinse on them.

Losing weight on my current diet was a bi-product of eating healthier and boosting the fiber. Your body will naturally have to work harder to convert vs eating simple carbs with no fiber. You might find that you'll process more efficiently eating mostly wholesome foods. Has been pretty hard for me to get over 100g of protein everyday. Hemp seeds are one of my favorite high protein foods right now.

Supplements:
- Creatine Monohydrate to help the muscles retain water and with strength
- Selenium, Omega-3s algae DHA/EPA, Zinc, Vit b12, Vit d, magnesium
- Cordyceps mushroom
- Spirulina

 

[Lou]

1. The recommendations for grans vary. for weight loss, you don't want to have too many. Dr. Fuhrman recommends just one serving a day if you are trying to lose weight. But three otherwise. I think Dr. Gregar recommends three a day, too. And i agree with Sproutskies. Try to make sure your grains are organic.

2. I don't think there are any issues with TVP or TSP. Again stick with the organic brands.

3. Beans, lentils, soy, and peas Are all related. they are in the legume family. The edible seeds of legumes are called pulses. Three servings of pulses a day are recommended.

4. Don't cut down on carbs. If you are concerned about losing weight cut down on sugar, fat, and if necessary grains. Carbs should make up at least 40% of your calories. A low-fat diet maybe 50 or even 60% carbs.

5. You have to supplement B12 if your diet is entirely plant-based. And a lot of foods are fortified with B12. many brands of nutritional yeast are fortified. almost all plant milks are fortified. even some breads and breakfast cereals. A basic multivitamin can help you meet many of your micronutrients. If you eat a lot of good healthy foods you may not need one. If you rarely get outside you might want to supplement D. However a lot of plant milks, breads, and cereals are fortified with D, too. You can get some of your Omega 3s from things like flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. I take a DHA/EPA supp too.

Most people don't need 100 grams of protein a day. A good rule of thumb is one gram of protein for every KG you weigh. Athletes do need more. 1.2 to 1.7 are recommendations for athletes.

 

[thinman]

I have several books by Robert Cheeke the natural vegan bodybuilder he goes into what to eat and includes diets from other athletes. He found that it was so much about replacing meat with another protein, he sez everything has amino acids so a good variety of plants. he favoured bananas and sweet potatoes a lot.

If you've watched "Game Changers" they have a website with many recipes and there's always this guy Rob . . .

Vegan Physique

Vegan food and fitness, compassionate living and the pursuit of happiness. Reaching goals sustainably. Follow me on my journey! Official Site: https://www.ve...

www.youtube.com

 

[silva]

First off, GMO wheat is a myth. It gets labeled non gmo because gmo's scare people, like a bag of oats labeled fat free.
Having seitan daily is an individual thing like anything else, nothing bad about it. I don't, simply because there are so many other foods that make up a varied diet. My diet is more beans and lentils than gluten, but I do love making and eating seitan! I make it about twice a month, and have it about 2-3 serving a week.

TVP on the other hand, is a by product of soybean oil processing. It's the defatted soy beans and most (if not all) use hexane in the process. I do avoid TVP, but mostly I'm not a fan.

Butler Soy curls are a whole food soy product- they are just soy beans that are cooked and go through a texturing process and dried. I love these! You just rehydrate, squeeze out the water, then add flavor- dry or marinade, and cook as you would cooked chicken shreds

Nutritional yeast only has B12 if fortified and then it also contains the synthetic folic acid which isn't a good thing. You get folate, the naturally occuring vitamin, through many plant foods. B12 is easily and economically had from supplements. Recommended for most adults is 2000mcg once a week. The cyanocobalimin is a more stable as the methyl will lose potency. Nutritional yeast is far tastier when non fortified! I have Anthonys non fortified myself.

Meat Free Athlete | Free Vegan Lifestyle Resource & Community

All things vegan lifestyle - recipes, health & fitness, nutrition, reviews, tips, featured athletes, interviews, apparel, infographics, and videos.

www.meatfreeathlete.com

Plant-Based Diet for Athletes | Vegan Fitness | No Meat Athlete

Plant-based diet and vegan fitness — recipes, meal plans, and more. Discover how a plant-based diet can make you fitter, faster, and happier.

www.nomeatathlete.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

NutritionFacts.org | The Latest in Nutrition Related Research

The latest in nutrition related research delivered in easy to understand video segments brought to you by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

nutritionfacts.org

 

[silva]

I also have to disclaim that the links I've provided are all about whole food plant based diets which I definitely don't always adhere to!
Vital wheat gluten is not a whole food, for instance, as it has the starch washed out.

Carbs -- processed bad, whole grains are good.
Whole--Nothing bad added, nothing good removed

 

[Sproutskies]

First off, GMO wheat is a myth. It gets labeled non gmo because gmo's scare people, like a bag of oats labeled fat free.

Saying that genetic modification in plants is a myth is like denying the fact that for the entirety of our farm based culture that we have been choosing the traits that we want and removing the undesirables. This is well known in science as selective breeding. Once seed genetics became more and more patented and selecting traits started moving into a lab, commercialized farming created what we now know as GMOs.

My focus is more with the spraying crops in pesticides and chemicals like roundup just before harvest. The Non-GMO Project, a third party not for profit, has stated that they also do not support the use of roundup. Whether GMO or not going certified organic and or non-GMO is another layer of assurance that you are, as a side effect, not getting roundup in your food.

 

[Lou]

I didn't want to get into this. I try not to nitpick. but sometimes I can't help myself.

GMO wheat is not entirely a myth.

Yes its absolutely true that you won't find GMO Wheat in any products in the grocery store today.

All of our wheat are hybrids. Some of them were developed hundreds (maybe thousands of years ago). The semi-dwarf wheat developed in the 1960s provides food for millions (maybe billions) of people.

But the reason I stated that GMO wheat is not a myth is that right now there are hundreds of field trials being run on GMO wheat. So far none have been approved. it's a safe assumption that it is just a matter of time.

Also several times GMO wheat has escaped from its test plots.

And of course, Monsanto is developing a roundup resistant version.

In California, all products labeled Organic must be Non-GMO. and I believe in the EU all GMOs must be labeled as such.

I buy organic as much as possible. not just for my own health but for the health of the people, animals, and fishies that live downstream. Buying organic seems very vegan to me.

Oh, BTW, September is National Organic Harvest Month.

Genetically modified wheat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Organic Harvest Month | Organic. It’s Worth It

www.organicitsworthit.org

 

[silva]

Saying that genetic modification in plants is a myth is like denying the fact that for the entirety of our farm based culture that we have been choosing the traits that we want and removing the undesirables. This is well known in science as selective breeding. Once seed genetics became more and more patented and selecting traits started moving into a lab, commercialized farming created what we now know as GMOs.

My focus is more with the spraying crops in pesticides and chemicals like roundup just before harvest. The Non-GMO Project, a third party not for profit, has stated that they also do not support the use of roundup. Whether GMO or not going certified organic and or non-GMO is another layer of assurance that you are, as a side effect, not getting roundup in your food.

The ‘Non-GMO’ Label Doesn’t Go Far Enough: Taking Stock of GMOs and Glyphosate - Resilience

The world now has 500 million acres of GMO crops, mainly soy and corn in North and South America, but also cotton in the US, China, and India, and canola, sugar beet, and alfalfa in the US and Canada.

www.resilience.org

.

 

[Sproutskies]

The ‘Non-GMO’ Label Doesn’t Go Far Enough: Taking Stock of GMOs and Glyphosate - Resilience

The world now has 500 million acres of GMO crops, mainly soy and corn in North and South America, but also cotton in the US, China, and India, and canola, sugar beet, and alfalfa in the US and Canada.

www.resilience.org

.

Much of what he's saying is a more nuanced version of that we need better laws to enforce proper non-GMO labeling and the well known fact that the EPA is denying the real science. It's just one piece to the larger puzzle that the big guys with the $ have far more voting power in Congress. They will continue committing crimes if it's always just a slap on the wrist and a look in the other direction.

 

[Lou]

The ‘Non-GMO’ Label Doesn’t Go Far Enough: Taking Stock of GMOs and Glyphosate - Resilience

The world now has 500 million acres of GMO crops, mainly soy and corn in North and South America, but also cotton in the US, China, and India, and canola, sugar beet, and alfalfa in the US and Canada.

www.resilience.org

.

Sure the "Glyphosate-Free’ label makes sense but why not just buy organic. Not only will it by Glyphosate-Free but it will be pesticide-free too.

 

[Lou]

Oh. It might be worth pointing out that one of the reasons wheat Is Not GMO is because of public opinion. Monsanto actually pulled their application for FDA approval for their glyphosate-resistant strain because farmers were concerned that customers would not buy GMO wheat. Especially in Europe where GMO products are labeled as such.

 

[David3]

Sure the "Glyphosate-Free’ label makes sense but why not just buy organic. Not only will it by Glyphosate-Free but it will be pesticide-free too.

Certain pesticides are used on certified organic produce: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) .

.

 

[Lou]

Certain pesticides are used on certified organic produce: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) .

.

I didn't like your choice of reference. this one is a lot more clear.

Pestcides in Organic Farming

but still, this is not a reason NOT to buy organic. It's not perfect but it's better than the alternative,

 

[David3]

Saying that genetic modification in plants is a myth is like denying the fact that for the entirety of our farm based culture that we have been choosing the traits that we want and removing the undesirables. This is well known in science as selective breeding. Once seed genetics became more and more patented and selecting traits started moving into a lab, commercialized farming created what we now know as GMOs.

GMO products go way beyond selective breeding. GMO products have genes artificially inserted directly into their DNA sequences. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad.
httpys://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering

A positive example of genetic engineering is the design of GMO yeast that produce cheese-curdling enzymes - vastly better than producing these enzymes the old way, using calves' stomach linings. This was the very first genetically-engineered product to ever be patented (1990): GENE-ALTERED ITEM APPROVED BY F.D.A. . Due to the low cost of these GMO yeast-produced enzymes, about 90% of commercial cheese is made from these enzymes in the United States: The Vegetarian Resource Group Blog . Certified organic cheese cannot use these non-animal enzymes, because they are GMO-produced. Also, certain specialty cheeses must, by law, be made with animal rennet enzymes: How to Buy Veg-Friendly Cheese
.

 

[Sproutskies]

GMO products go way beyond selective breeding. GMO products have genes artificially inserted directly into their DNA sequences. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad.
httpys://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering

A positive example of genetic engineering is the design of GMO yeast that produce cheese-curdling enzymes - vastly better than producing these enzymes the old way, using calves' stomach linings. This was the very first genetically-engineered product to ever be patented (1990): GENE-ALTERED ITEM APPROVED BY F.D.A. . Due to the low cost of these GMO yeast-produced enzymes, about 90% of commercial cheese is made from these enzymes in the United States: The Vegetarian Resource Group Blog . Certified organic cheese cannot use these non-animal enzymes, because they are GMO-produced. Also, certain specialty cheeses must, by law, be made with animal rennet enzymes: How to Buy Veg-Friendly Cheese
.

The basis of GMO production comes from the advancement of selective breeding. It's a higher and less natural progression of what's been going on for a longer time.

 

[Sproutskies]

The first patents for plants/seeds also started back in the 1930s. There is little concern these days of the potential damage caused from engineering fruits and veggies for the sole reason of profit.

 

[Lou]

I'm not sure if GMO crops are safe. I know they are tested, but they are not tested long enough.

I am sure that modern farming practices where they use GMO crops that are Pesticide resistant are not safe. The number of pesticides and herbicides that enters our rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans have consequences.

I know it's not proven that colony collapse disorder is caused by pesticides. but it's not something we should be playing around with. a lot of caution is required. Besides, I would hate to see butterflies go extinct.

 

[Sproutskies]

What Is Genetic Modification?

Genetic modification is the process of altering the genetic makeup of an organism.

www.livescience.com

Goes into how selective breeding is directly related to how we have been modifying genes in plants for thousands of years. Wheat being one of the earliest examples. Also the issue with GMOs as a form of selective breeding just as a factor of having better technology.

 

[Sproutskies]

How to Make a GMO - Science in the News

by Chelsea Powell figures by Anna Maurer Summary: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been altered using genetic engineering methods. Although genetic engineering is a common and essential practice in biotechnology, its specific use in crops is controversial. The key...

sitn.hms.harvard.edu

"Methods for genetic manipulation have rapidly improved over the last century from simple selective breeding, to inserting genes from one organism into another, to more recent methods of directly editing the genome."