Anyone a part-time Vegan?

[mini-natty]

I don't think I could ever become a Vegan permanently, I just love my meat, fish, eggs & dairy too much to give them up entirely. I would however, like to maybe try 1 or 2 days/week which I can be totally Vegan. My sis-in-law did 1 month of Vegan and said it was amazing! She had lots of energy and even lost a few pounds without trying. My main concern would be getting adequate protein and nutrition. I know protein sources come from tofu & beans. Would that be enough? Also, healthy carbs is a main concern for me. I love whole wheat rice and couscous and buckwheat soba noodles. Are these forbidden foods? If anyone is vegan or even part-time vegan, I would love to hear your thoughts/suggestions.

Thank you,

Natasha

[nkhansen1]

I am a full-time vegan as are my husband and children. I won't go into all the reasons why you don't need to worry about getting adequate protein and such from a vegan diet (you can research those for yourself), just know that it is NOT an issue when you eat a variety of whole foods.
The foods you mentioned are vegan. As long as foods do not contain animal products, dairy or eggs, they are considered vegan. The only thing I do not eat vegan is chocolate, but then I only eat very dark chocolate and only rarely.
Try reading or watching Forks Over Knives and reading The China Study. We love living this way, and I would highly recommend it to anyone! It is simple, inexpensive and wonderful for your body.
Also, if you care to visit the website, I love veganbodybuilding.com. If you have ANY concern about your ability to get adequate protein and nutrition from a completely plant-based diet, these athletes will put your fears to rest.

[nkhansen1]

Remember that plants have twice the protein calorie for calorie than meat does. Protein is where the calories in plants come from. It is a myth that you have to eat certain foods together to create "complete proteins." Simply not true. Your body will create or save all essential amino acids to complete proteins as you digest. Consider that the biggest animals on earth DO NOT eat any meat: elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, etc... even the largest dinosaurs were exclusively herbivores. Those big bodies and huge muscles did not come from meat, they came from plants. Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD is a great book as well. Lots of fantastic information on how to live this way.

[mini-natty]

Thank you so much for your wonderful information/thoughts/suggestions. If I could change my dietary lifestyle, it would most definitely be to Vegan, no question. I love all different foods but especially veggies, whole grain, beans, tofu & soy. My daughter may already be vegan, she HATES meat!! Give her black beans and broccoli and she is good to go!! I do make it a priority 1-3 days/week to not consume meat. But I do eat yogurt, eggs & tuna. That's my weakness

I heard Forks Over Knives was very good. Although I would not have to watch it to know that Vegan is probably one of the healthiest ways to live. I am also a huge fan of The Okinawa Diet. I do believe that they consume very little meat. To have the highest life expectancy in the world and lowest rates of Cancer, obesity, chronic diseases, speaks for itself.

Thanks again for your response. I will look into the books of reference you mentioned.

[nkhansen1]

You should watch it anyway! It is so interesting, and is much more than a plug for veganism. Some stuff will blow your mind. If you are interested in vegan cookbooks, my favorite vegan chef is Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She has lots of cookbooks on Amazon. I haven't found a recipe of hers yet that I didn't just love.

[mini-natty]

Originally Posted by nkhansen1

You should watch it anyway! It is so interesting, and is much more than a plug for veganism. Some stuff will blow your mind. If you are interested in vegan cookbooks, my favorite vegan chef is Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She has lots of cookbooks on Amazon. I haven't found a recipe of hers yet that I didn't just love.

Of course I plan on watching it anyway!! I know the wonderful benefits of adapting to a plant based/whole foods lifestyle. I don't consider Vegan just another fad diet. It's a healthy lifestyle worth committing to.

I will never forget this Vegan cafe I used to work beside a few years back. Some of the most delicious meals I ever ate!! I was a frequent lunch costumer, and tried everything on their menu! I rarely went anywhere else!

I will also check out the cookbook you mentioned. I love, love cooking (and eating). I am also sure my daughter would love vegan foods. She is not a fan of meat, so I won't have any problems there! Thanks again!

[nkhansen1]

My children love vegan food. We were vegetarian for years before making the full switch, so they have been eating this way their whole lives. It's funny, at school lunch time, my kids' lunches are the ones the other kids want to trade their Cheetos for. My kids won't make the trade, so sometimes I put a little extra lunch for them to share.
Enjoy your food experiment! I think you'll really love it!

[cendrine]

Natalie, I'm transitioning from vegetarian to vegan, always good to 'meet' others who do it as a family too. I have to know, what do you put in your kid's lunches that they won't trade and that the other kids oohed and aaaah over?

[Jenniferlove]

I love Spicy Black Bean burgers by Morning Star in the frozen meat section of grocery stores; the regular, non-spicy ones are super-high in sodium (gasp) so I stay away from those.
I'm not vegetarian or vegan (sorry!) so you should not take my word for it that they are what you're looking for.

[lizh]

Hi everyone,
Natasha..thanks for asking this question and Natalie...thanks for the great answers! I am trying to move toward a vegan diet. It just seems to make so much sense! ...for my health (and also the planet! ..but that is a whole other story!)

Definitely give "Forks Over Knives" a try. It is a great movie and very motivating. Since watching that movie, I got interested in Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who has a book about reversing heart disease and his son Rip Esselstyn who has a book called the Engine 2 Diet. (he's a firefighter ..hence the engine 2) They both have websites and "Engine 2" is pretty active on Facebook. I also like the site: Happy Healthy Long Life She puts out a lot of good content on FB as well.

I'm not completely strict yet, but since the first of the year, I've tried a lot of new recipes and have been eating a lot healthier!

Liz