Healthy vegan diet: protein and calories

[Joscha]

I just watched Leo's video on how to shop for healthy food.

I want to follow an almost vegan diet, so at least no meat of any kind. He say's no wheat and no soy which concerns me because I get most of my calories and protein from that. Protein powder is appareantly also off the table.

What options are there for calories besides quinoa and rice? Is couscous okay? I would love to follow Leo's instructions I'm just not sure if it really works if you don't eat any meat or eggs. Especially if you're trying to add a little mucle I don't know if it would work without soy or protein powder.

Any experiences and suggestions?

[Dwarniel]

I don't see any problems with high quality vegan protein powder. They're made out of peas which is fruit seeds.

I do eat some soy personally, but you can get your protein in with beans and lentils. Chickpeas is soooo good. I just spice them the same way I would spice chicken, I don't miss meat at all. It's mostly the spices you taste anyways. Chicken without anything doesnt taste much haha..

Chickpeas has 350kcal and 19g protein pr 100g, black beans has 340 and 22g, red lentils: 340 and 25g... etc

Edited August 29, 2019 by Dwarniel

[Waves]

I get a good portion of my protein from soy and I don't see negative consenquences. The reason soy is stigmatized is because it contains phytoestrogens which are thought to bind estrogen receptors in your body, although their effect is much weaker compared to estrogen. (Google around, and check out https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/soy/)

Some other caloric options I consume besides the amazing legumes:

• Potatoes: roughly cut them, spice them up with paprika, chili, garlic powder and bake them.
• Oats: very nutritious and cheap, eat them with fruit and plant-based milk.
• Any kind of seasonal fruits, maybe with some peanut butter.
• Nuts and seeds: add them to salads or have them as snacks. Careful with walnuts though, those are energy bombs (100g --> 650 kcal).

Couscous derives from wheat as well. I do eat whole-grain wheat products, I like them and I don't feel bad after eating them.

[Dwarniel]

(Another thing to consider about soy is of course the environment if that's a priority for you. Especially in the light of the rainforest fire, even though most of the soy is used to feed animals.)

[Odysseus]

I recommend hemp protein powder. I like it alot, but it can be expensive to get good organic powder that's not made in china. If you buy soy make sure that it's organic and made in a country that doesn't destroy nature too much for soy fields. 

[effy01]

why is wheat bad ??

[Joscha]

@Dwarniel Oh right I kinda forget about legumes for protein.. Sometimes it gets a little bad digestive wise but I guess they're a good alternative. I heard though that when you get used to it you can digest them better but idk. Thanks for pointing out the environmental problems with soy, that is problematic indeed.

@Waves I'll look into the soy thingy and thanks for the other tipps. I thought potatoes are also kind of bad but I guess more so because people make them unhealthy. (as in making fries etc.)

Dang it! I love couscous, maybe I'll make an execption once in a while..

[Joscha]

@effy01 Honestly I haven't gotten into it yet.. Something about immune diseases and that our body doesn't know how to properly "handle" it. I just wanna leave it out for a while and see if what Leo says is true (better energy etc.) But tbh most wheat products are empty calories (and many have sugar in it) so it does make sense to me.

[Dwarniel]

9 minutes ago, Joscha said:

@Dwarniel Oh right I kinda forget about legumes for protein.. Sometimes it gets a little bad digestive wise but I guess they're a good alternative. I heard though that when you get used to it you can digest them better but idk. Thanks for pointing out the environmental problems with soy, that is problematic indeed.

I went vegan overnight last year, I had never tasted a legume in my whole life and I went from eating 1kg meat every day to eating a shit-ton of beans instead (such protein anxiety lmao).... My poor, poor belly. It was terrible for two weeks. But now I don't notice anything when i eat legumes, my body is very used to it. No digestive issues at allll. I eat like 300g every day most of the time

Edited August 29, 2019 by Dwarniel

[Joscha]

@Dwarniel Wow nice to know! I was always a little careful with them because of the digestive issues but I guess if it works for you it might for me too. I'll try it out (maybe not as hardcore though haha) 

[Dwarniel]

3 hours ago, Joscha said:

@Dwarniel Wow nice to know! I was always a little careful with them because of the digestive issues but I guess if it works for you it might for me too. I'll try it out (maybe not as hardcore though haha) 

Just make sure to rinse them thouroghly enough in water and you'll probably be fine after a while ???

[Rigel]

You'd be amazed at how little food you actually need. Once you clean up your metabolism your body becomes a lot more efficient. Prioritize fresh organic vegetables and then add potatoes, beans and nuts. Fruits are also great. The more alive the food the better. If you're up to it maybe try intermittent fasting. 

[7thLetter]

Few suggestions:

- A bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of peanut butter and almond milk in the morning is a personal favorite of mine

- Chickpeas contain a decent amount of protein

- Peanuts or almost any other kinds of nuts

- Not sure which country you're in but here in Canada they have a new vegan burger patty trend going on, called the "Beyond Meat Burger." Contains no soy or gluten, main ingredients are water, pea protein isolate, canola oil, and refined coconut oil.

- Black beans, pinto beans just to list a few. No soybeans/edamame beans.

- Personal favorite vegetable protein source: Broccoli or cauliflower

[pluto]

8 hours ago, Rigel said:

You'd be amazed at how little food you actually need. Once you clean up your metabolism your body becomes a lot more efficient. Prioritize fresh organic vegetables and then add potatoes, beans and nuts. Fruits are also great. The more alive the food the better. If you're up to it maybe try intermittent fasting. 

?
❤️

[Annabelle]

I eat the following:

Grains: oats, buckwheat, quinoa, rye bread.  Couscous isn't really a good option as it's low in protein and it's wheat

Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas 

Seeds:  chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds (particularly good for protein) etc.

Nuts and nut butters, tahini, hummus

Almond milk

Fruit (mostly berries, but other fruit too), vegetables of all kinds (sweet potato, mushrooms, leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes etc)

Tofu and tempeh ( I think it is fine to eat soy in moderation, make sure to get organic. If you are able to get fermented tofu then its even better! Tempeh is already fermented so is better for you)

Protein powders, the ones I recommend:  the unsweetened one by Form Nutrition and pumpkin protein by That Protein

All of these things add up to give you a decent amount of protein. As long as you eat enough calories, you shouldn't have much trouble with protein, it's more difficult when someone is trying to cut down on calories 

It also doesn't have to be all or nothing, I eat 80-90% vegan, but also eat eggs and fish occasionally 

An example of a good high protein high calorie vegan dish is bean chilli with cashew cream (it's quite easy to make) and green vegetables on the side 

[Average Investor]

While his advice is good to start. I suggest you really dive into content based solely around this type of diet to help get the most knowledge. Look into supplements that are recommended too.  

[Scholar]

https://www.facebook.com/ChallengeTwentyTwo/

Seems like they offer advice over there from professional dietitians. You could also join the discord of Ask Yourself, there are a lot of doctors and the sort in there. https://discordservers.com/server/363108109797031936

 

 

@Dwarniel Why is soy specifically bad for the rain forests? As far as I know soy is  pretty land/protein efficient. Just because we grow a lot of it for animals does not mean that growing something else will be better for the rainforest:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_protein_per_unit_area_of_land

Soy is at the top of the list as far as usable protein per acre goes, that's why we feed it to the cows, because it's so effective. If you would eat something else it would take even more land for the same amount of protein.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Scholar

[Nahm]

On 8/29/2019 at 5:52 AM, Joscha said:

Protein powder is appareantly also off the table.

https://www.gardenoflife.com/content/product/why-choose-raw-protein-and-greens/

Ice, chocolate almond milk, banaana, cocoa powder, peanut butter If you want it sweeter. 

The Loophole Shake. 

[Scholar]

6 hours ago, Nahm said:

https://www.gardenoflife.com/content/product/why-choose-raw-protein-and-greens/

Ice, chocolate almond milk, banaana, cocoa powder, peanut butter If you want it sweeter. 

The Loophole Shake. 

Have you heard of Vivo? I don't eat too much veggies so feel much better when I am using it, specifically Vivo Thrive. It's made of natural ingredients and kind of covers key nutrients that might be lacking in a vegan diet. Also has Lion's Mane in it and probiotics, certified by nutritionists.

A little expensive but it has been worth it for me. I usually don't feel too optimal because of how lazy I am with my meals.

[Nahm]

@Scholar Sounds great!