Tips on going Vegan?

[mega man]

I have tried most diets out there and the one thing I have failed at is portion control. I figured instead of counting calories and controlling portions I will switch to a vegan diet and enjoy large portions of healthy foods which I guess in time should contribute to some weight loss and improvement of health.
I have done research on meat and dairy products and it seems these foods are bad for health in the long run. I am not converting to veganism for animal rights, it is soley for my health.
Please, can someone give me advice on becoming vegan and what a normal days diet for a vegan would be??? Cheers

[sweet-rasmus]

erm, you can still be overweight and eat vegan foods. You do need to figure out portion sizes and control yourself But you are right, omitting dairy and meat will keep you healthier in the long run. There is plenty about the health benifits on the net. My one bit of advice for becoming vegan is to gradually change, like just have oat/soy/rice milk at home and dairy free spread (e.g. Pure), all of which are available in Tesco and of course health food stores, at home. Sort out your daily breakfasts and dinners at home before undertaking having to eat out vegan or at a friend's house. Eating out means that you have to ask questions in a restaurant etc. and some people aren't prepared to do that. But it is entiredly possible Been vegan for 3 years myself.

Get some ideas about what to cook from these past threads The food ideas below are vegetarian and some vegan. Basically, omit Quorn products (contain egg), and obviously milk, cheese and egg recipes. Hope you get some ideas.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055464128
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055634281
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055553741
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055612695
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055476299
or just pick up a vegan cook book

Oh, and if you do crave a meaty texture/flavour that isn't full of fat as meat is, there are plenty of 'fake-meats' available. Sure, don't the Quorn adds on tv promote the product as being low in fat?

Good luck with the diet change!

[Black Thorn]

At the end of the day, do your research. It's not a normal state for our bodies to be in these days, especially as Irish who have being having animal products for a long time. You will need to keep an eye on what you might be missing in your diet as you are coming from a diet which has more then likely screwed up your bodies natural way of telling you what it does and doesn't need.

p.s. guy's, get your zinc up! I'm not saying this to vegi's or vegan's in particular, an insane amount of men are low in zinc in all different diets due to either not having enough or having things in their diets that lower it. The main problem is that it screws up your senses which your body needs to judge food requirements. You have enough against you as it is! Plus, you miss out on the great taste of all the fruit and veg you get to eat!!

Cook what you should, don't what you shouldn't...this sounds odd but some veg have more in them if you heat them up but generally you don't want to lose out on ANY of the nutrients you are getting! Don't cut corners, start as you mean to continue. It is easier to work it out now then later when you're working on half steam! And don't, I mean DON'T replace everything with grains such as flour. If we were meant to eat it the way we do, then it would happen naturally!

Finally, keep things varied, that doesn't mean solid tofu for lunch, soft tofu later and a nice big glass of soya milk! Soya is great, but it's not the be all and end all...especially if you want to keep your hormones in check! Keep in mind that your body needs variety (and so do we or boredom sets in) we don't want our body going nuts cos our hormones (directly effected by our foods) going all over the place cos believe me, you won't be vegi/vegan for very long if you keep getting depressed or your skin goes to all hell and I doubt very much anyone will follow you if it does.

Being vegan or vegi is great, being smart is better think about your fuel

[Monkey61]

Just a quick note on diets and weight. I went vegan in January and managed to gain about a stone in 6 months and found the weight absolutely impossible to shift on a vegan diet.

If portion control is the biggest issue for you, I'd say that from a purely easy weight loss and health standpoint, cutting out the carbs and majorly bigging up the vegetables, protein and good fats might be a better idea.