How to be a healthy vegan?

[Eren Eeager]

No wheat, right? No legumes I guess. No soy products. High carb vs low carb?

[Michael569]

Same question as @datamonster Why no legumes & soy Eren?

[Eren Eeager]

Soy is gmo. And legumes are high in carbs.

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, Eren Eeager said:

Soy is gmo. And legumes are high in carbs.

I recall we had a carb vs no-carb discussion in the past so I won't try to convince you of anything but will just lay out information that may help you decide. 

SOY 
The most controversy on soy is that it contains phytoestrogens, plant molecules with the similar molecular structure to human oestrogens. As such they have been given the reputation as endocrine disruptors even blamed for contribution to breast cancer. To this day there is absolutely no research suggesting that this is true however we have a large amount of data that show that phytoestrogens are protective from cancer, osteoporosis and endocrine complications. 
Yes GMO is an issue but the best way to consume soy is to go for fermented products & organic. So don't eat green soy beans but go for tempeh, tofu, miso, natto. All amazing sources of protein & calcium. Clean, save and with no harmful effects. And no soy doesn't cause men boobs. It is also very protective of prostate cancer for men. 

LEGUMES
The only risk of legumes is that if you eat them raw they contain lectins which can poison you. But who eats raw legumes? After 10 minutes of cooking all lectins are gone. The cases of legume poisoning are rare and nearly always come from people trying to eat raw kidney beans. (a raw meat can equally poison you) The evidence on legumes is that they are protective from cancer, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and so much more. Excellent food for anyone suffering from high blood pressure or cholesterol and exceptionally beneficial for the gut microbiome. There is so much beneficial stuff in legumes that they should be on the top of any superfood lists. 

Regarding carbs, yes beans are carbs but they contain mostly high fibre complex carbs. These types of carbs DO NOT make you fat. It is nearly impossible to gain weight from legumes not even if you overeat. They are actually recommended for weight loss. Seriously I wouldn't worry about legumes at all. Just soak them for 20 hours and make sure you cook them until soft. Or just buy canned and those are 100% safe and ready. 

Hope that helps

[Eren Eeager]

@Michael569 @Michael569 thanks for the amazing response. So legumes contain complex carbohydrates which are mostly fibre ? Nice, I guess then it would be ok to consume them.

I guess I will still be eating eggs for protein and vitamins.

 

 

[Michael569]

7 minutes ago, Eren Eeager said:

So legumes contain complex carbohydrates which are mostly fibre ?

its a mix multiple polysaccharides which are slow to digest, trigger very low insulin response, promote satiety and improve overall blood sugar balance. Some of them you don't digest (insoluble fibre) and they act as brush, sewing through your colon, soaking all sorts of stuff (e.g. toxins or dead bacteria) on the way out.  The other bits are the soluble fibre that are consumed by your gut bacteria and converted into something called short chain fatty acids (SCFA) that are like your mini mood & immune-boosting natural steroids. 

9 minutes ago, Eren Eeager said:

Nice, I guess then it would be ok to consume them.

I'd suggest, if you are not used to them, start with red lentils. Those seem to be the easiest to digest. Your gut needs to adjust to legumes slowly so if you get too bloated, cut the dosage and soak even longer. 

10 minutes ago, Eren Eeager said:

I guess I will still be eating eggs for protein and vitamins

no harm in that better boiled than fried 

[Average Investor]

Lots of dishes you can make with quinoa too. A very versatile item that, I have used as a staple in my diet. 

[Eren Eeager]

@Michael569

What about rice? It is pure carbohydrates right? Any alternatives you suggest?

@Michael569 @Michael569

[Hero in progress]

This will give some ideas 

Beans

Black beans, black eyed peas, butter beans, chickpeas, edame beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans ect

 

Whole grain 

Oats, barley, brown rice, wild rice ect

 

Nuts 

cashew, almond, walnuts, hazelnut, ect

 

seeds 

flaxseeds, pumpkin, hempseeds ect

 

Berries 

black berries, blueberries, goji berries, raspberries, strawberrys ect

 

 Vegetables 

broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, spinach, sweet potatoes, kale ect  (Pretty much any dark leafy greens are nutrient dense and good for your body)

 

Fruits 

apples, pears, oranges, mangos, passion fruit, pineapples, plumbs, watermelon ect 

 

Thats all good stuff for your body. Taken from  Md Micheal Gregers book " how not to die "

just gave you a handful of each to give you a general idea of a healthy Vegan diet. 

 

Meal ideas

Beans, rice, vegetables 

chickpea curry with rice 

Vegan roast dinner

Oatmeal with fruits and nuts

Vegan meatballs with pasta and salad 

ect

Hope this helps a little bit.

 

 

 

 

 

[Opo]

4 hours ago, Michael569 said:

No harm in that better boiled than fried 

Why? 

[Michael569]

16 hours ago, Eren Eeager said:

What about rice? It is pure carbohydrates right? Any alternatives you suggest?

Yes pure carbphydrates but again not all rice is equal. If you go for brown rice, wile rice or red rice you are getting the complex carbs that act differently to the typical white rice. The other whole grains (quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat) are also good. General rule of thumb when picking rice, flip the package and take the one with the highest amount of fibre per 100g. 

14 hours ago, Opo said:

Why? 

@Opo cholesterol molecule is easily oxidised due to a double-bond in its molecular chain and it can become oxidised LDL which can be quite toxic inside your arteries. Same thing with any fried meat actually. The vitamin E in eggs may be somewhat protective but since most people fry eggs on volatile cheap plant oils, I believe this makes no difference. Not worth the risk imo

[Rigel]

4 minutes ago, datamonster said:

@Michael569 Thanks for sharing all this, really insightful ?

+1 to that

[integral]

@datamonster Be careful only learning from people that tell you what you want to hear. Diversity is needed or else you will be another vegan that went down the path of strong confirmation bias, bubble thinking. 

You will subscribe only to vegan youtube channels or people that repeat your ideology.

You will read only book written by vegans.

You will only listen to spiritual teachers that resonate a specify type of energy that is found in the vegan life style. 

You will conflate the vegan life style and energy with veganism.

You will build a list of science and facts that support your beliefs and ignore all else. 

You will learn only from the vegan community, for example any healthy issues that pop up in your life you will get the vegans perspective on it.

[Michael569]

11 minutes ago, neutralempty said:

"no harm in that  better boiled than fried"

Except for the harm that is done to the animals.

Mind you this was not a topic of vegan ethics and animal cruelty. For some people, eggs may create a bridge in transitioning from animal-based into a more plant-based diet and you need to show appreciation for that. Rather than judging someone for "keeping eggs in the diet", the focus should be put on their initiative to eat fewer animals and more plants which is not always easy to do. 

Not everybody can go/wants to go vegan but if the majority of people would eat 80% plant-based diet, the world would be a better place than if 20% of people eat 100% vegan and nobody else gives a fuck. 

 

[Michael569]

Just now, neutralempty said:

The question seems to be veganism directed. If veganism is not about ethics and animal cruelty I don't know what is.

I can't speak for Eren's motives. Some people prefer to remain plant-based without associating themselves with veganism because they are well aware of the dogma & judgment that come along with that. You can decide not to eat animal products for other reasons

[Eren Eeager]

@neutralempty I don't wnat  to have deficiency in Iron/ vitamin b12 from going full vegan.

In my country almost no one is vegan or even vegetarian so there are no products for vegan diet and I still need a good source of protein so I cannot take eggs off the list. 

[GooseWashigton]

It is very individial question and the same diets work very differrent in every situation. Just control the conditions of your body and make experiments.

[RendHeaven]

On 11/16/2020 at 9:33 AM, neutralempty said:

And even besides that, I have never seen a dogmatic vegan in my life.

That's cap lmao

[Michael569]

On 16/11/2020 at 4:33 PM, neutralempty said:

And even besides that, I have never seen a dogmatic vegan in my life. 

[integral]

On 11/16/2020 at 11:38 AM, neutralempty said:

There are tons of good plant sources of high amino acids content. 

What is an amino acid?