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fallen vegan-- sniff sniff


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Hi there...

So after 4.5 years of being a strict vegan, I recently added dairy back into my diet after getting prodded by my doctor and dentist that my calcium was low and my teeth were soft.

And I know that leafy greens are a great source of calcium. I also know that I've been working 10-15 hours a day and haven't been able to do a decent grocery shop in a long, long time...

 

I added dairy back in about 6 weeks ago. I have unfortunately noticed that some of my recuperation from hard rides and such has improved. Could this be because of the higher branched amino acid content in whey and casein-based protein?

 

Anyways, m'spirit isn't doing so well with the change and I'm planning on transitioning back to the right path. I'm leaving the job that has me working 24/7 and will be putting a re-emphasis on my training program and my lifestyle and diet. I'm planning on training myself to start shopping more frequently and packing meals.

 

I live in NYC which basically means I have little to no excuse for not eating healthy all th'time. I've found, though, that I've been eating a bunch of smeat and such 'cause I'm always fuel-deprived, but not surround th'smeat with a loving smattering of veggies. So wrist slap, bad vegan. S'gonna change. I promise.

 

So here's hoping ya'll will see me back and around chattin' up the forums with how to get m'cuts back quickly.

 

Hope this note finds you well..

 

 

Craig

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Figures that the doctor would tell you to get your calcium from dairy. They have very little if any training in nutrition. There are plenty of foods that provide more calcium than dairy. For instance, KALE, broccoli, collards, all kinds of beans, figs, calcium fortified OJ, etc... You can look up more on the internet.

 

The protein in dairy, cancels out any gain that you may get from a glass of milk because ANIMAL protein robs your body of calcium.

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They're full of crap...eat your greens!!!

As for the riding and recovery you really need carbos...carbos will help you recover better than protein from any source...lately I've been working on my first 500mile week...some days riding twice. As soon as I get back from my ride I dump spirulina down my throat then I eat some ground up oatmeal that I had soaking while I was riding(eat it raw). Normally I chop an apple or banana in it. It helps in recovery quite a bit and on this schedule my recovery is barely 12 hours. My late day ride is a little different...I combine high carbs with high protein then a few hours after(a little before bed) I may have a high protein pea dip or a soup heavy on lentils/peas/kidneys and whatever bean I had soaking overnight. I feel like hell but I can't expect to feel any better riding like this...so really I would say recovery is great since I shouldn't be standing...listen to belleadonna on the calcium thing...casein and whey(casein moreso) is really great at preventing calcium absorbtion.

Case in point---Nobody in the world comsumes more dairy than americans...americans have one of the highest rates of osteoperosis on the planet...people in Asia and Africa who consume very very small amounts of dairy have the lowest cases of osteoperosis...this is because they eat dark fresh greens

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Craig,

 

I empathize with you!

 

Calcium is easily obtained from any number of sources. Even soy milk now has as much or more calcium that cow's milk. I'd agree on the carbs idea. Get some complex carbs going and you'll be good. I often carry bananas around now primarily so I can digest them more easily.

 

I also wouldn't worry about slipping off the veganism thing. I've done it a number of times and I've found that I've really had to work hard to get it as part of my daily routine and at the same time get good balanced meals and enough calories at times. I have 50-60 hour a week job and I'm raising two kids, along with trying to get fitness in.

 

So for extremely busy people, including myself, it's hard without a plan. And it's not just a matter of being "easier" or more accessible. For me, it's trying to maintain relationships with others while raising two kids. For others, including you, it's 24/7 work.

 

But beware the comments that tell you to eat one thing that will solve all your problems. There's no substitute for planning balanced (and great-tasting) meals. It's never easy, but you have the right choice in front of you. Just take little steps right now, and when you have the time, make a plan and make your eating purchases and choices around that. It really helps.

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I think it's easy to overlook how much effort it takes to put together a good eating and exercise plan. And when you're swamped just trying to get through the days, a good meal turns from nutritious salad and hummus to smeat and some noodles to a slice of pizza without cheese. And suddenly nutrition goes down the toilet.

 

I'm regrouping and hoping to make the transition back. I'll have to try some of the Vega bars I keep hearing so much about. But ultimately, it's about putting a maintainable structure in place so I'm eating and exercising the way I want to. Get back to my physical and moral ideals. And find that great healthful balance I miss so much...

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Lay off the protein!!! nothing will rob your body of its calcium than a high consumption of PROTEIN, veg, meat, synthetic, whatever.

 

Eat more FRUIT!!! eat fruit until you are sick of it.... I don't know when that is, it's been 4 years and I'm still not sick of it.

 

And VEGGIES! eat more salads!!!

 

And if you have to eat "cooked" stick to the least processed of cooked foods. avoid breads and pastas... potatoes are aight, so is some rice (long grain brown preferrably)

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I don't know about anyone else hear but its extremely easy to have a good vegan diet...this is just crazy talk. I was a bio major at a school with one of the most intense pre-med programs on the east coast...I took the manditory 18 credits...I was on a college track team where I had to lift before or at 5am...go to class then practice again...go work at the PSPCA(I volunteered 30+hrs a week even in season)...come home and study and I managed to have a decent GPA, I was in better shape than ever and I was eating in a cafateria not exactly set up for vegans or so called vegetarians...this is way more commited time than a 60hr work week...its not hard to have a reasonably good vegan diet...I was eating 8-12000 calories a day with all that going on...if I could have done the type of training I was doing on a normal humans 4000 calorie diet I would have had some extra time to volunteer or relax...but thats life...I lived through it and I'm sure there are people that have had to deal with much much worse and have done a good job sustaining themselves on a vegan diet...even if it was tough I'd rather have trouble now on a vegan diet than have it easier and deal with colon cancer or something else later on when this rediculous health care system falls and we go into a legitimate economic recession. A vegan diet is one of the easiest things to bring into your lifestyle...period!!!

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I don't think it's crazy talk at all.

 

It is easy to avoid animal products, but it's not as easy avoiding animal products and getting a balanced diet. Especially for those who are coming off of meat which is not only readily available everywhere, but a staple just about everywhere. With $10, being hungry, and a drive through that spits out very tasty stuff in less than 3 minutes, for meat eaters it can be hard to think about going to the store, buying stuff, and really be concerned about your health when 99% of your waking hours are spent in high stress and overload situations. They just want to feel good by eating the food (because there obviously are questionable nutritional benefits). I've been there and done that. I think that the ideal is focusing on not doing this destructive behavior, but what I've said is a reality for many people.

 

It's also easy to select your food if it's already made in a cafeteria. It's getting the balanced meals when you can't visit a cafeteria--which for most people is all the time--if you haven't cooked a lot before or planned out meals, that is the trick.

 

I agree totally that going vegan is the way to go and really should be the future for everyone. No corporation or health system is ever going to promote the right way to do things, only the most profitable. Veganism and fitness are the best preventative medicines.

 

But I think until we realize that the transition is difficult for some people, then we can frame approaches to encouraging them to become vegan. I hope those thinking about veganism but not immediately able to make the jump are not scared off because they can't just do it "cold turkey".

 

My $0.02.

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Surely the mental part of doing it cold turkey is hard for many but haveing a balanced vegan diet isn't hard. Trust me my cafateria bit the big one...but even burger king has salad that they can spit out just as quick as a burger and if your gonna be a junk food vegan fries are healthier than a burger anyway and everyone on earth can carry bananas and apples with them...they are cheap, healthy and full of energy. You can get peanuts and sunflower seeds at vending machines or make Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches if your on the go...hell PBJ is what a large percentage of kids eat at school every day anyway(vegan or otherwise)hell make a tempeh or tofu sandwich with some tomato and lettuce(if you do that before work its faster than driving or walking and waiting in line at a Fast Food place, and much cheaper too)...theres also the modern convenience of energy bars which in some cases you could probably come close to living on them in themselves. The mental part is tough for some and I understand that...the actual physical part is a breeze for everyone excluding kids that have their parents buy there food.

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Agree. Good points and suggestions. Carrying the food is something people often forget about or find too inconvenient. But it's easy. And being vegan isn't all about having to cook exotic meals every time you eat. Keeping it simple is right on and a great way to jump right in.

 

Another thing that pushed me back to veganism was basically putting in my own face the cruelty that animals face. Reading Erik Marcus' Meat Market this past year made it easy for me to decide to find good vegan stuff to eat. It was all about awareness for me.

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I don't know about you (everyone), but I get sick of people ragging on pasta and bread. There is nothing wrong with whole grain pasta and bread as long as you are not slathering rich sauces or butter on them. I think that the low carb myth has invaded everyone's brain.

 

I concentrate on fruit and veggies but for pete's sake, whole grains are just as important.

 

What do ya'll think?

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As an endurance athlete, simply raw food doesn't work for me. Cooked pasta, for example, is much more easy for me to digest than high-fiber fruits. And as with everyone, this comes from personal experience. Everyone else's may differ.

 

Many vegans here, however, are raw food vegans, and so that's probably where they are coming from.

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The minimal pasta/grains thing isn't about being low carb its about getting better carbs. If you can get the same amount of carbs from veggies and fruits you body will run like a clock since it not empty carbs(whole grains aren't empty carbs but there are far more nutrients that go along with fruits and veggies than grains). As for the raw thing it just takes time to adjust too...Brendan Brazier is 80% raw and the best super ultra marathoner in the world is completely raw so you can definately do the full raw thing and be an endurance athlete...its actually beneficial since you blood temp drops an average of 2 degrees...a great advantage if your riding 60+miles in 95degree heat

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My remarks were not aimed at anyone in particular here. Just in general, people are freaked out about carbs. Give me carbs and they can have the meat. Yuck.

 

I eat about 50 percent raw but I am not into the all raw thing. I eat a ton of fruit and raw veggies but I like cooked food and I am not an endurance athlete or anything. I am 53 years old and love to lift though. I have been doing that for 15 or more years. I am doing better at lifting now that I have gone back to vegan then I ever did on meat and animal products. My sinus problems and mysteriously disappeard again too!!

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Until recently(last three months) I had been a big bread and pasta person and it was fine but when I lowered my carbs from those sources and increased my carbs from veggies and fruits my recovery time has drastically improved...moreso than any supplement ever did when I was taking them.

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I don't know what happened on my last sentence. Whew. Must be the pasta

 

I only eat pasta about once a week and bread maybe twice a week with a boca burger between it.

 

I have heard so many opinions on the amount of protein that should be ingested in a day. I keep mine about 10 to 15 %. That's after reading some good books on veganism. I keep my fat at about 10% and the rest is carbs. I have read that the protein that we get from veggies, fruit, grains, and beans are plenty without adding protein drinks.

 

Any imput people?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am converting to a vegetarian diet right now. I had been a big meat eater and milk drinker when I was younger.

 

Milk and cheese will be harder for me to give up. I am going to try the soy milks. So far I have had chocolate Silk. They are fortified with calcuim as well?

 

I am surprised that this dentist or doctor wasn't more considerate of your vegan diet and suggest other options besides dairy. I would rather get what I can from food but he could have suggested calcium supplements.

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You need to check individual lables, but most soy milks are fortified with calcium, if not all, and have as much (if not more) that regular milk. I also like Soy Dream Original flavor because it's fortified with B12 among other things and is one of the best tasting, IMO.

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