Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strong pull of what you love."

Well then, I guess that would be a raw foods -->>fruitatarian (?) my final goal in eating for health. I have noticed that when I stick to a diet of raw foods or just fruit, I have the most energy.

I became a vegetarian in my early teens after incorporating Transcendental Meditation into my life. I went back to eating meat and more dairy when expecting my 1st child because of a list of family reasons (fears) but what did I know in my teens compared to health professionals and wanted mainly to secure my newborn's healthy development. 20 something years ago, the American diet focused on the USDA Food Pyramid as they still do today but the pyramid only looks different.

http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html

And still today, the government continues to incorporate meat and dairy products into the human diet to survive which I believe is wrong. I am sure many here in this forum agree as well but I worry about our future generations going down the same path. I did survive from a meatless diet, felt wonderful, very active and embraced life, not food.

In today's world of fast foods, I know first hand that a diet depleted of nutritional value keeps a person craving food until the body is met with the essential nutritional values needed to survive. I went on a diet of fast foods not intentionally but from an extensive job relocation from one state to another that led me into another discovery of false nutrition of fast foods. And if mom's are driving into McDonalds, BKing, etc. and think they are feeding their children, they are lost in the USDA Food Pyramid illusion, starving their children and contributing to unneccessary illness of higher cholestrol and future obesity. Well enough said here for now on this topic. I will rant more LOL on this subject over time but in all reality, this is sad.

As for me today, I returned to vegetarian almost a year and a half. I met some friends that were vegan and we shared a lot about becoming vegan. I was working part time at a health food store and learned more about the various lifestyles outside the USDA concept and enjoyed working with the staff and customers. I was hired as a Customer Rep and introduced many to some new products and gave support in their new lifestyle changes.

As I geared toward vegan living, I encouraged many to switch from the Atkins diet to plant-based proteins and raw foods for energy as I continued to use the products and eat organic produce myself. Even some highschool athletes were coming into the shoppe with their parents asking for nutritional ways in building muscle and endurance which was great. Many parents were learning new ways of introducing better health options in food at home. But I ran into 2 issues, 1) Not all staff believed in becoming a vegan was the answer and believed fish oils, etc were also important in one's diet. And 2) marketing supplements $$ became more important to most and not as much in organic whole foods and veganism. Some even thought a vegan was some occult and I lost interest in pill pushing supplements and felt good organic food and exercise was the best in living well. I still believe that today and also I believe in balance.

Well, in between classes, I have been logging on and reading info. Thanks to the ones that have stepped up to say hi and have contributed some thoughts - you have inspired my start.

I have been reading between Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness (VBF) and Raw Fitness (RF), trying to find a good space to begin. I have made notes along my path from some comments friends have made to me and from all the information I learned today. I am focusing on doing a fast tomorrow and beginning to lay out my exercise program.

Do some grocery shopping and ask a few more questions re: multi-vit. I was using a few protein powders a few months back and was wondering if they would be good to add to my daily intake today? I was alternating bewteen "Alive" (soy base) and "Rainbow Light" (rice base) powder mixes as protein sources. Alive has a multi-vit. I'll go out and ask in the Supplement section before I log off. Maybe someone will have some thoughts.

My List of Notes To Keep In Mind...

No wheat - acid forming, mucus forming in the body and best not to eat alot of it

Fast - water or
water & juice or broths (no solid foods during this time)

Relative Fast - eating a step or two cleaner than you usually do.
So by eating vegan meals as a step or two cleaner would help the transition.

Vegans can do a raw food diet for a period of time.

A raw fooder could eat all fruits for a period of time.

1st - Replace some grain (acid forming grains) with veggies, especially green leafy veggies.

2nd - Eat in small quanties processed foods like vegan cheese, prepared boxed cereal and meat analogs.

3rd - Grains - Stick with sprouted grain products (breads, hamburger buns and tortilla wraps that are made from sprouted grains)
Eat more alkaline grains: quinoa, buckwheat and millet (alkaline grains) than wheat, barley and rye.

I signed up with Rare Fitness today to begin a workout
The Following information from Raw Fitness

My Basic Pyramid
Eat plenty of Fruits/Vegetables,
Then Lima beans, lentils or chick peas eaten at the same meal with vegatables are superior.
Next level,
Cheese (unfired state) make from raw milk.
Next level,
raw and unsalted nuts and seeds.

Omit tea, chocolate, salt and pepper from my diet.

Proper order of eating the different kinds of foods at a meal is important.
1) the most easily digested food should be eaten first, then the more complex and the most concentrated item last.

To eat only portion of each food type is important and eat when hungry, not by the clock.

Detoxing with fruit nutrition - lemons being the most effective.

Until Noon eat only fresh fruit.

Future ideas: Chelation Therapy discussed - and Steam Sauna Therapy. Vit E & Selenium helps in removing toxics from the body.

Using bentonite clay (a very fine volcanic clay) body masks for detoxing - detox foot patches are popular for detoxfying for overnite results.
Detoxing Patches have sent the used pads to the SCR Analytical
Lab, which is a highly accredited Environmental Laboratory.
The results demonstrated absorption into the patchs of nickel, Sweet joynic and mercury, as well as benzene, isopropyl alcohol, methyl alcohol,
aluminum, cadmium, copper, lead, thallium, asbestos, DAB dye, fast
green dye, sudan black dye and PCB (plastic byproduct).

Some interesting stuff and a great beginning.

My Daily Food In-take Today:

10am
1 Wheat bagel
1 Tbs Vegan spread
1 cup Black Tea/Soy milk

3 8oz spring water

I am switching to sprout grain products instead of wheat now and ween myself off my caffeine fix. Currently, I have 3 cups a day, I will drink less and replace my 3 cups with a decaf tea or fresh juice over the next 3 days. By the four day, I will be drinking fresh juice without using any caffeine in my diet for energy.

2pm
1 med Baked potato
1 TBsp Vegan spread
1/4 cup Tofu crumbles
1/4 cup corn (canned)

3 8oz spring water

4pm
1 cup of Lentil soup (canned)

2 8oz spring water

5pm
1 cup of decaf Chai

Exercise Today - None, only running to classes on campus.

Thanks to VBF, RF and members for being here and helping me. ~ Chickpea

And one more thing I learned today.... Be Brief!! I am new at blogging and I am just falling on my face out here!! but I do have gratitude.
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"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."
- James Baldwin

Today is a better day for me... I finished out my school week and managed to learn more between vegan bodybuilding and fitness and raw fitness. I have to say that the support I am getting here is totally awesome and many thanks to everyone that has helped me along so far. The team is awesome!!

I looked over some of the responses to my questions and tried a new recipe. I made quinoa this morning with fresh strawberries, almonds, soy milk and cinnamon. I served at breakfast and my husband really liked quinoa over oatmeal!!! I did too!! So thanks Kathryn for suggesting an increase in quinoa and a big thanks to pelicanAndrew for sharing his breakfast recipe... and a thanks to his Mom too!!

I have a confession to make here too... I ate some mushroom/cheese pizza for dinner and some buddha delight with veg fried rice for lunch since my last blog. I was bad. And I did not finish putting my exercise program together just yet but I will today. I follow along the Body for Life plan with Bill Philips but with a veggie style meal plan instead of a SAD.

Over the past, I really have only ate pizza 1 meal 2x's a month and Chinese about once every 2 months but for some reason, this week was special, ay? So all the talk about my high cholestral, I made things worst. So after thinking things over, I feel the food was about giving up more of what I like over health reasons, being stubborn in letting go and out of convience to say the least. So I did it, thought much about my actions and I realize more about myself - I am still a good person.

Today is the rest of my life and today I chose to share something new with my husband and we both enjoyed the quinoa for breakfast. We talked more about going vegan on the spot instead of slowly letting go dairy. And so we decided to just go vegan and create the lifestyle we have been dreaming about!! So maybe my psycic vision was ahead of another plan and I grabbed my favorites before knowing I had to let go. That is just a little more about me.

So after saying yes in going vegan, I made a grocery list and some thoughts about a general meal plan for the week ahead. I will work on my exercise program to bring it together for the week and post here for now.

Grocery List
Spring Water
6 cans of veg broth
celery & carrots
green/red lentils
Decaf Chai
pomagrante juice
apple juice
fresh fruit 3 apple/4 banana/
strawberries/blueberries
6 lemons
soy milk
quinoa
raisins
nutiva hemp
millet & buckwheat sprouted grain breads
almonds
chili ingre.
hummus
spinach
mixed greens
mixed veggies
tomatoes
pan flakes
green pepper
6 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 red onion
fresh chives
fresh parsley

I will break my grocery list down into 3 visits to the store over the next week as to stay with the fresh produce and use items as the recipes calls over time.

My Basic Plan on my Fasting Days
7AM warm spring water w/fresh lemon juice
AM-Noon pomogrante juice
1PM veg broth
3PM decaf chai
6PM veg broth
8PM warm spring water w/fresh lemon juice

Along with drinking Spring Water through out the day.

Regular days
Breakfast or Lunch
Alternate days of...
Quinoa with fresh fruit, nuts and soy milk.
Toasted Buckwheat with peanut butter topped w/ fresh apple or banana.
Smoothies: fresh fruit, soy milk, spring water and hemp powder.

Lunch or Dinner
salad: greens, spinach, fresh fruit (apples, rasberries, cranberry raisins, etc, mixed veggies, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, lima beans, chick peas.
vegan chili
lentil soup
gazpacho with quinoa
bruschette
hummus with millet or raw carrots
falafels

snack: soy nuts and rice crisp crackers.

A simply plan of thought
For mornings making smooties or quinoa.
For Lunches make soups, chili, bruschette or gazpacho for lunches, pb& fruit.
For Dinners make salads, hummus, falafels, quinoa etc.

A New Recipe to try with quinoa

Gazpacho
6 tomatoes, peeled, diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tbls fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbls fresh chives, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4 extra v olive oil
2 tbls lemon juice
stevia to taste
6 drops of tabasco
salt & pepper
4 cups of tomato juice

Combine all ingredients,
blend slighlty and store in glass container (NO METAL)
makes 8 servings.

Adding a protein drink from "bighead" / CollegeB's "Protein Shakes" - Thanks You both!! !!

1 banana (pref frozen)
1/4 cup strawberries, blueberries or rasberries
1 heaping tablespoon of Brown rice protein (i like NutriBiotic brand)
enough water to cover the berries, but not all of the banana or powder
a tablespoon of organic oil (sunflower is my favorite to use, cuz it's lite and has very little taste... flax works well too)

blend and enjoy. that kind of rice protein makes really creamy shakes. leave the oil out if you're in your cutting phase, i suppose.

alternatively, i do the same with hemp protein (manitoba harvest is great) and a spirulina quinoa mix (peaceful planet supreme meal)

also, on the soy thing... that''s true that you are getting phytoestrogens from other legumes, but if you're pounding 100-200 grams of soy protein a day, you are definitely going to be having an effect on your hormone balance.
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Other great items shared and after giving some thought, my mental notes as follows...

Incorporate Wraps for lunch
hummus, garbanzo or black bean spread with various greens and veggies.

Pick up sprouted grain tortill (Food for Life brand)

No cheeses of any kind to reduce my cholesterol.
No spreads or oils for now until I reduce my cholestrol.

4 servings of fresh fruit a day and more whole veggies.

Nuts, only about a small handful in a whole day.

Goji berries are a good source: 12% to 14% protein, 15% fat and the rest carbs.

Quinoa is a high iron source, like beans. Mixing other high iron source with quinoa may produce a headache if eat over several days. Spread out the days and enjoy the great iron supplement, low fat content quinoa offers.

Rinse quinoa for a fluffy and less bitter taste.

Now I am off to the grocery store and promise to myself to finish my workout plan.

I'm glad you liked the breakfast recipe. I actually eat that for lunch and snacks too sometimes. Adding any fruit to it also is good for taste, although you're supposed to eat fruit by itself on an empty stomach for best results.

For the pizza, just order a pizza without cheese! Of course, you gotta ask the place you're ordering from if their crust/sauce is also vegan. Make sure to explain to them what vegan is. So many people think we eat fish it's hilarious. Pizza Hutt and Papa John's both have vegan crust/sauce. I might order one later tonight if i'm feeling extra hungry.

Your shopping list reminds me exactly how low i'm running on food in my dorm.

I gotta stock up on some leafy greens and fruit. Probably frozen for easy storage.

Hey pelicanAndrew!! Thank you for the great support!! I never thought to ask for pizza without cheese but I will consider it in the future. I have tried Amy's spinach and that's pretty good. And I am not too surprised if peeps asked if we eat fish LOL!!! I have had people ask me if I was joining some occult!!! LOL I was like What the? LOL But I have to share this vid I found one day... trying to explain a vegan lifestyle gets to be a drag but this vid is a riot on the days I get so frustrated too in explaining!! It's called Steven the Vegan. You may have already seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMpHF2a-IJY

Well PA, it must be tough living out of a dorm... no room. Thanks for some tips. I will only shop in moderation and eat as I need most often - I think it's better fresher and less expensive at times when items do go on sale a lot. Raw is the way I want to go anyways in the long run. I live in So FL where we are evacuated about 6 times a years for hurricanes... I learned that you can't take all the food with you. And in the beginning, healthy eating was very expensive along with the add supplements. So now, I am really calming down because I have learned a lot over time - now just becoming constantce is my long term goal.

Well, I hope you enjoy the vid and that it brings a smile!!
Take care, my good friend.

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"Goals help you channel your energy into action."
- Les Brown