Soy-Free Vegan. Is It Possible?

Right now I'm a pesco vegetarian bodybuilder because I'm afraid of not getting adequate amounts of specific amino acids and cholesterol. Also, I am allergic to Soy. To become 100% vegan, my questions are:

1. Are there any websites or does anybody have a list of the amino acid content in foods? (For example, what amino acids do legumes greatly contain or lack?)

2. Where can I get essential cholesterol from being a vegan?

NO SOY AT ALL!!!!!

-Thanks

Yeah there are a bunch of other beans you can eat besides soybeans. I'm not sure of the exact amino acid breakdown, but if you have a lot of different types of nuts and beans you'll get plenty of protein

I've never heard of needing to eat essential cholesterol. Where did you hear about it?

Right now I'm a pesco vegetarian bodybuilder because I'm afraid of not getting adequate amounts of specific amino acids and cholesterol. Also, I am allergic to Soy. To become 100% vegan, my questions are:

 

1. Are there any websites or does anybody have a list of the amino acid content in foods? (For example, what amino acids do legumes greatly contain or lack?)

 

2. Where can I get essential cholesterol from being a vegan?

 

NO SOY AT ALL!!!!!

 

-Thanks

1. Yes, it's perfectly possible to live vegan without soy. Eat other protein rich legumes, nuts, grains, veggies. Easy

Combine different grains and legumes over the day with veggies to get the full scale of AA.

2. Allergies can be cured or vanish after a while of non-exposition.

3. Cholesterol is NOT an essential nutritient, or i (and all other vegans) would be dead by now.

Eat other protein rich legumes, nuts, grains, veggies.

Good c all, I forgot to mention grains.

There's a kind of bread I like, Ezekiel is the brand. Their bread is a complete source of protein all by itself. My favorite thing is to make avocado and tomato sandwiches with it

The complete protein thing is way over emphasized by some. Just get some small amount of variety in your diet. You don't have to carefully plan meals based on amino acid content or anything silly like that.

I got allergic to soy for a while when I over did it. It's not big deal to never eat soy as a vegan although it is annoying the way so many vegan processed foods contain soy. But still there are plenty of plant foods other than soy. I might have a vegan processed meal once every two weeks otherwise I don't eat soy.

What do you mean by "essential cholestorol'? The body produces some on it's own. If you want vegan saturated fat you can eat coconut/coconut milk....

Yes, it is possible to be vegetarian or vegan without soy. Good protein alternatives are hemp protein, seitan (unless you are alergic to gluten), quinoa, beans and legumes, and just a varied diet.

"Essential cholesterol"? I've never heard of it either (and I've been veggie since 1976 and vegan since 1990 and have read a lot). Your body creates all the cholesterol it needs. In fact, if you eat a too-high-fat diet, your body can create too much of its own cholesterol.

Here is some info:

Vegan Protein Sources

By Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD

Plant foods contain the same eight amino acids as animal foods do, only in differing amounts. As long as you are getting enough calories from a healthy diet, plant foods give you all the amino acids you need, by themselves or in combination with one another.

Foods listed below are considered complete proteins, meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids:

Nuts

Soy foods, such as tofu, tempeh, miso, and soy milk

Sprouted seeds -- each type of sprout has differing proportions of nutrients, so it's best to eat a variety of them

Grains, especially amaranth and quinoa, are highest in protein and are high-quality proteins

Beans and legumes, especially when eaten raw

Spirulina and chorella (blue-green algae), which are over 60 percent protein

Common Sources of Essential Amino Acids

Histidine: Apple, pomogranates, alfalfa, beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garlic, radish, spinach, turnip greens.

Arginine: Alfalfa, beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green vegetables, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, parsnips, nutritional yeast.

Valine: Apples, almonds, pomegranates, beets, carrots, celery, dandelion greens, lettuce, okra, parsley, parsnips, squash, tomatoes, turnips, nutritional yeast.

Tryptophan: Alfalfa, brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, chives, dandelion greens, endive, fennel, snap beans, spinach, turnips, nutritional yeast.

Threnoine: Papayas, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, green leafy vegetables such as celery, collards, kale, and lettuce (especially iceberg), lima beans, laver (Nori -- a sea vegetable).

Phenylalanine: Apples, pineapples, beets, carrots, parsley, spinach, tomatoes, nutritional yeast.

Methionine: Apples, pineapples, Brazil nuts, filberts, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, dock (sorrel), garlic, horseradish, kale, watercress.

Lysine: Apples, apricots, grapes, papayas, pears, alfalfa, beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, dandelion greens, parsley, spinach, turnip greens.

Leucine: Avocados, papayas, olives, coconut, sunflower seeds.

Isoleucine: Avocados, papayas, olives, coconut, sunflower seeds.

Information Courtesy of www.naturodoc.com

Also check out these links:

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/article/470

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/article/471

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/article/100

And there are some other good articles and meal plans on:

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/nutrition.html

-Rob

Hey Artystik,

Listening to your music on your website.

Like it a lot.

Hope the training's going well.

James

"Essential Cholesterol" I think you have confused with "good" cholesterol, which I don't understand either. The whole ldl hdl thing is weird, I know a little about out the good and bad cholesterol cause my dad had a problem with cholesterol. As I think it is, our body makes enough cholesterol we will ever need, you don't ever need anymore. That's how I think it is don't take my word for i though.

Eating fish is so bad for you anyway(unless it's wild salmon). It would definitely be in your benefit to stop. You can relatively easily get all you'll need, even soy free, without fish. Soy is kind of a staple for too many vegans(I know that I've been taking in too much as of recently). Every type of food should be in moderation and variety.

Hey,

As far as cholesterol, your body makes both the good and bad kind. The reason one kind is bad is because it has a low density so it does not have much momentum and can get stuck on rough spots or turns in your blood vessels and arteries, the good kind has a high density and the momentum tends to keep these cholesterols moving. They also tend to knock the bad cholesterol off of your blood vessels and arteries. Cholesterol is also necessary for your body, but your body should produce enough unless something else is wrong with you. Some native americans from Florida have naturally low cholesterol, which makes it difficult for them to deal with cold weather (though I am not sure what the specifics of their difficulties are).

As to fish, most fish, wild or captive, have high mercury content which makes them poisonous to eat. Government specifications say that you may only eat the "safe" (white, not albacore) type of tuna fish twice a month to avoid potential risks of mercury poisoning. Fish raised via aquaculture still have the high mercury content because the fish they are fed still come from the ocean and hence have concentrated mercury. If you continue eating fish, consider eating karp or other herbivores. They have lower mercury content because they are not eating other fish which have already concentrated mercury within their bodies. If you fish, eating fish from fresh water that has not been contaminated with mercury may be safe, but most fresh water in the US has been contaminated. You may be able to find a listing of mercury levels in lakes and rivers if you search online. Good Luck.

Hemp is an AMAZING food and protein source(as well as other nutrients) ..

Also, pea protein and rice protein are good as well.

They also compliment hemp.

I think you might mean essential fatty acids(since you're consuming fish),

instead of cholestrol?

If so, hemp is also full of those, flax seeds are a

fantastic source, also nuts and the beautiful avocado.

Check out some of the things Branden Brazier eats in his book "Thrive"

www.brandenbrazier.com

I have been soy-free for over 6 months, consuming very little soy for

well over a year before that..

I have developed mild allergies to soy because of this, but I can still consume fermented soy(miso, tempeh)

as well as uncooked tofu,

maybe try that first, and see how your

body reacts...

It is definitely possible to be soy-free though, I currently am.

Here is a plethora of reasons to not consume fish:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_17.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/fish_toxic.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_150.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/politics/fishwaste120505.cfm

I really hope that helps.. : )

I full heartingly agree that one can be a VEGAN BODYBUILDER with the absense of soy.

Soy makes me all farty, so I just avoid it all together.

Has not affected my training whatsoever!

Eat other protein rich legumes, nuts, grains, veggies.

 

Good c all, I forgot to mention grains.

 

There's a kind of bread I like, Ezekiel is the brand. Their bread is a complete source of protein all by itself. My favorite thing is to make avocado and tomato sandwiches with it

The variety with the raisins is also great, goes well with cashew/almond butter...peanut butter also works but previosly mentioned butters outshine peanuts.

i'm allergic to soy too... and i've been vegan for 11 years! granted for half of that i was eating soy and getting sick all of the time, thinking that i must have a crappy immune system... then i figured out that it was the soy... and on top of that, i already knew i was allergic to gluten...

i hate to be that guy that pushes products, but Naturade has a protein powder call "Soy-Free Veg" that is marketed as being "formulated for vegans"...... it has pea, potato and spirulina protein, a flax fiber blend, digestive enaymes, reishi and shitake mushroom powder, and two extra amno acids to make it a complete protein. i thought it was really good. i was able to just mix it with water in a bottle and drink it straight... it is unsweetened, but it worked really well as a milk subtitute... and it blended well in shakes...

or you could go with hemp protein... but it doesn't make a good mlk substitute... there is also brown rice protein powder... you can get it in stores or if you google around there are suppliers of organic brown rice protein in the bulk... and there is something called the supreme shake or something like that, which is soy free and made from spirulina, quinoa and amaranth... it's sweetened and is also good just with water, but it's bright green from the algae so people will stare if you drink it in public (i speak from personal experience)

if you need any further soy free vegan advice, don't gesitate to ask me as i've been there

Nobody on earth needs cholesterol...its a hormone...you don't need to eat cows to get steriods so you don't need to eat fish to get cholesterol...your body makes all it needs. As for soy I've met a bunch of vegans alergic to soy...same with wheat which is much harder to avoid and have a high calorie diet

Plenty of raw vegans thrive without soy, on just fruits and veggies w/occasional nuts and seeds. No need to worry.