Don't know how, what to eat

[Jun]

Hi, my name is Jun.

I think it was very lucky for me to have found this website and thank the founder for his work.

I'm not sure if I can ask a question here but I need some help.

 

Lately I've been trying to get some muscles by going to the gym 6 days a week, and also decided to be a vegetarian some months ago being affected by my friend who is a vegan. I still eat eggs and sometimes milk in breads or cakes etc. as I've got no knowledge of how to cook proper nutritious vegan meals and yet I want to be a vegan bodybuilder !! (I've seen the film 'earthling' and my decision has become firmer) I'm very much worrying about the food that I eat, as the vast majority of bodybuilders say it is the best way for bodybuilding to consume an animal-based diet, especially such as chicken's chest and eggs etc. I want to show them and prove that it is also possible to get muscles by depending on a plant-based diet, even healthier.

 

Tofu is, I think as a beginner, what I can put a first step on easily, so please can anybody help me with the information about tofu meals which are easy to make?

 

Thank you in advance.

[Marcina]

Welcome to the board and to veganism, Jun. We support you all the way!

 

I learned a ton when I was becoming a vegan.. There's a lot of sites you can visit online such as vegsource and vegansociety. For a beginner, I'm going to suggest some tips for you, because it wasn't that long ago that I was in your shoes.

 

1. Simple meals: Most vegan meals are quite simple. You can make hummus and eat it on toasted whole wheat pita bread, you can make oatmeal, soups and stews made with beans and lentils, salads with seeds on top; all are high protein vegan meals that are easy to make. There are also fake meats available for the new vegetarian.. But I found that when I first switched that I didn't like them very much.. Now I eat them as a treat.

 

2. The magic of tofu: I eat tofu quite often when trying to build muscle. There's a lot of stuff you can do with it. My boyfriend makes this awesome mushroom risotto and puts tofu in it. It also goes great in soups. Baked tofu is nice too. Just marinate it in a little soy sauce for about 30 minutes, season it, and put it in the oven for a half hour.

 

3. Bodybuilding: There are lots of people on this site who have accomplished a lot on a vegan diet.. So it is definitely possible! I check the site every day and learn new things all the time

[plinerd]

Ditto the beans and lentils. I don't know why, but sometimes I don't think of them for protein, but they're great options. You might also like tempeh, which has a totally different texture than tofu. Soy is high on the allergy list, too, so even if you aren't deathly allergic, pay attention to how it makes you feel (gassy, break out more, constipated, etc. are all signs of a sensitivity ).

 

If I may make a suggestion: if you have a library near you, definitely check out some vegan cookbooks to look through. Some have complex recipes, some have simple/everyday recipes. Or maybe hit a bookstore and check out what they have. Even this site has recipes.

 

Simple, vegan recipe that even my non-vegan husband likes?

 

saute some garlic in extra virgin olive oil

add some finely chopped sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cooked or canned white beans such as navy beans

add some fresh (or dried even!) basil, maybe a little salt

serve over a non-egg pasta

 

I like onion in mine as well as some artichokes, but my hubby is way picky. Bean soups are also a great option.

 

*It's also great to just get a list of some common foods and their vegan replacements. Then you can take some non-vegan recipes and just alter them*