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Vegan again. Insights on how to do it right this time


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I want to clarify the title of my post. These are my own insights regarding my experimental approach toward veganism, what I did wrong the last time and how I seek to correct it this time.

 

Okay, so.........

 

I want to revisit my vegan diet that I attempted a couple of years ago. I posted a topic here 'the problem I had with veganism' a while ago and I wanted to do a re-examination of what I did wrong the first time, as I delve into a second attempt.

 

I believe that it may not have actually been soy that was presenting a problem, per se, but the amount of carbohydrates I was consuming at the time. I think my typical carbohydrate consumption the first time I Attempted veganism was approximately 250 grams of carbs a day, which is bad for insulin sensitivity.

 

Particularly the breads and legumes I was consuming at the time were relied on too heavily because I was considering protein needs instead of balancing out all of my macronutrient needs. Now while I don't consider fat to be the enemy I do believe that too much can be bad for the body composition of certain people, regardless of how low carb they are. My theory on that is that maybe some people lack the enzymes necessary to metabolize all that dietary fat.

 

Now with that said I am attempting veganism once more. This time with an emphasis on balancing carbs, fats and protein. My goal is to keep carbohydrate consumption moderate, while not necessarily as low as on a normal low carb diet. I guess this means within the range of 100-150 grams a day. But this also means the incorporation of *some* fatty acids into the equation. So for that I rely mostly on mono-unsaturated fatty acids, such as avocado, small amounts of olive oil, cashews, etc. But I also incorporate some coconut milk into the diet as well, because there is scientific evidence that MCT's (medium chain triglycerides) are beneficial to long term health.

 

At the same time I get most of my carbohydrates from vegetables and very little fruit (due to the fructose debate and possible effect on insulin sensitivity) as well as one serving of oatmeal in the morning (I think it's important to consume most carbs early in the day and go low carb later in the day).I have noticed that some vegans talk about the fact that alot of protein sources are not low carb. Presumably these are vegans who would like to curb carb consumption. Well, have any of you heard of pea protein? It is very low in carbohydrates, and when mixed with other protein sources creates an amino acid profile that rivals whey, without the stomach problems associated with it (I have personally experienced a negative bloating effect from whey protein).

 

So to clarify I am once again consuming soy protein sources, but with a very watchful eye on carbohydrates. Because I do believe these were the real source of my impotence during my first attempt at veganism. I am not saying that the merits of extremely low carb diets outweigh a more balanced approach, I am saying moderate carb consumption is the key for my personal avoidance of this issue (moderate being around 100 grams a day, 150 tops). I think alot of people though tend to undermine the fact that vegetables do contain carbohydrates, so it is possible for us to get the bulk of our carbs from them without overdoing the grain thing (another thing vegans rely way too much on, especially the processed variety).

 

Here is what my diet has been looking like since I started over again.

 

For breakfast:

Bowl of oatmeal with berries, either blueberries or strawberries (berries are very low in fructose) some cashews, some dark chocolate, maybe a banana as well for an extra morning carb boost. I generally make it with 1/5th coconut milk and the rest water. I take my morning multivitamin after this and a pea protein shake consisting of about 20-25 grams of protein.

 

Lunch:

A large salad consisting of kale, spinach, musrooms, tomatoes, black olives, tofu, avocado and some organic green goddess dressing. Another pea protein shake after this.

 

Dinner:

generally the same thing as lunch with another protein shake.

 

For inbetween snacks I usually have some raw broccoli with hummus (which is fairly low carb) or some dark chocolate with almond butter. I have not broken down the amount of calories and everything yet but I might enter this in the crono-meter in the near future to see what it all comes out to. Intuitively it seems to be going okay for the time being. Feel free to share your thoughts.

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I assume your problem were rather processed carbs, not carbs per se.

Nothing wrong with high carb diet if your carbs are fruit, potatoes, COOKED whole grains, legumes. Actually, high carb diet is the only way to go. Otherwise, you will fail again. My suggestion is to watch out FATS. Leave out ALL oils and just use not more then 100 g of nuts or seeds in your diet.

Generally, I would starve on your diet plan. You eat way to little in my opinion.

These were my thoughts:)

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I assume your problem were rather processed carbs, not carbs per se.

Nothing wrong with high carb diet if your carbs are fruit, potatoes, COOKED whole grains, legumes. Actually, high carb diet is the only way to go. Otherwise, you will fail again. My suggestion is to watch out FATS. Leave out ALL oils and just use not more then 100 g of nuts or seeds in your diet.

Generally, I would starve on your diet plan. You eat way to little in my opinion.

These were my thoughts:)

 

No, high carb diets are not the 'only way to go'. Sorry to break the news to you. High carb diets cause insulin sensitivity. I do not rely on the conventional GI list to determine that because it really is based on botchy speculation at best, and myth at most. Not actual science. Too many grains and legumes is not good for nutrient absorption because then you are getting too many phytates (which are anti-nutrients) and the good nutrients you need are not being absorbed. The good carbs come from vegetables and a very very small amount of grains like oatmeal (which exerts less of an insulin response than most other grains), not an over-abundance of legumes, rice, etc. I experimented with consuming most of my carbs from these once for a couple months and I did nothing but urinate all day for the duration of this time. No thanks. I am not advocating high fat diet here, I am advocating balance. The brain needs both fat and carbs (in reasonable amounts) to function adequately. Both fat and glucose metabolism must be dealt with correctly.

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OK, I can only tell you things from my personal experience. I eat predominantly grains*, legumes, fruits, potatoes and mostly grean leafy vegetables for more then 6 years now. All my blood tests are PERFECT, including EXCELLENT results for iron, red blood cells, etc.

 

* phytates from grains are present only if you don't soak them before cooking. I soak mu brown rice 12 to 24 hours, same with chickpeas, beans. I dont soak lentils, but I throw away the first cooking water, as with all beans (also the soaked ones). When I say grains, I also mean grains that have no phytates at all: millet, quinoa, buckwheat. I eat oats (if you means rolled oats) very rarely. That is processed food to me. I eat simple food, as I said: plain old cooked whole grains and beans, lots of fruit (today it was 10 bananas, 1 grapefriut, 3 kiwis, 7-8 oranges). I feel great and results say I am actually very well.

Of course, you can find your own way!

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OK, I can only tell you things from my personal experience. I eat predominantly grains*, legumes, fruits, potatoes and mostly grean leafy vegetables for more then 6 years now. All my blood tests are PERFECT, including EXCELLENT results for iron, red blood cells, etc.

 

* phytates from grains are present only if you don't soak them before cooking. I soak mu brown rice 12 to 24 hours, same with chickpeas, beans. I dont soak lentils, but I throw away the first cooking water, as with all beans (also the soaked ones). When I say grains, I also mean grains that have no phytates at all: millet, quinoa, buckwheat. I eat oats (if you means rolled oats) very rarely. That is processed food to me. I eat simple food, as I said: plain old cooked whole grains and beans, lots of fruit (today it was 10 bananas, 1 grapefriut, 3 kiwis, 7-8 oranges). I feel great and results say I am actually very well.

Of course, you can find your own way!

 

Yes, I have read about soaking grains and legumes to reduce phytate content, but I have not seen any studies indicating it works, are there any? The other main concern, and I emphasize this, is carbohydrate. Not completely ridiculing carbs, as glycogen depletion occurs without glucose metabolism, but I am saying that health problems are presented when too many carbs are present. To me 300 carbs a day is far too much to maintain hormone balance. In my experience over-consumption of carbohydrate caused sexual potency issues. My girlfriend did not appreciate that very much. When I cut down on carbs it was not an issue as much anymore. I originally thought soy was the problem, then through a process of elimination, realized too many carbs were. Regarding your level of fruit consumption, there are studies indicating that that level of fructose consumption causes problems with insulin sensitivity associated also with metabolic syndrome. I do not think I wish to take such a risk. That is why I keep high fructose fruits to a minimum and low fructose, high nutrient fruits higher. Berries are what are the best fruits.

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I really never heard about carbs causing potency issues... On the other hand stress does. I don't know you personally, but you seem like a person who worries too much about things. Maybe you were under stress when you were on vegan diet, because you worried too much about nutrition and stuff. I think your impotency problems were psychological, as they are in most of the cases of impotency.

I have very good potency, never had any problems, and I am 38.

But OK, as I said, your free to find your way of ideal nutrition. Good luck!

PS: have you been eating too much bread when on vegan diet? My experience told me too much bread is bad. Especially if it is wheat and with yeast. I rarely eat bread and it is mostly bread from corn flour, or sourdough rye bread. But it happens once in a week. Have you tried cooking millet, buckwheat, quinoa? Whole COOKED grains are way different then processed grain products such as breads, rolled oats, etc.

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I really never heard about carbs causing potency issues... On the other hand stress does. I don't know you personally, but you seem like a person who worries too much about things. Maybe you were under stress when you were on vegan diet, because you worried too much about nutrition and stuff. I think your impotency problems were psychological, as they are in most of the cases of impotency.

I have very good potency, never had any problems, and I am 38.

But OK, as I said, your free to find your way of ideal nutrition. Good luck!

PS: have you been eating too much bread when on vegan diet? My experience told me too much bread is bad. Especially if it is wheat and with yeast. I rarely eat bread and it is mostly bread from corn flour, or sourdough rye bread. But it happens once in a week. Have you tried cooking millet, buckwheat, quinoa? Whole COOKED grains are way different then processed grain products such as breads, rolled oats, etc.

 

It is basic knowledge in diabetic circles that low carb diets assuage many of the symptoms of the disease. This is because blood sugar is most easily effected by carbohydrates. Now I do not have diabetes but one symptom of high blood sugar is frequency of urination, which is what I had when doing high carb vegan. There was a period of about 6 months when I ate absolutely no bread, or any other refined source of grains. I did eat rice though during that period, and lots of it. I would attribute this to my rise in blood sugar, I am not so sure about the lentils I consumed. White potatoes had a similar effect on me but not sweet potatoes (which i consume sometimes) for some reason. I am guessing the latter has a better nutrient profile than the former. I think it is reasonable to stay at around 100-150 grams of carbs daily at the most. Especially considering I consume about 50 grams of fat daily and 90 grams of protein. It's definitely not the typical low carb, high fat diet, which would entail the consumption of about 150 grams of fat daily.

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yes diabetics are advised to avoid lots of carbs because they are sick. But it is not the carbs that made them diabetics, it is fat. Of course we are talking about type 2 diabetics here, right?

 

I have an example of that in my family. My father eats typical Serbian male food (lots of meat, pork roast, etc) and he never eats anything sweet, not even fruit. He got sick recently, and he has gotten himself diabetes 2. On the other hand, my mother is eating mostly plant based diet, with very little fats, and she is chocolate and candy addict (i don't say it is good choice, too). She is overweight, but her sugar levels are normal. According to what you and many people and doctors say, she should have become diabetic long ago...

 

look at this kid, he cured his diabetes on fruitarian diet, check out his website, too.

 

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yes diabetics are advised to avoid lots of carbs because they are sick. But it is not the carbs that made them diabetics, it is fat. Of course we are talking about type 2 diabetics here, right?

 

I have an example of that in my family. My father eats typical Serbian male food (lots of meat, pork roast, etc) and he never eats anything sweet, not even fruit. He got sick recently, and he has gotten himself diabetes 2. On the other hand, my mother is eating mostly plant based diet, with very little fats, and she is chocolate and candy addict (i don't say it is good choice, too). She is overweight, but her sugar levels are normal. According to what you and many people and doctors say, she should have become diabetic long ago...

 

look at this kid, he cured his diabetes on fruitarian diet, check out his website, too.

 

 

Excess carbohydrates (particularly sugar) have long been known to drive blood sugar up for extended periods of time, longer than other macronutrients, which is a danger sign for developing type 2 diabetes. The science is not really in committee regarding this. I am not saying that people who lack certain enzymes will not do well on other diets, such as fruit-based ones. But for the most part it is pretty universal that sugar causes diabetes. I must stay with a balanced approach here. I am only 26 years old but I need to avoid any possible future health risks and I strongly feel filling up on carbs and sugar would lead to an elevation of such risks.

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Okay, I will chime in. I have had blood sugar issues in the past and hypoglycemia but do fine on a raw vegan diet that emphasizes greens greens and more greens! Always eating real food and not processed fats,carbs or proteins and steering clear of refined sugars, dried fruit and other things that concentrate the sugars and foods that are concentrated fats.

 

I personally do poorly on grains and try to only eat nuts that have been soaked. And I don't do too many of even these. Making almonds into an almond yogurt seems to work well and goes well in smoothies as does fresh ground flax.

 

I investigate and test out new ways of eating for energy and health and now that my body is pretty clean it is quick to respond to new ways of doing things - good or bad.

 

Here are some of the things I have found:

 

Loads of greens (usually in smoothies), starting the morning with an alkalizing drink of lemon and cayenne, then following with a green smoothie with small amount of fruit, large amount of greens, lemon or lime, ginger and jalapeño. Salads are good in the evening and I do best eating early. If I eat late then I get energized and stay up too late. I rarely eat fruit alone unless it is an apple. I do well on sea vegetables such as nori and dulse particularly in the heat.

 

Okay, I thin I am running on now, but this should give some good food for thought.

 

Staying hydrated seems to be extremely important so eating fresh not dehydrated foods helps a lot, smoothies are great for this as are juices.

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