mlbrandow

(dusting off my biochemistry textbook): Leucine Proline Alanine Valine Methionine Phenylalanine Tryptophan Isoleucine Glycine Serine Threonine Cysteine Asparagine Glutamine Tyrosine Histidine Aspartic acid Glutamic acid Lysine Arginine These are the 20 common amino acids. When you think of amino acids commonly found in natural proteins, this is your list. There are other uncommon amino acids found in proteins which are important for very specific bodily functions, but many are synthesized in your body or you require so little of it that you don't need to worry about getting them in a diet. The following is a list of these uncommon amino acids which you can google or wikipedia to learn about at your whimsy. Each does something cool (depending on how much of a nerd you are): 5-Hydroxylysine 4-Hydroxyproline Thryoxine 3-Methylhistidine epsilon-N-Methyllysine epsilon-N,N,N,-Trimethyllysine Aminoadipic acid gamma-Carboxyglutamic acid Pyroglutamic acid Phosphoserine Phosphorthreonine Phosphotyrosine N-Methylarginine N-Acetyllysine Lastly, there are several amino acids which aren't even normally found in proteins at all.... although I won't list these because you'll never see them on a nutritional infos box. Anything you ever see on a supplement about amino acids will be in one of these two lists. The first one is all you should care about, but insofar as you should care... just know that as per what other people in this thread have told you: Making any effort to eat a somewhat balanced diet and you won't have to ever worry about it because almost all proteins contain most of these amino acids in appropriate amounts.

Well now I know. I'll chalk this up under "solved" on my big board of life's mysteries.

maybe this is the case, but after eating my regular carnivorous dinner last night (ham and cheese sandwiches) last night, I woke up this morning and I feel okay... I think the dry mouth was a result of having the upset stomach which dehydrated me a lot. I don't mind using the facilities so much, but it felt like I had an upset stomach every morning, and was more like I had diarrhea or something than just needing to go more often. Maybe lobsteriffic is correct in that I do not have enough protein. I will try to add more legumes today and try it again. Also, it has been suggested that I try to more gradually switch to vegan because of hte internal system shock of going from a meat and dairy primary diet to grains and vegetables primary diet... so perhaps i will try this as well. This will give me a chance to clear out my fridge of the meat/dairy products I still have in there anyawy, and hopefully by that time my body will be more adjusted to make the switch. One thing I do have going for me though is that I love the taste of most vegan dishes, unlike some who find it difficult to give up other dishes. So it's not a big deal for me to eat this diet from a taste standpoint... but I think maybe this might also have something to do with it, since I made such an abrupt and large shift in my diet overnight.

Well something in my diet is off definitely. I drank a tall glass of milk with protein powder and went to Wendy's and had a double-stack and chicken sandwich (heresy aroudn these parts, but again, i'm not being vegan for political motive) and I feel much better after they had a chance to digest some. I feel like I'm missing something in my diet but I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm not eating enough food, or eating less than I think I am. That I feel fine now tells me I must be missing something?? Does anything in this diet the past few days strike you as odd, or like... do certain or all of these foods clash in some way that would lead to an upset stomach? Is it possible that I'm jut eating a bad batch of frozen vegetables or rice or something like that? Thanks for any info, however anecdotal.

EDIT: this may well be something else, but my ailments definitely seem dietary related (because I reverted to my meat- and dairy-eating ways today and felt much better). Please help! So I have been waking up every morning with dry-mouth and a strong urge to defecate, and my excrement is indicative of high iron in my diet. When I looked up the richest iron foods, I found that I'm consuming too much iron... This is what I've been averaging for the last 3-4 days: 2cups cooked plain oatmeal 1-2 tangerines 1cup cooked brown rice and/or 1cup whole wheat pasta 2-3 cups of steamed mixed (mostly green) vegetables.... broccoli, collard greens, green beans, green peppers, red peppers, lot of spinach. .5-1. cup mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) glass of fruit juice (cranberry grape or cranberry apple I think) ~4 pieces of whole wheat bread, toasted (sometimes with peanut butter/strawberry preserves as a meal, sometimes plain) This doesn't seem to be too different from the normal diet, although it does seem that most of these foods are rich in iron. What can I do? I believe I am taking in too much iron and getting an upset stomach each morning because of it. edit: so, from what I am reading online..... everything that I am eating either is rich in iron, or contains vitamins that aid in absorption of iron (i.e. vitamin C)

How much does tofu cost relative to anything else? Do I consider it a meat substitute? Which tofu should I buy and in which section of the grocery store would I find it?

beforewisdom, I will check these recommendations out for reading information. Is there a more accurate term for the diet itself that doesn't include one's political stance toward animal exploitation? I am unsure just how heretical it is to say on a vegan forum, but I do love eating meat (and dairy for baking). I just believe the research I read on how healthful a vegan diet is and would like to give it a try. Jason X, I have eaten absolutely plain oatmeal for breakfast for months, just because it's a clean and efficient breakfast, but that oatmeal you prepare seems delicious. I will have to try that. I actually have many of the items you listed on that shopping menu, so I suppose my next task is to learn to make it work. What is nayonaise? And I have never purchased or shopped for tofu before. What do I look for? Aren't there many different types of tofu? Any tips on a loaded veggie stir fry? I don't want to under-cook some and overcook others, but seem to be missing something in the art. Thank you both for the responses and great information!

I pretty much agree with this, although there is a korean market I've been meaning to check out, so perhaps I will some time. On the whole, how much more expensive do you find fresh veggies over frozen? And once you saute them, can you really taste that much of a difference? I almost always eat fresh veggies so my sample size of frozen veggies is pretty low. is it best to get certain types of nuts? or mixed nuts? Or are they pretty even and the best bet is just get whatever's on sale (taste notwithstanding)? Also, with regard to juice, what do you guys normally get? do you mix it up? Do you go for juicy juice 100% bottles ever (my favorite) or do you tend to stick with the refrigerated market juices? Thanks for all the heads up info.

This pretty well sums it up. I remember when I got my first heavy bag and was like "man I'll beat on this thing for like 30 minutes a day after a workout." I'd usually be lucky to get 3-5 minutes on that thing before feeling like I'd been at the gym for a full workout.

Does one really need to consume dairy substitute as part of a balanced vegan diet?

As a graduate student, I am on a tight budget (who isn't?) and as a fresh vegan lifter, I am also on the lookout for staple bargains in consumption. What are foods you buy en masse because of their high efficiency in nutrients and cost? What are foods you consider a bit more expensive and perhaps not worth consuming as often? I am looking hopefully to compile a list of low-cost, filling snacks/meals.... so have at it and thanks for sharing any of your wisdom!

I'm a gym rat and a pretty active college graduate student. I am a meat-eating, milk-drinking carnivore. My fridge consists of about 10 pounds of frozen beef/turkey and I go through a few gallons of milk each week. Because a site like this exists, I know it's possible... but truth be told, my attention span for learning the ways of the vegan force via internet osmosis is pretty low due to such information overload. I would be happy to simply go out, buy everything and begin a meal regimen of the vegan mind, if only someone could lay it out in a clear, simplified form. If this is possible or anyone is willing to mold a (soon-to-be?) new vegan lifter, please let me know.