vegimator

Welcome Penny! Congrats on making the decision to go vegan. I recommend Becoming Vegan for a good breakdown on the science/nutrition of veganism (though I disagree with their food pyramid which emphasizes grains). If you don't have it already, pick up Veganomicon or any of the other cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Many seeds are a great source of complete protein. Hemp, pumpkin and flax seeds are especially good (though make sure you grind flax seeds before eating to get the full nutritional benefits). Try buying or making hemp or pumpkin seed milk. Making it yourself will be cheaper, higher protein, lower sugar and less processed than retail stuff (which often contains carrageenan). Look into making your own nut cheeses/cheese sauces too. Good luck with your goals!

I saw that this morning. Pretty awesome though I can't believe there are still less than 1,000 of them left.

That's great! Congrats!! I only remembered to vote a couple times but I'll try to give you more votes if that's how the semi-finals works.

Canola oil is high in omega 3s and they get oxidized at high temperatures (meaning they become rancid and generate free radicals). They both have high smoke points though - http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/CollectedInfo/OilSmokePoints.htm http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84#impactcookingstorageprocessing

I would choose palm oil (especially if it's virgin) since it has fewer omega 6 acids in it which are unstable at high temperatures. Saturated/monounsaturated fats are best for frying. Olive oil is a good source of monounsaturated fat though and a better choice for frying than canola oil for example.

It's $4 a pound at Trader Joe's!

Yeah, this is a common lie perpetuated by Weston A Price type people. Yes, there are fat soluble vitamins but there are no vitamins which are only soluble in saturated fat and even if there were, there are saturated fat sources available to vegans (dark chocolate, coconuts, palm oil, brazil nuts, etc).

I've been vegan for 6.5 years and I eat whole grains and soy. The only tooth decay I've had was on one molar that was already messed up because it had a leaky sealant put on it when I was a kid which trapped food/bacteria/etc.

Mine's a little crazy and high in fat which is no good if you're using it for post workout. Not sure I'd call it the tastiest but it's not bad if you lose the collards. 1.5 scoop (30 gram size scoop) pea/rice protein. 1 tablespoon defatted peanut flour 1 tablespoon flaxseed 1 tablespoon udo's oil 2 leafs collard greens 1 banana 1/2 cup berries approximately: 504 calories 50g protein 36g carb 18g fat

I think the onus is on you to show any relevant studies at this point.

I certainly eat flax and avocados too. Show me a research paper saying that palm oil is unhealthy in the absence of dietary cholesterol.

Both dark chocolate studies involved feeding substantial quantities of chocolate, rich in saturated fat, to people and noting the positive effects on their cholesterol. "Just because a food is overall healthy doesn't mean that all of the ingredients in that food are healthy." This is more or less my point. The same seems to be true of palm oil however. If it was purely saturated fat then it would probably not do great things for your cholesterol. But it's half saturated, half monounsaturated and (at least in its virgin form) is loaded with antioxidants. "This was a study regarding tocotrienols extracted from palm oil, not the consumption of palm oil itself." But it happens that palm oil is extremely rich in those tocotrienols. Let's hear your problems with this study- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20095133 "In spite of its level of saturated fatty acid content (50%), red palm oil has not been found to promote atherosclerosis and/or arterial thrombosis. This is probably due to the ratio of its saturated fatty acid to unsaturated fatty acid content and its high concentration of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, tocotrienols, tocopherols and vitamin E. It has also been reported that the consumption of red palm oil reduces the level of endogenous cholesterol, and this seems to be due to the presence of the tocotrienols and the peculiar isomeric position of its fatty acids. The benefits of red palm oil to health include a reduction in the risk of arterial thrombosis and/or atherosclerosis, inhibition of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, platelet aggregation, a reduction in oxidative stress and a reduction in blood pressure. It has also been shown that dietary red palm oil, taken in moderation in animals and humans, promotes the efficient utilisation of nutrients, activates hepatic drug metabolising enzymes, facilitates the haemoglobinisation of red blood cells and improves immune function. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the nutritional, physiological and biochemical roles of red palm oil in improving wellbeing and quality of life." Here's another overview - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14506001 And another - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11045075 "It is now evident that not all saturated fatty acids are equally cholesterolemic. Recent accounts evaluating palm oil's effects on blood lipids and lipoproteins suggest that diets incorporating palm oil as the major dietary fat do not raise plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels to the extent expected from its fatty acid composition. Palm oil is endowed with a good mixture of natural antioxidants and together with its balanced composition of the different classes of fatty acids, makes it a safe, stable and versatile edible oil with many positive health and nutritional attributes." Another - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1345319 "Palm oil, an essential fatty acid-sufficient tropical oil, raises plasma cholesterol only when an excess of cholesterol is presented in the diet...Anomalously, palm oil differs from other of the more saturated fats in tending to decrease thrombus formation. Finally, in studies comparing palm oil with other fats and oils, experimental carcinogenesis is enhanced both by vegetable oils richer in linoleic acid content and by more highly saturated animal fats. The carotenoid constituents of red palm oil are potent dietary anticarcinogens. A second group of antioxidants, the tocotrienols, are present in both palm olein and red palm oil. These vitamin E-active constituents are potent suppressors of cholesterol biosynthesis; emerging data point to their anticarcinogenic and antithrombotic activities. This review does not support claims that foods containing palm oil have no place in a prudent diet."

Yes, it's important to get plenty of omega 3s but it's best to get them in the form of uncooked oils (on their own, in smoothies, in nut butters with flax oil, salad dressings etc). It's important not to use omega 3 rich oils like canola (olive is actually very low in omega 3s - it's touted for its high monounsaturated fats) for cooking at high heat because the omega 3s are broken down and produce carcinogens when cooked. Palm oil is extremely low in omega 6 fats (which are polyunsaturated) and won't upset your 3:6 ratio.

And heart disease. So you can't have the good without the bad it seems.... Not all sources of saturated fat are known to cause heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15329324 http://journals.lww.com/smajournalonline/Fulltext/2008/12000/Recent_Insights_on_Dark_Chocolate_Consumption_and.3.aspx http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17513403 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20871763 The antioxidant palmitic and lauric acids found in veg. saturated fats seem to give them beneficial effects on blood lipids. At least as long as you're not eating trans fats. If you're eating trans fats, palm oil has been shown to increase bad cholesterol and lower good. Also, palm oil has shown potential in cancer prevention - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21121862

There are sustainable palm oil sources - http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/red_palm_oil.htm This unrefined version of the oil is also very high in vitamin A and E. It and coconut oil are probably the safest vegan cooking oils (at least for high temperature cooking) because there's no risk of the creation of transfats that you might encounter with oils like canola. Also, saturated fat is known to boost testosterone.

Oof, tell me about it. I had a free personal trainer session a while ago and I was dying after 15 min on the treadmill at the pace they had it on. Cardio is not my strong point.

Really impressive gains!

He's actually on the warrior diet and eating one big meal at night (and like 600-700 calories earlier in the day). Which amino acids are you coming up deficient in cellar yeti?

Good luck!!

I'm going to my girlfriend's house for a huge meal with like ten people. Even though only three of us there are vegan the meal is all vegan! Appetizers: Chinese Candied Walnuts Brazil nut herb crusted cheezeball + dehydrated flax seed crackers Main meal: Thanksgiving cutlets (mix of tofu and gluten) Candied yams Roasted brussels sprouts Red cabbage Rolls Crockpot mashed potatoes Mushroom gravy Cranberry sauce Apple sage rice Dessert: Pumpkin Crumb Cake Coconut Bliss vanilla ice cream

Yep, earth balance rules. It's also the best tasting vegan margarine (at least in the US).

It looks good except that it's way more expensive than if you go the trueprotein route. Trueprotein pea/rice (which is the main protein this uses too) is like $5 a pound.

I'm 5'5 and managed to get to 140 lb recently in a relatively lean (though maybe not as lean as you on the warrior diet) fashion. Obviously that's not monstrously big, but it's bigger than I was as a vegetarian or omnivore. In general, I think you're right. Eating more calories of plant foods is probably necessary to keep up with the amount eaten as an omnivore only because animal calories are easily assimilated and some plant calories are somewhat less so. You could try chewing more which should free up some calories but eating more would make a much bigger difference.

You can do that or you can create a custom mix at trueprotein.com. The best amino acid composition is in a 70/30 pea/rice protein blend. You can add creatine, glutamine and dextrose with the blend option too but (and someone may have to correct me here), their BCAAs are animal derived so you'll need to buy those separately and add them. Purple Wraath is vegan.