VEGANISM?

Scott Jurek is a vegan. Take it for what it's worth. Soy isn't very good for men. Also, many vegan food is highly processed, not any better than a big mac.

Cutting out food groups unnecessarily from your diet is risky. Don't do it.

D1inourhearts wrote:

Cutting out food groups unnecessarily from your diet is risky. Don't do it.

You aren't cutting out any food groups by going vegan. I've been a vegan runner for decades. Not a big deal. Rarely get sick, injured, and have at least as much energy as my mid-40s compatriots. Just make sure and get enough calories, as plant-based foods aren't as calorically dense as animal products. So you need to eat more. That's hardly a drawback.

T levels through the roof wrote:

Scott Jurek is a vegan. Take it for what it's worth. Soy isn't very good for men. Also, many vegan food is highly processed, not any better than a big mac.

Written by someone who obviously hasn't actually tried to live this way...

First of all, we need to keep in mind that Veganism is a lifestyle and not just a way of eating. Veganism means you're not buying leather shoes or belts. You're not wearing a goose-down jacket or your Smartwool merino wool socks...

As for the "highly processed" thought, that's true if you are lazy and don't eat real food. There's no need to eat faux-chicken nibblers because you have always eaten chicken nuggets. Break out of the mindset that a plate needs to contain one part meat, one part potato, one part vegetable to be balanced. As a whole, we tend to eat far more protein than we need and we also don't realize how much protein is in food that never had eyes.

And the soy comment, I imagine that could possibly be true if one were to eat pounds of it per day. Just like if you ate pounds of beef per day it wouldn't be good for you. Actually, the soy would be better for you in that case because of the hormones in beef, but I digress...

You should be spending most of your time at the market in the produce section - a farmer's market is ideal - and really only leave for some beans and starches (Pasta, rice, bread, etc...) There's no reason to eat sugary cereals, dairy, cheesy poofs, and so on. Outside of better health, the upside is your grocery trip just got exponentially more quick and cheap.

Non-Conformist wrote:

First of all, we need to keep in mind that Veganism is a lifestyle and not just a way of eating. Veganism means you're not buying leather shoes or belts. You're not wearing a goose-down jacket or your Smartwool merino wool socks...

I agree with the rest of your post but I don't think we need to keep that in mind, and especially not in a discussion of nutrition and diet.

People can come into vegetarianism or veganism for a number of reasons, including or not including ethical, and whether they choose to throw out their wool socks or only buy used, avoid processed sugars, honey, etc is really a matter of where they personally draw the line and they certainly don't need to feel like they have to pass the vegan certification exam to get into the club.

Distance running is so dependent on having adequate iron and hemoglobin levels, among other things. The catch 22 is that running actually places a drain on the body that can lower these levels. Anyone who foregoes eating meat is not providing the body with the building blocks it needs. For a runner, this deficiency is exaggerated to an even greater extent. A runner who eats a vegan diet probably won't be doing it very long much like a car without fuel won't make it too far down the road. I have never been vegan but at times when I merely have had lower meat intake I could feel a difference. If you ask your body to train hard you need to support it with adequate nutrition.

Noncoformist,

I was a vegan for 10 years. I'm very well versed in veganism.

Apparently, trolls thrive on meat… Soy is not bad for:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/soy-myths_n_5571272.html

T levels through the roof-- I am sorry to hear about your man-boobs. Unfortunately, they were not caused by tofu.

20 year vegan wrote:

Non-Conformist wrote:

First of all, we need to keep in mind that Veganism is a lifestyle and not just a way of eating. Veganism means you're not buying leather shoes or belts. You're not wearing a goose-down jacket or your Smartwool merino wool socks...

I agree with the rest of your post but I don't think we need to keep that in mind, and especially not in a discussion of nutrition and diet.

People can come into vegetarianism or veganism for a number of reasons, including or not including ethical, and whether they choose to throw out their wool socks or only buy used, avoid processed sugars, honey, etc is really a matter of where they personally draw the line and they certainly don't need to feel like they have to pass the vegan certification exam to get into the club.

I understand your stance, as I too really don't like labels. I was under the assumption this person wanted the label of Vegan, which really is a lifestyle, not just a diet. If you just don't want to eat meat and still buy those brooks brothers shoes, well, you're label is vegetarian.

I will on occasion eat wild game that I and my family have harvested, but I don't consume any other animal protein. The true labeled vegans are hardcore, and I applaud them.

xcbro209 wrote:

Any runners here Vegan? If so, what's a typical diet look like for you? And are you pretty energetic?

I'm kind of looking into it and wanted to know other people's experiences.

Also, any tips if one does become Vegan? Thanks, yo.

Pretty much all elite runners are vegan when they're in training because meat sits in the colon for long periods of time.

I've been vegan for a few months now, and my energy levels are through the roof. I'm running 25% more mileage a week, recovering from hard efforts in 48 hours instead of 72 hours, and I have endless stamina on my long runs. I'm also breathing better, thinking clearer, and sleeping like a baby. My skin has completely cleared up, I'm leaner than I've ever been, and my libido feels like it did when I was 16 years old.

That said, I'm on a luxury vegan diet that not everyone can swing (I pay more for food every month than I do for health insurance and rent combined). I also fell into a few typical pitfalls that a lot of vegans fall into when they start the diet, and if it wasn't for extensive reading, I would still be making those same mistakes and feeling lousy.

Do your homework on the diet. It's worth it in the long run if you are willing to do your research.

I'm not 100% vegan, but I eat mostly vegan. We're 99% vegan at home, but we're totally relaxed about it at other people's houses and restaurants. If someone brings in pizza for the office, I’ll often partake. We definitely eat honey. And we'll even occasionally serve meat/dairy in our home if we feel like guests aren't down with the vegan thing.

Breakfast:

1) steel-cut oatmeal w/ peanut butter & honey, with grapefruit or berries (or other fruit)

2) Smoothie – some combo of the following: frozen fruit, banana, leftover or quick-cook oatmeal, nuts or nut butter, almond milk, homemade cashew cream, cocoa powder

Lunch:

Usually leftovers from a previous dinner. Otherwise...

1) Some kind of salad, usually with beans and/or nuts mixed in

2) Mix of veges, whole wheat pita, & hummus

3) Whole grain wrap loaded with veges, usually beans

Dinner:

1) Brown rice, beans & vege combos (hundreds of options)

2) Whole grain pastas with thick vege sauces

3) Tacos with corn tortillas, beans (black or garbanzo), & veges (e.g., avocado, kale, sweet potatoes, & lime; fajita-style veges; or…)

4) Hearty salads

Really, this formula is unlimited:

whole grain + beans/nuts + mix of veges (+sauce/seasoning)

It just takes a while to get used to cooking that way. You can flavor lots of different ways: Indian, Italian, Mexican, Asian, etc.

Snacks:

1) banana w/ peanut butter

2) apple w/ almonds

3) smoothie (lots of different kinds)

4) hummus w/ fruit/veges

5) granola bar type things

Not even remotely a concern.

1) “Salad” is a massive, massive category. Learn to think outside the box.

2) “Smoothie” is similarly flexible.

3) Snacks were hard for me initially. I was used to using yogurt, cheese, bowl of cereal, turkey sandwich, etc. for snacks. Hummus (w/ veges/pita) and almonds (w/ fruit) are now my quick defaults. Keep stocked on almonds and hummus. Also, try alternative hummus-type bean-blends (e.g., white bean hummus).

4) Avocados, avocados, avocados.

5) “Vegan” =/= “Healthy”. But it does naturally lend itself that direction. Build around veges/fruits, then beans, nuts, and whole grains. Don’t eat processed crap regardless.

It’s EASY to get the nutrients you need with a vegan diet if you’re eating quality foods. Whether or not you’re eating vegan, your most important foods are vegan anyway: dark leafy greens, other fruits & veges, whole grains, etc.

Can you share what you mean by those pitfalls? And what kind of expensive food are you buying that's working so well for you? I've really tried over the past couple years but haven't had the sustained glowing results you mention - but maybe I'm making those mistakes. Thanks.

adsfaasdf wrote:

Can you share what you mean by those pitfalls? And what kind of expensive food are you buying that's working so well for you? I've really tried over the past couple years but haven't had the sustained glowing results you mention - but maybe I'm making those mistakes. Thanks.

1. Enough calories. Pretty self explanatory, but it's easy to feel full on fibrous and nutritious food, so a lot of vegans don't eat enough. It can catch up to you pretty quick.

2. B12. Methylcobalamin supplements work much better for most people, and they're more expensive. That's $20 a month for me.

3. Fruit and veggie variety. Fruit CAN be cheap depending on where you live, but 1,000 calories worth of blueberries will cost me $12 where I live. That adds up pretty quick. And if you want the most out of your diet, you really need to be eating lots of fruits and veggies of different colors.

4. And the biggest pitfall (and most expensive solutions)...OMEGA 3s. Fish oil is cheap. Vegan Omega 3s aren't. I spend $40 a month on vegan DHA and EPA. Flax and Chia seeds won't cut it

veganrunner23 wrote:

2. B12. Methylcobalamin supplements work much better for most people, and they're more expensive. That's $20 a month for me.

4. And the biggest pitfall (and most expensive solutions)...OMEGA 3s. Fish oil is cheap. Vegan Omega 3s aren't. I spend $40 a month on vegan DHA and EPA. Flax and Chia seeds won't cut it

I take both of these as well, though I wonder - are you taking a double daily amount of each?

I ask because I pay $6.50/mo for Methyl B12 (5000 mcg) and less than $19/mo for DHA/EPA (330 mg, 165 mg). I just do a monthly autoship from Amazon and Lucky Vitamins.

B12:

DHA/EPA:

Caitlin Grace is becoming a vegan after reading last week’s IPCC report

“I’ve gone full existential crisis,” Caitlin wrote while reeling from the IPCC findings.

“I’ve been having several panic attacks a day, can’t concentrate and just have a constant overwhelming feeling of impending doom.”

Caitlin Grace told Hack that going about her daily life in the last week has been pretty surreal.

“When I’ve been out and about I’ve been looking around at people and thinking, why are we just going about our normal lives?

“My partner and I have talked about it heaps, and just today we’ve gone and bought a bunch of tofu and we’re going to phase ourselves into veganism,” Caitlin says. “I think it is the biggest thing individuals can do to help the environment. I’m really excited about it.

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/feeling-ecoanxiety/10378470

If you are not concerned about the long-term health of your brain, dive right in.

https://www.nourishingplot.com/2013/11/05/good-fats-and-vitamin-b12-imperative-brain-fuel/

vegetables wrote:

If you are not concerned about the long-term health of your brain, dive right in.

https://www.nourishingplot.com/2013/11/05/good-fats-and-vitamin-b12-imperative-brain-fuel/

Smaller brain would make you faster though right? The brain is really just extra weight and we don't use much of it anyway.

vegetables wrote:

If you are not concerned about the long-term health of your brain, dive right in.

https://www.nourishingplot.com/2013/11/05/good-fats-and-vitamin-b12-imperative-brain-fuel/

I have been vegetarian for 15 years and vegan for the past year and have never had low B12 levels (and no I don't supplement).

Any decent vegan would leave the almonds too...it takes a billion litres of water to make a litre of almond milk. Read up on it.