Vegan/Plant-based Thread

[Halb]

I broadly agree that plant based is best for longest and healthiest. I am also a pragmatist. And in nature some veggies eat meat when they need to. I see myself going full veggie in the future, but I listen to my body too, and the odd unusual input of (ethically sourced) meat cannot be a bad thing.

[LordGrover]

It's a year since I chose to stop consuming animal products, and I'm very happy with my choice.

Feel brighter, happier and lighter than I have in a very long time. That's not to say I felt 'bad' before, but I sleep better, have more energy and generally feel better than I did twenty, maybe thirty years ago. Recent checkup shows happy side effects are BP now c. 100/70 and cholesterol LDL under 100 and HDL north of 60.

[Hoofy]

LordGrover said:

It's a year since I chose to stop consuming animal products, and I'm very happy with my choice.

Feel brighter, happier and lighter than I have in a very long time. That's not to say I felt 'bad' before, but I sleep better, have more energy and generally feel better than I did twenty, maybe thirty years ago. Recent checkup shows happy side effects are BP now c. 100/70 and cholesterol LDL under 100 and HDL north of 60.

But is that because you're eating fewer calories, choosing healthy options and doing more exercise or are you eating the same amount of calories, still choosing unhealthy options but just dropping animal products?

[LordGrover]

Hoofy said:

But is that because you're eating fewer calories, choosing healthy options and doing more exercise or are you eating the same amount of calories, still choosing unhealthy options but just dropping animal products?

Calories; no real idea, but when you omit animal products and added fats it's pretty hard to over eat.
Healthy options; definitely true - eat far fewer processed products.
Exercise; very little as such, just regular walking and 20 minutes yoga a few times a week.

[Regiment]

I've always been told that vegans need a lot of supplements for stuff that plant based foods don't give you, the big one that comes to mind is Omega 3 long chain fatty acids that only comes from fish or from eating a lot of algae.

[LordGrover]

A popular myth. Far more common to have 'regular' eaters deficient in several vitamins and minerals.
No supplements required, except maybe vitamin b12 - which many non-veggies would benefit from too.

[Regiment]

Just had a good read up and it does seem to suggest that a lot of thought has to go into vegan diets, especially when Zinc, B12, and Omega 3 are concerned. That's the same with all diets though but its not a case of just cutting meat and diary and suddenly thinking your healthier., I eat healthy but nothing beats a nice juicy beef burger. There is a vegan burger recipe below that I might try later.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/featu...

Quick question I would love to ask vegans and vegetarians, there is a lot of talk regarding the new meat products being available over the next 5 years that are grown artificially. So a real chicken breast that tastes and feels like chicken but doesn't involve killing a chicken but you are eating chicken, would this encourage any of you to eat meat again if it didn't harm/kill an animal?

[LordGrover]

Regiment said:

Just had a good read up and it does seem to suggest that a lot of thought has to go into vegan diets, especially when Zinc, B12, and Omega 3 are concerned.

I suppose it's possible to cause yourself problems with a typical vegan approach, with the emphasis on omitting animal products rather than eating whole foods. After all, french fries, crisps and oreos are all 'vegan' but are hardly part of a healthy diet.

A whole food plant based diet that I enjoy, that's not the case. Eating whole foods pretty much guarantees you'll tick all the boxes with almost no thought.

[Phil.]

Regiment said:

I've always been told that vegans need a lot of supplements for stuff that plant based foods don't give you, the big one that comes to mind is Omega 3 long chain fatty acids that only comes from fish or from eating a lot of algae.

Fish get their Omega 3 from algae. Cut out the 'middle man' and get your Omega 3 direct from the algae. It's a choice I've made.

[Phil.]

Regiment said:

Quick question I would love to ask vegans and vegetarians, there is a lot of talk regarding the new meat products being available over the next 5 years that are grown artificially. So a real chicken breast that tastes and feels like chicken but doesn't involve killing a chicken but you are eating chicken, would this encourage any of you to eat meat again if it didn't harm/kill an animal?

I'm not a vegan (whatever the definition is) but someone who has chosen to eat a plant-based diet, mainly because I believe in the long term health benefits. So in answer to your question, I wouldn't revert back to artificially grown meat products because I believe they are detrimental to long term health.