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New Year: Vegan/Vegetarian


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9 hours ago, JoshstraDaymus said:

I rarely order, I don’t like any of those oils I only use olive oil. I actually don’t eat badly at all, but in order to be able to get a heart transplant if I were to need one I need to lose weight.

Not to get too personal here buddy, but is it more a matter of losing the weight by going vegan or going vegan/losing weight hand in hand for overall heart health? 

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21 hours ago, JoshstraDaymus said:

Hi guys!

So we are less than a month from the start of the new year. This always brings a change. Here’s what I’m doing.

My wife and my family don’t think I will last long at this, but I’m challenging myself to go vegetarian (maybe vegan) for the beginning of 2021. I’m HOPING to do this through the first quarter.

One big problem: I hate vegetables. I especially don’t like them cooked but there are many that I will eat raw.

What I need is your vegan/vegetarian recipes and meal ideas. I will update this challenge daily. I’m also hopeful this helps me lose some weight in case I need to get a heart transplant.

Please post some suggestions, and help! Maybe even ideas for if I go out to eat at some chain restaurants or if I order food.

Help me prove them wrong.

If you're that picky, there's a zero percent chance you will make it going full on vegan.  At least not in a healthy way.

I mean, you could eat a cheese pizza and chips, and you're vegetarian.  It doesn't mean you're any healthier.

My advice would be skip the vegetarian/vegan thing, and start by just forcing yourself to eat more fruits and vegetables.  Eat the stuff you like, but add servings of vegetables (and cut the salt if you're going for heart health).  If you're not just dealing with it and eating veggies, you're not going to get healthier.

Example: add frozen spinach and chopped bell peppers to your pastas.  It won't be that out in front, and will add some nutrition.  With soups: add a double dose of mirepoix when you start.  Again, it won't change much.  For burgers, use more lettuce and whole wheat buns.  For pizza, cut the pepperoni and put bell peppers and tomatoes or something.  Little changes that make an overall healthier diet are way more sustainable long term than trying to go vegan or vegetarian for a year.  Especially for long term health, which sounds like what you need.

Eating more beans would be a good start too.  Beans and rice makes a complete protein, beans are cheap, and they're crazy healthy.

I do have a recipe for butternut squash mac and cheese which has very little dairy in it, so it's healthy, and it tastes pretty close to the real thing, if that's something you'd like.

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7 hours ago, Forge said:

Also, invest in a food chopper or anything that can really dice up veggies. Put some riced broccoli in with rice and you'll barely notice. Frozen spinach blended into a smoothie with strong flavors (blueberries are a good choice) will also be a good way to get some in too

This is a good one too.  Or just eating more fruit in general might be a good way to help your health if you can't just eat enough veggies to turn it around.  If you just did a smoothie for breakfast every day with some Greek yogurt, soy milk, frozen fruit, and a little spinach thrown in, it's a great healthy way to start your day.

But stay away from fruit juices (it's just sugar with some vitamin C) and watch your sugar intake overall.  There's hidden sugar in literally everything.  Especially condiments or anything premade.  You'll need to start making lots of stuff from scratch.

Also, peanut butter is your friend, just get the lower sugar ones, or you'll be hurting yourself more than helping.

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22 hours ago, JoshstraDaymus said:

I like to challenge myself.

This is a different challenge, but kind of related.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

Quote

The average SNAP benefit per person was about $125 per month, which works out to about $1.39 per person per meal.

Using that as monthly food budget per person. No cheating using free food from work or the stuff in your pantry or your spice cabinet either if you want to be hardcore about it.

EDIT: Nevermind, if health is your motivator this is a bad idea.

Edited by ramssuperbowl99
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2 hours ago, Daniel said:

This is a good one too.  Or just eating more fruit in general might be a good way to help your health if you can't just eat enough veggies to turn it around.  If you just did a smoothie for breakfast every day with some Greek yogurt, soy milk, frozen fruit, and a little spinach thrown in, it's a great healthy way to start your day.

But stay away from fruit juices (it's just sugar with some vitamin C) and watch your sugar intake overall.  There's hidden sugar in literally everything.  Especially condiments or anything premade.  You'll need to start making lots of stuff from scratch.

Also, peanut butter is your friend, just get the lower sugar ones, or you'll be hurting yourself more than helping.

And if you don't like a fruit, you could try freezing it. I love grapes either way, but frozen grapes are a guilt free desert whenever.

Edited by ramssuperbowl99
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3 hours ago, MWil23 said:

Not to get too personal here buddy, but is it more a matter of losing the weight by going vegan or going vegan/losing weight hand in hand for overall heart health? 

Heart health is the primary reason, but I've been meaning to add more vegetables and whatnot into my diet anyway. I'm more carnivorous than anything.

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7 minutes ago, ramssuperbowl99 said:

And if you don't like a fruit, you could try freezing it. I love grapes either way, but frozen grapes are a guilt free desert whenever.

Frozen grapes are a fantastic snack.  They're like my Dad's favorite thing.

7 minutes ago, JoshstraDaymus said:

Heart health is the primary reason, but I've been meaning to add more vegetables and whatnot into my diet anyway. I'm more carnivorous than anything.

Then just try cutting as much salt, fat, and especially sugar from your diet.  That will be the best for your heart.

That will have to change.  I'd recommend just reducing your portion sizes for meat rather than cutting it entirely.  Meat should only make up about 1/4 of your total serving in a meal with meat.

Maybe just do that, other little changes, and a meatless Monday where you eat beans or tofu or veggies.

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1 minute ago, Daniel said:

Frozen grapes are a fantastic snack.  They're like my Dad's favorite thing.

Then just try cutting as much salt, fat, and especially sugar from your diet.  That will be the best for your heart.

That will have to change.  I'd recommend just reducing your portion sizes for meat rather than cutting it entirely.  Meat should only make up about 1/4 of your total serving in a meal with meat.

Maybe just do that, other little changes, and a meatless Monday where you eat beans or tofu or veggies.

Salt is already a non factor in my diet,  but everything else is feasible. Other than that it's just something I've been thinking about doing experimentally anyway.

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39 minutes ago, JoshstraDaymus said:

Heart health is the primary reason, but I've been meaning to add more vegetables and whatnot into my diet anyway. I'm more carnivorous than anything.

IMO the guys above are spot on. Cucumber, spinach, carrot, and a whole apple in a smoothie (maybe a touch of cinnamon) are a great way to infuse more vegetables. 

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Just now, JoshstraDaymus said:

I actually did this and I love it

As @Daniel said, be careful which fruits you use to balance out the veggies in a smoothie. While bananas are delicious, their fruit sugar is VERY high. 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthiest-juice?scrlybrkr=d66e57a9

Acai berry is a good one to try as well as oranges.

Check out some of the sugar contents IMO.

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