Is anyone on here vegan?

[Anonymous]

I am about a month into a mostly-vegan diet. I am feeling really good about the "lifestyle change" in many respects, but I have noticed that I really seem to run out of energy around 3 pm. I just started a new work schedule, so it's possible that the schedule is what is tiring me out. I have tried having snacks at different times during the day to even out a possible blood sugar crash, but keep seeing the same pattern. Is this something other vegans have dealt with? Any ideas to fix it?

[Anonymous]

Not a vegan, but are you getting enough iron?

Maybe add more dark, leafy greens, dried fruit, iron-enriched cereals and grains, legumes

[Anonymous]

Vegan here. This doesn't happen to me other than my regular 3pm slump (it's just a tired time of the day for me) - but this happened before I was vegan too.

Can you talk a little about your diet? Are you taking a supplement?

[Anonymous]

I am not taking supplements. Breakfast every day is oatmeal with brown sugar and a handful of chopped walnuts, with almond or cashew milk.

The rest of the day varies, but here are some typical items:
Snacks:
Toast with PB
Berries
Larabars
Hummus and carrots
popcorn
homemade kale chips

Lunch/Dinner:
salads (usually with sesame seeds, olive, and "bacon bits"
Sandwiches with avocados and sprouts or tomatoes
PBJ with different nut butters
pasta and tomato sauce
rice or beans with veggies and some kind f sauce
guacomole and dip
bean salad or casserole

I have always had iron issues, so that may be it. Currently taking a standard one-a-day, but it's a chewable (I tend to get really nauseous after taking vitamins and supplements, but chewables seem to work better). Is there a supplement that you recommend? There are so many brands that it's hard to know what is trash and what has actual value.

[Anonymous]

I would add more beans into your diet on a very regular basis. We make a big batch of beans each week. This week isa big batch of lentils. Last week was black beans, the week before chick peas. We also keep frozen and fresh dark greens around.

And I don't see tofu on your list. You need to get your tofu on - it's great protein and iron. And tempeh.

Anyway, eat your iron foods with a bit of vitamin C (in a pinch I have an Emergen-C with dinner). Mix in some canned tomatoes with the beans, or add salsa, or eat a sliced orange with your meal.

Also, incorporate seeds and dried fruits into a daily snack. I mix up a snack mix of seeds/nuts, coconut, raisins, dried apricots, and vegan chocolate chips.

Finally, I just don't see a ton of protein on there for energy concerns. If you're anemic or having problems with energy, get more protein. Bake some banana nut raisin muffins with protein powder. Drink some chocolate soy milk. Make a smoothie with tofu in it. But get more protein in at each meal until your energy rises.

Are you eating enough generally?

[Anonymous]

A 3pm slump isn't normal, even though it's common. There's a big can of metabolic and hormonal whoopass coming your way.

Why are you vegan? If for health reasons, reconsider. It's not healthy. You're better off eating lots of veggies combined with fish, eggs and grassfed meats.

If it's because it's something a lot of people are doing these days and seems kind of hip, reconsider.

If for ethical reasons, here are some suggestions for reducing the impact on your health:

http://www.rawfoodsos.com/for-vegans/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A 3pm slump isn't normal, even though it's common. There's a big can of metabolic and hormonal whoopass coming your way.

Why are you vegan? If for health reasons, reconsider. It's not healthy. You're better off eating lots of veggies combined with fish, eggs and grassfed meats./

Oh, please. That is absolutely untrue. It is completely possible to be healthy with a vegan diet. It's amazing how difficult it is for people to accept that meat is not needed to be healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 3pm slump isn't normal, even though it's common. There's a big can of metabolic and hormonal whoopass coming your way.

Why are you vegan? If for health reasons, reconsider. It's not healthy. You're better off eating lots of veggies combined with fish, eggs and grassfed meats./

Oh, please. That is absolutely untrue. It is completely possible to be healthy with a vegan diet. It's amazing how difficult it is for people to accept that meat is not needed to be healthy.

+ 1. Eating animal protein is unhealthy.

[Anonymous]

I am switching to veganism for a few reasons, health concerns among them. Thanks for the advice, PPs! Do you have any bean or tofu recipes you recommend? I am eating enough. I typically have three meals and two snacks per day, I am just boring, so I often eat the same thing a few nights in a row, hence the short list.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, when I first started eating vegan (about 4 years ago), I constantly used the cookbook "Vegan with a Vengeance". Most of the recipes are not "quick meals", but they make enough to last several meals. It gave me an idea of spice combinations and other things that just seem to go well together, now I branch out on my own more.

This is another favorite recipe: http://www.veganchef.com/jazzman.htm

For that recipe I use 2 8-oz packages of the "bacon" tempeh, and throw in some zucchini at the end. Even my meat-loving husband is a fan!

Re: the blood sugar crash- are you eating white processed foods? That would do it for me. I try to have a protein (tempeh, tofu, seitan, beans, etc) and healthy greens for lunch. Sometimes a spoonful of almond butter (which I keep in the fridge at work) if I'm hungry later in the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

I'll chime in and say up the protein and iron. Tofu, green leafies, and legumes are your friends.

[Anonymous]

I would add a B12 supplement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
+ 1. Eating animal protein is unhealthy.

Really? Is that why virtually every culture (save self-righteous urban American hipsters) in the world since the beginning of time eats some sort of animal protein?

So, all human beings around the world have all been doing it wrong for millions of years, until about 50 years ago, when somebody figured out we were supposed to be vegan?

Gimme a break. Veganism is a trend and a stupid one.

Anyone who is a vegan has no clue, and I mean NO CLUE, how food is really produced. If you hate the idea of eating meat, get over yourself and eat responsibly raised chicken eggs. You'll get the protein and iron you need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Really? Is that why virtually every culture (save self-righteous urban American hipsters) in the world since the beginning of time eats some sort of animal protein?

So, all human beings around the world have all been doing it wrong for millions of years, until about 50 years ago, when somebody figured out we were supposed to be vegan?

Gimme a break. Veganism is a trend and a stupid one.

Anyone who is a vegan has no clue, and I mean NO CLUE, how food is really produced. If you hate the idea of eating meat, get over yourself and eat responsibly raised chicken eggs. You'll get the protein and iron you need.

Okay first off, we are one of the only cultures today to live primarily off animal protein. Asian cultures do eat some animal proteins, in the form (primarily) of fish, which has a far different makeup than beef/poultry. They also eat fish maybe once a day. That's it. They don't have dairy 3-4 times a day, then a serving of pork, beef, and poultry. Our diets are too heavily animal protein based.

Course there are the many medical studies showing how a vegan diet can reverse heart disease (http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2008/06/yes-you-can-prevent-reverse-heart-disease---but-are-you-up-for-the-challenge-let-dr-esselstyn-convince-you.html).

Vegan is called a "fad" because it goes against the traditional American diet. We, as humans, have incredible difficulty digesting dairy products. Dairy makes our blood acidic. Having an acidic blood supply would eventually kill us, so our body must neutralize the acid immediately. It uses phosphate from the bones to do this. What's the problem, you ask? That phosphate is chemically bound to the calcium that makes up our bones. When the phosphate is pulled out, so is the calcium. The phosphate is used to neutralize the bloodstream, and the calcium is excreted. Why is it that so many American's have osteoporosis when we consume so much dairy? Correlation?

The reality is that by eating meat, we are filtering our food through the animals body. The animals consume vitamins and minerals from plants, and when we eat their meat, we get a small fraction of those nutrients, plus a whole lot of cholesterol and fat that we definitely don't need. If you want a healthy diet, you need to go to these plant sources directly, and cut out the "middle man".

You might want to do some actual research before you start speaking out of your a$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would add a B12 supplement

This. Or even just a B-100 complex.