Vegan/Vegetarian diet - is it $$$?

[kawasakirider]

Hey guys, I just wanted to ask some questions regarding vegan/vegetarian diets (I don't know the difference between vegan and vegetarian, but I'm pretty sure vegan doesn't use ANY animal products, so no milk, eggs, cheeses, fish etc, if that's the case I'm not even going to consider it)....

First up, I LOVE meat (the stuff you get from the butchers to all you sickos out there). I really can't stand the idea of not having chicken or red meat with a meal, unless I'm eating seafood. However, I have high cholesterol and I want to change it. Trying to eat right isn't working for me because I'm eating crap that won't help bring my levels down.

I'm not sure if my high cholesterol is hereditary or not, but I'm not overweight at all and I'm pretty healthy. Since moving out however I've been stuck into maccas, kfc, nandos and everything else in between on a regular basis. I'm hoping that this is the reason for my levels increasing, as I had semi regular blood tests for various things when I was living at home and never had a high cholesterol reading.

I want to do something drastic to bring it down in a short period of time (8-12 weeks I'd like to see a drastic decrease) and then continue a SEMI vegan or vego diet with a few meat meals during the week.

I want to know a few things before I commit to this, though...

For people who have been meat eaters, has making this change made you lethargic? I can't imagine how tired I'd be if I was surviving on lettuce all day...

Can a diet like this get someone enough protein and daily intake needs to GROW if they train at the gym? I have a small frame and will never be a monster, but eating like a sparrow isn't going to help me

How expensive is the diet as opposed to a regular diet with meats?

Can you really feel full?

Any ideas for meal plans?

Do you HONESTLY feel healthier within yourself? I'm a bit of a skeptic and may put this down to a placebo style mind over matter thing, but I'm still interested.

Thanks for any replies, I appreciate it!

 

[grizz]

I would suggest not eating any meat from your fridge, any wonder your off your tucka and want to eat tofu!

 

[kawasakirider]

Go to bed!

 

[waruikazi]

The only vegans i have ever known were using it as a cover for their eating disorders and were well skinny.

BUT, if you go for a vegan or vego diet i recon you'll find yourself spending alot less money than you are on fast food. Young people don't realise how much all that takeaway food really costs compared to making your own lunches, dinners and snacks.

If you do it you could try a protein shake (a non-bulking and non-kreatine type), they will help you feel full and give you the missing energy. Just check the nutritional info on them because some do have rather high levels of cholesterol.

 

[maddog-1979]

as far as gym training goes and being a vego/commy/pinko, a couple of ufc fighters recently became vego, and i reckon they train a bit. Frank Mir is one, maybe google him and see what kind of diet he's on to keep training without meat

 

[slim6y]

Hey KR....

Can I make any other suggestions that may not result in becoming a vegan....

I had 'moderate' cholesterol - was diet related (not hereditary) - so I changed my diet.

Not drastically... In fact, I didn't change what I ate... I changed how I cooked it.

Two words for you.. George Foreman!!! (herein known as GF - not to be confused with Girlfriend)

I've actually put it away and haven't used it for a while, and I notice the difference.

Seriously - it must cut back fat intake and cholesterol by a fair amount - because my cholesterol dropped 2 points when I was using the GF semi regularly.

For example (now all your Italians - I pronounced that I talians btw to annoy you - don't get het up with this idea) - for a bolognaise usually I'd fry the beef mince in oil, add my onion etc etc... Now... that was yummy...

But I discovered, I cooked the mince on the GF first, then heated the sauce (no added oil) with onion and herbs and what have you in it - then added the cooked (from the GF) mince to the sauce.

I admit - it wasn't as perfect as the heavily oiled meat... But.. my cholesterol thanked me...

Chicken legs... Yumbo!!! But I discovered something even nicer to do with chicken legs that makes them healthy too... Cook them in a smoker (without the smoke unless you like that) with lemon and water in the bottom. Honestly, you've not tasted better (low fat) chicken ever!

It's the best idea to get rid of the fattiest fats first to help lower the cholesterol too... But don't cut it out!!! I think that's more dangerous than anything.

Oh, and one more thing... if you're a vegan... You can't drink beer or wine (especially your Stella),... Oh, you're going to argue that... go on... (jokes)... What animals were harmed in the making of Stella?

Well, not just your roaches... but... Fish!!!

Yep! Fish!!!

Fish guts (swim bladder in particular I believe) is used to filter the beer!!! Innisglass (I think it's called)... That is what stops vegans from drinking beers and wines!!! Unless they brew it themselves!

 

[Chadeash]

I have recently stopped eating meat for the past few months. And I feel like i have way more energy. meat takes much longer to digest in your system, the thought of eating a big steak now makes me cringe! I also do a vegan diet for a week every now and then just to detox. a vegan diet is quite hard to stick to, but you do feel really good when your on it,as the food is so clean!
vegan is no animal products at all, so loads of fruit and veg. if you drink coffee use soy milk or rice milk. you would be surprised at what meals you can create though. vege burgers, vegetarian tacos, PIZZA, stir frys, curry... the list goes on. just search for vegetarian/ vgegan recipes on google.
if your worried about not getting enough protein you can eat nuts, lentils, chick peas,
I would also suggest starting out on a Pescatarian diet, which is basically a vegetarian who eats fish. they have said people on this diet live the longest and are the healthiest.

 

[KaotikJezta]

I was a vegetarian for 13 years and never suffered any health problems and I was probably bigger than I am now. You can make it interesting if you know how to cook. Couldn't do the vegan thing, love my cheese to much. The main thing to worry about with a vegetarian/vegan diet is balancing protein. You can't just chuck in some lentils. You have to have 2 vegetable proteins per meal eg: beans and rice. That is the reason a lot of vegetarians/vegans are unhealthy, they just eat meals with no meat and don't think about balancing them so they get everything they need. If you are going to do it get yourself a good book that explains how to cook for yourself properly. I will warn you though, it is hard work. A lot more time consuming than eating meat. Also, don't eat those rubbish soy meat replacement things, they are less healthy than meat.

 

[waruikazi]

I have recently stopped eating meat for the past few months. And I feel like i have way more energy. meat takes much longer to digest in your system, the thought of eating a big steak now makes me cringe! I also do a vegan diet for a week every now and then just to detox. a vegan diet is quite hard to stick to, but you do feel really good when your on it,as the food is so clean!
vegan is no animal products at all, so loads of fruit and veg. if you drink coffee use soy milk or rice milk. you would be surprised at what meals you can create though. vege burgers, vegetarian tacos, PIZZA, stir frys, curry... the list goes on. just search for vegetarian/ vgegan recipes on google.
if your worried about not getting enough protein you can eat nuts, lentils, chick peas,
I would also suggest starting out on a Pescatarian diet, which is basically a vegetarian who eats fish. they have said people on this diet live the longest and are the healthiest.

Food is so clean? Pppppffffffft!

None of your organic plant produce is as fresh or as clean as the animal i caught, hunted or raised and slaughtered to fill my belly!

 

[Boidae]

There are so many nutrients in meat that you cannot get from vegetables.
Take for example iron, there are two types, haem and non-haem, both are essential
Non-haem is found in vegetables, and haem is only found in animal products eg. red meat.

Taken from CSU's iron information page.. (below)

"If iron is lacking in the diet, iron reserves in the body are used. Once this supply is depleted the formation of hemoglobin is affected. This means the red blood cells cannot carry oxygen needed by the cells. When this happens, iron deficiency occurs and anemia results."

Might I add, iron is of utmost importance for people who work out..
You could supplement the haem iron you need in the form of tablets, but you (financially wise)
and your body (nutrient wise) would both be much better off eating good quality red meat.

I will say this, veganism and vegetarianism are actually unhealthy, you may be saving a cow here and there,
but your body will be void of so many nutrients it's not funny... Eating high quality, organic meat is essential for your wellbeing.
I am not saying dont eat vegetables, make no mistake, vegetables are just as important as the meat
Variety is the spice of life my friend, eat a varied amount if both, and you will be shining with health..

Dont even get me started on vegans...

I might add as well, for protein, meat is not necessarily best.
Spirulina is the single highest protein content food in the world, you can buy in a powder
which you can then mix with water and drink after your workout sessions.

It will out do any protein shake on the market. Personally I would stay away fron them full stop.
Some are pretty dodgy...

How to make your own supplement company - YouTube

I would definately recommend watching that movie (Bigger Stronger Faster) it's great, but a bit confronting at times..
Thats all I can think of to talk about now, but yeah..

 

[Jazzz]

Im a vegetarian and am vegan 2 days a week and im perfectly healthy =] i get blood tests every 3 months and they are always fine

have a look at this link

Who Cares: Billy Simmonds, Mr Natural Universe | Animals Australia Unleashed

you could try just going veggo for 2 or 3 days a week like how im doing it for vegan?

waruikazi i actually agree with you =] its the factory farming thats a problem and people separating what theyre eating from the actual animal, but lets not get into the argument.

its also about portion control, your only supposed to eat one fist sized portion of mean A DAY! yes not with every single meal! so try just cutting back on the amount of meat you eat, you dont have to cut it out completely.

 

[kawasakirider]

I'm not so sure about this anymore, lol. I'll just try to eat healthier than I do now. I'd probably cheat anyway, there's no way I could live without eating meat!

Slim, I'll look into the GF. I only use olive oil and I don't deep fry ANYTHING that I cook, I thought olive oil was good for you? I've been given a smoker recently, I'll look into using it! Btw is all beer filtered by fish guts? I drink a variety of it, lol.

I'm pretty sure since my levels have spiked in the last 12 months that there has to be some correlation between moving out and having high(er) cholesterol. The dr that gave me the results said it's nothing to worry about now because I'm young, but I should try to get on top of it. I don't know exactly what my levels are, I'd have to find the print out and have a gander.

Chadeash, cheers but I could never imagine myself cringing at the thought of eating a big steak. I cringe at the thought of not eating meat!

Gordo, I agree. I know it does add up and there's no value, nutritional or otherwise, in inhaling copious amounts of fast food :/ it's the convenience of it and the fact that I'm not fat that I've been eating it more than I would at home. The taste isn't that flash, give me a healthy sanga with some meat on it over a maccas hamburger any day.

Maddog, the 5 minute rounds in the UFC are crazy, I'm surprised they don't stop and have a nibble on some scotch fillet halfway through! The amount of supps he'd be on would be insane!

Im a vegetarian and am vegan 2 days a week and im perfectly healthy =] i get blood tests every 3 months and they are always fine

have a look at this link

Who Cares: Billy Simmonds, Mr Natural Universe | Animals Australia Unleashed

you could try just going veggo for 2 or 3 days a week like how im doing it for vegan?

waruikazi i actually agree with you =] its the factory farming thats a problem and people separating what theyre eating from the actual animal, but lets not get into the argument.

its also about portion control, your only supposed to eat one fist sized portion of mean A DAY! yes not with every single meal! so try just cutting back on the amount of meat you eat, you dont have to cut it out completely.

Portion size is a big deal for me, I'm never satisfied unless I've eaten a huge amount. I was actually thinking of trying to eat like vegetarian a couple of times a week. I'll start there and give that a go!

Anyone know of foods that are proven to lower cholesterol? I'm aware of oats and I use that flora proactive crap. I've heard that garlic is good, I eat a fair bit of that, too.

 

[DazTopEndPythons]

take apple cider vinegar ,teaspoon every day , will reduce your cholestrol in no time , lot of the top mma fighters swear by it

take apple cider vinegar ,teaspoon every day , will reduce your cholestrol in no time , lot of the top mma fighters swear by it
dont go vege , thats not food thats what food eats

 

[Aussie-Pride]

take apple cider vinegar ,teaspoon every day , will reduce your cholestrol in no time , lot of the top mma fighters swear by it

take apple cider vinegar ,teaspoon every day , will reduce your cholestrol in no time , lot of the top mma fighters swear by it
dont go vege , thats not food thats what food eats

lol what food does food eat then??

 

[DazTopEndPythons]

vege"s lol

 

[Aussie-Pride]

vege"s lol

So does the steak eat the carrot or does the chicken snitty eat watermelons? lol

 

[thomasssss]

dont go vege , thats not food thats what food eats

Haha gold that just made my day

 

[kawasakirider]

take apple cider vinegar ,teaspoon every day , will reduce your cholestrol in no time , lot of the top mma fighters swear by it

I'll give it a go! I'm reading about it now, nothing has been proven regarding cholesterol, but it has been proven to lower glucose levels between 4-6% in the morning if taken at night.

It makes me wonder if eating certain things then having a blood test can have a huge effect on the readings. I ate a cheese pizza from dominos the night before I had the test, I did wait out the fasting stage, but who knows if it still could have effected me?

So does the steak eat the carrot or does the chicken snitty eat watermelons? lol

He's saying that greens are what food animals eat...

 

[Aussie-Pride]

Hahaha i know what he meant, i was just being a smart *** because of the way he said it "Don't go vege, that's not food that's what food eats"

 

[Crystal..Discus]

Could I make a suggestion instead of going vegan/vegetarian?

Look for cholesterol lowering foods and try to stay away from things that do. Steel cut oats (anything high fibre), (as mentioned above) Apple Cider Vinegar, fish, nuts, and switching out things like margarine/butter for avocado spread. Steam/Grill your food instead of frying it, and reduce your cheese intake.

Also, no delicious pie.