What are /r/PlantBasedDiet's favorite Products & Services?

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Huge congrats! One book I STRONGLY recommend that you read in your next steps down this plant-based journey is "How Not to Die" by Michael Greger. It really digs into the science behind the benefits of plant based diets and makes some great recommendations.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically/dp/1250066115

"In defense of food" and "Game Changers" started me down the path, but this book solidified in my mind that plant-based is truly the way to go. It will change your life, I guarantee it.

I am Indian and have never added coconut milk to chickpea curry. I can imagine that it would taste good with it.

• Dry saute cumin until a little brown, add chopped onion (1 big or 2 small)/ginger (grated 1 tablespoon)/garlic(1-2 tablespoon or per taste)/green chili (1-2 tablespoon or per taste or potency), and saute until brown (add little salt, cover, cook, open in end to brown).
• Add chopped tomatoes (plenty) and saute until cooked.
• Add red chili (1 teaspoon more or less per taste and chili potency), coriander (2 teaspoon), turmeric (1 teaspoon), and a little black pepper powder (or garam masala powder 1/2 or less teaspoon per taste or potency).
• Saute for a minute or two.
• In this whole process, you can add a couple of tablespoon of water at any stage when food starts to get too hot and sticking to the pot.
• Then add 2-4 cups overnight soaked pressure cooked or canned chickpea (or bean/lentil of your choice) with water per the consistency you want.
• Squish some chickpeas (10-15 times or more) on the side of the pot using your cooking spoon to make the gravy thick.
• Boil.
• Add cilantro and lemon juice before switching off the stove. Alternately can also add chopped spinach at this stage just to add some greens. Boil a little or let wilt in the residual heat.
• Serve on top of rice OR with naan/roti/bread etc. OR eat as a soup.
• You can add 2-4 teaspoon channa masala (buy at the Indian store MDH brand is the best per me Amazon link for reference) in the end too for smell and flavor.

Adjust any spice or other ingredients per your taste.

Let me know if you have questions. :)

Here are my go-to depression meals:

Apple and peanut butter. Add a glass of your favorite milk for some extra calories (personal favorite for this is unsweetened vanilla almond milk).

Avocado toast. Toast, avocado, salt, pepper. Delicious.

Oatmeal. You already know, but here's what I have on hand that I can just throw in: nutritional yeast, ground flax, frozen berries, brown sugar, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, sunflower seeds.

DIY trail mix or get some pre-mixed. I'm picky, so I make my own. Generally a mix of protein (pepitas, nuts, or dry soy beans), dried fruit (cranberries, mango, apple, or dates), and some chocolate (dark chocolate, chocolate covered espresso beans, whatever else I can find). Sometimes I add in a wild card like wasabi peas or plantain chips. Do a cup of that and a piece of fresh fruit and you've got a fairly decent depression meal.

When all else fails, I keep a couple different instant options. I keep these on hand for after workout protein and camping / overwhelming work schedule food, but they also work for "I just can't bring myself to do anything more than add water" food.

I've been there a lot and I'm sorry to hear you're going through it. I hope these give you some ideas!

If you are prediabetic, I would recommend Neal Barnard's book on reversing diabetes. It should cover any concerns you might have on switching to a "high carb" diet:

https://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1635651271/

Other great books are Dr. McDougall's The Starch Solution, Dr. Greger's How Not to Die and Rip Esselstyn's Seven Day Rescue.

The biggest change will probably that you no longer focus on macros, but instead concentrate on eating whole plant foods as much as possible. You macros will typically come out as 70 percent carbs, 10-15 precent and 10 to 15 percent protein, if you follow the recommendations in the books above.

All of the books I mentioned contain recipes, tips and so on.

Make your own! It's super healthy and cheap, much cheaper than buying it premade. I'm actually making some right now!

Ingredients:

• Dried Chickpeas (maybe theres cheaper options). Boil ~1 lb for ~5 minutes, then simmer for an hour. They will double in weight and volume after absorbing water
• Add beans and Sesame Seeds (Tahini if you don't have a good blender) to a blender.
• Add some lime/lemon and a mixture of turmeric, cumin, garlic, salt, cayenne, Italian, etc spices
• Add other veges like carrots, tomatoes, red pepper, etc. But not a lot, otherwise will overwhelm taste.
• Blend and serve!

Edit: and water so your blender doesn't overheat!

Eat with veges or as a meal topping

RECIPE

1. go to store
2. buy the stuff
3. go home
4. rinse everything
5. chop the ever living fuck out of them
6. throw in a container
7. drizzle on sauce/dressing of choice
8. close container
9. shake the ever-living fuck out of the container
10. open container and eat

MACROS

NOTES

• the pictured container is a gallon rubbermaid container. this salad is fucking massive.
• I covered mine in 300g of Pepita Salsa, but it wasn't great. My go-to salad dressing is balasmic vinegar + bbq sauce.

Don't even need one! Original Salbree Microwave Popcorn Popper, Silicone Popcorn Maker, Collapsible Bowl BPA Free - 18 Colors Available (Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G7SGOL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jrG2Db4CB827E

I have seen people use Bragg's liquid aminos which comes in a spray bottle.

Here is the link.

Or you can get your own spray bottle and fill bulk liquid aminos in it, or soy sauce or balsamic vinegar or any flavorful liquid.

It's a hard battle but you can try by saying you care and hence you gave this book to them Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs

I would not go low carb. Our bodies are made to function on carbs.

When I think of a carb heavy meal, I think of chewy farrow or fluffy quinoa as the base of a Buddha bowl with sweet potato, avocado, some sort of beans, cabbage, peppers, sprouts, and a dressing made of tahini, dates, and lemon.

WFPB diet already excludes animal products, oil, and anything processed. You’re left with legumes, grains, and veggies for the most part. I personally lost a ton of weight way less painlessly than low-carb, and felt better overall. Eating carbs is expected and healthy for humans.

I would recommend reading The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall.

Marion Nestle talks about this. She thinks people eat too much partly because there's a surplus of calories from American agriculture, and the food companies competed hard to get people to eat more, and they succeeded in doing this by making lots of foods that are s'more-ish.

And the book The End of Overeating by Dr. David Kessler has a lot about how food companies get people to eat a lot and become fat.

Neither of them blame a single macronutrient. Dr. Kessler blames fat, sugar and salt, as well as a lot of sophisticated food technology.

I easily use that much garlic in a week. It goes in everything.

Get yourself a garlic press homie. No more peeling or chopping that shit.

https://www.amazon.com/ORBLUE-Garlic-Stainless-Mincer-Crusher/dp/B00HHLNRVE/

Just curious if you are going gluten free on purpose or if that was just how it happened to be? Wheat berries are great for cold salads or eaten hot, and are high in B vitamins. They also have a nice texture. You can also grind them in a mill to make flour to use for pasta or bread. It's still a whole food if you grind it, as long as you use the whole thing.

Edit: You may also want to consider the quality of your food with more than just "calories". Calories are like, cool and all, but they don't really tell you that much. More important, imo are things like total calcium and iron content, macro levels if there is a specific amino acid you are trying to get a lot or a little of, vitamin E, and Omega 3. Try using cronometer.com to track those if you are interested. It's a cool program and you can create and store recipes with serving sizes for later use.

Correct! Poultry seasoning is a mix of spices (normally used to season poultry). It typically includes thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and a few other herbs. Here's an example.

I use these every summer. RESCUE! Non-Toxic Reusable Fruit Fly Trap, 2 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMOTZQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_v2P-Bb1TYYKTG

They are reusable so you have to be okay with dumping out fruit flies, but it typically becomes less and less every week. I just fill them with some apple cider vinegar with a bit of honey and water.

To add to this, if you're losing weight and not eating enough but you still don't have an appetite, make sure you're still enjoying your food. When I help friends and family eat healthier, they don't tend to spice and season their foods because they've never had to (all the processed store bought stuff is already seasoned from the box). This makes food taste very bland and boring, thus you don't really enjoy it and won't want to eat it. It's very hard to eat boring food day in and day out.

I'd suggest getting a good cookbook (or a few) that you can follow recipes out of to get used to seasoning and how much to use and flavor pairings.

The two we use the most that are filled with healthy plant based recipes are:

How Not To Die Cookbook and The PlantPure Kitchen

Sauces, does salsa count?

Two months ago I stumbled into /r/SalsaSnobs and it was so fun and tasty that I've made it a weekly cooking adventure! Tonight I finished off an entire mason jar of homemade pineapple pear salsa, no salt no sugar just veggies and fruit and deliciousness! I've done different varieties, mango habanero is probably the best overall and most popular with the people I've shared with, but peach pear was pretty fucking great as well!

In my experimenting I also started taking unsalted roasted peanuts and cooking with garlic and chili de arbol, then blending up with white vinegar to make a thick pouring, idek, mole? Something. It's got fucking bite!

I also make guacamole at least once a week or so, just pico from tomatoes onions and jalapenos chopped up, avocado blended smooth with the juice from one lime and cumin garlic powder and paprika, then the pico folded into the blended avocado.

Hummus is great and filling as all fuck, but I try not to make it too often - less than once a month, it's a special treat. I use tahini made from just straight sesame seeds and canned chickpeas, with cumin and garlic and lemon juice, but it's so full of (healthy) fats and I'll end up eating everything I make, so have to limit myself!

If you are eating whole-foods, plant-based you will be getting protein from many sources. Not just grains. You could use the free website CRON-O-Meter to track your food for a few days to see the protein profile.

Even if beans and lentils seem 'too heavy' for you I would think you could still eat smaller quantities with other food. Try eating one spoon of beans with your dinner and see how that works for you. I usually eat a salad mid-day during the week and throw one or two spoons of beans on top instead of a salad dressing, for example.

• If you are eating a varied diet of whole plant foods, you will be getting all the omega-3 you need, with NONE of the contamination risks of heavy metals, PCBs, PCNs, flame retardants, or other lovely things like ciguatera...
• You may "feel good" after eating fish because you get a load of saturated fat and some protein which will make you feel full and have energy. But in terms of overall nutrition over weeks and days, you're getting a far better nutrient load from plant foods, without that saturated fat dump into your system.
• "Eating smaller fish" may expose you to slightly less of the nasties than large fish because their bodies have less time to bioaccumulate. But the risk still remains. What people struggle to conceptualize is that, for instance, PCBs, have a half-life of several years in the body, which means even if you reduce your exposure, this stuff hangs around... and we're only now learning some of the effects
• ...and those effects seem now to include increased diabetes risk

I made a list & summary a while back of studies that completely turned me off fish: https://airtable.com/shr2XHTk7oL5qBnPU

I used a Tribest Slowstar juicer with the mincing attachment.

It's a fantastic juicer and I didn't think I'd get much use out of the mincer until I saw this video.

I also like to sprinkle this chia flax stuff on it sometime. It comes in vanilla maple flavor and cocoa coconut flavor. Amazon link posted so you can easily see the ingredients. Also Amazon overcharges, it's $6.99 at my local WFM.

EDIT: Oh! And after 5-10 minutes at room temp the banana ice cream started liquefying like traditional ice cream does. That stuff is my favorite :)

He obviously has a vegan bias but I think if you are a vegan (or want to become vegan) then his 'daily dozen' is a great guide to follow to help maximize your health and your chances of thriving. He even has a nifty app to help you track your success each day. As another user said below, I'm also glad that he makes a strong distinction between being a 'junk food vegan' and a whole foods vegan, since many vegan junk foods are pretty terrible for your health.

It really depends on who you ask. Some say you should limit to 500-1000mg sodium daily. I've heard studies showing that less than 3000mg daily causes side effects and/or increases risk of heart damage, and that 3000-6000mg daily is ideal (sound high doesn't it?).

I don't have a specific source, but from the many opinions I've heard it seems like 2500-5000mg daily is ideal. The bigger issue is the sodium to potassium balance. Most people are on the high end of sodium intake while also being seriously deficient in potassium, which may be where the real harm is. Make sure you're getting tons of potassium, and you likely don't need to worry (much) about sodium.

Best potassium sources include Potatoes, and Sweet Potatoes, with Bananas and (most) Legumes as a close runner up. You can use a site like cronometer.com to compare foods if you like.

I picked mine up off Amazon! They were about $25 Canadian for 15 bags or varying sizes. They can be washed in the washing machine. Here is the a link to the ones I got!

Lots of trial and error, honestly.

I'd say if you're already intuitively eating, stick with that. Maybe track nutrients and make sure you're getting enough calories using a free website like cronometer, but I wouldn't recommend it every day, maybe just once a week or for a bit while you're getting used to this way of eating.

I'd buy what looks like a few days worth of food (ballpark), and then see how many days it takes you to go through it, and if anything goes bad.

Tender salad greens (the more wiggly if you hold it by a corner and shake it - that's what I mean by tender) tend to last only a few days, whereas veggies like kale, collared greens, and cauliflower can last more than a week in the fridge. You can keep a single cabbage and just cut pieces off of it when you want to add some color to a dish for 1 month + without it going bad!

There are a lot of resources on YouTube for "food storage tips" "how to make your food last longer in the fridge" and other keywords like that. I'd recommend spending some time just clicking on some random videos like that. They really helped me a lot when I started adding a lot more veggies to my diet.

You're totally welcome to PM me if you want, too. I feel like I'm kind of a master at keeping veggies fresh, haha.

I have read that anywhere between 1 and 3 times per day is healthy, but there are a lot of other considerations. Lifestyle changes and illness can change the frequency of bowel movements. The consistency of the stool is very important in deciding if the frequency is a cause for concern.

Mayo Clinic says that there isn't a concensus.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/frequent-bowel-movements/basics/definition/sym-20050720

I generally trust the Mayo Clinic for medical advice.

Congratulations! Check out this program https://cronometer.com/ It will help you keep track that you are getting all the vitamins you are consuming and calories.

I started eating plant based when I was told I was in heart failure, like you said true kick in the groin... I have lost 20 pounds so far, BP is now normal and will get blood work done next month :)

You are doing great!

Amazon has organic gummy multivitamins that are vegan for kids here https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Brand-Organic-Multivitamin-Gummies/dp/B07C2BHFCN/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=gummy+vitamins+kids+organic&qid=1555083588&s=gateway&sr=8-8

I buy most everything that's not fresh produce on Amazon. This is what I get and I absolutely love it! NOW is generally my go-to brand for a lot of stuff, supplements and melatonin and valerian root and all sorts of witchy vegan stuff.

I've tried the nooch from Frontier Co-Op that /u/Nalaku linked, in fact it's what I used when I first discovered nooch - went through two 1lb. bags over the course of a month before switching to NOW. Something to bear in mind is that Frontier's nooch is non-fortified, meaning there's no B12 added, so you'll have to get your daily/weekly B12 fix somewhere else. Nothing against Frontier Co-Op, I absolutely love their bulk herbs and teas! If you're already taking a B12 supplement separately you should have no problems.

For entering things into cronometer I’ve found it very helpful to use a simple notes app on my phone to keep track of each item/weight while preparing meals. I can then enter everything into cronometer when I have more time to find the right entry for each item.

I do this with all my food intake for a week or two once or twice a year so I have a few snapshots I can refer to and to make sure my diet is balanced.

I’m a huge fan of this chai mix:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Lotus-Chai-Traditional-Steeping/dp/B0049K99RW

The only ingredients are black tea and spices. They recommend that you cook it on the stove, but my even easier method is to put a scoop or two of the powder into a mug, fill it half full with boiling water, wait a couple minutes, then fill it up with plant milk of choice.

This is what I buy=> .Anthony's Nutritional Yeast Flakes through Amazon.

Sure! I personally think high-carb diets can be beneficial in many situations, but the type of carbs is much more important than the quantity. Nobody gets fat just from eating baked potatoes and chickpeas but many many people get fat drinking soda and eating Skittles. People focus too much on macro ratios and not enough on food quality.

If you have Netflix, I recommend watching Michael Pollans documentary <em>In Defense of Food</em> (based on his book of the same name). It's not as 'pro-vegan' as many people here would perhaps like, but it has a balanced take on the modern food industry and some simple take-away messages for eating healthy.

Cronometer is great! Definitely the most comprehensive tracker.

Another good option is MyFitnessPal. It’s a bit more user friendly than Cronometer (in my opinion), and has a larger database, but it doesn’t track micronutrients, if that’s something you’re concerned about.

Good job on eating such a healthy selection of food! I would offer two bits of advice based on my experiences:

• Give yourself a larger timeframe for evidence of success. You were probably kidding (somewhat) about seeing a heavier weight on your scales this morning, but I used to have the same let-down feelings. My problem was I really did want immediate success, and that was setting me up for disappointment and ultimately quitting prematurely. I think this is why many diets and diet changes don't work -- we get discouraged and give up too soon. Maybe promise yourself that you will stick with this for, say, 6 months no matter what, and don't reevaluate your decision until those 6 months are up.

~~* I really liked Cron-O-Meter for figuring out where I was at nutrition-wise and calorie-wise with my meals, for helping me learn more about the foods I eat, and for keeping me honest. Other people here have mentioned they like it too. It's free, although there's a paid version as well.~~

Edit: I see in reading your responses that you're already using Cron-O-Meter -- good job!

It's generally best to eat a varied diet, but I can relate to the desire to keep it simple, particularly while counting calories. As to how unhealthy it is, it kinda depends on how long you do it, and how incomplete nutritionally that same "thing" is you are eating. If you're just doing it for a week or two you'll probably be fine. If you go for a year and you are missing out on something important in your diet, it's gonna catch up with you. You could use cronometer.com to get an idea of what you might be missing out on, and possibly cover those holes with supplements. Personally I'd add some berries to your plan.

I have a veggie scrub brush that I use. If it's extra dirty admittedly I use soap although I think that's frowned upon for cleaning produce but I still do it 🤷🏼‍♀️

The brush I have looks similar to this: https://smile.amazon.com/MSC-International-31307-Vegetable-Approved/dp/B01MECHLER/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Vegetable+scrub+brush&amp;qid=1634322585&amp;sr=8-8

>I also take the 3-6-7-9 gummies by that brand.

Not to step on toes here but that supplement is likely not useful. It contains very small amounts of omega's and has no EPA/DHA omega-3s. You would be much better served with their omega-3 drops and having a bit of flax, chia, or hemp in your diet.

Well, there's gradual or there's cold turkey... choose your method! When I first started, I eliminated things until my tastes adjusted, then went on to the next thing (meat, cheese, oil, flour). But I've heard that studies show that drastic changes are actually easier to maintain. Now if I slip I just go back immediately.

Cheese was the hardest to eliminate. If I went back and did it over, I would eliminate it first when I had the most willpower.

I would give myself 4-6 weeks for my tastes to adjust. Just be confident that they will. Whole, natural foods do taste good, or else none of us would be here. Do keep in mind that consistent cheating can get you stuck back in the "Pleasure Trap", which btw is a great book.

If you slip, don't berate yourself. Punishing yourself or thinking you've failed doesn't do any good. The next meal is an opportunity to get right back on track.

The book <em>Mastering Diabetes</em> recommends 15% as a maximum percent of your caloric intake. I believe that is the recommendation of Dr. Neal Barnard's <em>Program for Reversing Diabetes</em> as well, or even a bit less (perhaps the 10% range?) though he tends to advise against counting and just sticking to food groups that naturally rarely rise above that (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes). I wouldn't exactly say "eat any food in that range" -- pixie sticks are fat free, you know? -- but in a whole foods context, sure.

I recommend reading the books linked above, though, rather than taking my word for it.

https://www.amazon.ca/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&amp;keywords=heart+health&amp;qid=1605965808&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-2

This book and it’s cook book state they can totally clear any plaque buildup. The Dr’s approach is plant based and shows X-ray proof it works:) good luck

Honestly you can get wheat gluten pretty cheap. It's kind of like the idea of making your own bread. It's technically cheaper to make your own bread, but the amount of time and work that it requires, and the quality of the result, usually means it's just not worth it to make your own. I think wheat gluten is the same way. Amazon has this bag, 4 lbs for $18. This gives you 1370 grams of protein for $18, or 76 grams per dollar. I think you will be hard-pressed to find a better deal than that, even if you are making it on your own at home.

I've sprouted seeds for many years, and I find the all-around best sprouter is this one - Big, very easy to use and clean and has good aeration so you don't get mold or multiplying pathogens, and it will take even the tiniest seeds like alfalfa and broccoli. As for seeds, don't buy enormous quantities, especially at the start. You don't want to keep them for years. Remember it only takes a spoonful or two of seeds to make a quart of sprouts, so a little goes a long way. You can find sampler packs at some health food stores and on Amazon. You can also sprout whole lentils from the store, and other dried peas and beans although they might be a bit trickier, and any whole grain or seed that hasn't had its jacket removed, though some work better as microgreens. Lentils in particular make fantastic sprouts. There are nice mixes made by The Sprout House, Handy Pantry, Todd's Seeds, Sprout People, and similar companies, and you can find sprouting information on their websites. Don't use seeds intended for planting, as they're often chemically treated.

I saw this relevant thing the other day

http://bringyourownlentils.blogspot.com/2014/02/oil-free-ethiopian-plant-strong-niter.html

Also, I bought Mitten Shiro on Amazon a while back. It's basically Ethiopian spiced chick pea flour and you cook it with tomato, onion and oil. I don't use it that way anymore, but I can hardly have a bowl of beans without stirring some of this delicious flour into it.

These are shelf stable af: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Natural-Delights-Medjool-Dates-12-oz/113320764

Bought some last week and the "best by" date is September 2020.

They taste like pure sugar and if you're not eating enough fiber every day, a couple of these each day for 2-3 days will definitely let you know.

Pair these with a nut butter (also shelf stable) and they make a great shelf stable, healthy punch of sugar and calories!

Plain popcorn + noosh?

Apart from that, Trader Joe's might have a couple of relatively healthier options in their chips/popcorn section. Think chickpea snacks, or the roasted edamame stuff I've seen on Amazon.

I bought these green storage containers that are supposed to make fruits and veg last longer - and they do! I can get my lettuce to last over a week. Just plain iceberg lettuce, chopped up. The ends turn a little red/brown but still crispy!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0TBP8Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_.eqBFb5A455S8

Not OP, this is the one I bought and love it.

This is my knife, and it's awesome: https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Classic-Chefs-Knife/dp/B005LRYJUE/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1530736551&amp;sr=1-7&amp;keywords=victorinox+fibrox+chef+knife+10%22

Welcome to WFPB eating and to this sub!

Buying a rice cooker changed everything for me. It's a bit of an investment. But in our home it is soo worth it because we use it literally every day. Primarily we make Brown Jasmine Rice, a wild rice mix, wheat berries, or barley.. but this machine does it all. I linked the one we have, but other brands also have good reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VAG84O2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YV5dFb8JDK2CF

Dr. Garth Davis has a lot of info on protein for various kinds of athletes in his book Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession with Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It .

He says that the science on this subject is inconclusive, but he gives some useful information all the same.

My pleasure :) Cronometer.com is a good tool as well to make sure you are hitting calorie targets and vitamins/minerals. Also Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen app is good for starting out too :)

Plug them both into https://cronometer.com/, and compare. Rye is higher in carbs, and lower in fat and protein. It also varies from oats in its micronutrient composition. For example, rye is lower in iron, but higher in vitamin B3

Two options I'd suggest:

One is just go to your doctor, let them know you're vegan, and ask to be checked to make sure you're not low on anything (specify for iodine if you are particularly worried about that). In my case I was low on vitamin D when I was an omni, so I took a supplement till I went vegan and assumed I was getting enough from all the fortified foods I was getting, but a blood test found that nope, I'm still low no matter what diet I'm on. I just have to take a supplement for the rest of my life or depression starts setting in.

Option two! Less reliable (since it was telling me I was getting more than enough D and didn't account for whatever wrong with me) is to use a diet tracking app. I've been using cronometer ever since I was forced to go gluten free and was worried about malnutrition from that diet. It's free, tracks more nutrients than any other app I've found, and is really easy to use after you work out the kinks (you can include your own recipes and include servings, so any time you cook, you can track things like left overs just by typing in the name you gave your recipe). You can use it daily if you like, but honestly if you just track for a dew days to a week, you'll very quickly get an idea of what nutrients you are chronically low on.

That said, I was way lower on nutrients as an omnivor, to the point that I had to take loads of supplements. Now, so long as I'm eating healthy stuff like veggies and nuts, I generally don't have to worry about anything but D3 and iodine because I don't eat seaweed very often. The other supplements I take are generally once a week at most because I don't eat as many nuts and grains as I should (kinda hard when so many grains are off limits).

Yeah, you can go into what they call "rabbit starvation" if you don't get enough fat in your diet (something "carnivores" sometimes learn about or die from if they eat too much lean meat and not enough fat). I've also heard of other vegan or people on very restrictive low-fat diets ending up with serious health issues.

I'm very lazy about my diet and just use the basic guidelines in cronometer with a few personal adjustments for the B vitamins based on research I found. With the amount of junk food in my diet, it's extremely rare for me not to get enough fat in my diet, but I generally use my weekly overview to assure that I'm getting a healthy amount of everything, rather than worrying too much about the exact day-to-day levels of everything (B12 I try to get every day since it's super important for brain health and flushes out of our bodies super quickly).

If you eat about a serving of chia seeds, flax or other seeds/nuts, you should be able to get a pretty healthy balance of omega 3.

Alright I didn't expect that, as 1200 is seriously low for someone your size and usually most people can eat more like that. Additionally most people are dead wrong when it comes to calorie counting as they measure by guesswork, no offense, probably everybody did this mistake for some time.

Okay so back to topic: You probably are not used to eating so much fiber, which gets you full quite easily. Try to switch out some of the higher fiber components and exchange them for something equal, e.g. white rice instead of brown. Switch out the potato. Yes they are great but the food that makes you feel full (no joke, it has been measured, nothing satiates more than potatoes). You can substitute it with some more beans in your dinner.

Once you get used to higher fiber, you can re-introduce the higher fiber and satiating parts . Also, add some real lunch, maybe a tofu sandwich or something like it, depending on what possibilities you have you could also meal prep a healthy meal and take it with you. Nuts should be eaten, but not as a meal, it is more of a side dish.

In addition, I would propose that you use https://cronometer.com as a measuring tool. It is a lot better in my opinion and shows you all the micronutrients etc. When you use it you should either adjust the macro targets or ignore them generally and just look that you get enough of your amino acids for example. The standard options are a bit of, you usually don't need more than around 15% of both fats and protein in your diet (more is okay, don't get me wrong) and the omega 3 to 6 ratio thing is a bit off, but it is a good start. Also, don't get scared by some of the red bars in the micronutrient area. With normal food, you usually can't do any harm.

Edit: You also seem to run a bit low on leafy greens and veggies in general. In any case, if you got more questions, feel free to PM me.

I think most people here think Cronometer is the best, but there are others like myfitnesspal.

You’d be surprised how wrong you are about the things you eat. Little did I know that I was eating around 40 percent of my calories from fat, and then wondering why I was so hungry.

Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains (and/or wg products ie. bread pasta), legumes (beans lentils etc.), nuts and seeds. Track a few days of eating with cronometer.com to make sure you're fulfilling the RDI for micronutrients and calories and adjust accordingly. Flax/chia/hemp for omega 3. Almonds/sunflower seeds for Vit E. Dark leafy greens, soybeans and soy products (tofu soymilk etc.) for calcium. Seaweed/iodized salt for iodine. Supplement B12.

Bloating could be part of it, but for good measure have you tried estimating your food intake? If you are consuming more than you're burning, it's possible you are gaining weight. especially with adding tahini. It only takes a slight surplus + time.

https://cronometer.com/

> I am being strongly advised by my Dr that I am not getting enough protein.

Could you tell how they worked that out? Is it based on muscle mass and frailty?

It might help if you entered an average day of eating in cronometer: https://cronometer.com then took a screenshot to see if you are getting at least the minimum (your weight in pounds divided by 0.36, )

Thousands of studies and you really don't think even one shows a modest benefti of meat intake for any small measure? I think you are staking out a really tough position. But as you request:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17520-w

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-fish-oil/art-20364810

I suppose you'll have to use study quality as an attack line so be darn sure your critique is a good one.

This! Tracking my food intake through cronometer has shown me that I’m usually getting around 4 times my daily protein requirement of 30g (chronometer uses the 60g recommendation which is based on the 20-30g requirement but has been doubled “just to be safe”). I don’t eat food for protein content, and certainly don’t eat protein powder. I don’t have any issue building muscle or maintaining weight (the biggest factor here is getting enough calories, which I generally find fairly easy). There are many nutrients which are harder to get and deserve more attention.

Coconut oil has contains no essential nutrients. See for yourself: cronometer.com

Fresh coconut meat has some nutrients and fiber, but nothing noteworthy. Besides, it is very calorie dense and like coconut oil, it is extremely high in saturated fats which you should try to keep at a minimum.

After watching a short documentary called “What are we feeding our kids” on BBC I soon discovered the same doctor has done a podcast with his identical twin brother and it focuses on UPF (Ultra Processed Foods) and it’s pretty shocking! (Links below)

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-thorough-examination-with-drs-chris-and-xand/id1574101748?i=1000527035625

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000wgcd/what-are-we-feeding-our-kids

Also, re: pregnancy and kids, please check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/Nourish-Definitive-Plant-Based-Families-Connection/dp/0757323626

and this page: https://veganhealth.org/pregnancy-infants-and-children/#pregnancy

Here's a link if you're interested: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B6TAUE0

You can just barely see the red in the upper right of the clear part of the the bag.

Grab the daily dozen app for your phone. Use it as your guide when your first starting out. Try and check off as many boxes as you can.

Keep in mind the whole food part of WFPB and you can't go wrong. Processing a whole food isn't necessarily bad but ask yourself - has anything good been taken away (fibre?) or anything bad added (oil?).

There are very few prepackaged foods that truely WFPB. Part of learning how to transition is dealing with the loss of easy grab and go foods that you're used to. It can be easy again, but you've got to learn how to make WFPB equivalents that you like and create the time to make them. It's a challenge but worth it in the end. You can do it 🙂! Keep checking around here for great ideas.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.nutritionfacts.dailydozen

I think there's an Apple app as well.

I second that :)

I'm very happy with a small-scale food processor, which can also be converted to a hand held blender. With those two, I can make hummus, dips, energy balls and the like, blend smoothies and soups etc.

Looks something like this (mine included only the blender and the processor).

I feel your pain. I too, dislike the prep work. Realizing that you can buy a lot of things pre-chopped was great. But then I realized, as the chopped onions sat wasting away in the refrigerator, that perhaps I also disliked cooking, lol.

As far as grab and heat, I've only been doing vegan since the 1st of this year, but I've relied on my rice cooker w/ veggie steamer a number of times. Put rice, add water, get mixed veggie bag dump in steamer, crush lid on there, push the button. I usually wish I had chopped some of the veggies 1st, but by then I'm eating. Top with some pre-made sauce (been using a general tso sauce).

Also, fruit is allowed on my list, so I'm confused why I don't have much in the house! More is on my next shopping list.

The crock-pot I bought a long time ago came with a recipe book which included veggie chili. Using the crock-pot allows you to make 4+ big servings at a time, put it in mason jars, and then it's a quick heat away from good eating. It is technically "batch cooking", but a quick prep, turn it on and go to sleep sounds better to me than cooking for a whole day.

Your post also reminded me of an infomercial I saw forever ago of the guy slapping on a thing to chop veggies. So I went and searched for choppers. This one is a little different and I have no idea how well it works, but i'm going to give this one a try (link).

For me, I've decided that this is the way I'm going to eat for the rest of my life. I can, of course, change my mind later, but I've given myself a year to figure out all the things. So I wasn't too hard on myself when I didn't figure out breakfast the 1st week and wound up getting some breakfast tacos. For me, eating vegan is about my health, and it's a journey, not a "gotta do it right or else" thing.

I'm not sure where you are or what you have access to but I usually buy mine in bulk from Costco or on sale when I see it at other places so it's a little cheaper. It is more expensive that regular pasta but it usually has more protein like banza. There's a huge selection on Amazon!

I bought Baron's off Amazon based on a recommendation here. It's thinner, so not much mixing to do (and I'm not left with an inch of unmixed tahini left on the bottom). It's not as bitter, though it's still an overwhelming flavor on its own. I use it in dressings, never plain.

See if you can find a specialty olive oil and vinegar store near you. We buy this Balsamic Fig Vinegar from a specialty store near us. (for half the price that it’s listed on Amazon) This flavor is our favorite for spinach salads, but if you find a store you should be able to sample all kinds of flavors. Good stuff!

YASSS.

What iLoveSev said in the other comment was spot-on.

I take this vitamin B12 since the methyl- form absorbs better. I take it every other day, and that's sufficient for me.

I also take a vegan vitamin D pill that I also get from amazon.

I actually just hopped on amazon and bought the best rated one that was relatively inexpensive, which happened to be this, and it has worked perfectly.

I have this protein powder in chocolate. It's probably not the best tasting out there, but I liked it because the ingredients were super clean and it did not contain any artificial sweeteners. Plus I felt like it was a close to WFPB as possible.

I use somewhere around 1/3-1/2 scoop. I don't measure, I just grab a bit and throw it in. PB2 is an absolute lifesaver! I love that stuff :) It definitely helps for days when I am trying to keep my fat on the lower side.

If you want to get really crazy, you can throw in some unsweetened cacao nibs. I only use a teaspoon and not all the time because they are pricey, but they do taste good. I get the unsweetened because I also like to keep my sugars (including artificial) to a minimum.

EDIT TO ADD: Regarding chia, what I do is take about 1/2 tablespoon in a little mason jar and add water to it, like I was making chia pudding. I usually make it the night before. Shake it up a few times so the seeds begin to gel and then refrigerate. Then in the morning when I am making my oatmeal, I add the "chia pudding" to the oatmeal. Once I add in all the other stuff, you don't even notice the chia seeds. The bonus is that it adds a decent amount of volume, so it feels like a really big bowl of oatmeal.

Last day before the colonoscopy, I lived on maple syrup and honey :)

Cassava flour might be a good idea before the last day. It's ground whole cassava roots.

the chana masala and coconut quinoa are both from the sakara cookbook! Such a great purchase - I love the variety in the recipes. I adapted the chana a bit from a more traditional recipe with the spices.

Sakara Cookbook

It takes a while for your tastebuds to adjust to a plant-based diet. I used to love dairy cheese, but eating wfpb and then becoming vegan changed my desire for it. Wfpb cheese won’t necessarily taste the same as dairy cheese, but in time, it will taste better and more flavorful as your tastebuds change. (-:

A great informative read about why dairy cheese is addictive and dangerous is The Cheese Trap. Reading this was definitely eye opening for me and made it even easier to go dairy-free.

Edit: there’s also r/vegancheesemaking if you’re interested

Other ideas:

• Single serve packs of nut butter
• Boil in a bag rice (assumes you are bringing cooking gear)
• I am not one to advocate processed foods, but given the situation, something like these bars I think would come in very handy
• A couple of pre-made peanut butter sandwiches. Maybe with banana. They might only be good for 1-2 days
• Dates
• Quick cook oats
• Dried fruit

Check out Robert Cheeke https://robertcheeke.net or pick up one of his books. His most recent is Shred It https://www.amazon.com/Shred-Step-Step-Whole-Food-Plant-Based/dp/0984391614/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1537829345&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Robert+Cheeke

Quinoa, amaranth, cassava. I buy Goya brand frozen cassava. Large roots called "malanga coco" that I special-order from a local grocery store 80 pounds at a time, and I peel them, cut them into chunks, vacuum seal and freeze. Sometimes "yautia", which is another root that comes from Latin America. Also yam flour - this is true yam, not sweet potato. For fruits - pears, mangoes, kiwis, watermelon, and various exotic fruits that appear now and then in the store ... Baobab fruit powder, which has a great refreshing taste.

If you aren't allergic to them, there are many other foods you can eat, such as buckwheat groats, millet, sweet potatoes, squash, acorn starch (a Korean food). Acorn starch is bitter so I used to add a sweetener to it.

I had for breakfast this morning quinoa, kiwifruit and water. The quinoa is about 4 cups, plus 3 kiwis + water = a lot in my belly.

Sometimes for breakfast I have yam flour cooked with water and 6 ounces of spinach, with cooked chia seeds on top, plus 2.5 cups drink, plus some fruit. Again, it has a lot of volume and a lot of fiber.

If you have an import grocery/deli nearby, try lupins. The one near me has jarred lupins (like this, only 3 & change instead of 18). I'm hesitant to buy raw/dried lupins, as they're a pain to prepare (they're soaked in brine for 10 days, new brine each day, to draw out bitter alkaloids).

But they're fascinating, nutritionally. The cultivated legume most genetically distant to others (yes, even more distant then peanuts), a higher ratio of protein to starch than other legumes, and even a closer match in amino acid requirements than any other legume, besides soy.

I treat jars of lupins as they're treated in the Mediterranean world, as bar snacks. Drain such a jar (to reduce salt), add garlic (a minced clove or two), herbs de province (a tsp or two), maybe some whole mustard seed and ground black pepper, and refill with water. Agitate to mix, and set out on the kitchen window sill.

By the next day, they're delicious, as some of the salt has leached away, some of the flavors of garlic and herbs adhered or leached in.. Little firm beans, the size of large limas. There's a thick skin one can pinch between fingers or between teeth to squeeze the remainder into one's mouth, but that's optional. One 1 lb/$3+ jar can make for 4-5 satisfying portions.

Nothing wrong with Freelee the Banana Girl's recommendations, instead of spreading misinformation about WFPB diets like raw food diets I would recommend at least educating yourself via resources like 'Raw Food Diets: Myths &amp; Realities - Brenda Davis RD FULL TALK' and 'Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets' etc...

Thank you for sharing your story. I am aware of the health benefits. I have read Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The stories of reversing heart disease are very compelling.

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

> I’m mostly sedentary as I get very out of breath working out and my lower back aches constantly because my weight is putting so much stress on my back and hips.

Also, you could use a bicycle desk. That way, you can get a mild workout while doing other things, like spending time online :) And while you're sitting down!

> I’m mostly sedentary as I get very out of breath working out and my lower back aches constantly because my weight is putting so much stress on my back and hips.

Also, you could use a bicycle desk. That way, you can get a mild workout while doing other things, like spending time online :) And sitting down!

Read or listen to ‘How not to diet’ by Michael Greger. Loads of evidence based and interesting information, he also has a book of recipes.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=how+not+to+diet&amp;crid=1S1O64GU1ZWAQ&amp;sprefix=How+n%2Caps%2C98&amp;ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_5_5

Also check out the book ‘ Skinny Bitch/Bastard’ this book started me on the journey from an ignorant meat eating idiot into an informed plant based advocate, 110 pounds lighter and 10 years on, I’m still plant based with only a few hiccups and the occasional few pounds on and off on the way.

https://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Bitch-No-Nonsense-Tough-Love-Fabulous/dp/0762424931/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VIZYNW6SL9B4&amp;keywords=Skinny+bitch&amp;qid=1670651438&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=skinny+bitch%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C163&amp;sr=1-1

The main things is to educated yourself, read the books listen to the podcasts (Rich Roll/ Plant strong with Rip Esselstyn/ The Proof with Simon Hill) help strengthen your resolve. It took time to put on, it takes time and patience to get to your best self again.

You can do it, small steps

> It may not be expensive to you or Richie Rich Roll, but it sure is expensive to the average person.

Maca and spirulina are both very inexpensive to use, because they have a very strong taste and one doesn't use much at a time.

6 oz of chlorella powder cost $13.99 on Amazon. A serving is 2.5g or 1/2 tsp, which is plenty to flavor a meal. That's 68 servings for $13.99, or 21 cents/serving.

A pound of maca root powder is $16.99 on Amazon. A 1-tsp serving weighs 5g. That's plenty to flavor a dish. There would be 91 servings in the bag, so each serving costs 19 cents.

Very inexpensive. And those food items are tasty like other spices and flavorings, not supplements.

Again, if you know any other "superfood gimmicks", it would be nice to hear about them :)

Penn Jillette wrote a book about his huge weight loss. He started out with a potato monodiet for two weeks, then transitioned to wfpb.

I found it worth reading :)

Coconut oil is the highest in saturated fat available, so substituting with something polyunsaturated, or a whole plant food other than coconut might help.

Coconut milk has 5g saturated fat per cup, so that should be avoided too.

I got some tasty coconut flavor online, you could use that if you like the taste. No fat in it.

I have Penn Jillette's book about losing a lot of weight eating wfpb and found it inspiring and useful.

I have been experimenting with MSG, which gives umami flavor, to see if it will make dishes taste better. So far, nothing that was definitely better than the spices I already use. I use a lot of fresh herbs in cooking, and they are very tasty.

Oh. I found out that even cassava flour that's a fine powder may be from the whole root.

So I bought some, to experiment with it. I have just been using the rough, grainy cassava flour, in sauces.

I found MSG tastes a lot like red meat, at least when added to some foods.

Penn Jillette lost a lot of weight eating wfpb.

He does eat the old unhealthy foods still, including meat. But he made it a rare occasion, with at least two weeks between times of doing this, and just at one meal. So he doesn't cause himself to feel deprived of his old favorite foods.

He said it was neither wonderful nor awful when he ate those foods after two weeks of the healthy plant-based diet. He didn't throw up or feel sick.

If the cassava flour is the pure white powder, it isn't a whole food, just the starch.

It's possible to get cassava flour that's actually just ground-up cassava. It has a coarse texture. I use it with water added to carry herbs, and make a sauce.

MSG can be used as a flavoring. It tastes a lot like red meat to me.

Otherwise, you could eat meat now and then, but keep it what Penn Jillette called &quot;rare and appropriate&quot;. He lost a lot of weight eating wfpb, but he leaves room for occasionally eating other food. He puts at least two weeks between his "Rare and appropriate" episodes, and limits them to a 4 hr time window.

That should help with cravings - so you aren't completely swearing off meat, never-to-eat-it-again.

Penn Jillette's book Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales has a lot of good things in it.

What he said about Fuhrman: > Fuhrburger may be more than bug-nutty. He might be kinda sorta an alternative medicine whack job, but I really like him ... It's possible that if I were still doing Penn & Teller: Bullshit! I'd introduce him with "Then there's this asshole" and rip him a new one. ... He seems to believe that everything can be cured with the right magic food, and he's even said some dangerous, weird-ass shit about the flu vaccine, and I'm afraid to dig too deeply into what he's said about other vaccines. ...

So no need to worry about what "Fuhrburger" says.

Paper towel is fine. Season in the oven upside down so you don't get any sticky drips in the bottom of the pan. After using mine, i just wash with water and one of these.

Most commonly, I've used the TVP crumbles (as you probably have), to emulate bolognese sauces. Whip up some warm broth (I use mushroom seasoning to taste, here) and add it to the cooking tomato sauce near the end. It also takes well to taco spice seasoning.

I've recently gotten into TVP 'chunks', because the Trader Joe's Beefless Bulgogi is great, but it is just marinated TVP. I've been adapting this carnivore marinade recipe (pear, shoyu, sesame oil, fresh garlic and ginger, brown sugar, gochujang), though adding some mushroom seasoning for umani, substituting pear baby food for then out of season pears, and sambal oelek for the gochujang. The finished product is a fraction of the price and tastes better than the Trader Joe's beefless (fresh ginger makes a huge improvement), but the TVP chunks I bought, while reasonably priced, are much smaller than those in the Trader Joe's product.

god lol i spend so much money on nuts, seeds, vegan kim chi, sprouts, good mushrooms, and plant based milk. i do eat a lot of tofu, beans, and pulses though.

also i absolutely love arnold soy curls and buy them in bulk.

Trader Joe's soy milk is my holy grail. Delicious, perfect texture, and only contains soybeans and water. One of their oat milks also contains just oats and water.

I also always have this around: it's almond milk concentrate that you blend with water to create instant almond milk. Contains nothing but almonds.

I usually just go with the Frontier Co-op 1 lb. bulk bags. Price per ounce is a fraction of what you'll pay for the plastic container versions.

But if you're really serious you can search online for like 5 or 10 lb bags for even cheaper.