Plant-based diets?

[Thorn]

Mmmm...Primal Strips.....mmmmm....probably my one weak spot for processed vegan, but they make a quick, tasty protein bomb when I'm on the road.

I agree with the statements about watching what you substitute and finding a good recipe resource. To avoid high salt, high calorie substitutes you'll find yourself cooking more, so building up the recipe library will help.

Additional sources:
http://www.drmirkin.com/ -- This is the doctor that the Road Bike Rider newsletter often quotes. His stuff is a pratical balance, backed by research. His recipes are not all vegan, but are simple and nutrituous.

http://nutritionfacts.org/ -- no recipes, just motivation;

There is a lot of research that says you can do what you want, but it will take a little bit of work to get started. Good luck!

[snyderd25]

Wow! So much insight. Thanks ladies! What I was really thinking was to try and increase fruits, veggies, and beans until century ride is over... still eat meat and eggs but maybe cut back. I was thinking I would then try a juice fast upon my return.... and then transition into actual fruits, veggies, grans, and beans for a few weeks. And see how I feel about meat then...

I agree that the minute I decide to cut something out, it's the only thing I can think of eating! So I don't really have any true vegan aspirations, but I might be interested in cutting down on animal products. Protein is the big concern... there seems to be a lot of debate on how much one actually needs... and because I lug around a lot of extra weight, I really have some post workout fatigue after the tough rides and don't want to cut back on protein if that will make it worse.

All I know for sure is that I seem to need a factory reset for my body and I thought this might be a healthy, productive way to do it... but maybe not!

[VeganBikeChick]

You can be an endurance athlete. And you can do it on a plant-based diet alone. And for everyone who worries about "not enough protein" concerns, there is not a "protein deficiency" going around. It's been estimated that everyone eats far too much protein as it is.

I highly recommend "Appetite for Reduction", by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It's a low-cal, low-fat, but NOT low-flavor vegan cookbook. She heavily supplements with veggies, and all of the recipes are fantastic. I have nothing to gain by recommending this cookbook, it's just one that's my favorite and has helped me lose a bit of weight.

No matter what route you choose, good luck to you!

[OakLeaf]

It's been estimated that everyone eats far too much protein as it is.

Not "everyone."

The "average American diet" that includes meat every day - for a lot of people, meat at more than one meal every day - has way more protein than anyone needs. Eliminate or even reduce the meat, and you've automatically eliminated the excess protein.

Endurance athletes need more protein than the "average" sedentary American, and I'm not sure a vegan could get the amount of protein the "average American diet" includes even if you ate nothing but protein powder.

Personally, at 120#, I need at least 100g protein a day when I'm training for an endurance event with body weight training only. More than that if I'm doing heavy gym work. I hate counting grams of anything, but I've done it, and I can't get near that without either animal products, or a highly processed protein supplement.

I'm not telling the OP not to do it (just suggesting ). There are a lot of professional athletes who do it very successfully (although I still can't come up with anyone other than Scott Jurek - help me out here ). I am asking her to be very conscious of why she's doing it, and very aware of the effort it will take to get proper nutrition.

[redrhodie]

I'm not telling the OP not to do it (just suggesting ). There are a lot of professional athletes who do it very successfully (although I still can't come up with anyone other than Scott Jurek - help me out here ). I am asking her to be very conscious of why she's doing it, and very aware of the effort it will take to get proper nutrition.

http://davezabriskie.com/?p=647

Dave Zabriskie is vegan.

[limewave]

I'm a big believer in that bodies are different. There is not one correct combination of food that is the silver bullet for everyone. I have never liked meat, not even as a small child. My daughter is the same way. My son, however, loves meat.

Once I figured out how to eat a balanced vegetarian diet, my body was happy! I know that's a weird phrase, but I can't think of a better word. A diet bolstered with greens, legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, veggies, fruit

However, 1-2 times a year DH and I will go out to a nice restaurant and all I can think about is steak. So I order the steak and it will seem like the best meal I've ever had. After that, meat won't sound appetizing again for at least 6 months.

I don't think my husband could function on a vegetarian diet. He doesn't eat a lot of meat, but he needs to have it a few meals a week--his body craves it.

[OakLeaf]

/hijack

Also, thank you for using the term "plant-based diet." Veganism is about so much more than diet, and even as a non-vegetarian, it drives me absolutely NUTS when people use the word "vegan" when all they're talking about is food.

Okay, got it off my chest.

/hijack

[soprano]

I went vegetarian in January this year. I am still eating eggs, dairy and some fish (about twice a month on fish). I absolutely love eating this way. It has been very easy for me and I feel great.

Something that helped was already having a good repertoire of vegetarian recipes that I knew and liked. This way, I wasn't necessarily restricting one food group from my diet so much as I was expanding the amount of fruits, veggies and whole grains I eat, and I was eating familiar foods. I've been cooking out of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks for about a decade. When I bought the first one I actually didn't realize it was vegetarian until my mother visited and said something. The recipes are such that you simply don't miss the meat. I'm also enjoying Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. The only time I ever even think about meat substitute is when we're grilling. I keep some meatless burgers from the freezer section around for that and tend to top them with things like guac, sprouts, spinach, etc. - I think of it as a salad on a bun.

I tracked about everything I at for around six weeks to make sure I was getting enough protein and not too much fiber (I used the myplate tool at livestrong.com) and started taking a vitamin B complex everyday because I'm not particularly good at working in eggs or cheese.

Beano doesn't do anything for me. I swear by Gasex. Gotta say, I was having some GI issues last year and they have completely, totally resolved with no thought on my part, probably because I'm eating way more fiber and less fat these days.

[OakLeaf]

Funny, grilling doesn't make me crave meat at all ... all the high summer vegetables that are in season when it's warm enough to grill out are SO flavorful! Summer squashes (spears or chunks of zucchini or crookneck, or little pattypans whole), onions, sweet corn soaked in brine and grilled in the husk, tomatoes and green beans on a screen insert, potatoes, carrot slices, all just brushed with olive oil, salt and herbs ... I swear, my mouth is watering, I only just put my tomato plants in the ground three days ago, fewer than 1/4 of my beans have germinated, and the soil isn't even warm enough to plant sweet corn yet! How can I wait!!

[Tri Girl]

There are a lot of professional athletes who do it very successfully (although I still can't come up with anyone other than Scott Jurek - help me out here ).

Sorry- couldn't help myself:

Dave Zabriskie : professional cyclist(he was already mentioned)
Brendan Brazier: Ironman triathlete
Jane Black: has been a vegan since 1990 and has set many Masters National and World records in weightlifting
Mac Danzig : is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter
Keith Holmes: is an American professional boxer- world middleweight boxing champion
Georges Laraque: professional ice hockey forward for the Montreal Canadiens
Carl Lewis world famous track and Olympic medalist
Patrick J. Neshek : is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
Prince Fielder: Milwaukee Brewers first baseman
Tony Gonzalez: Tight End Atlanta Falcons NFL
Martina Navratilova : professional tennis player
Desmond Howard: Washington Redskins receiver
John Salley : NBA (Bulls during the Jordan years- and Lakers)


and there are many more Surprisingly lots of bodybuilders/weightlifters.

And yes, I prefer plant-based diet over Vegan, but I consider myself to be a vegan since I have a deep compassion and love/care for the welfare of all animals and stay away from animal products outside of just food.

I don't think my husband could function on a vegetarian diet. He doesn't eat a lot of meat, but he needs to have it a few meals a week--his body craves it.

Me either. Since I've gone to a plant-based diet, I think my DH has eaten my share of what little meat I ever ate. . Plus, he's always borderline anemic, and has a iron deficiency. If he were to give up meat (especially red meat), he'd probably pass out daily from lack of iron. He eats it at every meal. Our dieteary needs are SO very different. He eats a LOT more than me (and less healthy), so it's one of the reasons I got so overweight in the first place. He's a beanpole and I am not. Being vegan has helped a LOT with my weight management. Plus, is it bad that I cook for myself most of the time now? If I just want some hummus and veggies for dinner, I eat it- no more cooking big meals for us both.

[LivinOurLuvSong]

I am just getting into biking but my husband has been doing it for a while now. We are both Vegan and have never looked or felt better. Happy to see others with similar diets that are cycling. Forks over knives is what got my husband to go vegan

[malkin]

...I agree that the minute I decide to cut something out, it's the only thing I can think of eating! ...

Like when you are staring down an obstacle, thinking "Don't ride through the glass" and then you keep watching as you ride right through the glass.

Focus on what you DO want.

[snyderd25]

"Meat lite!" I like that! And I think that would be the ultimate goal so I don't feel deprived and restricted. I am disgusted with much of the food industry, particularly how livestock is treated, but buying grass-fed and free range can break the bank. I still think I'd be interested in a juice reboot after my big ride (I need to lay off cycling anyway because of golfer's and tennis elbow in both elbows-- apparently my bike is too small for me!), I should increase fruits, veggies, and beans in general, but then maybe be "meat and eggs lite" :-) I can start meat lite even before my ride. I just know I don't feel well now and when I go low carb, I feel really crappy, so I need to do something different.

I don't eat a lot of processed foods now, but I still consume too many calories through protein and fats (even if they're the healthy ones).

Why God couldn't have made me size 2 and blonde, I just don't know!

Thanks again for all of the insight!

[Breella]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that a juice diet like the one in Fat Sick and Nearly Dead is NOT recommended to be followed for extended periods of time. Rather it's something you do in regular intervals around a normal eating schedule.

[ny biker]

I don't really have much to add -- my diet has been almost completely vegetarian in the past and these days most of my breakfasts and dinners are vegetarian, but that's mostly because I have unusual food preferences and don't really like to cook.

One piece of advice I do have is to be careful about increasing vegetables, fruits and beans -- if you're significantly increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, you'll want to do it gradually to avoid GI problems.

I guess another thing I would add is that a plant-based diet can still be very unhealthy (french fries are vegetarian!!), but since you're talking about cutting back on both protein and fats, you seem to already have that in mind.

Good luck!!