Milestones

[Stravinsk]

October 2017 is when I went Vegan, it is now October 2022.

Marking the 5th year as a vegan.

In answer to @Lucian Hodoboc 's question in another thread - no - I am not a raw vegan. This would be way too extreme for me, as I enjoy all kinds of cooked food, including wholegrain bread, potatoes, beans etc.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Whoohoo! 5 whole years! Congrats! So what do you eat?

 

[Stravinsk]

Whoohoo! 5 whole years! Congrats! So what do you eat?

Thanks

It varies though my staples are often potatoes, high fiber wholegrain breads, legumes, nuts and seeds (in particular almond, pepita, flax, peanut, sunflower), corn, rice, and a wide variety of vegetables (cooked and raw) and the use of various sauces (mustard, ketchup, vegan mayo, vegan garlic aioli, soy sauce etc ). In addition I enjoy vegan pizza on occasion (I usually make it myself), vegan Ice Cream (there are some wonderful tasty commercial varieties around now), falafels, bean dips and in moderation, some junky chips and snacks.

Besides avoiding all animal products, I also avoid the highly processed, usually high protein faux meat products. Some of them can be quite tasty (for example, I once had some vegan "chickin" nuggets that were indistinguishable from the real thing...but I had to finish the whole box to even begin to feel satisfied. Not good.) I also don't bother with the fungus-protein stuff.

New and aspiring Vegan needs to remember 2 very basic guidelines to keep it up and they are:

1) You want to cultivate and keep a gut microbiota that thrives on processing starches, and as important - fiber. These bacteria are at odds with the bacteria that processes animal protein, so don't cheat, and if you're hungry after eating then more eating, this is very likely because there are too many stripped starches (white rice, low fiber bread etc) in your diet and not nearly enough fiber rich, nutrient rich foodstuffs.

2) Calories. Cabbage is great but don't expect to live on it. Keep your calories in line with your activity/exercise level. This doesn't need to be measured. If you are hungry, eat.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Do you follow the advice of any vegan internet celebrities (YouTubers, nutrition experts, authors etc.)? Have you purchased any books or other materials on veganism?

 

[Stravinsk]

Do you follow the advice of any vegan internet celebrities (YouTubers, nutrition experts, authors etc.)? Have you purchased any books or other materials on veganism?

I purchased a book on vegan recipes when I was vegan curious, but before I went vegan.

As for advice, I have picked up some from various internet sources but have no gurus, so to speak. Some I will listen to more than others especially if they have a good history of past research. Nutritionfacts.org is one, but again only because he usually does good research, not that I agree with everything.

Most Vegan teachers (in print media and internet) advise to take B12, and some advise other supplements (sometimes which they are selling!), and I think this is the biggest rub for me. If I thought the Vegan diet was deficient and needed "help" to sustain a person it would cause me to doubt it on some level. For instance, Veganism may seem "new" but it actually has a very long history going back to even biblical times. In fact, it's the diet commanded in the garden of Eden, and is God supplying B12 pills with their meals? Eh - no.

To that end I got a tip on B12 in particular and Chlorine (common in tap water). Chlorine seriously messes with B12 production and absorption, according to several research papers I've read. Our digestive systems may be dissimilar to other vegan animals, but they are more similar to many of them than carnivorous animals. No vegan animal I know of needs a B12 pill, and no vegan animal drinks chlorinated water in the wild. So...

I regularly de-chlorinate my drinking water. This is easily done by setting it out in the sun for a day. I do not take B12 supps on a regular basis (although I have in the past...I'm near positive this was a total of 5 times or less in 5 years), and I do sometimes eat a product that is fortified with it (a special brand of Vegemite), although on the whole it's really sort of rare for me to get any at all from an outside source.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Veganism may seem "new" but it actually has a very long history going back to even biblical times. In fact, it's the diet commanded in the garden of Eden, and is God supplying B12 pills with their meals? Eh - no.

The explanation I've read in regards to this issue was the the human DNA has been altered (corrupted, if you will) more and more with each generation. That's why Adam and Eve's children were able to interbreed and have offspring without genetic mutations, but that is no longer possible nowadays.

Also, even herbivores eat insects, whether accidentally or intentionally, every now and then, so that's where they get their B12 from.

 

[Stravinsk]

Year 6

Of being Vegan.

This year I was somewhat concerned that I might be B-12 deficient, as I'm at/near/past the conventional wisdom that by now it's been mostly used up.

But no. Earlier this year I had a blood test and my B-12 was fine. Interesting to me, because I think I've perhaps supplemented less than 10 times in the last 6 years (a B-12 pill) and I hardly ever eat B-12 fortified foods. I'm pretty sure that means my gut is making it. One thing I will credit, however, is de-chlorinating the majority of the water I drink. Chlorine kills B-12 producing bacteria.

What else?

I stopped, mostly, drinking soda. This has actually helped alleviate foot pain. Between the coffee, beer and soda, it's still possible to have too much acid as a vegan even if one is eating mostly alkaline in their solid food regimen. Most sodas are incredibly acidic.

 

[tango]

I was amazed at the difference it made to me when I more or less stopped drinking sugary fizzy drinks. The main thing was that weight fell off me - the amount of sugar you can take on through those drinks is terrifying, especially in diners that offer endless free refills.