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Im new to the vegan life and need lots of protein.

Im new to the vegan life and need lots of protein.

Started by Liz Crosby on September 2, 2011

5 Comments

Liz Crosby said #1 Sep 2, 2011 at 1:10pm

Hey there my name is Liz. (Im Canadian) I have not eaten Meat in 2years but after just reading 3 pages of Alicia's Book I made up my mind and Im going Vegan! Im Very excited! I walk through the Grocery store and I get all happy and excited and in such a good mood when I buy Organic and totally healthy food! I live at home with my Mom, Dad and Big Brother.... They ALL eat meat and center every meal around it! My dad cooks all the time so it was a big change for him to have 2 sets of everything and no meat for my meal! I have to say sometimes he does get a little angry at times about the hassel my new lifestyle has made. Im in my last year of college studying Police Foundations. I need to get into shape, I run and do weights and my dad believes Im not geting enough Protein. I have to admit I dont know how much I am getting myself but I will NEVER eat meat again! I was just wondering if anyone has any really good high in Protein foods and dinner ideas that would be totally yummy to eat and easy to make (college/study takes up alot of time) That would be Wonderful! Im so excited to to start this chapter in my life and to meet so many new eco-friendly, not meat eating totally awesome people! Thanks so much for reading my story and helping me out! Your all great!

Cheers!

Liz

Jessica Sinclair said #2 Sep 3, 2011 at 3:36pm

eat quinoa and edamame... you can get both at Independent in Kemptville....the quinoa is organic (just make sure you rinse off the saporin that coats it before you cook it or it will be bitter) and the edamame frozen (just microwave or heat with a bit of water until warmed through and sprinkle with some salt or soy)..almost every vegetable has protien in it but green vegetables have the most... I'll see if I can find that list again.

Liz Crosby said #3 Sep 3, 2011 at 9:15pm

Thanks SOOO Much! Im so excited for this change! I can feel a difference already! :-D

Pink Monkey said #4 Sep 4, 2011 at 12:43pm

Hi Liz.

I'm pretty new to the whole vegan thing too. Loving it. I feel so great! I was never a vegetarian, though i ate vegetarian meals 40% of the time for the past few years [because i liked them.... not for the animals so much].

Heres my mathetical formulas [yes i clearly have nothing to do on a sunday evening....]

Before: Me, +chicken addiction + sugar addiction [[+cravings*1 million]], - ability to stick to anything = BAD relationship with food + bad skin + extra love handles

After: Me, - chicken/meat/fish, - eggs and milk + no cravings for crappy food = great skin, - love handles. Extra bonus = peace of mind + calmness!

What really helps me with protein is my recent discovery....tinned things! Tinned lentils, tinned chickpeas! Before, I was cooking them from raw/hard. Way too much effort. I adore hummous....so easy to make and YUM [and amazing protein!].

I was scared about the protein thing too -very concerned. But when i looked into it, there are even vegan bodybuilders! It really is possible to get enough protein!

I like this article by this bodybuilder who looks at the protien in different whole plant foods [not just veg!]. http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/vegan_diet.html. I won't list them so just checck it out. Best of luck

Rhomie said #5 Sep 4, 2011 at 1:15pm

People are always shocked when they find out I am Vegan, and it never fails that the first thing they ask me is about my protein intake. I think its really funny at this point, but it used to annoy me because I felt I had to then explain myself and my decision. On the positive side though, because of those people who annoyed me initially, it did make me look at what I was consuming in regards to protein. Turns out, I wasn't doing as well as I could.

I totally agree with Pink Monkey that the more easily accessible something is the more you will consume it, so canned lentils and chick peas are great. I also have a love for canned black beans. Its so easy to add other things to them and end up with a great meal. I also eat edamame and quinoa, which are really easy to make. Seitan is a great meat alternative - you can make your own or buy it in the store. Other things I have started using are the Vega brand protein powder, Chlorella, and Spirulina. Vega was developed by a Vegan athlete and the other two supplements are actually considered super foods. Most Vegan athletes that I have read about use these two super foods on a daily basis.

Good luck in your journey!

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