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I need some sort of a meal plan
When it comes to eating the right food regularly I am reeeeaaaally slack. So I figured I need a simple eating plan that works for me that I strictly stick with EVERY day as opposed to 2 or 3 days a week. What are your thoughts on something like this:
Breakfast: bowl of oats with soy/rice milk, a banana
Lunch/snacks: fruit and nuts
Dinner: salad, soup, potatoes, rice, beans etc
At the moment I'm having (when I'm not being lazy) four pieces of toast with marmite for breakfast, throughout the day I have a few bananas, apples, oranges, lots of nuts. Dinner is usually a big meal of noodles/rice with tofu and veges ( I put HEAPS of silverbeet or spinach in), or potatoes and salad or takeaway Indian. This seems to work for me when it actually happens and it's easy but I wouldn't mind any advice on how it could be improved.
and when is the best time of day to eat meals high in carbs? I often have huge bowls of pasta or potatoes for dinner, is that the best thing to do? I am pretty skinny already and not keen to lose any more weight :)
ta!
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
It's tough to post a "template" menu, especially as you don't give an indication of what a typical day's menu is for you, also due to the fact that you should eat a good variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need.
I think the best time of day to eat carbs is at lunch, and include some veggies with that. Fruit and nuts are good for snacks but I think for lunch you need something more substantial, especially as you say you don't want to lose any more weight.
The "What Did You Eat Today" thread will give you lots of ideas :)
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
Quote:
kettles
When it comes to eating the right food regularly I am reeeeaaaally slack. So I figured I need a simple eating plan that works for me that I strictly stick with EVERY day as opposed to 2 or 3 days a week. What are your thoughts on something like this:
Breakfast: bowl of oats with soy/rice milk, a banana
Lunch/snacks: fruit and nuts
Dinner: salad, soup, potatoes, rice, beans etc
At the moment I'm having (when I'm not being lazy) four pieces of toast with marmite for breakfast, throughout the day I have a few bananas, apples, oranges, lots of nuts. Dinner is usually a big meal of noodles/rice with tofu and veges ( I put HEAPS of silverbeet or spinach in), or potatoes and salad or takeaway Indian. This seems to work for me when it actually happens and it's easy but I wouldn't mind any advice on how it could be improved.
and when is the best time of day to eat meals high in carbs? I often have huge bowls of pasta or potatoes for dinner, is that the best thing to do? I am pretty skinny already and not keen to lose any more weight :)
ta!
I am not a registered nutritionist or anything, but if you gave statistics on things like height, weight, age, gender, bodyfat percentage, and level of activity, it would be easier to recommend a general idea of what foods you should be eating and in what amounts at what time of day. Also, as a general rule, I would recommend that you don't stick to the same meal plan every day, as all that will do is make you crazy real fast. People need variety in their diets, I've found. Otherwise they start to go just a little insane (I speak from personal experience, of course.)
Also, definitely check out that thread fiamma recommended on "What I ate today." It's already given me all sorts of awesome ideas for meals. :D
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
Male
22 y.o
168cm
about 58kg
body fat = very little :p
I know I need variation in my diet, but I also need something to begin with that at least covers all the basics. And also to fall back on when I can't decide what I need/want to eat.
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
The metric system confuses my weak, American brain. :(
On an unrelated note, have you considered meeting with a nutritionist? I didn't even realize it until a few months ago, but most health insurance providers cover this service.
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
Kettles I have a three week eating plan that I give to all my newly vegan and veggie friends to help them along the way.
If you would like it, let me know!
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
sure! you want my email or something?
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Re: I need some sort of a meal plan
If you send it to me in a PM I'll send you the meal plans. Not a problem! :)
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
I'm trying out a new eating plan, this is my general guideline
B: Green smoothie
L: lots of fruit
D: brown rice or quinoa and steamed veggies
snacks of fruit and maybe one larabar
Hoping all the fruits and veggies will make me feel better and help me lose weight.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Plan? What plan?!
Aside from trying to eat at about 7:00, 12:00, and 5:00 (would like to only eat/drink when hungry/thirsty, but if trying that way I'd probably forget and have missed a lot of food and water that way before, and that can't be healthy).
But I found this advice (I think in the context originally intended for pregnant vegan women, but it's generally good advice anyway), but it turned out that in my food choices I had already been doing those things:
"1. Make wholegrain cereals and potatoes the basis of every meal.
Fortified breakfast cereals are useful for boosting nutrients.
Wholegrain cereals provide iron for energy and zinc for strong
immunity.
2. Have a "meat alternative" at every meal. Tofu, beans, lentils,
chickpeas, nuts, seeds and peanut butter all give you protein instead
of meat, fish, poultry and eggs.
3. Eat dairy alternatives at least twice a day. These include
fortified soya milk, soya yoghurts and soya cheese, plus calcium-rich
foods such as dried apricots, green leafy vegetables (except spinach),
nuts and sesame seeds.
4. Fruit and vegetables. Have at least five a day, with lots of
variety. Eat those rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and
peppers, at main meals to help the absorption of iron. Have vitamin
D-fortified spreads, soya milk and cereals daily, and try to get into
the sunlight, especially between March and September.
5. Have iodised salt or small amounts of seaweed each day.
6. Eat three or four brazil nuts a day for selenium, or make sure that
your vegan supplement supplies it."
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Lately my eating plan is a bit buggered.
I have just had two life changes in that I have given up cider/cut down on alcohol a lot.
And started working fulltime,from being unemployed.
I tend to-
Morning-Coffee x two with sugar and dairy free creamer
Lunchtime-more coffees, occasionally I may have a bag of chips/crisps or a small cup of soup, mostly just a hot drink though.
Then when I get a break at work I will have another hot drink and , if I didn't eat anything at lunch I may be hungry enough to want a bag of crisps or an apple.
When I get home I am in the habit of having popadums (as many as I want sometimes up to ten or something) with my home made salsa. If I am going out and know I can't eat again if I want to, I may have some mashed potato or some soup aswell or something small like that, but usually just popadums and salsa.
If I am not up mega early (I work shifts) I then may have some wine.
But my eating habits are so habitual and I know I probably am not getting a good mix of nutrients from it.
Weekends are different though, today I woke up ,had coffee..hour or so later had soup and bread, then later on had a sandwich on tortilla bread with 'cream' cheese and spinach, and some curry pasty I had made, and some salsa and bread and some sweets. I am much less regimented and habitual at weekends.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Morning: fruit
Lunch: pasta or rice and greens ( salad, kale, spinach )
Dinner: beans ( in homemade chili or burritos ) or stir fried tofu and veggies, veggies veggies and more veggies!
Snack: homemade whole wheat bread, spread with raw peanut butter or pureed pumpkin sprinkled with cinnamon...almond milk.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
breakfast: sandwich or leftovers from dinner. tea or teeccino.
lunch: salad with beans or some other protein rich topping.
dinner: usually a grain, veg, protein 1 pot dish... such as quinoa with spinach and black beans, or brown rice with mixed veg and tofu, lentil soup with barley, broccoli and spinach... you get the idea
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Quote:
scarlett
eeek, you don't seem to eat alot at all ambs ! I do hope I'm not being bang out of order but I have to say I find it quite worrying that you use the word 'small' quite alot, and that because you've had grapes today you're going to skip your meal. Toast, grapes and coffee are not going to give you the nutrients you need :eek:
have you seen the calories in grapes?!??! lol (loads). there could be around 300 or so cals in a bag of grapes. I agree on the nutrients comment tho.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Lol I am glad I don't like grapes having read that!
Today was weird for me eating wise.
I was up really early, and at 10 am or something had my usual night meal of popadums and salsa.
Then at about 4 o clock had a mug of soup.
This evening have had more popadums and salsa, a cup of soup and some mashed potato. Ah and a couple of large glasses of wine :)
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
300 calories is not a lot when you consider the average woman needs 2000 calories per day. Anyway if you eat a whole bag of grapes you could get diarrhoaea.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Breakfast is always the same for me. I always have porridge made with soya milk. although I make it half with ready-brek and half with rolled oats. Then I flavour it with cocoa powder, sugar or agave nectar and sometimes vanilla or almond flavour.
Lunch is either soup and a salad or a bean salad. Both with ryevita spread with something or other.
Dinner is something like homemade chilli; veggie sausages, veg and some kinda carb like mash or kasha / spanish oats ect.
I snack loads xD I always nibble on dark chocolate, biscuits ect. And I vacuum up anything left if my mum cooks too many vegetables or baked beans for the omni meals she cooks.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Lately I've been having a green smoothie for breakfast, a wrap with hummus, avocado, sprouts, cucumber and carrots for lunch, a lara bar before climbing, and a protien smoothie after. I snack on fruit.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
For my breakfast I normally have cereal (weetabix, muesli or grape nuts being favourites) with rice or oat milk and agave nectar or toast with marmalade and a couple of cups of strong, black coffee.
Lunch is sandwiches or salad at work or something on toast at home.
Dinner is my main meal and I normally cook a big pot of soup, stew, chili or curry or something similar and make it do two or three meals. I eat loads of fresh veggies, beans, pasta and other good things.
I snack pretty much constantly on fruit, oat cakes with nut butters, dried fruit, nuts (salted peanut, monkey nuts or pistachios) or crisps (salt and shake mostly).
After my evening meal I'll often have some chocolate, after dinner mints, ice cream or other sweet goodness.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
breakfast is normally cereal with fruit and flax seeds, or toast
lunch is a bento box full of goodies including carrots or cherry toms, cashews or sultanas.
dinner is my big meal, which could be pasta, jacket potato, or whatever I feel like cooking (usually from La Dolce Vegan, or Veganomicon).
I try not to snack, but occasionally a spoon sneaks into the peanut butter pot....
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Breakfast: cereal with soya milk and fruit or toast with yeast extract/peanut butter.
Lunch: Ryvita/pitta bread with houmous and salad, fruit, cereal bar/soya yoghurt
Dinner: chilli, stir fry, curry etc...basically something wholegrain-like with vegetables and beans/pulses.
Plus chocolate - lots of it!!! :D Is anyone else addicted to Waitrose's dark chocolate fruit and nut?!
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
I usually eat breakfast at 11.30 AM, since school starts at 12.30. It's always the same: A LOT of oatmeal with soymilk and cinnamon, with a few dried apricots. I eat lunch about 3.30, often burgers with bread and vegetables. Then I eat dinner with my family, pasta and beans is a favourite. Sometimes when I'm too tired to cook I eat oatmeal for dinner too. I like oatmeal... Before I go to bed I eat a sandwich and fruit. I'm not sure if this is enough for me, but at least I'm never hungry :p
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
I have fruit and/or yogurt for breakfast. Then lunch and dinner will be either soya burger and salad, or soup and ryvita, or pasta and salad. Snacks are fruit, soya desserts and miso soup. (Although i agree with you Snuskhummer, Oatmeal IS good. Next time i go to the bio shop, i might get me some)
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Brekkie: Cereal like museli, porridge, barley flakes etc, dried fruit, nuts and seeds
Lunch: Sandwich: has to be thick bread with a mega filling filling like tofu, grilled tempeh, tahini etc with veg
Tea: Fruit
Evening meal: Proper main meal with carbs, protein and veg e.g. banger
& mash with veg, cottage pie, spag bog, curry & rice, jacket spud & mixed beans
Nibbles: usually like chocolate but sometimes yoghurt, Japanese crackers, salted nuts, wine
I vary what I eat as much as poss but basically it's cereal, sandwich, fruit, main meal and nibbles every day.
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Re: whats you're normal eating plan?
Recently I've tried eating more legumes and more calcium products! This is on a good day though, i.e. about 90% of the time!
Breakfast
Gluten Free Porridge w/ nuts, seeds, linseeds, soya milk
Yoghurt
OR
Gluten Free toast with pure spread and tofu scramble with mushrooms/onion
Yoghurt
OR
Yoghurt
Fruit
Lunch/Dinner
Stir Fry w/ Gluten Free pasta, quinoa, hemp seeds, variety of vegetables, butterbeans
OR
Spag Bol/Chili
OR
Salad w/ added seeds/hemp seeds
OR
Soup w/ added legumes
Snacks
Glass of soya milk
Yoghurt
Fruit
Nuts
Plus my multi-vitamin which has vitam D, B12 etc in...!
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Having problems planning meals
Hey everyone!
I've been vegan a little over a month now. But I still have one big problem...
I find myself eating a lot of bread and pasta because it is the only thing that really satisfies me and makes me feel like I ate a meal.
Which is why I have really big problems planning meals. Breakfast I always have a bowl of cereal with soy milk (not really a big breakfast person) but lunch and dinner is where I hit a bump.
I buy all these veggies from the store....bok choy, leeks, lettuce, celerey, eggplants, ect ect. But I never know what to do with them! I google recipes all the time but then I read it and go "meh..."
Does anyone have some good advice for me? I just really wish I knew how to put together a good meal!
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Re: Having problems planning meals.
How about using recipes that you're familiar with and just changing them to use the ingredients you have rather than what the traditional ingredients might be?
For example if you were to make a casserole or stew, and add whatever you have in the house at the time?
Or how about trying this site?
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Re: Having problems planning meals
Once you prepare the new recipes for the first time they won't seem so much like work, I've noticed.
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Re: Having problems planning meals
also you knbow..when you've worked out what kind of stuff you like to make and that...cook up loads of it, portion up and freeze it then you already got stuff ready to defrostand eat..decreasing your what-do-i-make stress levels :smile:
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Re: Having problems planning meals
I ate pasta about 10 times a week when I first went vegan. Then I discovered Chinese food, Mexican, Indian, and Falafel (Middle Eastern). I went to restaurants, found what I liked, and figured out how to make it at home with experimentation (those were messy times), and a sense of adventure.
If you find what you like, you can figure out how to make it later. First, find out what you like. With all the vegan options now, it is easy to figure out how to make it.
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Re: Having problems planning meals
thanks everyone. And thank you Spud addict for that link!
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Re: Having problems planning meals
Quote:
emmapresley
also you knbow..when you've worked out what kind of stuff you like to make and that...cook up loads of it, portion up and freeze it then you already got stuff ready to defrostand eat..decreasing your what-do-i-make stress levels :smile:
I was thinking that but I seem to recommend it in every thread and it makes me sound a slob :o Even if you don't freeze it there are some things that you can make that will do you for several meals, such as soups and stews. You can present them differently and add things so it doesn't get too boring.
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Re: Having problems planning meals
Big pans of enchiladas, vegan mac and cheese, and "meet" loaves usually last me 2-3 days. I love having leftovers! I don't like freezing, because things go into the freezer and never come back out... but that's probably just me.
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Any meal plans for a healthy diet?
I was wondering if anyone had a vegan meal plan that would give me all of the essential vitamins and nutrients. I've been looking online for foods high in calcium, iron, and protein. I know I'm still missing a lot of things, and that I'm not getting the recommended calcium intake. Any ideas?
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Re: Any meal plans for a healthy diet?
I get my calcium from: fortified Silk and other soy milks, tofu, almonds, almond butter, navy beans and other beans, greens (such as bok choy, broccoli, kale, and collards), sesame seeds and tahini, meat substitutes, blackstrap molasses (one tablespoon has 10% of my daily needs!), to name the things I can think of right now. Some people take the appropriate amount of tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to bring their intake to recommended levels. For instance, if you add up your total and you've only gotten 700 mg, you could take 3 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to bring you to 1000 mg of calcium.
If you can find calcium fortified orange juice that doesn't contain (animal-derived) vitamin D3 in it, that would be an awesome source as well. I've had no luck yet with this... (I think we've already discussed this, haha - unless I'm misremembering and it was someone else.)
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Re: Any meal plans for a healthy diet?
Hiya -
The UK Vegan Society has information about how to get nutrients such as calcium and iron e.g. http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyl...n/calcium.aspx I think they have one on protein too but it's less likely that you're not getting enough of that unless you're eating a very odd diet!
You could also have a look at this meal plan from the UK Vegetarian Society. It isn't 100% vegan but I think it gives vegan alternatives for everything that isn't vegan
http://www.vegsoc.org/vhealthy/mealplan.html
I think the Vegetarian Resource Group site is worth a look too - they have some vegan menus here http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003iss...ssue1quick.htm
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Re: Any meal plans for a healthy diet?
Quote:
Kimberlily1983
I get my calcium from: fortified Silk and other soy milks, tofu, almonds, almond butter, navy beans and other beans, greens (such as bok choy, broccoli, kale, and collards), sesame seeds and tahini, meat substitutes, blackstrap molasses (one tablespoon has 10% of my daily needs!), to name the things I can think of right now. Some people take the appropriate amount of tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to bring their intake to recommended levels. For instance, if you add up your total and you've only gotten 700 mg, you could take 3 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to bring you to 1000 mg of calcium.
If you can find calcium fortified orange juice that doesn't contain (animal-derived) vitamin D3 in it, that would be an awesome source as well. I've had no luck yet with this... (I think we've already discussed this, haha - unless I'm misremembering and it was someone else.)
Yeah... :( I was so happy when I found that orange juice. They just had to add that one ingredient... I was drinking soy milk, but I've heard some bad things about that as well, so I almost always just drink water :p I'll have to hit the grocery store tomorrow and see if I can find some sort of fruit juice enriched with calcium. Some of that almond butter sounds good too if we carry it around here :p
Quote:
harpy
The protein was the easiest thing to find :) The iron was next, but I've got that all figured out. It seems everything I eat is 2% calcium here, 6% there. Bringing me to a total of about 60-80% over the day :( That Vegan society link is amazing. I've never even been on there before. I like the vegetarian resource one too. Simple meal ideas for people who don't want to spend a lot of time making them :p
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Is this meal plan good?
Hi,
I'm new to being a vegan. I'm wondering if what I'm eating will get all the nutrients I need. This is basically what I eat everyday.
Supplements:
Omega-3 from algae (still waiting for it to come in the mail)
Vitamin D 2,000 IU
Vitamin B12 500mcg (sub-lingual)
Breakfast:
Oatmeal (about 1 cup)
peanut butter
flaxseed
banana
iodized salt
May or may not have the following (but I usually have most of it in there):
Cocoa powder
cinnamon
palm coconut sugar
wheat germ
coconut milk
strawberries, dried cranberries, raisins, raspberries, or blackberries
Snack:
Mixed nuts
Lunch:
Salad a 8 cup container (not compacted of course) with the following more or less:
Mixed greens, kale, or spinach
carrots
celery
beets
red bell pepper
red onion
broccoli
red cabbage
tomatoes
walnuts
sunflower seeds
chia seeds
Snack:
Mixed Nuts
Dinner:
1 cup of black beans, pinto beans, or lentils (usually red)
1 cup of brown rice or quinoa
iodized salt
Sometimes half an avocado with it
Spices (again May or may not have)
garlic
oregano
parsley
pumpkin spice
paprika
cayenne pepper
turmeric
mustard seed
ginger
Snack:
A piece of fruit (usually an apple)
A large glass of hibiscus tea
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Re: New Vegan: Is this meal plan good?
Well, in no way pretending to be a nutritionist, I can't see anything I recognise as missing in there.
Welcome to the forum!
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Looks grand to me. You're very organised, much more than I am!