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Thread: Staying healthy as a new vegan

  1. #1

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    Default Staying healthy as a new vegan

    Hi Everybody,

    I'm a twenty-two year old male who's new to veganism. Politics aside, I want to make sure I stay healthy on the vegan diet.
    I'm already an advocate for fresh foods you prepare yourself (I rarely eat processed or "beige" food). I like my grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and occasionally the odd vegan chocolate truffle. For variety, I've even taken to sprouting my own grains when I get the chance- sprouted Kamut is delicious in salads; but more to the point, I want to know if there's anything I could be missing in my diet that a more experienced vegan could warn of ahead of time.
    I take a vitamin b12 supplement four times a week, and occasionally I'll take an iron supplement (not with Calcium). I make flax crackers for Omega-3-6-9 oils, and I also have a vegan protein shake (brown rice/split pea protein) after I come in from the gym. The shake is loaded with vitamins and minerals, which is why I haven't felt it necessary to take a multi-vitamin.
    So what do y'all think? Am I missing anything?

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    i'm pretty sure that i eat a whole lot less healthy than you and i'm fine. i eat a lot of beans, brown rice, gluten-free pasta, fruit and veg with the occasional (ahem) biscuit/cake/chocolate. it's a lot easier (in my opinion) to be healthy as a vegan because you're limited to beans and wholegrains as bases for meals instead of meat or meat substitutes (like quorn).

    i think you're doing great

  3. #3
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    You should probably stop taking iron supplements unless you've been advised to by a doctor. Females need lots of iron because of their menstrual cycle but in men (and women after menopause) it can build up and do more harm than good.

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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    Thank you so much, you two! This has been helpful already- Risker, I've called my physician who advised me to stop taking the supplements. I'm due for a physical in about 6 months, so he says, if my iron levels are low, we can start supplement therapy then; but he agrees, it's unnecessary and potentially harmful.

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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    careful with taking too many supplements too, they can get expensive (especially if you're a student like me) and you end up just weeing out most of them. i personally believe a varied and balanced diet with a variety of nuts, seeds, veg and wholegrains is going to provide you with all the vitamins you need. i mean, cavemen didn't take supplements did they, and humans haven't died out yet!

    however this is just my personal view. if you're not feeling well then obviously get it checked out. it's just that i don't take any supplements and i feel awesome

  6. #6
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    Hi jordan.james,
    good luck with getting the nutrients you need! Just out of curiosity - did you take protein shakes 'loaded with vitamins and minerals' etc before you became a vegan as well? Do you have the impression that there's more to worry about (in terms of supplements) as a vgan than as a non-vegan?

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    Hi Korn,

    Staying fit is a big part of my job, but with the hours I keep, maintaining a balanced diet can be difficult. About three years prior to going vegan, I started drinking protein shakes; I tried a number of brands, mostly whey protein- while I didn't overdo it (more than one shake a day), I still found the whey to be harsh on my digestive tract.
    I don't think there's more to worry about, in terms of supplements, as a vegan versus non vegan. I think there's a lot of hysteria about protein, minerals, etc... circulating in the USA to try and get consumer attention, but because I'm a regular at the local gym, exercise frequently, and need to stay semi-muscular job, it's been a personal concern.
    I figured there might be something an experienced vegan may know, about what to be mindful of (vitamin wise) that I may not already have come across in my research.

  8. #8
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    maintaining a balanced diet
    Sure - that's the important part, and there's also the concern about getting too much protein. If you eg, try to Google too much protein side effects, you'll see what I mean. The same is true for B12 - while we, as vegans, should focus on getting enough b12 rather than worry about getting too much of it, some vegans (and others) simply exaggrate massively when it comes to supplementing, and that's not a good idea.

    Here are a couple of threads which may intrerest you:

    20-30 types of cancer and animal products (eggs, fish, milk, meat)


    B12 overdose / megadose?


    There's a lot of discussion about the health problems associated with consumption of animal products, and both the link between cancer and B12 and between cancer and a high proteinintake as been discussed - and to some degree documented. Personally, I prefer a diet relatively rich in protein, and have found that I have higher protein levels than the average population (and have never taken any kind of protein supplementation, TVP or similar, and use very little soy). So if you, like me, happen to eat vegan meals with legumes and other protein rich ingredients and take protein shakes that are full of other vitamins etc as well, you could ending up getting too much.

    Quote veganosie View Post
    i personally believe a varied and balanced diet with a variety of nuts, seeds, veg and wholegrains is going to provide you with all the vitamins you need.
    Hi veganosie - in theory, I agree, but when it comes to real life, in our century, the natural balance these cavemen have been surrounded by: only organic, fresh (and often raw) food, no unnatural toxins added to their meals, the water was never fluorized or chlorinated etc doesn't exist anymore. We can't compare ourselves with these cavemen for another reason as well: There's no proof at all that all these cavemen lived on a vegan diet. (See the Human Evolution subforum for a discussion about these topics).


    i mean, cavemen didn't take supplements did they, and humans haven't died out yet!
    Humans haven't 'died out', but if we go back in history, we know that our forefathers often didn't get much older than max 40 years old. There were different reasons for this, and I don't think not taking supplements was one of them, but IMHO: comparing ourselves with someone with a totally different lifestyle, in ancient times, generally don't make more sense that when meat eaters say that 'humans have always been eating meat, and we are still around, so there's no reason to go vegan!'.

    We aren't living in a 'natural' world anymore, and since the air, water, soil and food is very different from what it used to be, we just have to deal with that.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Staying healthy as a new vegan

    i just meant to say that i believe supplements are slightly overrated it was nothing to do with veganism, i merely meant to point out that they didn't worry about getting enough iodine, for example

  10. #10
    Mordechai's Avatar
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    Default Re: Staying Healthy As A New Vegan

    Quote Korn View Post
    We aren't living in a 'natural' world anymore, and since the air, water, soil and food is very different from what it used to be, we just have to deal with that.
    Our 'Natural' world has changed, species survive with adaption, now we are learning to adapt to products of our own egoism. But this shouldn't get one down, information is abundant! Especially with this here internet. Learn what you can, don't beat yourself up. You have done your health and the world a terrific thing by becoming non-violent in diet, and maybe even in the rest of your life.

    This is commendable. Every person who makes the decision for non-violence should be applauded as hero.

    listen with objectivity, Korn is a great guru in this regard, he will offer the information, but you make the decision. May we all find great wisdom in that.

    For your information Jordan.James,

    Keeping a balanced diet is a daily process, this is the fountain of life, enjoy your day moment by moment, with peace and well-being your drive. Eat enough, neither too much nor too little. Every day will have new challenges and you won't get the same nutrition everyday even if you eat the same food. So balance every day, as if it is a new one. Because well.... it is a new day.

    You came to the right place for information with this lifestyle of veg-ism.
    Supplement or no supplement, follow your heart. There are people that do and people that don't. Neither are right nor wrong.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: Staying healthy as a new vegan

    Hey jordan.james,

    You sound a lot like me! I'm also a 22 year old male, but I live in South Texas (but have family in LA) and consider fitness and nutrition very important. I'm not new to veganism, but I can tell we eat most of the same foods, minus the nuts. If you find this helpful, I'll suggest a few products that I find very helpful and perhaps you will too! Minute Brown Rice is cheap and easy to take on the go! Frozen edamame has lots of protein and healthy fats. Supplements I take are: Green Tea Extract, B12, B-6, Chromium Picolinate and sometimes Ginseng. I suggest Boca meat analogues as well..less than 1 gram of fat and over 15 grams of protein. I find that gives me enough of a boost!

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