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Thread: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

  1. #1
    SweetieStarr
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    Question I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    Hi everyone,

    I am new here and interested in going veggie/vegan. I'd like to give a bit of background on where I am at dietary-wise, and then ask an important question with which I am hoping some of you can help me. I currently do not eat red meat or pork, but still eat dairy, poultry, and fish. My plan is to transition gradually towards veganism or at least vegetarianism. I tried going vegetarian in college, but started not feeling well after 2 weeks. After reincorporating chicken, I instantly felt better. I'm not sure if this was because of what my body needed or the fact that I wasn't getting enough of what I needed due to the limited choices in our college dining hall. I was doing my best to eat lots of veggies and beans, but my only alternative besides that was Gardenburgers. I think I just didn't have access to enough fresh, quality fruits and veggies to make a true go of it.

    Due to some medical reasons, I am also on a low-sodium, low sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, and no chocolate diet. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I try to buy organic or at Farmers Markets when I can.

    I am trying to start my transition by eating 1-2 meals per day vegetarian or vegan. I have always been a person who felt like I needed "protein" at every meal. I have done a lot of reading and understand there are many plant-based ways to get enough protein.

    When I eat a vegan meal, I often feel empty or light-headed afterward. Although my stomach feels full of food, I feel like I haven't gotten something that I needed from the meal. For example, today I had a great kale salad with plenty of lightly toasted seeds, avocado, shallots, and some olive oil-vinegar-lemon for dressing. My stomach was full, but I felt light-headed after. I am also hungry shortly after some of these types of meals and feel I need to eat some sort of protein -- even some almond butter works. My question is: Is this normal? Did any of you feel like this when you started not eating animal proteins? Is it something my body needs to get used to, or am I not getting enough of something my body needs?

    Thanks for any advice.

  2. #2
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    The salad doesn't sound very filling at all. The avocado is a good start but I'd probably add mixed beans, chick peas, houmous, potatoes something like that.

    We rarely eat just salad on it's own, usually as an accompaniment to something else, I'm not surprised you feel hungry after it.

    EDIT: Have a look at this thread, there's pictures of some of the kind of foods members of this forum eat, might give you some ideas.
    Last edited by Risker; Jun 14th, 2012 at 03:13 AM.
    "I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

  3. #3
    SweetieStarr
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    The food on that thread looks yummy! The problem wasn't hunger. My stomach felt full and I was not hungry. I felt light-headed/dizzy. Usually this happens when I don't get enough protein in a meal. Since kale, seeds, etc. are supposed to supply the amino acids needed for protein production, I am wondering if my lightheaded feeling was normal.

  4. #4

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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    I actually felt the same way when I first became vegan, I think it can be part of how I was brought up (EG you should be eating meat and 2 veg).

    I agree with Risker, salad and vegetables on their own are not filling (or not filling for long). It may be worth buying (or borrowing from the library) some vegan cookbooks which will have some ideas for meals that will satisfy your appetite. At the moment this is one of my favourites: http://www.amazon.com/Hearty-Vegan-M...9654462&sr=8-1

  5. #5
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    You may find you need to eat a bit more in terms of bulk than you're used to to get the equivalent amount of nutrients that you would have got from an omnivorous meal. (This is A Good Thing I believe because bulk is good for your digestive system - but it takes some adjusting to, i.e. you may feel full without having consumed many calories and so on.)

    I do find meals are more satisfying if they contain a fair amount of protein such as nuts - I think this may be partly because it slows down the rate at which the energy in them is used up and prevents blood sugar peaks and troughs which can make you light-headed (if you don't already know about this you could google "glycemic load").

  6. #6
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    After reincorporating chicken, I instantly felt better.
    There are no dietitians on the planet who insist that we need chicken, so you feeling better actually doesn't say anything about your need for chicken... Using myself as an example - have never eaten a chicken, and I never miss it. My protein levels are still above the average for people on a standard diet. We simply don't need animal products.

    I am also hungry shortly after some of these types of meals and feel I need to eat some sort of protein -- even some almond butter works. My question is: Is this normal?
    It's normal if you don't eat enough protein, but it's easy to get enough protein on a vegan diet.

    At the same time: whatever you have done for a long time, and then stop doing, may help you see why you kept doing it for so long time: habits are so... habitual, that we don't even notice that we have them. People who move to other parts of the world sometimes miss the food they used to eat at home, even if they get the same nutrients from other sources. So whatever the reason why you miss protein is - you are normal.
    I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.

  7. #7
    Lentils's Avatar
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    It's very easy to get the RDA for protein but also keep in mind that the RDA accounts for 'incomplete' protein* and also has a 25% buffer on top, in short even government guide lines suggest that it's basically impossible to eat a protein deficient diet unless you are consuming a very reduced amount of calories.
    Last edited by Lentils; Jun 14th, 2012 at 11:36 AM.

  8. #8

    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    My stomach was full, but I felt light-headed after. I am also hungry shortly after some of these types of meals and feel I need to eat some sort of protein -- even some almond butter works. My question is: Is this normal? Did any of you feel like this when you started not eating animal proteins? Is it something my body needs to get used to, or am I not getting enough of something my body needs?
    Maybe your hunger was filled but not your satiety level, which usually involves getting not only enough protein but carbs and fats as well (though your meal example fulfilled the fat requirement). There is such a variety of vegan foods to try, and having a variety in the diet helps fulfill that satiety and all your nutritional needs. When I saw your example of a meal that makes you feel weak and lightheaded, I would feel that way too with a meal like that by itself. For me, I find that I would need more whole grains (quinoa, millet, buckwheat groats, wild/brown rice, oats etc) or something carby to keep me feeling energetic, strong, and satisfied. I know so many people are anti carb and anti grain but they do provide an incredible amount of nutrients, including protein, B vitamins, trace minerals etc if eaten in a more unprocessed manner (not flour but whole and not in a processed box of cereal loaded with sugar). Also, for me, I get more protein bang for my buck out of foods like beans (lentils, variety of split peas, chickpeas, kidney beans etc) tempeh, whole nuts (seeds have never really been that filling for me but I use them as a side or a snack on their own), and higher protein grains like quinoa or wild rice (though this one isnt technically a grain but a seed). My satiety comes not only from grains and the protein types of foods I listed but fats like nuts/butters, seeds, coconut, avocado. I have tried cutting out fats and when I went through an eating disorder and was very sick I abhhored fats but I became quite ill doing this and while my body can't process high amounts of fats now (I get digestive issues), I do need to incorporate some to feel good and its often fats I seem to crave when I crave foods. Each person has to find what works for them though, and it can take some experimentation.

    Due to some medical reasons, I am also on a low-sodium, low sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, and no chocolate diet. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I try to buy organic or at Farmers Markets when I can

    It may be you are being too restrictive with your diet if your medical condition requires you to limit what you eat, though I doubt you are truly missing any nutrients in your diet when you eat vegan meals if you only tried it out for short periods of time or one meal at a time. For nutrient deficiencies to make themselves known you'd have to follow a particular diet or way of eating for a long time (months to years) for this to show up and make a difference in your body. I was extremely underweight with an eating disorder for a long time and it took two years for nutrient deficiencies to make themselves known (spots on skin, lowered bone density, constant strains, hair loss etc). Do you work with a nutritionist or doctor to help with this restricted diet? Are they willing to help you find a good vegan variety of foods to help with your diet? If not maybe its time to do some research. There are excellent vegan nutrion books out there such as "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis which isnt biased toward any fad diet but offers excellent nutrition education on eating vegan.

    At the start of my eating disorder, I had been put on a yeast free sugar free diet for supposed candida issues (I had just had a traumatic hysterectomy/loss both ovaries at 33 years of age back in 2005 and my body was in absolute turmoil; the yeast problem was due extreme hormone imbalance not some crazy candida overgrowth bull I was diagnosed with by a naturopathic doctor). This was back in omnivore days. I cut out all grains, dairy, processed foods, caffieine/coffee/chocolate, even some vegetables that were more starchy and almost all fruit was forbidden, condiments, some dried herbs, the list goes on. I was eating nothing but fresh vegetables, fish, only certain nuts and seeds (bacteria and yeast can hide in some nut skins etc). I was allowed only filtered water or tea made with fresh herbs to drink. I felt awful the whole six months I was on that diet. I had zero energy, had to take naps at work, and I felt light headed all the time. I lost a tremendous amount of weight (I was low normal to begin with). I hated it, and it helped, along with my hormone hellish experience, to trigger my eating disorder. I really didnt know a thing about nutrition then, but I know now that I need variety in my diet, not necessarily processed food, certainly not dairy or meat or any other animal product as I thrive without that stuff, and I still eat mostly whole foods (but allow myself things like plant milks if I am too lazy to make my own, vegan coconut milk based yogurts at least once a week for a treat, very occasionally tofu but try to keep it organic, very occasionally vegan store bought bread such as Ezekial etc or I make my own bread and I am trying to have desserts several times a week to fight my eating disordered habits so I do eat things like homemade from scratch chocolate puddings or smoothies) but I need not be so restrictive. I do find that if I stay away from canned foods (sometimes I do but sometimes not) or processed vegetable broths etc my sodium intake is naturally quite low with a vegan diet (I have never eaten the vegan cheeses or fake meats in the year and four months I have been vegan). In fact to make sure I get enough iodine I incorporate sea vegetables in my diet because I rarely use table salt, and with hypothyroid issues I need enough iodine in my diet.
    I had more energy and felt better immediately upon going vegan, but I did feel a little more weak and had less strength for resistance activities (I especially noticed this when rowing) until I upped my calorie intake and regained a few pounds I initially lost. I found that I naturally needed to eat more as a vegan to maintain and keep my calorie intake up than as an omnivore. I have also changed the way I eat since meat and dairy were not the focal point of meals anymore. I eat vegetables, beans, etc at breakfasts now for instance, or replace eggs with chickpea flour omelletes, and I also need to eat small meals every three or four hours to keep me going (I am in school and working and exercise/bike ride to work etc). I did a lot of my own research on the best way for me to eat as a vegan, what my body needs and craves, and that coupled with working with a dietitican when I was still an omnivore and recovering from my eating disorder helped me figure out what works best for my body. It takes some effort and experimentation but I bet if you keep at it and try different things you'll find something that works for you. Sorry for rattling on so long.

  9. #9
    Muvesz's Avatar
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    Whenever you start to cleanse your system, your body will detox. This takes a different amount of time for everyone. To help it along, make sure you are drinking a lot of water (that will also help keep your sodium levels down).
    I suggest you keep a bag of nuts or 'trail mix' handy for when you get lightheaded or peckish between meals.
    Also, try adding things like quinoa and coconut oil to your diet.
    Don't be afraid to experiment with food, either. Coconut curry with rice and veggies is an example of a pretty cheap, easy, and filling/satisfying meal that you could make in about 20 minutes. (i'm a fan of coconut, can you tell? Haha)

  10. #10
    Torath's Avatar
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    Default Re: I feel I need to eat some sort of protein. Is this normal?

    My thoughts: 1) the light headness is probably your metabolism kicking in high gear after eating. This is normal. I do suggest though eating complex carbs and some fats to engage a slow burn. 2) protein is a common, and significant, part of the diet. Incorporate like 2 servings each of beans/legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains into meals. Think coconut lentil dahl, bean burgers, avocados, sprouted bread, nut pates, hummus, hempseeds, smoothies with nuts and berries, hulled sunflower seeds, falafel pitas, and snap pea stir fry. 3) your body will try to detox and adjust its functions, let it 4) make your meals balanced. at least 2 servings of each food group: grains, beans, (dark leafy) greens, veggies, fruits, nuts (&seeds). 5) eat often. When I'm working out and training hard I eat twice as much and often as most people. Think 6 meals a day (and lunch boxes), or 3 with a bunch of snacks. On a wholefoods healthy vegan diet its unlikely you'll get fat even if you eat as much as you can. Think of it as a perk. ^Maybe this is of some use. In this endeavor, you have my support.

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