Wholefood Plant Based Diet And Health Journey

leftatthetrafficlights

I watched a documentary on Netflix last week called Health Of The Nation as it was recommended to me by a friend - some of the things on there shocked me despite me thinking that I had a reasonable amount of knowledge about nutrition!

Since then I've been watching and reading a lot of Dr Michael Greger's stuff  - I've got to say that the more I've learned (all of his stuff is evidence based from thousands of peer reviewed research papers, plus he gives all profits from his books/website/speaking engagements etc to charity so no financial gain for him) the more pleased I am that I'm vegan!!! 😳 

I went vegan originally for ethical reasons but looking at all the evidence I'm really glad from a heath perspective that I did!

However, like many long term vegans, I've become a bit complacent about my health - the availability of vegan fast food/vegan choices in supermarkets has not helped me! 🤦‍♀️ - but I'm getting older and want to live as disease/illness free as I can as I age....thankfully, I'm in good health at the moment so my aim is to maintain that as the bare minimum but hopefully improve it! 

From now on I will definitely be tweaking my diet to make sure that I optimise the healthy aspects veganism by eating more of a wholefood plant based diet and will be using this diary to document how I do this in the most MSE way 😁 

I have a few things in my favour already - an absolute stockpile of lentils and grains plus veggie beds in my garden - so I intend to utilise those as much as possible. 

A few weeks ago we sowed lots of veg seeds - yesterday we planted most of those out and I have altered a couple of the original plans to give us more of the veg that I will be using more often. Obviously this will save us money and there really isn't anything quite as nice as picking and cooking straight from the garden! 

Fruit is one of the things that we will always have to buy though - we just don't have room to grow it and, living rurally, we have far too many garden creatures to ever get a decent crop. We do have a few strawberry plants but they have never been particularly successful or safe!! 😂 

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me for now - I have a chamomile tea to drink!! 😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Dinner tonight was a bowl of buckwheat, quinoa and black speckled lentils topped with masses of spinach, rocket and watercress, dressed with balsamic vinegar then chopped strawberries, papaya and raspberries a spoonful of hommous and a handful of sunflower seeds 😁 in all honesty there was far too much food in my bowl but I've put the leftovers in the fridge and will have them for brekkie tomorrow - best thing about it is that despite the huge quantities consumed, I genuinely don't feel bloated - just satisfied and full!! 🙌 

Tomorrow I'm making roasted cauliflower steaks - not sure of what other veg I'm putting with it yet 🤔

leftatthetrafficlights

I got up a later today than I intended!!

I took my starting weight and measurements this morning- I want to see what, if anything, following this way of eating will do to them.  

I had a smoothie for breakfast- watermelon, berries, apple and spinach. 

I then cleaned my house for a couple of hours so that covers the excercise for the day 😁

I then cooked for the next couple of days so skipped lunch - not ideal but I just wasn't hungry as I'd had my smoothie so late 🤦‍♀️ 

Dinner tonight are back bean burgers, harissa roasted cauliflower; steamed carrots and green beans; steamed kale which is sautéed in a dressing made from nigella seeds, cumin, ginger, garlic,apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast; cannellini bean and harissa puree. 

I have a feeling that I'm going to be very full!! 😳😂

[Deleted User]

The wholefood choice of fibre/fibrous foods aren't suitable to a lot of bodies as their system doesn't break them down and/or process them efficiently, be mindful of changes in body habits.
A varied and widespread diet is optimal and not a focus on certain foods.
Like you, i chose this eating pattern for a long time.

leftatthetrafficlights

Catsacor said:

The wholefood choice of fibre/fibrous foods aren't suitable to a lot of bodies as their system doesn't break them down and/or process them efficiently, be mindful of changes in body habits.
A varied and widespread diet is optimal and not a focus on certain foods.
Like you, i chose this eating pattern for a long time.

Not sure exactly what you're trying to say here? 🤔

'The wholefood choice of fibre/fibrous foods aren't suitable to a lot of bodies as their system doesn't break them down and/or process them efficiently'

I'd be interested to know what scientific evidence you have seen to support that claim...
 
The fibre we don't digest is excellent for bowel health. Good gut bacteria thrive on fibre and make short-chain fatty acids which are absorbed by the colon into the blood stream. High fibre appears to reduce the risk of cancers of the colon and breast, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and a number of studies now show that a high fibre intake may also help ward off stroke. 

'A varied and widespread diet is optimal and not a focus on certain foods.
Like you, i chose this eating pattern for a long time.'

A wholefood plant based diet is an optimal diet - it is extremely varied and widespread so I don't understand what you are trying to say here?

If you chose a vegan diet for a long time like I have, I'm highly surprised that you are suggesting that it's not an incredibly varied diet - my only issue with my vegan diet is that I have become a bit lazy and started eating more processed vegan foods due to their availability which is why I am 'tweaking' my diet to optimise it, not completely changing it! However, if I wasn't a long term vegan I would certainly be changing my diet to become one!!!

leftatthetrafficlights

Smoothie for breakfast - watermelon, berries, apple, kale, spinach, watercress, flaxseed and cashew nuts. 

Lunch was leaves, spinach, rocket,  watercress, buckwheat, quinoa, cooked carrots, kale and green beans, papaya, sunflower seeds and balsamic vinegar - not sure I'll have room for dinner tonight!! 😳😂

Longwalker

Whilst theres not a mission I would become vegan, Im with you, eating a clean diet is far healthier then an UP one

Ive been watching the increase of "vegan" products with interest and tbh been wondering who in their right minds would eat them?

I work in a vegetable processing plant, and our waste is sold on to the producers of these plant based products. Potato starch in particular. You see potato starch when it comes out of the potato peeler? Its pure black sludge. We then put it through a press to remove as much water as possible and it can be sat draining for weeks before its taken away to be turned into veggie burgers etc. Before the rise of the UP vegetarian market, we gave it to farmers to feed cattle with 

maisie_cat

Longwalker said:

Whilst theres not a mission I would become vegan, Im with you, eating a clean diet is far healthier then an UP one

Ive been watching the increase of "vegan" products with interest and tbh been wondering who in their right minds would eat them?

I work in a vegetable processing plant, and our waste is sold on to the producers of these plant based products. Potato starch in particular. You see potato starch when it comes out of the potato peeler? Its pure black sludge. We then put it through a press to remove as much water as possible and it can be sat draining for weeks before its taken away to be turned into veggie burgers etc. Before the rise of the UP vegetarian market, we gave it to farmers to feed cattle with 

I have watched many food factory type documentaries and frankly the thought of eating most UP food turns my stomach.
I think the rise of UP vegetarian and vegan foods has scooped up lots of by products and wonky veg and gone the way of chicken nuggets and cheap sausages. 

MMMee

I'm watching this thread with interest - loving the joy the OP is finding in food Very inspiring.

I'm changing things too - been veggie since 1984 but never gone vegan, originally because back in the 80s they always seemed like the paramilitary wing of the Vegetarian Society, and more recently because I don't like being told what to do...

But I am in the process of changing things and perhaps going vegan is my next step - via organic anyway. Quorn has been my default for aeons now, but I'm definitely doing my best to get away from anything pre-processed , and after only a few weeks of it I am feeling better all around. 

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration @leftatthetrafficlights

Longwalker

maisie_cat said:

Longwalker said:

Whilst theres not a mission I would become vegan, Im with you, eating a clean diet is far healthier then an UP one

Ive been watching the increase of "vegan" products with interest and tbh been wondering who in their right minds would eat them?

I work in a vegetable processing plant, and our waste is sold on to the producers of these plant based products. Potato starch in particular. You see potato starch when it comes out of the potato peeler? Its pure black sludge. We then put it through a press to remove as much water as possible and it can be sat draining for weeks before its taken away to be turned into veggie burgers etc. Before the rise of the UP vegetarian market, we gave it to farmers to feed cattle with 

I have watched many food factory type documentaries and frankly the thought of eating most UP food turns my stomach.
I think the rise of UP vegetarian and vegan foods has scooped up lots of by products and wonky veg and gone the way of chicken nuggets and cheap sausages. 

I think people really need to research for themselves what it is they eat so they can make an informed choice, like the OP has.

Dont get me wrong, Im not a saint, I love a Mc D's same as everyone. But a 1/4 pounder from there - I inhale it and am starving two hours later. A HM or butchers burger, forget the bun, I struggle to finish the burger alone.

When I cook a chip at home, one medium potato does me, fills me - a bag of crisp? Family bag and then thats just a wee snack and there wouldn't be a potato in the bag, but the salt, sugar and fat would be off the scale 

Once supermarkets took control of our food, the writing was on the wall. They need you to buy, often, lots off, and they cant afford waste so waste is used. A huge difference in us at home working with a rubber chicken. Once upon the time it all went to pet food, we never had special pet food before supermarkets, now most of it goes back in the food chain

Mnoee

I'm a veggie and cook the vast majority of my meals from scratch - I have been more health conscious recently, so I've been making little changes like making pizza dough with wholewheat flour and chucking spinach in fresh pasta dough. For me that's the right level of health vs enjoyment. I also know a cracking recipe for seitan burgers, if anyone's craving one... https://www.willspages.com/?p=2365 (I usually don't add the fried coating, they're still good!)