I need some Vegan Help??!
Answers: i just started to become a vegetarian a month ago and now i have decided to become a vegan, which isnt a hard thing to do at all. i have been a vegan for about a week now and im wondering if being a vegan will help me also lose weight? i dont eat alot of junk food anyways and even if i wanted to i cant haha. my body basically runs on soy as well, is this good for you? well if you can help me it would be great. thanksss =D
Congrats on switching to veganism. Losing weight depends on a lot of factors (metabolism, genes, etc.) But if you're eating a healthy, well-balanced diet you probably will find it easier to lose weight. Here are some inspirational vegan weight loss success stories / photos if you're interested: http://goveg.com/f-veganweightloss.asp :)
There's a lot of anti-soy misinformation put out by the dairy industry. In 2000, the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association published a major statement officially recommending that people eat 25 grams or more of soy protein daily as a means of promoting heart health. So, eat away!
Weight loss and weight gain has everything to do with how many calories you're consuming versus how many you're burning. If you're eating a healthy vegan diet with a minimum of junk food, you should probably be able to lose weight if that's what you're trying to do. I personally have been eating vegan for three months and I haven't lost an ounce because I've been trying too many great new recipes, including a lot of tasty baked goods. I figure if I cut back on the cookies and muffins once the holidays are over, it should be a lot easier to lose weight!
Folks generally don't get all the nutrients they require on a strict vegan diet. I know one fellow, for example, who went permanetly blind from prolonged nutritional deficiencies--even though he thought he was on an acceptable diet.
If you begin to feel a little spacey or out of sorts, fry yourself a steak. Steak and eggs. You could probably get by with a nice steak as infrequently as once every few months. Or at least fish--fish is perfectly good food.
Should you ever get pregnant, for your baby's sake, eat a healthy amount of meat and animal protein.
Some vegans will not eat leavened bread (or beer) because these products are the result of yeast fermentation. B12 deficiency is very serious, and not something to take lightly, and bread is not a good source for it. Many breads are baked with eggs and milk, and are therefore somewhat higher in B12.