Can I get enough nutrients eating vegan?!


Question: I decided to go vegan and I would like to know how this diet sounds. Last time I went vegan, i was a raw vegan and i lost a ton of hair and a ton of weight. I dont want to lose any hair this time. so what would be the best foods for me?

on my grocery list i put: brocolli, asparagus, potatoes, marinara sauce and salsa, soy mac n cheese (Amy's Organics), apples, pears, bananas, soy icecream, vegan dressing (for my mixed greens), soy yogurt, kashi nuggets (cereal item), vegan pizza (Amy's Organics), lara bars, vegan black beans. anything else i should add?
oh and i love starbucks..which now i switched to iced coffee with soymilk. sound good?
let me know! thx :)


Answers: I decided to go vegan and I would like to know how this diet sounds. Last time I went vegan, i was a raw vegan and i lost a ton of hair and a ton of weight. I dont want to lose any hair this time. so what would be the best foods for me?

on my grocery list i put: brocolli, asparagus, potatoes, marinara sauce and salsa, soy mac n cheese (Amy's Organics), apples, pears, bananas, soy icecream, vegan dressing (for my mixed greens), soy yogurt, kashi nuggets (cereal item), vegan pizza (Amy's Organics), lara bars, vegan black beans. anything else i should add?
oh and i love starbucks..which now i switched to iced coffee with soymilk. sound good?
let me know! thx :)

Your grocery list looks good. I rarely eat much pre-made Vegan foods like Amy's, Boca, Morningstar but I think they are great for the transistion & great for back up on those overly busy days.
Keep your diet HIGH in fresh food along with what you have. My only addition is a Liquid B-12 Complex ..I get one from "The Vitamin Shoppe" but I have also seen it in my health food section at the grocery store. In all honesty it takes allot to run low on the B-12 but it will give you extra energy.

Slainté (to your health)

you should add "morning star" chicken nuggets, chicken patties, vegie burgers and all there veggie meant if you are going to eat soy protein meats, have no real meat, but dont get the bacon or hot dogs they are gross

I would go to the doctor to make sure that you are not anaemic or low iron, if it is you still don't need to quit veganism, you can just supplant the iron. You will definitely need to supplant B 12 and B 6, which will deplete over time even if you eat eggs and dairy.

Well... the only green vegetables I see on that list are brocolli and asparagus, which is troubling. I think you should pick up a copy of "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. It's complete coverage of vegan nutrition - it's important for you to be able to evaluate your diet on your own and you'll want far more variety than pasta with marinara sauce, fruit and brocolli.

You can get all your required nutrients from a well-planned vegan diet (except B12 which you'll want to supplement.)

Add some multivitamins that have B12 and iron, and also a Calcium and Vitamin D combo supplement.

I've gone vegan recently too. I mean, you'll actually be getting BETTER quality protein & nutrients by going Vegan, if you do it right

I have lots of corn, black beans, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, brown rice, whole grain bread, habaneros, green & black tea. Some coffee. Also goji berries are great sources of protein. And raw cacao is perhaps the best source of antioxidants on the planet.

If you lost hair, you weren't eating well. I've been vegan over a year, vegetarian for 10. I was raw (vegan) for half a year a couple years ago. I've never had a problem with being ill or malnutritioned on any diet i've followed.
Do some research and try to create a menu that's balanced. You don't have to eat everything every day since the body stores, but try to balance it out over time.

Also, Thirsty?DrinkMe has no idea what he's ever talking about. He's a troll that once in a while posts something valid so that everyone overlooks the trolling posts. Most packaged foods (omnivorous, vegan, and everything in between) are fortified. He also has no idea what vegan means, especially when he spouts off about organic foods.

Your grocery list sounds pretty good, but you might want to add some nuts, seeds, tofu, and faux meat products... see http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp for a list of popular faux meats.

These sites have a lot of info about vegan nutrition:

Optimal vegan nutrition:
http://www.goveg.com/optimal_vegan_nutri...

Vegan sources of protein, iron, and calcium:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc...

Vegan food groups:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f...

Good luck!

It sounds like you made up your mind , and are looking for approval not really what people think. Here goes anyway :
I believe you answered your own question when you mentioned your hair loss. Also,there are better ways to loose weight then sacrificing your muscle mass (through a vegan diet),which in effect is going to long term lower your metabolism and immunity.

add kale to your list and ginger. also i'd add avocados and THIS IS A MUST FOR ANY VEGAN

braggs, apple cider vingar

it does wonders for the body and you can use it on salads and in drinks

You may have been losing hair to hormonal shift too.

Check out www.rawfamily.com or www.thegardendiet.com

There are plenty of lifetime vegans out here, so obviously one can get enough nutrients.

Vegan is really not different than vegetarian - other than the choice to not have any dairy, eggs, or wearing of anything to do with animals. So while not 'vegan' - I think I might have some hints for you.

My doctor got me to eating kale - she swears that it is one of the best things to eat. She is a big fan of all leafy vegetables and all vegetables in general - eggplant being one of her personal favorites (I am playing with different ways to fix it - and some have not turned out all that bad).

She also is really into the use of spices - curry, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, clove, garlic, ginger - the list is long.... easiest to just say try using more spices.

She is also a fan of making sure to drink alot of fresh water - and she also suggests that one add things like lemon, some cranberry juice - some sort of fruit to it at times within the day.

I have been taught by her that variety is the key to a healthy diet. She is a strong believer in that one should eat the vegetables and fruits as they are in season as the earth best knows when we need to have and eat them - so I just follow her advice.

I am now VERY HEALTHY - as in the healthiest that I have been in YEARS! My blood pressure in just the last few months has finally gone down to a rate that it hasn't been since I was weight lifting/running years ago.

As to the hair loss problem - I used to have it before I went to vegetarian - no longer have the problem at all. My hair is growing really FAST!

I knew one person that had your problem - but then his diet was nothing like what I am eating at all and suggested by my doctor either which could be why he is going bald, even while the bit of hair that he has is indeed long.

I noticed the absence of leafy green veg from your shopping list, also any grains like brown rice and protein items like tofu and nuts.

To Jezebel: There are a number of trolls on this forum, and Thirsty?Drink Me does as much as anyone to expose them. He is not a troll; he has never hidden the fact that he's a meat eater, and he makes makes an intelligent contribution to V&V. You may not agree with him about every issue, nor do I, but we have enough vicious trolls on here - Skully, Flexi- and FlexitarianVegan, vegan.conscript etc - without accusing sympathetic and generally supportive regulars. Yes, he's had a go at you here - but you did call him out.

It looks like a good start. What are you going to use for B12?

Also, Amy's products aren't vegan. Commercially grown organic produce is fertilized with rendered animal parts and manure. Amy's uses organic produce. That's not vegan.

Jezebel---why don't you shut your blow hole? I know you feel guilty because I know you eat Amy's products. Don't get pissy with me because you feel guilty. You're in the wrong. Commercially grown organic produce is fertilized with rendered animal parts and manure. That is FACT. You choose to eat it when THERE ARE READILY AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVES. When you have a choice between animal exploitation and not, a vegan chooses not. That's pure and simple logic. Maybe not simple enough? Your transgressions and guilt aren't my fault so quit your f-u-c-k-ing whining.

BTW folks---you see those thumbs down you all have? Those are from Jezebel. It's well known she thumbs down most everyone's answers.





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