Going 80% vegan

[Yuriman]

That is true of many "nut" milks, but not the same for Soy milk. Soy milks are a better alternative for cow milk than any other.

Unless you have a sensitivity to it, of course. I do very well with soy but it's not for everyone.

 

[mike8675309]

Unless you have a sensitivity to it, of course. I do very well with soy but it's not for everyone.

True. Shop for deals on nuts and with a food processor or a high speed blender you can make your own nut milks which ware much better than those you buy in stores. Just be aware that if you make your own milks you won't get the added calcium and vitamin D that is added to nearly all milk, including cow.

 

[Kaido]

That is true of many "nut" milks, but not the same for Soy milk. Soy milks are a better alternative for cow milk than any other.

Silk Soymilk:

https://silk.com/products/original-soymilk

INGREDIENTS: Soymilk (Filtered Water, Soybeans), Cane Sugar, Contains 2% or less of: Vitamin and Mineral Blend (Tricalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin [B2, Vitamin B12), Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Gellan Gum.

Soymilk + sugar + a bunch of added vitamins + salt + whatever is in their "natural flavor" + a gum. It's pretty easy to make soymilk at home these days; they even have a special kettle now that does the grinding & cooking AIO:

https://www.amazon.com/SoyaJoy-G4-Maker-Stainless-Inside/dp/B00ALM5ZFM

It's worth looking at dairy vs. soymilk as both natural & modified (fortified soy vs. hi-calcium/low-fat dairy):

https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nutrition/food-tips/soy-cow-milk-which-better-for-you

 

[Yuriman]

Silk is awful anyway.

I tend to switch between Trader Joe's unsweetened (70 calories, water, soy beans, carrageenan, vitamins) and Westsoy (100 calories, water, soy beans). Admittedly emulsifiers probably shouldn't be in our diet, but there are far greater evils we eat regularly.

 

[PeterScott]

Silk Soymilk:

https://silk.com/products/original-soymilk


Soymilk + sugar + a bunch of added vitamins + salt + whatever is in their "natural flavor" + a gum. It's pretty easy to make soymilk at home these days; they even have a special kettle now that does the grinding & cooking AIO:

You can get unsweetened silk. You really can't complain about the sugar you don't want when it is totally optional.
https://silk.com/products/organic-unsweetened-soymilk

I like Silk. I get both the Red and Green versions. It's convenient, tastes pretty good to me(I tried many, Silk is my favorite), and a little extra Vitamin D and B12 supplementation is not a bad thing for Vegans.

Really with all the soaking, and long cook times of legumes, I really can do without the hassle of making my own soymilk.

 

[balloonshark]

I stumbled across this kindle ebook deal on slickdeals. It's currently $1.99 and it somehow used my slow shipping credits despite not being sold by amazon llc so it was free for me.

Plant-Based Nutrition, 2E (Idiot's Guides) Kindle Edition

If anyone wants to start a proper plant-based topic (and link back to this one) I would certainly join in. I've been 100% plant-based since the 1st and I'm doing fine. I still have much to learn though.

 

[Kaido]

If anyone wants to start a proper plant-based topic (and link back to this one) I would certainly join in. I've been 100% plant-based since the 1st and I'm doing fine. I still have much to learn though.

Things I would recommend:

1. Ease into your fiber intake, this is what kills everybody - you start eating 'healthy' but overdose your gut for what it can handle, today, fiber-wise. You GI tract will wreck you if you don't start small, haha.

2. Stay on top of your B12 game. If you're in it for health & not animal-related reasons, then just eat an egg once in awhile.

3. I picked up a Kitchenaid vegetable sheet cutter recently. It's amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing:

https://downshiftology.com/vegetable-sheet-cutter-the-new-spiralizer/

4. I would highly recommend trying to eat by your macros. A lot of people want to switch to a healthier diet & struggle for a variety of reasons, such as (1) they're eating a diet comprised entirely of real food, but aren't eating enough calories per day to properly fuel their bodies, (2) not getting nearly enough protein, or (3) eating a lot of vegan junk food & eating too many calories per day, which will make make you fat, even though the sources may be "healthier":

https://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

5. Vegan energy bites or "bliss balls" make great snacks (basically a granola bar, but made fresh & rolled into a ball...but can be any flavor you want!). Super easy to prep, no baking required! Smoothies also make great meal replacements, especially if you want to add powdered protein to the mix, because there are more options than ever available now for vegan protein powders.

6. I like to experiment with aquafaba (bean water, usually chickpea brine) a lot. You can make a lot of neat stuff with it, including homemade butter:

http://plantepusherne.dk/vegan-aquafaba-butter/

7. I've done vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free vegan, raw vegan, and fruitarian in the past. You can make a good diet out of pretty much anything, especially thanks to the Internet, where you have access to stuff like Pinterest, where people have already figured out good recipes for you & all you have to do is make them, which is a huge time & money-saving shortcut. There are also plenty of alternative methods of cooking different items, so you don't really have to miss out if you don't want to, even for things like really great pancakes:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/04/vegan-aquafaba-pancake-recipe.html

 

[PeterScott]

Things I would recommend:
2. Stay on top of your B12 game. If you're in it for health & not animal-related reasons, then just eat an egg once in awhile.

Really I think most of your advice is more like your preferences than advice, and suggesting an egg once in a while for B12 is questionable at best:
http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/egg-nutrition-facts-panels/

An egg only has 15% of RDA for B12. Is once in a while, 7 times/day?

A single cup of commercial nut milk (like Soy Milk) has 50% B12 RDA. Two cups of commercial nutmilk Or supplement B12 are better options, to cover B12 RDA than eggs.

IMO, Start simple with the essential simple whole plant foods, and then you can worry about things like Vegetable Spiralizers and Bliss balls later if you feel the need.

IMO AIM for two servings of Greens and Legumes (Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas, etc) per day add any other vegetable of your choice, and plant starch of choice(Potatoes are unfairly maligned and great nutrition), through in some nuts/whole grains and eat enough. The main Vegan mistake is not eating enough because vegetables are nutrition dense, but they are NOT calorie dense.

Do that I bet you hit RDAs and Protein that you require without worrying about tracking anything.

But if you are concerned, just plunk what you are eating into cronometer occasionally.

If you are eating enough whole plant foods, and including Legumes and Nuts/Seeds, then you really only have to be concerned about:

B12: As previously mentioned Supplement or drink commercial nutmilks. (I do both)
Vitamin D: Nearly Everyone is deficient in Northern latitudes. I have always supplemented 1000 IU/day in winter, and that didn't change with Vegan transition.

If I was going to recommend One Animal product, once in a while, it would be Fish, Salmon in particular is almost perfect to counter Vegan gaps:

A single Can of Sockeye Salmon has:
400% RDA of B12
250% RDA of Vitamin D

IOW Salmon is overflowing with the two nutrients that are missing from a Vegan diet.

Also it is one of the best sources for Long chain Omega 3 fatty acids, also not found in plants. Though we can synthesize them from Short Chain ALA found in Flax seeds/Walnuts. I have a scoop of flax in my oatmeal every day for a steady supply of ALA.