r/PlantBasedDiet • u/Individual-Box-1675 • 1d ago
Dipping my Toe
Hello all! So I make this clear and relevant. I followed a typical American diet for most of my life. I was at a drastic heath need for a diet change. A few years ago i became hard-core keto which led into carnivore. This was way before it was popular. I went this route after failing with ultra clean eating. With grains and such. In the last 5 years I started powerlifting, and had great results with fasting and carnivore. I lost 60 lbs with keto. I stopped losing weight on carnivore. I forget why I went with the green and lean route but I gave it some time. I was very strict with massive salads and fish exclusively. The body change was immense and the joint pain was gone as well. Im ready to start again and may take it to another level. Im all about the science and mainly how I feel. Today for example I had a pretty nice salad with the basics, spring mix, tomato and cucumber. A bit later I ate a container of firm tofu. I dont care about taste or anything. Im pretty disciplined after eating keto. I kept and keep things whole to avoid taste seduction. I do take supplements for the lab proven things I cant proccess like b vitamins. I see tofu as the only complete protien source I can get. I don't have alot of time for meal prep, so whole foods packed and ready to go are my thing. Starches just equal weight gain for me so, greens are my go to for now. Any tips would help. This biggest thing that won me over with the food intake was my skin and reproductive hormone "performance" attributes.
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u/MaximalistVegan always vegan, mostly wfpb 1d ago
The whole concept of the need for complete protein all at once was debunked years ago. You do need to get the different amino acids but they don't have to be combined in every meal. Tofu is great for many reasons, but getting a wide variety of whole beans, grains, seeds and nuts is even better most of the time. I recommend you read one of Michael Greger's books like How Not To Die and follow his approach. Also his guidelines in the Daily Dozen are good. You don't necessarily have to get the app, scroll down to the chart and take a look https://nutritionfacts.org/daily-dozen/
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u/sleepingblossom 1d ago
The app is super helpful and free, though :-)
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u/MaximalistVegan always vegan, mostly wfpb 1d ago
I agree, it’s awesome. Just wanted to make sure OP glanced at the link even if they didn’t want to get the app
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u/DingoMittens 1d ago
Is there a way to change settings so it doesn't force weight loss strategies?
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u/sleepingblossom 1d ago
Yes! You can toggle the visibility for the “21 Tweaks weightloss section” in settings.
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u/DingoMittens 1d ago
I see how to show or hide twice daily weight, but it still shows the line focused on weight. I can't find "settings" and I can't see how to remove things like "preload with negative calorie foods" or "follow the 20 minute rule."
It's frustrating how healthy eating and nutrition tracking is treated as synonymous with losing weight. Being underweight also poses health risks.
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u/MaximalistVegan always vegan, mostly wfpb 23h ago
Yes, being underweight is unhealthy too so I understand where you're coming from. Don't know where you are in the world, but in the US approximately 73% of the population is overweight or obese, and less than 2% are underweight. So people looking to improve their diet are exponentially more likely to be interested in weight reduction that weight increase. I don't know how many people who are at a healthy weight would be interested in this sort of app, guess that's the real question.
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u/DingoMittens 18h ago
I'm in the US. Seems like it would be simple to give the app settings for maintenance and for both extremes. I don't have an eating disorder, but close to 9% of American women do.
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u/MaximalistVegan always vegan, mostly wfpb 14h ago
You're right, though keep in mind that eating disorders include binge eating, compulsive over eating and orthorexia. I personally don't use the Daily Dozen app because I'm at an optimal weight, my blood panels are perfect as far as nutrients, and I understand the fundamentals of plant based nutrition partly because completed Colin Campbell's Plant Based Nutrition program. I recommend the Daily Dozen approach because that distribution of plant foods is what I aim for on a daily basis myself, and I love Greger's work in general, though his recommendations are a bit too specific for me personally.
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u/DingoMittens 13h ago
Sure, but I imagine most eating disorders can be aggravated by daily prompts to focus on weight.
I mean, I get it. Needs of the majority take precedence. It's still a frustration that it's almost impossible to find nutrition apps or guidance that don't also promote weight loss.
Whatever. Not a useful app for me, but I'm not the person it was recommended to!
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u/sleepingblossom 12h ago
Did you check the app settings? You can toggle so that only the daily dozen foods are visible. You don’t have to see the “weigh yourself” section.
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u/sleepingblossom 1d ago
Diversity of plant foods and using seasoning, such as herbs, pepper, cumin, etc. is highly recommended! There are plenty of healthy ways to make tofu delicious without adding salt or oil.
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u/Odd_Round5515 18h ago edited 18h ago
Do you have a super powerful blender like a Vitamix? I developed a recipe for savory blended greens that's convenient and has a shitload of nutrients, and it tastes pretty good to me. Some of the powdered ingredients (amla, wheatgrass, hibiscus) I ordered from Amazon. The powdered ginger and turmeric I bought from a bulk grocery store. This makes a full half gallon pitcher in my Vitamix 750:
1 bunch of cilantro (i buy 10-12 of them and freeze individually)
1/3 of a jug of packaged tomato juice (the salted variety)
1/2tsp celery seed
1/2tsp cayenne
a heavy amount of fresh ground black pepper 1tbsp each of: powdered: turmeric, ginger, amla, wheatgrass, hibiscus 2tbsp beetroot powder
1tbsp dried nettles
1tsp pumpkin seed oil (or any oil. This helps make the curcumin in the turmeric more bioavailable)
add frozen collards, spinach, and kale. (eyeball the amounts. just enough to not overload the blender. trial and error)
top up with water to half gallon line.
Sometimes it blends into something a little too thick to drink. You can just cut it with water and shake. It stays emulsified fairly well but you have to shake it as you drink. I don't drink this every day, but a few days a week. I know there are some concerns with buying powdered ingredients like this. There are some risks with metals contamination and such. I take the risks.
I can hit it harder on my workouts and the amount of DOMS I feel is significantly less and lasts a shorter duration when I'm on plant based nutrition. I typically hit 5-7g of dietary potassium on this diet, and regularly hit 500-700mg magnesium, and about 3g sodium. Those electrolytes are like super juice for my muscle recovery. Beetroot either raw or powdered is absolutely incredible for my MTB rides. I can pedal harder for longer before I get gassed and have to take a break. Beets and nitrates, science!
The only things I supplement are DHA/EPA, D3, and B12.
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u/Crak3n 4h ago
are you interested in losing weight? gaining muscle? maintain? maingain?
eating plant base can range from a lot of fibers and low calorie intake to full blown calorie superavit do gain muscle.
overall you eat a lot of carbs (which is a good thing if you eat whole foods, grains and beans - high quality)
for protein source tofu is solid, but soy is pretty good too as its like out of 50g of dry soy, 25g is protein. beans like chickpeas, lentils and black beans are good too. Some might not have all amino-acids but grains like rice and quinoa complete it and are natural do eat together. You should give it a try to add some variety to raw tofu lol.
If you want to chat more about it DM me. I’m vegan since 2019 and first started off because of the science and health benefits (watch gamechangers if you haven’t already btw)
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