When your vegan how do you balance your diet?

I'm a bit of an athlete and I've recently become a vegetarian, I'm scared that this diet will affect me and make me become more weary, what are good substitues for meat,eggs and milk?

In the words of Ron White "We didn't climb to the top of the food chain to eat carrots."

Our bodies need meat and dairy. You are depriving yourself of something you need. You can eat all the fruits and vegetables you want but it won't supplement for meat and dairy.

The best answer is the WORST answer I've ever seen. EVERY sentence is false - AND its common knowledge. If humans needed dairy, all humans wouldv'e died before they started consuming it 6,000 years ago. There are entire countries that don't eat dairy. Report Abuse

I haven't had meat in 14 years.
A human body cell regenerates every 7 years.
Therefore - I DON'T NEED MEAT.
Therefore - Ashley(meat-eater) chose a biased answer because she is biased too. Report Abuse

Did you know Carl Lewis was vegan when he won many of those Olympic medals?

You don't need substitues for meat eggs or milk.....or snails, frog legs, eyeballs, ground bone, you get the idea.... we don't need them; we aren't designed for them. They're actually substitutes for food during ice ages.

But since you've been eating un-naturally, you should make a gradual change to the right balance, which is something like this:

40% fruit
30% beans
10% nuts and seeds
20% veggies

Mike D wrote "(raw) grains and legumes are indigestible or even poisonous to humans"
Nope, raw foodists eat these things. I've eaten rice, millet, and many beans raw. Only kidney beans are poisonous raw, yet I've heard people on a raw message board say they eat them raw.

"An herbivore has to eat almost constantly to get enough nutrients "
Yeah! It's a wonderful life. seriously, I only spend about 3 hours a day chomping down food.

whatkindagone - the food "chain" is for carnivores. I'm glad I'm not a part of it. The climbing I do is to progress spiritually(not dietarily but mentaly become more developed.) But it helps to eat 1st hand food and not eat other beings).

Hey whatkindagone,

Sorry, I'm not going to let Ron White dictate my diet, thank you :-)

Fruits and vegetables are not a substitute for meat and dairy. Whole grains and legumes are. A lot of nutrients are redundant in foods (and that's a good thing or we'd all be suffering deficiency diseases).

Meat and dairy have nutrients for sure, but none that are unique except B12 and there are supplements for that.

Keep consuming eggs and dairy. I'd also strongly recommend eating fish and meat. They are excellent sources of protein and other nutrients.

Humans evolved to eat meat and fruit, not grains and legumes. In fact, unless they are cooked and processed, grains and legumes are indigestible or even poisonous to humans. Humans can (and do) eat and easily digest raw meat and fruits and berries. So you can guess which diet is more natural for humans.

Cholesterol is a nutrient as well. It is the primary building block of your brain. You also need vitamin B12 and Omega 3 fatty acids. All of them are found in animal products.

What I would avoid at all costs are any processed foods high in sugar, partially hydrogenated fats and any unnatural foods.

The vegs have their links for their info. Here are some links supporting traditional, whole foods.


P.S. to birdlover. Carnivores sleep so much because they CAN. An herbivore has to eat almost constantly to get enough nutrients to survive. An carnivore doesn't. Meat is a concentrated source of food. Grass is not. Carnivores rest so much because it conserves resources.

Many people believe that eating meat gives them strength.If this is so,then why are the strongest animals in the world vegetarians?All the animals that you do eat, are vegetarians.Where did they get their strength?All the meat eating animals find it necessary to sleep 16-18 hours daily because of excess toxins.The meat eating animals live a very short life.Nature has supplied such a bountiful supply of fresh,wholesome food,that there is never a need to kill an animal for it's more toxic flesh in our modern civilization.
Legumes,soy protein,soy milk,etc are all excellent substitutes for meat or dairy.Go the the library and get a book on vegetarian cuisine.Amazon has tons of books on the subjuct at really cheap prices.Or just google vegetarian info.You'll get so much information,it will take you a really long time to go through it all.Good move going veggie.Going Vegan is difficult.Why not just go lacto-ovo?Look that up.The net will have tons of info.Good Luck.

There have been many vegan athletes who have competed at the highest levels. Carl Lewis, nine time Olympic gold medalist, the International Olympic Committee's Sportsman of the Century and Sports Illustrated's Olympian of the Century, has already been mentioned. Ruth Heidrich and Brendan Brazier are Ironman triathlon champions. If you put in the effort to plan a vegan diet that supports your level of activity, then you have nothing to worry about. I recommend "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, both registered dieticians. They cover all aspects of vegan nutrition and have a chapter dedicated to vegan athletes and their increased energy and nutritional needs.

Yeah, so you are a little tired. I mean what's more important your discomfort or making sure we don't kill anymore animals for food? Hey, it's a choice. Do it right.

Hi

There are plenty of vegan alternatives! Apart from the usual beans, lentils, fruit & veg you should consider....

Soya dairy replacements. Did you know that Soya Milk has more calcium than milk! Cow's milk v Soya Milk:
Soy milk contains on average 2% fat, whereas cow's milk contains naturally around 4% fat. The fat in soy milk (in fact an oil) is better for your health than dairy fat:
- contains no cholesterol
- contains more mono- and poly-unsaturated fats
- contains omega fatty acids

Protein is also something Vegans should be aware of. A lot of people will tell you that meat is the only COMPLETE protein but it's not! Try Quinoa, it's a great that you boil & with a little imagination can be used in loads of recipes!

Also ensure your getting all the healthy 'fatty' oils like Flax seeds etc.

Good luck!