The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

A place to discuss health and fitness, including healthy diets, etc.
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KathyLauren
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by KathyLauren »

DNS wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 4:33 pm
Paul2020 wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 11:23 am From a purely physiological perspective, does anybody have any handy tricks to get your body to acclimatize to a vegetarian diet without crashing whilst engaging in endurance sport? I caved after only a couple of weeks, but I would like to try again!
You might be missing the high protein foods, which can easily be found in vegetarian and even vegan foods. There are nuts and also the vegan meat-substitutes. If you like them there are now vegan burgers that taste very similar to meat, including Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger. There is also falafel and other ethnic type foods, Indian foods which are delicious, filling and full of protein.
You don't have to use processed foods. They tend to be expensive. For protein, you want to have both grains and legumes regularly in your diet. Legumes are the pea and bean families, including lentils, tofu and peanuts. You can pick up dried lentils and beans in most supermarkets for cheap, and get all the nutrients of a Beyond Burger.

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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by gendun »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:20 pm
I make a basic mix of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, turmeric, fenugreek, and cinnamon all slightly toasted and ground.
I make a paste by adding oil to a portion of the spices and add a little fresh grated ginger and crushed garlic and ground chilli to
make a paste which I fry gently before adding veg/tofu/quorn etc
Quantities for all these?
And I'm guessing you're adding coconut milk to the paste?
As I said, I make small quantities to keep the flavors fresh. So about a tablespoonful of each spice to make the mix.I don’t often use coconut milk. I make the paste with a about two tablespoons of the mix (which is called garam masala) a little vegetable oil and a half tablespoonful of chopped garlic and fresh ginger root.
Obviously if you are cooking for a lot of people the proportions will need to be doubled or tripled.
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DNS
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by DNS »

KathyLauren wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:31 pm You don't have to use processed foods. They tend to be expensive. For protein, you want to have both grains and legumes regularly in your diet. Legumes are the pea and bean families, including lentils, tofu and peanuts. You can pick up dried lentils and beans in most supermarkets for cheap, and get all the nutrients of a Beyond Burger.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy
Also, probably not that healthy. The meat substitutes are best just for a transitional period for new vegetarians. They are processed to death and some of the process in making the foods look and taste and have texture like meat or deli slices may not be that healthy.
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Grigoris
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

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Paul2020 wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 11:23 am Interesting reading.

I am trying to beat my own personal best marathon time and - from an ethical standpoint - have been interested in giving up meat for a while now. I tried this in January this year and my body went into meltdown and could barely run at all...

From a purely physiological perspective, does anybody have any handy tricks to get your body to acclimatize to a vegetarian diet without crashing whilst engaging in endurance sport? I caved after only a couple of weeks, but I would like to try again!

Tofu stir fry is yummy and spelt flakes with soya milk is my go-to breakfast.
I would recommend slowly weening off, rather than stopping suddenly.

Replace the meat with dairy and eggs. Especially butter. You may want to use butter instead of oil due to your need to consume fat as a marathon runner. Oil is a fat too, but animal based fat is different to vegetable based fat.

Eat lots of nuts and seeds between (and during) meals.

Use coconut cream in your food.

Slowly build up the use of beans and pulses (and plant based meat substitutes like tofu, seitan, TVP, etc). This is to get your gut used to these, so as to avoid gas.

Check out if you have any food allergies you were previously unaware of. Switching from meat brings a broad range of food into our diet that we may not have used in the past. It may be one of the reasons your body crashed.

As a marathon runner carbohydrates are really important and switching to vegetarian/vegan should not effect this.

Do you use protein supplements? Amino acids?
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

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I haven't been able to ditch fish once a week, other than that I am doing ok with Rice and Beans, with occasional cheese. I'm surprised because I'm working out harder than I ever have (thanks boxing gym & coach), but seem to be muddling through ok. I do still notice that I begin to feel depleted over a week, some of the veggie stuff from Gardein is ok.
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

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Johnny Dangerous wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:02 pm I haven't been able to ditch fish once a week, other than that I am doing ok with Rice and Beans, with occasional cheese. I'm surprised because I'm working out harder than I ever have (thanks boxing gym & coach), but seem to be muddling through ok. I do still notice that I begin to feel depleted over a week, some of the veggie stuff from Gardein is ok.
Eggs are the deal.
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

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Grigoris wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:09 pm
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:02 pm I haven't been able to ditch fish once a week, other than that I am doing ok with Rice and Beans, with occasional cheese. I'm surprised because I'm working out harder than I ever have (thanks boxing gym & coach), but seem to be muddling through ok. I do still notice that I begin to feel depleted over a week, some of the veggie stuff from Gardein is ok.
Eggs are the deal.
Yeah, I have them about twice per week.
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Grigoris »

Johnny Dangerous wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:11 pmYeah, I have them about twice per week.
And nuts. If you are not allergic to them, peanuts are cheap and stacked with protein. Dry roasted ones are the best.

I go through about a pound a week.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:21 pm
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:11 pmYeah, I have them about twice per week.
And nuts. If you are not allergic to them, peanuts are cheap and stacked with protein. Dry roasted ones are the best.

I go through about a pound a week.
They give me GI problems unfortunately, I have to limit my intake of them.
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Pårl »

Thanks for all the helpful tips everyone. I will try the "stepping stone" approach and first try moving for to vegetarian with dairy/eggs. I already consume lots of nuts and that definitely helps (although admittedly with too much salt...) Will try slowly ramping up the legumes over the next few weeks. I will let you all know how it goes.

I really don't mind the taste and texture of tofu at all, so I think I can skip the fake meat thing. Actually the idea of anything meat-like kind of puts me off anyway.
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

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Paul2020 wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:23 am Thanks for all the helpful tips everyone. I will try the "stepping stone" approach and first try moving for to vegetarian with dairy/eggs. I already consume lots of nuts and that definitely helps (although admittedly with too much salt...) Will try slowly ramping up the legumes over the next few weeks. I will let you all know how it goes.

I really don't mind the taste and texture of tofu at all, so I think I can skip the fake meat thing. Actually the idea of anything meat-like kind of puts me off anyway.
In the beginning meat substitutes seem pretty weird, but once the cravings start to kick in... :smile:

Do the allergy test too.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
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"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by DharmaJunior »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:20 pm
I make a basic mix of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, turmeric, fenugreek, and cinnamon all slightly toasted and ground.
I make a paste by adding oil to a portion of the spices and add a little fresh grated ginger and crushed garlic and ground chilli to
make a paste which I fry gently before adding veg/tofu/quorn etc
Quantities for all these?
And I'm guessing you're adding coconut milk to the paste?
zero on the fenugreek barring spice grinder. Hell of a grind.

maybe you're fine with nuts... cleaning up at the ass end... just saying.. don't spooge.

coco milk, isn't it a bit more thai than indian?
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Pårl »

Evening all. Well September was a bit hit and miss... but things are looking up... two weeks of complete vegan diet in the bag and I am now half-way through week three. Doing ok so far and my soul definitely feels better for it!
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE BRUSSELS SPROUTS
I always hated eating them, because people usually just boil the hell out of them until they become bitter and slimy, then put butter all over them.
This is my easy recipe for the best BS ever. You use as little or as much of each ingredient as you like.

Brussels sprouts
Shallots or green onions & garlic
Black pepper
Soy sauce
Oil for sautéing
Frying pan with lid



1. Remove outer leaves of the Brussels and slice them through the middle symmetrically.
2. Chop, then sauté shallots in the frying pan. If you don’t have shallots, use green onions and a little garlic.
3. Place the Brussels sprout halves open face (flat side) down on the shallots/onions.
4. Douse with soy sauce and black pepper.
5. Cover (put the lid on it) and cook on medium heat for about five minutes or until the sprouts are tender.

Basically what is happening is that the Brussels sprout halves are like little domes, and by resting flat side down, which is open and exposed, they absorb all the flavor of the shallots, soy sauce, and pepper, enhancing the cabbagey flavor of the Brussels without them getting bitter and slimy. The open (flat) side gets a nice, dark, glazed surface, while the heat going up through the tiny gaps between the leaves is trapped inside, so they are getting steam-cooked at the same time.
EMPTIFUL.
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Pårl
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Pårl »

Nice recipe idea! Actually I had brussels sprouts for dinner this evening as it happens... I just roasted them with a little olive oil. Your recipe sounds even tastier :)
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Kim O'Hara »

:twothumbsup:

I hated Brussels sprouts since I was a kid, and it started because my mum boiled them to death.
Your recipe looks good, though. For a bit of extra flavour, you could toss in some sesame seeds, or use half-half sesame oil and canola for frying.

A simpler way of cooking them is the microwave - just halve them and put them in a bowl with some butter and pepper and (again) don't cook them too long!

:stirthepot:
Kim
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by DNS »

I think certain vegetables like Brussels sprouts release some kind of sulfur or smell when they are cooked too much and this is probably the reason why so many don't like to eat them, associating them with the smell. If it's not cooked too much, it probably wouldn't have that smell.
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Paul2020 wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:29 pm Evening all. Well September was a bit hit and miss... but things are looking up... two weeks of complete vegan diet in the bag and I am now half-way through week three. Doing ok so far and my soul definitely feels better for it!
Uu congrats! I would only make a recomendation of not being afraid of taking b12 supplements and eating them legumes. Legumes are basically a must on a vegan diet. And great for longevity too.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Recently I found out that with using flax seed flour it is super easy to create thick sauces I would normally use potato/corn starch to make. Makes me super excited as flax seeds contain omega3's and also other useful things so it adds a nutritional value to my meals.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
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Pårl
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Re: The Veggie Enthusiast Corner

Post by Pårl »

Good idea about using flaxseeds to thicken things and for the omega 3s. I use flaxseed oil as my go-to salad dressing (mixed with apple cider vinegar/lemon juice). Thanks for the handy tip about B12 - I think that's the only thing missing right now. I found vegan drops you put on your food; was thinking of trying those. I guess there's no really easy way to check if your levels are low or not.

I find everything tastes better roasted! :)

It's my kid's birthday on Saturday. I was going to try making vegan brownies. Not sure if anyone has any recipes for that? :popcorn:
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