Transitioning

[JoeBroccoli]

I am transitioning to a pegan lifestyle. If youre not familiar its a cross between Paleo and vegan. I think I will eventually become vegetarian completely but right now I see still opt for the cleanest meats I can find. Are there any suggestions on transitioning from a bad diet to a healthy one without binging?

[benwl]

Welcome to the site

I'd not come across pecan before so been looking it up - sounds interesting.

I'm a different sort of vegan, with lower fats and proteins and lots of beans and grains.

When I went vegan I took a 'big bang' approach. The advantage of that is that it made things very clear and simple as to what I was allowed to eat or not, and I could avoid having off limits food in the house that might tempt me. That said many people adopt a slower approach.

One thing I would advise is to not try and change diets and cut calories at the same time, but make sure you are eating enough to feel full on the new diet. That way you won't build a negative association between the new diet and being hungry.

[BadHare]

I'm vegetarian, but follow a functional medicine practitioner called Chris Kresser, who is pro paleo & a wee bit anti-veggie. He advocates having an 80% healthy, ie unprocessed diet, with 20% flexibility for treats, meals out, etc, though I try to keep this below 10% to help reduce the impact of health issues.

Most of my meals are plant based & I try to limit starchy foods & grains to what I need rather than what I'd like, for combining amino acids effectively. I'm quite inactive, & store starchy carbohydrates too readily, & found I put too much weight being vegan, hence reintroducing dairy. That's a personal problem rather than a vegan issue. I drink dairy kefir every day for probiotics, protein, B12 & K2, & use a little cheese as a seasoning. Around a third to half of my protein intake is from nuts & seeds, which are filling & good for healthy oils, the rest from lentils, peas & beans, etc, not processed veggie foods, & no unfermented soy. I've found that as long as I have sufficient protein intake from my diet, I rarely feel the need to binge on anything, so aiming for 40-50g of protein a day suits me.

Something I've picked up from veggie folks over the years is that sudden dietary change is harder to stick to than a gradual transition, so perhaps have a plan in mind for gradually transitioning to a vegan diet so your body doesn't rebound. Make sure you're familiar with the nutrients you need & where to get them from plant based sources, or if necessary, get your micronutrients from reliable supplements. I take sublingual B12 despite high dietary intake, B complex (nutritional yeast is good for Bs, as well as being a tasty vegan staple), iron & magnesium. The Vegan Society has lots of excellent resources, & if you look online, you may find a local vegan group for support. There's at least one group in each of my nearest cities. There are a few vegans on here that may chip in, too: andyswarbs & benwl are helpful.

[Rignold Keto]

I have never heard of this before. I would have thought Paleo was completely antithetical to vegan

[benwl in reply to Rignold]

I was puzzled too

I found this link about it

drhyman.com/blog/2014/11/07...

Of course it could be argued that a true paleo diet would be largely vegan, as the evidence that our paleolithic ancestors did actually consume the levels of meat claimed is a little weak

[Rignold Keto in reply to benwl]

Hmm. That's a strange vegan diet: meat is allowed as a side dish, eggs are fine, and fish is okay if you are okay with it ethically.

But yeah, not unreasonable.

[Penel in reply to benwl]

A very interesting link, thanks benwl.

I guess our ancestors would have been opportunist omnivores, capable of surviving on whatever their environment provided.

[BadHare in reply to benwl]

Thanks benwl !

I signed up for MH's emails before Chris Kresser, but missed that. It's an interesting article for omnivores.

[Penel]

Hi

Benwl has given us a good explanation of ‘pegan’ but I’m wondering what you mean by ‘clean meat’?

[BadHare in reply to Penel]

Clean food is food that's in it's natural state, & not been processed.

With meat in mind, steak rather than processed sausages.

[Hidden]

Anyone close to Leicester, UK would be very welcome at the workshops this charity provides. They are open to everyone, regardless of their health issues as part of their education program. Almost all of their workshops are on a free or donation basis, but book early as their nutrition 4 life workshop is normally fully booked 4-6 weeks before it runs. I do know we are looking to start taking this workshop around the UK this year, so if anyone has a free venue or can help us do this, please contact us on: [e-mail]

togetheragainstcancer.org.u...

[deejames]

A cross between a vegan and Pale diet sounds a bit of an oxymoron to me. Vegan = no animal products. Paleo - heavily meat based. How is that going to work?

Dee

[JoeBroccoli in reply to deejames]

It's still minimal meat. Just vegan with organic grass fed beef, free range chicken, and wild caught fish. Still no dairy though with the exception of grass fed cow butter which studies show is healthy in moderation.

[deejames in reply to JoeBroccoli]

I think you may be confusing vegan with something else. A vegan eats no animal products at all . It doesn't matter the source or the quantity. No meat, mo fish, no dairy, no honey even.

You can't be a bit vegan or a bit vegetarian. It's all or nothing.

Dee

[miss_m]

This is what happens when we feel the need to attach labels to define ourselves. I learnt a long time ago that people can be very touchy regarding Vegetarianism / Veganism. Outside of forums such as this I have never introduced myself as a vegetarian or now as a Vegan because I don't want to have to justify myself. If pushed, I would say have a plant based diet. If the diet suits you then that's the main thing. Don't worry about having to give yourself a label.

As for transitioning to a healthier diet, I would say, be kind to yourself and make the changes gradually. It will not only give your body time to adjust, it will also ( perhaps more importantly) give your mind/intent time to adjust. Best of luck!

[deejames in reply to miss_m]

Good points miss.m. I agree with you about not categorising a way of eating according to strict parameters. However I think an understanding of the terms is important.

Dee

[miss_m in reply to deejames]

You made a really good point and I agree when you said you cannot be "a bit vegan or a bit vegetarian" especially for terms such as " a cross between Paleo and vegan" I'm not sure I understand the concept of the latter. Hence my point about labels.

[JoeBroccoli]

Well I didnt realize labels stir up so much debate! Im just committed to eating healthier. Increasing my vegetable, fruit, and water intake and excercise more.