[Gem]

Originally Posted by Debrah

I've been a vegan for ten years now and you're right, there is a lot of conflicting information and nutrition has the potential to get pretty complicated, but it can also be very easy. I think it gets complicated when you start worrying about 'proper ratios' and the right amount of calories.

While I've made a point of learning which are 'primary' vegan protein sources (i.e. lentils, chick peas, nuts, beans, etc.) I haven't gotten bogged down in counting calories / amount of activity that I typically engage in. I'm more concerned with making sure the ones I eat are tasty.

True, knowing your food sources of macro-nutrients would be enough for most, but some have to count everything for various reasons. I count everything, all my portions are weighed, to support my weights training.

I'm of the school that as long as at least one of my meals contains a load of the 'primary' protein source foods, then being a little light on that type of thing in the rest of the meals or snacks isn't dangerous to my health because to be honest, every plant food contains some level of those amazing 'partial-protein' enzymes and our bodies have an amazing ability to match them up to provide the perfect 'whole-protein'.

True, a lot of food contains low levels of protein, and if one includes a high protein source, like lentils for example, that would work out well enough. Far better that a 'pizza and cola' diet, you know.

As to the right number of calories, your appetite and the resulting weight you gain or lose will tell you pretty quickly if you have it right. If you are hungry all the time, you're not eating enough. If you lose weight when you don't want to, eat more or if you are gaining weight, you're eating too much so cut back on portion sizes.

Then it starts to get tricky and matching calories with nutrient rations becomes more important.

For example my typical day will look like this:

Breakfast will be: a homemade breakfast cookie (contains almonds, pecans, rolled oats, shredded carrot, shredded unsweetened coconut, raisins, an oil, some hemp seeds and maybe even a bit of kale for good measure) and a coffee

Lunch will be: a protein smoothie made of an orange, banana, handful of some greens, some unsweetened soy milk and of course, the scoop of Vega protein powder

and Supper will be: a plate load of a lentil curry with veggies cooked into it, on top of some quinoa or even potato chunks or some kind of pasta and with either a salad on the side or a whack of raw sliced veggies (if you want to cut back on the oil you eat)

I'm usually pretty full after that pile of food at supper and if anything, I might finish the day with a snack of a little bowl of wild blueberries or maybe even one of those little tofu dessert thingy's. I don't pay any attention to how many calories I'm eating or whether they are coming from the lentil sources or the veggie sources because I simply can't be bothered. My main focus is including as many veggies as I can, touches of fruit and definitely the smoothie (or something that fills me up equally like maybe a small bowl of some leftover vegetable soup with a handful of cooked lentils thrown in) and then of course something to do with the legumes or lentil type goodies. Might sound kind of haphazard but last year I had to get a blood test and among other things, my protein levels were checked and it was just where it's supposed to be.

That's looks the best vegan diet I have ever seen!

I think when someone is deciding to change their eating habits, it's really important to simplify it in the beginning and point them to a great website that has a lot of easy, delicious recipes that will help them get started.

I think one has to know their protein sources mostly, and your list above is quite high protein, so to me, something along those lines would be a great guideline to go by.