Hi! I've been thinking about going vegan or vegetarian for a while, mostly for health reasons. I knew that the meat industry was bad, but I had no idea how fucking bad it was until I watched some (I have no idea how someone would be able to watch it in its entirety, especially in one sitting) of Dominion.

I also have some basic knowledge of nutrition so I'm not going in blind, but I do have some questions and I'd love to get some input and critique over what I feel like would be staple foods for me.

So, for staple foods I was thinking of: rice, farofa , potatoes, pinto beans, black turtle beans, lentils and chickpeas. I know of seitan and texturized soy, but I'm still looking for places to get them from. Also, every single tofu package I've seen has looked pretty disgusting (like gorgonzola cheese but m o i s t) are the ones I've seen just poorly made or does tofu just look like that? The appearance wouldn't put me off from it, but I'd like to know if it does look like that or if I've just had bad luck.
I think I'd be safe on protein but I haven't done the math yet, if anyone has any suggestions on other protein sources I'd be very glad to hear them.
Almost forgot to ask: should I trust the nutritional information on packaging or publicly available ones on the internet more? The ones on the packaging have much better macros and a lot more protein per 100g than the ones I've seen online. (talking mostly about beans and chickpeas here)

Now, I'm curious if vegan "dairy" products (like vegan butter, vegan cheese) are worth it. I'll probably at least try the cheese, I really like cheese and it'd make sandwiches a lot better. On that note: vegan sandwiches ideas? I guess vegan mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and carrots would be the one I would enjoy the most (without vegan meat), but if anyone has any protein-heavy filling ideas I'm open to hearing about them. I guess learning how to make a burrito would make my life a lot easier as i could just use beans or chickpeas for filling. :bean:

Anything I should that I should look out for that has animal products in it, but you wouldn't think so? I know of gelatin, porcelain and cosmetics/hygiene products, but not much else.

Also, what do you guys do when eating out with omni friends or ordering food with people? Just really plain dishes? Same question goes for traveling to non-metropolitan areas, where vegan restaurants are scarce.

I guess one of the good things about going vegan is it kinda forces you to learn how to cook. Anyways, thank you for reading and thank you to all of you who comment suggestions or critique.

  • lilpissbaby [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I meant to say that when I first started researching plant-based diets it was mostly for health reasons, but that's not the case anymore. The main reasons are animal rights and ecological ones, health later. I'm not sure why I would worry about things like porcelain if my main concern was health-oriented. Sorry if I didn't make that clear in the main post.

    Yeah, I know for most people protein isn't hard to get in any diet, but I want to gain lean mass which is why I'm a bit worried, since to optimize lean mass gain I would need to consume more protein than normal. I realize if I need to I can just take protein powder, as you said, but I'd rather just have a balanced diet overall. I would also be worried when eating meat or animal products tbh. I do plan on taking a multivitamin at least for a while until I get the hang of what I'm eating and what I'm lacking with a vegan diet.

    • Ganonplorf [he/him,comrade/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Don't worry, people tend to other estimatethe amount if protein they need to build muscle, remember that there are other factors like sleep and calories. There are plenty of bodybuilders and powerlifters who are vegan like Noah Hannibal, check them out for inspiration.

      Also there is a channel that might help you: hench herbivore. His videos on nutrition are pretty good, he is vegan and recommends eating whole foods plant based to build muscle, here is one of his videos for new vegans:

      https://youtu.be/KfvTS-m9A34

      • lilpissbaby [any]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Yeah, I've seen people of /r/fitness suggesting 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight which is insane to try to meet. And honestly, even if you were wrong you'd be right: I spend way too much time trying to get everything outside of training perfect and then I'll skip on training sessions or have bad quality sleep, which are the things that will hinder your progress the most.
        I saved the video you recommended to my watch later, will definitely take a look. The only vegan fitness people I watch occasionally are Clarence Kennedy and Brian Turner atm.

        • Ganonplorf [he/him,comrade/them]
          ·
          4 years ago

          It happens to the best of us, after all sleep and being consistent with training are obvious things but harder to control than some minute detail you can obssesss over and procrastinate with. Good luck on your journey!