Any vegans?

[kenny]

A website you might want to check out is The Minimalist Baker.

Thanks for this missy.
Though I'm not a vegan, I'm a baker using only whole-grain, freshly-milled flours.
I mill all my flour from whole-wheat kernels seconds before using it.
Just like with freshly squeezed orange juice, immediate use of milled grains dramatically affects flavor and nutrition.

I'm always on the lookout for healthy baking sites.
For specialized stuff like this the Internet is golden!

 

[Kaycee2018]

Not vegan, but a 25 year vegetarian and eat vegan whenever its an options...which is so much easier now vs. back in the early nineties when I gave up meat! It sounds like you are working closely with your doctor to see how going vegan affects your health issues, which I think is the best thing you can do. GL!

 

[pearlsngems]

Some years ago I went vegan for about half a year. I joined VeggieBoards at that time, a forum for vegetarians and vegans. You might want to check it out.

 

[cmd2014]

When I was eating vegan/vegetarian, I focused a lot on Indian food, because they have a whole culture that is designed around this and the food is delicious!

I do have to admit that I have not found a single diet that has made a dent in my AI issues though. Literally zero difference on AIP, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian, or any combo of what is out there. My dietitian has also indicated that there is not much research support in controlled clinical trials for these diets either on markers of inflammation, but as Kenny says, people vary so ymmv. Honestly, the only thing that works on managing inflammation for me has been the self-care stuff - making sure to get enough sleep, manage my stress, splinting to immobilize my joints when they get too inflamed (as I am allergic to NSAIDS and steroids are a measure of last resort), and being careful about repetitive movement as this will flare me up faster than anything. The microwave bean bags and hot baths also help when I am flared up too, as does an electric blanket on my bed (heat helps the muscle spasms that happen to me when a joint is inflamed).

The only diet that I have found has made any difference (but not on my AI issues) has been when I have been eating low-carb/keto. It does keep my blood sugars in check, helps maintain weight, and lowers my blood cholesterol levels and triglycerides, despite it being hugely counter-intuitive for this given how much dietary saturated fat you end up eating. I wish I wasn't so uncomfortable with the idea of it, as it also seems to eliminate GERD.

 

[missy]

When I was eating vegan/vegetarian, I focused a lot on Indian food, because they have a whole culture that is designed around this and the food is delicious!

I do have to admit that I have not found a single diet that has made a dent in my AI issues though. Literally zero difference on AIP, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian, or any combo of what is out there. My dietitian has also indicated that there is not much research support in controlled clinical trials for these diets either on markers of inflammation, but as Kenny says, people vary so ymmv. Honestly, the only thing that works on managing inflammation for me has been the self-care stuff - making sure to get enough sleep, manage my stress, splinting to immobilize my joints when they get too inflamed (as I am allergic to NSAIDS and steroids are a measure of last resort), and being careful about repetitive movement as this will flare me up faster than anything. The microwave bean bags and hot baths also help when I am flared up too, as does an electric blanket on my bed (heat helps the muscle spasms that happen to me when a joint is inflamed).

The only diet that I have found has made any difference (but not on my AI issues) has been when I have been eating low-carb/keto. It does keep my blood sugars in check, helps maintain weight, and lowers my blood cholesterol levels and triglycerides, despite it being hugely counter-intuitive for this given how much dietary saturated fat you end up eating. I wish I wasn't so uncomfortable with the idea of it, as it also seems to eliminate GERD.

I am sorry to hear of your challenges and agree there is no one size fits all or magic bullet. It's a minefield out there. Pain in the you know what. All the deprivation and elimination and adding back etc. It's a long road and at least you realize for you diet (for your AI issues) doesn't work. I have not reached that point yet. I know for a fact dairy and gluten and peanuts (and other stuff) exacerbates my symptoms but I still don't know so much. It's a never ending learning curve. I am glad you are able to find some relief and hope you can find even more as your journey continues. I am still working my way uphill but taking it one day at a time. And when that is too much one hour at a time.


(((Hugs))).

 

[telephone89]

Not a vegan, but one of my favourite sites/blogs to follow is Thug Kitchen (warning for coarse language). They are so fun and not stuffy or preachy and really make plant based meals/lifestyle welcoming and doable!

Home Page | Bad Manners

www.thugkitchen.com

 

[monarch64]

Not a vegan, but one of my favourite sites/blogs to follow is Thug Kitchen (warning for coarse language). They are so fun and not stuffy or preachy and really make plant based meals/lifestyle welcoming and doable!

Home Page | Bad Manners

www.thugkitchen.com

Yes! If you like to get your swear on, or if you find cursing humorous, TK is so fun!

 

[Arcadian]

Growing up, we had at least one vegetarian meal. I won't call it vegan, but def. vegetarian. I went very close to vegan for a few years because I developed allergies to meat. That was freaky. (hey I like leather so def didn't go there in attitude) I was not at my happiest during that time, and I also had plenty of plant allergies to go along with it. Thankfully I outgrew most of those!

Today I still eat a vegetarian meal a week. I won't call it vegan because I don't use separate cookware from my non meat meals. Thank you @telephone89 for posting TK I was going to post that too!

 

[cmd2014]

I am sorry to hear of your challenges and agree there is no one size fits all or magic bullet. It's a minefield out there. Pain in the you know what. All the deprivation and elimination and adding back etc. It's a long road and at least you realize for you diet (for your AI issues) doesn't work. I have not reached that point yet. I know for a fact dairy and gluten and peanuts (and other stuff) exacerbates my symptoms but I still don't know so much. It's a never ending learning curve. I am glad you are able to find some relief and hope you can find even more as your journey continues. I am still working my way uphill but taking it one day at a time. And when that is too much one hour at a time.


(((Hugs))).

It is super frustrating. I was hoping something would help. I did, however, learn a lot about what upsets my stomach and/or makes my skin break out, about some food allergies I had not been aware that I had as my symptoms were GI related rather than the hives that I get with my more obvious food allergies, and what haunts me with heartburn and what seems to help. So it wasn't a complete loss even though my AI issues are not better managed because of it.

I have a friend who swears by AIP for her issues. Sadly every time she tries to add something back in she says that she goes back to having flare-ups, so she has had to stick to the extremely strict version of it. It is VERY restrictive, but when it helps, it's better than the alternative.

I would not be surprised to find out some day that certain diets help some conditions but not others, and that things get better at being fine tuned because of this.

 

[kenny]

Do cannibals prefer the taste of vegans?

 

[missy]

It is super frustrating. I was hoping something would help. I did, however, learn a lot about what upsets my stomach and/or makes my skin break out, about some food allergies I had not been aware that I had as my symptoms were GI related rather than the hives that I get with my more obvious food allergies, and what haunts me with heartburn and what seems to help. So it wasn't a complete loss even though my AI issues are not better managed because of it.

I have a friend who swears by AIP for her issues. Sadly every time she tries to add something back in she says that she goes back to having flare-ups, so she has had to stick to the extremely strict version of it. It is VERY restrictive, but when it helps, it's better than the alternative.

I would not be surprised to find out some day that certain diets help some conditions but not others, and that things get better at being fine tuned because of this.

Glad it helped you figure pieces of the puzzle out and that is a move in the right direction. Heartburn sucks so glad you have relief from that. You mention hives. I get these almost every day. I think it is related to too much histamine. Have you ever looked into that for you?

Yes it is frustrating indeed. Luckily though your friend has a restrictive diet it helps her. That is everything. It's easier to stick to a restrictive way of eating if one feels better for doing so.

I have been searching for almost 2 years with no relief re my thyroid symptoms. I am tired all the time and I am also a very poor sleeper (I wake every single hour and I think it is related to cortisol) which I am convinced is due to adrenal dysfunction. But good luck in finding an endocrinologist who really knows how to help. And I have been reluctant to just rely on a functional medicine doctor as IMO it is challenging to find one who has a good balance of western and eastern medicine.

But I digress. Good luck in figuring it out.

 

[missy]

Do cannibals prefer the taste of vegans?

I don't know but I know vegans do not prefer the taste of cannibals.

 

[monarch64]

Do cannibals prefer the taste of vegans?

Trying to figure out this joke. I think it’s a joke... are you comparing vegans to grass-fed beef? Because I think humans probably taste different. A vegan basketball player, for example, probably tastes rather “gamey.”

 

[Sabina]

I am vegan. In my diet only one animal product is honey.
It is a really easy and nice lifestyle. I think in my case it was easier to become a vegan because I don't eat meat since my early childhood (I just didn't like it)
When you are a vegan you must remember about supplements. And It is among other B12, K2, etc.
Here is an easy to read an article about most important supplements for vegans: https://foodclinicdiet.com/most-important-supplements-for-vegans/