Same
@Poindexter.
I am still happily vegan since Jan 1, 2023, with little meat and dairy for a few months before that.
That said, I have some more junky meals than others. Restaurants are a challenge. There are many vegan restaurants that my GF and I have found in our area, and ofc they don't have nutrition labels. But I am sure that they lean heavily on the fat+salt+sugar formula that all humans react to. Just vegan fats, probably coconut and palm oils.
I have had a few meals like that where I felt 'hung over' the next day. I don't sweat it, but I assume it is a combination of high salt and lipidemia (a surge of high blood fat) for awhile. Sometimes I also get some indigestion, like I would have fairly routinely if I had a large fatty meal before going vegan. I have had 'indigestion' maybe 3X in the last 5 months, all after one of these super fatty meals.
At home, I am eating lots of veggies and whole grains, well seasoned sauces and a banana and some nuts and berries every day. Lots of legumes or soy or 'mock meat' products 1-2X a day. And plant based milks that are fortified with B-12 and calcium. I do not feel restricted.
As I was saying in March, I feel better than I have in 15 years (I am 55), physically and cognitively. I look younger, my skin is better, my gums are better, you name it. Feeling amazing is all the motivation I need to continue.
My BP has settled in the high normal to 'pre-high' range, bouncing around a bit with my stress/sleep/salt the day before.... so I am still trying to improve those largely non-diet things. It was stage II high last fall.
If you are a vegan skeptic... you would still probably say 'just give it time... in a few months you will feel like carp and look bad and weak, and you will have to give it up!' And indeed, a few weeks back I did start to feel like I was dragging a bit. Lots of little things physically and cognitively that I won't bore you with.
I have also been continuing my 'deep dive' on YouTube, and finding new sources and new perspectives. based on some of that, I decided to up my protein consumption, by adding a daily vegan protein powder 'shake' to my breakfast routine, replacing a banana that was similar in calories, but having 20 grams more quality protein. I am also watching/upping the 'protein' content of my recipes, whether it be mock meat or tofu or seitan, such that every meal/sauce has some protein.
And in a couple days I felt as good as I had in Jan-March.
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As for the 'food wars' on YouTube, I am in much the same place as my first post, but with more perspective.
I remain convinced that the 'standard american diet' or SAD is a big part of why our health is so much poorer than other countries, including our life expectancy, which is now falling. I also remain convinced that the 'merchants of doubt' that used to work for Big Tobacco and Big Oil are fully active today in propelling the 'food wars'. And in 2023, that means a lot of influencers that are social media-ready and racking up millions of subscribers, vastly dwarfing the few honest YouTubers that actually, um, read the peer reviewed papers and try to explain them. And ofc the click-bait media journalists are reporting a bunch of 'doubts' non-sense.
Who do I trust after 6 mos of deep dive?
Nutrition Made Simple:
https://www.youtube.com/@NutritionMadeSimple
Plant Chompers:
https://www.youtube.com/@PlantChompers
Nutrition Facts:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddn8dUxYdgJz3Qr5mjADtA
All of these support the idea that a whole food vegan OR traditional Asian OR (true) Mediterranean diet are similarly healthy (close enough to be 'in the noise' science-wise). All of them will lead you to live 7-8 years longer (and add more
healthy years than that) relative to a SAD diet. The latter two allow some meat, mostly fish, but sparingly.
Those diets work by reducing Heart Disease, Cancer, Strokes and Dementia. Animal fats and animal protein are unhealthy in large amounts.
Junk food vegan; nope
Raw food vegan: nope
80% carb vegan diet: nope
no-oil vegan diet: nope
Fake Mediterranean diet (pizza drizzled with olive oil): nope.
vegetarian diets with high saturated fat from cheese and eggs: nope
'moderate meat' diets that still involve eating meat 1+ times per day: nope
If you already HAVE heart disease, then going super low total fat and salt is probably a good idea, otherwise, keeping saturated fat below 7% of total calories and salt under 2-3g/day is probably 'good enough'.
Everyone should get their fiber over 30g/day, relative to the American average of 15g/day. The 'paleo' diet was probably about 100g per day, and many of our organs and microbiome seem to 'expect' that much fiber to work properly.
Those figures (<7% sat fat and >30g fiber) are part of the nutrition guidelines of most countries around the world, contrary to what influencers and fad diet shills would say.
PS: I have non-dairy Ben and Jerry's in my freezer. A 'serving' (1/8th pint) runs about 10 g of sat fat, and won't kill me once in a while!