My question is – What is the easiest & cheapest vegan diet? Especially for an athletic person looking to gain weight & lift heavy? I dont have time to cook everyday so perhaps it can be cooked 1 day n last the week. Your group is wonderful and its inspiring seeing so many wonderful people carrying on such a beautiful diet and getting such wonderful physical (and I know mental too) results on it. I am not ashamed to say I am living on a very tight budget. I have passed through many sicknesses which Spirituality and Philosophy and tons of research & help by blessed people have helped me pull through. I still have so much to LEARN about this VEGAN diet guys & I am all ears to find out the simplest and cheapest vegan diet. I do not need indepth information – I will go to research with whatever information is shared 🙂 My current diet is tiny – 1 banana in milk and oats for breakfast & 2 potatoes with some onion, ginger, garlic & kale. Many organic foods are either too expensive or not available in my country (Trinidad: Caribbean). As the Rastafarian people say: Eat Ital, Eat Real. Take care.
Terence Edwards: I dont know what others are doing ,as I am new to this site, but Ive found the cheapest and most effective for me has been basic beans and rice and nutrient dense vegetables eaten raw if possible ,and to splurge on creatine and a basic multivitamin.Even with nutritional yeast, wheat germ and various nuts & seeds that I eat its still foodstamp-cheap,hahaha. I dont know what your goals are but here are 2 pics of me. The first is 100% raw (and wheatgrass and vegetable juices, sprouts, etc…) after 2hrs with heavy weights ,4 days a week and bicycling 30 to 60 miles every day for 3 months.The second pic is pretty much the same routine but for adding cooked beans & rice and w.w. flour tortillas.I think you can see the difference in muscle fullness.My main goal is to be very active , physically fit, and eat the most nourishing food I can , even though Im very poor :)Most bodybuilders do prepare a weeks worth of meals on one day and refigerate or freeze in tupperware.
Terence Edwards: Oops! Could only post one pic at a time… this is the second, after 2 months of eating cooked ,vegan foods :
Bryan Dass: I appreciate this wonderful feedback and its so in depth that I have PLENTY to work with here. You have put so much work into yourself n its very easily seen by those photos. I must say, keep up your fantastic work! And thank you again for your reply – I will be adding a lot of what you said into my life (not creatine though since I am not that serious about the bodybuilding physique) – Take care n thank you for your INSPIRATION!
Pete Ryan: Yep, beans can be diet cheap. Pick seasonal greens or look at the bargain areas in shops, rice is cheap, root vegetables can be cheap at the right time of year. Seasonal foods in your area will make up the bulk of your diet. As you eat various foods throughout the year this will also help your overall nutrition.
Tago Mago: yep have to third the rice/beans combo, right now Im on a cut, and my staples have been brown rice and lentils, and cantaloupe. Also regarding organic/non-organic Soscuisine.com
soscuisine.com
Bryan Dass: I am sure anyone who is new (like myself) will gain a tonload from this information shared! I know I am – I am wondering one small thing which is how much to eat – but I know that is a question with a plethora of answers (!) If we are talking rice, then the most I can cram into my small stomach seems to be 2 cups in one day. I have started from what you all have suggested so far already! I thank you all again for these replies – in a way its saving my life one day at a time 😉
Terence Edwards: If you can decide how much muscle you want to gain you can use this formula:Take your bodyweight and multiply it by :12,if you want to gain muscle and lose bodyfat. For example, if you weigh 170lbs and want to gain muscle, multiply your bodyweight by12. Youll want 40% of those calories from carbohydrate and 40% from protein and 20% from unsaturated fats. Heres the math:2,040×.40=816 calories from protein 2,040 ×. 40 = 816 calories from carbohydrate 2,040 ×. 20=408 calories from fat then look at the foods you are eating and determine the nutrient values concerning how many grams of protein, carbohydrate and fats each contain per portion.Make sure you are eating 6 small meals a day, spread evenly throughout the day 204 grams of protein divided by 6 meals a day =34 grams of protein per meal204 grams of carbohydrate divided by 6 meals a day = 34 grams of carbohydrate per meal.45 grams of fat diided by 6 meals a day = 7.5 grams of fat per meal.170×2 = 2,040 calories per day. You may have to adjust your number up or down,depending on your metabolism and activity level.
Terence Edwards: *4.5 grams of fat
Robert Elliott Ropata Lang: and thats because they are like weeds too easy to grow you dont have to spray…aye!
Tago Mago: Terence, how do you get 34g of protein per meal? A whole can of beans is only 16g protein.for example. Also, what would you say are the benefits youve found with creatine? Whats your opinion on the kidney issues often talked about?Bryan – get into blending food, for example a banana smoothie with 5 bananas = 500 cals alone, 1-ingredient banana ice cream has also been a favourite of mine recently. Also up the calories slowly over time, your stomach will slowly expand to accommodate the increase in food. Its natural to have trouble eating first of all, I was the same way.
Terence Edwards: Tago, I myself do not weigh 170 pounds so I do not aim for 34grams of protein, but 1 cup of uncooked oatmeal is 10 grams of protein. If you add a 26 gram serving of protein powder alone, much less banana, seeds or nuts its not all that hard to do.The way I understand creatine is that it is only found in meat so I take it in a supplement.The arguments pro & con are easy to google but Im not sure if I increased muscle size and intensity because it does what they say it does, or because I spent the money on it and wasnt going to take No for an answer – hahaha. But I did realize I was lifting heavier weights for longer workouts so I was satisfied with the claims.As far as the kidney issues go ; I did, after a long period, realize the pain in my lower back was not soreness from working out, but my freaking kidneys!But I was not drinking enough water – and I knew it…I just had to make sure I was drinking enough AND give up coffee . Since then there have not been any problems.Also, I developed a protein powder of my own thatcontains nutritional yeast, carob powder, wheat germ, and a few other ingredients that equal 30 grams of protein per serving.Im sure you have heard of Andreas Cahling, a very famous ,vegan bodybuilder. I have a daily meal plan of his that is3000-4,500 calories per day. Its a tall order but nobody said this was easy.Here is an example of his dinner:2 cups baked beans2 cups cooked rice1 cup vegetable2 whole grain rolls2 teaspoons canola-oil margarine1 piece fresh fruitbeverageThis meal includes a legume and grain combination and provides 1200 calories and 38 grams of protein.
Tago Mago: wow, thank you Terence, much appreciated. Im also realising just how much water is really needed on this kind of diet.
Terence Edwards: You are very welcome.To live as a vegan bodybuilder seems complicated but once you figure out the details its just about becoming accustomed to it.I know Vegans and Vegetarians who would argue over the amount of protein and calories, etc need3d but they are not trying to gain muscle weight like a bodybuilder should be.Im happy to share any imformation on the subject – usually , nobody I know is interested – hahaha 🙂
Bryan Dass: your insights i can tell it comes from a lot of experience. rly refreshing to get to see the sharing of this really practical n honest information in the sea of information online which can be confusing for sure. hope to see much more from every1 its mind opening. If anyone knows a place that can show the carb/protein/fat calorie numbers in vegan foods, feel free to post. i know spinach for example, doesnt have a calorie number on the public product label heh – but where i live even beans etc dont. take care.
Tago Mago: Nutritiondata.self.com gives you the macronutrients as well as micronutrients, dont forget to use the serving size menu at the top of the particular foods page to get the right nutrient amount
Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis –…
nutritiondata.self.com
Bryan Dass: thank you very much !