Hi Im Autumn 34 years old sahm to a 3 year old and happily married for almost 7 years. Im a very new vegan. I have celiac disease and casein intolerance so Im limited to quinoa and brown rice for grains. Ever since my gall bladder removal I have to avoid all fats which includes oils, nuts, seeds, all meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. I also avoid soy due to my thyroid problem.

I also avoid caffiene and sugar. I limit potatoes and tomatoes for rare occasions due to them aggravating my arthritis. Since Im new Im in desperate need of suppourt and advice I guess the most difficult part of it is it being a forced decision and very limiting but Im trying my best to stay positive about my life change. My one treat is spearmint leaves tea with local honey for my allergies. It almost feels like Im eating a candy

Currently I have been eating 2 cups of beans a day but I have read three would be optimal for the protein I need. Im also on a large amount of supplements. My regular multiple vitamin, calcium with vitamin d, biotin, vitamin e, flax seed oil and Im looking into apa for my eyes, I have glaucoma.


Autumn

Hi, Autumn!

Do you eat nuts at all? I love beans, but I don't know that I could eat three cups every day! I bet you could supplement some nuts with beans to add a little more protein.

Spearmint tea with honey sounds wonderful! Welcome to the board.

If you want some good information about proteins, I recommend the Vegetarian Handbook by Gary Null. It is 22.50 at the bookstore but I have found that it is very worth it. Not only does it have a ton of information about why being vegetarian is healthy (not just the political issues), it has a lot of recipes (something like 90 or more) and also a list of which veggies have the best sources of protein.

A very important thing about protein is that we need the amino acids that are in protein. Most vegetables aren't a "complete protein" in that they don't contain all of the essential amino acids that you need. Your body can make most amino acids on its own, but there are 8 that absolutely have to come from your diet. In the book Gary Null lists the foods that have the most "complete" proteins (meaning they have more of the essential amino acids) and which combinations of foods make up "complete proteins" (containing all of the essential amino acids).

Not everyone is big on the protein combination thing, but it is very important that you get all of the amino acids into your diet, even if you don't combine certain foods at every meal. Missing out on certain amino acids can cause serious health problems.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I also was forced to give up meat after my gallbladder surgery so I know your pain!!

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and advice

Lindsay- Unfortunately my stomach cant handle nuts of any kind. I have tried all of them too. I wish I could it could open up my diet for lara bars while Im out and on the go. Spearmint tea is very good, I also drink it for the health benefits and its a way for me to combat seasonal allergies without medicine with the honey.

Ari- Im going to purchase the book.I know this is a lifestyle change and something Im going to have for the rest of my life. Im on a mission for health to help me be a healthy mom for my daughter. I try to combine beans and protein as best I can. Its hard since it is so filling for me to finish that much rice and beans but I just look at it as something I will get use to, now if my body could only get use to all the beans side effects Im going to pm you


Here's the reason why I started drinking it--- ( I have pcos and insulin resistance also)

Spearmint Tea Could Combat Body Hair
A few mugs of spearmint tea could help women combat excess facial and body hair, Turkish researchers report.
According to Reuters, women with excess body hair, a condition known as hirsutism, who drank two cups of the herbal tea a day for five days showed significant reductions in their levels of free testosterone, Dr. Mehmet Numan Tamer and colleagues from Suleyman Demirel University in Isparta said.
Typical treatments for hirsutism target excess levels of male hormones, and include oral contraceptives to prevent the production of these hormones or drug treatment to block the body’s response to them, Tamer and his team point out in the journal Phytotherapy Research.
Hirsutism is characterized by excessive hair growth on the face, breasts and belly, and affects about 5 percent of women. It is thought to be related to the body’s level of androgens (male hormones).
The researchers had 21 women with hirsutism drink a tea prepared from a heaping teaspoon of dried spearmint leaves twice daily. Twelve of the women had polycystic ovary syndrome, while the rest had hirsutism with known cause.
After five days, the women’s levels of free testosterone (the biologically active form) declined, although their total testosterone level stayed the same. Women’s levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and estrogen rose, while their triglyceride levels dropped significantly.
Women with high male hormone levels may also have high levels of triglycerides, insulin resistance, and obesity, the researchers note.
“Spearmint can be an alternative to antiandrogenic treatment for mild hirsutism. However, further studies are needed for testing the reliability and availability of spearmint as a drug for hirsutism,“ the researchers conclude.

Hey Autumn, hi everyone - I'm a sorta newbie also. I've been away after a long absence (too long, according to my ticker) and in the last year I've been fiddling with vegetarianism. My gallbladder is also a goner, but it didn't really give me trouble post surgery as far as meat is concerned.

I've seen the Gary Null book, Ari, and based on your recommendation, I think I'll have another look at it. One of my biggest issues is I have no idea what the heck to do with beans. I do a vegetarian chili, but haven't a clue about other options. I know I shouldn't be skert - it's just a little bean!

Anyway, nice to see everyone, hopefully, I'll be around more to be inspired by you.

Tracy,

I can't find it online but I have "Vegan with a Vengeance" that has an awesome broccoli, chickpea and carrot casserole. You could also make a bean dip (like hummus) or just make beans a side. I recently made some black bean burgers but I'm trying to figure out how to tweak the recipe a little. They were still very good. You can also make a cool bean salad. Mix 2 of your favorite kinds of beans (kidney and garbanzo are good), diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Try searching at recipe sites like allrecipes.com and recipezaar.com to find bean recipes.

Hi Tracy and Nelie

Tracy Im in the same rut but I havent cracked the book open yet, it has been a busy time lately. I hope to read some tomorrow during my daughter's nap.

Nelie thanks for the book recommendation I will have to look it up

I found one negative, well kinda Ice "cream" recipes with no dairy, soy or gluten! I am going to try and limit them though but it will be nice for a treat.

I had a wonderful scale moment today as I have lost 10 lbs since starting this diet I inspired my mom to try it and she loves her meat so Im so excited she is giving it a very good effort. Do you all have a chat thread? Now since my days have slowed down I would like to be on here more for suppourt.

Take Care
Autumn

Thanks for the suggestions, Nelie! I'll look into those.

Hello newbies

Autumn - Well, I’m always glad to hear someone’s switched to a plant based diet, but I’m sorry it had to be for such awful reasons in your case. I give you a lot of credit for being able to stick to such a restricted diet, but I guess you don’t have much of a choice if you want to be healthy. Too bad about the nuts and potatoes, they’ve been staples in my diet since I’ve been leaning in the vegan direction the past couple years. I eat bean just aobut every day, but I don’t know about 2 cups. That’s a lot of beans! But they are very nutritious.

Tracy – You might want to check out the Post Punk Kitchen website http://www.theppk.com/
The site is run by the folks who produce the Post Punk Kitchen public access cooking show, who also happen to be the authors of Vegan with a Vengeance, you can buy the book direcly off their website. I’ve heard rave reviews about their new book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but I don’t think I really need a cookbook dedicated solely to decadent cupcakes. Anyway, some great recipes there and a very active forum where people post recipes, post suggested substitutions, things like that.

Hi Shananigans and thanks for the welcome

I was doing pretty good until today, I had a hot dog UGH and it was not even a good cheat! I cant believe how horrible I feel. Even my ankles are swollen. Its just given me more motivation for sticking to this new lifestyle. Thanks for the ppk link Im going to try seeds soon, Im scared too though. Nuts give me a horrible reaction and Im afraid seeds will do the same. I do feel healthier and Im slowly expanding my diet.

Their forums are pretty good, I've perused them a bit and you can ask questions and what not. I'm just a vegan poser so I wouldn't want to actually go as far as post on them

I look at the cupcake/sweets recipes in Vegan with a Vengeance and I'd love to make something but oh the sugar I can do without sweets.