Ive had several people message me to ask if Im eating beans/legumes/pulses or tofu products on W30. Im going to cut & paste a LOOOOONG reply to someones question I replied to on the W30 Vegetarian forum a while back because theres some really good info (& I dont feel like re-typing it all). But I do NOT plan on eating beans/legumes/pulses again this time, but I will be eating edamame (as is obvious from my post earlier today) & probably some extra firm tofu occasionally. Also, I am using 3 sources of protein powders (as I posted Monday), not just the hemp I mention in my reply. So, here ya go... Response I posted on the Whole30 Vegetarian Forum on March 5th, 2013 - some good info! (Now that Im past the initial 30 days I have added in some super firm tofu occasionally (once or twice a week) & will also use edemame occasionally, otherwise sticking to my original plan...) Well, I’m glad I’m inspiring someone =) The program actually speaks for itself! I have a few friends that have already started their own W30 after seeing how good my husband & I are looking/feeling. And for me it wasn’t an option of whether or not it would work as a vegetarian. I’ve been a vegetarian for 25+ years & there is no possibility of me eating meat (including fish). Have you read Melissa & Dallas’s book, It Starts with Food? You can definitely do W30 without reading the book (by blindly following the rules & shopping lists), BUT I would STRONGLY suggest reading it! It explains why the off-limit foods are off-limits and what they do internally to our bodies – GREATLY increased my motivation for doing/sticking with the program! It also goes into a little more detail about vegetarian options. The best source of protein for vegetarians is animal protein (eggs, fish, etc.). Personally I consider fish a meat & have never cared for it, even when I did eat meat. I can handle eggs IN things, but really do not like anything that tastes egg-y. I tried doing eggs with LOTS of spinach, garlic & veggies with salsa in the beginning, but just couldn’t do it anymore. So I made up the Pumpkin Pie/Souffle and that’s become a breakfast “staple” for me. The next best protein source they recommend, if dairy is an option, is pastured, organic, fermented sources like yogurt of kefir. You could also have whey protein powder from grass-fed, organic sources, which I’ve found to be way too expensive for my budget. If you don’t eat any animal products, or if you need more protein, your best choices are minimally processed, fermented soy products like tempeh or natto or organic edamame. You can also use nonfermented soy (like extra-firm tofu) & various legumes in rotation (following a 12-24 hr. process to reduce the anti-nutrient & inflammatory compounds. Hemp or pea protein is also an option. (**I copied most of that verbatim from their book**). So basically I’m trying to stay as close to the top of their list of preferred proteins as possible. I’m basically doing eggs, yogurt, kefir & hemp protein (which is not at the top, but was a good option for me). Pre-W30 I ate a LOT of bean and soy-based vegetarian products (as well as dairy). I’ve read about the many problems with soy over the past few years & have sort of been “weaning” it out of my diet (even though I really liked the flavor of many of them & it was very convenient). During W30 I have not used tempeh or natto or edamame, but I did use one block of extra-firm tofu to make the double-batch of sunflower/veggie burgers I made (the recipe called for tempeh, but I had the tofu in the fridge…). I also decided not to eat any beans after reading the section in the book about the effects of beans, and, since it was previously such a big part of my diet, wanted to see how things would go without eating them. I also feel the same about any soy product, which is why (other than the burgers) I’ve avoided it. They also recommend in the book to have a “complete” meal of protein, fat & veggies every time you eat, even if you need a snack (just have a mini meal). I have stuck with this most of the time. There’s been a few times when I was on the go that I just grabbed an apple or cashews to tide me over until I was able to sit down & eat, but I’ve really tried to stick to their recommendations. Eating these 3 things is what satisfies our bodies’ need for nutrients & makes us feel full. This is what makes us not need to snack & helps stop the cravings. I’m sure it won’t kill you to not eat all 3 every now & then (as I didn’t is a pinch), but if you’re not following their plan, it’s not going to work…and it REALLY does work!!! BUT, there’s no one telling you you have to do Whole30. It’s up to you to decide if you really want to do it & if you’re going to follow through. If you want to eat some meat & supplement with some of the recommended vegetarian protein options, why not, especially if you’re seeing negative effects from eating too much meat, but don’t want to give it up completely. You may be better off than me doing it completely vegetarian. But I would stick to the plan as much as possible because there are reasons why they “banned” certain foods/food groups (again, read the book!!!) One of my favorite parts in It Starts with Food is their analogy they call “Cat Math” on p.204. They say to imagine you are allergic to cats but own ten of them. You decide you are fed up with your allergies & get rid of nine of your cats. Your symptoms may improve, but they will not go away entirely because you still have a cat! Same thing with eliminating some, but not all of the problematic foods. (LOVE this analogy!!!) And I agree, making different meals stinks! My hubby is also doing W30, as a meat-eater. He buys a bunch of meat & cooks it up on the weekends. Then he puts individual servings into freezer ags & storage containers & refrigerates/freezes it. I make the vegetable portion of our meals & he will heat up some of his meat to add. I add in either yogurt or kefir (or sometimes both) & my pumpkin/egg souffle in the morning. We have not switched our 3 little kids 100% to W30, so we usually feed them at least part of our meal, then supplement it with something else. You CAN do this!!! It really is not hard. I did not experience any of the negative feelings as described in the timeline (but if I had I would have been OK with it, having been “warned” beforehand) and I started feeling soooo much better after 2-3 days! The hardest thing is to prepare whatever you can ahead of time & plan your meals as much as you can. They suggest having a few “go-to” meals that you can easily throw together when in a pinch. Also, pack along your healthy protein/veggie/fat meals whenever you are on the go to eliminate the possibility of going off-plan. Sorry this reply got so long! Saw that you “liked” my page – look forward to keeping in touch! =) facebook/MyVegetarianWhole30
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 01:27:51 +0000
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