Saturday, August 27, 2011

Off dairy again and the stuff that goes along with it

Several weeks ago, during the time when the little guy wasn't sleeping at all, we also noticed he had some tummy issues. I did some research and found that moms consuming dairy whole nursing can affect their little ones. That was the only thing that had changed about my diet. I had limited dairy while trying to lose the baby weight and it seems to give me more energy too. Well after the baby weight came off and I was running more, I added dairy back in for the calories. I was able to maintain my weight, but the little guy didn't approve. So now I am back off dairy, and I thought this would be a good time to try veganism (so no eggs either). I got the book (from the library), Veganist. I read it cover to cover in just days (that's pretty good when you don't have a lot of free time). She doesn't think eating soy is bad for you (something a lot of vegans and vegetarians have opposite opinions on). She also has some sample menus which included a good bit of fake meat (another controversial topic). It appears to be her way to get the protein you need.

So I have been doing the vegan thing for the past several weeks (a couple of slip ups), but for the most part, I have done pretty good. I am pretty hungry and have a difficult time getting that full feeling. Thing were going ok, until this week. I had serious troubles with my run on Tuesday and was sore for 2 days, aka not recovering well all of a sudden. Also, some of you may know that after you have a baby, your hair falls out, well mine has been falling out still. I was reading a post from Matt at No Meat Athlete about protein consumption. He mentions hair falling out and having a hard time recovering from workouts. Now I am concerned I am not getting enough protein to sustain my lifestyle (nursing my son and running 20-25 miles a week, cross training 1-2 times a week). I am getting so much conflicting statements, do I eat soy and fake meat to get my protein up, and how much protein should I be eating? Any good tips on foods with proteins that are easy that I might not be eating? I know there are people more active than me that have a vegan diet and perform well.

I hope to get a lot of comments and advice.

6 comments:

  1. Well, as you said there are plenty of serious athletes who are vegan so it shouldn't be a problem. If you're a serious runner most of your calories should be from healthy carbs, rather than from protein. I would guess that protein is not your problem- it could be not enough good carbs for energy and for your muscles (you need carbs more than anything for performance and recovery), enough fat, or not enough of a nutrient like iron that could affect your energy level. I steer clear of most fake meat products because they tend to be highly processed and artificial. I do eat some tofu, seitan, and tempeh which are fairly natural and don't have a lot of additives. I rely more on high-protein whole grains and beans. Almost everything we eat has protein and it would be extremely rare for an American, vegetarian or not, to have a protein deficient diet. But without knowing exactly what you eat I really can't say. I've done lots of research, trained for a marathon and am going through a pregnancy on a vegan diet, so I have some experience. If you want, send me an email and maybe I can help you out :)

    sarah.picturewindow@gmail.com

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  2. Yeah, eating mass quantities of soy doesn't seem healthy either. Maybe you could add eggs and seafood back into your diet? That's a lot of beans and nuts to keep up with the protein needs of a distance runner.

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  3. Just wanted to say I'm not knocking a vegan diet. I understand the motivation for doing it, and respect that decision. Personally I have no issue with eating meat, so I'd be quick to say way a few ounces of organic chicken breast and call it a day :)

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  4. I've had lymphoma cancer in the past. I was told by the docs to limit soy. I have problems with milk, so I do drink soy milk sometimes. The docs said there is a link to too much soy and breast cancer. But I know a lot of people have different opinions about this and I understand.

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  5. Wendy, here is a study that showed soy does not increase br cancer risk, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21357380. This was tweeted by the Veganist, FYI.

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