Going to try and do this as a vegan

[Lexical]

Hi guys- I am new here and am going to try and do the whole 30 as a vegan- the one exception MIGHT be clams, oysters and mussels, and clarified ghee. But I am not eating "higher order" animals like fish, birds, etc. Definitely no mammals!!!!

 

I've been sick and tired for years (yes, even when I ate meat I was sick and tired, only my cholesterol was higher).  Recently I cut out dairy and gluten and have been feeling spacier (could this be die off or a healing crisis?). I want to heal and looked this up, and so I am thinking about cutting out  pseudo cereals and pseudo grains too, for 30 days. 

 

I am compiling a list of the foods I will be able to eat. So far I have...

 

Vega  protein and greens protein powder shake- 6 grams carbs, 20 grams protein and 2 grams sugar per serving- one of the healthiest shake mixes I have found. From what I can tell, none of the ingredients are off limits. (there is a small amount of stevia in the product, but I think I am okay with small amounts of stevia)

 

Ghee/clarified butter

 

unpasteurized raw cabbage, sauerkraut, kimchi (for the probiotics)

 

All leafy greens

 

Onions, garlic, ginger, peppers

 

mussels, oysters, clams, scallops (I may be forced to add shrimp and prawns)

 

avocado, cucumber, zucchini, celery, butternut squash, pumpkin, flax, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds (have anti-parasitic properties), fresh snow peas and green peas, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cayenne, hot pepper sauce, salad dressing with no added sugar, pickles, grass jelly (chinese herbal mixture), berries on an empty stomach (contain antifungal properties), mushrooms, eggplant, coconuts, coconut milk (unsweetened), raw carob, raw cocoa, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, avocado oil, raw almonds, raw cashews, raw sunflower seeds, asparagus. 

 

For me, personally, I am caffeine-sensitive so I will not be having coffee. 

 

Drinks- sparkling water, distilled spring water with fresh lemon or lime juice, green tea, herbal tea.

 

Essentially my diet will be a slightly modified "Daniel fast" combined with Whole 30 (it is Whole 30 because I believe all these foods are things you guys can eat) but only a little more restrictive because of the no fish/eggs/poultry/meat thing. 

 

I need to look this up, but do you guys know if we are allowed to eat wild rice? I know that might be considered a pseudo-grain, but it is actually a seed and apparently very healthy for us. 

 

Also, I will only eat fruit (berries and green apples, lemons, limes) on an empty stomach. The vega protein shake will be my main standby, followed by salads, raw veggies with oil and vinegar dip or baba ghanoush (egg plant dip).

 

Supplements I plan to take/am already taking...

 

Garlic

B12

B6

Iron (have to take it)

Vitamin C powder

Vitamin D

milk thistle

papaya digestive enzymes

oregano oil 

black walnut 

 

What do you guys think of my diet plan so far? Thank you very much. 

 

Lex 

 

 

 

[north_shore]

have you read the book?

[missmary]

What you describe is not a whole30.

 

I've done eating plans that sound a lot like yours. I was vegetarian (almost vegan) for many years and I used to drink those Vega shakes all the time. For me personally, the whole30--particularly the whole30 meal template--works better for energy and body composition and hormone balance and lots of things.

 

If you want to do the whole30, those vega shakes are out and so is wild rice. The grass jelly is unlikely to be compliant unless you make it yourself. Fruit on an empty stomach is not encouraged...basically the whole30 works best when you follow the rules and recommendations of the whole30 and don't try mixing and matching with recommendations from other sources.

 

If you want to make up your own plan, you get to decide what is in and what is out. That's when the mixing and matching comes into play. Personally, I would recommend trying the whole30 (100% compliant) first, then try adding and subtracting and modifying after those 30 days are up so you can test out the recommendations in a more scientific way. 

[Lexical]

Missmary, is it possible to do whole30 without eating animal flesh or eggs? If so, I will look into it... I just went over the basic food list and read some board topics. Thanks for the reply. 

[GFChris]

Missmary, is it possible to do whole30 without eating animal flesh or eggs? If so, I will look into it... I just went over the basic food list and read some board topics. Thanks for the reply. 

 

The short answer is, doing this program with the absence of animal protein is technically not a Whole30. 

That being said, we welcome you to embrace the Whole30 framework within your self-imposed dietary restrictions.  At the same time, be aware that you may not experience the same results that omnivores commonly report. The Whole30 book has recommendations for vegetarians and vegans.

 

The vega shake that you listed is not permitted becuase of the stevia. No amount of sugar or sweetener is allowed on a Whole30.

[Lexical]

Thanks Chris- can I ask why the stevia is not allowed? It doesn't raise blood glucose levels and it isn't unhealthy for people the way artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharine (etc) are. It's just a sweet plant- why doesn't it fall into the same category as fruit being used as a sweetener? However, unlike fruit juice (fructose and glucose) it is safe for diabetics.

 

What is the reason the stevia is not allowed? ( I am curious as to why some of the foods are not allowed- I understand corn can cause people problems, soy is a common allergen, so are peanuts, sugar is acidifying to the body, etc- but buckwheat (not a "wheat" or a grain, but a high protein low carb seed) and stevia don't make sense to me. 

 

I will do as close to whole30 as I can do without animal protein. I MIGHT consider eating some tinned oysters to get me through, but really, the idea of eating any sort of animal flesh kind of grosses me out. 

 

The idea of forcing a dietary framework on myself that is going to involve depressing me right out of the gate (eating animal flesh) seems counter-productive. I feel depressed and sad when I eat meat. Just thinking about it makes me feel a bit snarky. While I can see abstaining from cookies and candy and stuff for my health, eating something I am morally opposed to to get healthy seems weird.  How can you be healthy if you're emotionally bummed out and not proud of your behaviour? 

 

I do like the overall diet for this program- more restrictive than other programs I have tried, however because of pre-existing health conditions I already have to an iron supplement with sucralose anyway. So it will be as close to whole30 as I can do. (Yes, even when I eat meat I had low iron and I did so for years so that doesn't seem reason enough to go back to it when I find it so distasteful). 

[GFChris]

Thanks Chris- can I ask why the stevia is not allowed? It doesn't raise blood glucose levels and it isn't unhealthy for people the way artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharine (etc) are. It's just a sweet plant- why doesn't it fall into the same category as fruit being used as a sweetener? However, unlike fruit juice (fructose and glucose) it is safe for diabetics.

 

What is the reason the stevia is not allowed? ( I am curious as to why some of the foods are not allowed- I understand corn can cause people problems, soy is a common allergen, so are peanuts, sugar is acidifying to the body, etc- but buckwheat (not a "wheat" or a grain, but a high protein low carb seed) and stevia don't make sense to me. 

 

I will do as close to whole30 as I can do without animal protein. I MIGHT consider eating some tinned oysters to get me through, but really, the idea of eating any sort of animal flesh kind of grosses me out. 

 

The idea of forcing a dietary framework on myself that is going to involve depressing me right out of the gate (eating animal flesh) seems counter-productive. I feel depressed and sad when I eat meat. Just thinking about it makes me feel a bit snarky. While I can see abstaining from cookies and candy and stuff for my health, eating something I am morally opposed to to get healthy seems weird.  How can you be healthy if you're emotionally bummed out and not proud of your behaviour? 

 

I do like the overall diet for this program- more restrictive than other programs I have tried, however because of pre-existing health conditions I already have to an iron supplement with sucralose anyway. So it will be as close to whole30 as I can do. (Yes, even when I eat meat I had low iron and I did so for years so that doesn't seem reason enough to go back to it when I find it so distasteful).

The only purpose of stevia is to sweeten something that is not already sweet. At least with fruit, you get some nutrition.

The book, It Starts with Food, has all the details and science behind the program rules.

No one is forcing you to eat animal protein. I only said if you don't have animal protein, it's technically not a Whole30. Use the Whole30 principles to the extent your self-imposed dietary restrictions permit. Again, The Whole30 book has recommendations for vegans and vegetarians.

To that end, I would suggest you find an iron supplement without sweetener.

[Lexical]

Oh, yeah, I know it has stevia but if it didn't have stevia I would still drink it. I am drinking it for the health benefits, not the taste. It's barely sweet too.

 

Apparently stevia does have some nutrition and numerous health benefits:

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/stevia-plant.html

 

My body might need some animal protein, but I feel guilty eating it, and shellfish is okay on occasion but high in mercury, so at this point I am looking into eating escargot and insects (a growing trend in the west is to grow your own insects for consumption, entomophagy). I already have a bunch of darkling beetles I am growing so I can (possibly) eat their larvae but that is a while off yet. 

 

Basically, if I couldn't bring myself to kill it myself, I am not going to pay someone else to do it for me.  

 

Currently looking for an iron supplement without a sweetener that also works for me and is within my price range. I think I will check out whole foods. 

 

Thanks again for your response.  

[AmyS]

Here is the Whole30 Sugar Manifesto: http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-sugar-manifesto/ It includes references to artificial sweeteners.

 

To summarize the more complete information from the book It Starts With Food: stevia makes the cut as an artificial sweetener and a sneaky sugar (and not Whole30 compliant) because it is not, in fact, in leaf form when used as a sweetener. It is a highly processed powder. If you intend to physically put a stevia leaf in your mouth and chew it, have at it. The writers of ISWF note that stevia leaf is not actually sweet, though. If you intend to used powder processed chemically from that leaf, it's a no-go for Whole30.

 

This really isn't open to negotiation. I mean, you can eat the stuff, but you aren't eating Whole30 if you do.

[Lexical]

I know people who grow their own stevia and said it is naturally quite sweet, yes, in leaf form. I haven't tried it in leaf form yet, though, but I don't think they'd lie to me about it. 

 

I'll grow my own later this year.