# I'm going Vegan



## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Ok, before anyone tells me how unmanly I am or goes on about tasty animals, please hear me out first.

I love red meat like the next person (trainershawn ), but in a survival situation, you don't always get red meat, thus have to live off nuts, fruits, berries, and wild grasslands. Also, from what I'm reading about the health benefits (so they state), it seems a "way of life" that I want to pursue at this time to see if I can do it as well as to see for myself if the health benefits are correct for myself. 

Ok, now that I have that out of the way, I have found it extremely hard to find pure "vegan" type of foods. For those that don't know the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian, vegan's not only reduce red meat, but also fish, dairy (any animal products) as well. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that though.

Seems to me most foods have diary in them from the little hickville that I'm living in. And if I do go to AwholeFoods, then I have to drive 150 mile round trip. 

Any vegan or vegetarian's out there with tips or recipies?


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## trainershawn (Dec 14, 2012)

Sorry I can't help you out there. By any chance have you researched the Paleo diet?


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

trainershawn said:


> Sorry I can't help you out there. By any chance have you researched the Paleo diet?


I have not, but I'll start looking into that also.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Yeah I could stomuch a Paleo Diet a lot easier than I could Vegan or Vegitarian. I looked at the Paleo Diet and it seemed to be pretty close to what I am eating now just a bit more healthier.


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## WoadWarrior (Oct 10, 2012)

OK... I've got to be the first to harass you.  You do realize that Vegetarian is an Indian word that means "Bad Hunter". Vegan is Indian for "Always Hungry"... and is probably the short form of "White Man who cannot hunt and cannot gather... but is too embarrassed or stupid to admit it." :shock: 

Anyway... Living as a vegan or vegetarian for the "health benefits" is like working out 8-10 hours a day for 20 years so you can add a few extra months to your life. Hmmm.... spend the equivalent of 5 years working out so you can spend an extra 6 months sitting in a rocking chair doesn't seem like a fair exchange to me. Personally... I come from a long line of poor eaters... who live well into their 80's. Well... not counting those that ended up with lead poisoning for doing something stupid. 

Bottom line: Being vegan/vegetarian by necessity is different that doing it for some obscure health reason. Trying it out to see if you can... that's called experience and I applaud that. But... living healthy is about scrapping the processed foods. My personal suggestion before you try something extreme is to do the "identify it first" diet. Here's how it works.... if you can't identify it, then don't eat it. I.e., only eat things in their natural state... that way, you stay away from processed foods. Hot dogs, Cheetos, bologna (that's baloney for you modern types) etc... don't have a natural state... so you don't eat them. 

Step two... start cutting unhealthy cooking methods. French Fries are easily identifiable as potatoes. But... the huge amount of oil isn't all that great for you. So... switch to baked fries... or baked potato chips. It's a slight taste adjustment.... but is much healthier for you. 

Step three... introduce new foods. There is a whole range of foods we don't eat because they are too hard to fry or process.  And... never make the fast food cut line. Start adding them in for a better balanced and more healthy lifestyle. This is especially cool if you can find natural (wild) foods you can harvest or grow yourself. With step three... you are preparing yourself to eat most things.... especially if SHTF... and you are learning to grow or harvest it yourself. 

There... that's my 2 cents.


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Great points. I figure that since I eat hot dogs, cheetos, bologna along with a million other stuff when I'm "in a rush" at home or at work (too many hobbies) then I should have started some kind of diet, and I know a diet I choose a few years back was a nothing with sodium type of diet. From there it forced me to eat non-processed foods.

From what I'm reading on Paleo diets, is that its your three isles of the grocery and avoid the middle sections. Your meats, fish, veggies, fruits and dairy. Avoid beans and grains. Is that correct?


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## WoadWarrior (Oct 10, 2012)

My beef with the paleo diet is that they seem to ignore that man was a gatherer first... then a hunter. So, how can you honestly say to ignore grains.... a staple for gatherers?


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

survival said:


> I have not, but I'll start looking into that also.


I've been doing Paleo (OK, I had to gorge on cake and cheese cake on Christmas. you know, couldn't hur t my dear old mother's feelings) for about three or four weeks. Lost about 10 pounds, sleep better, arthritis is much better...

Lean meats, veggies (veggies, not legumes or rice or potatoes or other starches), run from sugar and processed crap...
Tree nuts are great, but no peanuts...

Good stuff. Thought I would jones hard for junk food but I never have any cravings.

I'd highly suggest it.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

WoadWarrior said:


> My beef with the paleo diet is that they seem to ignore that man was a gather first... then a hunter. So, how can you honestly say to ignore grains.... a staple for gatherers?


Gathering doesn't have to mean grains.


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## WoadWarrior (Oct 10, 2012)

True, Denton... but grains would've been a staple item for winter storage... and a regular part of their diet. 

From what you describe... it sounds like you and I are mostly on the same page. We eat natural foods in a natural state. No processed foods... which contain sugar and who knows what else. The only difference is that I include starches and foods with natural fats. My real issue is that I have trouble with one exercise... the table push-away. I have been hearing "clean your plate" for too many years and tend to do just that. End result... too many calories each meal. Now, at home... I do half portions... drink a lot of water... and engage in extensive conversation to slow down my eating. My "body clock" kicks in at about 20 minutes and tells me I'm full/done regardless of how much I've eaten. Plus... that full glass of water BEFORE I start eating seems to fill me up and limits the remaining space available for food. When eating out... I order a meal and a to go container at the same time... and then immediately put half my meal in it. Then... I slowly eat the rest and "magically" I'm full at the end of the meal. And.... have leftovers for lunch the next day. It's amazing how much ammo you can buy with the money you save by eating left overs.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

If you are interested, read the science behind it.
I found it interesting that they could tell the difference between "paleo" man and "neo" by the condition of the bones. The ones who hunted/gathered were healthier than those who began the grain agriculture way. The newer way showed signs of many of today's ailments.

Oh, and, if you have diabetes or are concerned with your chances of developing it, Paleo is a good way to go. Dumping carbohydrates into your body is unnecessary as it will take the meats, veggies and tree nuts you are feeding it and make carbs as needed. When you feed it carbs it will then store the ones it doesn't need - the spare tire. Also, _no sugar spikes_. If your pancreas is not already shot, Paleo will help straighten you out, regarding diabetes.
Inflamation, another problem we have with modern diets, disappears, too. My arthritis no longer requires pills to make turning a wrench and screwdriver easier. If you think I am happy about that, you are correct. While cutting out grains is not unhealthy, taking pills all the time is.

I can only speak with authority on the results for me, and I do not get paid to hawk any product or service. I am just telling you, I am amazed!


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

survival said:


> Great points. I figure that since I eat hot dogs, cheetos, bologna along with a million other stuff when I'm "in a rush" at home or at work (too many hobbies) then I should have started some kind of diet, and I know a diet I choose a few years back was a nothing with sodium type of diet. From there it forced me to eat non-processed foods.
> 
> From what I'm reading on Paleo diets, is that its your three isles of the grocery and avoid the middle sections. Your meats, fish, veggies, fruits and dairy. Avoid beans and grains. Is that correct?


You make an excellent point and one that I have been preaching for a few years now. Shop the perimeter of the store cause thats where the real foods are, fresh veggies, dairy products and fresh meats. Other than staples everything else down the middle isles is "food like stuff" as I refer to it as. It all procesed garbage full of chemicals our bodies were never designed to deal with many of which have profound negative health side effects. When I retired out of the military I put on 50 lbs in 6 months. 13 months later I lost 65 lbs without hardly a work out or without going hungery in the least just by simply shopping the perimenter of the store buying "real" food and cooking everything I ate from scratch. More importantly I have I have effortlessly kept it off. I eat a ton of bonelesss skinless chicken breast, fish fillets, home grown Rabbit and probably what amounts to a bale of hay in veggies usually fresh or steamed. Instead of snacks like chips and what not I usually eat several pieces of fruit instead. Its a lot cheaper and a lot more filling and involves a lot less calories to boot. Further more its what my body has evolved to naturally digest the best and get the most from.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

actually man you may want to research veganism a little further, it is a new age world religion akin to thelema (look that little jewel up)


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Leon said:


> actually man you may want to research veganism a little further, it is a new age world religion akin to thelema (look that little jewel up)


hehe.... Mr. Crowley, what went wrong in your head?


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## 9UC (Dec 21, 2012)

Not by far is that the worst idea I've heard lately. With the exception of dairy and fish, my son took to the vegetarian lifestyle his wife follows. No beef, no pork or any other types of red blood meet. I'm not going to give up on meats, but I've got to admit that I have adjusted the meats downward upped the consumption of veggies and meatless type dishes quite a bit. We have modified quite a few thing we eat to eliminate the meats in them. Have also changed a few other items as I am a Type two diabetic, so recipes there have been changed to reduce or eliminate sugars and refined flour.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Indians say vegan is another name for bad hunter. :?


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Around 30 days ago, I've went strict vegan diet. There were a few times I was stuck where I had to eat animal proteins. My current results are as follows.

Went from 236lb, down to 219lb. During this time, I went to the doctor and told him that didn't seem right losing that much weight that fast, his response was all the canned, salted down foods would mainly be water not being trapped in my body. Also the slow process of the cheeses I've been eating has been flusing out my system. I'm not at a stable slow rate of weight loss, around 1.5-2lb per week, so that all made sense to me.

General food bill was cut in half from eating out all the time. Although grocery bill went up, its because I was purchasing food "out" and I really didn't have a grocery bill. Comparing real groceries for the month to take outs, it was cut in half. Money saved!

I do not feel sluggish around 2-3pm now, I'm getting tripple the work in at my office. No more midday naps or sleeping all weekend.

Blood pressure has went from mid range high to normal for over two weeks now, as well as heart rate.

People are telling me that I have "color" now to my skin tone. Didn't know I was a vampire before.

Anyway, this is the first 30ish days of going this route. Next steps are to identify plants in the wild to survive and adapt. I have not 'craved' meat in this time frame, hopefully I'll be able to survive like Cody/Les on adventures in the wild.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Sorry ancient man was never vegetarians we were frugivores (animals that eat fruit) just like most of the great apes. It is obvious we have hands and stand upright that is needed to gather fruit by climbing and getting fruit from the lower branches. We don't have any natural means like claws for digging up most vegetables.
Science Verifies That Humans Are Frugivores


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## Irish (Oct 5, 2012)

Best of luck on that one! I personally would rather eat meat and than in a survival situation if I dont have any to eat I can still eat the all the other stuff! But from the vegans/vegetarians I have personally known if they were to eat meat (My uncle) After not eating it for so long they got sick as F&$%!! Where on the other hand I can eat meat berries nuts whatever I want practically.


Good luck on that venture


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Irish said:


> Best of luck on that one! I personally would rather eat meat and than in a survival situation if I dont have any to eat I can still eat the all the other stuff! But from the vegans/vegetarians I have personally known if they were to eat meat (My uncle) After not eating it for so long they got sick as F&$%!! Where on the other hand I can eat meat berries nuts whatever I want practically.
> 
> Good luck on that venture


I agree 100% almost all animals that do not eat meat spend about 90% of there time eating or trying to find something to eat. Animals that live just off meat like cat only spend a part of there life feeding that is why a lion and other cats average sleeping 18 hours a day because one meal may last several days.


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## AsteroidX (Dec 11, 2012)

I made a chicken causcaus tonight I got out of this homesteader mag. Turned out yummy as anything Id get in a fancy restaurant. I couldnt give up meat fully but Ive certainly cut back to a couple times a week and using white meats much much more. 

Im really happy with the diet change Ive made since I got serious about prepping.

I use stuff out of my current supplies and then replace as I use them up. Keeps my food preparedness static and I feel like Im using my preps not just waiting for something bad to happen. I think Im going more and more into a homestead lifestyle as I grow as a prepper.


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## Meangreen (Dec 6, 2012)

Another diet that I found be life changing and real easy to follow is, "Eat Right for Your Blood Type." I thought it was just another fad diet until my wife lost 90 pounds on it and kept it off. The interesting thing is when you read what you can eat with your blood type, you catch yourself saying, "wow I really like that type food anyway" Of course you have to cut out the processed junk foods but the base food are great.


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## BUG OUT BOX ! (Jan 28, 2013)

man i'm not one for vegan even though from health stand point i can really see the benefits just very hard to change after all these years we always put organic style seeds and medical seeds in our BOB box each month for those who like that route with facts about their properties as well check out this site see if this is an interest  let us know yall thoughts


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## pharmer14 (Oct 27, 2012)

To each his own I guess... I think it's silly to restrict your food choices to something that takes so long to produce and harvest. The good thing about meat is that they are in plentiful supply and you can harvest it passively for the most part. There are numerous primitive trapping methods out there, and if you have access to a good body of water, you can tie off a fishing line to a tree and let it sit for hours unwatched. This will allow you to free up time to make those investments in fruits and veggies that are also important. At the same time, they provide essential nutrients for protein building, and are less susceptible to destruction to other wildlife looking for an easy treat.

Eating meat is a no brainer to me... especially in a long term SHTF situation.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Holding at 172...down from the mid 190's. First month was cutting out all processed food, sugar, all grains, all peas and all beans but snap beans. Lean meats, veggies (leafy veggies, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, etc.) and tree nuts (peanuts are not on the good list) and lots of good, clean water.

It is so amazing to me. Eat right, stop eating the garbage passed off as "food" and you will lose that unhealthy fat so quickly it will scare you. All the while, the crazy cravings go away once you stop stuffing your body with needless carbohydrates and cancer-causing and cancer-feeding sugar.

By the way, are you addicted to sweet tea? Try tupelo honey!


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## wcjohnson (Apr 13, 2013)

I like you struggle with the vegetarian lifestyle. maybe from owning a butcher shop for years has something to do with it. The fact is that I have reduced my meat consumption and increased my intake of vegetables. The result is a significant weight loss, increased energy and a general feeling of being healthier. i still enjoy a nice ribeye or pork chop but now make it a little smaoler portion. I have started trying to grow my own veggies and because of experience in fish farming am looking to Aquaponics. If any one is an expert on this I would welcome your input.


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## Sheldon (May 8, 2013)

I've been a chef for nearly 20 years and seen lots of diets/food fads come and go. The latest being food tolerances and allergies (People seriously compare/compete with them!) Basically all diets should be balanced, where most of the fads remove either one thing or another. 

Reduce yourself to 4/6 oz of protein and carbs a day then top up with as much vegetables and fruit as you want. This brings you back inline with what your body really needs. 

The largest problem with modern supermarkets/food shopping is picking out the processed rubbish, which is just loaded with chemicals (They call them adatives). The biggest culprit for buggering up your dietary system n slowing your metabolism is bread, which happens to be my weakness. I love warm bread straight from the oven. Also as hunter gatherers our ancestors probably only caught and ate meat occasionally.

When it comes to going vegan you have to be very creative in your cooking of beans & pulses (Lentil family), your only way to a consistent protein supply. They're great for long term storage but you'll need a bucket load of seasoning!


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## paintedpony (Apr 15, 2014)

I'm a vegetarian and I get by just fine. I supplement with eggs and milk I raise myself.


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## dsdmmat (Nov 9, 2012)

My Cholesterol made me change my diet to pretty close to what you are considering. I eat a lot of Vegies, Fruits, Rice, Potatoes, my meat intake has changed from mainly red meats to mainly chicken and the ocasional steak (hey I am deployed so I indulge sometimes). I have managed to lower my cholesteol level 75 points in 3 months and lose 20 pounds without going to the gym and working my arse off. I do on occasion eat nuts, raisins and a protien bar when I am on the move. Doc says I am doing something right so I will continue to do it. The only down side is I have a lot of gas. i am willing to put up with the farting in exchange for not having a stroke though.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

I know 3 vegans, they have to take supplements and pills every day to "feel good" and "feel healthy"...they don't realise just how bad it is for them. Many animal proteins cannot be found in fruits, nuts or berries so they need supplements.

Also the Paleo diet is probably the best one you want if you want to learn for survival. As you can always shoot pigeons for meat, you can fish etc.


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## spokes (Feb 22, 2014)

We are what we eat.
I have tried a modified vegetarian diet. For years I avoided red meat and ate only chicken, fish and turkey. It got old. Now I eat lean beef (hamburger. 93% lean or higher) and lean pork 2 times a week at the most. We have started doing meatless Monday and fish Fridays now in an attempt to cut back. I have to salute anyone who can adhere to a strict vegan diet. We attended a wedding reception where bride and groom were vegan. They had a vegan buffet with lots of soy, cous cous, stuffed mushrooms, tofu, etc. The cake was vegan. No eggs, no milk. I have to admit that it was delicious and once I stopped looking for the buffet table with the sliced turkey and beef for sandwiches, I enjoyed sampling the food. Unfortunately, my comment to my husband when we left was, lets go home and get some real food. Neither of us has much of a sense of taste due to severe allergies and I found the food to be bland and flavorless.

Is a vegan diet healthier? I have always thought of the human animal as being an omnivore. We eat what is available. Even our dogs and cats are omnivorous to a point. One of our dogs is munching on Doritos dipped in salsa right now. Would she rather have meat? Ya sure ya betcha, but the point is that they eat what is available. In a SHTF scenario, vegans are going to have a tough time adhering to a strict vegan diet where fruits and vegetables become seasonable and you won't be able to run to the local HyVee and buy produce. A diet of legumes and rice is going to take you only so far. 

On the other hand, you will loose weight on an Atkins diet, all animal protein, but once again, it is an extreme diet that is for the long term, hard on your body. So I guess my bottom line is, if you can do the vegan, vegetarian thing, go for it, but I have found all things in moderation to be your best bet where food is concerned.

Do any of you all watch Dr. Oz...yeah, guys, I know, moan and groan but he has some darned good tips on diet on his program. While he doesn't stress a vegan/vegetarian diet lifestyle he does stress a natural diet lower in meat and higher in fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid sugar, all the good stuff, etc. The most interesting thing I heard lately was a test that was done using noodles. One test group ate natural homemade noodles. The other, processed noodles. They scoped their stomach something like two hours afterwards and discovered the that the people who ate the homemade noodles had only an unrecognizable paste in their stomachs. The processed noodle group still had recognizable noodles in their stomach. The processed noodles had chemicals and preservatives in them to give them a longer shelf life. This meant that they also hung around longer in a persons body without digestion.

Food for thought? No pun intended.


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