Check. Thanks for that.

Has your diet changed in any other way, or just the removal of meat?

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Let food be thy medicine...

Not much chat about the actual quality of the food as opposed to the composition.

One of the benefits of a more plant based diet is that the food quality should increase.

Removing the processed and more commercially farmed produce is probably more important.

That and us just eating slightly less.

I have no idea why, but when I'm confronted by a small portion is almost panic inside. This drives me to over eat.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

What is "short term"? I've been plant-based for nearly 3 years (vegetarian prior to that for about 6 months) and feeling better than ever, but I have done my research and make sure I check all the nutritional boxes and take the few supplements I need. I've also had check-ups to make sure I'm not deficient in anything. You'll find doctors on both sides of the fence and Michael Greger @ nutritionfacts.org is a prominent plant-based advocate, but at the end of the day we really shouldn't be looking at meat vs non-meat eaters (if that conversation is needed, it should be much further down the line). It should be to get people away from a traditional American diet which will have a massive overall impact. You can be healthy both as plant-based or eating meat as long as you eat a clean diet, but being plant-based is a lot more work and it's very easy to become deficient if you are not aware of what you need.

Following people on social media in a time where there's so much biased/paid for information doesn't seem like a good idea, and your sample size would be inadequate at best. I do think though that most will agree to points 1-4 as they are generally pretty well established facts these days.

Generally speaking, we need to be able to have open debates on this topic and avoid the us vs them mentality that's happening although it can be difficult with all the information out there, but the goal should be for everyone to be healthy (should they wish so), and understanding that the same diet doesn't work for everyone for a variety of reasons will help us move toward that.

Indeed

https://qz.com/...n-the-american-diet/

https://www.politico.com/...ealthy-eating-214517

I'm checking in after 30 years of being ovo-lacto. I'm still doing OK, thanks.

Really? Do tell me.

Fair enough. (And I'm atheist.)

I'm much, much closer to 50yo than 20yo. N=1, Rose is wrong.
Citations please. Do Rose's studies include large samples of high-achieving, endruance athletes?

Laughable. I've had the exact opposite effect, over the past 30 years.

OK (goes w/o saying). And, thanks.

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no sponsors | no races | nothing to see here

The guy who cherry picks studies to sell his fear mongering book.


Btw all those using term "plant based". The term is so diluted now. Used to be a term for non religious vegan, now percentages of animal products allowed? In that case a subway turkey sandwich is 80% plant based. So many people on SAD are plant based...

Hence my point about doctors on both sides of the fence.

I’ve never heard anyone refer to plant based without meaning a diet consisting of no meat and dairy.

Classic =).

On a more serious note, I was a vegetarian throughout the 90s (quit for a few years because it was just easier to feed my teenage sons), but don't really eat any meat now. At no point have a found that my energy levels lagged, or felt that my physical performance suffered. Now, it is true that I am just a guy and no spectacular athlete, but I have been on both sides of it and clearly feel better as a vegetarian. .

But let's be honest here; many of the comments here are from folks who already have their minds made up and will spend their week searching the interwebz for some study to support their (already established) view.

He will just claim you're an outlier. Lol

I've been lacto ovo for 22 years as well. Even reducing milk generally makes me feel better.

I started at age 7. Grew up taller than my meat eating parents and went on to be high-achieving academically and athletically. As others have mentioned, it's about the nutrients you get, not where you get then from. I have no problem getting enough calories or the nutrients I need. And if I did, I would lean on a well established supplement industry which let's you pick from a dozen vegan protein sources and any micronutrient you might want.

I dont understand the point of trying to convince people they need meat. If a vegetarian diet didn't work for me, why would I want to convince others to ditch it too?

Now if you weren't lacto-ovo...... Milk has a lot of hormones in it fyi

I'm not sure if it's hormones, lactose, or what, but I have felt better since I reduced dairy products in my diet. At this point I consider myself lacto-ovo only because I'm not strict about avoiding dairy when someone else is cooking or if we are going out, so I probably have one or two servings a month, on average.

I do have eggs 3-5 times per week, though. Free range, organic, amish, omega-3, family owned, local, blah blah... mainly because I want to believe the chickens are healthier and in better living conditions than the ones producing $99/dozen eggs. Even $6 per dozen is great value when you consider that a 4 egg omelet is a $2 meal. We just think it's expensive because we've been used to seeing $1.5 per dozen white eggs with paper thin shells and yolks with no color or flavor.

$6 per dozen is expensive. The Amish, organic eggs around here are typically $3 per dozen.

But we get eggs for free. A lot of farms around here have signs up that you can just stop by and grab free eggs. But it's only a certain kind of eggs, called "range eggs". They're free, but there's a box to put money in if you want to get another kind of eggs for $3 per dozen.

Last year I was hunting on hutterite land in MT and toured one of their egg operations. It was impressive. They threw away all of the brown eggs and kept only the white eggs as brown is associated with impure and imperfect. I told the guy I was with that the opposite was true among all of the uptown urbanites that I hang out with and he looked at me like I was crazy.

Nobody?

Where is this magical egg wonderland?

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

There is no difference between white and brown eggs except the color of their shell. Some hens lay brown eggs, some lay white. It's a misconception that brown eggs and more 'natural' or healthy.

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I've been plant-based for 6/7 weeks after being pescetrian for the past 3 years. (Came about after thyroid cancer diagnosis with subsequent total thyroid removal and radiation treatment).

So far, zero difference. To be fair, I'm not in a training block at the moment, just winter dabbling. Not pulling up any trees in the pool, or on the road either.

Weight the same, blood pressure same (always on the low side), will rest cholesterol next week, but was always good. Same old aches and pains.

I'll stick with it for my thyroid health, and maybe I'll see a difference when I start training properly again.

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My race site: https://racesandplaces.wixsite.com/racesandplaces

True, but I'm used to the super cheap eggs always being white (as well as thin shelled and with a pale yolk). Might be different in other areas. Also, my family's chickens always laid brown eggs so I'll admit I associate the brown color with better eggs. It wasn't the point of that descriptor anyway.