I watched the game changers documentary and im curious about the plant based diet. Has anyone tried it? If so did any change happen? Was your physical performance better or worse? Im very curious.
i have been meat free for 14 years and totally vegan for 7. i’m alive and healthy, and was a weight lifter for about 3 years of my life (precovid.) when i went plant-based or vegan, things like my energy levels changed for the better, it was easier for me to lose weight without making many changes, exercise became easier because my heart and chest felt less congested, my dandruff and skin issues cleared, and i would like to believe my cognitive ability improved as i had a hard time retaining information and remembering things before. i truly believe dairy and meat are the main foods that kept me from feeling 100%. this is obviously my personal experience, since that is what OP asked for. there are many variables at play but this lifestyle has worked for me.
Over the last 15 years my diet has fluctuated between vegan-ish and moderately omnivorous. I’ve never been a very heavy meat eater in general.
I know when I’m eating plant-based everything feels more balanced. I have intense issues with iron-deficient anemia and I actually have an easier time managing it when I’m more plant-based (90% of meals). I think it’s because I’m eating a wider variety of foods and specifically focusing on cruciferous veggies and dark leafy greens. The vitamin C in fruits helps with iron uptake too. Digestion is generally better too.
Performance-wise, I notice more energy and my mood feels more stable.
Keep in mind that lifestyle is a huge part of the equation - not overeating, choosing whole, non or minimally processed, moving your body everyday - getting your heart rate up.
Oreo cookies and original Fritos are vegan.
One concern that I have with going by popular diet is that, it does not consider individual suitability. While plant based diet for general population may be good, you also need to consider if you are allergic to the food you eat.
My story: I adapted plant based diet in full, so I ate lot of different types of plants. Experts recommend your plate should be a rainbow palatte. Over the course of months, I learnt that I am allergic/ intolerent to some of the new foods I introduced. It wasn’t all rosy for me. Just a note, I am still on plant based diet. I reduced meat, egg, dairy. However I do not eat all the plants. I avoid red chilli, some legumes, soy because I found I am allergic to them.
Point to be taken: No diet is magic, you need to check if it suits your body
I went plant based to lower cholesterol. 34 and not overweight in the slightest but eating however I wanted did unseen damage.
2 years in, I feel great, don’t really miss meat and poop better than I ever did before.
Growing up, since we are Indian, most days were completely plant based.
Even now that we can afford better and more is easily available here, I’d still say that we have meat maybe 4-6 times a month, and the leftovers (usually about a kilo or so minimum of meat curry will be made at one time, so it lasts a couple of days/ maybe three days for one meal each day).
It’s not difficult to do.
If your eating healthy before you switch and healthy after you go plant based…. You will feel exactly the same. Went plant based for a year, didn’t get better blood work results because I already ate extremely healthy before hand and continued to do that after the fact. Didn’t change any of my recover or energy levels my strength or literally anything at all. It’s good to do for ethics, but health is independent of it as a dietary choice
Yup I’m plant based. I feel great, lots of energy, good blood tests, no health issues. I work out like a beast. Probably one of the more popular results is it regulates weight unless someone really eats all day, because it’s pretty hard to overeat when most of your daily foods are low calorie and high fibre
>Has anyone tried it?
There are literally millions of vegans eating a strictly plant-based diet.
As you saw, there are a number of elite athletes who are entirely or predominantly plant-based.
I’ve been vegan for over five years and I feel great.
Whether you’re eating animal products or strictly plant-based, you’re either getting the nutritional requirements you need or you’re not. There’s no reason you can’t on a plant-based diet. You’ll need to supplement vitamin B12, but that’s about it. You may want to supplement iron and vitamin D depending on your risk.
As someone with digestive issues; it was horrible. Legumes/vegetables/lentils/seeds/nuts etc were all incredibly hard to digest and were a massive trigger for my IBSD - contributing to stomach cramps, gas pains etc. Made me fail worse, tried tweaking many things with no luck.
However, if you have a healthy digestive system - Go ahead and try it out. It is highly nutritious and cheap to do. Everyone is different and will have varied results, there is no diet that is the best to follow.
It wasn’t Game Changers that helped me make my decision (though I liked that documentary), but when I was mainly eating a plant based diet- I was smashing my fitness goals. I was running every morning 3-6 miles, lifting weights on the weekend and looked the best I’d looked ever in my life. I honestly wouldn’t say it was due to my diet, I imagine I could do the same thing on an Omni diet with dedication.
I was vegan for a year and my body did well for the first few months. By the end of the year I had a number of vitamin deficiencies. I already had autoimmune and malabsorption problems though, so my issues were more related to gut health and food sensitivities. I’m also an athlete and the vegan protein powders made me feel worse.
I got back to eating grass fed red meat and I immediately felt better. I remember the scene in the Game Changers where they covered erectile dysfunction in relation to eating red meat and it was the opposite affect on me. I see naturopath and functional medicinal doctors who have all told me that animal protein isn’t the problem, it’s where you get it. Fast food grain fed meat is not the same as grass finished.
I still eat 80-90% plant based, the other 10-20% is grass fed/pasture raised and my health is great now. It’s different for everyone, work with a nutritionist.
Whole Food Plant-based since Oct 18. 99% of what I eat. 1% is exceptions when dining outside with family and friend and there are no plant-based options.
My transition was like 2 years. First red meat and milk. Then poultry and fish. Last was cheese(this sucker is hard to leave lol).
I went all-in after a high blood pressure crisis (had to go to ER).
What can I say? It works. Weight went down. Health improved a lot.
I actually follow Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen. Best plan I have found
Ive tried a multitude of different diets. And everyone’s body is different. I tried plant based for a month and I honestly didn’t feel that good. I’m very active and I just didn’t have a whole lot of energy. I even tried taking nutritional yeast for vitamin b12. Didn’t work. Now I’m on an animal based diet and I feel amazing. I eat mainly meat and a little bit of fruit and honey. My energy levels stay consistent throughout the day. No spikes and no drops. I’m more active now and I feel like I can keep going everyday and recover properly. Again, it’s different for everyone. It doesn’t hurt to try.
Take everything in that documentary with a grain of salt (no pun intended). I, like you, watched it and was inspired to change my diet. However after reading up on it I realized it’s probably not the absolute end-all-be-all diet out there. Any diet that says adding a small serving of salmon to an otherwise plant based meal will actually make it less healthy is full of shit.
I think it’s safe to say most nutritionalists agree we (as a western society) need to eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and eat less processed and fatty meats. So I decided to do a hybrid and eat ~85% plant based and 15% animal.
I can say I’ve had great results and would recommend to anyone.
yes. i have been vegan half my life. i am healthier and stronger than all of my peers. that being said, it isn’t a “diet” as much as a lifestyle choice. in other words most of us chose a vegan diet because we care about animal welfare, our health, and the health of the planet. be careful though. you can eat vegan 24/7 and be very unhealthy. there are highly processed vegan foods that are just as bad for you as a cheeseburger. but at least no animals suffered. try it for 7 days or 30 days and see how you feel. everyone here will have an opinion as varied as their bodies and history. the only way you’ll know is to try it for yourself.
You should generally be very skeptical about diet documentaries, whether they advocate for plant based, paleo, keto etc. They all cherry pick information, and game changers certainly is no exception.
That being said, it is possible to be perfectly healthy on a plant based diet but it takes certain supplementation (B12 is the most obvious one) and a lot of planning. A better approach might be to restrict your intake of food from animal sources, but still eating it a few times a week to reduce the risk of nutrient deficiencies. From there you can experiment yourself with the balance to find what works for you.
Plant based for 16 years. I don’t remember much before I switched to plant based, so cannot say exactly what has changed (like energy levels etc.). I can tell you that I have no complaints. I am now late 30s, I am still healthy, rather fit, with fat about 23% of body mass. Also. My mother is plant based for 30 years now. She’s 70. No cognitive issues, no eye problems, no medication. So, I am going to continue based on that, and I can only recommend it.
Plant based doesn’t mean specifically vegan or vegetarian. It usually means the majority of your meals don’t contain meat or dairy. Anyway, occasional consumption of healthy meats like chicken, fish & eggs are healthy to keep in the rotation.
IMO it helps with acne to cut down on the sugar & aids in weight loss as long as you’re not drenching stuff in sauces or dressings. Meats are usually calorie dense but as long as you have them responsibly then you’re good to go.
& take b12 & add nutritional yeast or fortified foods. I’m not a doctor just a nutrition enthusiast that frequently studies diets, gut health & in depth nutrition. (10 years of frequent studies & keeps updated on current ideas & discoveries.)
I have slightly high BP, after ~6 months it went was perfect…. Really odd… Hard to get a high amount of protein (~160g/day) but overall you feel significantly less sluggish.
Hard to find food to eat when out drunk
I was alternating between vegetarian & pescatarian for a few years and tried veganism briefly as well. After some experimentation I found that reintroducing meat into my diet helped with building muscle and staying full longer. I have never been a huge meat eater but foods like beef jerky, chicken, and shellfish add more variation to my diet and work for me. There is no one diet that works for everyone; I highly recommend experimenting with different diets and foods to determine what works best for you.
I would love to adopt a plant-based diet, but I think I’m not using enough varieties in the things I cook because every time I cut meat+dairies(except cheese and butter — baby steps)+eggs+fish I feel exhausted. Very quickly, I have no energy for anything. I would really like to find a way to reap all the health benefits I keep hearing about, but somehow I always find myself at a point where I have to re-introduce these things to get my energy level back 😢
I loved the documentary and if anything was going to make me vegan it was that.
Then I read an independent synopsis of it and then looked up the doctors and experts that they used to express their vision.
As it turns out, they were all authors of books for the benefits of a plant based lifestyle.
All in all I don’t see an issue with a plant based diet but this documentary shouldn’t be the defining moment of why you changed.
The evidence they used inconclusive. Use the burrito one as an example, it is a one day, one off experiment with no replicated data so proves nothing…
I’ve been vegan for 7 years now, for ethical reasons. However it’s been a lot easier to manage my weight on a plant based diet, and I have a lot more stamina when it comes to doing anything physical. I remember before I went vegan I went kayaking (in a double kayak with my then boyfriend) and after about 1km paddling downstream I was exhausted and turned back… Last month I went kayaking again (literally had not been kayaking in years) and went 3km upstream, only turned back because my kid was bored, I could have kept going for hours. Also the kayak was much heavier this time, it has my partner and two of my kids in it, and I was doing 90% of the paddling because my partner was holding the baby.
My energy is a lot more sustained, like I can just walk and walk and walk for hours and not get tired. I remember before I was vegan I’d have like bursts of energy and then get tired, but now I just feel “level” all day if that makes sense. I don’t find myself getting sleepy after meals either.
I could never run before either, I’d get winded so fast, even cycling wiped me out. Now it’s just… Easy? Even though I didn’t have a bike for two years, when I got one it was just super easy to cycle without getting puffed out. I used to have to get off and walk regularly, and now I can pull a trailer with two kids in it just fine. And that’s without being a regular cyclist.
Probably the only actual downsides are the social ones. Like I now get really bored if I have to sit around for a long time, especially at family get togethers. I just want to get up and move or go do something. Also eating different food from other people can be annoying sometimes, but mostly it’s fine.
I’ll say as well that I supplement vitamin B12 and of you’re cutting down on animal products I’d suggest you look into doing the same.
For measurable health effects I lost weight without trying, and now my weight is stable but if I want to lose more I can do that easily. My blood pressure is a lot lower now, it was 120/80 and now it’s 110/60. I had borderline high cholesterol (I think it was 5.6 or something like that, don’t remember exactly as it’s been years) now it’s 3.4. I’m not a “health” vegan either, I just make what I like and do have discretionary foods regularly. I have become anaemic during my pregnancies, but I had a pre-vegan pregnancy where I was also anaemic (actually worse levels than when I was vegan) so that may just be a me thing rather than a diet thing.
To me the dichotomy between plant based or animal based really misses the point. When trying to determine one’s diet its much more important IMO to determine which of the animal and plant foods are best and worst and why. If you feel like going with more plants or more animal sourced foods that could be fine if you understand how to pick best from those categories
I became plant based about 2 years ago and it has definitely been an improvement. I have not lost any weight and in fact have gained a little - so people warning you about calorie or protein deficiency is utter nonsense. You will get a good quantity of all the nutrients you need (unless you just eat processed food) but maybe supplement with B12 and onega-3 (unless you eat a lot of flax/chai seeds). You got this!
Now watch “Kiss the Ground” and you’ll swing in the other direction. Plant based requires a lot of work, I’ve tried and failed a ton the past 2-3 years. Now I know we eat far too much meat in the country, but no animals products whatsoever isn’t the solution. I keep mine at 10-20% of my diet and I feel better than ever
I tried it for two years. I gained weight and had low energy, despite working out every day. Once I started bringing meats back in, my body was much happier and stronger. It was too much carb for me. I feel the best I’ve ever felt right now on high protein, low sugar/carb. Lots of veggies too of course.
I went vegetarian for 4 years, and began eating poultry and fish again recently - unpopular opinion but I feel much better eating meat. BUT I think that’s because I ate a considerable amount of quorn and other meat substitutes, which are shit for you in comparison to real chicken or fish - super processed, generally more salt and bad fats
Look up something called the DIAAS score. It ranks proteins based on “quality”. Proteins with more complete and balanced amino acid profiles get a higher score, and ones with lower amounts or out of balance amino acids get a lower score. You’ll find that the highest scores by far go to animal based proteins. So, yeah, you could add a bunch of pea protein powder to your diet and pretty easily get close to the same levels of amino acids… But why would you do that when you could eat steak and eggs and still come out better?
Games Changers is bad. It has numerous factual issues and misleading statements, many of which you can read about from this excellent article by Layne Norton or this one by Kevin Bass. Personally my biggest issue is that it shows a lot of the athletes eating what is essentially vegan junk food, (Oreos, vegan pizza), and saying this is healthy just because it’s plant-based. This is obviously not true and people should know better.
That said, plant-based diets can be a good way to lose weight, and it’s perfectly possible to be athletic and vegan, (though whether you can compete at the highest level and to your fullest potential is a different story). If you main goal is weight loss and it interests you, try it out.
When I went vegan all my GI issues went away. I had abdominal pains since I was a child. And tried different exclusion diets and none worked completely until I went fully plant based.
Eating a diverse, whole food plant based diet high in fibre was the best thing I ever did for myself (not to mention the planet and animals too)
I’m surprised they even released Game Changers - it literally debunks itself. Their claim was “vegan diets are not only viable, but superior for professional athletes”, and sought to demonstrate that by showcasing vegan professional athletes.
So how many did they find? None. Every pro athlete in that video was raised, trained, and make it to the pros eating an omnivore diet. Many went vegan after turning pro, others like the main character James Wilks turned vegan after retiring, and many were never vegans ever like when they show Tom Brady - very dishonest of the documentary.
The ones that turned vegan mid career all saw their performance fall off a cliff, ended up injured, and either retired/released or started eating meat again.
Just eat nutritious food whether it’s plant based or from animal products. It shouldn’t make any difference. As long as you’re exercising and getting in all essential micros and macros it’s all good. You see plenty of old people who’ve been eating animal products their whole life.
WFPB is optimal for health/disease prevention/reversal, longevity, and it turns out it’s also good for athletic performance! No surprise since you’re consuming thousands of phytonutrients/antioxidants, lots of vitamins/minerals, fiber, water, etc. At the same time, you’re avoiding animal products, processed foods/oils, and thus avoiding TMAO, IGF-1, Neu5GC, Heme Iron, PAH, Hormones, Antibiotics, Chemical Preservatives, etc. Check out Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Brooke Goldner, Dr. Saray Stancic, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. T Colin Campbell, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Michael Klaper, etc. On YouTube, websites, books. Incredible life saving info! Also, the documentaries “Forks Over Knives”, “Eating You Alive”, “Plant Pure Nation” (you already saw “Game Changers”). The following websites have more info, recipes, etc., they are also on YouTube: pcrm.org, forksoverknives.com, chefaj.com, hellonutritarian.com.
Make the change, you wont regret it!
Vegan for 8 years, only regret is I didn’t make the switch sooner. Now that Joe Rogan has been exposed as a biased moron incapable of interpreting science correctly, I sense a lot of his former bros are reconsidering their position.
Lean red meat is incredibly healthy for you. These so called “dietitians” figured out a while back that they could blame red meat for obesity in the US, and they have sold a lot of books talking about this. I eat steak 4 times a week, and I’m incredibly healthy. Focus on eating a well balanced, Whole Foods diet, and you’ll be fine.
For health reasons, I switched to (mostly) plant-based a couple of months ago (reserving the right to occasionally eat the meaty things I love) and aside from the all the usual stuff about having more energy, slimming down, etc. I noticed one HUGE thing. My bath towel stopped getting stinky. Usually I would have to change/wash it every few days (max, a week). Haven’t had to change my towel in 2 months as it still smells fresh.
Take the information in game changers with a grain of salt. Chris Kresser was brought on to Joe Rogan’s podcast to debate the guy who produced the game changers documentary and he had much more objective scientific data to back up his claims than did the vegan advocate. Here’s more info - https://chriskresser.com/debunking-the-game-changers-joe-rogan/
when i was vegetarian and quit milk my energy levels increased, but im probably somewhat intolerant. when i added and removed meat (but mostly white meat, unprocessed chicken, some pork occasionally ) to a vegan/whole plant based diet not much changed, maybe without meat my i feel like my digestion works better, but could be because of the preparation method (frying in oil) or because exchanging meat for a plant based protein source gets me more fiber, but i ate lots of fiber even with the meat.
i guess the important thing is to get most of your calories from whole plant based foods, like at least 80%, and dont eat shit for the remaining 20%. if you eat meat you can but eat legumes too often
I still eat chicken, eggs and fish but otherwise plant based. Did so b/c of bad acne + dairy. I go to the gym a lot & whey protein caused me breakouts, started consuming plant based protein (soy, pea) and have tried brands like Morningstar. I like having dairy free yogurt & milk. So far so good. I would go completely planted based if I wanted to, but don’t think it is a good choice for me yet.
honestly, i had a super positive experience but it will differ with every person. if you don’t have any condition which prevents you from eating specific types of foods eg celiac, try it out for a month and see how you feel
I was fully vegan, low/no oil for 6 months. I did blood work before and after, and my cholesterol dropped 30 points! Energy levels were variable, but overall I noticed less bloating and more consistent energy. My chronic post-nasal drip cleared up too.
I’ve added eggs, fish, and some oil back into my diet. I find this to be easier to maintain in the long run. I feel great as long as I’m sticking to whole food plant based sources and avoiding overly processed foods. I will occasionally have dairy if eating out or something (eg cheese or ice cream) but generally tend to feel worse after doing so.
There’s a lot of peer reviewed data out there that a whole food plant based diet is the best for longevity. I don’t think this is as black and white as some of the documentaries make it out to be. Rather, trying to get most of your nutrition from colorful plants is a balanced approach that most people can achieve.
The game changer is a good documentary although, like anything advocating for a point of view, it’s partial.
That being said, if you plan a plant based diet well (meaning you don’t only eat potato), it will be way healthier than the average standard diet. Eating more plants is the closest thing to a scientific consensus on nutrition
Eating whole food plant based is hugely beneficial. I’ve been eating mostly that way for two years. No more constipation. Way less after meal crash where you just want to lay on the couch
Again, it still depends on what you put in your plant based diet, but I encourage you going this way
Been vegetarian for over a decade and I’m honestly pretty happy! That being said, it was a big learning-curve to my surprise.
I will say that the Pescetarian Mediterranean food pyramid is in my opinion the most optimal diet for humans in general.