Hola :)

[Galaxy_Defender]

Hi! I'm a current pescetarian and future vegan, it's not like I'm procrastinating my veganism, just that my dad makes me eat fish twice a week, so I'm waiting to go to university to start with the diet.

I came here for various reasons, one is that I saw an oppotunity here to practice and improve my english (I'm not a native speaker so if mess up please tell me), and I wanted to participate on a more active and logical discussion about veganism. I also have some concerns about my health...

You see, since I became pescetarian I've felt a lot more tired and less sharp, and I haven't really made an effort to replace the nutrients of the stuff I stopped eating (I also stopped drinking milk directly almost entirely), well but better late that never, so if you guys could guide me into eating more responsibly I'd appreciate it a lot.

Well so that's that, looking foward to have a good time here and get along well with y'all.

[DarlBundren]

Hola, Galaxy_Defender,

Bienvenido al foro. What made you decide to go vegan?
We would be more than glad to help you. Let us know what your current diet is like.

[NonZeroSum]

Hi! I'm a current pescetarian and future vegan, it's not like I'm procrastinating my veganism, just that my dad makes me eat fish twice a week, so I'm waiting to go to university to start with the diet.

Heya Galaxy Defender! Nice to make your acquaintance.

I liked learning to cook varied dishes but by no means up on my nutrition or count up my daily intake, just know a few high protein and vitamin and mineral rich foods to chuck in when I can. Other people on the forum will be able to give you a better run down with links to boot.

I wouldn't feel bad about the fish and milk as your transitioning to a vegan diet, the most important thing is to be able to sustain it long term.

We have a few different first language peoples on here, it's good to have conversations spanning internationally, you write English really well, but don't be afraid to write in Spanish first and include both if your unsure and someone will be able to help. Also don't be afraid to ask for clarification, there will be sayings I forget aren't clear in International English.

Do you know what you want to study at university?

[brimstoneSalad]

Welcome Galaxy_Defender, we'd be glad to help.

A frequent problem for people transitioning is just not eating enough calories. Keep track of your weight and try to get an idea of the calories in food. If you increase your calories to a normal level for your weight, you should have more energy.
Some also miss out on protein; make sure you're eating lots of beans, and throw in some nuts and seeds if you can for fat.

If you can give us a rundown of what you normally eat in a day, we can give you some more specific advice.

[Galaxy_Defender]

Let us know what your current diet is like.

If you can give us a rundown of what you normally eat in a day, we can give you some more specific advice.

Hi! thanks for reciving me! so, it obviously varies from day to day, but this is what I normally eat:

Breakfast: At 7am, Cereal with Soy milk, generally a relatively large portion

Lunch: At 1pm, usually something different everyday, rice with either lentils, an egg, fish (just 2 times a week), a soy hamburger, cooked vegetables or something else of the sort, pasta, soup, and some other stuff that I dont remember rn. All of this always with a small portion of salad.

Dinner: At 8pm, 2 tortillas with a soy hamburger and leftover from lunch. (and no I'm not Mexican, I just eat tortillas because I heard that they are healthier than bread)

Just by my limited knowledge of nutrition I can see that this is pretty unhealthy, but I don't exactly what to do to fix it. So, what should I start eating more or less? Thanks in advance btw

A frequent problem for people transitioning is just not eating enough calories. Keep track of your weight and try to get an idea of the calories in food. If you increase your calories to a normal level for your weight, you should have more energy.

I don't think that calories are the cause of the problem, even if from what I told you above it doesn't sound like much, I somedays eat a lot. Sometimes I repeat my portion, even multiple times, speceally at dinner, so I'm pretty sure I have calories covered.

Heya Galaxy Defender! Nice to make your acquaintance.

I wouldn't feel bad about the fish and milk as your transitioning to a vegan diet, the most important thing is to be able to sustain it long term.

Do you know what you want to study at university?

Hey! Happy to make your acquaintance too.

I feel bad for fish but it's not like I have a choice, my dad gets pretty upset if I refuse to eat it so I just do it to avoid conflict. But with milk, I mostly stopped drinking it because I prefered soy milks taste, not that much than for ethical reasons (tho obviously ethics influenced a little too change too)

Yes, Cinema and television.

[DarlBundren]

this is what I normally eat:

Avoid the eggs and the rice. Try whole-grain pasta and (canned) beans/lentils instead. You may need to eat more vegetables. Ideally, you should eat two servings of greens (kale, spinach etc. ) and other vegetables (onions, beets etc.) every day. Spinach and broccoli are a great source of calcium and iron. Tomatoes and (a few) carrots are relatively cheap and packed with vitamins. You don't seem to be eating any fruit. Try to eat a couple of oranges/apples every day. Another thing you seem to need is good fats. A handful of peanuts/chia seeds/ sunflower seeds would be great. You could try something like this:

Breakfast: fortified soy/almond milk, cereals, nuts and an apple.

Lunch: whole-grain pasta and lentils/beans. Spinach/broccoli. An orange.

Snack: ?

Dinner: Tortilla with beans, carrots, tomatoes and onions. An apple. A handful of nuts/seeds.

Make sure to eat enough. Do you take any supplements? You should at least get some B12.

[miniboes]

Welcome to the forum! I hope you'll enjoy your time here and look forward to seeing your input!

[brimstoneSalad]

Breakfast: At 7am, Cereal with Soy milk, generally a relatively large portion

What kind of cereal?
If you can, try to find a high protein one with lower sugar and more nuts and seeds.
There are some like that in North America, not sure about where you are.

If you have time, you can also make your own; it takes a couple hours for a week's supply though.

Just by my limited knowledge of nutrition I can see that this is pretty unhealthy, but I don't exactly what to do to fix it. So, what should I start eating more or less? Thanks in advance btw

Over the next couple days, can you estimate volume of the food, or maybe take some pictures (of vegan days).
Ratios are pretty important.

Overall, it does sound like you're not eating enough good fats from nuts and seeds.
Walnuts, in particular, can be found pretty widely and are a great source of healthy fats.

I don't think that calories are the cause of the problem, even if from what I told you above it doesn't sound like much, I somedays eat a lot.

Yeah, but the volume of the foods you're eating has less calories.
Broccoli is very healthy for you, but if you tried to make a day out of eating it, you'd need six kilograms or possibly more to just get enough calories.

Some of these whole or mostly whole vegan foods can look like a lot, and volume wise they are, but may not have many calories in them.

[Jebus]

Welcome Galaxy. Great that you are making moves towards veganism. If you are almost university age, how can your father force you to eat something you don't want to eat?

I just eat tortillas because I heard that they are healthier than bread)

That entirely depends on the tortillas and the bread. Actually in supermarkets I find it easier to find healthful bread than healthful tortillas. The advantage of the tortilla might be that the weight of the unhealthful tortilla included in the meal will probably be less than the weight of the unhealthful bread. If you have time, make your own bread and tortillas. If you don't have time try to find bread that doesn't contain white refined flower, milk, or butter.

A frequent problem for people transitioning is just not eating enough calories.

Why is that a problem? As long as one gets the required nutrients, why care about the number of calories?

Tomatoes and (a few) carrots are relatively cheap and packed with vitamins.

If they are cheap or not depends on where one lives. I recommend eating tomatoes and carrots for anyone who thinks they taste good and/or needs a source of fiber, but they are definitely not packed with vitamins.

Try to eat a couple of oranges/apples every day.

Again, ok for anyone who thinks they taste good and/or needs a source of fiber. Apart from that, these don't add much more than unnecessary sugar.

Another thing you seem to need is good fats. A handful of peanuts/chia seeds/ sunflower seeds would be great.

At the moment, he is eating fish so is probably ok regarding fats. However, ones he stops eating fish he will need to focus on getting enough Omega 3 while avoiding too much Omega 6. Chia seeds are ok (although flax seed is better) but definitely not peanuts of sunflower seeds.

[brimstoneSalad]

A frequent problem for people transitioning is just not eating enough calories.

Why is that a problem? As long as one gets the required nutrients, why care about the number of calories?

It can result in low energy, chronic hunger (which can make a relapse into animal products more likely), and physical symptoms such as undesirable weight loss, loss of period and loss of sex drive, issues with hair skin and nails, and others.

Reduced calorie consumption has been associated with prolonged life, but recent research has suggested that methionine restriction may have the same benefits to longevity without the negative side effects. And the good news is that a vegan diet is naturally pretty low in methionine (Jebus knows this, I'm just mentioning it for the benefit of others).

Try to eat a couple of oranges/apples every day.

Again, ok for anyone who thinks they taste good and/or needs a source of fiber. Apart from that, these don't add much more than unnecessary sugar.

True, if you're after vitamin C, your best source may be red bell peppers (which will give you more vitamin A too). If you're after antioxidants, go with berries.
Apples and oranges may work for some people in a pinch, though, when other superior foods are not accessible. Or if they like them.
Of the common fruit bananas are probably better nutritionally, though; they offer more potassium, which can be hard to get sometimes.

Chia seeds are ok (although flax seed is better) but definitely not peanuts of sunflower seeds.

Sunflower seeds are good for vitamin E, though.
It's fine to get some Omega 6 as long as you have enough Omega 3 to balance it out. Having a high ratio of fat in the diet is probably beneficial as long as it's good fat and in a proper ratio.