Philosophical Vegan Forum

Hey there,

as suggested by one of TheVeganAtheists YouTuve videos about my idol Sam Harris I'd love you to take a look at my diet. I have the impression that it's pretty good but I'm always open to criticism.
As I'm currently studying and do a lot of different things at the weekends I'll give you a rough idea of what I eat from Monday-Friday as some days vary but the weekly average is rather consistent over the time.

This is what I eat from Monday to Friday:

2 Onions
2 Broccolis
4 Zucchinis
4 Paprikas
10 Mushrooms
20 Carrots
10 Bananas
1 kg of Oatmeal
1 kg of Rice
3 Cans of Beans/Peas
3 Cans of Lentils
3 L of Rice/Oat/Almond/Soy Milk
250g of Nuts
250g of Tofu
Average usage of Flaxseed Oil
Average usage of Pumpkinseed Oil


My physical activty level varies greatly due to my rather packed schedule at university (teachers degree for 3 subjects and three individual Bachelor studies) but I try to run 10km a day about 3-5 times a week and used to do martial arts but cannot do so at the moment due to my schedule. I'm 2,02m tall and weigh around 65-67kg, if this is of interest/relevance.

If I forgot anything, let me know!

Really looking forward to some criticism! I'd love to improve.

Greetings
Philipp

Looks good, but I would recommend starting off by entering it into cron-o-meter:
https://cronometer.com/

Then you know if it is nutritionally complete.

For more in-depth stuff I'll leave it to people more knowledgable than me.

Thank you for your response!

I'd be interested in a couple more ideas and responses. So please, don't be shy and let me know what you think of it.

Greetings

Too many bananas. Also, what kind of rice are you eating? It should be red, black, or wild.

Welcome Philipp!

Philipp802 wrote: 2 Onions
2 Broccolis
4 Zucchinis
4 Paprikas
10 Mushrooms
20 Carrots

Veggies are all great. I would cut down on the carrots are little and increase broccoli, though. The more carrots you eat, the less physical room left in your stomach for dark green veggies. Have you ever made green smoothies? That can enable you to eat more veggies without all of the time chewing.

Philipp802 wrote: 10 Bananas
1 kg of Oatmeal
1 kg of Rice

Bananas are pretty terrible. I'd cut those out, and choose a hand full (or two) of berries a day instead.

Oats are great.
Rice: White and brown are pretty bad. Many varieties of black rice are good (and higher in antioxidants), Red is even higher in antioxidants, but usually lower in nutrients than black. Wild is the most nutritious.
If you can afford it, replace rice with a better variety, or switch to another grain that is more nutritious.

There's nothing wrong with whole wheat; it's cheap and nutritious.

Philipp802 wrote: 3 Cans of Beans/Peas
3 Cans of Lentils

This is not enough beans/lentils for a whole week given your size.
I suggest you double this (at least).
You may be better off with three times this much.

I would suggest preparing beans from dry. You will reduce your sodium intake, and save money.

Philipp802 wrote: 3 L of Rice/Oat/Almond/Soy Milk

Is this fortified?

Philipp802 wrote: 250g of Nuts
250g of Tofu

Nuts and tofu are good. What kinds of nuts are you eating?
It sounds like you could eat a lot more of these.

Philipp802 wrote: Average usage of Flaxseed Oil
Average usage of Pumpkinseed Oil

I'm not familiar with any particular benefits to pumpkinseed oil; it's mostly omega 6, I would suggest not eating that at all.

Your flax seed oil may be rancid; be cautious of this, and never cook it, always keep it in the refrigerator, and eat it quickly. If it tastes off or fishy at all, don't eat it. Choose walnuts or ground flax seeds instead (which should be refrigerated after opening).

The problem with Omega 3 oils is they rancidify and oxidize very rapidly. High Omega 3 nuts and seeds are a better source for most people, and supply protein, vitamins, and minerals too (which an extracted oil is low in).

Philipp802 wrote: but I try to run 10km a day about 3-5 times a week and used to do martial arts but cannot do so at the moment due to my schedule.

I would avoid running entirely. Do more strength training, and low impact cardio. Power walking is good. Swimming is excellent. Running is dangerous and very hard on your joints (you'll regret it later in life).

brimstoneSalad wrote:I would avoid running entirely. Do more strength training, and low impact cardio. Power walking is good. Swimming is excellent. Running is dangerous and very hard on your joints (you'll regret it later in life).

Running could be bad, but you should be fine on a soft surface unless you feel pain. At that point, it's time to stop running. Any way, you should find a way of training cardio that you like and where you could keep your heart rate elevated (around 150 unless you are older). This is hard to do with swimming as your muscles will get fatigued before your heart.

Jebus wrote: Running could be bad, but you should be fine on a soft surface unless you feel pain. At that point, it's time to stop running.

If you're feeling any pain at all, that sounds like it's already too much.

A soft surface is a great option, particularly if you live near a beach. Although that will also tire your muscles quickly. Whether swimming or something else (like jogging on sand), you just have to build up your strength to the point that you can sustain it for a decent workout; that doesn't take too long, and strength is a god thing to have.

With the distance he's running, it sound like around an hour, and at 3-5 times a week that seems like overkill; probably past the point of diminishing returns for workout.

brimstoneSalad wrote:I would avoid running entirely. Do more strength training, and low impact cardio. Power walking is good. Swimming is excellent. Running is dangerous and very hard on your joints (you'll regret it later in life).

Interesting, what do you think of jumping rope and road skating (long distance, not stunting)? Those are my favourite forms of cardio right now. I would swim, but it's cold and I am not prepared to pay for the overcrowded pool.

miniboes wrote: Interesting, what do you think of jumping rope and road skating (long distance, not stunting)?

Jumping rope should be great, and probably not very dangerous. Whatever road skating is, it sounds dangerous and probably isn't great cardio unless you're moving at very high speeds (again, dangerous).

miniboes wrote:Interesting, what do you think of jumping rope and road skating (long distance, not stunting)?

rope jumping is a great way to improve your foot work in lots of different sports. However, I'm not sure it's great for cardio. Most people have to stop jumping when their calves are burning which usually happens before they reach their target heart rate. Test it with a heart rate monitor and let us know which heart rate you achieve and how long you can sustain it.

brimstoneSalad wrote:With the distance he's running, it sound like around an hour, and at 3-5 times a week that seems like overkill; probably past the point of diminishing returns for workout.

Why do you write that (diminishing returns)? Isn't number of calories burned in a day completely positively correlated with number of heart beats in one day? Perhaps you mean that too much training will lead to injury? Or do you mean that too much cardio is catabolic in case his goals are to gain muscle?