Vegan / Vegetarians Only (Chat about lifestyle, opportunities, food, whatever...)

[Spenny]

So I've been on a road trip the recent weeks from Poland, through Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary and soon going to Slovenia and the Balkans...

I use Happycow to find vegan restaurants and man, I'm so impressed how many vegan restaurants I can find now even in rather random places with relatively small populations.

Vienna in particular so far has been super easy for veganism. It has a few dozen vegan restaurants (though many are branches of the same chain), two completely vegan supermarkets (and any regular supermarket has tons of vegan food), a vegan bakery, a vegan smoothie/acai bowl bar, 10 or so locations of a purely vegan ice cream chain, and whatever else you may need including a vegan hair salon and a vegan tattoo studio.

I've also noticed a very interesting relationship regarding the availability of vegan restaurants and the vibe of the city.

Namely, if a city has some nice, modern, healthy vegan restaurants (not some shitty fast food vegan joints), then it's most likely going to be a place where I feel good.

If there are no such restaurants, the place often has a backward feel (since a lack of vegan restaurants indicates that people are rather traditional and tourists who come there are the same as well).

Here are some photos of food, everything from 100% vegan places:

Vegan Vietnamese in Vienna:

View attachment 55884View attachment 55885

Super clean and nice vegan cafe in Bratislava:

View attachment 55886

Vegan ice pops in Budapest:

View attachment 55887

Surf-style vegan smoothie/acai bar in Vienna (everything certified organic):

View attachment 55888

Vegan pizza in Vienna (certified organic as well):

View attachment 55889

And a super funny thing I saw while checking out one vegan restaurant:

View attachment 55890

I need to grab Ed Winters' book at some point. I think I've compiled most of the talking points people use to argue against veganism.

• "animals don't feel as much as humans"
• "You can't get enough nutrients on a vegan diet"
• "Babies can't be fed vegan diets" (need to confirm this, I don't know)
• "It's annoying to check labels"
• "How do you have muscles while being vegan?"
• "My [family member] tried it and got [some aliment because they didn't think of vitamins]"
• "Soy has phytoestrogen = testosterone is gone"
• "Soy kills more animals than meat."
• "I like the taste of meat"
• "Veganism costs a lot more" (I calculated my food bill has gone from £250 to £300)
• "It's inconvenient."
• "But us killing animals is the circle of life - Kill or be killed"
• "Do you get B12?"
• "Has your gym performance gone down?"
• "Veganism isn't natural"
• "What do we do with all of the animals we don't kill? They'd overrun the planet because of how many there are"
• "Life is better lived than not at all"
• "They are killed humanely"
• "Plants still feel"
• "The world is an awful place, it'll happen anyway"
• "What about bacon?"

People should be awarded a gold medal for the mental gymnastics from their performance to justify their choices.

The "Where do you get your protein?" one always makes me laugh and think of MJ's profile pic.

 

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[Timmy C]

I ran out of oat milk and soy milk the other week, and for 2 days i used the dairy milk in the fridge. I was sick with the flu and couldn't be bothered going anywhere.

Within 2 days, my osteoarthritis in my shoulder flaired up pretty badly. As soon as I bought my oat milk and Soy milk, 2 days later the pain went down considerably.

I'm convinced dairy is really, really bad for you.

People at work give me so much shit as I eat so healthy lol. That's why I'm jacked and your not so..... yeh....

 

[MTF]

I ran out of oat milk and soy milk the other week, and for 2 days i used the dairy milk in the fridge. I was sick with the flu and couldn't be bothered going anywhere.

Within 2 days, my osteoarthritis in my shoulder flaired up pretty badly. As soon as I bought my oat milk and Soy milk, 2 days later the pain went down considerably.

I'm convinced dairy is really, really bad for you.

People at work give me so much shit as I eat so healthy lol. That's why I'm jacked and your not so..... yeh....

My mom suffers from knee pain, probably something like your osteoarthritis. She eats a ton of dairy and it's pretty much the base of her diet.

But there's no way whatsoever to convince her to try to eliminate it for a few weeks to see if that would cause any improvement. I'm pretty sure it would.

In fact, she says that she feels sick when she doesn't eat it for a day or two lol.

At the same time, she's vegetarian. It's funny how much she hates veganism and I actually feel it has noticeably worsened our relationship because she just can't accept my choice (even though I'm not forcing her or even persuading).

It's funny how people look at their nutrition choices as religion.

 

[Aidan04]

I need to grab Ed Winters' book at some point. I think I've compiled most of the talking points people use to argue against veganism.

• "animals don't feel as much as humans"
• "You can't get enough nutrients on a vegan diet"
• "Babies can't be fed vegan diets" (need to confirm this, I don't know)
• "It's annoying to check labels"
• "How do you have muscles while being vegan?"
• "My [family member] tried it and got [some aliment because they didn't think of vitamins]"
• "Soy has phytoestrogen = testosterone is gone"
• "Soy kills more animals than meat."
• "I like the taste of meat"
• "Veganism costs a lot more" (I calculated my food bill has gone from £250 to £300)
• "It's inconvenient."
• "But us killing animals is the circle of life - Kill or be killed"
• "Do you get B12?"
• "Has your gym performance gone down?"
• "Veganism isn't natural"
• "What do we do with all of the animals we don't kill? They'd overrun the planet because of how many there are"
• "Life is better lived than not at all"
• "They are killed humanely"
• "Plants still feel"
• "The world is an awful place, it'll happen anyway"
• "What about bacon?"

People should be awarded a gold medal for the mental gymnastics from their performance to justify their choices.

The "Where do you get your protein?" one always makes me laugh and think of MJ's profile pic.

My food bill has actually decreased since switching over to being vegetarian.

I'm still on whey protein because plant based protein powder is incredibly expensive for the cost to serving amount.

I wish there was a company that developed a cheaper alternative.

Other than this, eating plant based is cheaper where I am.

 

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[Subsonic]

I need to grab Ed Winters' book at some point. I think I've compiled most of the talking points people use to argue against veganism.

• "animals don't feel as much as humans"
• "You can't get enough nutrients on a vegan diet"
• "Babies can't be fed vegan diets" (need to confirm this, I don't know)
• "It's annoying to check labels"
• "How do you have muscles while being vegan?"
• "My [family member] tried it and got [some aliment because they didn't think of vitamins]"
• "Soy has phytoestrogen = testosterone is gone"
• "Soy kills more animals than meat."
• "I like the taste of meat"
• "Veganism costs a lot more" (I calculated my food bill has gone from £250 to £300)
• "It's inconvenient."
• "But us killing animals is the circle of life - Kill or be killed"
• "Do you get B12?"
• "Has your gym performance gone down?"
• "Veganism isn't natural"
• "What do we do with all of the animals we don't kill? They'd overrun the planet because of how many there are"
• "Life is better lived than not at all"
• "They are killed humanely"
• "Plants still feel"
• "The world is an awful place, it'll happen anyway"
• "What about bacon?"

People should be awarded a gold medal for the mental gymnastics from their performance to justify their choices.

The "Where do you get your protein?" one always makes me laugh and think of MJ's profile pipic.

Was mentioned already, but my food bill also decreased significantly since going vegetarian. In germany at least, meat is way more expensive than meat replacements and genuine vegetables cost pennies.

 

[Matt Sun]

I also feel I spend quite little on food. But nutrition is on point, even while in a caloric deficit (losing fat for the summer lol). You wouldn't believe how much chocolate I'm eating also.

 

[MTF]

Another hilarious review. Waiters in a vegetarian restaurant telling customers they should eat meat LOL.

 

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[Timmy C]

I have eliminated any gluten products this past 2 weeks as well. Inflammation and my chronic pain is way down again. I feel like I am getting my life back from issues that have plagued me for a long time now. I am cautiously optimistic.

I still have the chronic pain, but it's not overwhelming me like before and making my life suck.

I have also cut out all "nightshade" vegetables to reduce inflammation. (I don't think the science is solid on this but I have done it anyway)

Now it's about fine tuning things and what other things can move the needle to completely eliminate my chronic pain.

It takes a bit of effort to keep a plant based diet interesting, but all in all it's just getting used to change.

I can't see myself going back to eating meat at all, this has been fantastic.

Do I miss meat at times? absolutely, but the way I feel now is way more important than any temporary mouth pleasure I would receive from it.

 

[parabolic]

My food bill has actually decreased since switching over to being vegetarian.

I'm still on whey protein because plant based protein powder is incredibly expensive for the cost to serving amount.

I wish there was a company that developed a cheaper alternative.

Other than this, eating plant based is cheaper where I am.

Have you tried pure pea protein? The taste is a bit rough but if you mix it with other stuff it's as edible as any other protein powder. From what I can see, it's cheaper (multiple options under <$1/oz) than organic whey protein on Amazon.

 

[Frances Kelleher]

I ran out of oat milk and soy milk the other week, and for 2 days i used the dairy milk in the fridge. I was sick with the flu and couldn't be bothered going anywhere.

Within 2 days, my osteoarthritis in my shoulder flaired up pretty badly. As soon as I bought my oat milk and Soy milk, 2 days later the pain went down considerably.

I'm convinced dairy is really, really bad for you.

People at work give me so much shit as I eat so healthy lol. That's why I'm jacked and your not so..... yeh....

I have eliminated any gluten products this past 2 weeks as well. Inflammation and my chronic pain is way down again. I feel like I am getting my life back from issues that have plagued me for a long time now. I am cautiously optimistic.

I still have the chronic pain, but it's not overwhelming me like before and making my life suck.

I have also cut out all "nightshade" vegetables to reduce inflammation. (I don't think the science is solid on this but I have done it anyway)

Now it's about fine tuning things and what other things can move the needle to completely eliminate my chronic pain.

It takes a bit of effort to keep a plant based diet interesting, but all in all it's just getting used to change.

I can't see myself going back to eating meat at all, this has been fantastic.

Do I miss meat at times? absolutely, but the way I feel now is way more important than any temporary mouth pleasure I would receive from it.

I tried before but I was always hungry!I m going to try again.

 

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[Timmy C]

Have you tried pure pea protein? The taste is a bit rough but if you mix it with other stuff it's as edible as any other protein powder. From what I can see, it's cheaper (multiple options under <$1/oz) than organic whey protein on Amazon.

I buy this one, it tastes good.

Earth Protein: Vegan Protein Powder at Bulk Nutrients

Fuel your fitness journey with Bulk Nutrients’ Earth Protein, a vegan protein powder that can help you build muscle without causing digestive distress

www.bulknutrients.com.au

 

[Frances Kelleher]

I buy this one, it tastes good.

Earth Protein: Vegan Protein Powder at Bulk Nutrients

Fuel your fitness journey with Bulk Nutrients’ Earth Protein, a vegan protein powder that can help you build muscle without causing digestive distress

www.bulknutrients.com.au

No I have nt ,tks so much!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The funniest thing about this is that many of this meat eaters shilling fairlife regularly bash Bryan Johnson who is all about measuring everything and has been vocal about companies not divulging the content of their food products and if they are properly tested for toxins, the results etc.

The last time I was able to workout and strength train like I am today, was 22 years ago. I'm going to be 55.

Last night I was laying in bed before sleep and my wife asked me what I was thinking about, I had a mischievous grin on my face.

I hope I don't jinx myself.

But, I told her that I don't know WTF is going on, and that I haven't been able to workout like this since my early 30s.

Let me be clear...

Working out hard, even in my late 30s was a struggle and a PITA...

• My neck is screwed up from a motorcycle accident in my teens, and usually after a workout, I have intense neck pain that derails me for DAYS.
• I've had 3 orthopedic surgeries to fix prior training injuries, 2 shoulders, and 1 elbow. After these surgeries I was never able to workout the same again, as they always nagged during workout sessions, or worse, nagged to the point of stopping for weeks. (Not anymore!)
• Multiple basketball/softball injuries (knees/ACLs/Calves and ankles) made leg workouts terribly hard and just as difficult.

This all seems to have disappeared, at least for now.

As such, my body is changing before my eyes as I can hit the gym HARD 6X a week.

I've been getting Dexa Scans every 3 months and InBody Scans monthly, so I'm able to see body composition changes. I've been getting regular blood work and specialized tests as well to measure internal metrics, data that doesn't show up on a stupid scale, or in a weight measurement.

The last measurement change (25 day period)

My bodyfat % went down 6.7%
My lean muscle mass when up 1.5lbs.

While I've been vegan for sometime, I've also started the Bryan Johnson Blueprint protocol 4 months ago and I'm wondering if this was the difference maker. There are some supplements in his recommendations that I started taking as well as a shift to higher protein. (LOL, check out my new stock)...



Anyhow, for the first time in 22 years, I can workout and train 6X a week and I seem to recover super fast.

Here is recovery data from my Whoop (biometric monitor) in comparison to other folks, for the month of May.

Top 1%.

82nd out of 20,400 men in the 50-60 range. .4% percentile.
19th of 2,500 small business owners. .7% percentile
21st out of 4,400 people in Utah (all ages) .4% percentile

Also, the SBO and Utah metrics aren't age delimited, so I'm comparing against 25 year olds.




Anyhow, you might want to check out the Bryan Johnson Blueprint Protocol, as it seems to have taken me to the next level in longevity, wellness, and health.

 

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[matteblack]

@MJ DeMarco what parts of the blueprint are you following.
and what supplements are you on ?
can you elaborate please

 

[MJ DeMarco]

what parts of the blueprint are you following.
and what supplements are you on ?

After researching the things he recommended, I just started adding them to my regime.

Here's the full list of things he takes...

blueprint

On the surface, Blueprint may seem something about health, wellness and aging. It's really a system to make tomorrow better for you, me, the planet and our shared future with AI.

protocol.bryanjohnson.com

Every day I take a health elixir filled with power nutrients... here's my GoalSumo.com habit entry...



This, plus some pill supplementation, plus the fact the B. Johnson is vegan (probably the hardest thing of the protocol).

Altogether...

Vegan Omega 3 (DHA/EPA)
Akkermansia
Polyphenols
Chlorella
Spirulina
Ashwaganda
Lithium
Pfisetin
Spermadine
Resveratrol
Tumeric
Bioperine
NAC
NR
Cocoa Flavanols
CoQ10
Taurine
DHEA

I do not take Metformin as that is a prescription med.

It seems like a lot, but many of these things come from my pre-workout and post workout supplements which I normally take anyway.

I just started buying his supplements because they are actually cheaper and easier to consume versus just buying all this stuff separately.

I also have to note: I eat EXTREMELY CLEAN and do not eat fast food, and I do not eat many processed foods.

Due to the results I've had, I'll probably add more things -- drinking my nasty elixir and suffering for 5 minutes to have 24 hours of vitality is a great trade. I feel like I've found a fountain of youth.

 

[socaldude]

and what supplements are you on ?

I know a guy that has Multiple Sclerosis.

He was taking Pharma injections and seeing doctors weekly. None of which was working.

He went on a supplement protocol.

He went from being in a wheel chair to just a walking cane and becoming a Yoga instructor. Completely turned his life around, got a job, got a partner and an apartment.

Supplements work.

It's like NAC(N-acetly-cysteine). It's an OTC supplement, but it's also used as an intravenous injection at hospitals for Tylenol(Acetaminophen) overdose.

Think about how Pharma Pills utilize ingesting. It has to be similar to ingesting other compounds (Duh).

I'm grateful everyday I don't some debilitating health issue like that. Some people think they have it bad?

 

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[Antifragile]

After researching the things he recommended, I just started adding them to my regime.

Here's the full list of things he takes...

blueprint

On the surface, Blueprint may seem something about health, wellness and aging. It's really a system to make tomorrow better for you, me, the planet and our shared future with AI.

protocol.bryanjohnson.com

Every day I take a health elixir filled with power nutrients... here's my GoalSumo.com habit entry...

View attachment 56062

This, plus some pill supplementation, plus the fact the B. Johnson is vegan (probably the hardest thing of the protocol).

Altogether...

Vegan Omega 3 (DHA/EPA)
Akkermansia
Polyphenols
Chlorella
Spirulina
Ashwaganda
Lithium
Pfisetin
Spermadine
Resveratrol
Tumeric
Bioperine
NAC
NR
Cocoa Flavanols
CoQ10
Taurine
DHEA

I do not take Metformin as that is a prescription med.

It seems like a lot, but many of these things come from my pre-workout and post workout supplements which I normally take anyway.

I just started buying his supplements because they are actually cheaper and easier to consume versus just buying all this stuff separately.

I also have to note: I eat EXTREMELY CLEAN and do not eat fast food, and I do not eat many processed foods.

Due to the results I've had, I'll probably add more things -- drinking my nasty elixir and suffering for 5 minutes to have 24 hours of vitality is a great trade. I feel like I've found a fountain of youth.

@MJ DeMarco - this remind me when I was racing and vegan. Recovery times on clean eating vegan are off the charts. I had to pinch myself. I’d run a half marathon and then my wife and I would do a hike and still feel fresh. All my peers would be couch ridden on that kind of day and I’d start the next like nothing.


I’m very tempted based on your post to experiment again, as the kiddo is now older and I have my lifestyle almost back (it’ll never be the same but close).

Question: this Brian guy look creepy AF, and I haven’t researched him. Is there something wrong with him? I heard his name, but don’t know if he’s some sort of “expert”. How did you decide on following his suggestions?

I am a big fan of supplements and have my own collection daily. I also measure everything about my health and fitness like a crazy person.

Lastly, I have a race next month, then two more… so I’m tempted to play around to see if I can get visibly better results.

 

[Frances Kelleher]

The last time I was able to workout and strength train like I am today, was 22 years ago. I'm going to be 55.

Last night I was laying in bed before sleep and my wife asked me what I was thinking about, I had a mischievous grin on my face.

I hope I don't jinx myself.

But, I told her that I don't know WTF is going on, and that I haven't been able to workout like this since my early 30s.

Let me be clear...

Working out hard, even in my late 30s was a struggle and a PITA...

• My neck is screwed up from a motorcycle accident in my teens, and usually after a workout, I have intense neck pain that derails me for DAYS.
• I've had 3 orthopedic surgeries to fix prior training injuries, 2 shoulders, and 1 elbow. After these surgeries I was never able to workout the same again, as they always nagged during workout sessions, or worse, nagged to the point of stopping for weeks. (Not anymore!)
• Multiple basketball/softball injuries (knees/ACLs/Calves and ankles) made leg workouts terribly hard and just as difficult.

This all seems to have disappeared, at least for now.

As such, my body is changing before my eyes as I can hit the gym HARD 6X a week.

I've been getting Dexa Scans every 3 months and InBody Scans monthly, so I'm able to see body composition changes. I've been getting regular blood work and specialized tests as well to measure internal metrics, data that doesn't show up on a stupid scale, or in a weight measurement.

The last measurement change (25 day period)

My bodyfat % went down 6.7%
My lean muscle mass when up 1.5lbs.

While I've been vegan for sometime, I've also started the Bryan Johnson Blueprint protocol 4 months ago and I'm wondering if this was the difference maker. There are some supplements in his recommendations that I started taking as well as a shift to higher protein. (LOL, check out my new stock)...

View attachment 56061

Anyhow, for the first time in 22 years, I can workout and train 6X a week and I seem to recover super fast.

Here is recovery data from my Whoop (biometric monitor) in comparison to other folks, for the month of May.

Top 1%.

82nd out of 20,400 men in the 50-60 range. .4% percentile.
19th of 2,500 small business owners. .7% percentile
21st out of 4,400 people in Utah (all ages) .4% percentile

Also, the SBO and Utah metrics aren't age delimited, so I'm comparing against 25 year olds.

View attachment 56060


Anyhow, you might want to check out the Bryan Johnson Blueprint Protocol, as it seems to have taken me to the next level in longevity, wellness, and health.

I have to start this.I m wrecked tired all the time.Tks so much MJ.

 

[Shono]

I do not take Metformin as that is a prescription med.

I take Berberine as a substitute.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Question: this Brian guy look creepy AF, and I haven’t researched him.

He's a near-billionaire whose new passion-project is to reverse aging.

My initial impressions were the same (the vegan vampire!) as well as my wife. I dismissed him as a wacko (I didn't do the initial research) but passed him on to my wife for a deep dive— she's a dedicated researcher in this field so she spent the countless hours in looking into his spiel. He came back solid. We don't do everything he does of course, but add what we can. He's really eccentric and off the charts in terms of dedication, I'm not going to sleep at 7pm or buying a red-light therapy machine.

Moreover, he's an X-Mormon who knows how to resist dogma, cults, and echo chambers -- bottomline, he claims to be the most data-tested human with respect to health and longevity.

More info...

blueprint

On the surface, Blueprint may seem something about health, wellness and aging. It's really a system to make tomorrow better for you, me, the planet and our shared future with AI.

protocol.bryanjohnson.com

Love the concept of Zeroism as well...

Embrace :

• systems over willpower
• data over human opinion
• harmony over addiction
• compounded rates of self improvement

Rebel against:

• addictive algorithms
• corporate profiteering at your detriment
• social norms encouraging bad behavior (alcohol, fast food, cultural BS)
• self aided destruction (SAD) (Especially promoted by "25 year old" nutrition experts.)

Love the "reactions" to his program with hard truth.

 

[ZF Lee]

After researching the things he recommended, I just started adding them to my regime.

Here's the full list of things he takes...

blueprint

On the surface, Blueprint may seem something about health, wellness and aging. It's really a system to make tomorrow better for you, me, the planet and our shared future with AI.

protocol.bryanjohnson.com

Every day I take a health elixir filled with power nutrients... here's my GoalSumo.com habit entry...

View attachment 56062

This, plus some pill supplementation, plus the fact the B. Johnson is vegan (probably the hardest thing of the protocol).

Altogether...

Vegan Omega 3 (DHA/EPA)
Akkermansia
Polyphenols
Chlorella
Spirulina
Ashwaganda
Lithium
Pfisetin
Spermadine
Resveratrol
Tumeric
Bioperine
NAC
NR
Cocoa Flavanols
CoQ10
Taurine
DHEA

I do not take Metformin as that is a prescription med.

It seems like a lot, but many of these things come from my pre-workout and post workout supplements which I normally take anyway.

I just started buying his supplements because they are actually cheaper and easier to consume versus just buying all this stuff separately.

I also have to note: I eat EXTREMELY CLEAN and do not eat fast food, and I do not eat many processed foods.

Due to the results I've had, I'll probably add more things -- drinking my nasty elixir and suffering for 5 minutes to have 24 hours of vitality is a great trade. I feel like I've found a fountain of youth.

I absolutely dig the headline. Just cuts to it:

 

[Matt Sun]

@MJ DeMarco - this remind me when I was racing and vegan. Recovery times on clean eating vegan are off the charts. I had to pinch myself. I’d run a half marathon and then my wife and I would do a hike and still feel fresh. All my peers would be couch ridden on that kind of day and I’d start the next like nothing.


I’m very tempted based on your post to experiment again, as the kiddo is now older and I have my lifestyle almost back (it’ll never be the same but close).

Question: this Brian guy look creepy AF, and I haven’t researched him. Is there something wrong with him? I heard his name, but don’t know if he’s some sort of “expert”. How did you decide on following his suggestions?

I am a big fan of supplements and have my own collection daily. I also measure everything about my health and fitness like a crazy person.

Lastly, I have a race next month, then two more… so I’m tempted to play around to see if I can get visibly better results.

My take is that he looks "creepy" because his thing is longevity, not looks. He goes as far as to avoid the sun with umbrellas and using sun screen because UV light is quite harmful for the skin, something i've heard from other sources as well. So that gives him that pale vampire look lol.

Beyond his looks, he measures everything in his protocol intake and his body's reaction. He has taken longevity research / experimentation to a whole new level.

Adding some of his stuff to my routine has definately been a positive and I'm looking to keep adding, so far so good, 100% recommend, same as MJ.

 

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[MakeItHappen]

@MJ DeMarco do you use all of his supplements for $333?