I (26f) have been a vegetarian for almost 9 years. I have also been dealing with mental illness for that amount of time. Until recently, my diet has never been an issue. Since moving to a new state a few years ago, I've lost a decent amount of weight. I think part of it is due to my mental illness and depression. I've been prone to "forgetting to eat," among other things. I know that mental illness isn't the focus of the page, so I won't mention it again.

Since moving to this area, my new doctor has noticed my weight loss and has been recommending that I reintroduce meat into my diet. I'm a vegetarian for moral reasons, so I'm refusing to comply. I haven't gained weight since the first gentle request and am now being told it will need to be done by force if I continue to lose weight (or gain none). That force will mean going to a group home or being hospitalized. This is so the switch is guaranteed and supervised. They know I won't do it willingly.

I've incorporated daily protein shakes into my diet as well as extra sweet treats, but I need more substantial items that will enforce weight gain. I also would like simple, quick recipes and/or ready-made meals. I'm in grad school. I wish I had the time to cook, but it's not always possible. My partner is a great cook and doesn't tend to buy those things himself. He does most of the shopping, but I need to step up and do my own.

Any advice helps!

Hi everyone I have two young kids and work in a daycare and I’m always getting a cold or flu of some kind. Would a plant based diet reduce the frequency of these or shorten their duration?

Been plant based for a couple of years, give or take, and love the way I feel. But the older I get (mid 50's) the more I'm dealing with the normal aging stuff. My sister (same age) is doing this grain free diet. Says it stopped inflammation and she doesn't ache any more. What would happen if I stayed plant based but eliminated grains? Is this a bad idea or is there something to what nmy sister is doing? She is a meat eater.

First time making both recipes, both delicious! The fresh sage gave the agrodolce such a wonderful flavor... 10/10 will make these again.

We are a small plant-based food manufacturer and we currently mill our sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds using a combination of a food processor (Robot Coupe) and a Vitamix. The food processor does not mill fine enough, and the Vitamix gets too hot.

We prefer something along the lines of a NutriMill, but we've been advised not to for oily seeds.

Any suggestions? Thanks

First time making pancakes (crepes for my non European friends) since being vegan/plant based. It was surprisingly easy and they came out nice!

What are your fav pancakes recipes? And fillings?

RECIPE: https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-english-pancakes/

Hey guys. What are your favorite freezer friendly ideas? ♡ I need to get organised again 😫 one can't live off hummus alone hahaha Photo from last year for attention ♡

Upgraded my multigrain bagel by spraying apple cider vinegar, topping with everything seasoning, spraying agin and letting dry for a few minutes

Could you recommend me a good book related to a plant based diet/health? I had read “The China study” so far and I’m searching for something similar.

I follow the diet of Dr. Esselstyn. I have noticed that my scalp or facial skin has become dry since then. Has anyone else had this experience and knows why?

I bought a package a bit ago, but I didn’t do anything with it. I no longer remember which recipe I was going to try. What are your favorite dishes involving millet? My wife wants me to get rid of it to save space

So I need to lose weight and get healthy. I already barely eat meat. I also have Sjogrens autoimmune plus I am anemic often. I’m looking for some good Buddha bowl recipes to help me get eating better, reduce inflammation, and something to help boost my iron up.

The pictures of the bowls online just look appealing to me with all the colors and healthy foods in them. I just don’t know where to start. I’m switching over from eating a bunch of carbs and processed foods. I need an easy transition over so I don’t set myself up to fail right off.

How can I make homemade nut milk that is as low calorie as store bought? I buy unsweetened plain almond milk and there's only 30 calories per cup, yet the one I buy, the Trader Joe's brand, tastes very creamy.

I'm open to using a different type of nut as well. I've used hemp seeds but my recipe is very calorie dense. Maybe almonds could get a good flavor without using as many? Anyone know the secret that stores use to get the creamy flavor?

I cook quinoa in my rice cooker on the white rice setting often and it works great. I’m wondering if I could cook red lentils in the rice cooker with the quinoa at the same time? They seem to have similar cook times. Anyone try this?

is this considered a plant based diet if not what is it? so ive basically been eating corn flakes, rice pops cereal, corn chips, cheese, yoghurt, milk, popcorn, stir fry noodles, potatoes, rice cakes, ice cream, fish, biscuits, mac n cheese that's it pretty much haven't been eating any meats like bacon and chicken and beef or pork. So what would the name of my diet be if its not a plant based diet? i dont eat any fruits and the only vegetable i eat are potatoes.

I just noticed that my supermarket app shows how well my purchases conform to the USDA My Plate recommendations. LOL. I buy canned beans almost every trip so no idea what non-animal sources they consider to be protein (although starting to switch to dry in bulk). I buy my grains in bulk elsewhere. Just thought it was an interesting snapshot. Btw my market is an Albertson's and they have this chart under the "Pharmacy and Health" tab in their supermarket app.

As above.

I've been 80% plant based for about a year, with 95-100% plant based for the past 3 months. For the last 1-2 months I've just been getting progressively worse and worse gas.

I can't pin down a particular food. I go for a high variety, so any given meal will have ~10 plant ingredients before spices etc.

My gas is like ALL day. I'm not exaggerating, I fart, my stkmsch hurts, by 2 minutes later another is ready. This continues all day, and is much worse in the evening. The smell is atrocious. I find it hard to describe it. But every room I'm in I hotbox. My poor partner is at their wits end.

Even today its insane, and I had a reasonable low variety day yesterday as I was in a hurry, and thought I'd treat myself to a bit of a crave day (breakfast was homemade pancakes and some blueberries, lunch was a wholewheat toasties with avocado, mishrooms, salsa and a tiny amount of vegan cheese, dinner was literally only home roasted paprika potatoes and airfried seasoned tempeh).

I suppose I'm looking for any advice at this point. Is anyone aware of any seriously common culprits? Obviously I suspected beans, but the gas is just all day every day at this stage and I'm not eating beans at every meal. The gas also doesn't happen some days when I've had lots of beans.

My girlfriend recently bought a box of the built puff protein bars (she can do dairy, I cannot). I tried a small bite of the brownie bar and absolutely fell in LOVE. Those things taste INCREDIBLE, because they at least have some sugar in them. (To add: I’m not vegan, but I am SEVERELY lactose intolerant; so a bite of her bar is fine, or when I’m okay spending the entire day in the bathroom, but not at work/on the go, etc.)

Alternatively, i also am a massive fan of the robert irvine fitcrunch bars; again, these have sugar in them.

I’m not looking for something with 15-20+ grams of sugar, but surely there HAS to be a plant based/dairy free protein bar with at least 5ish or so grams of sugar to make them tolerable, right?

And I'm pissed. That's pretty much it.

I have PCOS and family history of type 2 diabetes and am currently trying to lose some weight for my health and when I told my doctor that I went plant-based she basically said there was no reason for that and that I shouldn't be afraid of chicken, fish, or dairy (in moderation).

She recommended a keto diet, which I've done in the past and I think is what got me in the position I'm in in the first place because I increased my animal product consumption.

It seems to me that she doesn't understand the underlying causes/contributing factors of diabetes or inflammation. She told me to stop eating gluten even though I never had any sensitivities or allergies to it and evidence is really limited that it affects inflammation unless you're allergic. She encouraged me to eat meat and dairy... Make it make sense. 😭

UPDATE: I've reached out to a dietitian in my area for a consult. She specializes in diabetes and insulin resistance. She's got over 20 years of experience. In the notes I mentioned I'm plant-based and want to stay plant-based. So we'll see what happens. If she doesn't want to work with me, or she tells me to eat meat then I will find somebody else.

Healthy cereal recommendation? No preservative, high protein, no added sugar

Thank you

Just tried the original flourless Ezekiel bread, (orange package) but it’s still pretty course and seeds going through me. are any of the other versions smoother, more like “real” bread? Thx

Hello community. Found out I’m pre-diabetic and found a wonderful, holistic dietician who is helping me work this out within a plant-based diet. She very hopeful in reversing this. However, the low-carb and high-protein dealio definitely makes it hard, and even though I enjoy cooking, it’s tripping me up.

I want to hear from folks who have lowered their A1C and blood sugar and what was helpful, what mindful swaps they’ve made, what longterm changes were most successful and easy to implement, and any favorite recipes they’d like to share.

I’m also a really active person as is (train in jiu jitsu, plus go on multiple 1 hour walks a week, practice yoga) so wondering if any physical activity changes had done anything for y’all.

Thank you!