an unhealthy vegan

addysmom · #1 02-06-2003, 12:59 PM

I need some advice on whether or not I should say anything to my mom about this. She has just become vegan in order to lose weight and be healthier (I'm all for that) However, on a recent visit, I talked to her about what she eats to get her varieties of vitamins/minerals/EFA's etc. and she said that she eats a bowl of Total Cereal (I think it was total) and it has 100% of all the vitamins she needs, so she doesn't worry about it too much. So basically she's not eating a huge variety of fruits,veggies, legumes, and soy products because it's all in her cereal, which she eats for breakfast everyday. I personally don't think she's being very healthy. I became Vegan for health reasons too, but health is my MAIN concern, so I absolutely make sure I'm doing it as healthy as possible. I don't want to tear down her attempts to lose weight and be healthier, but I can't seem to give her any knowledge to get her to see that she could be a lot healthier.

....there is such a thing as an UNHEALHTY vegan, I think...

any ideas???

duckie1978 · #2 02-06-2003, 02:52 PM

if you are concerned about your mom's diet, then you should definately talk to her. Eating a bowl of cereal, even if it is fortified with 100% RDA of vitamins and mineral, is not varied enough. She is missing out on antioxidents, fiber and nutrients. If she thinks it will be too much of a hassle to prepare meals, she should buy the frozen stirfry meals and add some of the fake steak or chiken strips to it and there's her meal in 15 minutes. Every major grocery store carries the frozen veggies and stir-fry mixes with and without sauces along with the lightlife steak and chicken strips, even the wal mart grocery stores have them. Buy seasonal fruit because its cheaper or even some frozen ones for variety. Eating well isn't hard and it's better than just getting nutrients from cereal. At least take a multivitamin for vegetarians. I didnt think total cereal was vegan, i thought there was some dairy in it? maybe I am wrong, I eat cheerios :0)

Erin Pavlina · #3 02-06-2003, 03:01 PM

But wait a second... your mom can't be eating ONLY cereal. What else does she eat?

If she is relying on the cereal to get her vitamins, I think that's okay, as long as she is eating healthy foods besides that. But finding one source for the majority of your vitamins is a great thing.

Are you saying she doesn't eat fruits and veggies? Are you saying she will eat her bowl of cereal and then eat candy, cake, and cookies all day? Tell us more about what she eats.

And, oh yes, it's really easy to be an unhealthy vegan, though it's much easier to be an unhealthy omni.

addysmom · #4 02-07-2003, 02:42 AM

I just talked to her last night and she eats a lot of TVP (which is great) and makes stir fries. She mostly eats carrots/celery/and onion. She said "making a variety of fruits and vegetables is a hassle" so she doesn't really make salads or anything. She hasn't ever really liked vegetables anyway. I guess that is my concern, that she is trusting to get adequate nutrition from a fortified cereal rather than from REAL food sources. Maybe she is doing fine and I am just expecting too much from her.

alexis · #5 02-07-2003, 03:45 AM

i don't think so...i mean living on a diet of mainly cereal, TVP, carrots, celery and onions won't exactly give her enough vitamins and stuff she needs...and i don't think it's wise to rely just on cereal to get adequate nutrition... maybe you could help her by chunking ziplock baggies with a variety of cut up fruit and veg in the fridge if she finds it a hassle to prepare a variety of them....

Erin Pavlina · #6 02-07-2003, 07:01 AM

Well, I've heard of worse diets, believe me. I think over time she will improve her culinary skills and get more into making fresh whole foods.

Sheree · #7 07-30-2003, 08:45 PM

Too much concentrated protein can be very bad....can lead to colon cancer. If this is her main diet (TVP) I'd be very worried. Like said previously, you may want to help her out by making some salads, etc. for her.

Kristine · #8 08-04-2003, 08:12 AM

Try to 'tempt' her to add to her diet raw veggies and greens that doesn't make fat - not any trouble about preparation, lots of vitamins and minerals and healthy weight loss

alyse0 · #9 08-16-2009, 05:51 PM

We have Whole Grain Total and the Blueberry Pomegranate one and on both of the ingredients lists, non-fat milk was listed. Sorry.

The weird thing though is if you go on wikipedia(yes they have it on wiki, oddly), the ingredients list is also there but it doesn't list non-fat milk. A few other ingredients are missing from wiki's list too.

BY THE WAY, I know this is an old post but I still thought it was important to let you all know that this cereal isn't vegan.