Zdeno Chara and His Plant-Based Diet

[Mr. Met]

I'm vegan

 

[Human]

Plenty of proteins in veggies / legumes. Please stop perpetuating the lie that a vegetarian / vegan has difficulty with protein.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Same with me.

I think everyone is different, and it's the people who are overweight to begin with who benefit the most from vegan diets, as they are also usually low calorie.

I am not a big person and lost about 25 lbs in 10 weeks on my vegan diet. I tried everything I could to stop the muscle and fat loss. I was eating soy, textured vegetable protein, nuts, rice, beans, pasta, etc.. in huge amounts and even forcing them down at points.

One thing to keep in mind is that many pro-athletes are also taking external hormones that dramatically change how your body responds to nutrition.

Yes, that last point is very important and often looked over in these types of threads.

There have actually been peer reviewed scientific journals showing that plant protein is not as easily metabolized as the protein that comes from animal sources. A big part of the reason some find diets like vegan, gluten free, non GMO, keto, etc. to be great is that most people have the goal of weight loss and restricting any food group will likely lead to less calories consumed which will lead to weight loss.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Went from absolutely loving meat to vegan (damn climate change), and I've never felt better. I wouldn't go back now even if our survival as a species wasn't on the line.

Just eat bean dishes and stuff for protein, and of course make sure to eat b12 supplements.

My mom switched dairy products to soy stuff (just morning milk and stuff) and her blood work and cholesterol saw a massive boost in just 3 weeks. Also, you have a much lower chance of getting cancer which is cool. Also, soy milk tastes much better with coffee. Dairy is kind of nasty to me now.

But I heartily recommend it if you want to be healthy. It's gonna suck in the beginning because you don't know how to cook proper dishes (key is not to replace meat, but to make proper veggie dishes). And trust me, you can still eat like a fat slob if you so wish. So many people are turning vegan that product variety is at a high level and constantly growing.

A proper medium-rare steak you will not ever have again (until the lab stuff becomes cheap). That is the price. But it's worth it.

I doubt there is much difference between plant-based protein and meat protein. Protein is protein.

Soy raises estrogen levels and lowers testosterone. Not for everyone.

 

[Bread and Circuses]

Soy raises estrogen levels and lowers testosterone. Not for everyone.

There is as much if not more evidence against this theory than there is for it.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Wrong, I've shed fat and built muscle myself without taking any supplements or enhancers. There are entire vegan bodybuilding circuits where they have to be clean. Please research into the topic before making an uniformed judgement, I think you would be surprised at what you find.

just a handful can be found here... 'Bodybuilding'

and there are more, I've met the guy (Robert Cheeke) featured on... Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

I promise these guys are legit and totally clean. Weight loss does occur for most people when they transition, but that is generally just down to an appropriate weight where they level off. Some people actually gain weight, it's like any other diet, if you eat right you will have results, if you don't eat right you will not have results. The problem is that many people have a very narrow view of veganism, they think that it's very limiting and you don't have many options. This couldn't be further from the truth. Every food you currently enjoy on a standard omnivorous diet can be found in multiple vegan options. I regularly eat delicious burgers, pizza, fries, eggs, chicken, bacon, sausage, cheese, cookies, cake, ice cream, BBQ, chips, waffles, hot wings... all vegan of course.

No. No. No. No. No.

YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THESE FAMOUS GUYS WHO USE THEIR BODY AS THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME ARE NATURAL.

As somebody who was vegan for 6 months, and has tried vegan versions of all these foods, I can tell you that a vegan saying this stuff is like a Subaru owner telling a NASCAR racer or Ferrari driver "You can drive a fast car without spending a lot of money on a vehicle. I drive a fast car every day." None of the vegan versions of these foods taste anywhere near as good as the non-vegan options. There is an instinctual desire to consume meat, one that has naturally evolved in humans as we as a society have evolved eating large amounts of meat. Vegan versions of meats do not give into this instinctual desire to consume meat. You do not eat vegan burgers, chicken, and hot wings. You eat tofu, seitan, or soy based substances that have been carefully engineered to match the appearance and texture of actual meat that we naturally crave.

There are benefits to going vegan, but it's not going to help anybody and it's not going to help the movement if you copy paste this propaganda (which omnivores have all heard plenty of times before) everywhere the topic comes up.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Soy raises estrogen levels and lowers testosterone. Not for everyone.

100% false. Please research more, Soy contains phytoestrogens, which is not estrogen. You would have to raise your estrogen levels by 1000% above normal to have any side effect. This myth is perpetuated from literally ONE case ever, in which a retired army veteran decided to switch to Soy milk and drank 1.5 gallons every day, he later began to develop breasts. His doctor couldn't figure out why it happened and blamed the soy milk. While it's possible that his insane intake of soy was the cause, it was never proven. In recommended portions (3 servings or less daily) soy can actually help to regulate estrogen levels in humans, keeping them in the normal range.

Also, soy is one of the leading foods consumed by livestock, 70% of all soy grown worldwide is fed to farmed animals. If the hormones are in them, then it's getting into you as well.

There is one proven negative of soy, and that would be that it can aid the spread of breast cancer cells. It's perfectly safe for consumption otherwise, it does not cause cancer, it is safe to consume before or after having cancer, but it's not recommended for someone who is currently receiving cancer treatment. Another similar study just linked Asparagus as having a similar status.

 

[ColdSteel2]

There is as much if not more evidence against this theory than there is for it.

Fair enough. Obviously everyone is different. Personally, I used to eat stuff with it and don’t now, but I’ve made a lot of different positive changes, one of which is eating 2 salads a day. I’m just saying to study yourself and if you are noticing unwelcomed effects, it could be the soy. Sorry I stated it as fact.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Plenty of proteins in veggies / legumes. Please stop perpetuating the lie that a vegetarian / vegan has difficulty with protein.

Broccoli has a ton of protein and is great for you, but legumes are not healthy for you if you consume too much. Yes technically everything is bad for you when you consume too much of it, but there's a huge difference between too much broccoli and too much peanuts for example.

 

[Bread and Circuses]

Fair enough. Obviously everyone is different. Personally, I used to eat stuff with it and don’t now, but I’ve made a lot of different positive changes, one of which is eating 2 salads a day. I’m just saying to study yourself and if you are noticing unwelcomed effects, it could be the soy. Sorry I stated it as fact.

Well put, I think every person is different. What works or one may not for another but I do think every human on this planet should eat less meat. I mean I really don't care what anyone chooses to do to their own body and lifestyle if it has no direct impact on others but I'll always give my advice.

 

[IPS]

As someone who's been worked in/been in and out of gyms for the last 16 years, I've seen the vegan diet work good for a lot of lifters/athletes.

One thing I'm skeptical about though. Common weight cutting practices usually include reducing carbs and increasing protein. I'm just not sure how this goes on a vegan diet. I always hear beans/lentils as the go-to sources for vegan protein, and there's nothing wrong with those foods at all they're great, but that protein comes with a load of carbs. To follow a 40/40/20 ratio of carbs/protein/fats (very common protocol for cutting weight/preserving muscle mass) as a vegan would seem extremely difficult without a protein powder. Perhaps some vegan lifters would like to chime in?

 

[Legionnaire11]

No. No. No. No. No.

YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THESE FAMOUS GUYS WHO USE THEIR BODY AS THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME ARE NATURAL.

As somebody who was vegan for 6 months, and has tried vegan versions of all these foods, I can tell you that a vegan saying this stuff is like a Subaru owner telling a NASCAR racer or Ferrari driver "You can drive a fast car without spending a lot of money on a vehicle. I drive a fast car every day." None of the vegan versions of these foods taste anywhere near as good as the non-vegan options. There is an instinctual desire to consume meat, one that has naturally evolved in humans as we as a society have evolved eating large amounts of meat. Vegan versions of meats do not give into this instinctual desire to consume meat. You do not eat vegan burgers, chicken, and hot wings. You eat tofu, seitan, or soy based substances that have been carefully engineered to match the appearance and texture of actual meat that we naturally crave.

There are benefits to going vegan, but it's not going to help anybody and it's not going to help the movement if you copy paste this propaganda (which omnivores have all heard plenty of times before) everywhere the topic comes up.

Well, as I said I do personally know a few of these guys. I'd wager that you do not know any of them, so I'll take what I actually know over anything you want to say about it.

You also proved what I said earlier. Your "I was vegan for 6 months", and then posting incorrect information. This tells me that you didn't know enough to continue, I guarantee that in 6 months you didn't gain nearly enough knowledge to properly thrive as a vegan.

There is also no instinctual desire to consume meat. You have a desire to eat animal parts that have been turned into other forms, as you say "carefully engineered" to look like something appetizing. You don't look at a cow and get hungry, you look at pieces that have been cut off and shaped into something familiar to you and get hungry.

We also didn't evolve by eating large amounts of meat, look up starch brain. Cooking starchy foods such as potatoes is what evolved us, the benefit to meat is that it is nutrient dense and allowed early humans to survive periods of food scarcity. So yes, meat was important to human survival, but it didn't evolve us.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

100% false. Please research more, Soy contains phytoestrogens, which is not estrogen. You would have to raise your estrogen levels by 1000% above normal to have any side effect. This myth is perpetuated from literally ONE case ever, in which a retired army veteran decided to switch to Soy milk and drank 1.5 gallons every day, he later began to develop breasts. His doctor couldn't figure out why it happened and blamed the soy milk. While it's possible that his insane intake of soy was the cause, it was never proven. In recommended portions (3 servings or less daily) soy can actually help to regulate estrogen levels in humans, keeping them in the normal range.

Also, soy is one of the leading foods consumed by livestock, 70% of all soy grown worldwide is fed to farmed animals. If the hormones are in them, then it's getting into you as well.

There is one proven negative of soy, and that would be that it can aid the spread of breast cancer cells. It's perfectly safe for consumption otherwise, it does not cause cancer, it is safe to consume before or after having cancer, but it's not recommended for someone who is currently receiving cancer treatment. Another similar study just linked Asparagus as having a similar status.

Depends on the type of soy as well. Fermented soy like miso soup (My favourite), soy sauce, natto (Ew), etc. are great. Raw soy is not good for you. Along with your bolded. That's why I actually want to cut down on meat in my diet, be more of a Pescetarian (Aka eat seafood only), albeit I'll occasionally have some poultry which I still love and beef. But I've more or less cut pork out entirely from my diet. I'm actually in huge support of a vegetarian diet, but at the same time soy really isn't that good for you. One of the healthiest person I know is a Buddhist monk that avoids meat and soy generally speaking.

 

[Legionnaire11]

As someone who's been worked in/been in and out of gyms for the last 16 years, I've seen the vegan diet work good for a lot of lifters/athletes.

One thing I'm skeptical about though. Common weight cutting practices usually include reducing carbs and increasing protein. I'm just not sure how this goes on a vegan diet. I always hear beans/lentils as the go-to sources for vegan protein, and there's nothing wrong with those foods at all they're great, but that protein comes with a load of carbs. To follow a 40/40/20 ratio of carbs/protein/fats (very common protocol for cutting weight/preserving muscle mass) as a vegan would seem extremely difficult without a protein powder. Perhaps some vegan lifters would like to chime in?

There are vegan protein powders, check out this site... https://cleanmachineonline.com/

 

[ColdSteel2]

Well put, I think every person is different. What works or one may not for another but I do think every human on this planet should eat less meat. I mean I really don't care what anyone chooses to do to their own body and lifestyle if it has no direct impact on others but I'll always give my advice.

I agree. Salads are awesome too, so many different things you can do with them, dressings, cheeses, they never get old. I still do like meat but now eat very small portions like making my own burrito bowls with a little bit of meat for flavor. I see no need to be eating pounds upon pounds of meat as many do. My main advice for everyone is to make your food for every meal and not eat out.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

How has no one brought this up yet?

 

[Moskau]

No. No. No. No. No.

YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THESE FAMOUS GUYS WHO USE THEIR BODY AS THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME ARE NATURAL.

As somebody who was vegan for 6 months, and has tried vegan versions of all these foods, I can tell you that a vegan saying this stuff is like a Subaru owner telling a NASCAR racer or Ferrari driver "You can drive a fast car without spending a lot of money on a vehicle. I drive a fast car every day." None of the vegan versions of these foods taste anywhere near as good as the non-vegan options. There is an instinctual desire to consume meat, one that has naturally evolved in humans as we as a society have evolved eating large amounts of meat. Vegan versions of meats do not give into this instinctual desire to consume meat. You do not eat vegan burgers, chicken, and hot wings. You eat tofu, seitan, or soy based substances that have been carefully engineered to match the appearance and texture of actual meat that we naturally crave.

There are benefits to going vegan, but it's not going to help anybody and it's not going to help the movement if you copy paste this propaganda (which omnivores have all heard plenty of times before) everywhere the topic comes up.

After your post earlier in the thread I'm not sure how you think you can continue to post about this. You apparently know so little about dieting that you didn't understand that cutting your calorie intake is what led to your muscle loss. And yet here you are lecturing people about something you are obviously clueless about?

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Well, as I said I do personally know a few of these guys. I'd wager that you do not know any of them, so I'll take what I actually know over anything you want to say about it.

You also proved what I said earlier. Your "I was vegan for 6 months", and then posting incorrect information. This tells me that you didn't know enough to continue, I guarantee that in 6 months you didn't gain nearly enough knowledge to properly thrive as a vegan.

There is also no instinctual desire to consume meat. You have a desire to eat animal parts that have been turned into other forms, as you say "carefully engineered" to look like something appetizing. You don't look at a cow and get hungry, you look at pieces that have been cut off and shaped into something familiar to you and get hungry.

We also didn't evolve by eating large amounts of meat, look up starch brain. Cooking starchy foods such as potatoes is what evolved us, the benefit to meat is that it is nutrient dense and allowed early humans to survive periods of food scarcity. So yes, meat was important to human survival, but it didn't evolve us.

I mean the way our teeth are shaped tells that we are omnivores.

 

[IPS]

There are vegan protein powders, check out this site... Home - Clean Machine Natural Supplement Line

I'm aware of the vegan protein powders but are they absolutely necessary for a good protein/carb ratio for vegans? Like I said I'm not doubting vegans whatsoever that they're building muscle and doing great eating vegan, chances are they follow different macros than what's been conventional knowledge for quite awhile. I've always been of the belief that .8-1 grams of protein per pound of body weight is the way to go for optimal muscle mass.

 

[Bread and Circuses]

How has no one brought this up yet?

Yep he was sick as a mofo and still DOMINATED.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Backes is also vegan, he has been for a while, I bet he influenced Chara. I know tons of NFL guys are and a lot of NBA players. I really haven't looked into who is or isn't in the NHL, I feel like it's not as popular in this league because NHL teams and players tend to be much more tied to tradition and don't take as many risks deviating from formulas that have worked for a long time.

Zigomanis is vegan.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I mean the way our teeth are shaped tells that we are omnivores.

That's highly debatable. You wouldn't be able to eat most fruits and vegetables without our teeth. At the same time, our teeth are not able to naturally kill an animal, bite through skin and tear away the flesh. Gorillas, hippos and many other large powerful vegans have larger and sharper teeth than us, so it's not necessarily the best argument to make.

regardless, I tend to stay away from the physiological arguments because it's obvious that we're easily able to eat as omnivores, that's not debatable. But it also comes with a choice, being able to do something doesn't mean that it's mandatory to do something. People eat light bulbs, bicycles and airplanes too, but I wouldn't argue that just because we can physically do those things that we should do those things.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

That's highly debatable. You wouldn't be able to eat most fruits and vegetables without our teeth. At the same time, our teeth are not able to naturally kill an animal, bite through skin and tear away the flesh. Gorillas, hippos and many other large powerful vegans have larger and sharper teeth than us, so it's not necessarily the best argument to make.

regardless, I tend to stay away from the physiological arguments because it's obvious that we're easily able to eat as omnivores, that's not debatable. But it also comes with a choice, being able to do something doesn't mean that it's mandatory to do something. People eat light bulbs, bicycles and airplanes too, but I wouldn't argue that just because we can physically do those things that we should do those things.

Some gorillas are actually omnivores. Some are known to be cannibals as well.

 

[Moskau]

I'm aware of the vegan protein powders but are they absolutely necessary for a good protein/carb ratio for vegans? Like I said I'm not doubting vegans whatsoever that they're building muscle and doing great eating vegan, chances are they follow different macros than what's been conventional knowledge for quite awhile. I've always been of the belief that .8-1 grams of protein per pound of body weight is the way to go for optimal muscle mass.

Protein powder makes more sense for a vegan than it does for the guys who eat 4 chicken breasts a day. Your body simply does not process that much protein and you are basically pissing away an overpriced milkshake at that point. The "sweet spot" for daily protein intake changes every single week and unsurprisingly seems to go up anytime a new company launches their line of blender bottles. The most agreed upon number by unbiased sources has 0.6-0.8 being the healthiest for the average male person who wants to add some muscle. The reality is most people don't workout nearly as hard as they tell themselves they do and spend too much time in between sets looking at their phones.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Some gorillas are actually omnivores. Some are known to be cannibals as well.

Some, but this is rare, not the norm as it is with humans. Lions will also eat leaves and grass. Pigs will eat flesh. There are exceptions to every rule. This is one of the reasons I don't like the appeal to nature, as you say animals will eat their own kind, but we would never advocate for humans to eat one another. Animals routinely kill their young if they are sick or weak and we would never suggest humans do that. Animals greet one another by sniffing posteriors which we wouldn't do, they mark their territory with urine which we wouldn't do.

I think it's important to make a distinction between humans and animals, while some vegans want to treat us all as equals I can't agree with that. But that's one of the reasons to not eat them as well, we should have some kind of responsibility to care for those who are more vulnerable than us, so elevating animals to human level removes that responsibility. Humans also possess something that animals do not, which is moral agency, or the ability to live our lives guided by our beliefs of what is right and wrong. Knowing that it's not necessary to consume animals, and knowing the damage they cause to our health and environment puts that action into the wrong category in my opinion. I realize not everyone feels that way, but their is a massive shift currently underway and I believe that at some point in the not so distant future, that plant based will be the default diet for the majority of the world.