| Errorist76 said: I’ve become a flexitarian lately, eating more often vegetarian than not and really thinking about which meat I consume. Makes me a better feeling, healthier person...I feel I have more energy through the day, lost some weight as well. Becoming a Vegan actually isn’t on the table for me I guess. There’s only so much Tofu and co can do. |
I'm vegan and rarely eat tofu. There's a myth out there that in structuring meals that you have to "select a protein". The average person in a developed country gets twice as much protein as is ideal for optimal health, but only a quarter as much fibre as is ideal. Rather than adding tofu to a meal to make it protein rich, add foods high in fibre to a meal to make it fibre rich. Fibre is about twice as satiating as protein too (it takes far longer to digest).
I was flexitarian for a time, before going vegan. As a flexitarian I thought the same thing as you about tofu, and was worried about going vegan for fear that I wouldn't be able to maintain it. I've actually found being vegan far easier to maintain than being flexitarian, as my beliefs and my actions around food are now in total alignment, and it's taken the decision making out of it (the "will I or won't I" eat meat in any given situation is now simply an "I won't" which makes my life far simpler).
Your mileage may vary.
As for you feeling like you have more energy, you likely do. Lots of people on lots of different diets claim it gives them more energy, but we actually have an objective measure of how much energy someone is experiencing, and that's their metabolism. Research suggests that vegans on average have higher metabolisms than all other groups, so it's likely not your imagination and the veg-positive changes you've made in your life probably truly are giving you more energy.
