Losing it Like a Winner Part II: Vegan Edition

In my last article, I emphasized the not-so-revolutionary concept that eating a diet with equal proportions of carbohydrates to protein can allow one to cut excess fat while maintaining muscle mass. This is easily done by anybody who is willing to chow down on steaks and salads, but for those who, for whatever reason, choose not to eat meat or other animal-based foods, it is a little bit trickier. This is not for the bogus ‘reason’ that one cannot get enough protein from non-animal sources, which simply isn’t true, but rather because the majority of plant-based protein sources are also high in carbohydrates, making it difficult to match carbs for protein.

Pressed and Extra Firm Tofu are best for frying, and to have the highest protein content.

Beans, nuts and legumes are the standard protein sources for the vegetarian/vegan, but not only are they individually each higher in either fat or carbohydrates than they are in protein, but they must also be eaten in combination with one another in order to create a ‘complete’ protein that contains all the essential amino acids. This makes it doubly hard to meet protein requirements while cutting carbs.

Of all the plant proteins available, only soy is high in protein (a complete protein at that), while simultaneously being low in fat or carbs. Many people are wary of eating too much soy. Either because of fear of increased oestrogen in men, or a fear of unnamed ‘toxins’ supposedly present in soy beans. I can assure you that both these fears are unfounded. Every piece of ‘evidence’ for these claims is anecdotal, and thus can’t be trusted, and/or is being put forward by a company or website that just so happens to sell meat, dairy, or other soy alternatives such as hemp (hmm… nothing fishy about that). I have yet to see an independent peer-reviewed scientific study that supports any of the anti-soy propaganda I’ve encountered.

With that said, it’s probably a good idea to eat a wide variety of foods, and I can’t blame anybody for getting bored with just eating tofu. But if you’re trying to lose weight as a vegan, your best bet is a diet with a sizable proportion of soy products.

A typical meal I would make on such a diet would be Grilled Tofu with a peanut based sauce, served on a bed of lentils with steamed kale and carrots. The peanuts, tofu and lentils combine to create an undeniably complete protein. While the high protein of the tofu cancels out the high proportion of carbohydrates found in the lentils. And finally, the vegetables provide needed vitamins and fibre, while also helping to fill you up without adding unwanted food energy.

The trick to making tofu delicious is oil. Most foods food in a vegan diet are unlikely to be high in fat, but you absolutely need some fat in your diet to maintain hormone levels. Adding a nutty, olive oil filled sauce to a stir-fry, baked tofu or veggie burgers is a delicious way to get this needed component of your diet. Plus, using nuts as your oil source will provide you with extra protein!

Dried Textured Soy Protein

If you’re going to be drinking soy milk (and I recommend you do, as other vegan ‘milks’, such as almond milk, simply don’t have a diet-friendly protein content), buy the unflavoured, unsweetened variety (if it’s sold in your area, buy the weird Chinese brand that comes in four litre jugs and tastes like liquid tofu). It’s the only kind of milk (including cow’s milk) that has a higher amount of protein than carbohydrates. It can be mixed into sauces, shakes, and other recipes as a way to boost protein levels, which is useful if you can’t get used to the taste enough to drink it straight.

Another ‘essential’ tool for the vegan dieter is ‘granulated soy protein’, also called ‘textured vegetable protein’. This is made from processed soybeans with air whipped up into the mix to give them a meat-like texture. They’re sold as dried chunks, and when mixed with water, flour, and some spices, they simulate a meat-burger with great accuracy. However, at 20% protein (when wet, 50% when dry), they have a higher protein content than any ground meat. Put them in a chili or pasta sauce with some fried walnuts, and meat-eaters can’t tell it’s not ground beef. I like to put them in my morning oatmeal (along with peanut butter, walnuts and sunflower seeds). You can’t tell the difference between it and regular oatmeal, but this version has enough protein to balance out the carbs. Our latest creation using these versatile chunks is homemade vegan wontons… I think we just made meat obsolete!

A product like Granulated Soy Protein essentially allows you to inject protein into any meal, while giving the dish an interesting texture and without compromising on taste. Keeping your food tasty and your morale high is key while dieting. The only short falling of granulated soy protein is, while it is quite inexpensive, it can be rather difficult to obtain. Even in vegan-friendly Vancouver, I could only find one store that sold it (in bulk, thankfully. You’d better believe I bought sacks of it!). Your best bet will be to order it online, where it is considerably more widely available.

Homemade Vegan Wontons from scratch. Another high protein culinary creation using Textured Soy Protein!

The one final diet food I recommend is a good protein powder. Even carnivorous dieters frequently supplement with protein, as it is especially useful right after a workout to ingest an easily absorbed source of protein. If you’re a ‘mere’ vegetarian, supplementation is easy; you just buy the same whey powder the meat eaters do. But today, there are numerous vegan options available as well. There is the obvious soy powder, and many people today are raving about hemp protein (I’ve tried it… nutritious, but not too tasty). My personal favourite is Interactive Nutrition’s blend of soy, rice and pea protein. It’s almost entirely protein, with no carbs and only one gram of fat. I recommend buying the unflavoured version, as you, quite simply, can’t taste it, and can put it in any food to increase the protein content. The best time to lose weight is just before and during the summer, and there’s nothing better on a hot, sunny day than a high protein fruit smoothie. With a high quality protein powder that is low in carbs, you can have a sweet tasting, fruity smoothie without throwing off your carb-to-protein ratio. Of course, these powders are always expensive, so they should really only be used in an ‘emergency’. Your diet should always be first and foremost based on ‘actual food’.

One final note that I fear I didn’t emphasize enough in the first part of this series, is that you absolutely have to keep exercising while dieting. I kept on lifting heavy weights as though I was trying to bulk up in order to keep my muscles stimulated and my nervous system primed. As a result, though I lost tons of weight, I lost little to no strength or muscle mass. You should also do some higher rep sets and cardio in order to burn calories, but don’t give up on lifting fairly heavy (if you care about that sort of thing). Furthermore, remember that, unless you’re somebody whose excess body weight is so great it puts you at risk of health complications, it is always a better investment to gain muscle, than it is to lose weight. Weight that is lost and not replaced with anything is difficult to maintain, and too many diet enthusiasts go through cycles of fat loss followed by breaking down and gaining it all back again. If you’re at a reasonable weight or body-fat percentage, and you’re having trouble losing any more weight to meet a certain goal, back off from the fat loss and try building up some muscle. This will raise your metabolism, making future weight loss easier (the more you weigh, the easier it is to lose weight), as well as improve your physical abilities. Skinny isn’t necessarily healthy. It’s far better to weigh a little more than you think you ‘should’ weigh, but have a level of muscle mass that allows you to perform feats that untrained individuals can’t. Muscle that is built up now can often stay with you the rest of your life, whereas fat that is lost can always find a way back onto your midsection the moment you let your guard down.