The 5:2 Diet -- The Vegan Edition!

April 16, 2014 11:12 AM

Looking for recipes/blogs/maybe cookbooks that deal with the The 5:2 Diet but with a vegan twist.

My husband and I--after reading the many AskMes that have dealt with this diet--have decided to give it a go. Only we need vegan recipes instead of the usual omni ones!

posted by Kitteh to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

You don't really need anything special for the "fast" days. Maybe emphasize protein over carbs, e.g., tempeh or lentils instead of oatmeal or rice. Add some greens and you're good to go. Eat normally on the other five days.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:38 AM on April 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

What Johnny Wallflower said.
500/600 calories on fasting days.
Focus on protein for your meal(s) on these days.
After protein focus on slow carbs/low glycemic index carbs.

I don't see the need to over complicate it. with special recipes, blogs or cookbooks.
Anything that you want to eat that fits into the above guidelines should be fine.

I would also recommend, as Mosley did in the original Horizon episode, if I remember correctly, that you get moving!
Go for a walk together!
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 12:00 PM on April 16, 2014

I handled 5:2 by just having one normal (calorie controlled) meal on the fast days. I'd drink water and coffee all day, then just have a normal evening meal. Then go to bed. I ate what I'd normally eat, just had one meal of it. It took a couple of weeks to adapt, but you can handle hunger far far better than you think you can. I found that if I ate, I was hungrier than if I didn't, once the initial hunger pangs subsided. Soups really help. Your stomach can't absorb the water from them very quickly, so it takes longer to be digested.

Some recipes here and here and here.
posted by Solomon at 12:02 PM on April 16, 2014