Eating healthy as a new vegetarian?!
Eating healthy as a new vegetarian?
I've been a vegetarian for a like a month.I feel great any way.I've been eating like tv dinners, peanut butter & jelly sandwich and things that fast and easy to eat as soon as I get home from school.Any way....I've been eating right(I have but not really).I want to know what are the essentials(like vitamin c,e things like that).also what are good healthy fast recipes
Answers:
Eat a variety of "whole foods," with plenty of beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid unhealthy foods like trans fats, which are usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Deep-fried foods often contain trans fats. Choose margarines that use nonhydrogenated oil, like Earth Balance or Smart Balance. Although a diet consisting of Coke and French fries is technically vegan, you can't be healthy if you eat nothing but junk food. Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, and some experts believe that vegetarians used to get plenty of this vitamin from bacteria in drinking water. Since drinking water is now treated with chemicals that kill the bacteria, it's important to make sure that you get enough vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like most brands of soy or rice milks, some breakfast cereals, and many brands of nutritional yeast,also eggs and milk) on a daily basis or by taking a sublingual B12 tablet of 10 mcg per day.
Iron-beans, dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach),whole grain breads, Also eat something with vitamin c when you eat something with iron, it increases absorption
Calcium-dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, soymilk)
Protein-Isn't really hard to get, just eat a variety of foods, good sources are beans, brown rice, nuts, whole grain breads, soy foods
Omega-3 fatty acids-flax seeds/oil,walnuts,canola oil
Zinc-pumpkin seeds (best source), beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals
Selenium-Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium, so try to eat a couple every day. Eating a small bag of mixed unsalted nuts can be a convenient way to get your daily selenium intake, but make sure it contains Brazils. Bread and eggs also provide some selenium.
Vitamin D- Vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin, is another common deficiency in those not drinking vitamin D fortified milk. Synthetic vitamin D is added to both cow’s milk and most brands of soy milk today.
Vitamins A (beta carotene),C, K, E and Folate-variety of fruits and veggies
Iodine-Iodine is a trace mineral that's important for healthy thyroid function. Table salt is the most common and reliable source of iodine in Americans' diets. (However, sodium in processed foods usually does not contain iodine.) If you don't consume table salt, you can get iodine from a multivitamin or from kelp tablets.
vegetarian? try tofu, veggie burgers, veggie meatballs,salads, veggie hot dogs, eat lots of vitamins like those tablets u can get at like Giant and CVS
I'm glad you feel great. TV dinners aren't generally particularly healthy, even if it's pasta and veggies or just one or the other, nor are they really "eating right". So if you can do better than those dinners, then you'd really be on the right track to healthy eating. Extra C is okay, but you should have fresh fruits in your diet, and all kinds of beans are very good sources of protein, as well as eggs (in moderation). You need the protein and you only get that in some vegetables and not in pastas or rice. I mention eggs, not knowing if you are vegan (no dairy or animal bi-products. If you are not vegan, add some cheeses to your diet as well... also in moderation.
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition - Protein
Plant sources of protein alone can provide all the protein required by vegetarians and vegans provided a variety of plant foods are consumed. Complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same time if they regularly appear in the diet.
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition - Iron
Although vegetarian diets are higher in total iron content than nonvegetarian diets, iron reserves are lower in vegetarians because the iron from plant foods is less well absorbed. That said, iron deficiency anemia rates are similar in vegetarians and nonvegetarians. Remember that it's easier to absorb iron from food if we eat it with foods that contain Vitamin C, so have some fruit or veg containing vitamin C, or some fruit juice with your meal.
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition - Vitamin B12
Plant foods are not a reliable source of B-12 for vegetarians. Vitamin B-12 in spirulina, sea vegetables, tempeh, and miso has been shown to be inactive B-12 analog rather than the active vitamin. Although dairy products and eggs contain vitamin B-12, research indicates that lacto-ovo-vegetarians have low blood levels of vitamin B-12. Thus use of fortified foods or supplements are advised for vegans or vegetarians who limit animal foods.
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition - Vitamin D
Vitamin D is poorly supplied in all vegetarian diets unless vitamin D-fortified foods are eaten. However, vegan vitamin D-fortified foods - such as soy milk and cereals, are becoming more widely available. Exposure to direct sunlight exposure is a major source of vitamin D, so dietary intake is not important if sun exposure (to hands, arms, and face for 5 to 15 minutes per day) is adequate.
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition - Calcium
Ovo-lacto vegetarians have calcium intakes that are comparable to those of nonvegetarians. Calcium is well absorbed from many plant foods, and vegan diets can provide adequate calcium PROVIDED the diet regularly includes foods rich in calcium.
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition - Zinc
Because of the lower uptake of zinc from plant foods, vegetarians should attempt to meet or exceed the zinc RDA.
I say you should take a vitamin so you won't miss out on import nutrients from meat and fish.
Even vegetarian TV dinners are fattening in most cases. I was shocked when I saw the fat content in my Amy's Cheese Enchiladas! YIKES!
For quick, healthy meals, stir fries are great. I also like various whole grain pastas or brown rice with sweet n sour meat(less) balls, pasta sauce, etc. I always add some fresh or at least canned veggies & mushrooms to my pasta sauce. One of my recent favorites is to buy frozen ravioli (not incredibly low in fat, but better than tv dinners), put in a ziplock bag, pour in a T. of olive oil, sprinkle some basil & garlic, toss in some diced tomato & mushroom, & stick in the oven (in a pan of course, not the ziplock!) for about 45min. It takes longer, but the prep is like 10 min. If you use a spinach ravioli instead of cheese, the fat is lower & its got more veggies.