15 and vegetarian?!
15 and vegetarian?
Okay, I'm only 15
I'm going vegetarian "cold turkey"
but I'm worried (and my mom) that I'm going to get underweight or something especially during adolecense, and I'm not gonna get developed or whatever right.
and I really need to know what I need to eat to be healthy without any meat and stuff.
Does anyone know how and what I can do to Replace meat. and what can I tell my family (all meat eaters)?
What exactly can i order when my family eats out @ like at Jack in the box, sonic, ect.,ect.?
What exactly (details please) do I have to do to be at my healthiest for today and tomorrow?
Oh any websites with good information are welcome
Please, I really have NO idea about health and food stuff.
Answers:
you need to eat meat..
wait until your older to go vege, theres no reason in it especially at the age of 15
i aint never had a peice of meat in my life,
im Sikh, so its a religous thing, im 6'2 and weight 195, and not fat or underweight, i use to play football, now im doing boxing.
i eat fruits and vegitables mostly, nothing out of a bag or can, but when i use to goto fast food places i use to get whatever i want on the menus but just say "no meat".
for example at Taco Bell, i can order anything on their menu, just say "replace the meat with beans".
If you're going to go vegetarian, I don't recommend doing it cold turkey.
You need to get good info you can find online, talk to a doctor, or get books to really understand a vegetarian's lifestyle.
You need to get your protein from something, that's really important.
You could eat nuts and take vitamins to keep your health up so you don't get weak.
Good Luck!
About a year ago my sister decided she was going to become a vegetarian. When we have meat she will tend to have the vegetable that we are eating and the rice and what not, but just avoid the meat. So everything except the meat !! You can also have salad, vege burgers and vege hot dogs and things of that sort. Something that is a good replacement for the protein and what not that is in meat is eggs, however you like them, scrambled, fried ... they are a meat alternatives, any sort of nut is also a meat alternative. If you search online for "meat alternatives" im sure you will find somthing. If your family is eating out you can look for things on the menu that do not have meat, but if you are still unsure you can always ask the person taking the orders.
About telling your family, I am not exactly sure about that one. Perhaps you could start by telling them that you do not care for meat much anymore and that you do not think that the animals are treated fairly and things of that sort. Just dont be scared to tell them !! Hope this helps.
just make sure to get enough protein...beans, tofu, and spirulina are good for that...soy has lots of protein but becarefull not to eat to much soy as it has bad effects on estrogen and can affect thyroid function if to much is used... Spirulina*a seaweed* has the same protein and iron properties of meat and is much healthier.
Do searches for vegan/vegetarian recepies to get ideas..there are so many groups and sites for vegetarians.
You need to show people that you ARE eating though becasue going vegetarian or vegan at your age is often (most of the time) veiwed as an eating disorder and an attempt to loose weight fast. Make sure to talk to people to make them aware that that is not your intention.
Some people eventually realize that they miss eating the nice tatse or some nice smoked ham, or a toasted turkey sandwich. Others don't. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do know that meats are a very healthy part or any persons diet. You need a lot of the nutrients, especially if you are still growing. Being a vegetarian isnt gonna save any animals from being eaten. Its perfectly natural to eat meat. You may be surprised to find that a lot of meat products are used in things you wouldn't expect them to be in. Like jello, jello is made from the bones and hides of animals and it is ground up. So all I can say is meat is very healthy and it should be a part of your diet. A nice balanced meal would be to eat meat daily and eat lots of fruits and veggies.
I'm with the Sikh guy on this one. I'd add: eat more Indian food, it's very filling and mostly vegetarian. And there's a LOT of variety. Don't try to substitute stuff for meat all the time, because it's like going to a bar and ordering Diet Coke but asking for it in a shot glass, a wine glass, a brandy snifter, etc. etc. -- you're not really quitting the habit, you're just switching drugs.
Nuts are good, beans a VERY good, if you can stand tofu try that. I would also recommend going "lacto-ovo-vegetarian" (meaning you can eat milk, cheese and eggs) rather than vegan (among the stricter types of vegetarian).
I'd avoid fast food places if you can, but if you have to (like with your family) get a salad with nuts and cheese, or ask for a black bean burger (like at Chili's), and so on.
Good luck, good decision!
why would u be a vegetarian if you dont know any of this? you say you wanna save the animals and all that crap, just dont eat the meat..
If you are eating a wide variety of food then you will not have any problems with health or growth. You will find plenty of vitamins and minerals in other food besides meat.
Cold turkey is fine, I did it that way. You just need to be sure you have all the info on where to get proper nutrition before making the switch.
Some of the vitamin concerns:
Protein: Can be found in legumes, beans, grains, vegetables and fruits.
B12: If you are drinking milk and eating eggs then there should be no problem. You can also get it from soy milk and fortified cereals
Iron: soybeans, lentils, spinach, tofu, etc
There are no nutrients that are exclusive to meat, which is why the consumption of meat is unessesary.
I would simple tell your parents your choice. Provide them with the information you gather from research. When they eat out choose the salad. Fast food isn't healthy anyway, so it a good thing that you replace the junk with a healthy alternatives.
Websites:
http://www.vegetarianteen.com/food.shtml...
http://www.vegsource.com/lyman/beginner....
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/ten-tips-...
http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/veg...
http://www.goveg.com/ (have a starter kit)
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/... (great message board to get advice without omnivores giving wrong/bias info)
Books:
-The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet
-Student's Vegetarian Cookbook, Revised: Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes
-Being Vegetarian for Dummies
-Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner's Guide
I became a vegetarian at your age too! I have managed to stay the same weight as well. Just make sure you have all the protein you can get. Try and get protein shakes. That's what I have. Also make sure you take some vitamins cause you will need all the vitamins you can get. It's important for you to have them or else as you get older you'll have bad teeth. As for foods I have products by morning star and boca. They make ground hamburger, sausage, chicken nuggets and they are all made out of soy. So they are healthy and are pretty good.
“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”
“Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.“
-ADA’s and Dietitians of Canada position on Vegetarian and Vegan diets
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 in 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.
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When eating out at fast food places choose BK,Taco bell,Little Ceasar's,and Subway.They all have vegetarian options.I put Little Ceasar's because not all chesses are vegetarian,some are made with animal rennet,taken from the stomach of a cow.Taco bell uses vegetarian refried beans(no lard),Subway has a Veggie Delite sandwich and BK has a veggie burger.
From the health aspect, the book, The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell is excellent!!!! However, it is a little bit heavier, and you might want to skim it.
A much lighter book with excellent info (less of a diet plan though, and incorporating social aspects) would be The Food Revolution by John Robbins, or (basically an older version of the former) Diet for a New America.
Vegetarian is really much much much better for you, and everybody is different. It was easier for me to go cold turkey but some people just couldn't do that.
If you eat fast food a lot, you don't have to worry about too little calories (not that you would anyways, unless you lived on lettuce). Most fast food veg options have same or more calories than the not veg ones.
Oh, and the magazine Vegetarian Times is super super super fabulous with GREAT recipes and info. If you can get back issues as like your library or wherever, it is DEFINITELY worth it.
hey chill im 15 too.. i went vegan when i was 13 and im fine.. just eat veggies and u can have soya milk, and many biscuits and chips dot contain milk.. chill.. go veg and convince ur fam
awesome, good for ya. i'm fourteen and i became a vegetarian about 6 or 7 weeks ago. i didnt actually go out and "tell" my family i just said no thanks when we ate meat, unless it was white meat, in that case i would take it and put it on my plate cut in up into peices and if no one was looking feed it to the dog. but eventually my parents found out, and my mom is very critical about it, and now she thinks im anerexic, and my dad now just thinks im dumb and that all vegetarians die early.
hope i helped