I am looking to become a vegeterian and become healthier. Any tips on how I may do this?!
Become familiar with the vegetarian food pyramid. It's drastically different from the one we learned about in elementary school. When you follow it, you will be eating a good balance of fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, beans and [good] fats.
Just some practical tips for being healther include:
~reduce your intake of foods that have been fried. instead choose grilled, baked or broiled foods.
~avoid processed and fast food if possible. these foods contain additives, fats, oils, chemicals, etc. that not only make them addictive, but also destructive. instead eat whole grains, fruit and vegetables.
~find a physical activity that you like to do and commit to moving around. exercise is one of the best and fastest ways to being healthier in general. know your physical limits (like if you have chronic injuries or asthma), but still try to engage in something that raises your heart rate. remember to have fun!
~drink plenty of water. sodas, juices, shakes and other beverages are full of artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. you're not drinking anything of nutritional value- you're drinking someone's science expirament! (ick!) water not only hydrates you better than the other alternatives, but it also keeps your organs in a highly-functioning state. remember that a large percentage of our bodies are water. we need to consume plenty of it to maintain a quality of life.
~eat fibre-rich foods. fibre acts as a cleaning agent for our digestive tract. it helps bind the leftover food and waste together in order to carry it out of our systems. no, you don't have to eat bran muffins everyday. fibre is found brown rice, fruit, vegetables, beans and a host of other good-for-you foods.
Whew! That's all I've got in my fingers today.
Good luck to you and I hope the advice helps!
Cheers!
:-D
Answers: I'd suggest that you do some research. Go to your local library and check out many books about vegetarianism. While you're there, you also might want to check out some vegetarian cookbooks. They are also a good source for dietary information.
Become familiar with the vegetarian food pyramid. It's drastically different from the one we learned about in elementary school. When you follow it, you will be eating a good balance of fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, beans and [good] fats.
Just some practical tips for being healther include:
~reduce your intake of foods that have been fried. instead choose grilled, baked or broiled foods.
~avoid processed and fast food if possible. these foods contain additives, fats, oils, chemicals, etc. that not only make them addictive, but also destructive. instead eat whole grains, fruit and vegetables.
~find a physical activity that you like to do and commit to moving around. exercise is one of the best and fastest ways to being healthier in general. know your physical limits (like if you have chronic injuries or asthma), but still try to engage in something that raises your heart rate. remember to have fun!
~drink plenty of water. sodas, juices, shakes and other beverages are full of artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. you're not drinking anything of nutritional value- you're drinking someone's science expirament! (ick!) water not only hydrates you better than the other alternatives, but it also keeps your organs in a highly-functioning state. remember that a large percentage of our bodies are water. we need to consume plenty of it to maintain a quality of life.
~eat fibre-rich foods. fibre acts as a cleaning agent for our digestive tract. it helps bind the leftover food and waste together in order to carry it out of our systems. no, you don't have to eat bran muffins everyday. fibre is found brown rice, fruit, vegetables, beans and a host of other good-for-you foods.
Whew! That's all I've got in my fingers today.
Good luck to you and I hope the advice helps!
Cheers!
:-D
Well if i were u id look at some vids on how they prepare say... fish or meat and youll feel that sory for them that youl never want to eat em again.
or trie to beome vege for 1 day a week then 2 days a week then 3 days a week and so on.
hope i helped
Protein protein protein! Soy is great as is tofu. When I first went veg I at the same family dinner, yet without the meat. And the meat is nearly all protein. Boca and morning star have a great line of veg food, and you can buy them at supermarkets.
Good luck and happy veggy days ahead :D
If you are doing it to be healthier, keep a mindset of how you want to feel. If it has to do with animal rights, just picture the dead animals that you are eating. Hearing that you are eating sizzling flesh is a lot less appealing than the word meat. When you personalize things, it becomes easier....
What type of vegetarian? You've got lacto-ovo (dairy and eggs), lacto (dairy, no eggs), ovo (eggs, no dairy), and vegan (no dairy or eggs). Increase your fiber (you could try Benefiber or Fibersure), legumes, seeds and nuts, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and water intake. There are some seemingly odd-sounding things you can add to your diet if you're adventurous: tempeh, tofu, soybeans, and soymilk (I really like Almond Breeze. I've tried the chocolate but not vanilla. It's got a touch of almond to it which really helps the taste). You can always try veggie burgers. Watch the ingredients. I tried a frozen kind from the store that was made of all sorts of weird stuff, and none of it was veggies. There's a restaurant I like that serves a good veggie burger. If you're not taking a multivitamin you might want to in case you're missing out on nutrients. Some sources that might be useful: http://vegweb.com/, First magazine, Weight Watchers (magazine or online for recipes), and Vegetarian Times. You might be able to find these at the library. I can't find the issue of First magazine where I read this, but this might be something you're interested in. If you workout, afterward you might want to try a soy-whey protein shake. They're expensive, but you can buy the powders and mix them and even add soymilk to them. When I make a chocolate soy-whey protein shake I use chocolate soymilk (like I said I've found one I like) and peanut butter (my favorite form of protein). This site has information about soy protein:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson7...
I hope this information helps. Best wishes.
What you need to do is research. Find out how much protein you should be getting (about your weight divided into 3...that many grams) then find foods that will give you enough protein. Find fortified cereal, Rice Milk etc.
Things like Whole wheat pasta, brown rice and my fav. Quinoa have protein....nuts, almonds....dried fruit
Iron, B12.....same...
If you are eating eggs and dairy, then you don't need to worry so much. But lots of new veggies eat lots of bread and pasta...then you get tired...you need balance.
Look up recipes, find some good breads. There are lots of pesticides in dairy so you should go for organic, same with soy products, pesticides pesticides....(it's also in meat, but fortunately I don't eat that stuff no more) :)
I love eating tofu, you can shake and bake them and eat them like Chick'N Fingers....you can crumble it and make chili....
Really, what you need to do is just type in Vegetarian and go from there, put some time into it, it's worth it.
Don't feel bad if you relapse, just keep going. Try it for 2 weeks, you will feel great.
This is a great lifestyle choice...way to go!
Stop eating meat.
I don't know why some people make such a big deal out of becoming vegetarian, like you're joining a cult or something. Just stop eating meat, that's all there is to it.
Read "Skinny B*tch" and it will change your life. It's the perfect how-to guide for a veg diet, and will give you some of the best, well-researched information on why and how to go veg. They also have a companion cookbook, "Skinny B*tch in the Kitch" which has some delicious recipes I love. If you're not interested in reading this book (a shame, truly), I would recommend you find a local health food store and set up a meeting with their nutritionist. Most of these stores have nutritionists that can help you start out on a veg diet (and they are free!). Good luck!