Thinking about going vegetarian.. what do I need to know?!
what else can I eat as a vegetarian? any good websites or any suggestions?
thanks guys and gals!
Answers: What kinds of things should I eat for protein? and how often do I need protien? and I tried a veggi burger a little whil ago and I didnt know what to put on it, any suggestions??
what else can I eat as a vegetarian? any good websites or any suggestions?
thanks guys and gals!
Some vegetarian foods that are rich in protein include almonds, black beans, brown rice, cashews, fake meats, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, lentils, peanut butter, pinto beans, seitan, soybeans, soymilk, sunflower seeds, textured vegetable protein (TVP), and tofu. Getting enough protein isn't a problem if you eat a varied diet (not a junk food diet) and if you're eating enough calories to maintain your body weight.
I usually have veggie burgers with lettuce, tomato, and ketchup... some other options are mustard, onion, and relish.
Here are some websites to check out:
Popular fake meat products:
http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp
Food ideas and transition tips:
http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetrans...
Recipes:
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.a...
Health aspects of veg diets:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/i...
Good luck!
I've been a vegetarian for a year now, and it's been fine so far. As for protein, you should eat nuts, beans, eggs & other dairy products (like cottage cheese - unless your vegan of course), etc. "Fake" meat also has protein it it as well, so if you're into that try it out. I eat veggie burgers just like any other burger, and it's usually delicious! They even come in different flavors now, so check those out.
You should also make sure you have a well-balanced diet and are getting all of your needed vitamins. I actually just found out today that I have Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anemia and Iron Deficiency Anemia, and although my doctor didn't specify one way or another that it was related to being a vegetarian, I'm beginning to get the hunch that it is! There are many different vitamins that are essential to living healthy. I would definitely suggest taking a daily multi-vitamin to try to keep up with them all, and also eat plenty of fruits and veg - not just junk food and veggie burgers all of the time!
good luck! :)
eat a lot of fresh veg and fruits.
Here is a great article about protein:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/prote...
As you can see, you really don't need to worry about protein on a vegetarian diet. You'll likely get some in each meal and, as long as you take in enough calories and don't try to live on junk food, you'll easily get plenty throughout the day. Vegetarians get protein from soybeans and soy foods (tofu, tempeh, tvp, edamame, faux meats,) beans and other legumes (lentils, chickpeas, peas, peanuts,) whole grains (quinoa is a great veg protein source and also has plenty of iron and calcium,) nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and dairy products.
I recommend a copy of "The New Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina for thorough coverage of vegetarian nutrition. And also pick up a few vegetarian cookbooks for inspiration. The original Moosewood Cookbook is great and (even if you have no plans to go vegan) "Vegan with a Vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is awesome.
I would just dress a veggie burger the same way you'd dress a beef hamburger. Unless you're planning on cutting out eggs and dairy, in which case you can either leave cheese and mayo off or get animal-free versions. I like pickles, lettuce and salsa on my burgers - pretty boring (maybe that's why I don't eat burgers very often...)
People who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats have a higher risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer and colorectal cancer, U.S. researchers reported.
The work is the first big study to show a link between meat and lung cancer. It also shows that people who eat a lot of meat have a higher risk of liver and esophageal cancer and that men raise their risk of pancreatic cancer by eating red meat.
"A decrease in the consumption of red and processed meat could reduce the incidence of cancer at multiple sites," Dr. Amanda Cross and colleagues at the U.S. National Cancer Institute wrote in their report, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.
The researchers studied 500,000 people aged 50 to 71 who took part in a diet and health study done in conjunction with the AARP, formerly the American Association for Retired Persons.
After eight years, 53,396 cases of cancer were diagnosed.
"Statistically significant elevated risks (ranging from 20 percent to 60 percent) were evident for esophageal, colorectal, liver, and lung cancer, comparing individuals in the highest with those in the lowest quintile of red meat intake," the researchers wrote.
The people in the top 20 percent of eating processed meat had a 20 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer — mostly rectal cancer — and a 16 percent higher risk for lung cancer.
"Furthermore, red meat intake was associated with an elevated risk for cancers of the esophagus and liver," the researchers wrote.
These differences held even when smoking was accounted for.
"Red meat intake was not associated with gastric or bladder cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, or melanoma," added the researchers, whose study is freely available on the Internet.
Source of DNA mutations
Red meat was defined as all types of beef, pork and lamb. Processed meat included bacon, red meat sausage, poultry sausage, luncheon meats, cold cuts, ham and most types of hot dogs including turkey dogs.