Vegetarian...?!


Question: What are good foods to eat to subsitute for meat, I need to eat more protein and iron. I've been eatting soy subsitute meat, and peanut butter but what other foods have high iron and protein...

Would vitamins be a good idea too? I know I should take them but I was told a multi-vitamin doesn't have enough of all the different kinds of vitamins to really help, and I'm horrible at taking very large pills...what do I do???


Answers: What are good foods to eat to subsitute for meat, I need to eat more protein and iron. I've been eatting soy subsitute meat, and peanut butter but what other foods have high iron and protein...

Would vitamins be a good idea too? I know I should take them but I was told a multi-vitamin doesn't have enough of all the different kinds of vitamins to really help, and I'm horrible at taking very large pills...what do I do???

Other than faux meats and peanut butter, good vegetarian sources of protein include: almonds, black beans, brown rice, cashews, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, seitan, soybeans, soymilk, sunflower seeds, textured vegetable protein (TVP), and tofu.

Vegetarian foods high in iron:
Black beans, bran flakes, cashews, Cream of Wheat, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), GrapeNuts, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, raisins, soybeans, soymilk, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu, tomato juice, and whole wheat bread.

It doesn't hurt to take a multi-vitamin, but it's not necessary if you're eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. Many Indians are raised as vegetarians and they do just fine without taking vitamins.

Hope this helps!

Try eating beans, I hear that they are the best source of protein and iron outside of meat.

If you want a delicious bean salad recipe that I have contact me and I will give it to you.

You will definitely need to start taking iron pills, you don't want to become anemic.

veggie burgers are the best and the BOCA brand burgers also!!!

One of the greatest source of iron is SPINACH. Bananas are filled with potassium, and everyone should get Vitamin D.
What you should also do: is go for a complete physical check up with a regular doctor and have them recommend a good nutritionist. The nutritionist will be able to give you a good healthy vegetarian diet along with healthy recipes. Exercise and drinking lots of fluids(water) is essential to everyone, but especially vegetarians.

Take multi-vitamins and drink soy-milk, eat beans (especially lima beans), and if you believe fish are ok to eat (most of my vegetarian friends do) eat A LOT of fish, and sushi is really good for you.

for proteins the best source would any type of beans like kidney or blck beans etc..
for vitmins refer to this web page it has a perfect summary for viatmins and mineral sources
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/vitami...

Good luck!!

You could get protein powder.

Also, Morning Star fake meat is always pretty high in protein.
Like their Spicy Black Bean Burgers. 140 calories and 12 grams of protein. And it's delicious.

Eat lots of leafy greens and I recommend buying a really good vegetarian cook books that has a nutrition guide in it.

As for premade meat substitutes there is Boca and Gardenburger but a few years back I found a product called Quorn. Quorn is NOT vegan, it's based with eggs, but it is by far my favorite premade meat substitute.

And I would talk to your doctor about what multi-vitamin is right for you. Depending on your age and activity will determine what you need to keep your diet balanced.

Bean burritos with lots of salsa YUM!!

Pita Bread-Brown Rice-Black beans-Salsa
You can add whatever you like as long as everythings cooked(not the salsa tho) or you could have sour cream

Its so yummy!

spinach! make sure you are eating a VARIETY of fruits, veggies, proteins sources (peanut butter, nuts, soy, beans, etc.) to cover all your nutrients. i would think a multivitamin on top of a varied diet would be more than enough. i've gotten my blood tested and never had a problem. if your predisposed to anemia then it could be, otherwise you should be fine.

wel come to the world of vegetarian because of you more and more animals will save their live thanks :) here is the list of proteins for you
Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:
More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.





The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources