I want to stop eating meat?!
It's not just the taste, I am worried about the importance of having meat in a diet (needing the Iron and such). I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on how to stop eating meat and what types of food I can repalce it with. Recipes welcome!
Answers: I feel awful for eating meat. I feel bad for the animals that are being brutally killed just to fill my belly. I never wore fur/leather or used products that test animals. I have given up fish, however, I am having trouble giving up red meat and chicken.
It's not just the taste, I am worried about the importance of having meat in a diet (needing the Iron and such). I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on how to stop eating meat and what types of food I can repalce it with. Recipes welcome!
well come to the world of vegetarian thanks because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks:)
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.
You can eat loads of vegetarian foods that have all th iron and protein you need.
here are some sites, to get you started
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html
http://www.vegetarianteen.com/
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/teennutriti...
http://www.healthycookingrecipes.com/veg...
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/3002-be...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
First of all, take a good multi vitamen, just to make sure your basis are covered (Greens vitamens are very high quality, and are a deacent price). Talk to a nutritionalist. A lot of vegtables (especially dark green leafy ones) contain Iron, and some soy products are fortified as well as cerelas. As far as meat with meals, try having lentals and beans and nuts for protein. If you want to make something you usualy make, try using soy replacements (yives makes good ones) they have veggie ground round (vegetatrian ground beef, cooks up almost the same as real ground beef) veggie hot dogs, veggie burgers, veggie lunch meats, veggie meat balls, ect. You can also buy Oh Naturel Products which are meatless, they make things like chicken cordon bleu (which is very good). Good luck!
You didn't mention how old you are. If a young person - talk to your parents about it.
If an adult and your really not sure - I would suggest going to your doctor and get a referal to a nutritionist to have them help set you up a diet and explain to you about the choice that you are wanting to make and how to stay healthy after making that choice.
My doctor has been a great help to me - so I know that there are doctors out there more than willing to help with you in making such choices.
The top source of iron in the human diet is grains (flour, rice, etc), whether whole grain or fortified. So rest assured, you're still hanging on to a good chunk of your iron intake. To replace meat, eat lots of beans and peanuts. They are high in iron too (much more than wheat or rice but nobody eats much of them, unfortunately). You can also eat soy products (tofu, tempeh, fake meats) if you like them. You should aim to have at least one legume dish a day. This can be Western style (i.e. baked beans or split pea soup), or any of a number of ethnic dishes. You should also consume a source of vitamin C with your meals. If you eat salads, try to replace lettuce with more nutritious veggies like spinach and broccoli. They are high in vitamin C.
The only supplement I take is flax oil (for omega 3). But supplements are your call. You neither have to take them, nor do you have to avoid them.
you can stop eating meat by not eating meat and also eat a lot of fruits and vegatable like tomato,orange,grape,apple,onion,spinich and many more .
I cannot give you a lot of direction; I went vegetarian years ago, but I now eat chicken and fish cooked in olive oil or broiled/baked.
Lentils/dry beans are a good source of protein and other needed vitamins that you will need to replace. Be sure that butter, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. are excluded from the vegetarian diet and all must be baked, broiled or cooked with vegetable/olive oil/cotton seed oil, etc. as some cooking compounds contain animal fat. Dark green vegetables are a must. Be careful of the brand and type of soy you replace your meat with.
As for feeling badly about eating red meat...The Lord gave us certain animals to eat to provide food for us; do you like wild meat? It is the healthiest because it is not tainted with growth hormones, pesticides, etc.
It's great that you've taken a stance against animal cruelty by not wearing fur/leather or using animal-tested products.
To have a healthy vegetarian diet, simply eat enough calories for your body weight (don't live on just salads) and eat a variety of foods. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains are good options. Fake meats like veggie burgers and veggie chicken patties have lots of protein and other nutrients.
Veg sources of protein and iron:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc...
Food groups:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f...
General transition tips:
http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetrans...
Recipes / food ideas:
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.a...
http://www.vegcooking.com/everydayliving...
http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp
Good luck!
great site, shows how to get nutritients from foods besides meat
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetar...
i refer to it almost daily
Sure, eat all the raisins, prunes and spinach you like. They're loaded with iron, and when you grow up, go to Outback.