Was This a Healthy Meal? Did I Miss Any Nutrients?!
I am in college, not many options.
At the buffet here in college they actually just now like a week ago, add their own Vegan section which is awesome.
I really hope it's vegan & they don't lie to us.
Anyways, this is what I ate.
(I've never had veggies so this is literally the first time I ate some)
Peas (Fresh)
Spinach (Fresh)
White Rice
Vegan Pasta with bits of yellow squash.
Is this enough to fill me up?
Should I have gotten more?
Answers:
You didn't eat anything with protein in it.
You need to eat beans, tofu, or nuts.
White rice and white pasta are not healthy, you should be eating brown only.
You should do some research on healthy vegetarian eating.
Btw, how could you get to college age and never eat a vegetable?
It was probably healthier than what 90% of the omnivores ate.
You don't need to eat every single nutrient in every single meal. Just keep eating a variety of different grains, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables every day, and they'll balance out. Try to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
I think you were pretty good on protein. Peas are legumes, and rice and pasta are grains, so together they make a "complete" protein.
You'd be better off with whole grain pasta and brown rice, but you have to take what you can get.
No, you didn't eat enough protein. A healthy adult female needs about 25 grams of protein each day. Although the best way to get this is through animal proteins, if you're going vegan or vegetarian the best sources are beans, legumes and tofu. You can also create protein chains by eating certain foods together, such as beans and rice.
If you're in a pinch, eat a few tablespoons of peanut butter. Healthy fats, high in protein. (Also can be high in sugar content, depending on the brand. But sugar is vegan, I suppose.)
"Is this enough to fill me up?
Should I have gotten more?"
....How is anyone on the Internet supposed to know whether you felt full? You're the one who was eating, lol.
Plus, we don't know how much you got. You could've gotten a quarter cup of rice or two cups.
Every dish you ate has iron, but I would watch calcium if you're going totally vegan (no dairy/eggs).
Down with bottled water, peas have only a bit less protein than beans- about 5g per 1/2 c as compared to 6-7g per half cup.
I do agree that white rice and other refined grains are less than optimal, but I don't think college students have a ton of choices.
As I said, we don't know if you got enough protein, b/c it depends on the AMOUNTS you ate, not JUST the food types.
But, yes, it looks fairly healthy, at least you're eating vegetables.