Vegetarian that doesn't really eat much? 10 points?!


Question: Vegetarian that doesn't really eat much? 10 points?
I became a vegetarian like 2 months or so ago now and I have never been a big eater I'm like 150cm and weigh 40 kilos but I just get full so easily from basically nothing like today I ate a bean burrito for lunch and a quorn schnitzel with some mixed broccoli and peas and chips as a side dish and I feel really full from just that. I was at one point trying to eat more like having oats for breakfast with fruit and then eating fruit or veggies for lunch snacking then having dinner but it was literally making me feel sick and making my stomach hurt from being so full so I stopped forcing myself to eat too much. I've tried eating small and often but it still makes my stomach hurt. I don't mind being at the weight I am but I don't feel I'm getting enough vitamins and stuff I need because I'm eating so little. I went to the doctors on Friday for blood tests to check how my iron and b12 and all that stuff is going and find out tomorrow if its all good or if I need vitamins or whatever but should only being able to eat this much in a day cause problems and if so has anyone got any tips as to how I'm supposed to eat more in a day to get what I need from my food without making myself sick or getting stomach pains?

Any answers are really appreciated = )

Answers:

eat densely packed nutrient foods-
peanutbutter/peanuts
almonds/butter
banana
avocado
pesto
hummous
tahini
rice
pasta
coconut
seeds and dried fruit ( eat nutrition packed granola and oatmeal with nuts and seeds)
seeds in salads-sesame and sunnflower seeds in an avocado and noodle salad.

Just eat really nutrient rich foods that are small in volume- the peanut butter and rice, avocado route.



Protein is hard to get unless you make sure you eat the right foods with a vegie diet. Peanut butter and beans are two good sources. Eat more small meals.. Because you are not overweight, carbs in pasta and fruit may help with some weight gain that it appears you need, Why are you a vegetarian? Health reasons, or do you believe eating animals is wrong. Meat is part of a healthy diet, but if you believe it is wrong, you are going to have to educate yourself on what to eat to compensate. Are you a true Vegan, if not dairy products are a great supplement.
Snack more often, maybe this will help.



If eating makes you feel sick, then you need to see a doctor. You could have a serious problem.

That said, you need to ask your question more rationally. Today for lunch you ate a bean burrito, quorn schnitzel, broccoli, peas and chips and you "feel really full from just that." Of course you do, that's enough food to choke a pig. Yet you claim to feel sick from fruit and oatmeal for breakfast and fruit and vegetables for lunch?

I think you need to speak with a dietitian/nutritionist to learn what proper portion sizes are. You'll probably feel better eating small meals throughout the day instead of one huge meal per day.



Humans evolved eating meat. That's a simple biological fact. Your body gets some vitamins/minerals more efficienty from meat than veggies. It's hard, as you're finding out, to get enough calories (2-2500 per day) from strictly veggies to stay healthy.

Protein, for example, is made up of amino acids. A 6 oz portion of steak will give you probably your daily protein requirements AND improve your cholesterol profile. One cup of kidney beans (for example) will give you about 13 mg of protein. And kidney beans are one of the highest protein vegetables. Most everything has protein, but the protein in meat is complete protein. The protein in most veggies is incomplete, meaning it is missing at least one essential amino acid to make the complete protein your body needs. You need to eat a lot of a variety of veggies every day so your body can combine them into complete protein.

And that's the kicker. Most veggies are made up of a lot of cellulose. Humans can't digest cellulose. It stays in your stomach for a long time before it passes on through as fiber...causing you to feel full, bloated or gassy. The "vegan no more" girl said when she ate meat after three years it was the first time in years she had felt full without stretching her belt or feeling bloated.

http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-ve…

Then there's the iron issue. Meat contains heme iron that is absorbed much easier by your body than the non heme iron in veggies. Eat a lot of the iron rich veggies or you could become anemic. And be aware that many of the leafy green veggies that are good for you also contain oxalates. oxalates inhibit your body's ability to absorb iron and calcium. If your body can't absorb all the calcium you take in, it passes it on through the kidneys.....sometimes leading to kidney stones. Yeah, I know it's a dilema. I wonder why more vegetarians don't warn you about these things?

http://www.livestrong.com/article/155502…

Many veg*ns (shorthand for vegan and vegetarian) say they eat almost all the time (grazing, they call it). If you're in a position to do that, it might help. But you do need to be concerned about dental hygine. Eating all the time can lead to more cavities.

Consider more pills. But your body absorbs nutrients better from food than from pills. If you're still eating eggs and dairy products, increase those in your diet.

Be careful with soy. While soy in moderation is probably fine, too much soy has been tied to early puberty in girls, low sperm count in men and thyroid problems. They promote it to women for menopause symptons! Several countries have issued warnings/recommendations about how much soy to consume. Sadly, the US has not, in fact, our government promotes the consumption of soy. I think the article below recommends no more than 30mg a soy a day. You might want to take time to consider how much of it you're getting a day in soy milk, soy burgers, soy hot dogs, soy chips, soy cereal, soy cooking oils..... It's also used as a filler in stuff you don't think about like some loaves of bread. If you have thyroid problems or a family history of them, take this seriously.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/so…

Lastly, you might consider starting a food diary or online calorie counter and see how many calories you're getting every day. It's just tough to get 2000 calories on just veggies. Sorry. Your body is built to eat meat. You may be able to give up one food group and be healthy, but it's obviously not going to be easy for you.

And animals will still die for your diet.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news…




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