Easing into vegetarian for a teen?!
Easing into vegetarian for a teen?
I have been trying to be vegetarian for a while sometimes I won't eat meat sometimes I do.I think it would be better for me to ease into instead of stop eating meat all at once(which i have done so many times).I really want to do this.What's a good way to ease into the vegetarian lifestyle for a teen.
Answers: well 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. Its a good to let your body adjust. Just make sure you're not easing into it just because you can't let some meat products go. maybe try stopping red meats then just fish then stopping altogether,depends what it is that you miss tho Make a list of vegetarian foods you really like (for example cheese or beans). Try to incorporate these foods into most of your meals. Find a good vegetarian cookbook. You can add meat to the vegetarian dishes if you feel like you need meat.
The meat substitutes aren't too bad. Try the frozen veggie brats and Italian sausages. Good luck! im a vegetarian =0) we rock
kk....here's the deal.
ease into by gradually reducing the amount of meat u eat.
the first week of easing- one of your meals is meat.
second week- salad with some chicken (or other meat)
kind of like the way u quit smoking....but better! =)
i know meat may taste good. this is a way to taste meat without eating it.
eat barbecue chips
barbecue veggies
go to whole foods and buy boca meatless burgers (they taste like meat)
remember, think veggie positive and be determined. also, many more diseases come from meat. bird flu, mad cow.....
meat clogs up ur arteries, and veggies are healthy and clean your body,
celebs eat lots of salad to slim themselves. veggies are the best dieting trick!!
to get ur proteins, eat nuts, lentils, beans, dairy and more. these are subs for the health benefits of meat.
good luck!!
eat-
corn
salad
veggie lasagna
etc......
try meat recipes without the meat!
ex- chicken salad without the chicken
try new cuisines Actually, it's easier if you quit "cold tofurkey". Otherwise, you will see the little meat you allow yourself to eat as a "treat", which is not a good thing.
Anyway, however you decide to do this, it's great that you're doing this for the animals and your body! Good luck. I disagree...
there's nothing inherently wrong with red meat...it's where it fits into a person's overall general health...someone who has a sedentary lifestyle, doesn't exercise, smokes, drinks in excess--that person should do a complete overhaul and omit red meat just for starters
there's nothing wrong with red meat, with the possible exception of marbling fat like in prime rib or lamb where there's not much "visible fat" to remove before cooking...
in the interim, you can transition by switching to white meats ncluding pork but, watch out, because consumers are asking for marbled pork...until then, you can remove "visible fat"
the vegetarian things you can pack away in your teens--lots of butter and cheese--are the same things you're gonna hafta give up later...everybody's metabolism changes...
don't learn to absolutely love breaded fish sticks, and try to switch to breaded vegetables...you're going to be disappointed later on when you hafta adjust your calorie intake and omit the breading...you might try Japanese tempura a nice change of pace--and healthier than the way Americans deep fry things...
as long as you don't mind experimenting with things, you won't become entrenched in a style of preparation that you need to forsake later
you can't go wrong with tofu...it'll mimic whatever you cook it with; e.g., chili, omelets, potato salad, you name it...you can slice it and fry it like meat...and tofu is easy to find when you dine out... I started being vegetarian 6 months ago, I'm 12 by the way.
Heres a way to start:
eat meat once a week (anytype) do this for a 1/2 to 1 month
Next switch to eat chicken and fish once a week for 1/2 to 1 month
Then, only eat fish (this will make you a pescartarian) do this for 1/2 to1 month
After that, completely get rid of meat.
Eat fake meat!!
Brands: Morning Star, Amy's, or Boca
Try burgers, chik'n patties, and my favorite: chick'n nuggets. They are awsome and taste really good.
Also youll want to have a very, very well balanced diet. Avoid junkfood. Its a waste. Eat frozen vegetarian foods. And hummus, or salsa. There are so many vegetarian options, and its so easy to go veg. You can eat almost anything!! (of course fake stuff)
A REALLY GOOD TIP: go to a book store and get "Vegetarians for Dummies"
Its helped me sooo much. And dont believe all nutrition facts on the internet. Ok.. hope it helped.
~Lauren A good way is to come up with a calendar. Say that for the first two weeks, you will not eat meat on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then, for the next month, you will not eat meat on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on other days you will eat meat for lunch only. Then, after one month, you will not eat meat at all. That way, your body gets a chance to adjust. See this website about making a smooth transition to vegetarianism: http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=06makin...
Basically, over the course of a month, find substitutes for your favorite meat-based foods and increase the amount of vegetarian meals you're eating per week. YOU WILL CERTAINLY GET DEFICIENCIES
QUIT WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD
JUST DON'T GO NUTS ON THE MEAT . Take your time - my journey from meat eater took about a year.
2. Start out using some basic substitutes for the meat you are used to in foods where you won't even notice - ground meat replacements are available in the frozen food sections.
3. Leave meat off things that don't need it - pizza, salad, spag, etc.
4. Get some good cookbooks when you are ready to branch into more interesting foods - Moosewood books and New Farm Vegetarian are two of my favorites.
5. If you are worried about what to eat check out the book "Diet for a New America" it will cover many of the health questions. I started by stopping red meat then all meat. Never did like fish. There are a lot of meat alternatives out there that you'd never know was not meat. Morningstar fake bacon is a favorite in my house even for the meat eaters. Meatless meatballs are awesome with spaghetti. And veggie patties come in a ton of different flavors. Try some of the alternatives, you'll never go back to dead animals after that! You should just go and try all the different meat substitutes ther are. Your local grocery store probably has a lot more choices than you thought! It's pretty amazing what they can do now with soy and vegetables. I love the veggie corn dogs, hamburgers and chicken nuggets. If you see that you don't have to give up the tastes that you like, it becomes a lot easier. And don't worry about the people who tell you that stuff is gross because most of them haven't tried any of it.