Help to be a healthy vegetarian?!?!
Help to be a healthy vegetarian?!?
Tomorrow, August 15th, is my one year anniversary of going vegetarian!!! So I'm super excited I've kept it going for this long and that I'm helping out animals. I'm 14 and a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I also try to avoid products that are derived from DEAD animals (gelatin, rennit, etc.). However, I still don't eat very healthy. I know that a big part of going veg is that you should eat more healthy, but I still don't. I'm pretty sure that I don't get enough calcium, iron, vitamins, etc. I even have a few books on vegetarian nutrition, even for teens. But I just can't get myself to follow their suggestions. I am a total junk food junkie, which I know I need to change. So I just want to know if you guys have any tips on how to eat a healthy vegetarian diet. And how to give up junk food lol. Tomorrow, I'm vowing to eat better on my one year anniversary. Thanks for any help!!!
Answers:
One year since you adopted a vegetarian diet, well-done! But I am sensing a creeping discouragement in you when you say that you are still not able to plan a proper vegetarian meal. This is the biggest cause of people's abandoning their veg lifestyle. So, to help you take it even further and why not your whole life, I am giving you some suggestions, being a vegetarian myself since almost 16 years.
When you say you can't do without junk foods, it is that you don't have time and junk foods are normally fast foods and that's why you tend to choose them. But did you know that you can make a fast food out of healthy stuff also. You don't need great culinary skills to eat healthy.
Go for salads. They don't need too much cooking and keep you full for long. No need to snack on junks. Try bell peppers, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes and add baked beans or fresh peas to it. When using processed pulses in tins, always wash them off in running water to eliminate excess sodium (responsible for high blood pressure).
Sandwiches make healthy meals. Easy to prepare and easy to eat. Make use of wholegrain sandwich. Add an avocado dressing or olives with lettuces or other greens and why not cheese or tofu.
Breakfast: eat instant oats sprinkled with fresh fruits. It will take just a few minutes to prepare it.
And if you just can't get over snacking, eat handful of almonds, non-fat yogurt or easy-eaten fruits like bananas or strawberries and why not grapes.
You see. You just need a little planning to be a healthy vegetarian. As long as you are eating eggs and dairy, your chances of deficiency is minimum. So enjoy a healthy life and once again congratulations!