Vegetarian help...please?!
Answers: well im 15 years old and have wanted to become a vegetarian for a while now. I have done research about it, but i need help, with figuring out what foods I should eat to get the suggested amounts of nutrients I need. If any one has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it...Thank You
beans, nuts, avacoados, eggs, lowfat cheese, are all good items for protien. make sure you are keeping a good balance of what your eating. i usually try to eat 3- 4 whole grains a day 3 veggies 3 fruit and 2-3 dairy that are high in protien. make sure you go to your doctor too and get tested to see if you currently have any immunities or difficiencies. you can buy suppliments that don't have animal products in them, to make sure you are staying healthy, and not lacking any nutrients
Hmmm... I'm no veg but I can suggest that you eat a lot of beans & tofu for protein, & just otherwise maintain a healthy diet with lots of vegetables to get your vitamins.
If you go totally vegan you need to make sure you eat a lot of dark green veggies, lentils and different types of beans to replace the proteins your diet will lack.
"Ensuring adequate nutrition
The more restrictive a diet is, the more difficult it is to get all the nutrients your body needs. A vegan diet, for example, eliminates food sources of vitamin B-12, as well as milk products, which are a good source of calcium. Other nutrients, such as iron and zinc, are available in a meatless diet, but you need to make an extra effort to ensure they're in yours.
Here are nutrients that may be deficient in a vegetarian diet and how you can get these nutrients from nonmeat sources:
Protein. Your body needs protein to maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. Vegetarians who eat eggs or dairy products have convenient sources of protein. Other sources of protein include soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Calcium. This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. Low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with calcium and fortified soymilk and fruit juices are other options.
Vitamin B-12. Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a supplement that contains this vitamin.
Iron. Like vitamin B-12, iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb non-animal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.
Zinc. This mineral is an essential component of many enzymes and plays a role in cell division and in the formation of proteins. Good sources of zinc include whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat germ.
The key to a healthy vegetarian diet — or any diet for that matter — is to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Since no single food provides all of the nutrients that your body needs, eating a wide variety helps ensure that you get the necessary nutrients and other substances that promote good health."
Let me first say that I think it's wonderful that you want to become a vegetarian! I am sure that if you make this choice, you will find it very rewarding, as well as a lot of fun. I think that some of the previous answers have some good points, but may have also overstated the potential deficiencies in becoming vegetarian or vegan. And I hope you will understand how easy it actually is to be vegetarian/vegan and enjoy great nutrition.
First of all, getting enough protein on a vegetarian/vegan diet is not nearly as difficult as many people believe it to be. If you are eating a variety of healthful foods (and not just pasta all day long), you will most likely be getting all the protein you need. The standard American diet is plagued by an overconsumption of protein, which has consequences of its own (i.e. links to osteoporosis). Same goes for calcium--you don't need to drink milk or eat dairy products to get enough calcium--in fact, calcium from cow's milk is not actually absorbed as well as calcium from plant sources such as kale or spinach.
Instead, I would suggest paying attention to the following nutrients:
-B12: vegans usually get this from fortified foods, like fortified soymilk or cereal, or we take supplements.
-Iodine: can be gotten from sea vegetables or iodized salt.
-Omega-3's: flax seed (especially when ground to make flax meal) is a great source.
I think most importantly is making the transition to vegetarianism in a way that will work for you--a way that will let you commit to it and really enjoy all the wonderful new foods you will discover. Good luck!
i thought that i saw a meal planner somewere, try the peta website. it has like, menus of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack for three weeks. all their stuff is vegan, so you could just substitute in the real stuff for the fake cheese and eggs they use.
i know that buying veggie stuff can get expensive, so i suggest buying a bunch of fresh vegetables, and if you can't use them all, freeze them, or cook them and freeze them, then you just have to reheat it. also, i made this a couple times, its called seitan. my meat eating family thought it was best with cinnamon sugar on it like a dessert, but i like it, kindof like chicken.
mix flour with eater until the dough isnt sticky. then get a bowl and fill it with cold water. rinse the dough, keep changing the water till it turns clear. my dough fell apart, i dont know if its suppossed to, but i just mixed it with seasonings and put it in oil. it comes out good, but i've been veg for 5 years, so i dont really know what meat tastes like anymore, lol.
trust me the first week is the hardest, some people choose to go cold turkey (i did) and some choose to taper off, after like, the first 2 weeks, or maybe the first month, the cravings stop. and then after like the first 6months, you dont even want to smell it or touch it. it isnt appealing anymore. then after a year it just makes you nausious to think about it.
sorry, i kinda got off topic, but i thought you should be prepared for it. after a while it isnt hard anymore, just read labels.
lots of luck!!!!
To illustrate absorption of calcium read on: cooked spinach contains 129 mg of calcium per 125 ml (1/2 cup), which is higher than almost everything except milk (315 mg) and other dairy products. But only an estimated 5% (6 mg in absolute value) of it is actually absorbed, which is very little compared to 32 % of milk's calcium (101 mg). Therefore, approximately 15 servings of spinach would be required to equal a single serving of milk in terms of absorbed calcium.
At your age, consuming enough calcium is so important as what you are about to do will influence your body for the rest of your life. There are a lot of friendly voices trying to sway your opinion. You have been researching this... you will find any type of research that you choose to read on the interenet. Please be careful and talk with your parents and for an independent advice, talk with your doctor or school nutritionist to get good advice.