Need help from fellow Vegetarians!!!

missball

My partner and I have been cooking and eating vegetarian for around 6 years now so glad to offer help and a few of the recipes we regularly use. Just message or add (diary is visible to friends). Generally speaking for your proteins you'll want things like beans, lentils, other pulses, meat substitutes like quorn, and limited dairy produce. My protein intake is actually consistently slightly lower than I would want but my fat is also nice and low.
The carb:fat:protein ratio you should aim for is largely dependent on your lifestyle and exercise regime anyway, and we'll as your body type, so I wouldn't worry too much if you're not spot on.

angelexperiment

I would not stop eating meat then add back in bc you will not be able to tolerate the meat after awhile without. Stomache and digestive issues. Why not a lacto ovo vegetarian or pesca vegetarian. Lacto oveo u can have egg and dairy. Pesca fish.
.
this is more a life style change. Don't do it for weightloss. Also , ard to be veg and low carb. Unless you eat like veg fruit and quinoa rice beans etc all needed for a healthy veg diet.

angelexperiment

angelexperiment wrote: »

I would not stop eating meat then add back in bc you will not be able to tolerate the meat after awhile without. Stomache and digestive issues. Why not a lacto ovo vegetarian or pesca vegetarian. Lacto oveo u can have egg and dairy. Pesca fish.
.
this is more a life style change. Don't do it for weightloss. Also , ard to be veg and low carb. Unless you eat like veg fruit and quinoa rice beans etc all needed for a healthy veg diet.

Oh also ezekial bread is high in protein

chasingthesun85

I've been a veg for years and I'm gonna let you know that the snide comments about your decision won't stop, best thing is to just ignore it, laugh with them etc. I live in Texas and when I tell people I don't eat meat they usually *kitten* themselves. I can tell you from personal experience I did lose a lot of weight and have more energy and feel better about not having another life suffer so I can have some bacon, I don't miss meat, and the only vitamin supplements I take are b-12 and iron because I was diagnosed anemic before going vegetarian. I would visit the forks over knives website they have good recipes and maybe check out the documentary forks over knives if you haven't seen it, it will definitely make you feel great about your decision. There's tons of websites that have only vegetarian or vegan recipes, feel free to add me if you have any question or just wanna chat.

aekaya

Not a vegetarian anymore, but I only eat meat a few times a week and am trying to cut back. For vegetarian snack ideas/meals that are quick and easy, my go-to's are:

Apple slices with almond butter
Toast with almond butter and strawberries
Chunks of frozen (no sugar added) mango as dessert
Soft-boiled or poached eggs on top of quinoa - VERY filling meal
Crockpot vegetarian chili with cornbread
Overnight oats for breakfast (1/3 cup each of vanilla greek yogurt, almond milk, oats, & dash of cinnamon, top it w/ almond slivers and strawberries)
Greek yogurt/almond milk/fruit smoothies are a great afternoon snack
Baked sweet potato fries
Honeydew with cottage cheese (I also like those 100-calorie cottage cheese doubles)
Quinoa patties (http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/04/09/crispy-quinoa-patties/)
Rice cakes topped with guacamole
Avocado spread on toasted english muffins
String cheese (decent serving of protein for a snack!)

That's all I can think of at the moment! Hope that helps.

fullylugged

veganricha and fatfreevegan websites both have a ton of tasty recipes.

togetmesomepants

@greenrhino6 Your food suggestions sound delicious.

alfiedn

I'm technically pescetarian (clearly I can't spell this word!), but I rarely eat fish.

I love cheese. I really love cheese. Can I tell you how much I love cheese?

Nuts, seeds, cut raw veggies all make great on-the-go snacks.

I have to keep my carbs somewhat low and it's hard. My suggestion is to eat fewer fruits and more veggies. Also, if you choose to keep your grain intake low, that may help as many of our protein sources are also starchy (beans, I'm looking at you!).

Indian food recipes are usually vegetarian-friendly and delicious. It's all about how you spice your veggies and how you cook them. I made an awesome thai carrot soup with peanutbutter that's easy and out of this world delicious!

If you find you feel hungry, try increasing your fats. I've found that eating lower carb as a mostly vegetarian, I need to eat more fat than I've eaten in the past in order to feel full and stay feeling full. When I first started doing this, I was eating HUGE plates of veggies and feeling physically stuffed and still hungry at the same time. Adding the fats helped me to un-tether from my kitchen. Now I can go places again! There are these amazing fat bomb recipes that you can find on pinterest and other places. My favorite is a peppermint patty-type recipe with coconut butter that doesn't require any added sugar or sugar substitute. Avocado is a great fat source as are nuts and oils in your cooking.

Zucchini noodles with a lemon avocado sauce is super yummy!

Black bean burgers (skinnytaste has a really good recipe)
Thug Kitchen cookbook/blog (although there are a lot of grains in this one, it's amazingly delicious if you're willing to deal with the swearing...I find it funny)
Chia seed puddings (use banana to sweeten)
Eggs
Roasted Brussell Sprouts!!!!
Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Cauliflower Pizza is a favorite in my house

Best luck!

epfahl

Ohhh tofu tacos are delish!
get some cubed extra-firm tofu at the store, drain it and press it with some paper towels to get the moisture out. fry it in a little bit of olive or coconut oil (add green peppers and onion if you want). When the pieces are golden brown on all sides their done. Add a bit of water and a sprinkle of taco seasoning (read the packet to make sure there isn't any 'natural flavor'(meat powder) in it.). warm up some tortillas, and add all the fresh ingredients you want! Cheese, peppers, onion, cucumber, spinach/lettuce, tomato, sour cream, taco sauce.... mmmm now I want tacos. so good.

epfahl

alfiedn wrote: »

I'm technically pescetarian (clearly I can't spell this word!), but I rarely eat fish.

I love cheese. I really love cheese. Can I tell you how much I love cheese?

Nuts, seeds, cut raw veggies all make great on-the-go snacks.

I have to keep my carbs somewhat low and it's hard. My suggestion is to eat fewer fruits and more veggies. Also, if you choose to keep your grain intake low, that may help as many of our protein sources are also starchy (beans, I'm looking at you!).

Indian food recipes are usually vegetarian-friendly and delicious. It's all about how you spice your veggies and how you cook them. I made an awesome thai carrot soup with peanutbutter that's easy and out of this world delicious!

If you find you feel hungry, try increasing your fats. I've found that eating lower carb as a mostly vegetarian, I need to eat more fat than I've eaten in the past in order to feel full and stay feeling full. When I first started doing this, I was eating HUGE plates of veggies and feeling physically stuffed and still hungry at the same time. Adding the fats helped me to un-tether from my kitchen. Now I can go places again! There are these amazing fat bomb recipes that you can find on pinterest and other places. My favorite is a peppermint patty-type recipe with coconut butter that doesn't require any added sugar or sugar substitute. Avocado is a great fat source as are nuts and oils in your cooking.

Zucchini noodles with a lemon avocado sauce is super yummy!

Black bean burgers (skinnytaste has a really good recipe)
Thug Kitchen cookbook/blog (although there are a lot of grains in this one, it's amazingly delicious if you're willing to deal with the swearing...I find it funny)
Chia seed puddings (use banana to sweeten)
Eggs
Roasted Brussell Sprouts!!!!
Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Cauliflower Pizza is a favorite in my house

Best luck!

OMG you MUST share your zucchini noodle recipe with me. It sounds amazing.

ScreeField

This book (check it out from your library) has a wealth of information on what you really need (and what you don't) based on the author's lifetime of research experience and other research findings: Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

It doesn't necessarily promote a vegetarian (or vegan) diet, but it's very close and compatible with vegetarian (and vegan) views.

Also, I posted this in a very similar topic yesterday:

There is a scientist by the name of Dr. Rui Hai Liu doing work in this area. He's been showing that whole fruits and vegetables (like an apple for example) have a far better health and nutrition benefits than individual supplements.

For example, he published in Nature back around 2000 showing that 100 grams (about 1/2 cup) of fresh apple had the same antioxidant equivalent as 1,500 mg of vitamin C--about 3x the amount of a single vitamin C supplement. The apple itself only has about 5.7 mg of vitamin C, but the benefit is from the right combination of the vitamin C in the apple and everything else in the apple. Supplements don't give you all the same components, nor the right blend of those components.

Quote: It is estimated that more than 5000 individual phytochemicals have been identified in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, but a large percentage still remain unknown and need to be identified before we can fully understand the health benefits of phytochemicals in whole foods.

Here's a link to an interview w/ the researcher:

http://archive.sciencewatch.com/inter/aut/2012/12-jan/12janLiu/

For Omega-3's, your body can actually convert ALA from nuts and seeds into EPA. And, DHA isn't necessary for most people if your Omega 3:Omega 6 ratio is balanced (which commonly occurs with a vegetarian diet). In fact, pregnant women are warned against taking fish oil supplements. And, although a few small studies showed improved biomarkers for certain ailments with fish oil supplementation, a survey of 98 studies (including a 15 year long study with 200,000 participants) showed detrimental effects from taking fish oil supplements.

Protein is another interesting issue. Although it's currently the darling of the macros, there is increased scrutiny showing links to cancer from high animal-based protein diets. The paradigm will shift again. My best guess is the shift will shy away from individual micros in favor of unbroken structures.