Need Vegetarian / Vegan Friends. I have questions please

nicole2792

If you are a vegetarian or vegan can you add me? I've only been vegetarian for 2 weeks and everything is going great I just need meal ideas.

Also what supplements should I take daily?
Ive been taking ( Iron, B12, and Plant Fusion*a protien shake*)
anything I need to add. Any info to help me with this transition would be great

Ive basically substituted all of my dairy products (butter, ice cream, cheese, milk)
the only thing I havent given up yet is eggs its a little difficult, plus it has protien, and I dont know where else to get it from ..... So technically I'm only vegetarian.

DianePK

I'm a vegetarian who occasionally eats seafood, but try to eat as few animal based products. I had zucchini spiral noodles with veggie and tofu stir fry for dinner tonight.

nicole2792

I have to learn how to make tofu which might be basic, but I'm new to everything so I've been having a lot of meatless, diary free, low sodium frozen dinners.

ndwhitley

This is my struggle too- how to get enough protein. Currently, I eat seafood during one meal of the day. I would like to transition fully to vegetarianism but I'm not there yet.

MilllieMoo

You don't need supplements if you eat a varied diet.
Make sure you eat plenty of leafy greens as they're packed with iron.
Eggs will provide b12.
turn to tofu (really easy to make), seitan, nuts and seeds (in moderation), pulses (chickpeas, lentils, etc).
Quorn is high in protein.
Why are you choosing a vegetarian diet?
Good luck

MilllieMoo

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MeanderingMammal

nicole2792 wrote: »

If you are a vegetarian or vegan can you add me? I've only been vegetarian for 2 weeks and everything is going great I just need meal ideas.

So what's your rationale for vegetarianism? Why does it appeal to you? What are your wider objectives? Weight loss, weight gain, sports performance? All lead to different things being important.

Also what supplements should I take daily?
Ive been taking ( Iron, B12, and Plant Fusion*a protien shake*)
anything I need to add. Any info to help me with this transition would be great

You shouldn't need to take any supplements at all, vegetarian or vegan diets have the potential to give you all the nutrients that you need, although it does mean a bit more thought about how to do that.

What you will find is that lots of pescatarians will claim to be vegetarian. They're not, fish are still meat.

Ive basically substituted all of my dairy products (butter, ice cream, cheese, milk)
the only thing I havent given up yet is eggs its a little difficult, plus it has protien, and I dont know where else to get it from ..... So technically I'm only vegetarian.

So I'm a little confused. Do you want to go vegan, or lacto-ovo vegetarian?

If the latter there is no need to substitute dairy, which is a pretty good source of protein.

As above though; leafy greens, pulses and nuts are all good options.

If you're comfortable with meat substitutes, like quorn, then use that.

So ideas from me:

Bean chilli
Make up a curry base the bulk it out with peppers, mushrooms, peas, potatoes and paneer and possibly black eyed beans
Fritata with veggies
Halloumi kebabs
Halloumi shallow fried with cous-cous

http://www.blisstree.com/2012/06/05/food/8-foods-all-runners-should-eat-according-to-ultramarathoner-scott-jurek-287/
http://www.bonappetit.com/people/article/scott-jurek-ultrarunner-diet

jandw122912

Add me! I've been vegetarian for several years now.
My favorite way to make tofu is baked. I freeze the package and then thaw it out. That changes the texture of the tofu a bit and makes it less mushy. Then you have to squeeze the water out... I cut it into small cubes first and then squeeze the cubes over the sink. Don't try that with tofu that hasn't been frozen though! It will just mush! Or you can also put the whole block on some paper towels and use a baking sheet (or whatever you have) to press it down... That you can do with unfrozen tofu and it works pretty well... Then I sprinkle some soy sauce over the cubes, spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray, and bake @ 350-400 until crispy. It has a similar crispiness to fried tofu but less calories and easier to make! I like to dip the cubes in teriyaki...

MlleKelly

Check out the vegetarian section of BudgetBytes.com . She's great! We're making the Black Bean and Roasted Salsa soup for dinner this week (veggie broth instead of chicken broth), then later we're doing the Weeknight Black Bean Chili (subbing vegetarian ground crumbles for the ground turkey). Lots of delicious pasta options, soups, bean dishes, tofu dishes, etc.

I also just bought a book of vegetarian crock pot recipes. ThugKitchen.com has excellent (and hilarious, NSFW) vegan recipes.

AnnPT77

I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 41 years. My best advice is to lose the meat-eaters mentality of focusing your meals on one "big protein" thing, and fill your menu with lots of protein-containing foods that each contribute a little.

I'm not saying to leave out things like beans, protein-rich grains & grain-like foods (quinoa, etc.), tempeh, and such. They're great, and there's nothing wrong with a protein-rich main dish. I'm just saying not to limit your focus that narrowly.

Think about all the other roles that need to be filled in your meals/snacks, not just your featured main dish: Need extra crunch on your salad? Add pepitas or sunflower seeds. Want a tasty snack? Have some crispy chickpeas (homemade or commercial) or dry-roasted soybeans. Need to thicken/enrich a soup? Puree some white beans and add those. Baking? Replace part of the flour with chickpea flour or soy flour. Want some nice veggies? Choose some that bring extra protein - broccoli, spinach, asparagus, and many, many more. Flavoring a stir-fry? How about a little peanut butter?

These may not all be heavy hitters protein-wise, but you'll be surprised how many extra grams of protein you get by the end of the day through a gram here and 5 grams there. And it keeps things tasty & varied, too.

Something I've found very useful, especially if one's trying to lose weight, is the spreadsheet linked in this forum post: Carbs and Fats are cheap. Here's a Guide to getting your PROTEIN's worth. . Once you scroll through the spreadsheet past the meat items, you'll find information about lots of protein-rich vegetarian foods. Find the ones you like, put more of them in your eating plan.

Another thing, if you like lots of different types of food, is to explore ethnic cuisines that have a rich vegetarian tradition: Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and some African (e.g., Ethiopian) cuisines have some *great* foods.

I'm not sure I'd be a super-useful MFP friend for you, since I'm ovo-lacto, really like dairy, and use it a lot. But you can friend me if you wish; my diary's open to friends, and I'm more than willing to answer questions.