Became a vegetarian today, help!

devinbear

From the American Dietetic Association > http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf

From the mayo clinic > http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf

Key words: "well planned". I have followed a mostly vegetarian diet for abut 5 years. I occasionally eat seafood, and rarely, like once a year or less will eat some type of meat. I made this decision due to a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol among other things. Combined with exercise, I think it is the best preventative medicine for me.

I do care about animal welfare, but that is not my soap box, and I am not sure if vegetarianism is the solution to that problem. Plus I strongly dislike PETA and their marketing, so that might have something to do with it.

All in all, Good luck on your journey OP and if you want to have friends who follow similar diets, feel free to add me

VeganLexi

.

Mongognom

If you really want to go healthy vegetarian, here are two resources.

First: A quick guide to getting enough vitamins and minerals: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vegan-sources-of-vitamins-minerals.html?page=1

Second: Sources of Protein: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/

Mongognom

Sometimes you can't get past good genes.

harvo

Sometimes you can't get past good genes.

A real nice heatlhy home made dinner and movie have helped me get past good genes.... :bigsmile:

redraidergirl2009

I'm surprised so many people are defensive on this issue.

When you say this "I just truly believe vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters", what do you expect?
My sister is vegan, has been for nearly 20 years. She's healthy, but she's also a vegan chef so she's cooking all the time and aware of her macros. We live on opposite sides of the US now but for a few years we lived in the same city and I was vegetarian, but not healthy. I eat whatever I want now and am healthy.
My opinion/obersvation is most vegan's conviction comes from animal welfare. I "became" vegetarian during a time my work responsibilities took my "inside" commercial chicken, turkey, and hog farms and processing plants. I try not to think about that anymore. Chicken wings and Carolina BBQ won't kill you.

agreed. people who practice this for animal welfare, thats great. thats your belief.

And if I do I because my belief is they live simple lives, then it bothers people? Lol, why does it matter what my belief is? People on here who dot even know me personably are commenting like they're offended by my opinion. I think it may be a personal issue.

Simple lives? What are you talking about? Of anything becoming vegetarian has made my life more complicated. Where do you get this impression that they live simple lives? I'm genuinely curious.

DatMurse

I'm surprised so many people are defensive on this issue.

When you say this "I just truly believe vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters", what do you expect?
My sister is vegan, has been for nearly 20 years. She's healthy, but she's also a vegan chef so she's cooking all the time and aware of her macros. We live on opposite sides of the US now but for a few years we lived in the same city and I was vegetarian, but not healthy. I eat whatever I want now and am healthy.
My opinion/obersvation is most vegan's conviction comes from animal welfare. I "became" vegetarian during a time my work responsibilities took my "inside" commercial chicken, turkey, and hog farms and processing plants. I try not to think about that anymore. Chicken wings and Carolina BBQ won't kill you.

agreed. people who practice this for animal welfare, thats great. thats your belief.

And if I do I because my belief is they live simple lives, then it bothers people? Lol, why does it matter what my belief is? People on here who dot even know me personably are commenting like they're offended by my opinion. I think it may be a personal issue.

that does not mean it is healthy.

you're opinion is simply an uneducated opinion. You think that not eating meat is healthy? lol

VeganLexi

I'm surprised so many people are defensive on this issue.

When you say this "I just truly believe vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters", what do you expect?
My sister is vegan, has been for nearly 20 years. She's healthy, but she's also a vegan chef so she's cooking all the time and aware of her macros. We live on opposite sides of the US now but for a few years we lived in the same city and I was vegetarian, but not healthy. I eat whatever I want now and am healthy.
My opinion/obersvation is most vegan's conviction comes from animal welfare. I "became" vegetarian during a time my work responsibilities took my "inside" commercial chicken, turkey, and hog farms and processing plants. I try not to think about that anymore. Chicken wings and Carolina BBQ won't kill you.

agreed. people who practice this for animal welfare, thats great. thats your belief.

And if I do I because my belief is they live simple lives, then it bothers people? Lol, why does it matter what my belief is? People on here who dot even know me personably are commenting like they're offended by my opinion. I think it may be a personal issue.

that does not mean it is healthy.

you're opinion is simply an uneducated opinion. You think that not eating meat is healthy? lol

You're incredibly rude aren't you, she has a belief that has absolutely no impact on you and your life...what's wrong with you?

For future reference it's "your" not "you're"...that's a bit embarrassing when you are calling someone else "uneducated" isn't it.

N0EXCUSE

I've been vegetarian for over 10 years. It's for moral reasons.

I would say, with being vegetarian, you still have to make healthy choices. Vegetarians can still eat cake and chocolate! But if you are used to standard meals it may be worth looking at meat alternatives available where you live. Quorn is a healthy substitute.

I haven't read everyone's comment on this thread, but some people may try to tell you that you are being unhealthy and you aren't getting everything you need because we NEED meat in our diet. This simply isn't true. Everything we "need" from meet can be found elsewhere. Look for high protein snacks -like hemp seeds and spirulina shakes. Make sure you get your iron -a green smoothie in the morning is great for this.

If you need any help/tips/advice feel free to message me

N0EXCUSE

Ok so I just read the whole thread anyway... There seems to be a lot of meat eaters here who have no experience of vegetarianism. They won't be able to give you the tips and advice you need. From experience, people who eat meat are quick to tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing and tell you how unhealthy it is... Jeez, they seem to know a lot considering they've never done it.

Anyway like I said above, if you feel you need any help or guidance (or if anyone else reading this feels that way) feel free to message me

Dee x

NonnyMary

If you really want to take it to the next level - go vegan and then don't wear leather shoes or use leather purses.

geebusuk

The issue is that the OP seems to be using their un/badly-educated 'opinion' as a factual reason for making a major lifestyle choice.

Lets say I post on a forum "I want to become a school teacher because they get all the chicks, help."
If it was people's experience whether or not I was a school teacher had nothing to do with how much girls were attracted to me and that in fact the place I had read it was from a recruiting for school teachers organisation, you'd hope people would mention this and advice me I'll planning to make major changes to my life for entirely the wrong reasons.

Suleya

Wow why is there so much negativity? :huh:

I think you made a great choice! Of course, every diet is only healthy if done correctly, but I believe we should all know that. And generally spoken, red meat can have a lot of bad effects and it does increase the risk for several diseases. And generally, you decrease your risk of heart disease with less/no meat in your diet. Also, it is no problem to get enough protein as a vegetarian or vegan, you just have to do some research and preparation. When i changed to a vegan diet (out of moral beliefs) I found myself eating more protein and still do. I often have to problem of getting too much protein and too little fat, I know actually have the opposite issue than that i had as a meat eater

If you want to, you can message me anytime :flowerforyou: and dont let people put you down, I dont know why they always try to stop people from not eating meat.

lynn_glenmont

OP, you can eat healthy or unhealthy both as a vegetarian and as a meat-eater, but it would be good to read up on potential deficiencies, especially if you go full vegan. The warnings about B12 deficiencies might be a little overwrought if you're going to continue eating/drinking dairy and eggs, and if you eat commercially prepared bread and cereal products, which generally seem to be fortified with a host of vitamins, including B12. Calcium (especially as a vegan) and iron (especially as a vegetarian if you rely on dairy more than legumes and other plant sources for protein) are other nutrients you might come up short on. Years ago when I had progressed from french fries and veggie pizza to pasta, lentils, and part-skim mozzarella as the mainstays in my sometimes-vegetarian eating pattern, I started getting turned away from blood donations because my iron level was too low. Too much mozzarella; not enough lentils

These days I'm an omnivore, and what that works out to for me (not from any conscious plan, just from eating what I feel like, and from what's available, and from what's convenient) is that close to half my meals are lacto/ovo vegetarian (usually just lacto, primarily from milk and yogurt, although I usually have one or two eggs a week), another third are vegan, and the remaining 20% of my meals are evenly split among fish, poultry, and meat, seldom more than 4 oz. at a meal, and often less (e.g., one pork or shrimp dumpling along with the veggies and tofu at a food bar or buffet, an ounce or two of lean turkey or ham in my salad or alongside my wholegrain waffle and fried egg). I'm pretty good (but nowhere near perfect) about eating whole grains, veggies, and fruit whether I'm eating carcasses or not.

Now that I've been tracking macros on MFP pretty religiously, I find I often come up short on on my protein goals on days without any animal flesh, but it's also pretty unlikely that I'll go over 11% of calories from saturated fat limits or even come within spitting distance of 240 mg of cholesterol when I'm having a vegetarian or vegan day. It's also falling-off-a-log-easy to hit and pass my minimum fiber targets when I'm getting most of my food from plant sources, which I find I need to do to keep my digestion running smoothly. Given my particular health concerns and issues I'm trying to avoid, the improved fat, cholesterol, and fiber numbers are worth the trade-off in coming up a little short on protein occasionally. Plus, when I do have meat, I find that I can indulge in reasonable amounts of the really tasty stuff (a slice or two of bacon! a bit of ham! a fried chicken leg or thigh!) and still have the fat and cholesterol be OK (for the week, if not the day).

geebusuk

And generally spoken, red meat can have a lot of bad effects and it does increase the risk for several diseases. And generally, you decrease your risk of heart disease with less/no meat in your diet.

Wow why is there so much negativity? :huh:

Suleya

Haha yeah I realised that afterwards :laugh:

ChrisMundie

Congratulations on embarking on a cruelty free, environmentally sound, and ethical journey! There is no downside of eating a well planned plant based diet. Strive for veganism. As some one who was a vegetarian for many years before going vegan, you don't get all the benefits until you go vegan. The peace of mind that you get knowing no one had to die for your meal is incredibly reassuring. People on the internet like to attack people who choose to opt out of conventional food structures, but in the end there is no down side to veganism.

Veganism is in arguably better for the animals and for the planet. Many believe it is better for your health as well, but people like to controdict that with fat vegan/vegetarian anecdotes. I will say it was much easier to be fat as a vegetarian than a vegan. Vegetarians tend to load up on cheese and with that is usually carbs. It was funny, I used to buy cage free eggs and local artisanal cheeses trying to be cruelty free, but the truth of the matter is the dairy and egg industry, even the small scale places treat life like a commodity and that doesn't sit well with me.

Now you asked for tips, not philosophical lectures like many have been providing you, so I will give you some of mine. These are all with a vegan tilt since that is what I know best.

First off, suppliments! Most carnists are woefully lacking in many major nutrients as well, but as vegans we have to strive for overall excellence in our health since the moment we get the sniffles a carnist will want to throw it back in our faces. Amazon carries DEVA vegan vitamins, I highly recommend this brand as they are relatively cheap and certified vegan. Every day I take their mega multi, B complex, vitamin D, omega 3, omega 3 DHA, and Calcium/magnesium vitamins. It's hilarious to me that the first thing a carnist throws at a new vegan is the B12 thing. Well B12 is actually produced by bacteria in grass that would be eaten by cows and then found in meat. Well 99% of cows don't eat grass anymore, so guess where the carnists B12 comes from? If you said suppliments you would be correct! Vegans get ours from the same place, we just cut out the death in the middle!

Protein! There are tons of places to get a lot of protein as a vegan. Many whole grains, ect. Personally I make my own seitan and soy proteins that are just brimming with protein. Seiten couldn't be easier to make. Just pick up a box of vital wheat gluten at your local health food store or off of amazon, add in some vegetable stock, I like to mix in hemp seeds to for an extra crunch, kneed into a dough like consistency, and then boil in stock for 2 hours. Really simple, but makes really convincing feeling and tasting wheat meat that is high in protein low in fat... And death. I have a food dehydrator, so with many batches I take my home made seitan and marinate it in a variety of sauces and then dehydrate it for a few hours. It makes amazing vegan jerkey that has 200 cal and 30g of protein!

Variety! This I think is the hardest part of the vegan lifestyle. Most people get stuck in food ruts. Heck, I ate the same thing the past 3 nights in a row (my wife was out of town so I was bacheloring it up is my excuse...), and it does happen to the best of us. We can feel like there are so few choices that we end up eating the same thing over and over again, but that isn't healthy either. It is always good to remind yourself that there are many many more commercially available varieties of vegetables and grains than there are types and cuts of meat. A new kitchen gadget can help spark things up. I recently bought a spiralizer from which I can make all sorts of amazing vegetable ribbons or things like zucchini noodles.

Eat fresh, eat local! There is a time and a place for vegan processed foods, and it isn't all the time and everywhere... Go to the farmers market and load up on cheap and local veggies, that way you will know that food you are eating isn't causing the collapse of the amazon or some other disaster.

People will tell you it is hard. It isn't. People will tell you it is dangerous. It isn't. People will tell you you are being silly. You aren't. But like everything that is against the mainstream it will be easy to slip up. There is meat and animal based stuff everywhere. When you slip up, and you most certainly will, forgive yourself and move on. Striving for perfection is what causes most vegans to give up and quit. Strive for it, just be ok with not being it.

I really hope some of this helps, what you are doing is going to be the best for you, your family, the animals, and the planet. Like I said at the beginning, if done well there is no downside.

vanguardfitness

Sorry I quickly through this post together, I don't have w documet that says they are healthier just my personal opinion. Also, obviously it depends what exactly you put into your body, I've just noticed people who have cut meat out d their diets for years tend to look much much younger in old age, and that and other reasons is why I made the seitch

That is probably more due to genetics and staying away from excessive sun exposure, smoking and alcohol/drug abuse.

geebusuk

Now you asked for tips, not philosophical lectures like many have been providing you, so I will give you some of mine. These are all with a vegan tilt since that is what I know best.

You seem to be the doing that?

Other people have pointed out that there isn't a decently proven causation between cutting out these food groups and being healthier. That the observed correlation isn't useful information.

I rather suspect a lot more (albeit smaller - does that mean they don't matter?) animals are killed during grain harvesting than are killed for food. And then there's animals that die 'in nature', which is truely horrific by the standards most veg's put forward.

mirinsesh

vegetarians are so much healthier than meat eaters that you will have to hunt down and eat some exotic and obscure plants as well as multivitamin pill supplements just to not get any malnutrition symptoms from missing micronutritients

I wonder if any vegetarians put their cat or dog pets on veg food to be consistent with their moral convictions?