calling all vegetarians

GiGi76

Ok, i recently decide to try and go semi-vegetarian... my concerns are what is considered enough protein??? I know you can get protein from other places than meat but im a little concerned that i will not get enough and was wondering how much i should shot for in a day!!! For now im still having milk, cheese, eggs, seafood.... and maybe some chicken (not sure bout it)!!! Like i said im going for semi-vegetarian to start and maybe do a little more later!!! Any advice or tips on how to make this an easy transition is appreciated!!! Since this past sunday i have not had any meat other than a little imitation crab meat in my california roll last night. Do i need to take any supplements or things of that nature??? Thanks!!!!

Just_Kris

I have been vegetarian for over 3 years. I eat absolutely no meat, chicken or seafood. I eat very limited dairy. It is a very big misconception that vegetarians or even vegans cannot get enough protein from plants. Just think about where the cows get their protein! Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans have sufficient protein that it should not be an issue. If you need to supplement due to the intense work-out like P90x, you could easily use whey protein to make smoothies. I take a multivitamin and B complex supplement daily and have no deficiencies at all. And my cholesterol panel dropped like crazy!

nehptune

Hi Gigi,

I've been vegetarian for 19 years and haven't had any problems with it, even when training to half marathons, triathlons and open water swims. so I definitely agree that you can get everything you need from a vegetarian diet!

one of the main things is to keep your diet varied, eat lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables for vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. for protein, pulses, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan and some vegetables are great sources! don't rely on dairy products as your protein source as they also contain quite a bit of saturated fat.

a good resource if you're interested is a book called "The Thrive Diet" by Brendan Brazier. He was an elite professional triathlete who follows a vegan, mostly raw, diet. if he can get enough nutrients/protein, then anyone can!!!

search the internet for new recipes, and you'll see that a vegetarian diet is far from restrictive!

Hope that helps!

GiGi76

I have been vegetarian for over 3 years. I eat absolutely no meat, chicken or seafood. I eat very limited dairy. It is a very big misconception that vegetarians or even vegans cannot get enough protein from plants. Just think about where the cows get their protein! Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans have sufficient protein that it should not be an issue. If you need to supplement due to the intense work-out like P90x, you could easily use whey protein to make smoothies. I take a multivitamin and B complex supplement daily and have no deficiencies at all. And my cholesterol panel dropped like crazy!

Thanks, so did you transition all at once or little by little???

GiGi76

Hi Gigi,

I've been vegetarian for 19 years and haven't had any problems with it, even when training to half marathons, triathlons and open water swims. so I definitely agree that you can get everything you need from a vegetarian diet!

one of the main things is to keep your diet varied, eat lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables for vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. for protein, pulses, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan and some vegetables are great sources! don't rely on dairy products as your protein source as they also contain quite a bit of saturated fat.

a good resource if you're interested is a book called "The Thrive Diet" by Brendan Brazier. He was an elite professional triathlete who follows a vegan, mostly raw, diet. if he can get enough nutrients/protein, then anyone can!!!

search the internet for new recipes, and you'll see that a vegetarian diet is far from restrictive!

Hope that helps!

Thanks so much.... ive wanted to give this a try before but it would only last a few days.... Im starting off slow with a semi-veg diet and want to work my way up.... i think i can get to the point of no meat but i love my Feta cheese (im Greek) and im not sure i can give that up but im willing to limit my intake!!!

Just_Kris

I have been vegetarian for over 3 years. I eat absolutely no meat, chicken or seafood. I eat very limited dairy. It is a very big misconception that vegetarians or even vegans cannot get enough protein from plants. Just think about where the cows get their protein! Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans have sufficient protein that it should not be an issue. If you need to supplement due to the intense work-out like P90x, you could easily use whey protein to make smoothies. I take a multivitamin and B complex supplement daily and have no deficiencies at all. And my cholesterol panel dropped like crazy!

Thanks, so did you transition all at once or little by little???

It started with decreasing tolerance of red meat. I started having horrible gastrointestinal side effects! Then I started reading about corporate agriculture and nutrition, and I just quit all meat cold tofurkey! Haven't looked back and don't really even miss it.

kayemme

i wouldn't worry about the protein thing too much. I'm not a vegetarian; however, my loverdover is, and has been for 25 years, so i don't cook meat in the house. as we almost never go out to eat, this makes me pretty much a vegetarian by proxy.

I just try to listen to my body. if you're drinking milk, eating cheese and or yogurt, you're getting plenty already. Like many people have said, plenty of vegetables deliver proteins. It is a myth that animal products are the only way one gets protein.

Women need iron, though, so if you're planning on going veg, pay attention to yer vag. When you're getting close to your period, make sure you take in enough iron with rich greens, legumes and stuff like that. There's another thread about iron in here and I remember giving a list of iron rich foods. Some are better assimilated in tandem with other things,

themyriadthings

Definitely watch your iron levels - supplement if you can. I've been veggie for about 5 years now and until the past year I wasn't getting enough iron, to the point that I needed a blood transfusion! But everything's fine now that I supplement. Mini-wheats are super-high in iron - you can get 90% of what you need per day with one bowl of 24 biscuits. In terms of protein, that's not a big problem, just like others have said. Beans are good sources and I have a bag of TVP (textured vegetable protien) in my cupboard that I can add to soup or chili or to make spagetti sauce out of, that adds loads of protein to things. Nutritional yeast is also good, and has a yummy nutty flavor when sprinkled on popcorn.

mcarmon

I think you're exactly right to be concerned about your protein, iron, and other intake. Being a vegetarian can be very healthy, but just like with any diet you need to monitor what you're eating to make sure you're doing it right. Eating nothing but carbs and fats could be a vegetarian diet, but it certainly wouldn't give you the nutritional benefits you want. I recommend taking a regular multi-vitamin for starters as well as actively making sure to vary and balance your diet. If you are like me and are having to limit other food intake such as dairy, I recommend talking to your doctor about the potential need for additional supplements. After I eliminated virtually all dairy from my diet, I developed a vitamin deficiency and had to take Vitamin D supplements to get my levels back up to normal.

elloradannon

I agree with the others. I was a vegetarian in my early 20's, but wasn't very healthy- I was what they call a "potato chip vegetarian". I also gained A LOT of weight in the process, mostly eating white bread, white pasta, and cheese.

I recently went vegan in April, along with my husband (we do however eat seafood once in a great while) I've found that I can still eat everything I used to, just with substitutes. Tracking all of your food on MFP makes it very easy to make sure you're getting enough protein and iron. I eat peanut butter every morning and that helps a lot. Oatmeal, nuts, seeds, beans... it adds up pretty quick! Buy fortified mliks and juices whenever possible. Most soy and almond milk have added B12, iron, and protein . Check out www.vegetariantimes.com and www.vegnews.com for delicious meat free dishes! Good luck

emma1488

Hi hi
I've been vegetarian for almost a week now. I figured I would ease myslf into it and phase out different forms of meat slowly. But I haven't eaten any meat so far and haven't been compelled to eat any anyway.

I have an egg for breakfast everyday whether it be poached/scrambled/omelette and that keeps me pretty full. I've been eating tempeh which is freaking tasty, vege burgers/sausages, chickpeas and loads of veges:)

I too am a bit concerned about my iron levels. It was checked before I stopped eating meat and it was at a good level, so I'll try to watch that regularly.

So far I'm feeling good about my eating. Haven't been hungry and haven't been tired and feel ethically good about not eatig any meat products:)

vegos please add me:)

bdcoy

Help from you vegetarians, I love vegetables ,I love stir fry veg. with the sauce just the vegs, I can't afford to buy fresh all the time so i buy frozon ,but frozonvegs have so much sodium. what do I do?

emma1488

Help from you vegetarians, I love vegetables ,I love stir fry veg. with the sauce just the vegs, I can't afford to buy fresh all the time so i buy frozon ,but frozonvegs have so much sodium. what do I do?

u could try growing your own. Go to farmers markets and buy in bulk and maybe split with a few friends-they're fresher and usually cheaper.

I kinda thought that fresh veges were cheaper than frozen anyway:S

bdcoy

we do grow are own veg's, but that don't last all winter,

ohiogirl30

I have been a vegan for almost 3 years now. I did it cold tofurky There was no transitioning for me. I became a vegan because I had faced so many health issues, from infertility, PCOS, insulin resistance, von Willebrand's disease, and a family history that killed all the women in my family by the time they reached their golden years, just to name a few. Once I removed the animal hormones from my system, POOF, my body started to regulate itself. All of these are hormonal issues. So what does modern medicine suggest we do.... treat the hormonal imbalance with hormones????? How much sense does that make? In some situations like diabetes, that treatment is absolutely needed, but in others, we can do it holistically but a lot of people want a quick fix and don’t want to do that 4 letter word... WORK!!! I have lost 100 pounds in 3 years and am in my home stretch. Being a vegan or a vegetarian for that matter forces you to be conscious of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. If you're newly vegetarian or vegan, hand in there. Make sure your eating a BALANCED diet. Did you know Nabisco Oreo cookies are VEGAN(true story, that creamy center everyone loves…it’s really not cream!!!!)???? That doesn’t mean they're okay to eat though. Being a vegetarian or vegan does not automatically mean you are healthy, that is something you have to work at (whether you’re a vegan or a carnivore) and eat a variety of foods!! Good Luck and welcome to the veg world!!! Oh, and watch out, your palette will change and food will taste sooo much better since you quit eating the animal hormones!!!!