help! vegetarians?

harperbailey

Hi! I'm considering becoming a vegetarian (for nutritional and moral reasons), and I have a few questions!
I'm 18 and where I go to school, there is one vegetarian option per meal (which is usually gross) and I'm unable to cook my own meals, but I was wondering if it is hard for you to get the proper nutrients? That is my main concern that I won't get enough protein because I don't think I like tofu too much (or nuts). I also wanted to know how long you've been a vegetarian, and if it was difficult for you to transition into it? I guess I'm just looking for support in this area? Thanks in advance to anyone who responds

it_be_asin

I became vegetarian when I was 16. I learned how to cook then cause my mum didn't have time to cook a second meal in the evenings. Cooking is something you get better with when you practise it - people seem to enjoy my cooking now, and I certainly do. But my cooking when I first became vegetarian was pretty ordinary.

Protein is something you can track on MFP - there are lots of options here, beans, lentils, vegetarian meat substitutes, soy and tofu, and low fat dairy and eggs for non vegans. You can even get protein supplements these days, but they are a bit expensive. Also, grains have protein in them too! Meeting the MFP default protein intake as a vegetarian is easy enough to do, however, if you do exercise a bit you will want to increase your protein intake and then you will have to watch what you eat to make sure you get enough protein.

Iron and Zinc are micronutrients you may need to watch your intakes on, B12 supplementation is certainly a good idea if you are planning on going vegan.

I honestly can't remember much about my transition to vegetarianism, apart from cutting down on meat for the few weeks before I made the switch, and the fact my mum thought it wouldn't last making me more determined.

fitnoflab

I've been a vegetarian now for about 11 years or so. I was a vegan before that for a year and I did that straight from being a meat eater. I do however have the advantage of being Ethiopian and as with many 'ethnic' cuisines, the vegetarian/vegan options already exist as a 'main dish', so I was exposed to and loved veggies, lentils and grains that are varied, as star features of a meal . That aside, the only thing I would suggest starting off is to replace some of your meat meals with simple things like eggs for dinner with your usual veg option and starch or taking canned lentil soup and canned beans and add a portion of one into the other to up protein, calories and fiber. Also there are so many non cook healthy vegetarian foods you can eat too. Get hummus, put that in a sandwich instead of your meat filler. Things like tofu, tempeh, and seitan may take some getting used to but if you experiment with spices and seasoning, different brands and preparation methods, it will become no sweat. Like I said before I am exposed to and enjoy food from all over, and this has made being a vegetarian infinitely easier. Try Thai, Indonesian, Ethiopian and Indian restaurants. The more you try, the more options you have. Both the reason for limited food option restaurants and being unable to cook are not clear through your post but if you try some of these dishes I'm sure you'll see it's easy enough. Soon you will be craving these flavors. The reason I actually stopped eating vegan was because I didn't cook when I started out. But when I decided to go vegetarian it became much easier. Now I just can't give up my egg and cheese as options:)

fitnoflab

Sorry lady, I just realized why you can't eat where you want and cook what you want. Boarding school. Sounds like time to make a few demands in the name of health! JK. Seriously, is there anywhere for you to store personal food?

econut2000

Not that I'm pushing it, but did you also think of a flexitarian diet? Flexitarians have a vegetarian based diet but still allow themselves meat occasionally (for me it's 1-2 meals/week). You might find it a little less challenging while you are in school and unable to cook. You don't want to end up constantly relying on processed foods you can microwave in your room for the sake of them being vegetarian (although, let's face it, school food is no picnic either ). Other than hummus which was already mentioned, I don't have too much advice for you! I'm not a very good cook and I'm not super creative in the kitchen!
I'm assuming you have access to a microwave and fridge at the very least? One meal that I occasionally enjoy (although sounds very strange!) is making brown rice and mixing it with half a can of Busch's vegetarian beans. Of course, you could always cook some other kind of beans instead and add spices. I also like making the brown rice again and mixing in frozen green giant brocolli with the cheese sauce. Both options aren't too bad calorie wise and taste pretty darn good. Also, buying a can of refried beans and smearing some of it on a tortilla and adding pepper mix (you can buy it in the frozen food section and just heat it up in the microwave) is a good idea. Just stuffing a pita full of veggies and adding hummus is always a great option.

daffodilsoup

Do you have a fridge/microwave in your room?

kouzzzz

If you are concerned about protein, you can buy hempseed protein or pea protein powders.

raindropwishes

I became vegetarian when I was 16. I learned how to cook then cause my mum didn't have time to cook a second meal in the evenings. Cooking is something you get better with when you practise it - people seem to enjoy my cooking now, and I certainly do. But my cooking when I first became vegetarian was pretty ordinary.

Protein is something you can track on MFP - there are lots of options here, beans, lentils, vegetarian meat substitutes, soy and tofu, and low fat dairy and eggs for non vegans. You can even get protein supplements these days, but they are a bit expensive. Also, grains have protein in them too! Meeting the MFP default protein intake as a vegetarian is easy enough to do, however, if you do exercise a bit you will want to increase your protein intake and then you will have to watch what you eat to make sure you get enough protein.

Iron and Zinc are micronutrients you may need to watch your intakes on, B12 supplementation is certainly a good idea if you are planning on going vegan.

^^ All this.

Also, it depends on if you're planning to be pescetarian or actual veggie? If you're pescetarian you'll still get a lot of nutrition from fish. I've been everything to and from vegan; and it can be quite easy - but it does take some getting used to.

harperbailey

@fitnoflab haha how could you tell it was boarding school? yeah lack of resources...ugh. we do have a microwave/fridge down the hall from my room
@econut2000 i could consider being a flexitarian, i was also thinking about being a pescatarian, i'm open to other options

daffodilsoup

Beans & Brown rice, BBQ tempeh with steamed veggies, and veggie burger patties can all be made in a microwave, since you've got one around. I'd also second another poster here and you can invest in a good protein powder that can be mixed into oatmeal or just in a glass with water.