Going veggie. Recipes and Vitamins?

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XxSarahKatexX
XxSarahKatexX Posts: 120
in Food and Nutrition
So I been trying to eat healthy, but I just wanna try something new : P

So i have 2 questions. What Vitamin supplements do i need to take? I heard b-12 and some..fatty acid thingy. But is it necessary?

also, what are some really simple, inexpensive veggie recipes I can make? Or snacks. Food beside a head of lettuce haha.

Replies

  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I have been vegan for almost a year and veggie for 4 months prior to that and only just started taking a vegan multivitamin and just today I bought bvitamins. I will start taking those tommorrow.

    easy meals are beans and rice, stirfry, grilled cheese (use non dairy cheese if you want) pretty much any meal you want can be made veggie/vegan.

    I use the website vegweb all the time for recipies as well.
  • torrmairi
    torrmairi Posts: 64 Member
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    I would argue that supplements are pretty unnecessary - B12 is essential for vegans, but I always got enough from vitamin-fortified foods like almond milk. Eat from the rainbow - get lots of dark, leafy greens for iron and calcium, for instance. That always helps!

    My ideal (vegan) pantry would look something like this: almond (or soy/nut milk), a few types of fruit and veg, a block of tofu/tempeh and some legumes, whether they're baked beans or butter beans or whatever.

    From the top of my head - macaroni-cauliflower cheese, quinoa with vegetables, veggie casseroles and curries (Thai green curry is great with peppers, aubergine and courgette), fruit salads, moussaka, stir-fries, flapjacks etc are all really filling and cheap to make. Raid the clearance/seconds section in the supermarket and make something with what you find - I always get lots of fruit and veg on clearance and it's great to shake things up, since you don't know what's going to be there.

    Make sure you get enough protein - I always dismissed that, but lately I've been having allergic reactions to everything and some claim that's because of protein deficiency (the enzymes I need just aren't being produced). Avoid that all you can!
  • MissRuby24
    MissRuby24 Posts: 2
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    The only vitamin you really need to take if you're a vegan is B12, and if you're vegetarian you shouldn't need to take any as long as you have a well balanced diet. Make the bulk of your diet fruits, vegetable and grains, and include high quality proteins like beans, tofu and tempeh, nuts, seeds, etc.

    I'm vegan and my favourite dinner is mixed vegetables stirfried in a little canola oil, with shoyu, red kidney beans and brown rice. Great if you're on a budget! Also great foods to remember are: quinoa, peanut butter (in small amounts!), oatmeal, berries, calcium enriched soy, rice or nut milk, sesame seeds and nori seaweed wraps (buy them washed and toasted - better than they sound!).

    Hope this helped :) xxx
  • FeatherBoBeather
    FeatherBoBeather Posts: 255 Member
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    Hi!
    I've been a vegetarian my whole life (raised that way) and have a lottttt of experience with pretty much every aspect- so if you ever have a specific question, feel free to drop me a note. ^_^

    I take a Multi-B vitamin which also provides iron and zinc to ensure I cover all the bases. (Plus it gives me a nice pep in the morning.)

    I completely agree with the other posters; I typically eat a majority of vegetables with slightly smaller portions of fruit, grains, and protein. As for natural sources of protein, I recommend beans, nuts, tofu, tempeh, etc... although I should clarify, are you vegan or vegetarian?

    If you're (specifically ovo-lacto) vegetarian you will also have the options of getting some protein through eggs and cheese.

    If you're interested in meat substitutes, Garden Burger and Boca brands are pretty popular (I like both) in addition to MorningStar, Tofurky, StYves, etc. These offer burgers, hot dogs, deli meats, chicken, ground beef, etc. substitutes (makes cooking special recipes a bit easier). Although as they are often basically processed & flavored soy product, they can be high in sodium.

    I totally recommend checking out the website vegweb, as mamagooskie suggested. They have a lot of great recipes which have reviews, suggestions, photos, etc. :-)

    I personally LOVE the book 'Vegan on the Cheap' (I think it's like $12 retail) .. seriously I haven't had *one* thing out of that book that I haven't absolutely loved. Most of the recipes do take a little bit of prep & cooking but they offer price calculations for those on a budget and are sooooo yummy. ^_^

    Hope this helps!! :)

    *edited for typo- I need coffee! lol

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