Young Vegetarian - any tips on being healthy?

holothuroidea

Hello, fellow veggie! The only supplement you *need* to take is b12, and also D if you don't get enough sun (which is most everyone).

It would be good to track your food for a while and make sure you meet the requirements for things veg*ns are prone to deficiency in: calcium, iron, iodine, and zinc. I hardly ever meet the calcium requirement, so I take a calcium supplement. I've never had a problem getting enough iron. I eat lots of legumes and leafy greens.

Nutritionally sound veg*n diets are built around vegetables (esp. leafy greens) and legumes, and also include whole grains, fruits and "good" fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, and coconut and olive oils).

You don't have to give up your old favorites, just switch them from staples to indulgences. Make one night a week pasta night.

shesfinallygettingfit

I recently found out the cow's milk has blood/pus in it, which is disgusting. After reading on NotMilk I don't want to consume dairy anymore. I think I'll do more research and slowly wean myself off it once my diet is healthy and I am taking necessary supplements/vitamins

shesfinallygettingfit

Thanks for your help!

I'm going to be taking B12, D, and probably Iron + some Calcium. I'll talk to my doctor first though because I probably require more.

shesfinallygettingfit

Thanks for replying (and adding me!)

kmcosgrove115

If you have a Netflix acct watch Forks Over Knives - very informative documentary and will give you alot of great info as you change your diet to something new.................

MandaLeigh123

I've been a vegetarian for...18 years-ish... It is really easy to be an unhealthy vegetarian for sure. Common problem is eating too many processed foods and too many unhealthy carbs. I would just say to eat a lot of green veggies, and watch your grains. Choose whole grains over the processed stuff A blog/facebook page that I really like is No Meat Athlete. Great vegan recipes. (I am an on again/off again vegan... I'm in an on phase at the moment since last September.)

foodcart

Almond and coconut milks are great milk substitutes. If you're still trying to up your protein intake and don't mind using a powder, hemp protein is great and very high in iron. Nutritional yeast can provide your vitamin B12.

Good luck.

djc315

I like almond milk. Hemp milk is good, too. They even have rice milk or coconut milk. Or of course, soy milk. My favorite is almond milk, it is great in cereal. I don't ever drink a cup though, but I never drank milk in a glass either.

shesfinallygettingfit

Thanks! I'll watch that tonight

shesfinallygettingfit

Thanks! I'll check out that FB

shesfinallygettingfit

I think I'm going to try almond milk.

redraidergirl2009

Hello! Here is a website full of sources for a new vegetarian wanting to learn more about healthy eating.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/50-vegetarian-resources/

Also, you should have your iron levels checked before taking a supplement or be aware of what foods you are eating that have iron each day. As a child I regularly had blood tests and my iron was excellent though I was not a big meat eater I was very picky but I ate lots of beans which are a good source of iron.

Also, you should have your b12 tested, you may not need a supplement.

I also cannot have much dairy due to reactions but watch your calcium too. I try and get it from greens and fortified sources. I do have a plant calcium supplement I take a few times a week.

shesfinallygettingfit

Thanks! I'm going to make an appointment to get my blood drawn to get those things tested...

ParkerH47

definitely stay away from the meat substitutes (tofu isn't as bad, but try to stay away from like veggie dogs etc). Try beans and legumes, whole grain rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, oats, barley all for some new carb sources other than pasta. lots of fruit, veggies, maybe some farm fresh eggs that come from happy hens, if you're into that

Some of my favorite food blogs that are almost all vegetarian (just google them)
- sprouted kitchen
- 101 cookbooks
- naturally ella
- the first mess
- the yellow house
- my new roots

They all inspire me to cook, and I think as a vegetarian learning how to cook can teach you how to make boring things taste amazing

AuntieMC

There is some pretty good information on this thread! I like to use lentils in stir fries and in casseroles and soups. If you prefer not to cook, you can also sprout lentils, and add them to salads. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but you should be aware of how to combine foods to get complete proteins. For instance, beans are high in one kind of protein amino acid, and grains are high in a different kind of protein amino acids. If you get some beans AND some rice during the day, you will get a more complete protein (it doesn't have to be at the same meal). You can also combine lentils with nuts sometime during the day. There are other combinations, too. Google something like "how to get complete proteins from plant foods", and you'll probably find lots of information!

You can also change your MFP settings to have your food diary show total iron consumed, if you are worried about that. It seems to me that beans are high in iron, and spinach, for starters. Maybe you could have some homemade vegetarian chili, or toss some cooked beans onto a salad!

puppym0m

Hi, YV....

I was a vegetarian for many years (no longer), but here's the basic primer:
1) stay organic.... according to studies, organic produce contains a significant amount of nutrients over conventionally grown food
2) whole grains...that means taking some rice or quinoa or buckwheat or amarinth or whatever grain you like and cooking them from scratch.... (I use a rice cooker for almost every grain I cook)... foods saying they have 'whole grains' in them are often really referring to flours made from whole grains.... totally different glycemic effect when a whole grain has been ground into flour
3) eating beans and rice at the same meal provides a complete cadre of protein for your body to use...but only if they are digested together
4) eat FRESH... stay away from commercially frozen meals...valuable enzymes are destroyed through that process
5) vitamins are all about how absorbable they are.... ask about that specifically when buying
6) seek out a GOOD naturopath for your physician... a naturoapthic doctor (ND) take vitamins and nutrients seriously and can test you for which vitamins your might be deficient in and suggest either good supplementation OR food sources rich in them
7) Spices can be an amazing source of anti-oxidants and anti-inflamatories.... season generously

Good eating!

veganlisa

There seems to be lots of great advice here! I would consider joining one or more vegetarian groups here on MFP. There is lots of support, info and encouragement.

Personally, I no longer take any vitamins. I felt at one time I was iron deficient because I was tired all the time so I had my blood tested. I was low in iron but not anemic. The doctor felt it was a 'girl' issue vs being vegan and it's now taken care of. They do make multivitamins meant for vegetarians- I used to take one by Schiff.

I saw Happyherbivore.com & her cookbooks mentioned. I also LOVE "theppk.com" and all of her cookbooks- (by Isa Chandra Moskowitz).I also like chefchloe.com and her original cookbook -haven't got the new one yet- (by Chloe Coscareli)They are vegan.

Since you like pasta. You may want to try having a small portion of pasta (2 oz) & load up on a healthy sauce & lots of veggies! Homemade sauce is best because canned sauces seem to have lots of sodium! This way you can get lots of veggies & your pasta fix too!

Feel free to add me- I am though a lot older than you (my daughter is even older than you!)
I have though been vegetarian since I was in high school & vegan the past 6 years.

BaconMD

My wife has been a vegetarian since she was 12, when her parents let her, as they figured it was a phase that would end in a few weeks... Heh.

I've been eating vegetarian for I don't know, 40-something days now. I'm not actually a vegetarian, though, as I think I will eat fish I catch, and maybe cheese sometimes if I want a pizza, or whatever. That's my plan, anyhow. This makes me a flexitarian.. But I feel *so* much better than when I was eating meat all the time, it's unbelievable.

I am taking B12, calcium + magnesium, magnesium, krill oil, and probiotics.

Plant-based omega-3 oils are not the same as animal-sourced omega-3s. DHA and EPA are what you want, and the body does a horrible job converting other omega-3s to them. Even my wife takes krill oil for this reason, and she was very reluctant to do so.

Plant-sourced iron is harder for the body to absorb as well and though vitamin C will help somewhat, you probably can't eat enough iron as a vegetarian unless you have a disorder such as hemochromatosis.

BaconMD

Oh yeah, recipes... Someone else said it, but ThePPK.com has great recipes! I'm going to buy a couple of Isa's books soon, too. Here are some of my favorites...

This is the BEST soup in the world. I am not even joking:
http://www.theppk.com/2008/10/spicy-peanut-eggplant-and-shallot-stew/

We've had these a bunch of times:
http://www.theppk.com/2011/05/ancho-lentil-tacos/

These too:
http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/snobby-joes/

Love this one:
http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/cashew-vegetable-korma/

This is a great dish too:
http://www.theppk.com/2012/03/tamale-shepherds-pie/

That's just to name a few... I've tried a lot more, and they've all been good if not great. Seriously, visit that site, try some of them out!

holothuroidea

There IS a vegan source of DHA/EPA. I know because I take it. ^_^

It's algae oil. The same place the fish get it from. It's a bit pricey, though. I order mine from amazon, the best brand I've found is Nordic Naturals.