Where are all the vegans/vegetarians?

Adreanna:
You can get an abundance of calcium and iron from dark, leafy greens like Kale, Spinach, and Collard greens. Try adding Green Juice as breakfast into your regime. You'll be full of all the nutrients you need! Dr. Oz has a nice starter green juice, and you can find a ton of additional options online.

While this is true, you do have to be careful what you pair your greens with. If it's iron you're after, stay away from dairy/calcium fortified drinks. Calcium blocks the uptake of iron. So spinach dip or a yogurt based green smoothie will do nothing for your iron. Eat your iron rich foods with vitamin C for absorption, so squeeze lemon juice on your collards, spinach or kale (it softens the kale, so bonus!). You don't need a lot, just a lemon wedge will do.

But the bioavailability of iron in vegetables is much less than it is in meats. So even though the labels say spinach will give you 7% of your DRI of iron, you'll only absorb about 2%.

Black strap molasses is also a terrific source of iron, 21% of your daily recommended intake in 1 Tbsp. But again, dairy renders it useless. I like to use it on my sweet potatoes with coconut butter (dairy free) instead of brown sugar and butter. It's got a different taste from brown sugar, but still has that maltiness that brown sugar has, and I don't recommend eating it by itself by the Tbsp because that was AWFUL.

There's a lot of useful info here about iron absorption of non-heme iron (iron that is not bound to hemoglobin, as in the iron that comes from plant sources) versus heme iron (from animal sources where it is bound the the animal's hemoglobin).

http://www.parentingscience.com/iron-absorption.html

To be honest, I take an iron supplement because I just couldn't get enough from my diet. I was eating as much dark leafy greens as I could, and was barely permitted to donate blood. My hemoglobin was 11.8 when I went to donate, they turned me away and said go home and eat black strap molasses and spinach and come back in 2 days. When I came back it was 12.6, and you have to be 12.5 to donate. (Normal hemoglobin for women is 11-17) I took 65mg iron supplement for 3 weeks leading up to my last donation and my hgb was the highest it's ever been as an adult, a whopping 13.8. But again, you have to not take it with your calcium.

Before you take any iron supplement, be sure to get bloodwork done to be sure you are actually anemic. Iron is toxic in high amounts, and some people naturally produce more iron or store it better than others, even vegetarians.

hollaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

There are a lot of us on here, scattered about, and several groups dedicated to it. Feel free to add me (vegetarian seven years or so).

I was vegetarian for a bunch of years, and went vegan about 3 years ago. I'm always looking for new friends, especially veg ones. Anyone should fee free to add me.

Hi feel free to add me I love new friends.

I've been vegetarian since I was 14 - my parents frowned on it and didn't think it would stick but here I am at 38 and still a Vegi.
At times I have gone vegan, but I love eggs and cheese too much to cut them out completely.
I do have a tendency to eat too much cheese and carbs so I am trying to watch my intake of those.

I don't miss meat or fish but sometimes find it difficult to remember a time before quorn

I do agree that eating out can be really restrictive if you don't go to a dedicated vegi restaurant - I remember a visit to a mitchelin star restaurant only 5 years ago and having to get them to make me a omelette as there was no vegi option. which I found pretty embarrassing at the time and insulting when I got the bill :noway:

add me if you want
I'm 19 and I am vegetarian for 4 years and half

I'm a pescatarian (I eat seafood, dairy, & eggs.)

Hi,

I just started, or restarted actually. I'm a long-time vegetarian. I try to be vegan too, but slip on that sometimes. I'm really interested in vegan cooking and nutrition.

I am a 61 year old vegan - three years in. Was a vegetarian for about seven. I am currently following the 5:2 fast diet by Dr. Michael Mosley. The only actual supplements I am taking right now is Aloe Vera juice. My blood pressure is considered amazing by my doctor and any nurse who happens to take it. I don't think this has anything to do with either my current diet or supplement because it has always been pretty good. Likewise for cholesterol. My arthritis seems to be more under control with what I am following now so that's a bonus. It's nice to meet you. Friend me if you would like to.

Vegetarian since I was 8!

I'm a seven-year vegetarian, slowing transitioning away from dairy. I'll never go back to meat! I'd like to be a vegan someday, but due to allergies and sensitivities it might be difficult.

Feel free to friend me!

I've been a vegetarian for alittle over a year. I love animals and really want to be vegan, but haven't gotten that far yet. Feel free to add me

I just decided yesterday to return to vegetarianism! I was a pescatarian for a while, but I got way too busy to keep up with it. Hopefully this time it sticks.

I am a vegetarian. By birth. I want to transition to veganism, but I suppose it will happen gradually and slowly... not very soon...
Feel free to add me. Always great to come across a fellow vegetarian / vegan. We can learn a lot from each other...

I'm a vegetarian and have been for 3.5 years. It was a moral/guilt thing. I was lactose intolerant in the past (following a virus) so I became used to eating dairy-free. I occasionally eat dairy now, but mostly eat a fairly vegan-friendly diet.
I am strict about not eating several additives that many of my vegetarian friends overlook, e.g.: gelatine and rennet.

I'm trying to become stricter about certain colour additives like carmine/cochineal and shine additives like shellac (although this is produced by the bug and doesn't involve its death, I've read that often they get caught up in the resin collection process and end up being killed inadvertently.) The whole list of emulsifiers, humectants etc. is still so overwhelming - I try to purchase certified "vegan" food wherever possible (mainly to avoid byproducts of animal death) and when if I buy cow's milk or eggs I try to get organic brands... but this is not always easy.

I've recently gotten into vegan icecream made by So Delicious (a brand of Turtle Mountain), and these are not very friendly for the waistline...but are DELICIOUS!!! I also have been getting into Sheese - the nicest vegan cheeses I've encountered!!

PS Feel free to add me!!