Curious about vegetarianism???... Ask away!

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kategardella
kategardella Posts: 13
in Food and Nutrition
Is anyone a vegetarian or interested in becoming one? If you want some veggie info, let me know. I started eating veg right around the time I began monitoring my weight with MFP, and the results were awesome. It jump started my metabolism, cleaned out my system, and helped me shed my first 15 pounds F-A-S-T! I started by challenging myself to eat vegetarian for a month and fell in love. If you've got questions, please ask!

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  • Bettany
    Bettany Posts: 14 Member
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    What do you eat if you have to pack a lunch? I really struggle with this. I also struggle with main dish ideas that don't include a noodle or bean. Any suggestions?
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
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    how much of a meat eater were you before you became a veg? i LOVE meat and don't know if I could give it up for life. I could for short periods of time, but i would miss my carne asada, ribs, bbq beef, steak, etc... i could replace hamburgers w/ veggie burgers, but not all meats have a substitute
  • MABoxall
    MABoxall Posts: 24 Member
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    Are you a "fresh" advocate or do you think frozen works well? My 14 year old has shown interest, and I need to move in that direction for weight and health, but affording and keeping the fresh vegetables gives us a hard time. I wind up throwing some out and I can't keep doing that. I keep broccoli, spinach, green beans in the freezer for our regular meals, then buy some fresh for lunches and snacks.
    Also, how do you replace the protein? We do have some beans and cheeses, but I find cheese bloats me (maybe the salt?) and puts a crimp in my weight loss.
    Thanks for any info.
  • kategardella
    kategardella Posts: 13
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    hey bettany! i'll admit, my lunches usually depend on my vicinity to a microwave - id be lost without one. my go-to when I'm short for time are Annie Chung's Thai lunches or anything from Amy's Organics. I bring a lot of leftovers, too. I do a lot of soups, too. a hearty vegetable soup or chili will often do the trick.


    I also do a lot of grilled vegetables over whole wheat pasta or brown rice. Mushrooms (I like portabellas) are a great substitute for something meaty and are more substantial than a lot of other vegetables. They have a real taste to them, and are delicious marinated and cooked up the night before. If you don't have a microwave, grilled veggies are a great lunch on sandwiches with a little mozzarella cheese or on salads.

    Then again, we always have good old PB&J :) Good luck!
  • kategardella
    kategardella Posts: 13
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    Mabee - When I can, I cook fresh and local... But I am a busy girl as I'm sure you are with a 14 year old son, so do what you can! I always have a reserve in the freezer for nights I can't make it to the store or don't have anything fresh. Spinach is best fresh, if you can. Once it's cooked and frozen you lose a lot of the vital vitamins that spinach provides when you nuke it or saute it again. Frozen spinach is my go to for soups and dips, though!

    As far as protein goes, if you have a well rounded diet it shouldn't be too tough. Eggs are a great source of protein. Nuts and seeds provide good protein, as do beans - particularly soy and lentil. Grains can be a source, the whole ones - barley, quinoa, whole brown rice, wild rice oatmeal, wheat, rye, etc. Soy is a good source of protein AND a good milk replacement, but it's easy to overload on it, A LOT of soy goes into tofus and soy based "meats".

    Dairy slows digestion and helps your body retain what you put in it - its like why you drink warm milk when your stomach hurts - so the bloating from cheese and milk makes sense. Replace dairy when you can so you can enjoy the dairy you really want (cheese is my favorite). I replace my dairy ice cream with coconut milk based ice cream which in my opinion is even better, and I really enjoy hazelnut milk in my coffee and cereal.

    Good luck! and I'll be happy to help with whatever other questions you've got! Good luck on your weight loss journey - you'll do great.
  • kategardella
    kategardella Posts: 13
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    Jen - So I was pretty much off of all red meat by the time I decided to go totally meatless. The last thing I gave up was grilled chicken. What turned me off of red meat was the meat industry to begin with (google if you dare). I saw an article about the 30 day vegetarian challenge... which promises to jumpstart your weightloss by helping cleanse your body and kicking up your metabolism, and help you learn a broad new range of things to do with vegetables outside your basic grill, steam and saute.

    I had nothing to lose.... after the 30 days I was in love. I learned so many awesome recipes like veggie chili, portabello mushroom stroganoff, all things normally made with meat, but without meat! I lost 7 pounds that month, too. I had never felt better. So 2 years later I'm still a vegetarian - with the occasional bit of seafood. (So I guess pescetarian at times) I live in a big fishing community so fresh sea scallops or a summer flounder fillet straight off the boat are often hard to pass up.

    I'll admit, I often miss the stuff like bbq ribs and hot wings - but I've found its mostly the sauces that I miss, which I can easily slap on to something else like tofu. Plus you'd be surprised how easy the flavor of pork is to imitate, I've had some BBQ "ribs" you would NEVER know wasn't straight from the pig.

    If being a vegetarian is not something you're passionate about there's certainly no reason to give meat up altogether, but it is a great opportunity to expand your food horizons and lay off on the hard to digest meats. Enjoy! Let me know how it goes :)

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