GOING VEGGIE

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Tizz
Tizz Posts: 38
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a newly turned Vegetarian.. a lacto-ovo veggie to be exact

Any other veggies out there got good tips to be healthy?

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  • Tizz
    Tizz Posts: 38
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    I am a newly turned Vegetarian.. a lacto-ovo veggie to be exact

    Any other veggies out there got good tips to be healthy?
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
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    I am not a vegetarian but I find myself eating like one quite often. I don't always eat a lot of meat.

    Anyway, I would just make sure to focus on whole grains, light dairy and eat leafy greens and other veggies that contain iron since you aren't getting it from meat. Eat the good fats like peanut butter, etc. Make sure to keep your body fueled. A Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffin with 1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter is a great breakfast. Add a small banana and that would fuel you for hours and give you a great combo of fiber, protein and good carbs.

    I think the most important thing is to not get into the "pasta and mac and cheese" thing that I see a lot of new vegetarians do. That will mess up your healthy eating really fast! LOL! I do eat pasta, but eat the Ronzoni healthy harvest pasta. MMMM! Having that for dinner tonight.

    Good luck!!
    -Tami
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,784 Member
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    Try to remember that even though chocolate cake is vegetarian, it's not dinner :tongue: That's how I got here. If you eat whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, you should do well.
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
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    I am not a veggie either but i love em I had eggplant parmagana last night woohoo it was wonderful the best if the garden veggie tomato sauce
  • Tizz
    Tizz Posts: 38
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    I got lots and lots of BEANS (no one is gunna wanna hangout with me later haha)
    I wanna make sure I have enough protein!

    so i need iron?
  • dachinababe
    dachinababe Posts: 185
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    right here..
    im lacto-ovo vegetarian 2
    just be sure to get the required amount of protein per day and make sure you eat enough calories
    take a supplement multivitamin&mineral just to ensure you are getting all of them..
    (iron, iron,iron) spinach has some iron i dont know where else that's probably why im anemic lol
    eat alot of vege, grain, and beans
    good luck:flowerforyou:
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    Again, not a veggie - however I eat very little meat. Its expensive, and doesn't keep as long as veggie alternatives, so I tend to stick with that.

    Anyways, the biggest things are:
    A) get a *good* vitamin supplement
    B) Make sure you get enough protein in your diet

    Thats pretty much it :) Just keep an eye on your nutritionals and you'll be fine!
  • Reesy
    Reesy Posts: 132 Member
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    I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian too. It has been great. I made the switch a couple of weeks ago. I find that it's a really easy lifestyle to follow. Just make sure to get in all all your food groups, veggie, fruit, whole grains,....I eat lots of beans for protein but I find that eating great veggie have the recommended protein I need sometimes. The Boca & Morningstar items have been great. I LOVE the veggie crumbles, burgers, and the soy chicken burgers. The lasagna and pizza are great too.

    This helps with fiber and protein as well.

    Again I LOVE it. WELCOME! :bigsmile:
  • sdjurek
    sdjurek Posts: 26 Member
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    Branch out a little and explore foods like lentils and tofu (two of my personal favs). They both serve as great substitutes for meat and are full of vitamins but low in fat. They both go great as burgers or with salads or next to vegetables- very versatile so it's hard to get tired of eating them.
    Tofu is tricky for some people so if you'd like some advice on cooking with it let me know.
    Also, morningstar farms chik patties are my favorite- with spaghetti, with salad, on a bun, alone with honey- you name it.
  • turtle
    turtle Posts: 49
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    I've been a vegetarian for quite some time now. It really is great for animal rights and your health! I suggest the boca original burgers, chik'n patties(just like the real thing!), and chik'n nuggets. Other than that I try to eat tons of fruits and veggies. It isn't as hard as people think it is and you will see and feel results. Congratulations on making a really positive change!

    PS I just made veggie tacos for the first time the other day and they're great! All you have to do is get Boca ground meat, some salsa, tortillas, and toppings. They're delicious! Just cook the meat in the salsa of your choice and load 'em up with cheese, tomatoes, ect. They taste so good.
  • bodibykelli
    bodibykelli Posts: 135
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    I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, this month (I eat dairy). With dairy in your diet, it really is easier than ever to be one. My staple proteins are low fat cottage cheese, yogurt (really love Dannon's Light & Fit with only 60 calories) and egg whites. Also, I eat quite a bit of MorningStar products (a Kellog's company)...I think their flavors are hard to beat!
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
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    I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, this month (I eat dairy). With dairy in your diet, it really is easier than ever to be one. My staple proteins are low fat cottage cheese, yogurt (really love Dannon's Light & Fit with only 60 calories) and egg whites. Also, I eat quite a bit of MorningStar products (a Kellog's company)...I think their flavors are hard to beat!

    Mm, love the Morningstar Farm products! The corn dogs, sausage patties, etc are SO good.

    Today for lunch I had 2 corn tortillas, 1 morningstar farm chik patty that I cut in half..and I put each half on one tortilla with some taco sauce and sour cream! REALLY good!
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
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    I am not one, but am very intrigued but the concept.

    I have eyeballed the Moringstar products but always walk away cause i am not sure I'd like them, and now a days I'd hate to end up wasting the money. Know what I mean?

    Anyone have personal favs that taste good enough to sway people that way?
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
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    I am not one, but am very intrigued but the concept.

    I have eyeballed the Moringstar products but always walk away cause i am not sure I'd like them, and now a days I'd hate to end up wasting the money. Know what I mean?

    Anyone have personal favs that taste good enough to sway people that way?

    Hey! The MF corn dogs are SO good!!

    And, I really like the chik patties. Both plain and italian herb. I will put some Franks Buffalo Wing sauce on the plain ones. It tastes like a boneless buffalo tender! I do anything with it really. I made a taco with them today (see my post above about that! hehe)
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,784 Member
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    I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's really not that hard to get enough protein. Perhaps it's 20+ years of people asking me how I get my protein, that makes me sick of the question. Ever ask a non-veggie how they get enough fiber. Turn about is fair play you know.

    Iron can be hard if you don't eat enough veggies. Discover new grains: quinoa is a favorite and loaded with iron. I don't do many meat substitutes these days, but they have their place, especially for the new veggie. I used to love boca burgers though, 70 calories each, yum, just don't expect them to taste like meat. I've heard many people like the corn dogs, but, of course, they taste like corn dogs :laugh:
  • sdjurek
    sdjurek Posts: 26 Member
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    I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's really not that hard to get enough protein. Perhaps it's 20+ years of people asking me how I get my protein, that makes me sick of the question. Ever ask a non-veggie how they get enough fiber. Turn about is fair play you know.
    Hilarious and so true. I haven't eaten meat in almost 14 years and really, all my friends are obsessive about finding good sources of fiber and I NEVER seem to have that problem!! I get a lot of my protein from the legume family... but also a bowl of oatmeal is a great way to start the morning- especially with some fruit and nuts on it, and I'm telling you, tofu is great!

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