Vegetarians
healthydoseofglitter
Posts: 532 Member
A friend of mine decided to become a vegetarian. We discussed this today and I sometimes find myself not eatting enough and stuggling to make my calories for the day and I eat meat. If I was to give up meat what would I eat? The only thing I could think of was pasta, beans, and eggs. Any food ideas or links to any websites or names of books that would be good to read up on. If you are a vegetarian what does a typical menu look like for you?
Thanks
Thanks
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Replies
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I've been veg for years. I'll add you as a friend and you can check out my diary. You have tons of options beyond pasta, beans and eggs.
Check out the Vegetarian Times website, they have amazing recipes.
littlemoron 0 -
Great websites - tons of info:
www.vrg.org
www.vegweb.com
www.tryveg.com
www.exploreveg.org
www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596
www.vegetariandietguide.com/
www.fatfreevegan.com
Congrats to you for exploring a vegetarian diet!! If you want to friend me, you can see my food diaries...and I am always happy to answer questions for new vegetarians/vegans. I've been vegetarian/vegan for about 13 years.0 -
There are lots of good things. Quinoa has protein, pulses, beans, dark green veggies, protein supplements like shakes and stuff are great. Tofu, Quorn and Linda McCartney are great brands for veggie meals and substitutes and they are yummy! Let's see - nuts and seeds are important. 9 bar makes a great flax seed bar.
Yes - many many things. I have also been vegetarian for a long time - 14 years. I was not as good at having proper nutrition as I am now. I always make sure to reach my protein goals for the day although sometimes I am not that good at my 5 a day fruit and veg
Best of luck!0 -
haha, I'm a vegetarian and I still struggle with my weight/eating right. I LOVE sweets :P
but anyway there are plenty of alternatives to meets that can give you protein and what not, like boca burgers, the morning star line, and quorn brand is one of my personal favorites. Except for the bocas, which are only 60 calories, they tend to be only a little under the calories of what they're imitating and don't have as many of the bad fats. If you are interested in being lacto ovo (still eating dairy and eggs) both those products have protien/good calories, nuts, tofu, ect. they're all things to replace meat with.0 -
:noway:If I was to give up meat what would I eat? The only thing I could think of was pasta, beans, and eggs.
Thanks
There are literally thousands and thousands of dishes that do not include meat!!
I assume you are looking for meat *alternatives* though?
Start surfing some food blogs for ideas. There are tons out there.
ie:
http://www.tastespotting.com/
http://happyveganface.blogspot.com/
http://www.yourveganmom.com/
http://www.neverhomemaker.com/
http://ohsheglows.com/
http://www.theppk.com/0 -
I'm a vegetarian and there are plenty of foods to eat.. you'll be surprised..
I love beans, edamame, spinach, tomatoes, eggs, hummus, quinoa, tofu, soy, .. you can look at my food diary and other links that are good are below. good luck.. add me..
somedays are diff to hit calorie goal but i have to add protein shakes or peanut butter to make my days calories!!
http://towardsfreedom.com/veggiechess/goVeg.html
www.goveg.com
Sylvia0 -
yes! i agree. I've also been vegetarian for years, and since it coincided with my learning how to cook, I've always had plenty of recipes in my arsenal. Granted, I do eat a lot of beans, eggs, and whole wheat pasta, but there are a ridiculous amount of recipes out there. Just don't fall into the fake meat / veggie burger trap. It's easy to start out with, but all that super-processed stuff is terrible for you, too. Vegetarian Times is wonderful, and also VegWeb.com, which has thousands of user-submitted vegan recipes (although some of them end up involving really strange / hard to find ingredients or are just as unhealthy as some non-veg recipes). Epicurious has a lot of excellent recipes that are vegetarian / can be veg-ified.
I default to whole wheat pasta primavera, veggie chili, or soup most times. Or stir fry with brown rice, tofu, edamame, and lots of veggies is great. You can also toss any variety of cooked veggies in with quinoa, which is an amazing source of protein, but also a little annoying to prepare. Basically, you can make anything vegetarian. Just take out the meat (and the meat-based broth). adding a lot of fresh or frozen vegetables helps, too.
I hope this helps!
Just a couple of cookbooks with a great variety of recipes:
How to cook everything vegetarian
Vegan with a Vengeance
Veganomicon0 -
I have just recently become vegetarian and believe it or not you can find some very good ideas by just walking the isles in the supermarket. And if you are in a rush and need something that is a quick fix Morning Star Farms and Veggie Patch make all the meat substitutes you can think of from veggie burgers and veggie dogs, to crumbles that mimic ground beef and you can use them for making all of your favorite recipes such as meatloaf or meatballs to add to a good pasta dish. All of the products you get are vegan or vegetarian and are packed with protein so you won't be missing out. Whatever you do, don't be afraid to experiment. Sometimes the best recipes are found by accident.A friend of mine decided to become a vegetarian. We discussed this today and I sometimes find myself not eatting enough and stuggling to make my calories for the day and I eat meat. If I was to give up meat what would I eat? The only thing I could think of was pasta, beans, and eggs. Any food ideas or links to any websites or names of books that would be good to read up on. If you are a vegetarian what does a typical menu look like for you?
Thanks0 -
I went Vegetarian back in August and haven't looked back since! I wrote a blog about it that desperately needs an update to tell everyone how great it is. You may find limits in certain places when eating out, but it's made me really think before I eat, and virtually cut out all impulse eating and fast food. There are TONS of options out there. Some of my favorite foods now are new things I discovered as a vegetarian. Beyond the eggs, beans, tofu etc.... I LOVE seitan - it's a wheat based product that can be made to taste like beef or chicken. It's amazing an my non-vego hubby loves it too! I also love Lightlife brand Smart Strips - they also come in beef and chicken styles and flavors and they are AWESOME! Great in tacos, fajitas, pasta, salad, snadwiches - really anything you can imagine. Quorn brand also makes some awesome and versatile things to use in place of chicken, turkey or fish. Veggie Patch makes awesome hot dogs and meatballs that taste like the real thing. Tempeh is also a great soy option. Search around for vegetarian recipies.... you may be really suprised at all the options. I'll tell you - rrealizing all the options out there made the transition so easy for me - I thought I was going to feel deprived, but instead, I have found a whole new world of foods I never even knew existed.0
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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for all the wonderful links and info can't wait to explore them all!!! You guys rock!!!
:flowerforyou:0 -
Just be careful of some of the premade veggie burgers and portabello burgers. I find the sodium content REALLY high. Good luck, it is not as hard as you might think.0
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Three letters:
T
V
P
Google it and it will be your friend. A great ground-beef replacement, awesome for tacos, etc
My wife went vegetarian about a year ago, and I eat significantly less meat now than I did before since we still share meals. I think it's the best thing we ever did. Really stopped focusing on meat as a center and now we cook much more creatively and it's way easier to control calories and sodium. Just watch out for that cheese!
PS. I still do eat meat... can't give up my summertime carne asada
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You have to be creative. I do eat a lot of beans, but there are loads of more options theses day. A bid help is I buy quinoa pasta. Quinoa is a grain that's also a complete protein, so you get the mouth feel of pasta, but the benefit of a protein. I eat greek yogurt over regular yogurt because it has more protein. I also add flax seed powder when juicing or making smoothies or even in pasta sauces. You can buy fake meat such as tempeh or seitian. I make my own veggie burger using burger molds and start with bean as my base and add whatever veg I like and again a touch of flaxseed powder.
One cook book I really like is called the Vegan soul kitchen.0 -
I'm a pescetarian...
If you're interested you can add me as a friend and snoop thru my food diary.0 -
We make a lot of indian, chinese and mexican food in this house :-)
Linda McCartney has some great cookbooks that seem to be very family friendly.
There are tons you can eat, you just have to get used to it. (My oldest has been vegetarian since birth, I just went back after a 3 years hiatus...I don't think my body likes meat. I do eat fish though. My youngest eats chicken but no other meat.)0 -
49 LBS !!! Great job. But I really want to ask - what is a pescetarian. I am not sure what that means. Thanks.0
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pescetarians eat fish, but not meat or poultry49 LBS !!! Great job. But I really want to ask - what is a pescetarian. I am not sure what that means. Thanks.0 -
Great websites - tons of info:
www.vrg.org
www.vegweb.com
www.tryveg.com
www.exploreveg.org
www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596
www.vegetariandietguide.com/
www.fatfreevegan.com
Congrats to you for exploring a vegetarian diet!! If you want to friend me, you can see my food diaries...and I am always happy to answer questions for new vegetarians/vegans. I've been vegetarian/vegan for about 13 years.
I love the tryveg.com website very helpful, answered a lot of my questions. Gave some good advice about slowly getting into it. Which I want to try to do since I have some chicken left in the freezer that I don't want to waste. I rarely eat red meat to begin with so I know that will be ok. I guess it will be the hardest when I go out somewhere to eat because I normally opt for a fish or grilled chicken dish because that seems to be the healthiest. I am excited to give this a shot.0 -
Three letters:
T
V
P
Google it and it will be your friend. A great ground-beef replacement, awesome for tacos, etc
My wife went vegetarian about a year ago, and I eat significantly less meat now than I did before since we still share meals. I think it's the best thing we ever did. Really stopped focusing on meat as a center and now we cook much more creatively and it's way easier to control calories and sodium. Just watch out for that cheese!
PS. I still do eat meat... can't give up my summertime carne asada
Where do you find TVP in the grocery store?0 -
Wow, lots of great suggestions for the OP!
I'm new to this site so I'm looking at some new friends to add here, lol!!
ttv2004 - I will add you as well so you can view my journal, It's day one for me here so there's not much there but it's not day one for me being vegetarian LOL - also I'm moving towards a vegan life style so there's that too :-)0 -
I'm new and want to thank you all for the great sites! I've been interested in vegetarianism for a while now and never knew where to look. Pescetarians sound interesting too as lately I've tried to add salmon to my diet for the health benefits. I'm learning a lot from MFP! I'd love to be friends!0
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Here's a repost from a similar topic I posted on a while ago.
I've been lacto-ovo veg for about 4 1/2 years and have found a nice balanced diet that seems to work well for my active lifestyle. Recipes would be way too crazy to post a bunch of here, but many awesome vegetarian and vegan blogs can be found with extensive recipe and nutrition information. Some of my favorites are:
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/
http://thriftyliving.net/
http://www.meettheshannons.net/p/betty-crocker-project.html
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/
Eating vegetarian is not about restriction, it's about creativity. It's really, really easy to eat an unhealthy vegetarian diet. It really challenges you to be creative in substitutes and flavor enhancers that are still healthy. Some general pointers:
1) Fall in love the beans. Beans of all sorts are amazing lean protein, low calorie, high fiber, and super versatile. I throw a handful of frozen lima beans into my onions and mushrooms with omelettes or scrambled eggs. I soak and crockpot them into chili, spaghetti sauce, burrito filling, or pulse them with parsley, quinoa, and garlic for awesome burgers.
2) Frozen veggies are your friend. Many veggies are equally nutritious frozen as they are flash frozen at peak ripeness. Corn, peas, bell peppers, cauliflower, and green beans are ALWAYS in my freezer. They really reduce cooking prep time and for me, that's essential.
3) Be creative with sauces. Plain yogurt can serve as a base for a million sauces. From creamy garlic dill (just add dried dill and garlic powder), spicy chili lime (a little sriracha and lime juice), or even add garam masala for a cool Indian dip. Also things like fat-free sour cream, hot sauce, and vinegar are all low (or no) calorie flavor enhancers that are generally low in sodium.
4) Take risks with recipes. Buy a new vegetable and try something fun. Pick a grain you've never had and look up a traditional recipe. Cooking is so fun when you're not afraid of the outcome. What's the worst that can happen? You make something you don't want to eat again. My love of jicama, quinoa, polenta, turnips, and spaghetti squash are all attributed to this technique.
5) Avoid prepared meals whenever you can. That Lean Cuisine may only have 400 calories, but it is neither filling nor nutritious. Check out the nutrition on those things before buying. Any idea about the number of calories in zucchini, spinach, bell pepper, and basil? Negligible. And if you throw a teaspoon of low-sodium soy, a tablespoon of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha, and a quarter cup of water, you've just made delicious Thai-inspired veggies to throw on a grain of your choice or simply enjoy as is. Also, <500mg of sodium and probably 300-400 calories.
Most of all, enjoy how your body feels when you give it what it wants. We condition ourselves to "need" animal protein as if it somehow is necessary. We can get so much more from a vegetarian lifestyle while losing so much we don't want (depression, addiction, and 135lbs. for me so far). Embrace the simplicity and freedom that is your produce section
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Where do you find TVP in the grocery store?
You may have to head to a specialty store like a "Whole Foods" or "EarthFare," depending on what you have around you. It usually is in those big dry-good containers that you can take a scoop out of and put into a plastic bag. It's really cheap too (unlike everything else in those stores!), usually under $2.00/lb if memory serves me right.0 -
For those of you that have never tried tofu, it takes on literally WHATEVER FLAVOR you want! Get some whole grain rice (cooked with half water and half vegetable broth) and you can use that all week long with tofu. Cook tofu with barbecue sauce, sesame ginger sauce, garlic and onions, bell peppers, scrambled eggs, the list goes on! I prefer hard tofu because I feel like its not gonna crumble in my mouth lol but to each their own!0
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Where do you find TVP in the grocery store?
You may have to head to a specialty store like a "Whole Foods" or "EarthFare," depending on what you have around you. It usually is in those big dry-good containers that you can take a scoop out of and put into a plastic bag. It's really cheap too (unlike everything else in those stores!), usually under $2.00/lb if memory serves me right.
TVP is available from Bob's Red Mill. You can find packages in basically any health food section of any major grocery store (Kroger/Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertson's, etc.). You find it near specialty flours and gluten-free foods. Often it's with the organic or soy products as well. Super cheap (~$3.00/package), very versatile, and very easy.0 -
Love this thread....very helpful since I am seeing how I like a vegetarian diet....0
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I am currently a pescatarian, but eat mostly vegetarian meals with plenty of them being vegan. I make curries of all kinds. I love thai curry peanut soup semi inspired by Tom Kha Gai. The Asian market is your friend! I make tomato tofu quite often which is a blend of sour, tangy and spicy. Quite often we try new things, but I there are some staples that I love to make:
On weekends I will make:
Palak Paneer (with home-made paneer) yummy Asian dish, and yes it has cheese, but you don't eat that many pieces.
Curry Tofu with cauliflower and other vegetables.
Enchilasagne (layered enchiladas with spinach, black beans, and sweet potatoes so yummy!)
butternut squash soup
a healthy mac and cheese with broccoli.
vegetable stocks and broths to use during the week.
we have roasted brussel sprouts through out the week!
tomato tofu
During the week:
tofu fried brown rice (little actual frying)
a hearty tomato soup or minestrone
chili mac with crumbles and whole wheat pasta
burritos or taco salads with homemade refried beans (again, little oil used)
some sort of lentils
split pea soup (either curried or traditional)
Two of my favorite tips: if you want your vegetable broth to have a "chickeny" flavor sprinkle some nutritional yeast in, REALLY is a missing ingredient. liquid smoke can give the right amount of pizazz to most things. no need for bacon in carbonara, use liquid smoke!0 -
You eat everything except for meat! Simple as that.0
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I'm a pescetarian too, but my husband is a vegan so I eat mostly vegetarian. Feel free to friend me and snoop through my food diary. There's a wonderful vegan web site I use http://www.ivu.org/recipes/
We eat a lot of ethnic foods, Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, Italian, Mexican mostly
I find myself eating vegetables I never would have tried before. Kohlrabi. I make a great stew with that and sweet potatoes, fennel.
As for TVP, it's the only I use Morningside Farms grillers. I put it in chili and "beef" mushroom barley soup. I eat Morningside Farms maple flavored breakfast sausage, but other than those, I don't eat much other fake meat. I'm not a big fan of cooking with seitan or tempeh, but I have had some yummy things made with them.
I've found some good food ideas here from my friends diaries, and I've modified some recipes from some of the threads in the forum. Welcome!0
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