Need help starting a vegetarian diet

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wonnder1
wonnder1 Posts: 460
in Food and Nutrition
My elderly mother has severe gall pains. The doctor has her on pills that weren't working, in fact, I think they were making her worse. Went to the local health food store and got some really good advice that worked almost immediately. Seriously, she ate a cucumber and was good enough to walk less than an hour later.

So, the other thing the lady said at the store was that a vegetarian diet was a really good idea for her. Now, we're really from a looooong line of meat eaters, and this is going to be a very hard sell.

She can't eat beans, or nuts for a couple of weeks. I like to use the Yves soy hamburger type stuff myself, and I think she wouldn't know the difference. We love fish anyway, so that's a good protein source.

So, any advice starting off? Keeping in mind the "no beans or nuts" rule?
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Replies

  • Leela30
    Leela30 Posts: 177 Member
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    vegetables vegetables vegetables! And fake meat - Morning star is a must in my opinion and Tofurky makes the best sausage like things from soy. Just add vegetables to everything, rice, quinoa, pasta! Make a mushroom burger instead, or.. hmm no beans of any kind? that is going to be hard.. so I'd say lots of fish for protein, greek yogurt, cottage cheese.

    I'm a vegetarian so you are more than welcome to friend me and look at my diary. :smile:
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
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    Stir fry veggies, sweet potatoes sauteed in a skillet with fat free spray,watermelon flushes out toxins,fresh veggie cole slaw,tamari,and taboulli. Love and luck!
  • jamiek89
    jamiek89 Posts: 105
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    Ummm well for starters fish is meat! So thats not vegetarian lol
    But besides that it ill be pretty tough not being able to eat beans & nuts, but tofu is always an option, as well as 'fake meat' products such as quorn although they can be sneaky with sodium! Also yoghurt, milk & cheese just watch your portion sizes & make sure you eat plenty of grean leafy vegies.
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
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    Ummm well for starters fish is meat! So thats not vegetarian lol
    But besides that it ill be pretty tough not being able to eat beans & nuts, but tofu is always an option, as well as 'fake meat' products such as quorn although they can be sneaky with sodium! Also yoghurt, milk & cheese just watch your portion sizes & make sure you eat plenty of grean leafy vegies.

    Actually for the record they don't consider fish to be meat.
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
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    Ummm well for starters fish is meat! So thats not vegetarian lol
    But besides that it ill be pretty tough not being able to eat beans & nuts, but tofu is always an option, as well as 'fake meat' products such as quorn although they can be sneaky with sodium! Also yoghurt, milk & cheese just watch your portion sizes & make sure you eat plenty of grean leafy vegies.

    Actually for the record they don't consider fish to be meat.


    pesketarian. Why do we need labels?
  • wonnder1
    wonnder1 Posts: 460
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    The problem is the gall complications...
    Everything I read touts the benefits of the lentils and the beans etc, which she can't have at all.
    Has to be gluten free, which I can live with (I looked at gluten free bread and it was over SIX DOLLARS!!)
    Dairy has to be skim because fat (with the exception of flax oil) will aggravate it.
    Dark green vegetables are also banned...

    Yeah...


    (okay, so it's a part vegetarian! (Fish is meat too I guess!) Since it would be cruel to fry up some nice salty bacon and then give her her nice plate of veggies and rice crackers, this will have to be my diet as well. But I tell you, after one (part) vegetarian meal she already looks better and walked up the stairs herself.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    if I understand you correctly you want to transition her to a pescatarian diet, nit a vegetarian diet. I can't eat fish, but I've read salmon is a good, healthy fish and also (I think ) tilapia which is a white fish. Other than that it shouldn't;t be too difficult since you would simply be switching her protein to seafood. I think the only caution I would exercise is to watch your salt & try to season with herbs and spices instead. I would check with her doctor first, but personally I would avoid any gassy veggies like broccoli and such since they might cause her discomfort when trying to digest. Stick to green, leafy veggies instead. I would avoid fake meats except on occasion. The are often just as bad as any other processed food and often high in sodium despite being low in fat.

    If she enjoys meat you may want to instead simply try to switch her to a clean diet. This means no refined foods. Instead eat whole grains. Do a bit of googling and again, I highly recommend talking to her doctor before making any drastic dietary changes.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    pesketarian. Why do we need labels?
    1. Because there are many reason why people are vegetarians, not just for health.
    2 .It identifies what you will and won't eat. I am a (ovo) vegetarian who happens to be severely allergic to all seafood. I don;t need someone accidentally giving me fish because they confused pescatarian with vegetarian.
  • Leela30
    Leela30 Posts: 177 Member
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    pesketarian. Why do we need labels?
    1. Because there are many reason why people are vegetarians, not just for health.
    2 .It identifies what you will and won't eat. I am a (ovo) vegetarian who happens to be severely allergic to all seafood. I don;t need someone accidentally giving me fish because they confused pescatarian with vegetarian.

    In regards to the labels, the only people who what I eat, are myself, family, and friends. Most people don't take the effort to call it pescatarian (what I am) because then you have to explain the whole darn story. If you have dietary restrictions it is just much easier to give a list of what you can't eat then give the person some fancy name that they don't understand.
    And IMO labels create boarders and boundaries that some people do not want to be forced into. So I think we should get past that stuff and let's all come up with ideas to help this woman and her family!

    If would stick with the skim milk. I love almond milk but that's a nut, and soy milk can causes a lot of gas in some people, so I would actually have soy in moderation. Eggs are a great source of protein (yes they want to be vegetarian/pescatarian whatever, but not vegans) so make omelets for some dinners. Dates are also high in nutrients (and calories) but those are good to eat sometimes... hmm without dark green veggies, that leaves the starchy ones, but I'd eat those in moderation. I would try and focus on squash, eggplant, cauliflower? Since her diet is very restricted I too would advise asking the doctor googling ideas too.
  • CookieCatCatcher
    CookieCatCatcher Posts: 324 Member
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    Almond milk. Huge lifesaver here- son is allergic to both dairy and chicken. Eggs too. Almond milk has been amazing. Whole grains, Flax meal, tofu for protein if you can't do beans. Feel free to friend me and follow my blog for veggie recipes.

    Also- soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, hemp milk - all viable and wonderful options.
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 586 Member
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    Does coconut milk count as a nut? (Yes i am seriously asking this question because I don't know) I have heard good things about the So Delicious coconut milk, but haven't tried it myself.
  • CookieCatCatcher
    CookieCatCatcher Posts: 324 Member
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    pesketarian. Why do we need labels?
    1. Because there are many reason why people are vegetarians, not just for health.
    2 .It identifies what you will and won't eat. I am a (ovo) vegetarian who happens to be severely allergic to all seafood. I don;t need someone accidentally giving me fish because they confused pescatarian with vegetarian.


    Totally agree. Went to a friends house, said she was vegetarian and proceeded to serve fish as the main course. I couldn't eat it, and since she smothered it in eggs an deep fried it- my son couldn't either.

    Vegetarian means no Animal Flesh. Period. The end. No debate or discussion needed. Pescatarian would have been useful information to have before that dinner party. It was embarrassing for both her and I. She just assumed we ate fish too, since we were veggies. Nope. Not true. So now, I am strict vegetarian who regularly flirts with veganisim. More vegan now, actually...
  • Leela30
    Leela30 Posts: 177 Member
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    Once again, there are certain things you CAN'T eat, I would never assume that a label is clear and is universal.. because it's not. If for certain health reasons you can't eat anything, I would make sure that people know those restrictions if you know you are eating over there. Never expect anyone to know what you mean by a label. If you were allergic to something wouldn't you be certain that someone knows you have a peanut allergy, not just say, I don't eat nuts?
  • beccasetsfire
    beccasetsfire Posts: 135
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    I'm a Vegan. But here's what I ate today, maybe this will help you a bit:
    Breakfast - Fiber One Cereal w/ Almond Milk & Banana
    Lunch - Banana & Almond Milk Yogurt
    Snack - Starbucks
    Dinner - Spinach, Corn & Wild Rice

    I am so stuffed it's not even funny! I'm working to get more raw food into my diet, that's super hard...
    I would avoid eating too much fake meat, although yummy, like anything that's been processed a lot it should really only be treated as a sometimes food...
  • wonnder1
    wonnder1 Posts: 460
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    Hey-no fighting in my thread!

    I don't feel the need to name it, it was merely for descriptive purposes.

    I've always been interested in the no-meat diet, but to be 100% honest, it's always been a little intimidating talking to people about it for the reasons above. For me, it's not about ethics, it's about health. I don't understand the big deal if you go to someones house for dinner. I'm not particularly fond of pork, if it was served I wouldn't be offended, I just don't eat it. And if it's allergies, I would assume you would mention that beforehand.

    A couple said to stay away from the packaged meats, and while I don't have a real aversion to packaged foods, it did make me look at the ingredients closer. Sadly--there's wheat.

    I did talk to the doctor beforehand, and his words were "well, I suppose it can't hurt." My mom loves him, but he's a big fan of the drug solution. What I'm trying to do is avoid her having it removed. At 75 I'm sure that wouldn't be the ideal solution. But teaching an old(er) dog new tricks is not an easy thing. I can't just throw in a completely new diet. 1. She'd be miserable. 2. She wouldn't do it and I'd catch her at 3 in the morning eating a peanut butter sandwich on white bread. Or, I'd find her after she'd fallen down the stairs trying to get said peanut butter sandwich.


    So I thank everyone who actually read the post, and the particular restrictions in this case.

    Now, meatarians, sectarians, vegetarians and episcopalians....shake hands.
  • beccasetsfire
    beccasetsfire Posts: 135
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    Honestly Any reason to cut or limit meat is a okay by me. I'm not gonna fight anyone about anything cause well that's just not the way I roll do what you want, but I am always happy to help out with anything! :-D
  • jamiek89
    jamiek89 Posts: 105
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    Woops I didnt mean to start anything! Sorry! =/
    I would probably go to a dietician/nutritionist if I were you, it sounds like your mum has very specific dietary needs & they would be abke to help her specifically, rather than the general info that is usually on the net.
    Good luck with it all!
  • Barelmy
    Barelmy Posts: 590 Member
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    Vegetarians don't eat fish.

    Seitan is a good substitute for the taste/texture of meat in most dishes. It's fairly cheap and unprocessed if you make it yourself. Mushrooms, too, can be used to add bulk in things like chilli and lasagne.
  • jamiek89
    jamiek89 Posts: 105
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    Oh and I totally get being intimidated by the whole vegwtarian thing, its confusing & people can be really full on! A great way to start is to have one meat free day a week and then as you get use to it, slowly increase the number of days, much easier to achieve a a few meat free days per week means you still get the health benefits!
  • Barelmy
    Barelmy Posts: 590 Member
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    Ummm well for starters fish is meat! So thats not vegetarian lol
    But besides that it ill be pretty tough not being able to eat beans & nuts, but tofu is always an option, as well as 'fake meat' products such as quorn although they can be sneaky with sodium! Also yoghurt, milk & cheese just watch your portion sizes & make sure you eat plenty of grean leafy vegies.

    Actually for the record they don't consider fish to be meat.


    pesketarian. Why do we need labels?

    Because if you're going to tell me something is suitable for vegetarians, I don't want to get a mouthful of fish.

    When you're describing what you do or do not eat in public - like, for example, on a public forum - it's important to be clear and precise, otherwise it screws over the rest of us. Or, at the very least, respect the right of others to expect precision when discussing dietary needs. Someone asking for advice on vegetarian meals when she means pescatarian means she won't get the advice she needs.

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