New Vegetarian

what kind of vegetarian are you? That word means different things to different people. What do you NOT eat?

For instance, if you eat dairy, adding things like full fat cottage cheese can go a long way to help meeting your fat and protein targets. In general, I would personally caution obtaining most of your protein from one source. Vary your protein sources. Nuts, seeds (like flax), soy, seitan, TVP and beans are some of the vegan sources of protein I think of, off the top of my head.

OOOH! And hemp seeds are a great way to get protein without too much impact on your carbs. (Nuts too!)

I've been a veggie girl since I was 11, and in that time I've been all different varieties of vegetarian/vegan (except pescetarian -- fish icks me out). Feel free to look through my diary. I'm trying to bulk right now, so you'll see a ton of whey protein, but everything else should be okay. I don't eat a lot of soy because it gives me headaches, but I do eat a lot of cottage cheese, eggs and greek yogurt.

When people worry about protein, they are comparing it to an American standard which is based on more than you actually need. YOu probably only need between 50-70g if you're a mid sized male. I wouldn't stress too much about protein, as long as you are eating the best, low sugar, whole foods, that are vegetarian- there will be protein here. For instance, you can be eating quinoa, homemade pizza with cheese (whatever kind of cheese you like), french toast, yogurt, etc... To me, all of my favorite foods *happen* to be vegetarian, so my life is easy on a vegetarian diet. If you think you are eating too many carbs, by replacing some of the carb food with sauteed or roasted vegetables, and maybe adding proteins like eggs or tempeh. Roasted vegetables are just as filling for me, because they are full of water, and usually last just as long in staving hunger as do short term, high carb foods like breads, oats, etc....

Some good foods that are favored even if you're not a die-hard vegetarian health nut:
-Peanut butter cups
-Toast with almond butter
-bean soup with tortilla strips
-Ramen!
-Oatmeal

I think the question of "what kind of vegetarian are you?" is good because it can help you make choices that are compatible to your mindset of being a vegetarian.

For instance, if you are being a vegetarian for health concerns, of course you will want to eat the beans, vitamins, and try not to eat all the delicious salty and sugary vegetarian foods, but eat dairy to easily get protein.

If for animal rights reasons, you might want to vere more toward soy products, as dairy and egg production is in many cases more cruel than meat production. Annnd... the animal is still killed in the end.

If for weight loss, then I know I am not one to eat nuts and nut butters just because they are healthy fats. My body responds to fats. period. Does yours? If you respond to fats, or carbohydrates poorly/ sensitively, then you might have to force yourself to eat ALOT of tempeh, yogurt, and spinach tortilla wraps.

So think about it, and find choices that are congruent your motives.

Also, be sure to think about you omega 3's,6's & 9's- you might want supplements. These will be crucial in staying healthy and living a longer life, as they reduce hypertension, inflammation, are essential for cognitive functioning, attention/ focus, etc... VItamin b12 will prevent you from being too lethargic (something you might have otherwise mistaken for protein deficiency) and depressed, and help your blood cells form. They are essential vitamins that our bodies NEED to get from outside sources. This should be taken seriously. I am a *vegetarian* but after a lot of research, I still eat fish capsules for the best forms of omegas, DHA/ EPA. YOu can also get this from a seed blend, but make sure that it has (micro)algae in it. This is the component that fish get their omegs 3's, DHA and EPA from.

I am a pescatarian, but my wife is pure vegetarian. Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cheese, milk, those are all good for proteins. Bread, potato, rice, those are good for carbs. There are a good assortment of fake meat alternatives with good proteins. Quorn, Bocca, Morning Star, all make good substitutes with good proteins that taste pretty good.