Newly minted vegetarian...now what do I eat???
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Thaeda
Posts: 834 Member
Hey all! I am 3 years post op. About 6 months ago I totally lost my taste for any kind of animal flesh- beef, pork, chicken, fish, shellfish-- every great once in awhile I can handle sushi, but for the most part, blech to all of it. I thought it was a phase and it might pass, but it looks like it is here to stay. WTH do I EAT? I will NOT eat a lot of tofu/soy because it is not good for you. I also do not eat fake food (protein bars and the like)- because I want to eat food as close to it's natural state as possible. I do eat eggs and a little dairy, although not much cheese because it has so much fat and calories and I WILL NOT eat lowfat cheese (OMG SO GROSS!!!). I know beans are relatively good for protein, but I can only eat so much of them before it gets tiresome. I am going to see a nutritionist next Friday for help, but thought I would ask here, too. Thoughts?
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Are you looking for protein sources? Or just food in general?
For protein sources:
Spirulina
Greek yogurt
eggs
Seitan
Quinoa has some
Beans
Nuts (more fat, but do have some protein)3 -
I decided to be a pescatarian when I started my journey. (I eat seafood maybe 3 times a month.) I also try to eat cleanly when possible. I'm lucky because my doctor is a vegan, and very supportive. He also talked to me about soy. He's skeptical that's it's as dangerous as people think. His advice was to use oxidized salt if using soy, because it will leach iodine. So I use soy, but maybe 3 times/month. His advice was also to relax about protein. He thinks most people over eat protein. I bought some vegan cookbooks and make recipes from them. I also subscribe to Vegetarian Times magazine, which gives me a lot of great ideas. Good luck!2
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chubby_checkers wrote: »Are you looking for protein sources? Or just food in general?
For protein sources:
Spirulina
Greek yogurt
eggs
Seitan
Quinoa has some
Beans
Nuts (more fat, but do have some protein)
I am looking for protein. I do not like Seitan- the texture is funky to me. I have not tried Spirulina-- will have to look into that. I also need to look into different ways to cook quinoa-- thanks for the list!0 -
martabeerich wrote: »I also subscribe to Vegetarian Times magazine, which gives me a lot of great ideas. Good luck!
I will have to check that out-- thanks!
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I suggest looking up Dr. Garth Davis - he is a vegan bariatric surgeon who advocates vegan lifestyle post surgery. You may want to pick up his book Proteinholic as well. Research has found high protein diets can do more harm than good. Yes we need to eat a high protein diet to heal post-surgery but after those first 6 months, it is no longer necessary. People think they need to eat high protein/low carb for the rest of their life but that's old school bariatrics and there's more and more science everyday contradicting that theory. High protein usually equals high amounts of animal fat to most people and that is a huge problem. I mean low carb works hence the popularity of diets like keto, Atkins, south beach, but I don't know many people who can keep that up for the rest of their lives. Some people have no control around carbs and others just can't handle them after surgery and that's ok. The key is moderation which none of us were good at or we wouldn't have gotten surgery in the first place! The sleeve helps though!
Ok I'll get off my soap box now. I was vegetarian for a long time prior to VSG and it's a lifestyle I would like to get back to so I get pretty fired up about it. But you can be a fat an unhealthy veg*n as well if you don't cut out all the highly processed crap (potato chips are technically vegan!). You just have to be a mindful and the rules are the same as with omnivores. Eat mostly whole foods - lots of fresh veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, limit the refined and processed foods. Avoid sugar and limit complex carbs like bread, pasta, rice. Add Lentils, beans, quinoa, nuts, seeds, small amounts of tofu, dairy/cheese and meat (if you still eat those things).2
