vegetarianism

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calliope_music
calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
in Food and Nutrition
hi everyone! i am considering slowly moving into a veggie diet, for both health and ethical reasons. for those of you following a vegan/veggie diet, can you give me any tips or resources? while i do currently eat meat, i find myself eating less and less of it on a weekly basis. can you share foods that are high in protein/iron? that's what i am worried about being lacking in a veggie diet, but i do take a vitamin with iron in it.


thanks!!

Replies

  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
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    im vegan so you can go ahead and add me as a friend.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    beans, greek yogurt, some broccoli is slightly higher than others (unexpected to me), Tempeh, tofu, smart ground, light life, (google all of that ;)).
    Beans have a great amount of iron/protein.
    I use protein powder to get anything I don't get via food. I also changed when I was trying to lose weight, and it's when my weight really started to drop.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Try reading Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Thrive by Brendan Brazier for nutrition information. Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman and The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone are also good books.
  • shelli1982
    shelli1982 Posts: 133
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    Hey.. i've been a veggie for more than half my life (about 15 years), feel free to add me, my diary is viewable by friends... but things like lentils, beans, tofu (you can learn ways that it actually tastes good!) and meat substitutes help you get protein. I also add in protein to shakes or drink protein shakes for breakfast and eat lots of greek yogurt for lunch. Good luck!
  • soontobeskinnysara
    soontobeskinnysara Posts: 177 Member
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    Hi! I've gone between a vegan and vegetarian diet for about 4 years. It's very important that when you remove foods, you are getting the nutrition elsewhere. Bananas are great for potassium, tofu is high in protein, as well as rich, dark greens. You can also look into using meat substitutes - tofurkey, seitan, tempeh, veggie burgers, etc. Those also have protein, and make the transition easy if you miss eating meat. Just one thing to keep in mind: don't become a potato chip vegan! Yes, chips are vegan, but they are not healthy!!!! I snack on almonds, fruit, and veggies. If you're really concerned with your nutrition requirements, you might want to look into seeing a certified nutritionist/dietician that can assess your needs and make daily menus for you so you aren't malnourished.

    Adopting a veggie diet is great, and kudos to you! It opens a world of new, interesting foods, and your body will thank you :)
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I'm vegetarian and don't have any problem getting enough iron or protein. I am ovo lacto so I can get protein from eggs. I also eat a lot of bean and whole grains like brown rice, and quinoa. I currently use a vegan protein shake before working out, but I'm planning to drop that once I run out. The only thing I caution against is overdoing the processed veg foods. I eat them on occasion, but try not to rely on them. My diary is open, feel free to browse.
  • MissTanya77
    MissTanya77 Posts: 18
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    I'm vegetarian and I use protein shakes to supplement and I also eat eggs for protein. I also use soy substitutes for meat and they are a good protein source as well. If you eat alot of dark green veggies you won't have any problems w/ iron. I'm not a bean eater like that, but legumes and beans are also great sources of protein. You're going to thoroughly enjoy being vegetarian, I love it. Some good websites to go to are www.peta.org, and www.chooseveg.com and the Morningstar Farms website, all have great resources and recipes............
  • dreanance
    dreanance Posts: 246
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    Former lacto-ovo, currently trying vegan. I've been doing TONS of research and try to cook at home/eat healthy/clean etc. Add me if you'd like :)
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I'm vegetarian making the switch to vegan right now and I get tons of protein from beans, lentils, quinoa, tofu, textured vegetable protein TVP, protein shakes.

    You can feel free to friend me and peek at my food diary if you want.

    One of the best books I've read is The vegan girls guide to life by melliser Elliott. The kind diet was an okay book, it does have some nice recipies for sure. Right now I'm reading vegan cooking for dummies and it's a fun book.
  • kc7671
    kc7671 Posts: 28 Member
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    hi there! yeaaa for going veggie! i went veg in march 10 and am so glad i did. for the animals. a good start: read The Kind Life, check out Mercy for Animals and Farm Sanctuary. Both have links to websites that can help you along. greek yogurt is great if you are still including dairy in your diet. i try to stay away from dairy but do occasionally eat cheese or have yogurt. try quinoa, beans, beans, beans :-) lentils, kidney, black beans. you'll be fine on protein. i just had my second child and was veg this time and i got plenty of protein ..happy, healthy 8 lb 2 oz baby boy. feel free to friend me if you'd like. i'm happy to help however i can. the vegan table is a great cookbook. good luck!!
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    hi there! yeaaa for going veggie! i went veg in march 10 and am so glad i did. for the animals. a good start: read The Kind Life, check out Mercy for Animals and Farm Sanctuary. Both have links to websites that can help you along. greek yogurt is great if you are still including dairy in your diet. i try to stay away from dairy but do occasionally eat cheese or have yogurt. try quinoa, beans, beans, beans :-) lentils, kidney, black beans. you'll be fine on protein. i just had my second child and was veg this time and i got plenty of protein ..happy, healthy 8 lb 2 oz baby boy. feel free to friend me if you'd like. i'm happy to help however i can. the vegan table is a great cookbook. good luck!!

    i am OBSESSED with Farm Sanctuary! i am hoping to go visit next spring. i also asked my husband to adopt a pig for me for Christmas :)

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