Newly Vegetarian

TiffanySuscheck · December 2011

Hey I just recently made the lifestyle choice to become vegetarian.
Any advice/ favorite recipes?
My biggest concern is protein.

shawnscott5 · December 2011

I just chose that for myself also. Yesterday was my first day, and I too would love some advice.

Danahimself · December 2011

Congratulations on your choice! I wish I could do the same but I just cannot let go of seafood in my diet!

About the protein I think some good shakes can supplement your numbers if your unable to find something vegetarian at the time.

djkshdfd · December 2011

Since you are not vegan, getting protein should not be an issue. Yogurt, cheese, milks...they are all good sources. Still animal, but vegetarian friendly.

SageGoddess320 · December 2011

It's not difficult to get your protein in. Nuts, beans, seeds, legumes, whole grain pastas and cereals all contain decent amounts of protein. I also take a vitamin B-12 supplement daily.

fteale · December 2011

I have been vegetarian for 21 years, and haven't had a problem with lack of protein yet. I do eat quite a bit of cheese, I have quorn light bites after exercise, and greek yoghurt most evenings. Most normal meals can be adapted to be vegetarian. At this time of year, soups are a good idea. For breakfast I have porridge with oats, buckwheat, quinoa and linseed, which has 15g of protein per 50g serving. Risotto is easy to make, you get protein from the cheese, and can add any vegetables you want. I have started making it with pureed spinach, and even my super fussy children love. Anything with eggs - omelettes, soufflés, quiches and tarts. You can use filo pastry to cut down the cals on tarts.

A really good couple of books are Green Seasons and Green World by Rachael Demuth, which have some really great recipes from round the world, and using ingredients by season. There are a lot of good Christmas ideas. I went on a course at her cookery school last year and made all the food for my family for Christmas, and no one noticed the lack of meat.

chubiD · December 2011

Hi there!
I've been a vegetarian for 3 months, so I'm quite new at this. At first I was lacking on protein, but it's a learning process. Nuts, beans, eggs (specially egg whites), greek yogurt and cottage cheese are my favorite. Haven't tried protein powder yet, but I might do it soon. I also wanna "experiment" a bit with tofu, but I've been lazy haha.

There are some vegetarian groups here that might help as well.

eatingwell.com and skinnytaste.com have really nice vegetarian recipes you may wanna look at.

Hope that helps!

Channing · December 2011

I've been vegetarian on and off all my life ( on now for about 2 years) and with all the great soy based products out there I've never had a problem with protein. My favorite go to meals are burritos with beans and sauteed mushrooms and of course all the toppings. Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries. Pasta with tons of veggies, or with marinara and vegan meatballs (Tader Joes has amazing ones).

I never miss meat and I eat a more varied and exciting diet than ever before. Yay for veggies!

neanderthin · December 2011

Hi there!
I've been a vegetarian for 3 months, so I'm quite new at this. At first I was lacking on protein, but it's a learning process. Nuts, beans, eggs (specially egg whites), greek yogurt and cottage cheese are my favorite. Haven't tried protein powder yet, but I might do it soon. I also wanna "experiment" a bit with tofu, but I've been lazy haha.

There are some vegetarian groups here that might help as well.

eatingwell.com and skinnytaste.com have really nice vegetarian recipes you may wanna look at.

Hope that helps!

Hopefully you know that eggs with the yolk has more protein

eggs (specially egg whites),

shivaslives · December 2011

I've been a lacto-ovo veghead (still do dairy and eggs) for almost 13 years. There is a lot of support here and a lot of good recipes. Treat yourself to a subscription to Vegetarian Times and you will never miss meat.
As for protein, you can still get plenty from the dairy and eggs if you're lacto-ovo also but you have to be careful with the fat content. I keep dairy to a minimum and eat mostly egg beaters which are essentially egg whites (high in protein and low in fat). I also do whey or soy protein supplements such as powders in fruit smoothies or Clif Builder's Bars as snacks which are easy ways to boost your daily protein intake. Since I weight train, I always make sure that I get more than enough. Finally, you can go with the other traditional veg proteins which have been suggested such as beans and rice, nuts and whole grains, quinoa, etc. All very healthy and very tasty. Experiment with all the different options and see what works best for you.

xLyric · December 2011

I've been a vegetarian most of my life, and rather than protein, I've always had a problem getting enough iron. Sometimes I can't donate blood because it's so low, haha. So watch that if it might be a problem for you too.

Also, if you're not opposed to the fake meats (some are, some aren't) then Morningstar Farms, Boca, and Yves are all pretty good and are good sources or protein.

jme814 · December 2011

I've been a vegetarian most of my life, and rather than protein, I've always had a problem getting enough iron. Sometimes I can't donate blood because it's so low, haha. So watch that if it might be a problem for you too.

Also, if you're not opposed to the fake meats (some are, some aren't) then Morningstar Farms, Boca, and Yves are all pretty good and are good sources or protein.

I was going to write this exactly! My issue is more with iron than with protein (I find myself going over in protein & under in iron every single day).

vegantriathlete · December 2011

I've been vegan for almost 10 years and have a lot of advice. I'll stick to the easy stuff: quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has tons of protein! It is a tasty ancient grain that is full of iron, protein, calcium, and lots more. You can make it to replace rice (rice is not a complete protein, but quinoa is). You probably don't have to worry too much about protein or calcium like vegans do (although I've realized that protein is not as big a deal as people thing it is). Iron is another story - look into eating leafy greens everyday. Green smoothies are a great way to do this.

Vegweb.com is a great website that has a zillion recipes in it! HappyHerbivore.com is a great resource as well. My website is www.vegantriathlete.com and while I don't have a lot of recipes, etc. on it, I have lots of personal stories about being an athlete on a vegan diet.

gaeljo · December 2011

Protein is easy, get some hemp seed and start sprinkling it on your salads. I also use hemp powder. It's a complete protein and easy to get at the organic food store. I also like the boca mock chicken pattys, they are nice.

springgrl · December 2011

Protein is generally not a problem if you eat a variety of healthy things (beans,rice,greens, nuts/seeds, etc). You might want to take a B12 supplement, especially if you are not eating a lot of dairy.

fteale · December 2011

Protein is generally not a problem if you eat a variety of healthy things (beans,rice,greens, nuts/seeds, etc). You might want to take a B12 supplement, especially if you are not eating a lot of dairy.

I've never heard of a vegetarian having B12 deficiency. That's normally only vegans, and even then, only ones who are so strict they don't eat yeast. Marmite has a ton of B12.

colwellk · December 2011

Hemp hearts on salad! Sooooo delicious, and they keep you full for AGES. Most things have some protein...bread, cereals, etc... beans, hummus, nuts and nut butters... lots of delicious options! I've been *mostly* vegetarian for about six years, and entirely vegetarian for about two.

bingoismynameo · December 2011

ShrinkinMel · December 2011

Welcome to vegetarianism. I've been toying with it since 2004 but always would end up going back out of simplicity because I've lived with omnis. I've never liked the taste and so I've always ate very little meat.

Eggs are good if you aren't opposing them. But you can get all the protein you need without the fake meats it just takes more work. I think as you get in you won't want so much of the processed protein products anyway. You get more for a good WHOLE protein even with less total protein(in my opinion).

Iron is tricky but in my case I've been mildly anemic where I eat meat or not. That could be from the fact I don't like red meat at all and ate very little anyway. Chicken just doesn't have the iron red meat does. There are a few things that can help boost iron. Eat those greens, molasses, even soy milk is fortified with iron and believe it or not a good quality 70%+ dark chocolate candy bar will have a good source of iron.

The Green and Black's 70% I typically get is 40% of the daily amount. Along with beans and the other things it can be easy to meet iron.

comcatee · December 2011

Starting out the most easy transition would be veggie burgers and other fake meats from Boca or Morningstar. The Morningstar sausage is especially delicious. Also Trader Joes has delicious meat substitutes if you shop there. I still eat those products occasionally but over time I have tried to use more natural protein sources. Greek yogurt is great for protein, I like the Chobani brand. And try to incorporate lots of beans and nuts.... my favorite things are lentils and quinoa... both super delicious, healthy, and full of protein. For days that I work out a lot I like to also keep some protein bars on hand for a bit of extra protein.

Good luck and congratulations

Becoming vegetarian was one of the best decisions I ever made because it sparked my interest in nutrition and health and I think it's made me become a much healthier person.

dogsetmoi · December 2011

I second quinoa! I add it to lots of dishes to increase protein. I make a big batch and freeze 2 cup(ish) portions to use later.

A tip for tofu: I press/drain a large amount of tofu at once, dice it up, and then freeze on cookie sheets lined with parchment. When frozen, I dump the cubes into a freezer bag. Then I can easily (and quickly) add a handful of tofu to soups, stews, etc. The cubes also defrost quickly to marinade for other recipes. I like to dry fry them in a non stick pan with a little soy sauce to top salads.

Newly Vegetarian

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