How do vegetarians stay healthy?!
How do vegetarians stay healthy?
Ok, so i have decided to become a vegetarian but my parents are afraid im not getting the right nutrients that i need. i don't eat any fish or meat or anything that had a face once. i do eat eggs and drink milk and that stuff, but how do i stay healthy?
Answers:
A properly done veggie diet is much healthier then the average omnivore diet. Google the "Vegetarian Food pyramid" and you are all set.
Well, as long as you eat the right combinations of foods you will be fine. See a nutritionist to help you come up with a healthy eating plan.
I am a vegetarian myself, and my parents feel exactly the same. What I do is just eat a lot of fruit and veggies. Take vitamins and run.
Tofu and PB
here is a link that explains it...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.ht...
show that to your parents! Good Luck!
http://goveg.com/healthconcerns.asp...
it has a lot of information
if you eat plenty of protein and take vitamins, you'll be fine. I haven't had any health issues because of my vegetarianism, and I've been a veggie for over 3 years.
my cousin is a vegetarian has been for years so is her daughter my son is too. I give him on her advice hair and nail vitamins I crush them in his yogurt every morning.
I get them at riteaid/gnc. Vegan with a vengeance is a great cook book by the way
Oh and my son is seven weighs 58 pounds and is 4-ft 1 his doctor says he is healthy
I used to be a vegetarian, and if you believe in consuming dairy products, that's a good source of calcium. Soy beans, seeds, nuts, seaweed, tofu, potatoes, brussels sprouts, and things are good sources of protein that you won't be getting from meat. If you go to some websites, such as http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-c... you can probably find some recipes.
My favorite way is to live off protein shakes..........
No, really, theyre really good! The one im drinking now is
'Total Soy' meal replacement and its really good. its at Whole Foods!!!
I have been a vegetarian for approximately 27 yrs . But I do eat ,fish,eggs, soy milk ,tofu, and some cheese. I can cook. If I couldn't cook it would be hard because restaurants although they are getting better don,t cater to vegetarians . But here are a couple suggestions : First check with doctor make sure health checks out well and make sure you pay attention to blood sugar levels. Some people, my sister included (she is also vegetarian ) is anemic so has to eat protein and iron talk to your doctor about amino acids some people have hard time being vegetarians because od this he will explain . people Will tell you you can only get this nutrition from red meat. Not true, I also eat and drink mostly all organic no chemicals pesticides or hormones please!. But I make pizza , Mexican , Italian , Chinese and BBQ and more I have no problem eating let me tell you hahahahaha. But I always encourage everyone ( vitamins and eat a balance of food ) for protein beans, potatoes, broccoli, tofu, peanuts. peanut butter lentils, eat hard boiled eggs on salad or stir fry tofu with vegetables over brn rice ( brn rice is so much better for you get a vegetaian cookbook or go to library do research you be amazed how good you feel after about a month or two . good luck fellow I wouldn't eat a cow if I was in the woods starving It would be berrys and plants hahahaha
its really not hard. my parents had the same concern. but since i've been a vegetarian ive actually eaten healthier, i watch and pay attention to what i eat more. protein is what people worry about the most but u can actually get a lot from milk, soy milk, yogurt, eggs, wheat, nuts, beans, even vegetables (plus in a human diet u only need 40-50g a day, my parents were worried about protein defficiency but a lot of people who eat meat eat more protein then they are supposed to). u can get a lot of calcium from milk and vegetables, and fiber is easy to get too. its really not bad,, just make sure not to eat too much breads and carbs or u may gain a lot of weight, pay attention to sugar and calories too
Eat a variety of "whole foods," with plenty of beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid unhealthy foods like trans fats, which are usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Deep-fried foods often contain trans fats. Choose margarines that use nonhydrogenated oil, like Earth Balance or Smart Balance. Although a diet consisting of Coke and French fries is technically vegan, you can't be healthy if you eat nothing but junk food. Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, and some experts believe that vegetarians used to get plenty of this vitamin from bacteria in drinking water. Since drinking water is now treated with chemicals that kill the bacteria, it's important to make sure that you get enough vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like most brands of soy or rice milks, some breakfast cereals, and many brands of nutritional yeast.also in eggs and milk) on a daily basis or by taking a sublingual B12 tablet of 10 mcg per day.
Iron-beans, dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach),whole grain breads, Also eat something with vitamin c when you eat something with iron, it increases absorption
Calcium-dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, soymilk)
Protein-Isn't really hard to get, just eat a variety of foods, good sources are beans, brown rice, nuts, whole grain breads, soy foods
Omega-3 fatty acids-flax seeds/oil,walnuts,canola oil
Zinc-pumpkin seeds (best source), beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals
Selenium-Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium, so try to eat a couple every day. Eating a small bag of mixed unsalted nuts can be a convenient way to get your daily selenium intake, but make sure it contains Brazils. Bread and eggs also provide some selenium.
Vitamin D- Vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin, is another common deficiency in those not drinking vitamin D fortified milk. Synthetic vitamin D is added to both cow’s milk and most brands of soy milk today.
Vitamins A (beta carotene),C, K, E and Folate-variety of fruits and veggies
Iodine-Iodine is a trace mineral that's important for healthy thyroid function. Table salt is the most common and reliable source of iodine in Americans' diets. (However, sodium in processed foods usually does not contain iodine.) If you don't consume table salt, you can get iodine from a multivitamin or from kelp tablets.