Vegetarian?!
Vegetarian?
I am 14 years old, and I decided to become a vegetarian because of those poor animals that don't get a chance to live. But anyways, my mom said I can only do that if I can find subsitutes for the proiten and nutierants. So if you can help me find some other things to keep me healthy, if you could tell me, I would much aperciate it. Also, please do not pre judge me. Thanks, Smiles!
Answers:
protien is very easy to get in a vegetarian diet. Personally I snack on peanuts throughout the afternoon. I'm not a vegan so I regularly eat dairy products too.
If you eat eggs, the are a good source of protien too.
B12 is also necissary, and is generally only found in animal products. Fortunately that is the one nutrient you need the least of and you can get that through supplements or eggs and dairy.
Tofu is a good source of protien and is an excellent meat substitute.
beans
chickpeas
tofu
soy anything
peanut butter
nuts/seeds
eggs
bread
cheese
whole grains
boca burgers
veggie patties
Lightlife products
some hot cereals, milks fruit and vegis contain protein as well
I was a vegetarian for quite some years, because of my same love for animals and their rights. However, I'm not anymore, but anyways:
Beans, and nuts will be very good to you. I used to hate hate hate beans!! I got over this when I would go to taco bell and got things like mexican pizza and such (beans only) and it gradually made me be okay with them. hahah
Plus, these are vegan ok too, unlike things like eggs and such
However, it is a big misunderstanding about protein and such. My mom said the same sort of things, but you really get enough protein eating normal things, but most def the beans and nuts will do the trick for you.
The following link has a great guide on different food types and the amounts of protein,calcium,iron, fiber and magneseum in each.
http://www.soystache.com/plant.htm...
Congratulations on your decision! Just make sure to research all you can , and take care of yourself properly! Props to your Mom for being understanding of your choices! :)
Here as well is a great link for recipes:
http://vegweb.com
with this stage in life you can be so many type of vegetarian.
here they are at this site listed below
hope this helps
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 milk and eggs) 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.
What a great choice! Yay! Here is a link you can show to and share with your mom: http://www.goveg.com/order.asp . They will send you a free vegetarian "starter kit." I get most of my proteins from beans, soy products (a lot of tasty ones out there, btw), and gluten. You will feel so good, ethically, and physically...Best to you, young lady...
I could repeat a lot of answers already said. But don't eat a lot of nuts in your diet they have a lot of fat in them, in some cases up to 60% of the nut is fat.
I can give you tons of great advice, but honestly, how credible are the folks on yahoo answers? For your moms sake, because I am still experiencing the same thing myself, I would definitely get the book "The Vegetarian Manifesto." It is a compilation of tips, recipes, and all kinds of great nutritional information you need to start a better life as a vegetarian! It talks about how to deal with issues like unsupportive parents, friends, and peers, and will also give you the information you need to show your mom that you've made the right, well-informed decision! I've provided a link to it at amazon in the sources.
Also, sorry, I don't mean to discredit the yahoo answers people, because I'm sure we're all perfectly credible! All I'm saying is that this is a big life decision and also a hard one for parents to accept. It's a decision you want to do completely right, and this book has way more information than anyone is going to be able to type here. From what I read, those are all true, and definitely use their tips! But really, GET THE BOOK!!!
And also, thanks so much for making this great choice, and good luck in sticking to it! Let your mom know that studies have shown that vegetarians live an average of 15 years longer than a typical omnivore. That's what I constantly tell my mom when she hassles me about not getting enough protein! Also, Americans have the most expensive pee out of any other county because people spend so much money on protein supplements and enriched stuff because they think they need it, but the reality is that once your body has the amount of protein it needs (which you can easily do with the right foods), you just excrete it with the other wastes in your urine!
Hi,
Congratulations. If you can locate them in your area, here are some products that you may like for school lunches:
http://www.fieldroast.com/
http://www.tofurky.com/products/delislic...
http://www.elenasfoods.com/meatballs.htm...
http://www.quorn.com/
Here is a recipe floating around the net that is very good. It's called "Seitan O' Greatness":
http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/vie...
Pepperoni version:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/04/veg...