Consider Veggies?

Question

I'm considering becoming a vegetarian for health reasons. Anyone got a good suggestion on the healthest diet to follow as a vegetarian.

Answer 1

A vegan diet would be healthiest, with lots of fresh veggies, fruits, nuts/seeds, beans, and some whole grains. Some people think it's automatically healthy to omit meat but then never eat fresh produce and have lots of cheese and processed soy products. No way.

Answer 2

There's a page of Frequently Asked Questions regarding many aspects of Veg*nism at the International Vegetarian Union that seems very comprehensive including a bunch you might never think to ask about:

http://www.ivu.org/faq/

What worked for me was to increase my vegetarian intake as I learned more which displaced the non-veg food. I added an extra glass or bottle of water each day, then two. I added a serving of fruit, then two. I tried new fruits and veggies I hadn't before (and found a bunch I didn't realize how much I liked). I started changing my attitude and treated myself to fruit I really loved but hadn't bought much because I thought it was too expensive and those treats replaced junk that had seemed less expensive.

Eventually you'll be searching the net for vegetarian recipes from the explosion of great blogs that have been developed over the last few years to find new things you are excited to try.

As long as you are avoiding the junk, do eat when you are hungry. Beans, nuts, whole grains will help you feel full but most vegetarian food is not as densely packed with calories so it will seem as though you need much more but it's a bit of an illusion. Vegetarian food while being less calorie dense is more nutrient dense so it won't be long before you adjust and which may lead to some wonderful health benefits.

So, whole grains and seeds, beans and legumes, a variety of fresh cooked and uncooked veggies and fruits and lots of water is very healthy and can be really yummy too.

Answer 3

The short answer is pretty much the same as how anyone has a healthy diet, eat lots of whole grains and fresh veggies, try to have a varied diet, and don't eat too much processed food and sweets.

More specifically, some things vegetarians should worry about are protein, vitamin B-12, calcium, and iron. Most green leafy veggies are high in calcium and iron. Protein can come from the "obvious" sources (tofu, tempeh, seitan--made from wheat protein, beans and peas), but remember that whole grains have a lot of protein too, so every meal need not contain one of those things (for example, a 2 oz serving of whole wheat pasta has 8-10g of protein).

You may also want to take a multi-vitamin, especially at first, and have some soy protein powder around for "emergencies" when you feel like you're not getting enough protein.

In the end, I think the best approach is to try to eat as many different grains, legumes, and veggies as you can easily, and listen to your body (cravings can be very helpful, assuming you can pinpoint what you're craving).

Answer 4

Eat lots of vegetables, legumes, beans, fruits, . Drink soy milk, also eat pasta, ( not too much, because of carbs, but you could eat whole wheat pasta), and rice. No jello (gelatin) and when you get cheese, do not eat cheese with rennet.

Answer 5

I am one for all my life i eat soya or tufu and plenty of veggies and grains and pulses and  i am fine.