Help for a new vegitarian/vegan, please?

Question

i've finally decided to quit meat. for good. but my mom is worried i won't get enough protien and vitemins and things that i need to stay healthy. are there any vegitarian alternatives i could try? especially for eggs and milk. i've heard of soy or rice milk...? are there any good websites for me to start with? all the help is so much appriciated, thank you! =)

Answer 1

soy is great

morning star makes great meat alternatives

vitamins help

protein bars also

dont forget eggs and beans!

treehugger.com has great advice

comgrats on going veggie

Answer 2

if you go vegetarian then you could still have eggs and milk, if you wanted, but if not eat beans. seriously a lot of beans, a lot of different beans, any and all, and often! this will be your main source of protein. as for a milk replacement, almond milk is awesome it an extreme level, i think it far surpasses normal milk, of course i still eat eggs and milk, milk kind of phasing out though eggs too, but for now i still eat them. you should also take vitamin supplements, a good one-a-day would work, look out for iron though, could complicate things.

if you are going vegan, then you will defiantly need beans, and the most important thing is.... EAT!!!

either way you go, eat your beans, and get a good variety of fruit and veggies! grains are important too! (read labels, broth and rennet are easily hidden!!!)

Answer 3

Congrats on your decision!

You can get all of the vitamins and nutrients you need by:

1) eating enough calories -- don't live on just salads; and

2) including fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains in your diet.

The American Dietetic Association is one of the nation's leading nutrition experts. It says: "Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence." http://eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs....

Vegan sources of protein, iron, and calcium:

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc...

Optimal vegan nutrition:

http://www.goveg.com/optimal_vegan_nutri...

Four vegan food groups:

http://pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_...

Non-dairy products and vegan fake meats:

http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

General info and food ideas:

http://www.tryveg.com/

http://www.chooseveg.com

Good luck!

Answer 4

i am 12 years old and I have been a vegi. 4 almost 2 years. it is very hard to stay healthy. i make sure to eat a lot of beans and nuts. and yes soy milk is very good but i like soy shake better. after i became a vegi. me and my mom started to shop 4 food in the organic and more healthy parts of grocery stores

hope i could help

Answer 5

Congratulations! The good news is that a veggie diet is suitable for ALL age ranges.

Here is a great website.

Here is an Iron info sheet:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

Here is a protein info sheet:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html

The best thing to do is to eat a variety of foods each day. Stock up on fruits, veg, nuts, beans and wholegrain cereals. Eat a nutritious breakfast every day, such as Weetabix with soy milk.

There are many meat alternatives out there if you find yourself craving meat. Here are some meat free recipes for new veggies:

http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/recipes...

And here is the Vegetarian Society's Recipe Index:

http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/recipes...

Being vegetarian does not mean that you will lack nutrients. Like any diet, the key to good health is balance.

Good luck! =)

Answer 6

Great:) I'm vegetarian too. Try be just vegetarian first. Eat eggs, beans, and lots of protein, then once your confident you can switch to Vegan it is much easier than just quitting everything alltogether!

Answer 7

Soy is a huge source of protein and probably the primary way most vegetarians get protein in their diet. It doesn't have to come in the form of Tofu, though. I myself am omnivorous, but i've got plenty of Veggie-weenies, "swiss steaks", "chicken cutlets", and Vegeburger stuff that tastes pretty decent.

You won't get the iron and other minerals you'd get from meat though, you'd have to expand your diet to include lots of darker (likely bitter) greens.

Answer 8

rice milk is pretty good actually

and mushrooms are a good source of protein and peanuts or you can get protein pills from a vitamin store

and also if you dont eat meat you wont get enough iron so you will have iron deficiancy which can lead to anemia so i would suggest iron pills or i think mushrooms also have iron

Answer 9

Hey I quit meat 18 months ago,for me it was very easy to quit.

trust me vegetarian food is more healthy than meat,you neednt worry about loosing on your proteins.

Im slowly giving up milk products,like tea,chocolates etc,its difficult to give up dairy products,Ill take some more time to become a vegan.

hey have dry fruits,like almonds,cashew etc,.Eat lots of fruits,If possible eat banana daily.

sympathy for animals is good,all the best,I hope you dont give up.

If you want ,you can go to my blog on yahoo 360,I have written some stuff on it.

Answer 10

Soy is good if it is unprocessed. If it is not unprocessed it can have negative effects. Also rice and eggs can give you a lot of protein.

Answer 11

There is lots of protein in vegetables, and even in some fruits. Soy and Tofu are good options, but personally, I try to keep to what I call Vegetable-Eating, because, in my opinion, there's no point in becoming vegetarian if you're just going to replace one meat with a substitute - I'd rather remove it completely from my diet, and my mind.

There are some really good links among these answers, and you can search all over the internet for protein sources for Veg-Heads, so don't despair.

Be aware that the Meat industry is huge in the US, the marketing on meat is incredibly big (Wendy's Double-triple-cow-and-pig burgers? Double Whoppers?). It would cost many a rich folk lots of money if consumers were to find out that meat is NOT the only source of protein.

When it comes to vitamins, I believe that taking supplements is not necessary when you have a balanced meal, get interested in fruits, beans, and most importantly, nuts & seeds.

Lactose and Calcium is important, so think about what your ethic on drinking milk is (personally, I DO drink milk), and if you decide to switch to soy or almond milk, go ahead!

Explain to your mom and the people around you that there are lots of different ways of eating, and always stand your ground.   Some people become afraid when they meet someone different, and their reaction will probably be an angry one (I know, it makes no sense that someone would get angry just because you're not eating meat, but whatever, it happens).

Good luck!!