I'm worried about my eating habits?

Question

Im a veg(have been for a few years),and a semi-vegan and today these three kids that im friends with told me all of these horrible things that'll happen to be within a few years from eating no meat,and not drinking milk.I'm really worried...i never really thought about it-i just eat regualr food without meat and i dont really watch what im eating MORE since im a vegeteranian like i should be.tofu is so exspensive just like alot of veggie burgers.i dont get why not eating meat or drinking milk can be so damaging =(.help?any advice?

Answer 1

A "semi-vegan? There is no such thing.

Anyway, you should probably relax. I doubt that your friends know anything about nutrition. They probably think that Lean Pockets are health food.

Bread, pasta, cereal, rice, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies can easily offer everything that you need except B12.

http://www.veganhealth.org/sh

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo

All vegetarians should take a B12 supplement regularly since most people eat meat, dairy AND fortified cereals yet still have a B12 status that is lower than recommended.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/b12

It may help you if you see proof that vegan people have the same potential as anyone else.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sto...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.macdanzig.net/bio.php

http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php

If you need meat or dairy during any stage of your life or to live any certain lifestyle, why does the American Dietetic Association say otherwise?

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...

Answer 2

Hi there, thank you for caring about the animals. It sounds like your friends have some silly prejudices about veganism. A vegan diet can be extremely healthy, it's just that some people don't approach it right, and this is what most people's views of veganism are based on. As long as you do a little research, you'll be just fine. I answered a similar question recently, so if you don't mind too much, I'll copy and paste parts of that answer to save me from typing it all out again in different words:

You don't have to get iron and protein from meat, they can be found in perfectly adaquate amounts in a vegetarian or vegan diet. In fact, a lot of meat-eaters consume too much protein, which can lead to all sorts of problems. You certainly don't need supplements as long as you eat a variety of foods. There's nothing with vegetarianism or veganism in itself, it's how people don't pay any attention to what their change of diet entails that is the problem, i.e. they think they can just cut out the meat and animal products.

Protein repairs and replaces cells in your body, so it's important to have a good variety of protein rich plant foods, such as the following:

Type of food Quantity providing 10g protein (g)

Soya flour 24

Peanuts 39

Pumpkin seeds 41

Almonds 47

Brazil Nuts 50

Sunflower seeds 51

Sesame seeds 55

Hazel Nuts 71

Wholemeal bread 95

Whole lentils dried & boiled 114

Chickpeas dried & boiled 119

Kidney beans dried & boiled 119

Wholemeal spaghetti boiled 213

Brown rice boiled 385

Iron is another thing that some new vegetarians and vegans neglect, even though it's pretty easy to get if you just take a little bit of notice of the variety of foods that will keep you healthy. Both me and my girlfriend have really healthy iron levels because we eat a good variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruit, nuts etc. Here's some info on plant sources of iron:

Type of food Quantity providing 2mg iron (g)

Pistachios 14

Cashews (roasted) 32

Whole lentils 57

Chick peas (boiled) 95

Wholemeal bread 74

Sesame seeds or tahini 19

Black molasses 22

Apricots (dried) 59

Spinach (boiled) 125

Another thing you may be worried about is calcium. The ironic thing is that eating meat can actually reduce your body's ability to use calcium; a vegan diet is statistically no more likely to lead to calcium deficiency than a meat-eating one. You'll definitely be fine as long as you just take a little notice of what you eat. There are some plant sources of calcium that are actually richer than cow's milk, and don't contain all the nasty cancer causing substances and traces of blood or pus like 'the white stuff' does:

Examples of amounts of foods providing 100mg calcium Type of Food

Black molasses 20g

Dried figs 40g

Almonds 42g

Soya flour 44g

Parsley 50g

Kale 67g

Brazils Nuts 59g

Wholemeal bread 185g

Vitamin B12 is something just to bear in mind as well. Your body stores enough B12 for several decades, and some people are starting to think that a long-term vegan learns to make B12 in his own body - eating too much of it in your diet can actually rob your body of the ability to make it. However, not having enough B12 can lead to you feeling lacking in energy or woozy, in which case, just look for some B12 fortified products such as yeast extracts and cereals.

I can certainly say that you don't need soya milk etc. to have enough calcium and protein, and that you certianly won't die from not having either that or cow's milk, on the contrary, cow's milk protein is thought to be the most potent carcinogen (something that can cause cancer) exposed to man on a day to day basis!

There are other alternatives to cow’s milk apart from soy, too. There are milks made from rice, various nuts, oats and hemp. Some are fortified with things such as calcium, as well. There are things like ice cream made from these other alternatives as well, although they may be harder to find in the shops. However, I’d certainly recommend eating a lot of fresh vegetables (especially greens), beans nuts and legumes for protein and calcium.

There is a lot of contradictory evidence out there, as there is in most science. It's hard to figure out what's right, but it's important to remember that the meat, dairy and egg industry are very powerful and have a lot of influence over the research out there. It's also pretty well known that a vegan diet can significantly reduce the chance of many cancers, heart and circulatory problems (including high blood pressure), respiratory complaints, osteoporosis and other diseases. On a personal note, both me and my girlfriend have never been healthier since we turned vegan (around a year ago). I feel full of energy and stamina, have healthy levels of everything, low blood pressure and a resting heart rate of 59. I have done quite a bit of research, watch what I eat and exercise regularly, but it shows you just how healthy a vegetarian or vegan diet really can be.

It doesn't have to be expensive to be vegan. If you stay away from processed soya products, the cost will go down. Buying whole grains and beans and stuff like that in bulk is very inexpensive, and they are excellent sources of nutrition.

I hope this all helps, and please do not hesistate to e-mail me if you have any more questions or concerns or anything. I'm more than willing to help and would like to think I know a fair bit about all of this.

Tim

Answer 3

Generally, non-vegetarians have a very poor understanding of nutrition.

Currently the USA has an epidemic of obesity. Do you think most overweight people, who have a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, are vegetarian? No.

That said, it IS important that you have some basic knowledge about nutrition, for your own good and so that you can live a long healthy life. Pick up The New Becoming Vegetarian.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Becoming-Veget...

Your main concerns as a growing young woman should be adequate protein (about 60 grams/day), iron, calcium, and vitamin B12. Eat a balanced diet consisting of mostly whole grains, fruits, and vegetables with modest amounts of protein sources.

http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/vegan-py...

Tofu isn't very expensive: a $2-$3 brick can last a week. Beans, seitan, and nuts are high in protein too.

Answer 4

Beans & rice make a complete protein. You can also choose excellent organic cheese products such as from Cedar Grove or Organic Valley. Organic Valley has incredibly good milk, cottage cheese organic eggs and more.

Your friends are probably pigging out on burgers, soda and junk foods.

Just take good supplements, eat your balanced diet and you'll be much better off.  

Answer 5

There is no such thing as semi vegan or semi vegetarian.  You have to be a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian.  You should say you are in the process of becoming a vegetarian...not that you are semi.

Eating cheese and not drinking milk doesn't change anything.  It takes milk to make cheese.

When you are older you will understand.  You are only a vegetarian if you still eat cheese.  Vegans are strict vegetarians that don't consume any animal products.  You consume animal products, so you are not a vegan.

Answer 6

ive been a vegetarian since i was 6 and i can whoop all my meat eating friends at fighting so im not sickly

Answer 7

These friends of yours, are they vegan or vegetarian? If not, then they have no idea what they're talking about. You are going to be fine, as long as you supplement your diet with the proper substitutes. Beans are a good sub for meat; so are chickpeas. Cheese is good for calcium, but if you're planning on becoming vegan, there are a lot of juices that are calcium fortified.

If you do the proper research, you'll be fine. Your "friends" are being jerks.

Answer 8

Soon as you are receiving all vitamins an nutritious  - you are fine,

Just double check with you doctor , what vitamins you should use,