No meat in my diet??

Question

So, if I decided to do away with meat in my diet what important nutrients might I be missing out on and should I replace it with a vitamin or protien shake or something???

Answer 1

When Ifirst stopped eating meat, I was advised to pay closer attention to proteins but other than that everything else should be fine.

Answer 2

You could eat alot of beans and nuts and fish!!! protein is essential in the diet for growth and repair so don't cut it out completely. Maybe just cut red meat..?

Answer 3

Vit. B-12 is the biggie.

You have to take a meat-based supplement to get it in a form your body can use.

Hollywood, where do you think the B12 in fortified cereals comes from? What dairy free plant milks do you think contain Vit. B12 in a form that humans can metabolize?

Answer 4

I wasn't going to answer this but..

You've recieved some very misinformed answers.

The answer to your question is ''none''. A balanced vegetarian diet will provide all the nutrients you need.

You do NOT need 'protein shakes/powders' or pills to be healthy. Forget all this nonsense about protein bars, shakes or whatever. Protein is easy- beans, nuts, soymilk, veggieburgers, and dairy/dairy alternatives will provide ALL the protein you need.

I've not ate meat for 11 years and I'm ok. Honestly- you don't need pills at all.

And why all this fuss over vitamin B12?!?

Vegetarians get b12 from milk and/or eggs, vegans get B12 from fortified breakfast cereals and dairy free plant milks.

To the person who said vegetarians look sick- Strange considering the vegetarians I have seen look very healthy. Do meat eaters ever look sick? Or is meat the elixir of good health??

Answer 5

naturally you dont need all that much protein in your diet in general. a lot of foods that arent meat  have protein. even if you didnt get quite enough.. its not like youd be suffering from a protein deficiency. but you can go with the occasional protein shake just in case. :)

Answer 6

Some people choose to take vitamins to supplement a vegetarian diet, just as many, many meat-eaters supplement their diets with vitamins.

Many of us who are long-term vegans and vegetarians - I'm talking decades here, not years - have never taken supplements and our health hasn't suffered. You can, as others have said, get all you need from a vegetarian diet, and you don't have spend your life planning your diet either - just eat what you know to be healthy foods.

@ Runincircles - a 15 year old kid who knows it all - how very unusual. Michael H is not retarded, he is a healthy vegetarian of almost 30 years standing. He is certainly better qualified to talk about the subject than you are.

@ dolphingirl - you obviously didn't eat properly when you experimented with vegetarianism - don't judge all vegetarians by your botched attempt. Pale and sickly - well I wish I was a little paler, my complexion is a little TOO rosy for my liking these days and I could do with losing a little weight - maybe I should give it longer than 35 years?

@ Carpdiem - where are the WILD posts please? - apart from the ones I have addressed?

Answer 7

eat nuts!!! tons of protein in nuts.  you wont miss out on anything from not eating meat especially with all the fortified food available.  flax is a good thing to be eating too.  rich in omega 3 which is most commonly found in fish.  green veggies are packed with iron.  eat lots!  i suggest going to your book store and picking up a book on vegetarianism to reference to in order to plan your meals better.  protein shakes are okay too.  i like to carry a protein bar in my purse or keep some trail mix handy for a protein pick me up when i'm in a slump.  the first couple months meatless i used an iron suppliment i got at a health food store just to be safe.  women need tons of iron especially while menstrating.  other than that, you should be okay.  nuts, flax and green veggies.  oh, are you still on dairy?  beans are a good sourse of calcium.  eat lots of beans, they have lots of protein too.  good luck and congrats!  you're making a huge impact for the animals as well as the environment.  theres so much more to tell you but i don't want to ramble on.

Answer 8

Balance veggie diet is absolutely good for everything that your body needs.

Answer 9

Vegetarians live along without any substitute  for vitamins just like meat eaters and they are equally strong enough and enjoy  good health.

Answer 10

There are no nutrients which cannot be obtained easily from a vegetarian diet.  Protein is found in beans, nuts, seed, lentils, meat substitutes, etc.

Most people (in the U.S. especially) consume far too much protein, which puts a great deal of stress on the kidneys, prevents absorption of calcium, and can lead to an accumulation of toxins in the liver.

Answer 11

The common misconception of a vegetarian diet is that you don't get enough protein.

But that's just meat eaters trying to feel superior and telling you your diet is wrong.

But they're wrong! There is plenty of protein in spinach, broccoli, and definitely legumes. Yum. :]

The same goes for iron. If you find that you're not getting enough from your diet and it starts to affect you, you should look for foods that offer more of it or take an iron pill or a multivitamin.

*Iron pills are terrible to swallow...they taste like Dramamine if you've ever had that...grjgojpwrjpgow.

Answer 12

none.

really, none

you can get all you need from a veggie diet.

Answer 13

Is it a temporary diet or are you changing your eating lifestyle? Either way, your body will freak out if it stops getting it's common nutrients -protein, protein, protein! I would recommend eating naturally: nuts, soy products, tofu, beans, greens, and such that contain high protein.

Protein is the main nutrient you're missing out on if you skip meat, which your body can easily adjust to over time. I honestly wouldn't recommend too much protein vitamin replacements or anything unnatural; i guess only when you don't have time to cook.

Good luck!

Answer 14

Well you'd be missing the nutrients you get from meat, which I'm not sure what they are. LOL sry, but I think it's mostly iron you'd be depleaded of. Eat lots of things with tofu, high fiber and beans. Also take a multivitamin. But it sounds like you shouldn't do this yet since you don't know what you'd be missing out on. Please do some research and find out.

Answer 15

Well, take it from me. I'm a vegitarian now. It's not that bad. You mostly have to eat alot of grains, beans, and nuts. You have to go by your allergies also. I'm allergic to all kinds of fish, so that brings it down also. Although, some vegitarians might take meat out of their diet too; because of animal reasons. Don't actually diet, like shakes and stuff. Eat pizza, pasta, beans, nuts, and salad/ friuts and vegitalbles and you'll be fine!

Answer 16

You could eat dark green vegetables to replace calcium

Answer 17

If you eat a balanced, varied vegetarian diet, you will not miss out on anything meat offers.  It's all available elsewhere and there is just nothing rare or magical in meat that's hard to replace.

Answer 18

Don't believe those that say you get "all you need" from a veggie diet. It's not true. I tried going vegetarian about a year ago, and I lost an alarming amount of weight very quickly...an unhealthy amount, I felt weak, and got dizzy spells. also, I work in a restaurant, and every vegetarian I see, all look unhealthy and pale, like a good strong wind could knock 'em over. I know I'll get a lot of naysayers, but it's the truth...wouldn't say it if it wasn't.

@lo mcg...actually, I did eat properly...I did a lot of research to see to it that I did...don't make assumptions. And I gave myself plenty of time to adjust to the diet, as well

@ kristina  don't exaggerate...I didn't claim anyone was dying, you twit.But imho, vegetarians do look unhealthy....and I can tell a veggiehead when they sit at my restaurant by looking, b4 they start asking all their annoying questions about our food , so obviously, they do look different...not in a good way, either! :)

Answer 19

If you become a vegetarian and eat a well balanced diet, then you won't need any supplements. If you want you could take a vitamin, but it's not necessary. And if you do decide to take a vitamin make sure it has vegetarian ingredients.

Answer 20

Protein and Vitamins B6 n b12 as well as folic acid.

Beans Beans Beans the magical fruit!

oh and less soy that stuff will kill you!

Answer 21

Eat more fruit for the missing enzymes,  Eat more greens like beats for  Iron and nutrients,  Eat more beans  for protein!

Soybeans contain more protein than regular beans!   For milks there is rice milk, soya milk and my favourite  coconut milk!  You won't need to take supplements if you eat a varied vegetarian diet!  Oh for B-12  there is Kelp or else locust bean gum!

Answer 22

okay my mom is a vegetarian. it's not a good idea to cut out meat, especially if you like it.  you'll need the B vitamans and protien. you can get these from eggs, milk and whey protein mixes.

Answer 23

B-12 is unique to meat and very hard, if not impossible, to replace in a vegetarian diet.

It's interesting to note the WILD answers here....

Perhaps ..it is a good advertisement for veganism

improving intellectual function???

Vitamin B12 and vegan diets

Lessons from history

B12 is an exceptional vitamin. It is required in smaller amounts than any other known vitamin. Ten micrograms of§ B12 spread over a day appears to supply as much as the body can use. In the absence of any apparent dietary supply, deficiency symptoms usually take five years or more to develop in adults, though some people experience problems within a ~~year.~~ A very small number of individuals with no obvious reliable source appear to avoid clinical deficiency symptoms for twenty years or more.~~~~ B12 is the only vitamin that is ~not ~recognised as being ~reliably supplied from a varied wholefood, plant-based diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, together with exposure to sun. Many herbivorous mammals, including cattle and sheep, absorb B12 produced by bacteria in their own digestive system. B12 is found to some extent in soil and plants. These observations have led some vegans to suggest that B12 was an issue requiring no special attention, or even an elaborate hoax. Others have proposed specific foods, including spirulina, nori, tempeh, and barley grass, as suitable non-animal sources of B12. ~~Such claims have NOT stood the test of time. ~~~

Very low B12 intakes can cause anaemia and nervous system damage.