Vegetarian grocery shopping?

Question

I am going to try being a vegetarian for a while. I went on goveg.com and their videos horrified me! I was wondering if there were any vegetarians out there that might be kind enough to share their grocery list with me. (vegans are welcome too)

Question: Can being vegetarian affect my health? How so? Is the effect long term, short term, or a health concern?

Any other HELPFUL comments you might have are welcome.

THANKS

Answer 1

Being a vegetarian can affect your health - in a good way! However, like with any style of eating, it can have consequences such as low iron, but aslong as you are getting plenty of it then that wont be a problem!

My shopping list consists of a lot of different veggies and fruits to put into salads such as lettuce, tomatoes (full size and baby), baby carrots, onions, mango, cucumbers, capsicums, bean sprouts and plenty more. Obviously, I would make different combinations of salads as some of these foods would not taste nice together.

Other things I buy on a regular basis are cashew nuts watermelon, lentils, chickpeas, rice noodles, tofu (marinated or plain), soy ice cream and yoghurt, bananas, spinach, vegetarian curry sauces, brocolli amoung other things.

I am vegan so also keep in mind that you can by things such as cheese, yoghurt and milk.

Answer 2

Congrats on wanting to try vegetarianism! Those videos are sad and horrible. To answer your question the only way being a vegetarian can affect your health is positively if you do it right, which means getting your nutrients. Thousands of people are vegetarian and vegan all over the world and are healthier than they were before they became veg. The only health concern is i you still consume dairy, since dairy does cause a lot of health problems, but there are a lot of non dairy foods out there!

Grocery shopping:

Basic list just minus animal products. Make sure you get fresh fruits and vegetables (especially green and leafy vegetables),  whole grains (pasta, cereal, bread), nuts (almonds, raw cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc), seeds (flax and pumpkin), nutritional yeast, beans (black, pinto, baked, kidney, re fried, navy, etc), seiten, tofu, tvp, felafel's, pita bread, vegan margarine/butter, quinoa, tempeh, lentils,  fortified plant milk (soy, hemp, almond, etc), chickpeas, hummus, braggs liquids aminos, peanut butter, vegetable oils, vegan ice cream/yogurt, etc....

Ways to get motivated are go on a recipe website such as vegweb and look at some great recipes, decided to make one and when you go to the store get the ingredients and make it! A good recipe to try from there:

Cheesy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas - http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5980.0

Vegan premade foods:

Amy's: Pizza, pockets, bowls, pot pies, entrees, chili, burritos, burgers.

Tofurky: Deli slices, sausages, superburgers, franks, tempeh, jurky.

LightLife: Meat substitutes such as tempeh, bacon, chicken, & beef.

Boca: Burgers

Morgingstar: Burgers, meal starters.

Gardenburger: Burgers, BBQ riblets, other meat substitutes such as chicken, & sausage.

Silk Soymilk: Chocolate, Vanilla, Nog, Pumpkin, Spice, & Chai.

Tofutti: Better Than Cream Cheese.

Earth Balance: Whipped Spread.

Vegan Gourmet: Cheese

So Delicious/Purely Decadent: Ice Cream & yogurt.

Also: Yves, Nate's, Cedarlane, Mon Cuisine, TastyBite, LaBriute Meals, plus others

Helpful links:

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

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07groce...

http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/

http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack...

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/eat.html

http://veganpeace.blogspot.com/2008/03/v...

http://vegweb.com/

http://vegetarian.about.com/

http://www.vegblog.org/archive/category/...

http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/vege...

http://veganpeace.blogspot.com/2007/08/v...

Recipes:

http://veganpeace.blogspot.com/2007/08/v...

Answer 3

My shopping list consists mainly of the following.

Strawberries

Apples

Lettuce

Fake butter (non-hydrogenated)

Veggie shreds (fake cheese)

Pita bread

Hummus

Ritz crackers

Cashew nuts

Potatoes

Corn

Orange Juice

Apple Cider

Tomato sauce

Noodles (for spaghetti)

Boca burgers

Boca chicken nuggets

Soy milk

Rice milk (if available, some places don't have this)

Peanut butter

Jam

Whole wheat bread

Tofu (rarely though as I don't like cooking)

Vegetable broth (an ingredient in many soups)

Sour cream and onion potato chips

Oreos

Chocolate chip cookies (always checking the ingredients, as only some brands are vegan)

Tortillas

Hamburger and hot dog buns (for use with fake hot dogs and hamburgers; again ingredients must be checked for dairy and eggs, as only some brands are vegan)

Biscuits

Protein powder for soy milkshake or smoothie

Bananas

Hope this helps! As for the health thing, being vegetarian will affect your health a lot, by making it much better. In the short term you will find you have more energy and can breathe more easily. In the long term you will live longer and are less likely to get cancer, get diabetes, or have lung problems.

Good luck!

Answer 4

only thing that affected my health was that i wasn't getting enough iron that i did when i ate meat

i always felt weak and i'd sometimes black out

i'm better now because i take an iron supplement called ferro-grad

Answer 5

I was a vegetarian for 12 years with no problems, I've now been vegan for the past few months and am much more healthy than I ever was.  I do take a multi vitamin, but this is more because I believe that food now doesn't have as many nutrients as it should, rather than because of my particular diet.  I try to choose soy millk that is fortified with b12 too, just to be sure.  I think being vegan is positive for your healh, the planet and of course the animals...

Shoping, well the list is so vast but some essentials I have are:

muesli, oats, weetbix

dried fruit

nuts & seeds (mixed nuts, sunflower, sesame & linseeds)

dried lentils - red, green, french

dried beans - aduki, chickpeas, black, red kidney etc

multi grain wholemeal bread, pizza bases

grains - rice, barley, quinoa

pastas, frozen pastry

canned tomatoes & coconut milk

tofu

non dairy chocolate

fake burgers, sausages, schnitzels etc..., cheating pepperoni

soy milk & ice cream

olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, tamari, sweet chilli sauce, vegan oyster sauce, satay sauce, thai curry pastes, indian curry pastes, tahini, soya mayonnaise, marmite, tomato paste...

non dairy margarine

frozen veg and berries

of course loads of fresh fruit and veg

I'm sure I've missed loads but this is just to give you an idea

Oh an no I don't vary my diet at 'that time!', except maybe eating more junk food :)  

fyi some good sources of iron are: dried beans and lentils, tofu & tempeh, green leafy vegetable & dried fruits

Answer 6

Here is a sample of what I might by at the grocer...please keep in mind that I don't buy this much food weekly. I'd never be able to eat it all! lol

hummus

all-natural crunchy peanut butter

black beans

brown rice

quinoa

fresh veggies (romaine lettuce, green onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, jalapeno or poblano peppers)

fresh fruit (bananas, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, lemons)

whole-wheat tortillas

Annie's salad dressing

Clif bars

Steel cut oats

Rice Dream rice milk

Unsalted rice cakes

Baby carrots

Nuts (cashews, almonds)

Tortilla chips and salsa

Sweet potatoes

A: Yes, being a vegetarian can alter your health, just as any other diet can have an impact on your well-being. As long as you eat a well-balanced diet that is rich in vitmins and minerals and has a good amount of fibre, you should be fine. Make sure you eat a variety of fruit, veggies, beans and legumes. You will be good. May I suggest you go to the library and check out a few vegetarian cookbooks. They are great resources for recipe ideas as well as nutritional information. Many of them have a vegetarian food pyramid or an example of "stocking the vegetarian pantry".

Good luck!

Answer 7

Just like any diet it can effect your health if you are not eating correctly.

Let me also assure you that there is nothing in meat or animal by-products that you cannot get from another source.

My list:

Organic veges

Organic fruits

Quinoa (a complete protein/super food)

Dry lentils

Whole wheat pasta

Brown rice

Organic Tofu (soft, and firm)

Fortified cereal

Fortified soy milk

Earth Balance (soy butter)

Soy Delicious ice cream

Whole wheat bread

Newman's Own Non-dairy cookies (look like oreos)

Thai peanut sauce

Black bean tortillas

Organic salsa

Organic canned beans

Raw peanutbutter

Those are just staples. I cook with olive oil or coconut oil. I use a variety of spices, especially nutritional yeast. I also use organic tahini in alot of my dishes.

*Edit: At restaurants, if there is not specific veg options I see what dishes I can make veg by eliminating meat and in my case by-products. If that doesn't work, I ask for rice or noodles prepared without butter, and steamed veges prepared with no butter. Baked potatoes are also a good option.

Gardenburger black bean burgers are amazing!

Answer 8

I have been vegetarian for about 14 years. I went young. When I first started out, I didn't do it right. I loaded up on a lot of cheese and other foods that should be eaten in moderation. Being a vegetarain doesn't mean you are automatically healthy. You might get a lot of c**p for not eating meat, I usually do when I first tell people. You will get used to it and if it's something you are truly wanting to do, those people will just seem silly. You will get all the vitamins you need, and then some. The only thing you might need to worry about is b12, and iron. Both of which are mainly derived from animal products. You can find them in dark greens, or simply adding a multiple vitamin to your daily routine.

Okay, now on to foods.

I usually buy a lot of fresh produce, such as dark leafy greens, apple, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, and other veggies I can steam up and add to pastas.  There usually is a section in the natural foods of most grocery stores that will have meat substitutes. I really love Morningstar products. You can find almost anything to fake corndogs, meat crumbles (really good for tacos) to veggies sausages (my favorite).  Also, you if you haven't already, adding extra fiber to your diet is always good. Even if you are a meat eater. Whole grains in breads and cereals make that easier. There are many recipes, and foods out there for you, it just takes some time to get used to. I was a very picky eater before I became a vegetarian. When I first started I realized I was tasting things on a whole new level. I think it's a wonderful thing you are doing. Most people don't realize the effect eating meat can have on a person, and the planet. Just do your research, and enjoy!

Answer 9

My list...(the basics, there every time)

Veges...

Tomatoes, spinach, onion, mushrooms, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, capsicum

Fruit...

Apples, strawberries, bananas, oranges

Canned foods...

Chick peas, baked beans, kidney beans, beetroot

Other...

Lentils, wholegrain breads, pesto, hummus, pasta, rice, eggs, cheese, milk

I am obviously not vegan.

Being a vegetarian can affect your health if you do not replace the proteins in meats with other proteins. You can also get anaemia if you don't get enough iron in your blood.

So make sure you get enough of what your body needs(cheese, eggs, beans and lentils and loads of veges)

Answer 10

many people live healthy vegetarian lifestyles.  However, i personally enjoy eating meat and feel that it has vital nutrients your body needs that you can't necessarily get from veggies. Maybe you can opt to skip meat but stick to fish?  either way, if you don't want to eat meat at all, you will be okay, just read up on things you can eat to replace it. Cheese, tofu, veggie burgers, etc.

Answer 11

Being vege will only affect your health negatively if you don't add in protein from things like lentils, nuts, etc.  

I love going to an Indian food wholesaler and stocking up on nuts, legumes, spices, rice, chickpeas, oil.  It's all non-perishable stuff and cheap to buy in larger quantities.  Tofu is also a really good source of protein - check out different recipes, because it can taste horrible if not cooked properly ... or you can buy already marinated tofu.  Indian food is great if you're vege because it is usually really well balanced nutritionally - there'll be lots of great recipes out there.  Mediterranean food is good too - lots of easy to cook, tasty vegetarian options.  Or just about any vege dish you cook you can dump in a tin of chickpeas, butter beans or kidney beans, which don't affect the flavour too much, but add the protein - really easy!

Good luck!

Answer 12

Grocery List

1. Morning Star Farms-all soy products that taste amazing (especially with ketchup!!) They come in green boxes in the frozen food section! They have things like buffalo wings and chicken tenders, but they are 100% vegetarian. They are made with soy instead!

2. Bagged Salad

3. Soups

4. Whole Grain Pasta

5. Whole Grain Pizza

Order grilled cheese or chicken quesidillas at a restaurant!!

Answer 13

Protein sources are important...

Lentils, beans (any kind i fancy)...

Baked beans are great to buy because they are cheaper then canned beans and you can just wash off the sauce and use the beans for whatever you want :]

I also love vegetarian Feta... which is just cows feta but it has vegetable renet instead.

I'm a lover of pasta...

And yeah, basically any and every vegetable i can get my hands on! lol

Answer 14

store brand huge bag of salad, frozen veggies that are on sale, whole grain pastas, pasta sauce, veggie burgers, whole grain bread, soy milk, apple juice, chick peas, re-fried veg beans, -this is my basic list -

Answer 15

You can buy them for cheap from

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&...

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

Answer 16

I have been a veggie for the passed 12 or more years I'm now 70and had no bad effects i just left meat off as i didn't like eating it after i saw what the animals ate and what happened to them.There is so many things you can buy now and if you eat out your not looked upon as if you have 2 heads there is all ways some thing on the menu now a days, because you have more veg and fruit it's got to be better for you.

Enjoy.