Vegetarian question? opinions please?

Question

Im 14 and I stopped eating meat about 8 months or so ago. My parents were against it and i had to see a nutritionist and they said I had to eat meat or I would be really unhealthy but they didn't know anything about being vegetarian so I refused to eat meat but I still eat dairy. I occasionaly eat fish because I'm worried without it I won't be getting enough protein and such. Every night I eat lentils or some sort of soy protein. I feel so guilty for eating fish now and I want to stop. Will I be okay if I just continue to eat the other stuff I'm eating? I have had a blood test and everything seems okay but my iron is getting sort of low. Im short for my age and I don't want this to stop my growth or anything. All suggestions and opinions are appreciated.

Answer 1

First off, whey protein comes from animals, so it's not vegetarian. An alternative is soybean whey.

I agree with the "Prodigy5" person lol

You get enough protein by eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, beans, grains and meat subsitutes like tofu, soy, and fortified soy milk, almond and other kinds of milk.

Eating fish is not good (lots of chemicals in the water) and cruel too so stopping might be a good idea.

I'm not sure if you meant to say your parents said you would be unhealthy or the doctor but no, you can be healthy if you do vegetarian or vegan right. See another nutritionist if it was him/her who told you that.

There are vitamins out there just for vegans and vegetarians, so check them out.

Explore what's out there- there is so much stuff to eat that is not just animals! I just turned vegan after being vegetarian, and it's really eye-opening. I've eaten things I never even though existed. Different tastes from around the world. Believe it or not, all humans like to eat DELICIOUS food haha so a lot of vegetarian societies have found delicious ways to make their food. The point is to go out there and try it.

Good luck! =]

Answer 2

you don't need fish or meat to survive

people have been vegan for years now and none of them have died

Answer 3

I think what you're asking is: How can I get enough vitamins and nutrients on a strict vegetarian diet?

Well, the stuff non-meat eaters miss out on is usually: Vitamin B12, other B vitamins, Iron, Zinc and calcium

•Vitamin B12 -- this vitamin is ONLY found in animal products, so you definitley need to take a supplement for that or eat B12 fortified foods

•Other B vitamins such as B2 and B6 are also needed and are found usually in meats. Some fortitied foods [non-animal] contain this, but you might want to take a supplement for this

•Iron can be found in fortified foods as well and is very common in a well balanced vegetarian diet. itamin C helps iron absorbtion by 30% also

•Zinc is something that most vegetarian diets lack. Nuts, legumes, miso, lima beans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, wheat germ and whole grains are zinc rich foods for vegetarians

•Calcium can be found in fortified soy milk and also in tof or dark, leafy green vegetables

Answer 4

Stop eating fish and eat beans and get vitiamins.

Look for other food wth iron and all that stuff.

Don't worry the same thing happen to me.

I had my Home EQ teacher help me.

Answer 5

Your nutritionist needs to go back school or wake up and research vegetarian diets before he/she opens its ignorant mouth again.

Answer 6

spinach has iron in it, make yourself a delicious spinach salad :)

Answer 7

you should drink milk you never know what could happen if you don't get enough IRON

Answer 8

Whey protein might be helpful.  It's a complete protein, like meat is.

Answer 9

your doctor can prescribe iron suplements.

Answer 10

i am a lacto-ovo-vegetarian and often people make rude comments and say not eating meat is unhealthy. i personally think its healthier. i've lost 7 pounds in the first month and  my body feels better overall. i also have more energy and havent been sick once. so really, i think being vegetarian is healthier and better for you body.

i hoped this helped!

Answer 11

You have to eat protein, its what makes you grow, rather its soy, eggs, meat or whatever, its a must... i think its only a fase and in no time you will start eating meat again.

For iron loss you should eat broccoli, and as protein just eat a lot of beans soy and eggs. Humans shouldn't have a problem with eating meat in my opinion, we are top in the food chain.

Good luck

Answer 12

Take iron supplements.  Its ok not to eat meat or fish.  You need to see another nutritionist- your's is apparently bias!  Being a vegan or a vegetarian is actually quite healthy, you just need to be sure you are eating other things to supplement.

Answer 13

goveg.com

vegweb.com

veggieconnection.com

vegconnect.com

allveggielinks.com

1. 15-minute vegetarian : 200 quick, easy, and delicious recipes the whole family will love / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay.



  

2.    

Amber waves of grain : traditional American whole foods cooking & contemporary vegetarian, vegan & macrobiotic cuisine / Alex and Gale Jack ; foreword by Michio and Aveline Kushi ; illustrations by Rod House.



  

3.    

American wholefoods cuisine : 1300 meatless wholesome recipes from short order to gourmet / Nikki & David Goldbeck ; preface by Barbara Haber.



  

4.    

A beautiful bowl of soup : the best vegetarian recipes / by Paulette Mitchell ; photographs by William Meppem.



  

5.    

The best of Lord Krishna's cuisine : favorite recipes from The art of Indian vegetarian cooking / Yamuna Devi.



  

6.    

The best vegetarian recipes : from greens to grains, from soups to salads : 200 bold-flavored recipes / Martha Rose Shullman.



  

7.    

Betty Crocker easy everyday vegetarian : meatless main dishes you'll love!



  

8.    

The big book of vegetarian : more than 225 recipes for breakfasts, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, main dishes, sides, breads, and desserts / by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley.



  

9.    

Cafe Flora cookbook / Catherine Geier with Carol Brown.



  

10.    

Carb-conscious vegetarian : 150 delicious recipes for a healthy lifestyle / Robin Robertson.



  

11.    

Classic vegetarian cooking from the Middle East & North Africa / Habeeb Salloum.



  

12.    

Compassionate cuisine : gourmet vegetarian recipes & the philosophy and culture of caring / Vrnda Devi.



  

13.    

The complete book of vegetarian grilling : over 150 easy and tasty recipes you can grill indoors and out / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler.  



  

14.    

The complete idiot's guide to being vegetarian / by Frankie Avalon Wolfe.  



  

15.    

Complete vegetarian cookbook / Charmaine Solomon.



  

16.    

The complete vegetarian handbook : recipes & techniques for preparing delicious, healthful cuisine / by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley ; illustrations by David Pollard.



  

17.    

The contented vegetarian / Matthew Drennan and Annie Nichols.



  

18.    

Cook 1.0 : a fresh approach to the vegetarian kitchen : breakfast, lunch + dinner / Heidi Swanson ; foreword by Art Smith. (



  

19.    

Cooking the Cuban way : culturally authentic foods, including low-fat and vegetarian recipes / by Alison Behnke and Victor Manuel Valens.



  

20.    

Cooking the Vietnamese way : to include new low-fat and vegetarian recipes / Chi Nguyen and Judy Monroe.



  

21.    

The enlightened kitchen : fresh vegetable dishes from the temples of Japan / Mari Fujii ; photographs by Tae Hamamura ; translation by Richard Jeffery.



  

22.    

Entertaining for a veggie planet : 250 down-to-earth recipes / Didi Emmons.



  

23.    

Ethical markets : growing the green economy / Hazel Henderson with Simran Sethi ; foreword by Hunter Lovins.



  

24.    

The ethnic vegetarian : traditional and modern recipes from Africa, America, and the Caribbean / Angela Shelf Medearis, author of Ideas for Entertaining from the African-American Kitchen.



  

25.    

Everyday Greens : home cooking from Greens, the celebrated vegetarian restaurant / by Annie Somerville.



  

26.    

The flexitarian table : inspired, flexible meals for vegetarians, meat lovers, and everyone in between / Peter Berley, with Zoe Singer ; photographs by Quentin Bacon.



  

27.    

Fresh food fast : delicious, seasonal vegetarian meals in under an hour / Peter Berley and Melissa Clark.



  

28.    

The gluten-free vegetarian kitchen : delicious and nutritious wheat-free, gluten-free dishes / Donna Klein.



  

29.    

The healthy hedonist holidays : a year of multicultural, vegetarian-friendly holiday feasts / Myra Kornfeld ; illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka.  



  

30.    

Hope's edge : the next diet for a small planet / Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe.



  

31.    

How to cook everything vegetarian : simple meatless recipes for great food / Mark Bittman ; illustrations by Alan Witschonke.



  

32.    

How to cook everything. Vegetarian cooking / Mark Bittman ; illustrations by Alan Witschonke.



  

33.    

India's vegetarian cookery / Monisha Bharadwaj ; photography of India by Jenner Zimmermann ; food photography by Will Heap.



  

34.    

Living among meat eaters : the vegetarian's survival handbook / Carol J. Adams.



  

35.    

Living in the raw gourmet / Rose Lee Calabro.

  

36.    

Low-carb vegetarian / Margo DeMello.



  

37.    

Low-carb vegetarian cooking : 150 entrees to make low-carb vegetarian cooking easy and fun / Sue Spitler with Linda R. Yoakam.

  

38.    

Mediterranean harvest : vegetarian recipes from the world's healthiest cuisine / Martha Rose Shulman.



  

39.    

Mediterranean vegetarian cooking / Paola Gavin.



  

40.    

New vegetarian cooking : 120 fast, fresh, and fabulous recipes / Rose Elliot.

  

41.    

One-dish vegetarian meals : 150 easy, wholesome, and delicious soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fries, pastas, rice dishes, chilis, and more / Robin Robertson.



  

42.    

Passionate vegetarian / by Crescent Dragonwagon ; illustrated by Robbin Gourley.

  

43.    

The PDQ (pretty darn quick) vegetarian cookbook : 240 healthy and easy no-prep recipes for busy cooks / Donna Klein.

  

44.    

Quick-fix vegetarian / Robin Robertson.

  

45.    

The Real Food Daily cookbook : really fresh, really good, really vegetarian / Ann Gentry with Anthony Head.

  

46.    

Regina's international vegetarian favorites / Regina Campbell.



  

47.    

Silk road cooking : a vegetarian journey / Najmieh Batmanglij.



  

48.    

Twelve months of monastery salads : 200 divine recipes for all seasons / Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette.

49.    

Vegetable soups from Deborah Madison's kitchen / Deborah Madison.



  

50.    

Vegetarian / recipes, Dana Jacobi ; general editor, Chuck Williams ; photography, Bill Bettencourt.



  

51.    

The vegetarian bible / Sarah Brown.



  

52.    

Vegetarian cooking for beginners / Fiona Watt ; illustrated by Kim Lane ; photography by Howard Allman ; recipes by Catherine Atkinson.



  

53.    

Vegetarian cooking for dummies / by Suzanne Havala.

  

54.    

Vegetarian cooking for everyone / Deborah Madison ; [photographs by Laurie Smith ; illustrations by Catherine Kirkwood].



  

55.    

The vegetarian family cookbook / written and illustrated by Nava Atlas.

  

56.    

The vegetarian meat and potatoes cookbook / Robin Robertson.

  

57.    

Vegetarian recipes from around the world / by Sue Townsend and Caroline Young.



  

58.    

Vegetarian sandwiches : fresh fillings for slices, pockets, wraps, and rolls / by Paulette Mitchell ; photographs by Ondine Vierra.



  

59.    

Vegetarian suppers from Deborah Madison's kitchen / Deborah Madison.

  

60.    

Vegetarianism and teens : a hot issue / Kathleen Winkler.

  

61.    

The wild vegetarian cookbook : a forager's culinary guide (in the field or in the supermarket) to preparing and savoring wild (and not so wild) natural foods, with more than 500 recipes / "Wildman" Steve Brill ; foreword by Arthur Schwartz.



  

62.    

A year in a vegetarian kitchen : easy seasonal suppers for family and friends / Jack Bishop ; photographs by Richard Jung



  

63.    

Yoga kitchen : recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat / Faith Stone and Rachael Guidry..  



  

64.    

You don't need meat / Peter Cox.

Answer 14

I would suggest finding a nutritionist that knows something about vegetarianism. Any nutritionist that tells you that you need meat to be healthy, is not qualified to be practicing and giving advice(at least in my opinion). The American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, and even they have stated that a vegetarian diet(properly planned) is suitable for all ages.

There is no reason to be worried about protein. It is virtually impossible to be protein deficient if you are eating a wide variety and a diet with a suitable amount of calories. Protein deficiencies are usually seen in third world countries that are suffering from famine. Protein is in everything, and the average person need only 50 grams per day.

Iron should be more of a concern than protein. However do not be fooled into thinking that meat is your only option, or that a vegetarian diet lacks a variety of choices for iron rich foods. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb non-animal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.

Your best option, as I said before would be to find a good nutritionist with experience planning vegetarian meals. Your next best choice would be to get a few books and, read, read, read. There are also meal planners on the internet that can give you an idea of what your daily menu should look like. When I first went vegetarian I used http://health.discovery.com/national-bod... it was very helpful. All you have to do is register and put in that you need a vegetarian meal plan with the purpose of maintaining weight. You do not have to following it exactly but it will give you an idea of what you should be eating.

Some good books:

The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet  

by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis

Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right  

by Joel Fuhrman

Student's Vegetarian Cookbook, Revised: Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes  

by Carole Raymond

Websites:

http://www.vrg.org/

http://vegweb.com/

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/ (great board where you can get a lot of help from people)