Vegetarians ... Please help !?

Question

Hi, I just became a vegetarian two days ago. So far, I dont miss meat at all. All Im finding hard is trying to think 'What the h**l can I eat?'

1) What can I eat for good iron levels?

2) How to cook and what brand of tofu to use as a meat substitute ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_analogue

3) Whats your tips and recipes ?

Thanks so much.

Answer 1

lol well you should get to know some people who are vegetarians first and formost so they can give you food suggestions go to a health store and tell them you need some food suggestions ogo on sites like

goveg.com

vegweb.com

and google easy vegetarian recipes

also get some vegetarian books especially one on how to cook tofu

Answer 2

To sove this problem of meat substitution you can have raw tomatoes, peanuts, jaggery, beat root, juice made from carrot, tomatoe, spinach and beat root and you may also have them separate if eant to and if it suits your diet plan.

Answer 3

Try the vegan society website, it has vegetarian recipes etc!http://www.vegansociety.com/home.php

Also, quorn is a brilliant meat substitute! It has bacon and ham style things!

Answer 4

get Morning Star Brand ground meat, burgers, corn dogs, breakfast sausages,  bacon, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and you'll have yourself supplied with a lot of meat substitute.

Answer 5

There are hundreds of vegetarian cookbooks and websites.  Also check out the Vegetarian food pyramid and do some research.  

I eat whole grains like whole wheat pasta, 100% whole grain bread, brown rice and quinoa.  I also eat many veggies, nuts, beans and the hundreds of recipes made with these items.

Answer 6

I'm not a vegetarian but my brother is, and I end up getting more invovled in this process than he does.

1.) My brother takes iron supplements. They're not hard to find, just take one a day. If you really want to increase it, vegetables like spinach will help. But supplements alone with a good diet will do.

2.) I don't know much about tofu, but see if you can find something called QUORN. It's a mushroom thing that they change to taste like chicken etc. It's healthy and you can do a lot with it (they make burgers, sausages, bacon etc. using it).

3.) Nut roast is always good. Avoid things with geletin in them if you want to be a real vegetarian. But like I said, quorn makes SO MANY meals! I've tried it myself, and it even tastes okay- not quite like meat, but similar.

Answer 7

hi There,

u need to stock up on legumes from your grocery store in the health food sction on things like lentils, red kidney beans, chickpeas etc. It is also important u eat wholegrains instead of refined ones or u will get hungry easily coming of a meat diet, for example brown rice, wholegrain bread instead of white. Eating a boiled egg with your breakfast is good to keep up the protein. below is what i eat for breakfast. u might use this  as a guide.

2 weetbix, with carob powder on top with seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) handful of walnuts as well and some type of fruit., all ontop of my weetbix cereal. With that i eat 2 bits wholemeal toast with coconut oil and vegemite (yes im australian)or jam  and also a boiled egg.

lunch should be your main meal to provide energy for the rest of  the day. using a savory dish with something like a lentil casserole, or patties made from chickpeas, rice and potatoes, onion blended together , coated in flour and fried, or some other savories like a vegetable pie, nut patties, lasagne or whatever with a salad and mashed potatoes or whatever.

dinner i keep  light , because its better not to overload before  bed, its not ideal for your body . fruit is best with a custard or some healthy muffins or salad sandwiches or fruit, or even baked beans on toast or toasted sandwhiches.

tofu im not a fan off, but the key is here to marinade it first as it will absorb the flavour of whatever u marinade it in. tamari or another healthy soy sauce is good. cook it up with onions and vegies or maybe even curry it with vegies and serve with rice.

U can make good sauces using ground almonds or cashews adding whatever flavours u want and water for either a sweet dessert sauce or savory with savory flavours. coconut cream (it has healthy cholesterol,  not bad )s great to use is cooking instead of dairy and i prefer coconut oil and olive oil  in cooking .remember to keep up  your nuts and seeds too. if u r off dairy, rice milk is healthier than soy

hope this helps. do a google search for some recipe ideas and print them out

Answer 8

I can give you some recipies and tips so i hope i can help!

As for getting all your nutrients you'll most likly need  iron supplements. They're not hard to find and you  just need to take one a day. Also vegetables like spinach will help your vitamins and nutrients a lot.

As for food quarn, is a nice meal. It's a mushroom dish that you can cook to make it taste like anything. It's healthy and you can do a lot with.

As for things you shouldn't eat(other than the obvious meat):::::

Avoid  geletin, marshmellows,  pudding, and other such gooey treats. Also some glues, drums, and needles use bone marrow substances or skin of an animal so always check the labels!

ANd heres the sites i hope you enjoy!!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-C...

http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/ma...

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/indian-beans/

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2005/0...

http://food.ivillage.com/mainingredient/...

http://vegweb.com/

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Ot...

I hope i helped and please continue saying no to the deaths of our cousins!

Answer 9

well come to the world of vegetarian because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks :)

Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:

More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.