What to eat when a vegiterian?

Question

what is good ot eat ewhen your a vegiterian (im olny 13 so i dont know what to eat) what has alot of iron thank you

Answer 1

tofu

Answer 2

Food.  

Check out www.vrg.org for more information.  But to be quick, beans and leafy greens are both excellent sources of iron.  However, to increase absorption, you'll want to eat that with something rich in vitamin C.  Citrus fruits, tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, and watermelon are all sources of vitamin C and all delicious.

So if your mom steams some fresh spinach or kale for you, just splash a bit of lemon juice on it to add flavor and vitamin C.  Toss fresh spinach, strawberries, and onions together with some nuts and a raspberry vinaigrette (Annie's Naturals makes one).

Answer 3

Soy products, like tofu, have a lot of protein. Legumes are good for many vitamins found in meat. Raisins, molasses, and chickpeas have iron. Make sure you eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrition you need.

Answer 4

vegetables

Answer 5

Im a vegetarian too go teen veggers!!!

Vegetarian Diets

What is a vegetarian diet?

Some people follow a "vegetarian" diet, but there's no single vegetarian eating pattern. The vegan or total vegetarian diet includes only foods from plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), grains, seeds and nuts. The lactovegetarian diet includes plant foods plus cheese and other dairy products. The ovo-lactovegetarian (or lacto-ovovegetarian) diet also includes eggs. Semi-vegetarians don't eat red meat but include chicken and fish with plant foods, dairy products and eggs.

Are vegetarian diets healthful?

Most vegetarian diets are low in or devoid of animal products. They’re also usually lower than nonvegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer.

Vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they’re carefully planned to include essential nutrients. However, a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if it contains too many calories and/or saturated fat and not enough important nutrients.

What are the nutrients to consider in a vegetarian diet?

Protein: You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.

Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. You don't need to consciously combine these foods ("complementary proteins") within a given meal.

Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin. It can be your sole protein source if you choose.

Iron: Vegetarians may have a greater risk of iron deficiency than nonvegetarians. The richest sources of iron are red meat, liver and egg yolk -- all high in cholesterol. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.

Vitamin B-12: This comes naturally only from animal sources. Vegans need a reliable source of vitamin B-12. It can be found in some fortified (not enriched) breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages, some brands of nutritional (brewer's) yeast and other foods (check the labels), as well as vitamin supplements.

Vitamin D: Vegans should have a reliable source of vitamin D. Vegans who don’t get much sunlight may need a supplement.

Calcium: Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than nonvegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants.

Zinc: Zinc is needed for growth and development. Good plant sources include grains, nuts and legumes. Shellfish are an excellent source of zinc. Take care to select supplements containing no more than 15-18 mg zinc. Supplements containing 50 mg or more may lower HDL ("good") cholesterol in some people.

What meal plans are recommended?

Any type of vegetarian diet should include a wide variety of foods and enough calories to meet your energy needs.

Keep your intake of sweets and fatty foods to a minimum. These foods are low in nutrients and high in calories.

Choose whole or unrefined grain products when possible, or use fortified or enriched cereal products.

Use a variety of fruits and vegetables, including foods that are good sources of vitamins A and C.

If you use milk or dairy products, choose fat-free/nonfat and low-fat varieties.

Eggs are high in cholesterol (213 mg per yolk), so monitor your use of them.  Limit your cholesterol intake to no more than 300 mg per day.

Related AHA publications:

Easy Food Tips for Heart-Healthy Eating (also in Spanish)  

Controlling Your Risk Factors... heart attack and stroke  

This is a blog on teenage vegetarians:

More and more teenagers are choosing not to eat meat, poultry or fish. They are becoming vegetarians. Teenage vegetarians are often faced with pressures -- pressures from parents concerned about their health, and pressures from within to continue on the path they have chosen.

Variety is the Key to a Healthy Vegetarian Diet

Probably the most frequent questions for teenage vegetarians are about the nutritional adequacy of their food choices. A vegetarian diet can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The key to a healthy vegetarian diet is variety. Just as your parents should be concerned if you only eat hamburgers, they should also worry if you only eat potato chips and salad. A healthy, varied vegetarian diet includes fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds and legumes. Some vegetarians also choose to eat dairy products and/or eggs.

Teenage vegetarians have nutritional needs that are the same as any other teenager. The years between 13 and 19 are times of especially rapid growth and change. Nutritional needs are high during these years. The nutrients you will probably be asked about the most are protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12.

What About Protein?

North American vegetarian teens eating varied diets rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to support growth. Cow's milk and lowfat cheese are protein sources; however, beans, breads, cereals, nuts, peanut butter, tofu, and soy milk are also some foods that are especially good sources of protein. Only fruits, fats, and alcohol do not provide much protein, and so a diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of being too low in protein.

It is not necessary to plan combinations of foods to obtain enough protein or amino acids (components of protein). A mixture of plant proteins eaten throughout the day will provide enough essential amino acids.

Other Important Nutrients for Vegetarian Teenagers

Especially during adolescence, calcium is used to build bones. Bone density is determined in adolescence and young adulthood; so it is important to include three or more good sources of calcium in your diet every day. Cow's milk and dairy products do contain calcium. However, there are other good sources of calcium such as tofu processed with calcium sulfate, green leafy vegetables including collard greens, mustard greens, and kale, and calcium-fortified soy milk and orange juice.

Iron requirements of teenagers are relatively high. By eating a varied diet, a vegetarian can meet his or her iron needs, while avoiding the excess fat and cholesterol found in red meats such as beef or pork. To increase the amount of iron absorbed from a meal, eat a food containing vitamin C as part of the meal. Citrus fruits and juices (for example, orange juice), tomatoes, and broccoli are all good sources of vitamin C. Foods which are high in iron include broccoli, raisins, watermelon, spinach, black-eyed peas, blackstrap molasses, chickpeas, and pinto beans.

Vitamin B12 is a vitamin which only vegans (vegetarians eating no dairy, eggs, meat, fish, and birds) need to add to their diet. Some cereals and fortified soy milks have vitamin B12 (check the label). Red Star T-6635 nutritional yeast flakes (Vegetarian Support Formula) also supply vitamin B12.

Healthy Steps to Your Ideal Weight

Many teenagers are concerned about losing or gaining weight. To lose weight, look at your diet. If it has lots of sweet or fatty foods, replace them with fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. If your diet already seems healthy, try to get more exercise -- walking, running or swimming daily, for example.

If you are trying to gain weight, you will need to eat more food. Perhaps eating more often or eating foods somewhat higher in calories and lower in bulk will help. Try to eat three or more times a day whether you are trying to gain weight or lose weight. It is hard to get all of the nutritious foods you need if you only eat one meal a day.

If you feel that you cannot control your eating behavior or if you are losing a great deal of weight, you should discuss this with your health care provider.

Quick Foods for Busy People

With the demands of school and outside activities, it may often seem there is just not enough time to eat. Here are some foods that require little or no preparation. Some of these foods can be found in fast-food restaurants -- check the menu.

Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, peaches, plums, dried fruits, bagels and peanut butter, carrot or celery sticks, popcorn, pretzels, soy cheese pizza, bean tacos or burritos, salad, soy yogurt, soy milk, rice cakes, sandwiches, frozen juice bars.

A Vegetarian Diet Benefits Your Health, the Environment, and Animals Too!

Vegetarianism represents a positive move toward a cleaner and more compassionate world, a reduction in global hunger, and improved personal health. If you are concerned about the environment, consider meat production's negative impact on tropical rain forests, soil stability, and air and water quality. If you are concerned about animal rights, think about the billions of chickens and other animals slaughtered for food each year in the United States and the conditions in which animals killed for food are raised. If you are concerned about your own health, consider that vegetarians are generally at lower risk than non-vegetarians for heart disease, high blood pressure, some forms of cancer and obesity.

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This electronic edition of our brochure is freely distributed on the Internet and commercial online services by:

The Vegetarian Resource Group

P.O. Box 1463

Baltimore, MD 21203

[phone]

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Answer 6

spinach

asaparagus

peas

corn

tomatoes

Answer 7

wow there is like an influx of teen vegetarians and vegans lately.......you need to find friends you can hang out with that share your mind set and who are vegetarians and vegan ............that way they can give you personal tips.............go to a health market or whole foods........think nature and if it didnt come from there dont eat it...........you can still have dairy products unless your a vegan........go on social vegetarian networking sites and things like goveg.vom vegweb.com veggieconnect..com and get books on going vegetarian

Answer 8

As a personal favorite of mine, head to your local mart and search the frozen food section. Morning Star Farm brand has a large variety of vegetarian substitutes (veggie patties, tofu hot dogs, chik'n nuggets, etc) that are healthy and completely vegetarian. I consider them even better then the real stuff, but keep in mind that they're very processed.

Fruits, veggies, and wheats are basically the core groups. http://www.chooseveg.com has lots of great recipes, most of them really healthy for you, as well.

I'm 13, too. Cheers to vegetarians!

Answer 9

Pasta. Lots of pasta.

Answer 10

Soy products lik Tofu.I think its awesone ur a vegitarian cuz so am I!