considering vegetarianism

F

Faythe

Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-07-02 AT 01:37PM (Est)[/font][p]I have to have lean protein for my diet, and found all of a sudden the other day I can't look at chicken or poultry. I like some fish (but were on a budget). I also have to have my favorate meatballs 1 time a wk with pasta.
Even the smell of chicken would send me to the bathroom wanting to throw up. (I don't think I'm preg, unless it's a miracle...dr's sd can never happen) :-( I've heard of being preg may make you not want poultry.
Maybe I just need a break of it. But I don't like soy unless I can hide it in like say zitti or something. I was wondering if anyone is a vegetarian and what source of protein do you eat. I love grains and such, and am ok on that point of it, but what about protein? I'm looking to be a PT vegetarian. Then maybe DH (who graciously eats whatever I make) wont notice. Thanks for your help in advance.
Faythe
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-07-02 AT 03:23PM (Est)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-07-02 AT 03:22 PM (Est)[/font]

Hi Faythe,
I'm sure you will get much better answers than mine, but here's what we do with my 11 year old son who is a very picky vegetarian.
He eats a lot of vegetarian products that taste like meat, but are meatless - Boca burgers, chicken and sausage, Morningstar Farms corn dogs, etc. He also loves Morningstar
Farms veggie burgers and thinks they taste like chinese food.
If you are going to eat dairy, you can eat eggs, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. for good protein sources also. Nuts and nut butters are also good sources.
You might want to experiment and try different soy products - I'm sure you can find some you like as well. The boca products are soy based. Other soy products my son will eat are tofu made in some ways, edamames, soy nuts, soy hot dogs and Yves lunch meats.
By the way, I am currently pregnant and my doctors told me it would never happen. Maybe a miracle will happen for you too...
Good luck!
Erica
 
Erica,
Thanks for your response. Maybe I will try some of those products. I have been seeing more and more of them in the market. They are not cheap, though. But I may try a few things. I seem to be somewhat dairy intolerant. I have my recommended 2 glasses of skim milk a day, which I can tolerate, and occasionally cheese which I have to have in small amts. Eggs are not a problem. Yogurt, I can tolerate occasionally.
Thanks for your input. I hope your right about the baby thing, and I know God can do miracles, (me even being alive is one, but that's another story) but I've stopped hoping years ago. What will be will be and I'll be ok with it.
Faythe
 
One more thing...

I forgot about beans - those are inexpensive and great for protein. You're right - the vegetarian convenience foods are very expensive!
Erica
 
RE: One more thing...

I think of them as an investment in my health, and a donation to the health of the environment and a bunch of animals no less feeling and intelligent than my pets.
 
RE: One more thing...

Hi, Fayth, I went veggie for a summer a few years ago and loved it. I never felt better in my life. I ended up eating some meat--mostly chicken and fish simply because my family are avowed meat eaters! There are wonderful sources of veggie protein-tofu, garden burgers,corn and beans, sprouted wheat products. Do a search on the internet or explore cookbooks at your local library. Molly Katzen is a favorite vegetarian chef. Will you drink milk and eat eggs (lacto-ovo vegetarian) or forgo all animal products (vegan)? Vegetarianism is so doable these days and delicious too!

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/twinkle.gif http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/twinkle.gif http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/twinkle.gif http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/twinkle.gif http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/twinkle.gif
 
RE: One more thing...

In a perfect world I would be a vegan, but I don't think I can do that due to my not liking tofu. I also don't like soymilk which I just tried recently. (I tried the vanilla flavor)
Beans don't agree with my digestive system. Do any of you guys use beano? Does it work? I didn't know corn was a protein. See I did the veg thing a few years ago, but didn't think I ate much protein. I tried all the tofu's and such and didn't care for them. I have a few cookbooks with limited dishes I like. Most of them just consist of vegetables and grains. No good protein dishes. So for now I think I'll be eating eggs and occasional yogurt. I want to have a balanced diet and that's what I'm worried about. I am not crazy about cottage cheese and can only eat cheese in small amounts occasionally. So I'm looking for protein suggestions. I was talking to a friend yesterday who said some of the meat subs aren't too great unless you cover them in sauce.
Faythe
ps I have 2 veg cookbooks by Molly Katzen
 
RE: One more thing...

The hot dogs, sandwich slices and burgers are good, the chicken nugget things are gross, I agree. There is a lot of protein in spirulina or wheat germ or soy powders and brewer's yeast, all of which can be added to smoothie-type shakes. If you buy soy flour and add it to pancakes or corn bread as part of the flour (no more than 1/4 of it I think) you really up the protein of the bread. You can buy quality eggs and skim milk for protein. Read the labels for Boca burgers and Morningstar for their protein levels. They are amazing.
 
Different tastes...

I hate the sandwich slices, but love Boca chicken nuggets! I think they taste just like fast food chicken nuggets. OK - maybe that's why you think they are gross :)
 
Hi Faythe,
I just wanted to give you my thoughts on vegetarianism. I was a veg. for well over 6 years. This was easy for me because I really do not like meat. I switched back and forth from no animal products at all, to maybe fish or maybe some chicken now and again. One problem is that I was not faithful with protein drinks or trying to get enough plant/dairy based protein. (I love veggie burgers, veggie chicken, hot dogs and such, but I don't think it was enough.)
During this time I was doing heavy bodybuilding and lots of aerobics. Generally, I felt great. Sounds weird but I felt like I could tell exactly what nutrients my body needed on any given day (ex. B-complex, C, etc).
Eventually this backfired. I depleted myself of fat and protein and it really took its toll.(Gee, silly me didnt realize how much I needed fat and protein with a heavy workout schedule) All I craved was peanut butter (the fat & protein). I was eating it for every single meal and wanted nothing else. I would sit at my desk at work and scoop it out all day long. This went on for months. I was probably on the verge on doing some hormonal damage thats how depleted I was and it has taken a long while to adjust. Now I am wiser about this and have started eating chicken again and getting better about the protein drinks. So I guess my advice it just try to make sure you are getting enough quality protein in your diet if you decide to give up meat. Sorry this is so long I just felt I needed to give one view of someone who didn't do so good with a vegetarian lifestyle.
God Bless
Happy Trish
 
thanks you guys! I will try some of the different things the veg dept of my store offers. I really didn't think of protein shakes, wheat germ, etc. I will def concider that!!
What do you think about powerbars? (not that brand, but protein/carb bars in general?) I was thinking of half of one before a wkout and half after. I usually get 2 oz. protein at lunch and do my workout before lunch so if I can figure out how many oz of protein = how much protein in the power bars, I could eat that. But is that not healthy? I don't mean every day but most wk days. I am excited to try the protein drinks. Any suggestions as to what brands dont' taste too bad? I tried the Alba drink for dairy once, and yeak!! :p
Thanks in advance,
Faythe
 
Hi Faythe,

The key to vegetarian eating is learning to combine incomplete plant proteins. You don't have to "complete" the protein at the same meal, you have a day. So the cereal you eat at breakfast can be "completed" with black bean chili at dinner time.

The plant protein groups are:

cereals/grains
nuts & seeds
legumes (soy, peanuts & the obvious beans)

Also some vegtables such as corn & peas contain protein. One can always use dairy or eggs to complete a plant protein.

Other than focusing on plant instead of animal protein, the same principles of health eating apply. Chose nutrient dense foods & limit empty calories. Chose fats wisely & with restraint. Eat a variety of foods (prepared in a healthful manner) especially fruits, vegies & whole grains.

I'm not a big fan of bars, powders or other convenience foods. They have there place for emergencies but personally I wouldn't build an eating plan around them. But if you go that route, make sure of the calories & check the nutrients. An energy bar (or 2), an enriched cereal like Total, & a daily multi-vitamin will add up to an overload of some vitamins & minerals. More is not always better.

Debra
 
Debra,
Thank you so much for your input. I printed out your post and will figure out some good meals this week. I do plan to eat fish and figured on eatting that twice this wk.
Faythe
 
check out vegsource

faythe,
there's a board for new vegetarians at www.vegsource.com. you should be able to find all sorts of information about vegetarian diets there. also, i love soy milk, so i think you should definitely try different brands. my favorite now is silk vanilla, but vitasoy is good, too. i prefer the type you buy cold.

i've been a vegetarian for a year, and i love it. beans and grains are my primarily protean sources. i don't eat a lot of tofu. as far as convenience food goes, morningstar farms has the products that are most appealing to the masses. my boyfriend loves all their stuff. it is expensive, though. good luck.
 
Soy milk

Fayth,
Don't decide that you don't like soy milk from just one brand. There are a lot of yucky, beany-tasting soy milks out there that I've gone through and will never try again. Some other brands, however, are much better. I like Pacific soy (the "Ultra" has acidophilus as well as vitamins and mineral), Power Dream (the vanilla blast is yummy, as is the mango passion and extreme chocolate---visit their site at www.imaginefoods.com Eden extra is also good. Even if you don't want to drink soy milk, you can still get the benefits of it by using it in recipes instead of milk.
 
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