What is a typical days worth of meals consist of for a vegetarian.?

Question

I would like to become a vegetarian...and yes, I know to eat fruit and vegies...but what is a good way to adjust to healthy eating without eating tofu and yucky stuff. What do you eat when you go out to restaurants? What does a typical days meals consist of? How do I know I am getting all the necessary vitamins I need. I also have a 2 year old and want us both to eat healthy. Thanks.

Answer 1

I don't eat tofu as I can't tolerate yeast. My day's menu might be something like this:

Breakfast
Smoothie containing rice milk, blueberries, a banana and flaxseed
A bowl of muesli and rice milk
or porridge
or Mesa Sunrise

Lunch
A bowl of vegetable and lentil soup with rye crackers
or any other soup using millet/potatoes/beans/coconut/lots of veg

Dinner
Chilli Non Carni and rice (made using quinoa mince)
or lentil shepherds pie
or spaghetti bolognaise
or pasta and bean bake
vegetable curry
mashed potato and lentil/bean stew
etc

Snacks
Hemp seed bread and peanut or almond butter

At restaurants I usually go to an italian as they make vegan meals like pasta and roasted veg. This is in UK though so I dont know what restaurants are like where you live (that is if you're not in UK!)

I have a 5 year old son who is on a veggie diet and I dont have any problems feeding him. He eats the same as me as he loves rice and pasta. He also likes nut butters but it isnt recommended to give a child younger than 5 peanut butter so please speak to your doctor before you giving your child nuts.
My son will drink stawberry soya milk, which is great if you dont want to give your child dairy. There are also soya yoghurts and icecream. I do give my son eggs just to be on the same side when it comes to protein, but that of course is down to you and your child. Make sure your child has lots of beans and lentils - these can be easily put into sauces/soups like in the recipes I use. They can also be mashed into potato and pasta and hevaily disguised!

Good luck with your new healthy lifestyle!

Answer 2

I don't think I have a "typical" day's menu because I'm always experimenting with new recipes. Breakfast is usually some kind of fruit, a bit of cheese, and toast. Lunch can be a salad, some homemade soup, and/or a sandwich.

And dinner? Dinner is where I really get creative! I've got a stack of cookbooks with plenty of good vegetarian menu ideas and delicious recipes. I love things like stuffed mushrooms, brocolli and cheese with rice, or a big pot of vegetable soup with homemade bread. I also love steamed veggies with different kinds of sauces or just by themselves.

The first thing I'd suggest is that you invest in a couple of good vegetarian cookbooks -- preferably ones that help you plan menus. I love Mollie Katzen's "Moosewood" cookbooks, but there are plenty of others that are just as good. Use their suggestions as a starting point until you're comfortable with planning your own healthy vegetarian meals.

BTW -- when fixed properly, tofu is delicious and far from "yucky." It can be used to make dips, stir fries, cookies, "cheese"cakes, etc.

I like to go to Chinese and Thai restaurants because they often have a vegetarian selection. If a restaurant has a salad bar, then you can always choose that option, too. Many places now have vegetarian selections on the menu, or, if push comes to shove, you can always order something like a chef's salad and request that they leave off the meat.

As far as vitamins for yourself and your child, I think you'd be better off consulting a dietician who specializes in (or at least understands) the vegetarian lifestyle. They can give you meal planning tips and suggestions to keep both of you in the best of health.

Good luck with your new diet. . .being a vegetarian is a lot of fun!

Answer 3

Agreed re. tofu = yuk, though that might not be a majority opinion here...

Most restaurants seem to have menus on-line nowadays. Check out those of your favourites and see what the vegetarian options are for an idea. If you don't see much, or don't see much that you like, take a look at what can be altered without much fuss -- something like pasta with veg and chicken thrown on top can easily be just pasta with veg.

Necessary vitamins: the cheapest multi-vitamin from the drugstore will do it, but you might want to check out something akin to 'Vegetarianism for Dummies' at the library and browse through -- some people, it seems, get a balanced diet without effort; some have to work a little harder.

Some stuff I've eaten over the last few days:

-- a 'breakfast burrito' sort of thing -- scrambled egg with salsa, jalapenos, sour cream, lettuce, bell peppers, green onions, cheese, in a flour tortilla
-- pizza (gr pepper, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes)
-- twice-baked potato w/cheeses, onion
-- pasta w/pesto, artichoke hearts, tomatoes
-- marinated and roasted zucchini
-- bag of cheese and onion potato chips
-- toasted English muffins w/tomato and hummus
-- fruit yoghourt
-- assorted candies
-- vegetable soup (homemade w/asstd 'winter' veg), cheese on top
-- etc

With milk, a beer, juice, water, tea, coffee, etc. I promise there's no requirement to force down luke-warm lentils and tofu dogs...

Answer 4

I am no longer a vegetarian. I had a lot of deficiencies, so I went back to eating meat. Here's a typical day for me when I was a vegetarian: Breakfast: Cereal with milk, or a bagel with cream cheese. Lunch: Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with salad and a muffin. Dinner: Curried Garbanzo beans with Basmati rice. You don't need to take iron supplements unless you don't eat complete proteins during the day. You have to compliment beans with corn or rice or other grains in order to get a complete protein, or at least eat those things within several hours of each other.

Answer 5

Breakfast: high fiber cereal with fruit or toast with yogurt and fruit
Lunch: sandwich-veggies, cheese, fake meat (in the sandwich tastes goood!)
Dinner: stir fry, burritos, anything you want, but without the meat!

Also, I personally love tofu, but I realize that it can be an acquired taste. The secret to tofu is to use extra firm (so it isn't jelly like) and to use a sauce that you like because tofu takes on the flavour of whatever it is cooked in. A good way to get to know tofu is to get dishes with it when you are out at a restaurant. Asian restaurants often use tofu. For example, where you would get chicken stirfry, get tofu, beef teriyaki, get tofu. I firmly believe that everyone can like tofu if shown how to cook it properly. Go online and get vegetarian recipes.

The most important thing (for meat eaters too) is to eat a varied diet consisting of foods you love!

protein sources: cheese, beans, nuts/nut butters, soy 'meat'

good luck!

Answer 6

Being a vegetarian does not necessarily mean adjusting your life drastically. You can still have muffins, pizza, bagels, grilled cheese, many soups, breads, you name it. There is no need for tofu. (I hate it!) When I go out, I rarely have a problem finding something meatless. Many local restaurants will substitute, or remove the meat entirely off of their regular entrees. Fast food is not such a big problem either. Taco bell will substitute bean for beef on anything. Most burger places will make their burgers meatless. They usually add extra veggies in its place. I eat alot of meatless organic pasta, and cheese pizza. There are many wonderful rice dishes for dinners as well! For your child, there are equally as many vegetarian choices, as well as specialty recipes for vegetarian children. ( try vegetariantimes.com)
If you are nervous about your intake of vitamins, try a women's multivitamin, such as Centrum. It will help to ensure that you do not start losing iron. If you are planning on having your child eat vegetarian, make sure that you talk to her pediatrician to figure out her needs, but usually a children's' vitamin regimen will be recommended for a while. When I first switched, I was nervous about this as well, but many years later, I am the healthiest that I have ever been!

Answer 7

first of all, I HATE TOFU. you are not alone! hahaha. i am also a health nut. my meals change from day to day, so i'll go ahead and give you can example of what i ate all day yesterday(oh and i am a vegetarian not a vegan btw):

breakfast: regular plain instant oatmeal with splenda added

lunch: a lemon and green pea rice pilaf with mixed herbs and onion, steamed vegetables, and a mixed grapes salad

dinner: vegetable lasanaga, a salad (with tomato, romane lettuce, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, snap peas and a balslemic vinagarette)

snacks through out the day: some unsalted roasted cashew nuts here and there

drinks: ice tea and water

again, my meals are different each day usually.

Answer 8

Our whole family is vegan (one step farther than vegetarian in that dairy and eggs are out). Typical day is:

Muffins that I make myself in which I use Sucanat as the sugar (it has the highest calcium and iron content) and some Dulse flakes in it (seaweed for more calcium and iodine content) and fresh flaxseed meal that I make in the grinder (terribly fun to grind up seeds!). And they can have either green tea with kombuchu (immune boosting green tea and a pick me up for my teenagers) or organic apple juice (more sugar for the little ones).

They make there own lunches: leftovers (pasta/spaghetti sauce or rice and stirfry usually) or they make their own sandwiches (tofurkey on sprouted wheat bread with sprouts or baby lettuces for their greens, or peanut butter and fruit spread with peapods/carrots included for their vegetables), or they can heat up some soup and put it in the thermos. They then have apples, applesauce, crackers, or chocolate soy pudding cups to help them out.

After school they can have soy yogurt before I make them run around the track to stay in shape for soccer next spring. Or a smoothie made with flaxseed oil (mental cognition development booster), frozen organic fruit (peaches, strawberries, mangoes usually), and organic juice.

Dinner is anything special that I want to make: pasta with spaghetti sauce, stirfry with rice, vegan burgers with sprouted wheat buns and organic potatoe french fries or tater tots. I also do lasagne, seiten roasts (special occasions), middle eastern cauliflower with peas, pizza with peppers and broccoli and baked tofu toppings, spinache noodles, lentil burgers, soups that are creamy based (cashew nut cream) or tomatoe based (spicy moroccan lentil is their favorite). I try to have three different color vegetables in the meal, and I will make one of the vegetables as raw as possible - usually sweet peppers at the end where I will sprinkle them on the meal and let them warm up only).

Desserts are cakes, pies, frozen rice cream bars, and crisps (fruit with a granola on top baked in the oven).

Since we have been vegan for over two years now, we all have Vitamin B-12 supplements. We have only one restaurant that serves vegan food, and it is expensive so we go there only for birthdays. We don't have fast food in our vocabulary, unless you count the vegan burgers and frozen french fries as fast food (it is for us!).

Answer 9

There is some informatin about nutririon you may find useful here: http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk/vegannutrition.html and information about eating out here : http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk/veganrestaurants.html

Answer 10

what do u think bimbo? plants