Advice for a new vegetarian?

Question

I'm trying to become vegetarian, mostly for health reasons, I'm starting with being semi-veg and gradually cutting back. Anyway, I have a few questions: I know that things like French fries have animal fats in them , in some restaurants: am I allowed to eat those? How about butter? Does fish count as a meat? How do I still get my proteins? Is this an ok diet for a teenager? What restaurants offer plenty of veggie solutions? Thanks so much for helping me. I really am pretty clueless...

One more: What are some benefits, physical and otherwise, of being vegetarian?

Answer 1

Here is the best advice, DONT' BECOME A VEGETARIAN, THEY SUCK. But if you choose to ignore me, some veggy freaks eat fish eggs and such, some don't, it sa matter of opinion. There are no health benifits, its actually harmful unless you take alot of vitamins.

Answer 2

Well some vegs eat different things. Some eat eggs, others eat dairy, and some eat fish. It really all depends on what works best for you. By defenition vegs dont eat any meat, or products flavored or containing meat, eggs, or dairy. If you want to become a strict veg that doesnt eat any meat or meat products I would say stay away from all french fries...unless you make them yourself.

As for butter many vegs dont eat it. But some do. Once again it is a personal choice. But because it is a dairy most vegs would classify it as non veg.

Yes...fish does count as meat. It is a flesh after all. But once again some vegs...called pesco vegs, eat fish.

You can get protein from a variety of foods. Nuts and beans are a good choice.

Yeah it is a good diet for a teenager...it is good for anyone. You just have to make sure that you are getting all the nutrients that your body needs....so take a multi vitamin with iron.

Most restaurants offer veggie foods. Salads, and baked potatoes are always a good choice. I know that Burger King has a veggie burger, and that Wendy's offers baked potatoes.

When I first became a veg I had a lot of questions too. So I searched the web for some sites. I found this really interesting and helpful e book that is free.

Here is the site: veggie123.com

I love it. It really helped me.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Well I've been a veggie for almost 4 years and I'm still a teenager so I think it's ok for you to become one. I count fish as meat, and if the french fries have animal fat in it then no don't eat it. You can have butter lmfao unless you're a vegan then you wouldn't. Some good food thats veggie friendly is:
-MorningStar(i eat most of there products.)
-Amy's
-Quorn
Drink alot of milk and eggs, soy milk is pretty good even if you're not vegan.
You can get these veggie products at a local grocery store, I go to Stop and Shop they have an isle dedicated to veggies and vegans, so if you have that store by you I'd suggest it.
Hope that helped! Welcome to the veggie side hehe.
OH! and one more thing, it's going to be hard at first since you've been use to eating meat for so long I know that for a fact but after about a month its easy although sometimes I crave a hamburger but yeah I think of what happened to the poor cows and I make a veggie burger instead!

Answer 4

Yes, this diet is GREAT for teenagers! Great for ANYBODY, really, lol. Glad you're doing it!

French fries at McDonalds have beef fat in them, so no, they're not vegetarian. However Burger King's fries are not only veg but vegan, so they're safe. Burger King also has a vegetarian veggie burger, too. And butter's fine to eat for vegetarians.

But if you're a vegetarian you can NOT eat fish. The definitely of a vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, fish, or poultry.

For protein, you can eat soy, imitation meats, tofu, nuts, peanut butter, etc. Try the brands Boca and Morning Star. They have GREAT tasting meat substitutes that are high in protein.

When you go vegetarian, you may or may not notice weight loss, clearer skin, more energy, increased sex drive (yes, believe it or not, lol), and an all around healthier feeling. So it's definitely a great thing to go veg!

Good luck!

Answer 5

I think it's great that you are considering becoming a vegetarian! You have to truly decide "why" you have chosen to do this in order to eat what you feel is right. Since you indicated that "health reasons" is your most important factor, you may want to allow yourself to eat fish, dairy and eggs. Vegetarians who do not eat fish, dairy or eggs are more concerned about animal welfare and the environment. If this is also a concern of yours, then you may want to omit these foods from your diet. However, if your main goal is to eat healthier by consuming less animal protein, then you can "gradually" stop eating meat. Perhaps your final step towards becoming a total vegetarian could be to omit fish eventually, but just not right now. There are so many GREAT books on becoming a "beginner" vegetarian. Check Amazon, they even have a book on "Vegetarian for the Teenager". Most restaurants offer basic vegetarian meals, "vege-burgers", "steamed veges" , "salads", you can even make a non-vege meal into a vege dish by asking for a chicken Cesar salad "without the chicken". Take it slow, and read a lot of books. Good luck and happy eating!

Answer 6

Get a book called Vegetables Rock!

ABOUT THIS BOOK
If you're confused about going veggie, here is the perfect resource for basic nutrition information, great tips, a helpful Q&A, and recipes for vegetarian meals even nonvegetarians will love!

Vegetarianism can help the environment, raise your consciousness, and make a cow very happy. But for teenage vegetarians--and perplexed parents--there seem to be more questions than answers: What can I eat? How do I know I'm getting enough protein and vitamins? What's a lacto-ovo? Does all veggie food taste like cardboard? Vegetables Rock! answers these questions and more on what going vegetarian is really all about, including--

How vegetarians help save the planet
A primer on the history and values of vegetarianism, from veganism to macrobiotics
The lowdown on foods containing hidden animal products
Tips for braving the perils of cafeteria dining
What to say to meat eaters who give you a hard time
Survival strategies from successful vegetarian teens
What to eat in restaurants, diners, and fast-food places
Lists of veggie-friendly colleges, restaurants, websites, and mail-order sources
60 delicious recipes--all made with ingredients from your local supermarket!

Choosing vegetarianism is the first big step. Vegetables Rock! is the next.

Answer 7

1. vegans don't use any animal prouduct, but you said you were going to be a vegetarian. vegetarians still consume some animal products (depends on what type you plan to be). so the fats in french fries is your choice.
2.it's okay for vegetarians to eat butter, but some types of vegetarians don't consume dairy products.
3.some say that fish isn't meat. i beg to differ. fish is still flesh and flesh is still meat so there for fish is meat. i discourage fish eating. fishes feel pain like us, and they are actually really smart animals. do some research on fishes, it's really interesting on how smart those animals are.
4.soy and tofu products are full of protien. also, nuts, beans, seeds, ect, have are rich in protiens and nutrients. i just say watch out for your b12 vitamen.
5.i'm 14 and i droped meat about 2 months ago. i've felt so much better sense! my acne has cleared up a lot, i have more energy, and i'm much more alert. so, i would say it's a good diet for anyone at any age. but as a teen myself, you have to watch what you eat but don't restrict yourself, we are still growing so making super small proportians of food in a diet is not a good idea (i found that out the hard way).
6.if it's a nice restaurants your eating at then most likly they will have vegetarian friendly meals. and if they don't you can always get a vegie plate, or ask for the cheif in the kitchen to throw somthing togeather, most nice reastruant's cheifs will be more then happy to. fast food reasturants normally have salads and such.

visit the source link that can help out.

good luck! e-mail me if ya want!

Answer 8

vegetarianism is really pretty easy. do not eat french fries, unless you know for sure they were made in oil such as vegetable oil. you may eat butter, theres nothing wrong with thatt unless you're going vegan. fish is protein. don't eat it. you can get your protein from peanut butter. or you could take supplements. you would only have to take one or two per day only if they are , - i think- USP sertified. this is an ok diet for teens as long as your getting all the nuitrients you need. i dont think there are many restraunts that have vegetarian friendly foods, but at your general grocery store, they should have plenty of items you could eat. i reccomend, tofu, veggie burgers, veggie pizza, veggie hotdogs... etc... all made from soy based, stuff. yeah. good luck with vegetarianism. bai-bai's~!*

Answer 9

Being a vegetarian is a good thing, it has a lot of health, speritual, economic, and many other banifits to it.

I consider fish as non veg, so no fish. you can get your protein, form protein powder that you can put in milk, also you can eat beans and stuff like that, soybean is rich in protein. butter is veg as you are not killing an animal, oh and Indian resturant is a great place for veg food. I love indian food, try it some day you may like it too. good luck!!!

Answer 10

you cannot have fish, you can have butter though, unless you go vegan which eliminates all animal products. if the french fries have animal fats you cannot eat them. and yes, im 16 and vegan and i know others who are teens that are either vegetarians or vegans. just make sure you eat things like beans and brown rice and legumes which all have protein in them. and take vitamins. if you have any more questions, you can email me and ill try and help you out :)

Answer 11

Don't let other people bully you in to eating something that you don't want to. French fries might be vegetarian, but they also might be fried in oil that other foods that aren't vegetarian fried in.