vegetarian?

Question

i turned vegetarian a while ago to be healthier and im just wondering if its better to be vegetarian than to not eat meat at all, and what should i eat to be healthy?

Answer 1

I just have a comment for the guy up there that says not eating meat stunts growth. Do not believe that for a second. I have been vegetarian my entire life, and am not only healthy- but 5'11'". I would have hate to have seen what I would have gotten to with meat...wow. A 7 foot female!

Anyhow, to your question....there are many alternatives out there mentioned by many of the people who already answered. Someone mentioned trying new things...that is the biggest key. There are some things that lets face it are just ugly and you cannot imagine putting in your mouth. Well 9 times out of 10 you will enjoy them. Everyone veg and non veg alike should eat balanced, and I dont think that the typical vegetarian is missing out on anything that the typical american non-veg is missing out on going to eat fast food 4 times a week.

Answer 2

I've been a pescatarian (no redmeat or poultry-- I still eat fish) for almost three months now. I did it for health reasons too!

I asked almost the same question the other day and got an awesome answer with a lot of websites to check out. You can check that out if you want. (It's the only ? I've asked so it should be pretty easy to find.)

As far as why I'm still eating fish and not cutting out meat entirely... convenience. I live on a college campus in the South, and the workers in the cafeteria kind of look at you funny when you don't want the fried chicken or country fried steak. And every time they serve veggie burgers (twice a week if I'm lucky), they're like "You know these are veggie burgers, right?" But I just laugh and go on. Next year when I'm off campus, I'm sooo looking forward to being able to cook for myself. And probably will cut out meat entirely.

I know that a lot of these other people have been vegos for a lot longer than me, and can offer a lot better real advice! I just wanted to wish you luck and offer encouragement. And you will feel healthier! And stick with it, it'll become habit!

And when you do get a craving for meat... it'll happen at first... MorningStar makes AWESOME veggie burgers. Barely a difference.

Answer 3

hey it must be pretty hard switching to vegetarianism. Research has shown that vegetarians outlive non-vegetarians. i dont know to what extent it is true but it is true that vegetarians are much healtheier and have less toxins in their body. I have been a vegetarian all my life and it isnt hard at all to find good stuff to eat. u dont have tto jes stick to salads but by cutting out the cholesterol that comes in meat, ur immediately gona benefit. for breakfast, u can eat cereal/toast/fruits like bananas/juice. for lunch and dinner you can eat whatever dish you normally eat but without the meat..that alone will help you a lot. jes remember..being vegetarian doesnt mean being on a diet. u can pretty much eat as much as you want since u wont be piling up on the meat fats. and also, to be healthier, AVOID fried stuff and stuff like chocolates and coke. hope this helps! gud luck!!

Answer 4

eat a balanced diet, not just veggie alternatives such as veggie sausage, pizza, flan etc.

I've been veggie for 26 years. Far from being pale and weak as some would have you believe. I am an arable farmer who is never ill, never takes suppliments, isn't too thin, is strong, has a great life and is likely to live 15 years longer than those meat-munchers.

No need to eat any meat, fish or poultry.

Answer 5

Ummm, being vegetarian means you already don't eat meat at all. You need a balanced diet, no junk food vegetarians (just because there is no meat in cheese pizza and funyuns doesn't mean they are good for you!)

I'm sure if you browse over some of the past answered questions, you will get some great suggestions on what to eat.

Answer 6

I've been veg since I was 12. I am now 22. I'm healthy. I eat a lot of beans (black, pinto, white, kidney, what have you.) I just ate a salad with a bunch of chickpeas on it....it was good! I also put artichokes and a buncha other good stuff on it.
I would recommend that you experiment with trying new foods and cooking methods. I cook all the time and I love trying new things. Have you ever had tempeh? It's fermented soy beans, it's really good!

Answer 7

There are many benefits to a diet containing meat. Many vegetarians claim that meat is unhealthy. This is a blatant fallacy.
It is well established that eating meat improves the quality of nutrition, strengthens the immune system, promotes normal growth and development, is beneficial for day-to-day health, energy and well-being, and helps ensure optimal learning and academic performance.
A long term study found that children who eat more meat are less likely to have deficiencies than those who eat little or no meat. Kids who don’t eat meat — and especially if they restrict other foods, as many girls are doing — are more likely to feel tired, apathetic, unable to concentrate, are sick more often, more frequently depressed, and are the most likely to be malnourished and have stunted growth. Meat and other animal-source foods are the building blocks of healthy growth that have made America’s and Europe's youngsters the tallest, strongest and healthiest in the world.
Meat is an important source of quality nutrients, heme iron, protein, zinc and B-complex vitamins. It provides high-quality protein important for kids’ healthy growth and development.
The iron in meat (heme iron) is of high quality and well absorbed by the body, unlike nonheme iron from plants which is not well absorbed. More than 90 percent of iron consumed may be wasted when taken without some heme iron from animal sources. Substances found to inhibit nonheme iron absorption include phytates in cereals, nuts and legumes, and polyphenolics in vegetables. Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, headache, irritability and decreased work performance. For young children, it can lead to impairment in general intelligence, language, motor performance and school readiness. Girls especially need iron after puberty due to blood losses, or if pregnant. Yet studies show 75 percent of teenage girls get less iron than recommended.
Meat, poultry and eggs are also good sources of absorbable zinc, a trace mineral vital for strengthening the immune system and normal growth. Deficiencies link to decreased attention, poorer problem solving and short-term memory, weakened immune system, and the inability to fight infection. While nuts and legumes contain zinc, plant fibre contains phytates that bind it into a nonabsorbable compound.
Found almost exclusively in animal products, Vitamin B12 is necessary for forming new cells. A deficiency can cause anaemia and permanent nerve damage and paralysis. The Vitimin B12 in plants isn't even bioavailable, meaning our body can't use it.
Why not buy food supplements to replace missing vitamins and minerals? Some people believe they can fill those gaps with pills, but they may be fooling themselves. Research consistently shows that real foods in a balanced diet are far superior to trying to make up deficiencies with supplements.

Answer 8

its wonderful to be a vegetarian . and to eat healthy just stay away from junk food, and only eat healthy foods such as pastas , salads, fruits, vegetarian burritos, try shopping at a mothers market

Answer 9

There are 4 or 5 types of meat (poultry, beef, pork, fish, etc) and everything else in the world in veggie. Think about it. Everything else you can eat. There are tons of recipes at vegweb.com

Go vegan and stay vegan.

Answer 10

u have healthy foods in vegetarian as well as non vegetarian too
as u have turned to veg side.
eat all types of dals they are relly very gud for health.
eat fruits and raw vegetables like carrot beetroot cabbage cucumber
tomatoes salads they are healthy.
prepare curd (dhai) its must for vegetarians .