Going Vegan or Vegetarian?

Question

Can anybody give me tips on going from a regular omnivorous diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet? I live with my grandma who loves to cook eggs/ham/bacon/any kind of meat quite often, and I have a metabolism problem that makes it very difficult for me to digest protein. There are no health food stores around my area, and the health food section in my local stores are very small/almost non-existent. Most of what I eat right now are carbs (such as breads, cereal, oatmeal), protein (which I shouldn't), and fats.) I need to find an inexpensive way to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet, but I don't know how I can... any suggestions? What do you usually shop for when you look for vegan or vegetarian foods? I'm just going on the diet type thing to stop myself from eating so much protein, and see how I feel after I begin the diet... . Also, do you think I would gain or lose weight on this diet/lifestyle change?

Would this be a major problem at a college campus where they usually serve mostly protein? They do have vegitarian choices... a salad bar and a bowl of fruit, thats it.. Back in my dorm room, I'd have a mini-fridge, and not much money....

Edit: I can't have alot of protein, maybe a spoonful of peanut butter a day is good enough for me because of the metabolism issue I have. (i can't digest an amino acid in that protein)

I don't have any issue with the way chickens/cows/pigs or whatever are being treated.

Answer 1

I thought brahmanya's suggestion was great. Why did he get 3 thumb downs??? Anyway, do you have phenylketonuria? Is phenylalanine the amino acid you can't metabolize?
You probably won't lose weight if you eat sufficient fats and carbs. However this is a topic you need to discuss with your doctor since phenylalanine is abundant in ALL proteins, not just meat, and by cutting out PA from your diet, you're also forced to cut out the other amino acids that you DO need. Perhaps look if there's a PA-free protein shake; this is the best solution.

Answer 2

Veggies and fruits? Look at your dried fruits (raisins,apple chips,etc) and your canned veggies. They're so exceptionally cheap it's insane.

Even a bag of carrots,nowadays,isn't more than $1.00 typically for a pound. And a pound is more than enough to last a vegetarian a few days-a pound lasts me up to a week or longer.

Hey,a salad bar is better than nothing. and if you've got a microwave? There's TONS of frozen vegetarian products that cost no more than meat does. Buy some,make'em in the microwave and put them in the fridge to keep. =) Morningstar farm's chik nuggets will keep up to two weeks in a good fridge.

Answer 3

You are NOT cutting out protein, hunny. You are simply cutting out Meat. There is protein in oatmeal, peas, beans, nuts, and seeds. These are GOOD kind protein and YUMMY too! :-)

There is also protein in milk (if you are allergic to milk, then try soy milk Vitamite and Silk are two really good brands)

You abosolutely CAN cut out meat and still get enough protein to nourish your muscles! :-)

You can eat canned, frozen, cooked and raw fruits and vegetables to your heart's content and it will make you feel healthy and energetic. :-)

You can make yourself vegetarian meatloaf, lasagna,chili, etc. There are tons of recipes. Let me give you a link to help.

http://www.veganmeat.com/recipie.html
http://www.vegan-food.net/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack/recipes.html

Good luck on your new way of eating and healthier lifestyle. May you never get heartburn or indigestion again from meat. :-)

Answer 4

My friend found some food that she really liked. If you like salads, then there are so many salads to choose from. Get a cook book or simpler, ask for recipes on yahoo answers! Also pasta and foods like that are good to go vegetarian on.

Answer 5

Do you have PKU?? I tried to answer you direct by email but you don't allow that . If you'll email me I can directly help since you appear to require a diet that restricts some amino acids. It's much to complex to try to guess which one here.

Answer 6

There should not be any difficulty to lead a vegetarian life. I am a born vegetarian Hindu from India. I do not know much about the conditions in USA. But there is a big population of Vegetarians from India living in US. Among them quite a number of them are students. Perhaps it will help you a lot if you get in touch with some of these vegetarians for practical help and tips. I find quite a number Internet resources giving Vegetarian Recipes and help. You can try some of them

Answer 7

Don't go vegan. Vegan-ism (lol) denies you of much protein, especially since you aren't getting it from meat.

I see know reason why being a vegetarian would be a problem in college. You can always get the salad or fruits, and you can always by your own from outside.

Answer 8

yeah you should eat proteins your body cells need them for structure, if you try to cut them out entirely your body will suffer. try a well balanced diet with less meat and more fruits and vege's

Answer 9

Yeah, don't. Meat pwns.

By the way, If you're becoming vegan because of animal cruelty, congrats, you have automatically made my list of people not to take seriously.

edit: Ok, thank you very much for becoming a vegan for a valid reason.

Answer 10

get protein shakes. and take vitamins. not eating meat can make you lose proteins and vitamins that you need. you especially need vitamins if you're going vegan and not going to drink milk and whatever.