Why do I never feel healthy since I have been vegetarian?

Question

I have been vegetarian for several months now. I don't think I know how to eat a balanced vegetarian meal cause I never feel full of energy or healthy. Also, my weight has dropped, maybe only 5 ibs, but i am already tiny, and would rather gain healthy muscle mass. Does anyone have any recipes or ideas to having a healthy and balanced vegetarian diet?

Just to clarify. Vegetarian means I DONT eat meat, at all. But I do eat seafood every rarely.

Some of you people seriisouly need to chill. I said I have rarley eaten seafood...meaning in the beginning but not anymore. And YES you can be a vegetarian and eat seafood, there are different types of vegetarians. Like some eat eggs, some don't etc. Go look it up.

Answer 1

I dont know which diet you are under, but be sure that you somehow replace the proteins that you used to receive from meat and are basical to human body. there is no other food that can provide you the amount of protein you can find in a piece of meat. I know that vegs have some substitues which are not 100% equal, they can only replace a small part of it, but i dont know what they use, if other foods or artificial vitamin suplements, .....
Also make sure that you eat a good amount of eggs, and specially carbohidrates. This is where your body takes energy from, potatoes, rice, sugar, pasta... may be you are already eating them but you need to eat more i dont know,
My suggestion is that you find any vegetarian organization web site on the net and contact them for information or read articles regarding becoming a veg. This will be the best way to keep a balanced diet, or the other way is to go to a nutricionist.
good luck

Answer 2

First of all let me say this.....vegetarians do not eat any flesh!!!! That means red meat, poultry, seafood, if it was at one time or another a living animal and you're putting it in your mouth then you're not considered a vegetarian! People in this country are so overly obsessed with protein, a four ounce serving of protein per day is all you need, unless you're pregnant, lactating, recovering from surgery, or an extremely athletic person. That protein does not need to come from meat. I suggest you go to your local library or bookstore and find a book on vegetarianism to read, Vegetarian Times Beginners Guide to Vegetarianism is the one I purchased years ago when I went veg. Make sure you're not eating junk food, and go with organic whenever possible. Good luck!

Answer 3

The problem with most new veggies is that all they do is cut out the meat and think that makes things ok.

They substitute the meat with prepackaged veggie meat substitutes.

This is still SAD. That is the Standard American Diet. Which is not healthy.

Visit your library for some resources on nutrition and vegetarian nutrition.

If you're tired, you're probably lacking good carbs which is our body's natural source of fuel. Contrary to what silly people are saying here, protein is NOT a source of energy.

Nor is meat a good source of either protein or iron. You get more iron cooking your tofu in a cast iron pan than there is in steak. There is as much protein in cottage cheese as there is in steak.

Make simple easy veggie meals with whole grain pasta - not your basic egg noodles or pasta made with refined white flour - but good wholesome whole grain pasta and a cup of veggies. Add a lot of spices to make it savory. Top it off with chopped pine nuts rather than parmesan cheese.

Trader Joes has a number of different kinds of whole grain pasta and nice bags of nuts. Make sure you shake it up. Don't eat the same thing every meal.

Answer 4

You are not a vegetarian. And logically, if "vegetarian" means "one who only eats vegetation, "a pescatarian would be "a person who only eats fish."

If you want a fancy name for yourself, you can be a
ovo-lacto-vego-pescovore.

That being said, the key to a balanced diet is to eat a variety of food. The vegan food pyramid suggests
5+ servings of grains daily
3-5 servings of veggies
3 servings of fruits
2-3 servings of legumes (includes soy-milk)

It sounds hard to eat that much in a day, but a slice of bread is considered 1 serving. Half a cup of veggies is considered a serving. I personally use a juicer for my veggies. That way, I have all my servings in a single drink. Research the Internet. Look through the "resolved questions" area in Y!Answers to find recipes and helpful info on how to have a great diet. When you are secure enough in your new lifestyle, I am sure you will have no problems giving up fish and finally becoming a vegetarian.

Good luck!

EDIT- Vegetarians do not eat animals. Fish are animals. Vegetarians do not eat fish, despite the growing trend in the last few years by lazy people who feel otherwise.

We only care because pseudo-vegetarians make life tougher on vegetarians when we have to explain at restaurants that fish are not vegetables and when people at business lunches (rightly) state vegetarians are hypocrites because they think they eat fish. You see, the eyes could be considered a clue.

And just because people are correcting your mis-information, does not mean they aren't calm.

Answer 5

If you eat seafood, then you are not a vegetarian, you are a pescatarian.

Carbohydrates gives people energy, not protein. Protein builds cells, yes, but it's not energy food. Are you eating low carb? Not a good idea, because carbs are what everyone needs to feel energetic and satisfied. Btw, did you know that your brain uses ONLY carbs, and NO proteins? Really, the brain's energy comes from 100% carbs and 0% protein. So if you're doing the low carb thing, stop. Feed your brain.

Iron deficiency can make you anemic, so eat plenny legumes and green leafy veggies.

As for protein, everyone here is touting it as the end-all for fatigue. However, protein takes a long time to digest, hours, so it doesn't yield the energy you need. For that, eat carbs. Protein is healthy, yes, but it's not a quick energy food, not at all. Besides, our protein intake needs to be about 9% of our daily caloric intake. We need protein, yes, but easy does it. Too much protein causes osterporosis and kidney fatigue.

East plenty of good, energy-giving carbs. If carbs scare you, then eat the "good" carbs - veggies, fruits, whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, etc), legumes (beans, peas, lentils), nuts, seeds, and some soy (cheat meats, soy milk, tofu, etc). If you're not sure of what and how much to eat, look below for a link to the Vegan Food Pyramid.

Answer 6

First, if you eat seafood, you are NOT a vegetarian. Second, if you are eating healthy foods in good quantities and drinking lots of water, you should be feeling fine. Maybe take a multivitamin and make sure you get enough sleep. I would see a doctor and make sure there isn't something wrong with you. I doubt it has anything to do with your diet.

Answer 7

The most important part is replacing the iron and protein that is found in red meat. It is not necessary to eat meat to be healthy, it is even possible to be overweight and a vegetarian. Great sources of protein are found in a combo of beans and rice, which creates a complex protein mimicing that in red meat without the cholestrol. Also made sure you dont become a vegetarian that eats mostly beige foods, containing lots of refined flour and sugar, I made that mistake and that is most likely that cause of your lethargic feelings. Soy protein is also great healthy way to eat hearty calories to your meals, via tofu. Use healthy oils such as extra virgin olive oil to add plenty of healthy fats to veggies, the fats help the body absord the nutrients better. For quick pick-me-ups scope out the whole food stores for protein bars.

Answer 8

I just want to clarify that seafood is meat. Vegetarians don't eat animals. Anyway, take a look at the vegetarian food pyramid online. You need to incorporate whole grains, legumes, veggies, fruits etc. into your diet everyday. What is your average menu like for a day?

Answer 9

Make sure you have supplements of amino acids, iron, and Omega 3, if you are vegetartian. I have these supplements, and also a multi-vitamin complex. Also, maybe consider lactose in you vegetarian diet. This would mean that you don't have to eat meat, but you could consume milk products. Remember, that every body is different for everybody.
In all respect.

Answer 10

First of all, I am a healthy looking vegetarian. I take good care of my health. The main thing is, you have to make sure that you are getting all the nutrients that you are not getting from meat from somewhere else. I like schneider's oh naturel veggie products. They are my favourite. Energy could be an iron problem. Keep on top of your iron and protein. You could get bloodwork done to see if you are deficient in any area.
You could definitely have a healthy vegetarian diet. Don't give up on it.