I just became a no-meat eater. Have any tips to get enough protien and nutrients in my diet?

Question

I just stopped eating meat two days ago. I really like protien shakes and bars but, is there any other way I can add protien to my diet. What about other nutrients that will be missing from the no-meat diet? Any other tips?

Answer 1

Here is a really good list of different vegetarian foods and the number of grams of protein in a serving. It's one of the easiest to use that I've seen:
http://www.vegparadise.com/protein.html

Congratulations on making such a healthy change in your diet! You won't be disappointed! Pick up a few books about vegetarian nutrition to help motivate you and to better learn what great benefits you are about to reap. I recommend "Becoming Vegan" (or "Becoming Vegetarian" - both available at Amazon.Com). Good luck and have fun!

P.S. You do NOT need to combine certain foods in one meal to get "complete proteins" - this is a myth. As long as you have variety in your diet you don't need to worry too much about protein. This is a great article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n211/ai_17010257

Answer 2

Proteins are either complete or non-complete. Complete proteins are found in meat and soy (the only non-animal source) so eat plenty of that - not just tofu but plain beans and tempeh.

Other vegetable-based proteins are non-complete, meaning you have two combine two foods to give you the right ammino acids.

Group 1: Bread, pasta, rice, flour, noodles
Group 2: Vegetables, esp avocado, lentils, beans, peas, other legumes.

If you have items from BOTH group 1 and 2 in your meals you will be getting enough protein. Not hard as this includes pretty much any vegetarian dish: baked beans on toast, lentil pasta, chickpeas and rice.

Other nutrient deficiencies to look for (protein is really NOT a problem for vegetarians, these can be):
1. Iron (seaweed, green vegetables, eggs, seafood if you eat it)
2. Zinc (eggs, seafood)
3. B12 (only found in animal products so milk and eggs)
I would get a regular blood test for the 3 above and consider some supplements as some especially b12 are not found in non-animal products in a way the human body can digest - and these are vital nutrients.

Answer 3

Quick correction-lentils are a legume,not a grain. Beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy, eggs and dairy are all great protein sources. The only nutrient found primarily in meat is vitamin B12, which can be gotten in eggs/milk, by a 3/4 cup serving of fortified cereal(many brands) per day, or by supplement.

Answer 4

Two things I love to include in dishes to get protein is quinoa and lentils, both grains. Both are high in protein, and I believe quinoa is a complete protein, like meat, which helps out with one problem with a vegetarian diet, namely getting all the aminos you need. A quick search will find plenty of recipes for lentils. Quinoa may be a little harder to find, but I know a lot of people who loved it when they tried it.

Answer 5

at the beginning, congrats on turning out to be a vegetarian, this could nicely be a great element that greater human beings could desire to attempt to do! My favourite vegetarian meals are something from Morning celeb Farms. they have a TON of frozen meals which you would be able to easily toss interior the microwave or oven, and that they actually flavor like the meals that they are changing ("hen" tastes like hen, burger patties flavor like burger patties devoid of that beanish flavor"). you're able to desire to %. some up, they're in a eco-friendly field. different than that, this is particularly no longer as no longer elementary to get protein in a veggie nutrition ordinary as human beings have faith. eco-friendly leafy vegetables actually have a some distance better quantity of protein in step with calorie than meat does. Beans, brown rice, lentils, something created from soy, tofu, regularly occurring milk. All in all, my advice is merely to ascertain you consume healthy issues, and you shouldn't could desire to undertaking approximately counting protein grams. (And on a sidenote, the unique examine asserting that vegetarians are not getting sufficient protein have been subsidized by capacity of a branch of the U. S. Cattleman's pork association, which started the full delusion, so do no longer rigidity too plenty approximately it!) solid luck!

Answer 6

There will be NO nutrients or protien missing from your diet if you turn vegetarian.

Just eat a balance of fruit, veggies, nuts, cereals, dairy etc.

....veggie for 27 years, no problems with any deficiencies.

Answer 7

Eat a lot of Soybeans deribates like Tofu, Soy Milk and some protein products that you being in USA can easily get.

Answer 8

I have been a vegetarian for a year and a half.

Here are some foods:

Peanut butter
Eggs
Soy milk
Soy
Cheese
beans
brown rice
tofu
nuts
protein shakes
yogurt
some cereals
Vitamins

Hope this Helps!!

<3
jamie

Answer 9

Here's a great article from the McDougal Newsletter that is very helpful. Subscribe it's free & will be a good source if\n this endeavor.
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/dairy.htm

Answer 10

congrads on becoming a non-meat eater1 MAKE TOFU YOUR BEST FRIEND....TOFU IS AN INCRDIBLE source of protein and it tastes GREAT! you can put it in stirfys or have is heated up in a pan for a snack!

check out: http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/tofu/

or http://www.recipegoldmine.com/tofu/tofu.html

i hope this helped!

GOOD LUCK!