I've always wanted to become a vegetarian .......?

Question

Im Puerto Rican so my whole family practically lives off Cows and Chickens. My moms cooking always involves meat and my school doesn't have many vegitarian options.
What shoud I do??

Answer 1

ask your mom if you can go with her the next time she goes grocery shopping so you can pick out the foods you want. if you're thinking about buying meat substitutes, then you might want to check out healthy-eating.com (under texturized vegetable protein). they will save your mom money in the long run, and you can season them to your liking.

as for your school, suggest vegetarian options to your principal. if he refuses to listen, take it to the school district. you might have a better chance if you assemble a group of people who support the idea, too... or you can go it alone. someone's bound to listen...

and as always, read read read... the more you read, the more knowledgeable you will be about vegetarianism. "diet for a new america" by john robbins is a good start.

best wishes :o)

Answer 2

First you have to commit yourself because creating vegetarian options does not eliminate the meat options.

Then you have to research some vegetarian recipes. Ask your mom to try out a few, or you can cook dinner for the family once in a while. Go grocery shopping with your mom and look around. Buy frozen mixed vegetables because you can make a million things with a simple stir fry or steamed vegetable.

Usually, also, dishes taste just as good without the meat. (Noodles and such) Ask your mom to just leave out the meat for you.

Peanut Butter and Jelly - perfect lunch sandwich.

Answer 3

pack your own lunch, and go shopping with your family. that way, you can pick what you eat. what i do is i just help my family make the meat part just one portion of the entire meal, not the whole thing. that way you can eat the dishes that have meat and leave out the meat. just be sure to get the right nutrients from vitamins or from other sources..... especially vitamin B 12, calcium, and iron. good luck!

Answer 4

like both, fruits: berries, oranges, pears, peaches, dragonfruit, pomegranate.... Vegetables: CUCUMBERS, bok choy, green beans, broccoli,.... We guess the two are great.

Answer 5

tell your mom that you want to become a vegetarian and also say that you want to save animals, then for your school lunch you could bring your own lunch.

Answer 6

tell your parents to make your food separate and without meat. then pack your own lunch for school

Answer 7

Buy vegetarian groceries?

Answer 8

pack your own lunch, and eat the vegitable portions your mom gives you and buy your own alternitive protein source.

Answer 9

Wait until you get to college and can make your own decisions about food.

Answer 10

wel come to the world of vegetarian because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks,following is the list of proteins for you :-
Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:
More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.

CONLUSION:
When activists like M.K. Gandhi, sports personalities like Martina Novratilova & Carl Lewis, beauties like Brooke Shields & Kate Winslet, physists like Edison, Albert Einstein & A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, religious leaders & mystics like Jesus & Osho can be legendaries in there respective fields taking the advantage of being vegetarian, Is'nt it more prudent on our part to switch over to vegetarianism & enjoy better quality & longevity of life.