I'm a new vegetarian? Tips?

Question

I stopped eating pork and beef a couple years ago because I found it nasty, but recently I've decided to cut out chicken and seafood as well.

My mom says that this is unhealthy because I'll have calcium loss, etc. but what do you guys think?

I already have anemia by the way, so I guess I need to take the iron pills or whatnot.

It's hard because chicken was my favorite meat of all time (it tastes good and goes with anything), but I'm a huge fan of birds, and the treatment of farm animals is a bit horrendous.

And although I love seafood, the 70% of fisheries are overfished and basically we just need to cut consumption a lot.

Personally I love the taste of chicken and seafood, but those are the reasons I'm cutting those out....

I just hate the taste of pork and beef though.

Answer 1

It is possible to obtain all the nutrients you need in a diet completely free of meat and animal products-there is absolutley nothing in a meat-eating diet that cannot be obtained from a vegetarian/vegan one.

You will however need to pay attention to what you eat to ensure you're getting all the nutrients that would be included in meat eating diet, mainly being protein, iron, folate and b12.

To obtain these nutrients eat foods such as tofu, soy derived foods, all legumes(beans, lentils, chickpeas), nuts, whole grains, and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and bok choy.

It would help to take supplements of iron and b12, or a supplement like spirulina or chorella which are high in those nutrients.

If you don't like a lot of the foods I listed, protien shakes are also a quick and inexpensive way to boost your protein intake significantly.

Answer 2

There's protein in a lot of things like dairy products, beans, legumes, nut, soy, etc. As you last questions said I take it that your going to stop eating chicken? If that's correct then good for you. Also watch out for gelatin found in some yogurts, gummy candies, altoids, some gum, plus more. I'd watch out for rennet or rennin or animal enzymes in cheeses. Most cheeses just list enzymes they don't specify if it's animal or not, but a popular cheese that doesn't have it is Tillamook. I'd reccomend getting the book Okay, So Now You're a Vegetarian by Lauren Butts. It tells you the nutrition you need and has some recipes that may be of use to you.

Answer 3

Listen to your mum, she is correct. It's no coincidence that you don't eat red meat and suffer anemia.
You could only eat free range meats, animals that have access to green pasture and sunshine produce healthier meats and fats than confinement animals. You are also no longer supporting a cruel industry.
I could start an argument about the morals of eating veges compared to meat, but that would achieve nothing. The simple fact is that we cannot live on this earth without leaving some sort of mark. Many thousands of creatures die in the growing of vegetables, but most people don't give the them same consideration as a larger animal with big cute eyes. There are not too many activities that we undertake that don't have an adverse affect on another creature, directly or indirectly
Most fisheries in developed countries are reasonably well managed now, so look for local seafoods and avoid imported seafood. Even better, catch your own if your location allows it.
By giving up these foods, not only are you depriving yourself of important nutrients, but one of life's simple, but great pleasures - eating wholesome foods that you really enjoy.

Answer 4

I've read that Americans generally have a calcium surplus which is actually hurting them than harming them. I think I even read that in a March or April issue of Woman's Day as well.

Some good suggestions and site have been given to you. A search for "vegan health" or even "vegan calcium sources" will yeild good results.

Even now, at six months pregnant, I'm not worried about my health or my baby's. This kid is probably healthier than at least two of her cousins (on my husband's side; Even though my sister feeds her daugther meat and dairy and eggs, she does feed her daughter good stuff; When I visit, I just have to worry about bringing some veggie "meat").

Parents are going to be concerned. They're parents. I was 27 when I became vegetarian. Not only that, but I was married and had been living out of the house for three years. (I lived at home and went to college and worked before my husband and I married, but I really wasn't home much then.)

Do some good research and show it to your parent(s). They might just be impressed at your maturity on this.

Oh, yeah. Fish started to scare me before I really thought about going veg. My husband and I used to spend a week a summer (the July 4th week, in fact... Sigh; Those were good weeks) in a Lake Erie town in Ohio. I would see pollution of litter and oil, etc. on the lake and realized that people fished from there and ate the fish. (I would see families fishing from the lake.) Now, I hear that fish is supposedly healthy, but at the same time, warnings about mercury in fish, especially for pregnant women. Go figure.

I think it's great that you want to do something that is against the norm of your family and are sticking to it. I wanted to do that more than a few times when I was a kid, but was afraid of the consequenses. I just didn't feel as though I had that support from my parents. (When I did stand up to them after I told them I went veg, I was very proud of myslef. While I was looking at my parents, I could literally feel my husband's support, even though we weren't next to each other. That helped.) Oh, yeah. My husband still eats meat dairy and eggs, but has taken much more healthful choices and will do veg meals with me.

Okay. I digress.

PS: If you don't know this already, there is a Vegegarian and Vegan subsection under the Food section of Answers.

Answer 5

I would consider taking a multivitamin to counter any loss of nutrients. Are you giving up milk and eggs as well? If you are not, then you would want to include a bit of both in your diet. If you are, try using products like Silk which are calcium fortified.

As for anemia, dark leafy greens are definitely loaded with iron. You want to include a wide variety of fruits and veggies in your diet, and add legumes (canolini bean, chick peas, etc) for some protein. Again, cheese (or a tofu subsitute) will provide protein as well. Good luck!

Answer 6

You should really research the diet and plan a variety of meals before you start. www.veganoutreach.org and www.veganhealth.org may be good places to start.

I would recommend learning how to cook decent veg food before you actually transition to a strict diet. That way you can make sure you can feed yourself enough everyday and don't get sick or lose too much weight.

www.vegweb.com has tons of recipes but now that I've been vegan for this long I like to look up recipes on foodnetwork.com and "veganize" them so that I don't have to worry about wasting my time with some crap recipe that the author probably could barely swallow.

If you are just going to be lacto-ovo and not vegan it will be a lot easier to adjust things to your diet.

Answer 7

Eat lots of veggies (and fruit). Dark green veggies have plenty of iron, so no need to take iron pills or whatever. Veggies have calcium in them, also. Vegetables are way better for you than meat, anyway. Go for whole grain breads. Drink plenty of water (everyone should).

I couldn't stand eating chicken off the bone. It looked gross and well, was just plain gross. That was my original reason for becoming vegetarian. That and it's alot healthier.

Answer 8

I would do some research. A big risk for many vegetarians is that they don't get enough protein (especially if they don't eat dairy products either). I wish I had a site I could recommend, but I'm sure there is tons of information online. A vegetarian diet can be very healthy if you make sure you get the nutrients you need.

Answer 9

Vegetarianism is a higher form of living compared to eating animal flesh. There r plenty of vegetables which provides essential vitamins and minerals.