How do I keep my protein/iron levels up as a vegetarian?

Question

I want to be vegetarian, but am worried about deficiencies... help me out here? Any good recipe ideas?

Answer 1

These deficiencies are extremely rare and only exist in people who do not eat much of anything at all. All this hype was created by the meat producing lobby.
If you eat a diverse vegan diet there is no way you could be protein or iron deficient. It only happens to starving people in poor countries.

Educate yourself: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/dairy.htm

Answer 2

If you eat any vegetables at all you won't have to worry about protein deficiencies. The idea that vegetarians don't get enough protein is completely propaganda. In fact... the protein that exists in meat is much harder for the body to process and store than the proteins found naturally in vegetables, so by switching you should actually get more. Iron's not too hard to get either. Just eat some dark green veggies or any soy product and you'll get plenty. Good luck!

Answer 3

The protein scare is the biggest misconception about vegetarian diets. There are quite a bit of misconceptions so here are some web sites I think will help. The first is a list of vegetables with protein and how much. Your body really only needs about 5% protien intake a day. The second are calcium sources in raw veggies. The third is an article about B12. It is actually a microbe found in soil and is abundant in seaweed, tempeh, miso, and root veggies. The last one is a list of foods with iron and how much.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

http://health.rutgers.edu/factsheets/iron.htm

http://www.carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

Answer 4

And keep in mind too much protein is very bad for you. It screws up your kidneys and can cause you to lose calcium. Even some vegetarians get more protein than they need, although not as much as meat eaters.

Answer 5

Pretty much everything we eat has protein in it, so as long as you are actually eating enough food every day, that shouldn't be much of a concern. As for iron, beans, dark leafy greens and fortified cereals and soy milk will help you keep up your requirements.

Answer 6

Beans/legumes are the best source of protein.

Molasses is very high in iron and it is very easy to assimilate; take a little molasses and your blood iron level will go up almost immediately.

Answer 7

Milk and Vegetables with enough edible green leaves-protein and Iron no problem

Answer 8

Women should be cautious about iron levels, even borderline low levels can make us lethargic and cranky. I take iron glycinate daily with a multi even though I don't totally follow a strict vegetarian diet anymore.
Recipe wise I like to eat spinach anything, pizza, cremed spinach, spinach puffs. Most green leafy veggies are beneficial. Cooked greens with beans is tasty and cheap. Best of luck.

Answer 9

For protein/iron:
Beans, whole grains and dark leafy green vegetables.

Check these sites for recipes:

http://www.exploreveg.org/resources/recipes

http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=153.0