vegetarian?

Question

My bf and I are thinking about becoming vegetarians, we have a 9 month old daughter and want her to be as healthy as possible because diabetes, heart disease, thyroid, and obesity run in my family.We just have no idea how to get started. I am not a chef by any means but my bf cooks sometimes, know any good recipes or sites with them?
Here is what we do know: vegetarians can eat vegis, fruits, nuts , beans,rice, noodles ,and some eat milk,eggs, and fish.
that seems kinda hard. how do you eat out?
Also is it more expensive?We spend around 300 a month on groceries and that is all we can afford. I would imagine having to keep your fridge stocked with fresh fruit and veg. gets expensive!

Answer 1

Congratulations, and I'm glad to see parents being responsible and caring for their children's health.

First, one note, vegetarians do not eat fish, but piscavores do. They are sometimes lumped in as vegetarians, but vegetarians eat no animals at all. So I'll try to answer your question without assuming whether you intend to eat fish or not.*

Eating out as a vegetarian can sometimes be a bit difficult, but you can usually find one or two meals on the menu that work. You increase your chances if you pick places like Olive Garden or Case Ole rather than steakhouses or BBQ places. For fast food, places like Taco Bell are easier than McDonald's for vegetarian meals. Basically, avoid places that heavily push meat and you'll be fine with the menu.
Eating out as a piscavore is extremely easy, as almost every restaurant has a few meals that are either vegetarian or only have fish.

Since you are a on a budget though, it would probably be best to eat out rarely, or never. Fake meat products are also something to buy sparingly, since they can be costly. The good news though, is that fresh meat is also costly, so taking meat out of your diet should make the grocery bill lighter. Beans and rice are cheap, as are noodles and pasta sauce. Canned fruits and veggies are cheaper than fresh and frozen, but I'd suggest frozen since they are healthier than canned (and sometimes healthier than fresh), and cheaper and last longer than fresh. Tofu ranges greatly in price...it will be cheap in Asian markets, mid-range at the Walmart, and expensive in health stores. It's great for Thai curries or scrambling up in place of eggs for recipes like breakfast burritos. Nuts last quite a while, so you can buy in bulk when they are on sale. Bread and peanut butter are also cheap (though I'd look for whole-grain bread and PB with little sugar, since you're concerned about health). Fresh or whole frozen fish and good cheese are expensive, and fishsticks and American cheese are cheap but not very healthy. Eggs are generally cheap, but full of cholesterol. It's a sad fact that the healthier things generally cost more. It's up to you how you want to balance all that out, but I'd suggest going light on the eggs and dairy, and making grains, veggies, fruit, and beans the bulk of your meals. My big mistake when I first went vegetarian was loading up with dairy and eggs to replace meat, and the consequences on my health were disastrous.

Rather than list a bunch of links for recipe sites, I'll give you a good hint. Google for "vegetarian recipes" and you'll get more recipes and whole recipe sites than you could ever dream to cook up in your entire life.

*About fish - if you choose to include fish in your diet, you have to consider mercury content. If you choose to exclude fish, you then have to consider getting enough omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which you'd have to get from flaxseed, walnuts, etc. Either requires research - I exclude fish and think it's easier to get fatty acids from other sources than to worry about mercury, but it's your choice.

Answer 2

Vegetarian

Answer 3

Well first I think it's great that your considering this, it was a healthy decision on my part. It will be good for your daughter as long as she gets all the vitamins and nutrients she needs as well as you too. She will grow up healthier I think, with out all those hormones from meat.

Anyway, start slow, don't get overwhelmed at all, that only leads to frustration. Try replacing meat like 5 days a week for a bit, then go down to only one day of meat, then stop. After a while you'll get used to it, just like any diet.

There are a lot of great websites out there and recipe books, rent some from the library, anything is good. Also you can do so much with beans, noodles, rice and dairy!

Some meat alternative brands I recommed are: (from my fav. to least fav.)

Quorn
Morningstar Farms
Tofurky
Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, if you have one, makes some good meatless products.
Bocca

and don't worry, this will make you eat out less which equals a lot more $ in your pocket! Otherwise I go to Chipotle and Panera a lot.

Hope I could help, feel free to email me if you want more ideas. :)

Answer 4

Oh my god..... you and I must be from the same family!! lol.
The money... My bill dropped by an incredible amount when I cut out meat. Think of it like this... one package of chicken breasts cost what.... about 7.50 for a package of three... that's a lot of vegetables. I go to the store and while I don't eat the fake meat... I don't like it... I can fill my basket with enough food to feed me and my wife for the week and come in under 45-60 bucks. That's me making dinner everyday. and I eat a lot of fruit.... a lot. The same timeframe for food used to cost me about 125-150 when I bought meat. because we both ate it everyday. I never really realized just how expensive meat is.

I get most of my recipes from allrecipes.com
but there are a lot of others that many others here use.
Get started with easy recipes like rice and steamed veggies, stir-fry, grilled veggies, pasta dishes like: spaghetti and sauce, pasta primavera, eggplant parmigana(but I can't stand eggplant) etc....
The recipes are endless.

Good luck.

Answer 5

While it's true that some vegetarians use dairy eggs...vegetarians do not eat fish. I buy frozen veggies more often then fresh to be honest. Stick with whole grain pasta and brown rice...those are much healthier then the refined regular pasta and white rice. There are tons of great cookbooks and many websites online dedicated to vegetarian recipes.

Answer 6

For nutrition, check out www.vrg.org. They also have information on how to raise a healthy veg*an child.

For recipes, check out www.vegweb.com.

For tofu tips, check my profile.

Depending on where you live, eating out can be tricky, but ethnic places (Indian, Asian, some Italian) are easier than "American" restaurants. Just watch for fish sauce at Vietnamese and Thai places. And even Chipotle has a vegan option (the black beans are vegan, the pintos are cooked with pork).

Go to www.happycow.net to find veg-friendly restaurants and health food stores in your area.

Answer 7

They both are Ideal for your health. If you eat both, you're better off. But yea, I had choose fruits because they taste better.

Answer 8

It is determined by the fruit or plant linked to a comparison. If perhaps you compare a farrenheit to a carrot, the carrot is the better of the two nutritional. When you compare an avocado to the carrot, then this avocado is better. Equally the apple and avocado, are fruits.

Answer 9

Here are some recipes that u can make:

Herbed Rice and Spicy Black Bean Salad
"Delicious fresh herbs and a blend of peppers make this a fresh, light, and healthy dish that can be a side or a main course. My family loves this on warm summer nights."

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups cold, cooked white rice
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped black olives
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Make a seasoning by mixing together the basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl.
Gently mix together the rice, black beans, celery, olives, and green onions in a large bowl. Season the rice mixture with 1 teaspoon of the seasoning.
Make a dressing by whisking the vinegar and olive oil with the seasoning; allow to rest for 10 minutes. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture; stir to combine.

Fruited Tofu Curry Salad
"Vegetarian salad, with a lot of flavor. Serve as a meal or as a side dish on a bed of lettuce or in pita pockets. Tofu may also be pan fried in a small amount of oil with a tablespoon of curry powder instead of boiling method."
Original recipe yield:
8 servings

PREP TIME 30 Min
COOK TIME 25 Min
READY IN 55 Min

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup white rice
2 cups extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup halved grapes
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons diced green onions
1/4 cup walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes; set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook cubed tofu for 3 minutes; drain, and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, blend yogurt with lime juice and curry powder; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, toss together halved grapes, cranberries, celery, green onions, walnuts, rice, and tofu. Drizzle with curry dressing, and toss until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper, as desired.
Enjoy!

Answer 10

eating fish is NOT vegetarian! it is pescatarian, and eating fish is just as bad as eating a cow