how can I become vegetarian?

Question

My intention is the eightfold path. the problem is my family is fine with being vegetarian except for my brother and my grandpa. Besides tofu, where else can I find a high source of protein, and any type of vitamin or anything that i need to function the same as eating meat?

My family also sometimes goes out and eat. If I was to eat a buffet or a chinese or vietnamese restaraunt (what I normally go to) what things can I eat?

First of all, I dont believe eating anything that imitates meat like morning stars.


Im also used to chinese cooking but I currently prefer american.

to clarify my question, What vegetarian foods have the same health benefits as meat besides eggs, milk...?

also in the morning my grandpa makes sausage and eggs, which I hate the taste of anyways. what breakfasts can I eat?

what home lunches?

also in the morning my grandpa makes sausage and eggs, which I hate the taste of anyways. what breakfasts can I eat?

what home lunches?

Answer 1

There are different kinds of vegetarians. Some take eggs/ dairy, some not. Some even cut out garlic.
I assume you stll take egg and dairy products.

Basically, beans, cereals, carbohydrates and vegetables can provide you with the same loads of protein and vitamins that one needs. What is important is a good mix.

There is a principal for vegetables too : take different colors of red (tomato, red pepper,,) , yellow (lemon, zucchni..), orange (carrot, pumpkin...), blue (blueberry...), purple (aubergine) and green AND take different forms of vege say roots, leaves and fruits. Because different colors reflect different kinds of minerals and vitamins. Different forms also contain different mix of protein, starch, etc.

For breakfast, you can try
- yoghurt with fresh fruit: strawberry, bluberry is a good choice
- fresh carrot/ orange juice with a toast with peanut butter
- tomato & cheese sandwich
- vege cereal/ bran with rasin / nuts in milk/ soya milk

For meals, try
- curry lentils and chickpeas with pasta/ rice
- broccoli and pasta salad
- tomato goat cheese salad with wheat / museli/ dark bread
- baked potato with bean sauce
- fried mushroom/ bamboo roots/ cabbage with noodle/ rice(chinese style)
- steamed radish cake with dried mushroom and spring onion (chinese)
- green bean noodle with shredded cucumber/ mushroom/ baby corn (chinese)

For the chinese style ones, you can change the mix and tastes making use of different veges and sauces like soya sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce, bean sauce, etc.

Just be experimental. I have been eating vege for years but I never find boring in food - anywhere.

Answer 2

Well normally I would answer every point of this question in detail but I'm about to go to bed, so I will just address the most important point: protein.

I don not eat imitation meats either (except fake bacon - I have a soft spot). The main source of protein for vegetarians is legumes - beans, lentils, even tofu which is made from soybeans. In fact, imitation meat is almost all soy-based too, so, yeah. Lots of beans. Pinto, kidney, black, lentisl, whatever. As far as vitamins go, just eat lots of fruits and veggies and you're set. For iron, get it from leafy greens like spinach or collards. If you're going the vegan route, leafy greens are important because they have calcium, too, which you'll obviously be missing by leaving out the dairy products.

Answer 3

I have been eating lots of beans, haha. Actually I love Chipotle's Vegetarian Burrito Bowl with extra Guacamole. You get a lot of fiber/protein from beans, and peas. Also, I eat a lot of peanuts and if I don't have any other protein I just fix myself a peanut butter sandwich. You can also fix some really good noodle salads with peanut sauce or just add peanuts, thai food and some chinese food tends to include that, just be careful if they throw pork or duck in the menu item you intend to order, always know what you're ordering. Thanks for saving some animals :)

Oh yeah and don't forget eat a lot of spinach to get your iron, I eat a lot of eggs and drink milk too.

I have a lot more energy being a vegetarian, and now that I'm avoiding all of the hormone induced mammalian/bird meats my skin is much better and I have a lower risk of cancer!

Answer 4

Here is a sample food plan from the Seventh day adventist web site

Breakfast

2 Sanitarium Weet-Bix with sliced banana and a handful of walnuts
Sanitarium So Good Lite soymilk (1 cup)

Morning tea

A small handful of dried fruit and nuts e.g. prunes, dried apricots, almonds, cashews

Lunch

1 sandwich made with wholegrain bread spread with avocado and filled with a variety of colourful salad vegetables e.g. mixed green leaves, grated carrot, tomato, beetroot, cucumber, mung bean sprouts.

½ cup baked beans

1 piece of fresh fruit in season e.g. apple or orange

Afternoon tea

Hummus dip with vegetable sticks or;

Fruit smoothie made with 1 cup Sanitarium So Good Lite soymilk and wheat germ

Dinner

Indian spinach tofu with rice (see recipe)

Wholemeal roti (an Indian flat bread, also known as Chapati)

Bowl of berries or fruit salad in season with low fat soy or dairy yoghurt

Remember to drink 6-8 glasses of water each day.


Vegan Wolf Website
www.veganwolf.comwww.animallib...
adventist.org.au
www.animalliberation.org.au
www.DietVegetarians.info
www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au

www.veganwolf.com
www.vegsoc.org.au
www.vnv.org.au/
www.vegiedelights.com.au
www.trinity.wa.edu.au
VegetarianCooking.com
www.annabella.net
www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au

Here are some breakfast and lunch ideas websites

THe web sites you should be looking at

www.newint.com.au
Taste.com.au
VegetarianRecipes.Starware.com
www.vegsoc.org.au
www.vegsoc.org
www.goodrecipes.com.au
www.veganwolf.com

There are lots of protein food sources appart from meat. I sugest you read, read, read. The websites will give you lots of ideas. Also dont be frightened to try new and exciting vegan recipes where no dairy, cheese or eggs are used. the recipes are great. Being vegetarian is only limited by your imagination. Also before embarking on being a vegetarian please really research your topic. You will hear stories of people who became really sick on eating vegetarian but really all they lived off was vegetables and sweetened coffee. You need a balanced diet to be healthy and thats the same with being a vegetarian. Good luck.

Answer 5

You said a lot! :)
Well PETA has a veggie starters kit, it's free-I listed the website below. While I admire you for not wanting imitation meat, it is a good source of protein (& super easy).
I haven't had much luck with Chinese buffets, but you can order a dinner with tofu like the farmers plate or something similarly named. Other buffets are fine, depsite paying $8 for mashed potatoes and corn lol. Honestly, most have cheese pizza and nachos anymore.
For breakfast, a potato and chesse omelet rocks. Gotta love pancakes, waffles, oatmeal ;). Eggs in general, if you're not planning on being a vegan. Special K has a protein plus cereal, it's worth checking into (it has a lot of protein for a simple bowl of cereal)!
Of course you have your beans, etc too for protein, bean soups are great but beware any soups that have a chicken or beef base (you always have to ask).
Congrats and stay with it, it get easier!! :)

Answer 6

Source of Protein - Beans, Soya chunks (which has protein higher than Chicken, and also feels like chicken), Protein Powders (made from Soya).
You can substitute milk with Soy milk - infact you can make it in your home. Try searching "Home made Soya milk...n it is healthier than milk)

Source of Vitamins & Minerals - Raw or slightly cooked vegetables.

For Vitamin D, try exposing urself to the sun

I'm a Veg and this diet has worked well for me.

You can actually try looking at a few Indian recipes, which is majorly Vegetarian.

Answer 7

Try to eat pulses (lentils) they are great sources of protein. Hey, the population of India has lived on them for thousands of years! There are lots of ways to cook them that are great too.

Try to find a book called the Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katsen. I use recipes from that a lot.
Are you intending to be a total Vegan or just not to eat things with faces?
If so, you may want to think about mineral and vitamin supplements as a total vegan diet can miss out on some of those.

Answer 8

Meat isnt really a great source of nutrients, im afriad you've been had.

Theres actually far too much protein in it which will contribute to osteoperosis. legumes, nuts, seeds and grains are a much better source of protein and they all come with essential fatty acids as opposed to saturated fat and trans fatty acids.

eggs, once again cholesterol and protein, go the seeds and nuts.

milk is half saturated fat. it does have a few good things in it, but good natural unsweetend yoghurt is a much better source of the same stuff.

Answer 9

If you are male only consume minimal amounts of soy.. it will change your estrogen levels and in extreme cases you will develop breasts.

if your a girl --- and you like bigger boobies ....


for me to be a vegan - I attempt to research and avoid any food products that utilize animal in the process.

There are lots of vegetarians. I didn't just become a vegan over night.

For me it started when I was diagnosed as lactose intollerant.

I didn't like the digestive aids that were given as they just caused side effects, so I opted to cut lactose out of my diet completely.

That means no cheese or milk which were some of my largest caloric intakes - I use to drink tons of milk. It was suprising how many foods had traces of lactose - breads, cereals, EVERYTHING.. well not everything.

I was still eating meat though........... but I eventually removed meat from my diet, the point of no return for me was when I was arrested, it gave me the conviction to really find beleif to death in veganism, before then I was for it, but I didn't know how far I would take it, but it took a long time to get that level of practice.

Other than the odd food contamination - and lies by prison gaurds when they lied about food they were giving me I've been at a very high level of abstinence from food product.

The key thing that makes it easy is having a somewhat regular diet, and researching any new foods you plan to introduce - it allows you to learn about where your food comes from, and how it is made. It is an educational exerience.

Different foods have differents minerals and nutrients.

Knowing a bit about nutritional health sciences will help...

in general though as a fail safe having a multivitamin and protien source should cover any gaps for you. but doing a bit of research first will help.

iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin b12 are huge definciency potentials --- for vegans also getting complete protiens requires you to mix specific types of foods.

There are tons of links like:

http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9427

It IS possible to eat healthy as a vegan or vegetarian.


You arn't trying to replace other foods, you are trying to fill the nutritional needs.. animal milk wasn't always with humans... likewise humans arn't carnevoirs.. humans if the appendix theory is correct once existed on only plants as their food source after the nursing period..



you may like to research these links as well:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=dangers+of+veganism&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

don't always believe what you read and research things from multiple sources where possible. For me I've been exclusively vegan in my diet for about 2 years straight - and for about 3 years ongoing with a couple periods that I may have consumed processed cane sugar that may have been processed with char. And 7+ years a vegetarian for the most part, first taking out dairy then meat etc..

I can jog/run long distances and feel generally healthy. Once roller blading with a dog, as well as a high impact front wheel bike overturn into concrete and ashphalt I broke my thumb another finger and my wrist at various times over the last year that set me back on my upper body - but I was while eating vegan doing 30+ pushups confortably - I am healthier now then I was when I was eating all types of foods.

Answer 10

You are a Buddhist, right (since you want to practice the eightfolt path)? So besides meat, there are still five other food you can't eat. I only know they include onion, garlic and leek. You can ask your master what you cannot eat before deciding what to eat.