Vegetarians ONLY help please?

Question

I just told my parents that I want to be a Vegetarian, and we have no idea where to start. My mom said that I needed to know the nutritional requirements for Vegetarians. Because I'm "still growing". Can someone please give me links for nutritional requirements for Vegetarians??

Thank you!!

Answer 1

Here are a few sites...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/
http://www.ivu.org/archives.html
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/
http://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/
http://www.veganwolf.com/
http://www.vegsoc.org/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/health.html
http://www.goveg.com/

As long as you eat a lot of veggies, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains you'll be fine.

Good luck :]

Oh and because I saw someone say something about taking supplements for B3.
As long as you eat a healthy varied vegetarian diet you should have no need for supplements of any kind.
As for B3 goes, it can be found easily on a veggie diet. So it's not really an issue.
Whole (and enriched) grains contain B3. Nuts, beans, and veggies do also.
If you eat milk and eggs you will find B3 in them too.
Here is a big list of foods that contain B3:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR18/nutrlist/sr18a406.pdf

Answer 2

For veganism, www.veganoutreach.org. There is a specific section for nutrition. If you still consume eggs and dairy, nutrition will be less of an issue. Another good source of information is Vegetarian Resource Group. www.vrg.org. Calcium enriched orange juice is a good thing to have on hand. If you want recipes, www.vegweb.com. Best of luck. Ask for Veg cookbooks and magazines for birthdays and holidays!

Answer 3

Look for a book called "Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. They are registered dietitians and vegetarians. You can look up what you need to know on the web, but there's no substitute for having a good book on nutrition. I'm glad your mom is being supportive and pointing you in the right direction!

Answer 4

I think John L meant vitamin B12.

If you live in North America, go to www.cok.net and order their vegetarian starter guide. Many organizations offer a veg starter guide that will give you all the information you need.

I agree that www.vrg.org is another good source for nutritional information.

Congratulations on your decision, and it's good that your mom is being supportive.

Oh, and don't buy the propaganda that milk will help you lose weight. It's designed to help a baby calf grow hundreds of pounds in a matter of months. What do you think that will do to a human? As for calcium, excess protein, especially animal protein, causes you to LOSE calcium from your bones and hurts your kidneys.

Answer 5

Ok, your parents are worried about your health. I have been a vegi for 37 years and raised two kids, one now 31 and one 26 who have never eaten meat products.

The concern they have is protein which we all need but growing people need more. Meat, everyone considers
the only protein. Not true, Dairy products such as mild, cheeses all provide a better protein then animal. Then there is vegetable products like soy/tofu, and combinations of vegies, particularly beans provide full protein.

So spaghetti with cheese provide a full meal. Pizza is the ultimate vegi meal. Macaroni?? Vegi submarine sandwiches, a baked potato with cheese and some vegies in IT are a full meal.

Greek food, Italian , Mexican foods are all primarily vegetarian.

good luck. You should by a veg book. Do not forget that your parents are just worried about you.

Answer 6

Just dont get stuck in a rut of ordering salads and cheese sandwiches when your at a restaurant. I did when I was a teen starting out. Its not healthy. Endless possibilities to cooking at home

Answer 7

Here is the short end of the stick.

As long as you eat a well balanced diet of fruits, legumes, grains and vegetables, you will not have to worry about anything! The old protein stories are utter non-sense. However, the only thing you have to watch for is Vitamin b3. Just get supps.

Congrats and cheers!

Answer 8

ok ill find some considering im on in 7th grade. Theese two are perfect I read them and bacame a vegetarian and im in the 7th grade.

Answer 9

pretty much grains,veggies, fruits and of course nothing with meat. but please please please decide if this is what u really want to do first. cuz we dont want u switching over back to meat and getting sick thats the last thing you want to do so make sure that you want to stick with this first! And welcome to the life of A VEGETARIAN!!!

Answer 10

Try vrg.org