Vegetarian..?

Question

Ok, so I want to become a vegetarian, but my mom says "you need protein, or you will get sick". Is it true that you need to eat meat to get protein?? Is there any other way I can get protein without eating meat?? Please help because I don't want to hurt the poor, abused animals.
It'a just too sad.
='''[

Answer 1

So many people think that protein is only from meat. It's a stupid thing to think, considering that protein is in a lot of things.

Here are some things:

Dairy products (even ice cream has some!)
Nuts
Beans (Mixed with corn, it's apparently filled with protein)
Eggs
Veggie burgers and hot dogs
Imitation meat (such as chicken, I know they have imitation chicken)
Whole grains (such as bread, or at least I think so)
Fish (if you still want to eat it)

Congrats on considering to choose to be a vegetarian! I'm one as well. It's so helpful to the environment too :-)

Answer 2

You do not need meat to get protein or anything else. Vegetarians get protein from dairy products, eggs, soybeans and soy products (tofu, meat analogs, tvp,) beans and other legumes (lentils, peas, peanuts, chickpeas,) whole grains, nuts and seed, fruits and veggies and mushrooms. Pretty much all foods have some protein in them. Think about large herbivores like elephants - they get all the protein they need to grow that large from plant sources alone. Protein deficiency is almost unheard of in the developed world. If your mom needs convincing, go the the website for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and look for their flier on "The Protein Myth."

Answer 3

Krister is completely right. It's very hard to be deficient in protein.

The only reason meat eaters believe this is because they aren't informed otherwise. A century ago, meat was something people ate about twice a week. But we've all seen that it's incorporated into nearly every meal now. Everyone knows that meat contains very high amounts of protein. It seems logical enough to conclude that we were raised eating a lot of it because we need a lot of protein, and specifically that protein. The only problem is the reasoning behind eating that much meat was never based on logic.

It's not enough to look at the RDA because in some cases--vitamins--the recommendation is just a barely sufficient amount of what we really need (ie. just enough to keep us from showing deficiency symptoms). And in other cases, the recommendation is excessively high--protein and calcium, funny enough because protein leeches calcium from our bones, so the more we eat, the more calcium we need to intake to buffer that problem.

Answer 4

I feel like I've answered a variation of this question five times today. Can someone PLEASE ask an original question? Hasn't this protein issue been settled?!

/kvetch

You're going to make a bet with your mom. I bet she has never heard of kwashiorkor. If she has and knows what it is you don't go vegetarian until you can buy your own foods; if she hasn't, she should support you in your decision to go veg now.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Kwashiorkor is a disease of protein deficiency. And as you can surely imagine, it is practically unheard of in industrialized nations. Heck, she should ask your doctor if s/he has ever heard of a case of protein deficiency. I'll bet the answer is a big fat no, unless the doc has an anorexic patient or a patient who eats way too much junk food.

In short, as long as you eat a varied diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts--and even analogues--you will be just fine.

Answer 5

I don't really think that they're "abused" but hey, everyone' is entitled to their own opinion. To answer your question: No, you don't have to eat meat to get protein.

This is a list of protein-rich foods (that don't contain meat):

* Milk
* Soy Milk
* Eggs
* Cheese
* Yogurt
* Peanut Butter
* Beans, Tofu, Lentils, and other Legumes
* Grains, including bread and pasta
* Nuts and Seeds

Good luck!

Answer 6

Most ppl get way too much protein in their diet. Nuts and seeds are very high in protein. Plant based foods are loaded with protein (ie brocolli, asparagus, tofu are all around 40% protein). Our bodies can better and more easily utilize plant based protein sources than meat based sources.

Answer 7

I am non-veg considering the fact that my dad and mom had been non-veg. But now after I learn a assertion of LORD BUDHHA , I have nearly stopped consuming non-veg. LORD BUDHA stated--- U have taken thousands of rebirths on the earth. So frequently those lambs or pigs or chook had been ur father, mom uncles or youngsters. Why to devour flesh of ur dad and mom and many others.? Swami Ramdev explains -- When u get indignant , u begin sweating, begin trembling and many others, whilst u are afraid , u begin sweating , trembling and many others. Why ? Because there r secretions of harmones and many others. within frame. So u can recognize what number of unhealthy secretions take location whilst an animal is killed . Eating any such flesh could be very unhealthy for intellectual wellbeing. Now u see such a lot of swine/cow/chook -flu and many others are spreading because of animals. Moreover Nature has now not made us to devour non-veg. Because a non-veg consuming animal has very lengthy gut to digest it however v have small one. V would not have teeths like tiger. All non-veg eater animals drink water by way of tongue however v drink like cow.

Answer 8

No one that gets enough calories in the developed world can get sick from protein deficiency.

Everything has protein in it except junk food and things like sugar, oil and water.

Bread, pasta, rice, vegetables, beans, peas and lentils all have protein. Read the nutrition facts on everything and you'll start to see how hard it is to not eat protein.

Answer 9

Protein is found in most foods. Beans, soy, tofu, potatoes, mushrooms contain protein. The thing that veggies need is iron and that is found in spinach and yeast extract. You don't go without anything if you go veggie, and you help the animals in the best way.

Answer 10

Your mom is sadly uniformed, as is the vast majority of America.


Protein is more abundant in beans, fruits, and veggies than in anything the meat and dairy industries churn out.

Congratulations on your decision!