Beginner to Vegetarianism?

Question

I'm only two weeks in,taking it real slow & am still eating fish.Some days I feel a lack of energy-what are some non-meat foods I should consume more to maintain the right level of nutrition,energy & keep my body/mind fresh?Any useful online sites focusing on the dietary part of being a vegetarian?

Answer 1

I have the opposite thing happen: I have more energy when I'm not eating meat.

Seeds and nuts are energy powerhouses. Just be careful, because they also have a lot of fat.

Answer 2

Just a little note: when you start to eat healthy, and especially if there are raw vegetables and fruits in your diet, you may experience detoxing. You are releasing the toxins that were locked up in your colon/large intestine, and these toxins are now back and making you feel lethargic. It should pass in a week or so (depending on how much toxic stuff was caught in your GI tract).

Water to flush out the toxins would be something you could do to get the toxins out faster (say three days instead of eight).

Congrats on being AWARE of what you are placing in your body, and caring about it!

Answer 3

what may have happened is that you have decided to load up on foods with a lot of carbs to replace the lean proteins you used to consume before. Have you started to eat more breads and pastas since becoming a vegetarian? eating lots of foods like that can zap your energy quickly.

if this isn't the case, then your lethargy may be coming from some other source unrelated to your dietary change (especially since you are still eating fish, it seems like you would be getting a lot of protein through that). However, just be sure that you are getting good sources of protein through legumes, beans, and soy. Aside from making sure my diet has adequate protein, I take an iron supplement every other day, as well as a b-vitamin complex to keep my energy up.

The best thing I ever did for myself was subscribe to Vegetarian Times magazine. it has great nutritional info, delcious recipes, and is a really great magazine for keeping motivation in a vegetarian diet. it really helped me out when i made the switch to veg several years ago.

easy and nutritious food ideas:

breakfast : (try any one of the following)
- whole wheat toast with peanut butter (all the protein you will need in a day my friend!)
- oatmeal with vanilla soymilk, flax seed, raisins, and brown sugar (delicious, filling, and will give you lots of energy)
-tofu scramble (take medium firm tofu, onions, bell peppers, tobasco sauce, garlic, parsley, add morning star sausage if you would like and voila! delicious and an excellent source of protein)

lunch:
- bean, rice, and veggie burrito
- sandwich with baked tofu (I like the sun-dried tomato kind, but get what you would like), avocado, sprouts, vegan mayo, spinach, rice dream cheese, and tomato on whole wheat bread- you have one of the most nutritious and yummy sandwiches around- lots of vitamins and minerals too!
-try amy's frozen meals, super easy and super good. found at vons, albertsons, trader joes, anywhere that has an organic foods frozen section.
-try barbecue garden burger with fakin' bacon, vegan cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, tomato, onion, and lettuce- it's so good! i like the Sunshine Texas Burger brand.

Dinner:
-miso soup and vegetarian sushi rolls (make your own with seaweed, baked tofu, avocado, cucumber, sweet rice, and carrot or buy them at your favorite sushi source)
-gardenburger barbecue riblets, baked potato, corn, dinner roll, and green beans.
-vegetarian meat loaf, mashed potato, peas, carrots
-grilled veggie enchiladas, rice, and beans

so, you get the idea, and as you can see- lots of veggies, not too many carbs, and lots of protein from legumes, soy, and meat substitutes work wonders! You just have to get creative!

good luck, and keep it up!

Answer 4

whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit.

personally, i think stuff like chic peas, lentils, muesli, avocado are good for dinner meals, to keep you going through the next day.

also, lots of mixed leafy greens and fruit during the day helps keep your energy up, avocados are a great source of energy. mixed nuts seeds and dried fruit is good too.

Good Luck : )

Answer 5

eat beans, and any kind of nut (peanuts etc.) is a good source of protein. have a peanut butter toast as a snack. as long as you are not allergic