Calling every single serious veggie out there?

Question

This is serious.
My dad said the only way i can be a veggie is if i get a lot of good research and a doctors appt. Docctor appt= done!
I need good websites where i can find info on what vitamins i will need to take as supplements, good sources of protien that are quick and easy to prepare while my mom makes the meat, and other serious things i need to know.

i dont want a website like peta where veggies unite and whatever to fight against meateaters. i have looked there. so please help me?!!

Answer 1

Here is an answer I gave to another young person looking for advice.

If your parents are supporting your decision, than it should not be too hard to switch over to a vegetarian diet. Both you and your parents need to do as much research as possible, this means looking at websites, reading books, and talking with people who are vegetarians.

The one thing to remember is that you need to replace the nutrients you are no longer getting from meat with other food. Major concerns for most people are protein, iron and b12(although they shouldn't be since they are easy to get).

Protein
The average person only needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Protein is in everything, just look at the side of boxes. In todays world it is very hard to be protein deficient if you are eating a wide variety.

High protein foods include:
soy milk, tofu, nuts(Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)), seeds, legumes(Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas), grains(Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice), vegetables(Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini), fruits(Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry)

Iron
Iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb non-animal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods. You only need about 15 mg per day.

B12
Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. You cancan get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, and fortified soy products. If you are eating dairy than there is no reason to worry about b12.

The key to any good diet is variety and the proper amounts of the right foods. Simply cutting out meat and than only eating veggie burgers, or pasta is not a proper diet. You need to eat a variety of grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, beans, etc. There are many great recipes that you could try, even if you don't like it the first few times, keep trying it. It took me eating broccoli 5 times before I liked it(when I first went vegetarian I hated veggies). Many dishes I made didn't come out great the first time, but after the second or third time they came out better.

Some helpful websites:
http://www.vegsoc.org/index.html
http://www.vrg.org/index.htm
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/ (helpful message board)

Books
The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet
by Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis

Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right
by Joel Fuhrman

Please Don't Eat the Animals: All the Reasons You Need to Be a Vegetarian
by Jennifer Horsman, Jaime Flowers

Recipes sites:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Vegetarian/Main.aspx
http://vegweb.com/
http://www.simple-vegetarian-recipes.com/index.html
http://vegetarian.betterrecipes.com/vegetariandinnerrecipes.html

Answer 2

Seems like you've already got all the links you need, so I'm not going to add any. I just wanted to say you don't need to take any supplements when you're vegetarian. Everything you need can be found in vegetables, fruit, legumes and cereals. I've been vegetarian for over 20 years and now vegan for 2 and I've never taken any supplements, nor have I ever had any health problems.

The best way to get good proteins is to mix cereals with legumes. For example, rice and red beans. Bread and houmous. You get the idea. That was you will get complete proteins. Soy is very rich in proteins too (actually more so than meat).


Good luck, and don't forget, your dad can impose meat on you anyway? It's your decision, and yours only.

Answer 3

Check out www.vegecentral.com - press the vegelinks button for some useful links for you.

You will find links to vegetarian starter pack there.

I just want to say that if they tell you that vegetarians are low in iron don't believe it. I have been vegetarian for 20 years and recently gave blood for the first time. My haemoglobin (what they usually test for iron) was as high as a colleague of mine that eats meat and higher than a second colleague of mine who eats meat. I was well within the healthy range to be able to give blood.

They gave me a booklet about increasing your iron as I told them I was vegetarian and enquired because I know it is handy information to tell others.

One thing it mentions (that I had heard before) if you are getting your iron from vegetable sources you should have vitamin c as well to help you absorb the iron - so eat kiwi fruit or oranges etc before or after your dinner.
Good iron sources
=============
-baked beans & lentils and 3 bean mixes
-1 cup wholemeal pasta
1 iron fortified brekky cereal
1/3 cup mixed nuts
1/2 cup english spinach
2 hard boiled eggs
2 sliced wholemeal bread

If you mix lentils with brown rice or bread it then becomes a complete protein.

Answer 4

Many vegetarians are paranoid about nutrition. They really don't need to be. The fact is that most people get more protein than they need, and a balanced vegetarian diet is just as healthy as a balanced non-vegetarian diet. (Note that this is not true for vegan diets, which require conscious managing in order to be healthy).
I would suggest you not take vitamins or supplements unless you find out you have a deficiency. They are really not necessary.
Go ahead and meet a doctor or dietician and do it. Good luck.

Answer 5

Most of the other people who have answered have given you very good answers, especially prodigy 556. I do want to say that not all Drs are created equal. I went to see my Dr last fall for a check up and I told her that I have become a vegan since my last visit. She was completely fine with this, in fact she mentioned that her mother and that side of the family were all vegetarians. So not all Drs are against the idea of being veg*n.

Answer 6

Instead of a website, how about a book? That way you can keep it handy and refer back to it - there's a lot of nutritional ground to cover.

I recommend "Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis & Vesanto Melina. They are both registered dieticians and have written a thorough volume on vegetarian nutrition, including coverage of teen vegetarians (I'm assuming this is the age group you're in since you need your parents' permission.)

Answer 7

Physicians Commitee for Responsible Medicine website is a great resource for specific information about vegetarian nutrition. There's a chart with "The New Four Food Groups"
( http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html ), and a bunch of recipes (http://www.pcrm.org/health/recipes/index.html ). They also have information about studies on all the benefits of being vegetarian.

Answer 8

Along with the great advice you got above me here is 1 that is also helpful :Dr. John McDougall
Free Newsletter that your parents will be impressed with. Full of medically based help for a plant based diet.
http://www.drmcdougall.com/
Do some self education in the archives too.
Here is a great article on Veggie based Protien Sources~
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/dairy.htm
Welcome & lots of luck on your new path.
Slainté(to your health)

Answer 9

My doctor was highly supportive of my decision to become vegetarian.
Common nutritional concerns:
Protien
Iron
B vitamins, particularly B12
Your dad's caution is out of concern for you, but a healthy vegetarian diet is no where near as complicated as some make it seem.
If you eat a variety of nutritious foods, including legumes, soy, whole grains and produce, it is possible to meet your body's nutritional needs without supplements.

Answer 10

your doctor won't necessarily be against vegetarianism. talk to a dietician if you can. and contrary to what some people said, doctors do know something about nutrition!
google vegetarian nutrition for your specific age group or what ever. i'm assuming you're a teen since if you were over eighteen, it wouldn't really matter what your dad said too much.
here are some good sites: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/teennutrition.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vegetariandiet.html
good luck!