becoming vegetarian very very soon... what are good substitutes for protein?

Question

well i am 14, and am on my way of becoming vegetarian. literally, i almost cry thinking about the animals loosing their lives so we can *eat* them.
well anyways, what are good substitutes for meat that will provide plenty of protein? i know soy products and beans and what not, but any others? and how do you integrate them into meals that would require meat? especially with a family of people who eat meat? (i am convincing them to become vegetarians to)

Answer 1

Americans eat way too much protein anyway. I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you.

Regarding calcium, women in pre-industrial China had much lower rates of osteoporosis than Western women. Excessive animal protein (and even excessive plant protein) is linked to loss of bone density.

Peanuts, soybeans and all other beans complement other sources of plant proteins (wheat, rice, corn, nuts). You don't have to worry about balancing and accounting as long as you eat a balanced diet (don't live on pasta for a week, that kind of thing).

^^^ regarding steak and green vegetables, that's comparing apples and oranges, like saying a peach has more vitamin C than an egg. Vegetarians and vegans are not rabbits. We don't live on leafy green vegetables. And anyway, let's do some math here:

Tiny piece of steak (1 ounce?) = 7 grams of protein
1 lb bag of spinach = 7 grams of protein - not exactly a big box there. Anyway, it's something to keep in mind.
1 ounch of lentils = 8 grams of protein
1 ounce of dried pasta = 4 grams of protein
1 ounce of a hardboiled egg = 3 grams of protein

Surprise surprise - pasta has more protein than eggs. OK, it's a little inferior in quality but that's easily made up for by beans.

Most abundant protein on earth is not present in cows or pigs - it's an enzyme called Rubisco and is in all green plants.

Answer 2

Hello :) I'm 16 and I became a vegetarian just under a year ago and I really recommend it! You feel a lot more healthier and the cows/chickens/pigs will certainly thank you for it! A vegetarian can eat/drink eggs and milk. A vegetarian does not eat any product which an animal has been slaughtered for. You may be thinking of a vegan who doesn't eat any product from an animal including milk and eggs. Just tell your mum that you want to! Tell her you hate the way animals are killed and then give her a list of food she could buy you the next time she goes on the weekly grocery shop You certainly don't have to take tablets for not eating meat/fish/gelatin. As long as you are eating a balanced diet, full of vegetables, fruit, dairy and the occasional chocolate bar, you will be healthy What I do recommend is making sure you eat a lot of protein which could be found in seeds, nuts and meat alternatives like Quorn and Linda McCartney (I certainly recommend the last brand! They food is delicious and 100% vegetarian). When I became a vegetarian, I lost a lot of muscle because I didn't consume enough protein so as long as you do have a balance diet, go for it! Hope this helps :) .

Answer 3

You should do some searches on the internet to find this info, there are also some really good vegetarian forums where there are no trolls or meat eaters hounding people who want to become veg. with lies to get you not to do it. There is a place called veggieboards that has lots of info for teens who are becoming vegetarian and who are already veg.. They get rid of trolls quickly there so you wont have to worry about anyone telling you bad info. And they are the nicest people I have ever met online, very caring and compassionate and understanding. There is also threads just for teen vegetarians and vegans there. I think that site would really help you out.

Answer 4

Beans (including soy products) are excellent sources of protein. Nuts are good sources of protein.

Anyone who says animal protein is somehow "better" has no real education in nutrition. To say that is like saying "the earth is flat."

My wife is a Registered Dietitian with Masters Degree in Nutrition and she is a vegetarian for like. Doctors come to her for nutrition information. I don't care if some people don't like it when I say that, it's a fact.

Answer 5

Seriously, the best thing is to hold off until you are older. I was vegetarian for one year from 15-16, and even though I did everything responsibly, ate the correct portions of food and dietary supplements you simply cannot replace the goodness of meat. Even a tiny portion of steak has more protein etc in it than an entire box of leafy green vegetables. For the period of time that I was vegetarian, I was sickly, weak, underweight (underweight's not a good thing), I had no energy and I was always getting sick. I ended up deciding that enough was enough when I almost fainted trying to climb a flight of stairs at school. And then I did faint one time in a shopping centre. Your iron levels plummet and it's really not good for you even if you take all the responsible steps at that age.
Perhaps you can take a different course of action, such as petitioning against live sheep trade, or simply eat no more than the recommended serving of meat (which is two small serves a week). After all, we are omnivorous creatures, and while sometimes the way our food stock is slaughtered can be inhumane, it generally isn't, and it is part of nature. Lions and Wolves are no more evil than deer or cows simply because they kill to eat - without killing to eat, the lions and wolves would die, and with nothing to trim down the population and to kill the old, the sick and the weak, soon their prey would run out of food or die from disease too. Sure, that's not the case with humans, but my point is that predation is a natural part of life. I honestly think that it would be better for your health and wellbeing to try to do something about the injustices in the way we prepare and transport livestock and suchlike, rather than cutting meat from your diet in a stage of your life when your body is trying to grow and develop.

Answer 6

Have you really done your research into this vegetarian thing.
l really eat meat,but not for the reason that you use.l have always been one not to eat meat,simply because l do not like meat.l get my protein source from eggs,nuts grains,etc.Just google protein and you will find all the info you are wanting.This type of diet is not for everyone.The majority of people have been brought up on a diet of meat.lt is easy to say you are going to give it up,but yourself having been used to this type of diet,it will not be that easy in the long term to change to.l meant to write l rarely eat meat.

Answer 7

Well keep in mind that animals also die because their homes were taken away by vegetable and fruit farmers so people can eat veggies and feel good about not killing animals. They are also killed by herbicides, pesticides and harvesting machines. Also 175 million children are involved illegally in the crop agricultural industry with 300,000 in the US alone. These children are often physically and sexually abused, paid sub standard wages if at all and live in conditions sometimes worse than the chickens and cows that animal activists care for so much. They are also more likely to be physically injured and killed in the performance of their "jobs". (about 40% of all child labor related injuries and deaths despite being only 8% of the whole industry). There also the emotional trauma and long term mental illness suffered by abused childdren. Some suffer from diseases in adulthood because of exposure to chemicals when kids. Just want to put things in perspective, the other side of the coin so to speak.. Perhaps you can find it in your heart to feel compassion for the innocent child human animal as well.

Answer 8

People who become vegetarian when they are teens tend to have weaker bones. Make sure you take Cacium supplement with milk. Peanut butter is great. Good luck.

Answer 9

Quorn is a really goood substitute and they do meat styles of just about every type. It;s tasty too - not sure if your in the US though - I'm not sure if it's avail there

Answer 10

you are too young to turn veg, you need meat proteins to grow...... at least eat eggs