How to be Vegetarian

[MindBodySpirit]

Okay, I decided to make this thread, because there seem to be many people on teenhelp that either claim to be vegetarian, are vegetarian, or want to transition to a vegetarian diet. This is just my "little" guide to vegetarian eating. I'll put a little bit at the end of my post about veganism, and pescetarianism. Yes, this might seem like another healthy eating guide, and it basically is. I'm just going to try to focus on vegetarianism. Many of the things I'm saying here easily relate to a non-vegetarian diet.

First, I'm going to point out that I am NOT a vegetarian, and I will never be one. It is not right for my health, and my lifestyle. Anyway, I'll just start out with the basics.

What should vegetarians eat?

Vegetarians should still essentially follow the food guide for their country. You still should be eating a balanced diet, similar to omnivores so that you can have the needs met for all of your micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates). If your country doesn't have a food guide, have a look at the Canadian Food Guide. That one is pretty good.

In general, the majority of people on this site should be eating (according to the food guide)

7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables
6-8 servings of grain products
2-4 servings of milk products
2-3 servings of meats and alternatives.

Vegetarian proteins fall under the "alternatives" portion of meat and alternatives category.

Now lets break down each category to have a look at what you should be eating.

Grains

My opinion of grains is probably not a popular one. However, there is undeniable evidence that humans didn't always survive on grains. In fact, they only started consuming grains 10000 years ago. Modern humans have been around for 200000 years. However, the fact of the matter is that people do eat grains, and use them as a primary food source. Just keeping this in mind. It is important to realize that some grains are healthier than others.

So why should you care about what grains you are eating?

1. Over-processed grains can leak through the intestinal wall, and cause an immune response.
2. Gluten. You don't have to have celiac's disease for this to affect you. As many as 30-40% of people show anti-gliadin IgA in their stool. Anti-gliadin IgA is an antibody for the main portion of gluten (gliadin). When it shows up in your stool, it basically means your body sees gluten as a threat, and begins to go through an inflammatory response.
3. Phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antinutrient. It blocks the absorption of certain nutrients in your body. You might be getting enough of a nutrient in your diet, but still be lacking because it's not absorbed.

Instead of posting more about why you should be careful about grain choice, I'll post some better grains. Ideally, all grains should be whole grain, but everybody likes a treat sometimes.

Here are the grains products I'd recommend:
-quinoa
-millet
-buckwheat
-brown rice
and if you fully tolerate gluten
-oats
-barley
-sprouted grains bread

These grains will keep you full for a long time, and many of them are complete proteins.

Grains products you should consume less often:
-bread
-pasta
-breakfast cereals (at least highly processed ones)

Fruits and Vegetables

Everybody knows that fruits and vegetables are healthy, but again, some are healthier than others. Whether it's because of enzymes, sugar content, nutrient content, or other reasons, some fruits and vegetables are recommended over others.

A good rule of thumb is to try as many different colours as you can throughout a week, but focusing on darker green colours. You should get at least 1 green and 1 orange vegetable in a day, especially as a vegetarian. It's important for iron, and beta-carotene (the precursor to the retinol form of vitamin A).

Yes, fruits are great too. Make sure that you get both fruits and vegetables. If you have problems with insulin-resistance, inflammation or hyperactivity, try focusing on lower sugar fruits.

It might seem obvious, but many vegetarians get almost no vegetables and fruits at all. That's very detrimental to your health. I strongly recommend that vegetarians eat seaweed products every once in a while.

Milk and alternatives

You're told you need milk to make your bones and teeth strong. Yes, it can be helpful for some people to have milk, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy alternatives. Rice milk, almond milk, hemp milk, and other nut milks are quite tasty, and they can provide you with similar nutrients to regular milk, since they're fortified. Plus, they're lactose and casein free.

I would personally recommend that people have fermented milk products, like greek yogurt regularly for gastrointestinal health.

However, vegetarians need to be very careful with milk products. Look in the section below about what vegetarians should not eat.

Alternatives to Meat
Yes, there's the whole issue of protein on a vegetarian diet. You can't just drop out the protein from your diet and expect to be healthy. Making substitutions is necessary to maintain a vegetarian diet. If you've already chosen healthier grains, you're at an advantage.

I'm going to quote a post I made on a thread about pescetarianism.

Eggs are great at times, but the egg white- the part that contains the protein- has enzymes that block the absorption of certain b-vitamins. The egg yolk is actually what has the majority of the other nutrients. Yes, it contains fat and cholesterol, but if you get good eggs, you probably won't have to worry about it raising your cholesterol levels. At least if you have eggs only once in a while.

So if you need sources of protein as a vegetarian, the sources I'd recommend the most are:
-lentils
-quinoa (it's a grain that's a complete protein)
-small amounts of fermented soy products (tempeh, not tofu)
-grains with little or no gluten (rice, quinoa, buckwheat, etc)
-beans (some are better than others- do your research)
-hemp if it's available (the BEST vegetarian protein source in my opinion)

Proteins I do not recommend as main sources:
-soy
-"faux meat" (Meat substitutes have soy and lots of gluten. You may not be gluten intolerant, but having lots of gluten is not good)
-nut butters, nuts, peanuts (small handful of nuts per day)
-cheese

The rest of that post could be useful too. Just for the issue of being thorough, here you go. http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f184-...sm/#post781950

I will clarify one thing. Nut butters, and nuts are okay. Just don't expect them to give you all the protein you need.
__________________________________

So, that took a long time. The "What not to eat" section should be less lengthy, because there's not nearly as much detail. Just straight facts.

Ingredients you need to avoid to be a real vegetarian

I'm just going to put a few common ingredients. For a complete list, go here. http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

So I'll just make a list of common things vegetarians eat that they shouldn't:

-Rennet: Found in cheeses. Enzyme that may be derived from the inner lining of a cow's stomach

-Gelatin/Jello- Made from cow's/pigs hooves

-Natural flavours- Might be vegetarian, might not. Make sure with the manufacturer. If you're not sure, it's better to be safe.

-different dyes- some dyes are derived from animal sources

-lard, suet, tallow, pork fat, dripping- These are all just different names for animal fats

*Chewing gum may not be vegetarian. Check with the manufacturer, or do research online.

-Sugar: May be processed through bone char. Research, research, research. I believe beet sugar is usually fine, and so is raw sugar. With cane sugar, it's hard to know, unless it's evaporated cane syrup.

A note to vegans

The vegan food pyramid is a little bit different. Vegans need to focus on getting more green vegetables, natural sources of calcium such as almonds, there are other ingredients (see site above) that vegans should avoid.

Eating out as a Vegetarian

This is harder than you'd think. Because of cheese, gelatin (in some yogurts), and natural flavours, it's not always easy to know. I'd say your best bet is to ask to see an ingredient list if it's a commercial place. People often won't even know what's vegetarian and what's not. Even vegetarians won't. However, chinese, thai, and vietnamese restaurants often have vegetarian options. I'm getting tired, so I'll have to say, do some research on different vegetarian options in your area.

Anyway, contrary to what many people think, McDonalds fries may not be vegetarian. Just a random fact.

Conclusion

All I've got to say for a conclusion is that if you have any more questions, ask me. I may not be a vegetarian, but I do know about reading food labels. I am gluten intolerant, and can only tolerate a small amount of lactose. There are other random things I have to avoid. If there are certain parts in this post you want me to elaborate on, I will. Otherwise, good night, and I wish you all good luck in your journey to good health.

[Amberpamber]

Thanks for posting it. I found it quite informative.

[Meg Toast]

Wow, and I thought vegetarians just ate no meat and that was it. I didn't expect it to be so scientific.

[Mendylins]

It was hard when I first became a vegetarian. You kind of realize the hoardes of things you won't be eating anymore.

But you can become a lot more creative with the foods you eat. Tofu is delicious, especially when you know how to cook it!

[Thirteen]

Personally, as a Vegan, I've been able to eat a whole bunch of different foods (including things with grains), and not have any problems. I'm not one to take multivitamins (unless I'm sick, because I have never been able to eat when sick), and I've been Vegan for, well, it'll be 2 years in late May.

But it's great that you pointed out the less commonly known (or thought about) animal by-products, like rennet and gelatin. Oh, and on the note of chewing gum, Wrigley's (the makers of Juicy Fruit, DoubleMint, "5 Gum", etc.) uses vegetable glycerin in their gums, so grab a 35 cent pack of Juicy Fruit and feel good about it.

Another point to eating out Vegetarian/Vegan: Indian food has tons of vegetarian options (that are usually Vegan as well). In fact, various Asian foods (including Chinese, Japanese, etc.) are a lot less likely to use dairy, considering that 95% of the Asian population is lactose-intolerant. So, basically, a large variety of Vegetarian foods in these cultures will probably be Vegan-friendly, too.

You can always ask the servers if they can remove the dairy from a vegetarian dish, too. You'd be surprised how accommodating places will be, especially if you call in ahead of time and advise them of your dietary needs. I got a delicious "Asian Vegetable Salad" at The Keg for my company's Christmas party, because the receptionist said that anybody who was Vegetarian should RSVP her saying so, to inform the restaurant. Plus, I went to a restaurant with my boyfriend's family before, and his mother informed them I was a Vegan, so they made whatever dish I wanted Vegan-friendly (which was the one pesto pasta dish they had).

[Total Light Storm]

Wow, I am not a vegitarian but that was very useful.
Thanks for posting this.

[Viky]

thank you :3 I might have to try some of this. I kinda fail at eating healthily because I am a vegitarian and everyone else in my family eats meat so it's hard trying to find things to eat. :P either way! thank you!

[Nicole!]

This was very informative. I take a multivitamin along with being vegetarian as a sort of precaution, but I know other vegetarians who don't and they are perfectly fine.

[alixthetree]

I know there are many vegetarians/vegans here on TH but another group site is called HappyCow.net and is made up of mostly vegetarians/vegans but all types of diet are welcome as long as others choices are respected. If anyone is ever looking for advice or even to just talk to others it's an awesome site (one member has been vegan for I believe 25 years even(I know it's a really long time)). There are groups you can join, an application where you can search for veg/vegan friendly restraunts and a rather active chat (provided there are people in there).