I am thinking of becoming vegetarian again(I was for a few months mnay years ago).
Is it true that beans, pasta, etc, will supply all your needs?
I don’t drink milk, as I dont Like it, or believe its good for humans.
Beans I love, as pasta and fruit and vegetables.
I know some folks are going to say,“Youre not getting your protein, or calcium, or whatever.”, but Do you need to take vitamin B12?
Or any vitamins?
I have been a vegetarian for 3 months now and read a lot about it before converting. If you maintain a balanced diet, you will be able to get all the required vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc. I believe the FDA recently approved vegetarian diets as having the required nutritional content.
There has been a lot of misinformation about vegetarianism spread around by various groups. I would recommend that you read up on some info from unbiased sources. Good luck.
Hey Peaches8,
yes, you can eat healthy [probably more so than meat-eaters] on a veggie diet. Thumbnail sketch of what I know
[I am not a vegan for I love eggs and cheese].
Mix beans and grains in equal parts
Mix beans and dairy product - less dairy than beans
Mix grains and dairy products - less dairy to grains
Include dairy products or eggs somewhere in your meal
Include nuts, tofu or other soy products somewhere in your meal
All these result in high protein food combinations. Add
veggies and fruits and you’ll be a happy camper.
Don’t know if you use cookbooks [I’m not a creative cook],
but I found the Moosewood series to be great. I also like
Martha Rose Shulman who ran a veg restaurant in Paris.
Purchasing prepared veggie foods is easier now than before but certainly not as easy as for meat-eaters. There are now more soy based “fake meats” including ground “beef” that I use alot to fool the kids…
PS I do take vitamins but that’s because of a chronic condition I have; I need to boost up some micronutrients.
Generally you don’t have to take extra vitamins if you are not pregnant or have some special needs; in other words you’d just be pissing away money.
Good luck. Peaches
It’s certainly possible to eat a balanced vegetarian diet. It’s much easier to eat a balanced diet including meat, especially in the US and other mostly-omnivorous countries. Read books.
Mixing proteins was an idea that was current a while ago. The idea is that plant proteins (grains, beans, tofu, etc.) individually don’t have the complete set of nutrients contained in meat. Thus the mixtures mentioned by peaches were recommended. Nowadays most nutritionists say that as long as you eat a variety of these during the day, you don’t have to make sure that each meal contains the proper mixture. And you don’t have to eat eggs or dairy, although they are perfectly healthy in moderation.
B12 is controversial. Some people say that if you have eaten meat most of your life, you have probably stored up enough B12 for quite a while. Others say that you should eat some animal products or take a supplement. Some sea vegetables and yeasts contain B12, too.
Calcium is pretty easy to get these days. Dark green vegetables and beans have calcium, as do some types of tofu. You can also get soy and rice milks fortified with calcium.
As for other vitamins–if you love fruits and vegetables you should be doing at least as well as the carnivores.
Peaches, I’ve been a vegetarian since last August 9th. I haven’t missed meat much at all (except seafood, especially sushi). I’ve lost weight and feel much better, and I also know it’s helping me avoid many carnivore-related health problems in the future.
I eat eggs and dairy (I gotta have cheese!) and so far have apparently had no trouble getting all the protein I need. Yes, you do need to combine various grains, beans and dairy to get “complete” proteins, but the daily requirement for protein is much, much less than Dr. Atkins would have you believe: only about three ounces. Eat lots of carbohydrates and get only 10% (preferable) to 20% (acceptable) of your daily calories from fat, and you’ll be fine.
You may have health problems you don’t mention, Five, but 10-20% of calories from fat isn’t necessary or even particularly healthy for everyone.
Saturated fat (from meat, dairy, eggs and, I think, coconut and palm oils) should be kept low, but fats from nuts, fish and grains are healthy and should be pretty freely included in the diet. There was a study done recently that showed that up to 40% of calories could come from those types of fat. They actually have a heart-protective effect.
I’ll try to find the URL.
You didn’t mention if you’re planning on being a lacto-ovo vegetarian or a vegan. If a vegan, you could have a serious problem getting enough vitamin B[sub]12[/sub]. Milk and eggs contain enough of this vitamin, as do nutritional yeast, and fermented soy products. Beer is a fair source. A deficiency won’t show up immediately, since the body can store up to 3 years worth of this vitamin.
Okay, I forgot to mention that; yes, I will eat eggs(some) and dairy products(but no milk).
Thanks for the advice!
Also, people are meat, so youll have to give up kissing & sex.
I’ve been vegie for 6 years now, and I’m still alive…