Becoming a vegetarian

[Hemera]

Just to add, my main concern is eating enough as I can't eat too much in one go. My advice from my experiences so far is to eat 3 LARGE meals a day and at last two snacks, as well. Lots of nuts and seeds and things like avocados. I don't need to watch my weight, so I eat a lot of coconut.

I've bought the vega powder that Debby mentioned on another thread which may be an option if you are extremely active or struggle with your appetite.

[Debrah]

I love seeing everyone here helping one another and sharing ideas on eating healthy. Keep up the good work folks and if there are any 'mums' here, Happy Mother's Day to you! May those children that you poured yourselves into, reciprocate with a ton of love today (and every day!)

[Inipu27]

When I was vegan I would make this surprisingly delicious pie, because I have a horrible sweet tooth. About two bananas, 1 cup of peanut butter, an entire cube of extra firm tofu, its optional to add sugaror dates to sweeten or a bit of water to help blend. Once blended just pour it inside a homemade or store bought pie crust and refrigerate. I keep a lot of dried fruits and nuts around for snacking. For lunch I make a lot of stir fry dishes and I love curry dishes. Chillie reyenos are delicious... maybe you should think of your fav vegetables and search for dishes made with them. Check out dishes from other cultures. Indians and
Ethiopians tend to have many vegetarian dishes

[Reamac]

I would like to become a vegetarian although I have a concern. I have lost 9 stone in weight over the last year and feel by becoming vegetarian I would need to eat more carbs which we all know is a factor for weight gain. I know I can eat lots of vegetables salads etc but what fills you up if not eating meat? I know there is protein in nuts but they are full of fats. HELP!!!

[Debrah]

Reamac, when people get all weirded out by 'carbs' when they are losing weight, it seems to me that the one thing they are forgetting is that not all carbs are created equally. For example, the carbs in bread are not so good because the starch gets converted to a sugar which does a number on your insulin levels, and the same with things like rice and potatoes and pasta. But carbs like all the other whole grains and veggies don't have the same impact on your body., nor do the carbs that you would get from things like lentils and beans or chickpeas.

My personal experience once I went vegan was that I pretty much quit worrying about my weight and I'm 62 and have a slow thyroid, both of which would predispose me to easily putting on weight.

But I eat lots of raw veggies, go easy on cooking oils, use lentils or chickpeas almost every day because they are filling and limit my use of nuts to a degree. For the sake of the omega 3 fats that are critical for heart health, I will eat just a tiny handful (maybe 6 halves) of walnuts every day. It's also amazing how that little bit can make your tummy feel happy for a while and you don't need to eat cups of nuts to do that. I also will eat almonds in the breakfast cookies I mentioned below.

Today for example, my breakfast was a couple breakfast cookie (made of rolled oats, almond pulp, shredded coconut, ground flax seed, raisins, cinnamon, hemp hears, chopped pecans, bananas or apple sauce, and a coffee. Then my lunch was a huge bowl of vegetable soup with everything in it including a little bit of black bean noodles, and a dessert bowl of papaya chunks, and for supper tonight, we'll have some lentil curry on quinoa fusilli noodles with sliced raw vegetables on the side.

Lots of carbs there, but it's more about the kinds of carbs, not overdoing the fats, (cooking oils and nuts) and really cutting down on the amount of sugar that you take in (and that includes the sugar in fruits and especially juices).

A couple other tips that we've discovered are helpful to maintain weight, is to not eat after 7:00 in the evening and when you do absolutely have to snack (and we all get there from time to time) use a very little bowl to hold your potato chips or your lentil chips and seal and leave the bag in the kitchen. Or you could even fill that little bowl with frozen blueberries about an hour ahead of when you'll want them. Because they won't be completely thawed, they still have their natural sweetness in the berries instead of just in the bowl of thawed juice at the bottom.

It's a learning process but you'll get the hang of it and congratulations for loosing all that weight! You must have worked hard for that!

[Reamac]

Thanks for your feedback Debrah it's much appreciated. I just changed my plate size never eat after 7pm.

[Debrah]

Originally Posted by Reamac

Thanks for your feedback Debrah it's much appreciated. I just changed my plate size never eat after 7pm.

Changing your plate size is an excellent idea! I hadn't thought of that.

[Gem]

and

Originally Posted by anthony c

Hi all

I want to become a vegetarian and want to slowly convert to a vegetarian but i have a few problems doing it. I have been researching but it's still so overwhelming and i have no clue what to eat for lunch.

Do any of you have some very easy recipes for lunch, something easy to make and maybe something for a 3pm snack too PLEASE??

Also, i have heard about Spirulina and Chia seeds for breakfast, was wondering how do you use them??

Thank you in advance.

Excellent. Do the research, particularly on protein sources. Nutrition isn't easy to learn, and there is always conflicting information, but I think best to start by learning the basic macro-nutrients the body thrives on: protein, carbs and fat. Then find out your own body's requirements (depends on bodyweight, activity levels and so on). Then find out what foods are rich in these macro-nutrients and base the diet on that.

Dhal is an easy recipe, high in protein, and scrumptious.

Water and dialuted fruit juice is a good idea.

Research for proper nutrition, not for spiritual 'baloney'.

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Gem

Research for proper nutrition, not for spiritual 'baloney'.

Funny reading this given most nutritional guides are a baloney set of requirements created by the meat and dairy industries. Also, this is a spiritual discussion board just so you know as it sounds like somewhere on your way to the Skeptical Eaters forum you mis-clicked.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Baile

Funny reading this given most nutritional guides are a baloney set of requirements created by the meat and dairy industries.

No need to worry about that on a vegetarian thread.

Also, this is a spiritual discussion board just so you know as it sounds like somewhere on your way to the Skeptical Eaters forum you mis-clicked.

Sounds like you got a burr in yer butt, and you seem to want to make that my problem