Give me your vegetarian ideas and opinions!

[missmetal]

Originally Posted by mogenblue

Cheese provides a lot of proteins but also a lot of saturated fats and salt.

Oh wow, I never actually thought about it in this way before... That definitely makes me reconsider cheese!

[missmetal]

I was just asking my husband (he works at a supermarket) what brand the vegan cheese is and this is what I found;






So, being new to the game... I'm unsure if this would be beneficial as I try to cut down and stop eating dairy cheese?

[mogenblue]

Originally Posted by missmetal

So, being new to the game... I'm unsure if this would be beneficial as I try to cut down and stop eating dairy cheese?

Well, as you can see from the nutrition info it has no protein at all.
There is a German brand available in my country called Wilhelmsburger. That is also made of coconut oil. The taste is very good. It really taste like cheese. But just like your brand it has no proteins.

So if you still want the taste of cheese that is a good alternative. But if you want proteins you have to get them somewhere else.
I tried it once. It was very nice. But also kind of expensive. So I decided just to forget completely about the cheese.

I use hummus and bean burgers on bread.

In the vegan recipes thread there is also a recipe for pudla's, Indian omelet.
That is made from chickpea flour / garbonzo flour and water. That is a great alternative for regular omelets made from eggs.
If you want to try something new you should definitely try that. It's really great stuff and very easy to make. It's also very cheap to make. And very nutritious.

[missmetal]

Originally Posted by mogenblue

Well, as you can see from the nutrition info it has no protein at all.
There is a German brand available in my country called Wilhelmsburger. That is also made of coconut oil. The taste is very good. It really taste like cheese. But just like your brand it has no proteins.

So if you still want the taste of cheese that is a good alternative. But if you want proteins you have to get them somewhere else.
I tried it once. It was very nice. But also kind of expensive. So I decided just to forget completely about the cheese.

I use hummus and bean burgers on bread.

In the vegan recipes thread there is also a recipe for pudla's, Indian omelet.
That is made from chickpea flour / garbonzo flour and water. That is a great alternative for regular omelets made from eggs.
If you want to try something new you should definitely try that. It's really great stuff and very easy to make. It's also very cheap to make. And very nutritious.

Thanks so much for all of your help :)

[Debrah]

Originally Posted by Baile

Hi missmetal. I've been on a whole foods only diet for five years now, just vegetables and fruit, in as raw a form as possible. Example, I put spinach and an apple in the blender, add 100% fruit juice, and that's my breakfast, lasts me til noon. I don't take supplements, but I understand why people might need to. I've been thinking about B vitamins lately so I may do that.

Hi Baile, You have to start supplementing your B12 if you want to be healthy. That vitamin is critical to practically every function of your body and brain and you're approaching the point where you're starting to draw down on the stored stuff in your liver with deficiency on it's way!

We have a 6-20 year supply stored there (if you used to be a meat eater) but by the time you get to year 20, you're deep in the throes of deficiency with a very poor prognosis as far as dementia goes plus other symptoms. A couple months ago, I made a point of reading everything I could find on B12, from medical journals and doctors websites and studies and after all of that, I'd be willing to say that unless a persons health is perfect and they are in the prime of life, the majority of people should be supplementing even those who are meat eaters.

Digestive issues, medications, disease processes can all play havoc with your ability to process B12 or absorb it and if you're a vegan or vegetarian it is even more of an issue simply because our diets don't naturally provide it. Please Baile, please, next time you're at the supermarket, pick up a bottle.

[Tobi]

I do agree basically with Debrah.
I have taken a B complex supplement for many years now. That includes B12. At my last blood test I was not deficient in B12.

Another thing to consider is vitamin D3. There are vegan sources of D3 available, which can be useful in the winter if you live in a temperate zone. But there is plenty of D3 available free from sunlight on the skin. That is minus sun block.
So I always make sure I get some sunshine on my skin also, and the safest exposure is for me, a white skinned person in northern hemisphere -about 30 minutes of NO sun block before putting it on (late spring/summer/early autumn) Black or darker skinned people need more exposure.
Sun safety and fear of cancer has us all paranoid about one of nature's blessings; vitamin D3 from the sunlight.

D3 of course is also available in meat and fish.

[missmetal]

Originally Posted by Debrah

We have a 6-20 year supply stored there (if you used to be a meat eater)

Digestive issues, medications, disease processes can all play havoc with your ability to process B12 or absorb it and if you're a vegan or vegetarian

Just a quick little storytime from me :)

I was a meat eater for 25 years of my life, I was diganosed with T2 Diabetes when I was 25 and decided to eat vegetarian / vegan meals.

However, in saying that, I actually had no B12 stored in my system at all due to the diabetes and medication affecting my B12 levels. I had to go on weekly injections to get my B12 up and running again. (only within a matter of weeks from stopping meat, my b12 levels went critical).

DEBRAH: to answer your question on other post you commented on - At the time I was diagnosed I was a meat eater and constantly getting blood tests done. When I started eating vegetarian foods I had to go back for check ups and at this stage my b12 was so low I needed to go into my GP doctors office for weekly injections for a couple of months.
I haven't had my bloods done in a while, my new doctor really wants me to get it checked out again, but I haven't found the time.

I have since bought 1000 mcg B12 tablets and take 1 each fortnight... Speaking of which, I'm due to take one wednesday Not really sure if they are helping or not, as I need my bloods done again.

[mogenblue]

According to Jack Norris vegans should take a 1000 mcg B12 tablet about twice a week, if I am correct.

But I already said that before. I forgot to check my previous post. hahahahaha

[Debrah]

Originally Posted by missmetal

Just a quick little storytime from me :)

I was a meat eater for 25 years of my life, I was diganosed with T2 Diabetes when I was 25 and decided to eat vegetarian / vegan meals.

However, in saying that, I actually had no B12 stored in my system at all due to the diabetes and medication affecting my B12 levels. I had to go on weekly injections to get my B12 up and running again. (only within a matter of weeks from stopping meat, my b12 levels went critical).

DEBRAH: to answer your question on other post you commented on - At the time I was diagnosed I was a meat eater and constantly getting blood tests done. When I started eating vegetarian foods I had to go back for check ups and at this stage my b12 was so low I needed to go into my GP doctors office for weekly injections for a couple of months.
I haven't had my bloods done in a while, my new doctor really wants me to get it checked out again, but I haven't found the time.

I have since bought 1000 mcg B12 tablets and take 1 each fortnight... Speaking of which, I'm due to take one wednesday Not really sure if they are helping or not, as I need my bloods done again.

Excellent that you got on track with that. I was quite surprised in my reading, to discover that there are so many issues that can affect ones B12 status and how important it is for so many functions in our bodies.

Do you feel better now that you got that straightened out? Hope so and just out of curiosity, how is your diabetes doing with the vegetarian foods?

[Debrah]

Originally Posted by mogenblue

According to Jack Norris vegans should take a 1000 mcg B12 tablet about twice a week, if I am correct.

But I already said that before. I forgot to check my previous post. hahahahaha

Never hurts to say some things twice