Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Hello all, I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing changes in my life. My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to think more clearly. So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? Thank you so much for your help Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Judy, I'm sorry to hear about your son. I know for me, college too was when I really fell apart. The good news was that I fell apart enough to realize I had to do something to get better. In terms of your limited experience, there are so many resources out there about vegetarianism that it doesn't have to stay limited for long. You can google a bunch of websites and get loads of recipes. In terms of protein, my mainstays are protein powder, black beans, chickpeas, eggs and tofu. I don't eat dairy but if he does it's quite easy to get enough protein for meals that hold you. I have shake for breakfast with almond milk and protein powder. For lunch I usually have a salad with beans, a hard boiled egg, or chopped tofu and cheese and brown rice cakes or a grain. For dinner I have chick peas, cashews and brown rice. I think the main thing is to get away from the American version of meat, potato, vegetable version of a " meal. " I eat a lot of indian style (just buying the curry paste at the store) or mexican. My best suggestion is shake however. Whenever I'm feeling run down, that is what I go to the most. It's also something he can make for himself, so maybe he will chose that instead of not eating. And I am not sure how to approach some one about eating meat. It depends on what his reasons for becoming a vegetarian are. Perhaps instead of making suggestions, you can open a dialogue, get behind his reasons for this choice and help him fulfill those. For instance there's the option of organic meat, which means the animals are treated well while they live. I hope this is helpful and good luck. I think you're caring so much for him will already do a lot. When I first started this program I came home to my parents and they really had no idea what to feed me and served a lot of meals that didn't work for me, but the fact that they tried went a long way. Jess CO judithmaggiore <jmaggiore wrote: Hello all, I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing changes in my life. My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to think more clearly. So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? Thank you so much for your help Judy Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Hi Judy, I like Jess' response to you, and I would agree that your loving attitude makes a big difference. I think as long as you treat his choice with respect he will talk to and work with you. I would add veggie burgers and pizza with soy sausage to the list of simple to make proteins he might eat. Having the choice to eat non-factory farmed animals was a big factor in my decision to eat meat again. Wishing you both well, JoEllen , " judithmaggiore " <jmaggiore wrote: > > Hello all, > > I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing > changes in my life. > > My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end > of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition > and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. > He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that > he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly > because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really > stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and > don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough > protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or > turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to > think more clearly. > > So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can > I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to > approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? > > Thank you so much for your help > Judy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Hi Judy, I was vegetarian in college and can attest that it is easily done. Most colleges have many vegetarian students and provide multiple vegetarian options at every meal. My mainstays were veggie burgers, grilled cheese, and cheese sandwiches (at the make-your-own-sandwich bar). If I had been a better salad eater, I'm sure there were beans available at the salad bar also. (One of the reasons it was so easy to be vegetarian in college is that it's the MEAT at the dining halls that's so unpalatable, so I fear encouraging your son in that direction will not work.) The larger problem seems to me that your son is not making self-care a priority. No matter what he eats, he's not going to feel good on only one meal a day. Maybe while he is home you can encourage him to work on planning his meals with you, and ask HIM to cook YOU some vegetarian meals. If you can help him start thinking about how to eat and take care of himself, you will be giving him skills to take back to college with him, instead of just trying to fix him up while he's at home. Let us know what you try! Blessings, Sharon judithmaggiore <jmaggiore Thursday, December 6, 2007 4:55:33 AM Vegetarian son Hello all, I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing changes in my life. My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to think more clearly. So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? Thank you so much for your help Judy ______________________________\ ____ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. http://tools.search./newsearch/category.php?category=shopping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Hi Judy, Glad that the program is working wonder for you!!!! Is your son sugar sensitive, just wondering? You may want to check out the files section on this list for an awesome list of veggy protein equivlents on 1 or 2 pages.... Might want to buy him some frozen Veggy Food (Perhaps Indian or Amy's), for 2 reasons, (1) something to eat right now, (2) so he can eat these back at school. Might be good to stock him up on Garbanzo, Kidney Beans, Olive Oil, Nuts.... These are my fallback & camping foods for all occations. Might want to go to a bookstore and see about some Veggy Cookbooks. Might also want to check out Veg Web.com Might want to enroll him in some cooking classes. Wish someone did this for me.... Good Luck, Bob , " judithmaggiore " <jmaggiore wrote: > > Hello all, > > I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing > changes in my life. > > My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end > of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition > and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. > He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that > he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly > because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really > stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and > don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough > protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or > turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to > think more clearly. > > So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can > I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to > approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? > > Thank you so much for your help > Judy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Hi, I haven't posted here in a while but I saw your post and I'd just like to pipe in with some meal suggestions. I love any sort of tofu and veggie stir fry, especially with brown rice. You can get good tofu options at almost any Asian (chinese, thai, vietnamese, etc) restaurant where I live, but unfortunately not brown rice. Grilled cheese sandwiches (I make them with ezekiel bread) are a staple for my 6-year old son. Quesadillas are also a good dairy protein option. Peanut butter - another staple. Bean and cheese burritos - preferably with whole wheat tortilla (there's a really good brand of whole wheat tortilla that they sell here almost everywhere --- even Wal-Mart --- from Santa Fe Tortilla Company). Or just bean and brown rice burritos. Lentil and barley soup Indian food -- see if there are any restaurants with an indian buffet. Unfortunately it's white rice and white bread, but the veggies are excellent and there are protein options like paneer (indian cottage cheese, has a texture like tofu) and dhal (spiced lentils or lentil soup). Not everybody's into the idea of shakes but I depend on them most every day and they work for me great -- I use a mixture of brown rice and hemp protein powders that I get from the health food store, add 1 C almond milk, 1 C water (to save on the cost of almond milk!), 1/2 C apple juice, 4 Tablespoons rolled oats and/or rye and/or barley Oh yes veggie burgers I forgot to mention those --- where I live they sell Boca Burgers cheap at costco and they are always there and easy for when I'm hungry and in a pinch, and don't feel like cooking much. Satisfying too. I eat mine on ezekiel bread with a slice of cheddar cheese, and lettuce, onion, and tomato if I've got em. I agree that if one is questioning a particular diet style, it's most important to figure out what someone's reasons are for being vegetarian. But it's also important to be sensitive to someone's reasons. I know that this has been a touchy subject for me, and probably for others as well. I've looked at this a lot myself, and during the last 12 years I have been vegetarian I've wondered several times if it's the best diet for me. I did find some useful insight by reading Peter D'Adamo's book, " Eat Right 4 Your Type " , it gives some reason and logic behind why there may be different ideal eating styles for different people based on genetics and evolution -- and gives some useful food for thought if any particular diet isn't working well for someone. Aaron W ABQ, NM On 12/6/07, jocameron350 <joellencameron wrote: > > Hi Judy, > > I like Jess' response to you, and I would agree that your loving > attitude makes a big difference. I think as long as you treat his > choice with respect he will talk to and work with you. > > I would add veggie burgers and pizza with soy sausage to the > list of simple to make proteins he might eat. > > Having the choice to eat non-factory farmed animals was a big > factor in my decision to eat meat again. > > Wishing you both well, > > JoEllen > > --- In <%40>, > " judithmaggiore " <jmaggiore wrote: > > > > Hello all, > > > > I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing > > changes in my life. > > > > My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end > > of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition > > and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. > > He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that > > he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly > > because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really > > stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and > > don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough > > protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or > > turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to > > think more clearly. > > > > So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can > > I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to > > approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? > > > > Thank you so much for your help > > Judy > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Thank you everyone for your very kind and informative responses. I knew I could count on you to have some great ideas. I didn't realize there were so many vegetarian options. I think we should take a trip to the grocery store together. I do think you're right, Jess, that this falling apart is a good thing in that it may help him to see that taking care of himself is so important. Thank you all again, Judy , Jessica Vaughan <londonoctober wrote: > > Judy, > > I'm sorry to hear about your son. I know for me, college too was when I really fell apart. The good news was that I fell apart enough to realize I had to do something to get better. > > In terms of your limited experience, there are so many resources out there about vegetarianism that it doesn't have to stay limited for long. You can google a bunch of websites and get loads of recipes. > > In terms of protein, my mainstays are protein powder, black beans, chickpeas, eggs and tofu. I don't eat dairy but if he does it's quite easy to get enough protein for meals that hold you. I have shake for breakfast with almond milk and protein powder. For lunch I usually have a salad with beans, a hard boiled egg, or chopped tofu and cheese and brown rice cakes or a grain. For dinner I have chick peas, cashews and brown rice. > I think the main thing is to get away from the American version of meat, potato, vegetable version of a " meal. " I eat a lot of indian style (just buying the curry paste at the store) or mexican. My best suggestion is shake however. Whenever I'm feeling run down, that is what I go to the most. It's also something he can make for himself, so maybe he will chose that instead of not eating. > > And I am not sure how to approach some one about eating meat. It depends on what his reasons for becoming a vegetarian are. Perhaps instead of making suggestions, you can open a dialogue, get behind his reasons for this choice and help him fulfill those. For instance there's the option of organic meat, which means the animals are treated well while they live. > > I hope this is helpful and good luck. I think you're caring so much for him will already do a lot. When I first started this program I came home to my parents and they really had no idea what to feed me and served a lot of meals that didn't work for me, but the fact that they tried went a long way. > > Jess CO > > judithmaggiore <jmaggiore wrote: > Hello all, > > I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing > changes in my life. > > My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end > of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition > and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. > He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that > he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly > because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really > stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and > don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough > protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or > turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to > think more clearly. > > So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can > I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to > approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? > > Thank you so much for your help > Judy > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 hi Judy and Welcome I was so interested to read your replies! my son lived on fish and veggies in Halls but it now catering for himself in a student house. Will your son be self catering next term? my son does well ( he has a couple of dishes as his " speciality " ) but comes home quite often to clear the pantry! our friend had a similar situation of a vegetarian daughter in an omniverous family. She was eating so much pre-prepared soy products! So my friend sent for some books aimed at student cooking on a budget, that had a lot of veggie recipes. the daughter did a lot of choosing what she liked and experiments in the kitchen over summer so by the time she went away she had about 5 dishes - enough to last. Chilli, ww pasta/sauce that kind of thing. She chooses no amimal anything ( not even leather shoes) so that wasnt an option and they decided to focus on tofu/bean/quorn products. Denser proteins. ( im not sure what quorn is in USA - mycoprotein, fungus/mushroomy derived stuff!) Is he interested in the steps at all ? Only the shake b/f option seems ideal for student life! keep in touch! mosaic , " judithmaggiore " <jmaggiore wrote: > > Hello all, > > I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing > changes in my life. > > My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the end > of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition > and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his courses. > He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that > he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly > because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really > stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and > don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough > protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or > turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to > think more clearly. > > So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How can > I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to > approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a while? > > Thank you so much for your help > Judy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2007 Report Share Posted December 8, 2007 Thank you for some more great ideas for food. Unfortunately he can't move out of the dorms until next year. And thank you for the suggestion to find out why he chooses to eat vegetarian. I think I know but it would be good to hear what is on his mind now. The RR community is the best. Thank you for being there. Judy , " mosaic " <mosaic58 wrote: > > hi Judy and Welcome > I was so interested to read your replies! > my son lived on fish and veggies in Halls but it now catering for > himself in a student house. Will your son be self catering next term? > > my son does well ( he has a couple of dishes as his " speciality " ) but > comes home quite often to clear the pantry! > > our friend had a similar situation of a vegetarian daughter in an > omniverous family. She was eating so much pre-prepared soy products! > So my friend sent for some books aimed at student cooking on a > budget, that had a lot of veggie recipes. > > the daughter did a lot of choosing what she liked and experiments in > the kitchen over summer so by the time she went away she had about 5 > dishes - enough to last. Chilli, ww pasta/sauce that kind of thing. > She chooses no amimal anything ( not even leather shoes) so that > wasnt an option and they decided to focus on tofu/bean/quorn products. > Denser proteins. > > ( im not sure what quorn is in USA - mycoprotein, fungus/mushroomy > derived stuff!) > > Is he interested in the steps at all ? Only the shake b/f option > seems ideal for student life! > > keep in touch! > mosaic > > > > > > , " judithmaggiore " > <jmaggiore@> wrote: > > > > Hello all, > > > > I've been doing step 7 since 2004 and have experienced some amazing > > changes in my life. > > > > My 20 year old son just came home from college 2 weeks before the > end > > of the semester. He is an extremely depleted and run down condition > > and just was not able to think clearly enough to finish his > courses. > > He has been a vegetarian since he's been at college. He admits that > > he has not been eating (maybe one meal a day). He says it is mostly > > because the food is so bad at the college dining hall. I am really > > stumped as to how to help him recover. I am not a vegetarian and > > don't have much experience with cooking to make sure he gets enough > > protein. I'd like to suggest to him that he eat a little fish or > > turkey temporarily until he gets his strength back and is able to > > think more clearly. > > > > So I guess I have two questions I'm hoping you can help with. How > can > > I feed this boy with my limited experience? How is the best way to > > approach the subject of eating some animal protein at least for a > while? > > > > Thank you so much for your help > > Judy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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