[QOTW] What advice do you have for new vegetarians?

[Guest guest]

Time for a new batch of group questions.

The discussions sparked from our Earth Day questions

made me ponder ways we can help educate others by

sharing bits of advice we have gleened as we have

followed our own vegetarian paths.

 

 

The QOTW [question of the week] for April 20th-27th is:

 

What advice to you have for someone just starting a

vegetarian diet?

Tell us all something you have learned on your vegetarian

path that has made it easier for you. If you are really quite

new to vegetarianism, and don't think you have any sage

wisdom to share, just tell us one interesting thing you have

discovered since becoming a vegetarian.

[Guest guest]

The best pieces of advice I have for someone starting out is:

 

1. Don't beat yourself up about slips. If you go out to eat, ask if

the stock/filling/etc is vegetable, but if you forget and have

butternut squash soup with chicken stock - just move on and remember

to ask next time.

 

2. Don't think the only protein has to come in tofu or " meat " shapes.

Think lentils, nuts, even fruits/vegetables. Check out various

resources for assistance: http://www.happycow.net/vegetarian_protein.html

 

3. Don't get defensive about being a vegetarian, and don't get

offensive either. This is a totally personal issue for me. Just as I

don't want people pushing their dietary choices on me, I don't want to

do it to others. When people ask " Why? " I don't go into gory detail

because it shuts them down. I explain how it started and why I keep

it up without mentioning chicken poo in rural drinking water and

sickly cows force-fed corn (which screws with their grass-loving

digestive systems) from adolescence on.

 

4. When I'm out to eat with carnivores, I am accommodating...several

appetizers are usually more tasty than one entree anyway. It makes

for a more relaxed dinner and friends are more likely to want to go

out with me.

 

For #s 3 and 4, I'm sure some people will see this as being soft or

whatever, but I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years, and I'm so

done with being militant.

 

Anyway, my four cents.

[Guest guest]

The most important thing I think a new vegetarian should remember is VARIETY!

All 5 food groups of a veggie diet should be remembered--fruits, veggies, whole

grains, lentils, legumes, and nuts. Don't expect to eat just vegetables or

fruits alone, and if you have a sugar craving, try a piece of citrus fruit, like

a plum or orange since that has a natural sugar fructose in it, which should

take care of the craving and help you reduce your body's intake of refined

sugars, which deplete nutrient levels.

I also like to remind people of how important it is to drink water--a good

target to aim for is 1-1.5 liters throughout the day; as you increase your

intake of raw fruits and veggies you may require LESS; always listen to your

body on that.

Also something I recently learned on grains: since these have phytic acid in

them, which decreases the bioavailability of their nutrients, dried beans should

be soaked overnight and the water discarded. This helps remove the acid while

still retaining most of the vital vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

 

 

~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll wrote:

Time for a new batch of group questions.

The discussions sparked from our Earth Day questions

made me ponder ways we can help educate others by

sharing bits of advice we have gleened as we have

followed our own vegetarian paths.

 

The QOTW [question of the week] for April 20th-27th is:

 

What advice to you have for someone just starting a

vegetarian diet?

Tell us all something you have learned on your vegetarian

path that has made it easier for you. If you are really quite

new to vegetarianism, and don't think you have any sage

wisdom to share, just tell us one interesting thing you have

discovered since becoming a vegetarian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

The thing that made it so easy for me to become a vegetarian was that I gave up

fast foods long before giving up meat altogether.

I hadn't eaten at McDonalds for about five years and KFC for almost ten before

giving up all meat. I went from buying my lunch every day to getting into the

habit of bringing my lunch. I did those things in the beginning to save money

and time, and because I did research on the quality of the food, but in the end

it was a blessing when I decided to give up meat entirely. I have never once

craved any sort of meat, even though I have feared falling off the wagon the

whole time.

I think the most common reason, that I have personally heard for slip ups by new

vegetarians, is because of their craving for fast foods like McDonalds. I don't

blame them, those foods are made to make people want them more often. I think

it is easier to wean yourself off some of those foods first, then take the step

to weaning off of a meat based diet altogether.

Don't get me wrong, I do eat out for lunch still with friends but I am not

relying on grabbing a quick lunch at a fast food place every day like I used to.

I still order pizza now and then and have researched and frequent fast food

places that have vegetarian items, but I don't eat anywhere near the amount of

those types of foods that I used to.

It ends up being a win-win situation all round. You save money, you are eating

a more healthy diet, and it is easier in the end to move away from a meat based

diet without having slip ups.

 

 

~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll wrote:

The QOTW [question of the week] for April 20th-27th is:

What advice to you have for someone just starting a vegetarian diet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

All new Mail - Get a sneak peak at messages with a handy reading pane.

 

 

[Guest guest]

> The QOTW [question of the week] for April 20th-27th is:

>

> What advice to you have for someone just starting a

> vegetarian diet?

 

Eat a wide variety of dishes and concentrate

on variety and colors; eat lots of rainbows of veggies.

Try new things and think outside the typical american plate

of main dish, starchy side and watery over-cooked veggies.

Eat a meal of several sides or make a big salad a meal.

Be open to new food experiences and make it an adventure!

Have fun & play with your food!

 

~ PT ~

 

Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves,

after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good.

So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise

perhaps many flowers.

~ Leigh Hunt

[Guest guest]

Re: [QOTW] What advice do you have for new vegetarians?

 

 

> The QOTW [question of the week] for April 20th-27th is:

>

> What advice to you have for someone just starting a

> vegetarian diet?

 

Eat a wide variety of dishes and concentrate

on variety and colors; eat lots of rainbows of veggies.

Try new things and think outside the typical american plate

of main dish, starchy side and watery over-cooked veggies.

Eat a meal of several sides or make a big salad a meal.

Be open to new food experiences and make it an adventure!

Have fun & play with your food!

 

~ PT ~

 

Hello there!

In addition to the wonderful information above, it is also good to choose your

grains

wisely. Choose grains like quinoa to make sure you are getting enough protein.

Often in

a vegetarian diet many foods are not complete proteins ( containing all the

essential

amino acids). However, quinoa is one of the few grains that is considered

complete.

 

To make sure you are getting complete proteins in every meal it is good to mix

and match

your foods. For example, mixing legumes and seeds, legumes, and grains,or

legumes and

nuts will give one a complete protein.

 

Another concern for some vegetarians, is the amount of iron they consume. This

can be of

special concern for some women. Many plant sources do have iron, but the plant

sources

of iron must be consumed at higher levels to get similar amounts from more

" traditional "

sources. One way to increase one's iron content is by cooking your sauces in a

cast iron

pan. Iron from the pan will get into your food that way. Also, if iron is of

concern be

careful of your coffee and green tea consumption as it can interfere with your

iron

absorption.

 

All in all, a vegetarian diet is a very healthy way to go, but like mentioned

above variety is

key as well and looking into different cultures for food ideas.

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

Loresa