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Recently given up meat- need nutritional advice.

PadawanPadawan Veteran
edited August 2009 in General Banter
Three days ago, I decided to finally give up eating meat. I would like some advice, please, from those of you who are long-term vegetarians, as to how I can ensure that I receive the correct balance of nutrients in my diet; whether I will need to take any supplements, etc.

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited February 2006
    I would strongly advise you to speak with a qualified nutritionist who will not only advise you off good 'replacement' foods, but will also, if asked, suggest suitable vitamin and mineral supplements which may be necessary. You may need to ask about these, the information may not be automatically forthcoming.
    However, make sure that they are not merely a suggestion. There are tests available to actually test your body to see whether you are defficent in specific minerals and vitamins or just in need of a top-up ....
  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited February 2006
    I'd advise you to make sure that you eat plenty of fruit, that you get hold of a couple of good vegetarian recipe books and that you use protein sources that aren't too high in saturated fats, Tofu is very versatile and high in protein for example. I'd also watch that you get enough of the B complex vitamins and lesser known minerals such as zinc and iodine. For iodine in particular I believe the Japanse seaweeds are a very good source. All of the above are available quite cheaply in most oriental supermarkets, whereas in ordinary stores they tend to be a lot more expensive. Add to that a good multivitamin and mineral supplement, as Federica suggested, and you shouldn't go too far wrong.
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited February 2006
    Yes, I would definitely look into what is needed to maintain a healthy intake of required acids, vitamina, complexes and minerals when doing this.

    Also, beef and chicken are excellent sources of protien.

    -bf
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited February 2006
    ...But try to reduce exposure to smart-alecs.....
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited February 2006
    Is that like a protein-blocker?

    -bf
  • kowtaaiakowtaaia
    edited February 2006
    You've been given some good advice (except from buddhafoot :)), especially the eating of lots of fruit. The body will be going through a detoxification stage and fruit will be your friend. Other than that, fruit is the quintessential human food. Experiment.
  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited February 2006
    An anxiolytic I think.
  • kowtaaiakowtaaia
    edited February 2006
    There's no recollection of anxiousness. You?:buck:
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited February 2006
    zenmonk_genryu wrote:
    I'd advise you to make sure that you eat plenty of fruit, that you get hold of a couple of good vegetarian recipe books and that you use protein sources that aren't too high in saturated fats, Tofu is very versatile and high in protein for example. I'd also watch that you get enough of the B complex vitamins and lesser known minerals such as zinc and iodine. For iodine in particular I believe the Japanse seaweeds are a very good source. All of the above are available quite cheaply in most oriental supermarkets, whereas in ordinary stores they tend to be a lot more expensive. Add to that a good multivitamin and mineral supplement, as Federica suggested, and you shouldn't go too far wrong.

    Yes, sea vegetables are the best source of iodine. I have a great recipe for seaweed rice that I could share with you if you are interested. Like the others said, tofu is an excellent source of protein, and it is cheap and versatile. I eat beans and rice every day for a protein as well. Mung beans are my favorite. If you like beans, they are a great source of protein, but you have to eat them with a grain in order to make a complete protein. This is a really good website for you:

    http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/food.html

    Just go through the tabs on the left to get different info on foods. I have a couple of great vegetarin cookbooks that I can recommend as well. This one is my favorite one - I oculd not live without this cookbook:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684856417/sr=8-1/qid=1139599726/ref=sr_1_1/002-1537607-3484864?%5Fencoding=UTF8

    Hope that helps you out a bit! Just have fun and experiment!

    Kim

    PS - and don't listen to Buddhafoot.....chicken really is not that great of a source for protein. :)
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited February 2006
    And one more link for you:

    http://www.seaweed.net/
  • hopehope
    edited February 2006
    Dear Padwan

    Please make sure you get enough vitamin B, Calcium, and also various trace elements.
    As a vegetarian I regularly find myself deficient in vitamin B (because I forget to take it for weeks on end.. lazy me)

    Normally a simple multivitamin should do the trick

    NOTE: I'm not an expert on nutrition, or anything. Please speak with a nutritionist or your family doctor, explain your change of diet, and they will advice you.

    From my personal experience, I've experienced deficiency in Vitamin B and Calcium (as I tend not to take milk/milk based products a lot)

    Are you vegan (don't take milk) or vegetarian? (don't eat meat but do consume milk/milk based products... note - I think that should be lacto-vegetarian.. or something)..

    (If I may ask) what prompted you to become a vegetarian?

    By the way, when I first switched to vegetarian diet, I missed meat a lot... Vegetables seemed 'boring'... but now I truly love them.. what happens is when one is used to eating meat, the subtle taste of vegetables seems bland... but when you stop eating meat, suddenly theres a whole new rich vivid spectrum of taste you discover in vegetables.

    ALSO: NOTE: Please make sure you take any recommended vitamins/supplements. You must look after your health :)

    Either way, good luck and may you enjoy your new diet.
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited February 2006
    Just a little FYI...Vegans do not eat any dairy products, nor will they eat anything that is made with any animals products what so ever! Nor will they eat anything that an animal product has even touched. :)
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited February 2006
    Oh, one more thing...(sorry...I am posting these to you as I think of them). Don't forget to get enough iron in your new diet. Kale and Black Strap Molasses are excellent sources of iron.
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited February 2006
    That's so funny! Yogamama, you read my mind. I was JUST about to bring up the Black Strap Molasses for iron. Very important, especially for women.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited February 2006
    Can't find them here.... :-/ Oh, England, hang on...I'll be there soon!!:rockon:
  • PadawanPadawan Veteran
    edited February 2006
    Many thanks all of you for your advice! To be truthful, this is my second attempt at vegetarianism. I tried many years ago, during my first marriage, as my first wife decided to become vegetarian, and I thought it would help her if I joined her. (Moral support, and not having to cook two lots of meals, that kind of thing.) When that marriage broke up, I went through a very traumatic time- redundancy, repossession of my house, divorce and the death of my mother, all within a couple of months, so the shock of events meant that I lost over half my body-weight, so I went back to eating meat to regain all that lost weight.

    I’m now happily married, and since I embraced Buddhist ideals, I began to question again why I eat meat. In my opinion, I can’t properly undertake the noble precept to not take the life of another being by eating meat, as I feel indirectly responsible for the deaths of the animals I eat. When I was vegetarian before, I didn’t miss meat, and now that I’m a good few years older, and hopefully wiser, I want to try again to give up meat- this time with proper advice on diet and nutrition, instead of just heading over to the Linda McCartney section of the supermarket! I shall certainly check the references you all gave me; I’m rather partial to seaweed, so thanks for that link! My second wife has been vegetarian for most of her life (No, I wasn’t influenced by her decision this time around!) and already knows about keeping a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals, so I’m also learning much from her. BF, thanks for the humour!!

    Peace.
  • SatoriSatori
    edited February 2006
    Congratulations on choosing a vegetarian lifestyle, Padawan! I've been a vegetarian my entire life (almost 48 years). :)
  • Channah108Channah108
    edited August 2009
    the advice you have been given here is excellent so i really dont need to add too much but here are my tips based on my own experiance of going veggie pretty much overnight about a year ago..

    1 ) you will have to cook a lot more as a veggie especially since a lot of ready made foods are non veggie- so get some good cook books... if you are eating eggs - things will be a lot easier.. but its worth checking out eggless recipies too if you are planning to give them up ..

    2 ) Supplements - some people reccomend them - some people dont. I was told by my doc that they really arent neccessary if you have a propper diet... if like me though you are a terrible cook and / or dont cook that much its worth investing in daily vits for vegetarians...

    b6 vits are ok - but your body can store and reuse b vits for years so i personally take them only every other months.

    - Do as little as you can to your food - cooking reduces quite severly the amount of vits in veggies - so if you cant stand them raw - steam rather than boil or fry

    - Protein - you will need it - especially if you are giving up eggs.. bread or rice - when eaten with beans,lentils , pulses etc increases their protein content so include them in your diet at least a few times a week and try always to have bread or rice with them

    - range - eat as wide a range as possible - especially of veg - go for dark intense colored stuff like spinach, kale, red peppers etc ...

    - if you cut down gradually or instantly - remember that your body can happily live without most - if not all flesh products... give your body time to adjust and be prepared for the odd upset stomach or cold while your body gets used to a new diet - and dont panic - like i did - that its because your arent eating steak with every meal any more

    thats about it really - hope thats usefulll
  • yuriythebestyuriythebest Veteran
    edited August 2009
    congratulations Padawan! My story is somewhat similar to yours- at first I was a vegeterian for about a year, then I had a 1 year break/relapse and now I have been a strict vegeterian for around 7-8 years and don't plan to ever go back to meat.

    As for diet, after you go through the initial detoxification, both physical and mental (as in you let go of your attachment to meat) things will become much easier, the 1st 6 months-> a year is usually the hardest.

    As for diet, mine is very varried, I eat everything from noodles to potato chips to rice, potatoes etc, plenty of salads, seeweed, milk, nuts, cheeses, etc etc
    I always try to varry my diet
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