The Student Room Group

Becoming a vegetarian...

ok, so my friends bet me that i wouldnt be able to survive as a vegetarian because i love meat so much, but i took their bet. i figure, it cant be that hard, not to mention it could be a good diet...anyways, i just wanted to know since i wont be eating any meat, what is the best new source of protein that i can get? i want to stay healthy, so any suggestions should be helpful. I'm not becoming a total vegan, so im allowing for milk, eggs and butter.

btw, please dont tell me that im full of sh** and that im wasting my time trying to be a vegetarian. thank you :biggrin:

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Reply 1
I became a vegetarian on what was pretty much a bet, and I lasted 7 years. Then I went to live in Paris and couldn't be bothered any longer.

I don't think there's any one source that is best, just try and eat many (not that I ever cared too much, it's actually impressive to me that you are worried enough to ask this...) It seems that dairy products, eggs, grains, rice and cereals, nuts, seeds and pulses are safe bets. I think Quorn has a fair bit of protein too (obviously not as much as meat, but still not bad), and it'll probably help you to cut out meat if you have an easy and fairly decent-tasting substitute like that.

And, why anonymous?
Hi

I've been a veggie for 5 yrs (seventeen now) and I know that eggs, mushrooms, nuts and broceli (spelling!!), beans, chickpeas are foods that contain the stuff you'll miss from meat, protein, iron etc. Also if you can eat fish- do! It's much harder to stay healthy without some sort of stable flesh food in your diet.

I'm always having problems with animea where I have to be put on iron tablets and I ALWAYS feel tired- even when I was on the tablets to a degree. It started around the time I became veggie and I dont know if its coincidence or is just tied up with being a teenager but it does sound suspicious :rolleyes:

Also, word of warning- I found it really hard to keep the weight off, not that I'm super fat now (I'm 8.5 stone and 5ft2) but just have a bit of a tummy, and that's cus you substitute all the meats you would have had as the main part of your meal with carbs- pasta, pizza, bready foods etc

My best bit of advise would be get a propper dietision if you can afford cus u dont realise how much u eat can really affect ur body! I got one but I was too lazy to listen and work with all the different recomended foods!

Good luck XX
I've been a vegetrian for 7 years, and a vegan for nearly a year, nd I get my protein from tofu and meat-replacers. Quorn products are good, but many are not suitable for vegans as they contain egg.

Have a look at the Vegetarian Society's website http://www.vegsoc.org/ which has some recipes on there, and information about becoming a vegetarian.

It's very easy to stay healthy if you're a vegetarian, and there are plenty of books on vegetarianism, which could help you on your way. Try http://www.amazon.co.uk which has a variety of vegetarian books.
I'm being veggie for Lent - still going strong, only 4 days to go! It's easier than I thought. Are you allowing yourself to eat fish? As suggested above, cheese, eggs etc...try Quorn as well, that's supposed to be quite good, although I haven't eaten it. Good luck!
Reply 5
Actually although you are trying to be vegetarian, perhaps since you're not doing this on moral grounds, you should allow yourself to eat fish, as others have suggested. I didn't, but with hindsight I should have. Though if you didn't want to go the whole hog I guess you wouldn't become vegetarian in the first place. But I'd still recommend eating fish during this bet.
Well I've been a vegetarian for 6 years (true vegetarian that is, no demi-vegetarian rubbish, I don't eat fish or slaughterhouse by-products either). It takes some getting used to, my family were not very accommodating at the beginning, but in the end they had to just get used to it. The Vegetarian Society website is very useful for issues like where to get protein etc. I try just to have at least one good source of protein in every meal, but I don't try all that hard, and I've had no health problems at all. In fact, I get ill less often now than I did as a meat-eater. People often seem to be amazed that I'm so healthy when I say I'm veggie... why? It's a perfectly healthy lifestyle, in fact very healthy as vegetarians will usually end up consuming less saturated fat due to no red meat.

Here is the Vegetarian Society's guide to going veggie: http://www.vegsoc.org/newveg/fft/index.html

Hope this helps

Laura :wink:
Another one joins the dark side.
Reply 8
I've been veg 9 years now. Everyone else has said everything. I just thought I'd say that yo ucan survive on a vegeblearian diet.
Reply 9
Eat lots of soy products and drink soy milk. It's the only vegetable protein with a full range of amino acids, which meat has. Soy milk, tofu, soy beans and soy nuts are all good for you.

Also, eat a handful of nuts a day and no more. They're full of good fat, but will still make you put on weight.

Don't eat crap like pizza and crisps continually either. That'll just make you fat and spotty.

Otherwise, go for it. Pick up a book at your local library on veggie cooking and eating :biggrin:
Just a note. Don't eat a diet which consists of soya, as soya can cause health problems if you consume a lot of it.

Also, as far as I know, if you eat a handful of plain nuts a day, they wont make you put on weight. They're full of protein!
Reply 11
wow! you guys are so helpful! lol. Thanks :biggrin: well, I HATE fish so i wont be eating that...
Reply 12
Ha ha ha... The irony:

I'm playing random songs through iTunes. And as I spotted this thread the following song started, "Meat Shake by Ugly Duckling"

Ha ha ha, "So hot and steamy, yet so smooth and creamy"
Reply 13
Anonymous
wow! you guys are so helpful! lol. Thanks :biggrin: well, I HATE fish so i wont be eating that...


That solves that issue then!
Reply 14
I'm a veggie too...I've been one for 12 years (I'm 18 now) and am generally healthy. I don't eat fish either but I really recommend getting ur quota of iron and protein from foods like brown bread, pasta and rice. Soya milk isn't actually bad...I just started making a milkshake every morning with soy milk and different fruits. Nuts, beans and lentils are gr8! I've found that being veggie keeps me slim cause you cut out a lot of fatty foods from your diet. Quorn is amazing and comes in a range of quorn burgers, fillets, quorn sausages etc. Good luck!!
Youdon't have to worry about protein. I really don't see why so many people make a fuss of protein, but it's a macronutrient which is readilyavailable ina wide variety of foods. Considering that the amounts that the average person needs is approximately 50g, you really don't need to try to get protein.

Nutritionally speaking, the main concern for vegetarians, particularly vegans, is vitamin B12. However, the body stores it well, and you only reallyneed to be concerned if you've been vegetarian for a few years, when supplies will have depleted somewhat. I'v ebeen veggie for 9 years, and I've recently decided to start watching B12.

Iron is a bit of a problem if you're female, zinc if you're male, so you'd be best looking at these two micronutrients, and where to get them from, althoughin all honesty, I never bother checking myself.

Incidentally, the term "vegetarian" does not apply to people who eat fish. I'mnot being a purist or anything, but vegetarians don't eat fish, and I must admit that it is irritating, to say the least when people assume that I eat fish. It's doubly irritating when fish-based misconceptions extend to people involved in the catering industry.

As for resources, the first thing you need to do with the vegetarian society is ignore them. In my opinion, they are full of crap,and much of their campaign is based on "purity" and other crap. Plus, they really know sod all about public relations. The vegan society is much better. They have more info on nutrition on their website, and much of it translates to vegetarianism, although veganism is in essence, just a more strict form of vegetarianism.
Erm, the vegetarian society is actually really helpful, and I haven't sen anything on the website about 'purity'.

Also, just to correct you slightly Blackpool Craig, people who consider themselves to be vegetarian but who eat fish are called 'pescetarians', which is one type of vegetarian.
Anonymous
ok, so my friends bet me that i wouldnt be able to survive as a vegetarian because i love meat so much, but i took their bet. i figure, it cant be that hard, not to mention it could be a good diet...anyways, i just wanted to know since i wont be eating any meat, what is the best new source of protein that i can get? i want to stay healthy, so any suggestions should be helpful. I'm not becoming a total vegan, so im allowing for milk, eggs and butter.

btw, please dont tell me that im full of sh** and that im wasting my time trying to be a vegetarian. thank you :biggrin:

If you're going veggie I assume you aren't going to have red meat, poultry, fish or the by products such as gelatine etc.

I wouldn’t worry about protein too much if you are becoming a veggie. As long as a person is eating a broad selection of plant-based foods and consuming adequate calories, it is unlikely he or she will be protein deficient. If you are worried for veggies there is enriched soymilk, beans, whole-grains, seeds, tofu, tempeh, nuts, Textured Vegetable Protein
(TVP) and nut butters in addition to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. I’m sorry but I don’t condone the use of dairy or eggs as I am a vegan but as you only said veggie they can be used too for protein.

There is also quinoa. Quinoa offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It is also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folic acid aswell as being a good source of protein. It also has omega 3, 6 and 9 which is essential in the diet. It is one of the most nutritious food sources out there.

If there is any other information you would like to know just PM me. Hope it all goes well :smile: .
Doom_and_Gloom
If you're going veggie I assume you aren't going to have red meat, poultry, fish or the by products such as gelatine etc.

I wouldn’t worry about protein too much if you are becoming a veggie. As long as a person is eating a broad selection of plant-based foods and consuming adequate calories, it is unlikely he or she will be protein deficient. If you are worried for veggies there is enriched soymilk, beans, whole-grains, seeds, tofu, tempeh, nuts, Textured Vegetable Protein
(TVP) and nut butters in addition to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. I’m sorry but I don’t condone the use of dairy or eggs as I am a vegan but as you only said veggie they can be used too for protein.

There is also quinoa. Quinoa offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It is also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folic acid aswell as being a good source of protein. It also has omega 3, 6 and 9 which is essential in the diet. It is one of the most nutritious food sources out there.

If there is any other information you would like to know just PM me. Hope it all goes well :smile: .


Hello fellow vegan *tips hat*.

I forgot about peanut butter and other nut butters. Peanut butter contains iron, and it's lso recommended by many vegetarian websites and recipe books.

Tofu can also be used as an egg-replacer (even though you're not going vegan) but that's another way in which you can ensure that you are eating enough protein.
i have been a veggie for full 18 years and 3 months...thts exactly my full life !! (beat that!) that too not even egg - i swear....if u dont count eggs in pastries...no omlettes or bulls eye !!

its basically a custom , but my parents and family is very liberal and even they too have eaten it during their younger days....and i find my decision pretty good....i have an all muscle and enuf fat body, a good shape ( no burstin 6 paks tho) a good BMI around 19....but being a veggie means u need to eat quite a good amt of food to make up those wanted nutrition, esp. if u WERE a non veggie b4....and that implies work outs and excercise....else u wont need much time to have a nice pot belly....and soya is a good supplement along with almonds and cashew nuts (dunno whther u get it in uk...tht too at a reasonable price) kellogs cornflakes aint bad too....