You don't have to worry about protien. You'll get it if you eat enough. Protein deficiency due to lack of protien in diet is basically unheard of. Almost all cases of protien deficiency go along with starvation. The complete protien thing is a myth. If you eat a varied enough diet you will get all the protien you need, even without Soy, milk or eggs.
I've heard something good that I will paraphrase here.
People Eat SAD (standard American diet) and they eat pizza. It's unhealthy.
When people go Vegetarian they make Vegetarian Pizza, and it's still unhealth.
When people go Vegan they fiddle around with things and use soy cheese and meat substitutes and make pizza, and it's still unhealthy.
When people go raw they start dehydrating flax seeds and coming up with nut sauces to make a Raw vegan pizza, and It's still unhealthy.
I guess the point is that if you take your old habits and put a new label on them (Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw) you will end up with something that is maybe even less healthy than you started. If it looks and tastes like a pizza it's not going to be good for you.
Instead start adding in whole, unprocessed, non-fried. Fruits, Vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains into your diet and get rid of the old junk food habits, or you might end up making yourself even less healthy.
Fruits- Lots of options here, from sweet fruits, to vegetable fruits like tomatoes and cucumbers. Most of these can be eaten raw and whole.
Vegetables- Again lots of options. Some can be eaten raw, many will have to be cooked. Remember steaming, boiling, or baking are better options than frying.
Legumes- My favorites are lentils, they don't take long to cook and are really tasty. Soy is one of these, but there are tons of other options: Black beans; Kidney beans; Black eyed peas, chick peas, etc. Try lots of different kinds. Don't worry about combining them with grains.
Grains- There are dozens. I try and stay away from wheat related grains because they contain a protien called gluten which is a common irritant. But you have lots of other options like brown rice, quinua (my favorite), oats, etc.
Maximize these foods and minimize the vegetarian junk food and you should do fine wihtout having to worry about nutrition. I would also caution you to limit cheese, milk, and eggs as much as possible. There are plenty of very healthy vegetarians, but none of them eat lots of cheese. I think it's easy to use cheese as a meat substitute, but it's much worse for you.
If you must eat those things i would suggest splurging for organic and hormone free versions. They will taste better and be less harmful to you and the environment.
I hope htis isn't too much information for you.
|