What's the typical daily diet of a Vegetarian/Vegan?

[responsibility]

If your a vegetarian or vegan what's your typical diet for:

1) Breakfast

2) Lunch

3) Dinner

4) 'Snacks'

I've been thinking about making the dive to vegetarianism but I'm not sure exactly what foods to start with. Your answers to the above would be greatly appreciated

[Rose of Cairo]

Hi responsibility,

not easy to help you in a meaningful way! There is no "typical" diet for veg*ans. Some eat only raw fruit, veggies and nuts, others eat a lot of junk food, pizza, pasta, french fries and vegan burgers. Some eat tons of tofu and soy based meat replacement products, others eat no soy. Some eat predominantly grains, others eat no gluten at all. Some have lots of different herbs and sprouts on their window sill, others don't even know what that is. Some don't even have such a thing as "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner", they graze all day long.

Why don't you experiment by yourself? Imagine we tell you what to eat and you don't like it, where's the use? Try some foods and see if you like them.

A good start is to eat huge amounts of fruit, vegetables and nuts. That's always good! Creating mixed salads is also fun.
I guess brown rice and quinoa are also great for everybody, unless you're having a problem with your blood sugar levels.
Try if you like tofu and meat replacement things.
Try if you like legumes.
Try if grains are good for you. Some people can't digest them well because of the gluten. If they're ok, my advice would be to eat whole grains. They're much higher in vitamins, minerals and fibers.
Leave out sugar and white bread/rice/flour, it makes you feel sleepy and weak, and you'll think it's because of having no meat....

Your body needs time to adapt: make any transition slowly!

Good luck and best wishes

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Try out PCRM for info on veg*n nutrition. They will send you a starter kit for free.

The books Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan have sample menus for different calorie needs/life stages.

[eblight]

If you're used to a meat diet go slowly into becoming a vegetarian first before a plunge into veganism. It takes a while for the body to adapt to change. If you're a red meat eater you could start by leaving that out of your diet, and eating only chicken and fish until you feel it's time to eliminate those as well. Look carefully at getting enough protein in your food. I have found spirulina to be an excellent protein source. Certain nuts are especially good like raw almonds rich in protein and calcium and walnuts rich in omegas.

[Revolution]

Hmm, thanks for the suggestion; I might give spirulina a try

[escapee]

Spirulina is considered by many as superfood ( Rich in essential nutriets + it's naturally organic ). I personally take spirulina myself on a daily basis .

Spirulina (dietary supplement) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clinical trials
Spirulina is effective for the clinical improvement of melanosis and keratosis due to chronic arsenic poisoning;[17] improves weight-gain and corrects anemia in both HIV-infected and HIV-negative undernourished children;[18] and protects against hay fever.[19]

A 2007 clinical trial found that 4.5 grams of spirulina per day for six weeks: lowered total cholesterol, increased HDL cholesterol, lowered triglycerides; and lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Recognising the inherent potential of the micro-algae Spirulina (Spirulina Platensis) to counter malnutrition and its severe negative impacts at multiple levels of the society especially in the developing and Least Developed Countries (LDC), the international community affirmed its conviction by joining hands to form the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition, IIMSAM.[20]

[Amandaaa]

well... I probably shouldn't give you a sample of a typical day's intake for me, because my diet can be pretty whack. (I tend to eat around my school & sleep schedule, instead of eating to boost my metabolism. ..which usually means eating one meal a day, in the evening.) (yeah, I know-- my timing is all wrong. )

but anyway, I can give you a list of my favorite foods to give you some ideas...


i liiiike:
fruit salad (with mango, banana, stawberries, kiwi, and grapes), Jamba Juice smoothies, california oranges, pineapple, raw spinach/cucumber & tomato salads, steamed broccoli & carrots, stir fry with tofu, edamame, chick peas, couscous, falafels, vegetable soup, vanilla soy milk, mozzarella veggie cheese (very occasionally), lentils, green beans, kidney beans, baked beans (without bacon), peas, sunflower seeds, trail mix, raisins, almonds, cashews, sushi (vegetable rolls), yogurt, tabbouleh, andddddd...pretty much everything else. haha.

I don't cook very often though.. so my standard meal is a basic salad that is probably 5 times the size of a salad that a normal person eats. (like- I use an entire cucumber. and half a head of lettuce. for myself. ...it's definitely not a side dish.). I always fall back on that when i don't feel like thinking about what to make... but there are plenty of creative combinations that you could invent.
my mom has always been a fan of eating "salad sandwiches" -- pita bread stuffed with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and sweet vidalia onion salad dressing. you could also do that with spinach wraps.

brown rice and miso soup are really filling, too.

and you could still eat certain kinds of breads... and garden burgers...and stuff like that.

I don't think you'll have any problem finding food to eat.
I always forget that meat is even a food group. ...it seems so foreign to me...

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Amandaaa! You are making me hungry!!!

[kthdsn]

I'm a vegetarian who's edging towards being vegan, and I'm a really fussy eater. I thought it would be difficult to eat stuff I enjoy without including meat or animal products. I ate fake meat and other junk for a while to replace the meat but that kind of defeated my point. This is what I eat in a typical day at the moment:

Morning, cup of tea (black with milk or green) and either toast or a chocolate chip muffin (we live too close to tim hortons). I'm trying to replace this with fruit smoothies which makes me feel so much healthier.

Lunch I sometimes miss, otherwise I'll probably have some instant noodles.

Dinner I usually have pasta with a tomato based sauce and lots of mushrooms or a bean based dish like chili with rice, anything that I can cook quickly and easily from mostly fresh ingredients.

I don't usually snack, but if I do it tends to be fruit.

[gettingskinny]

I'm a vegetarian, striving to be vegan (raw cheese....yum...but want to cut it out).

You can see exactly what I eat at my blog. The Skinny on January

I keep a food diary.

Good luck!

[Catlover]

Breakfast for me is either golean waffles with peanut butter and sugar free syrup, peanut butter on whole wheat or spelt toast or scrambled eggs with toast. I'm vegetarian but not vegan at this time.

Mid-morning snack is usually nuts, dry cereal or oatmeal.

Lunch might be an Amy's frozen vegetarian meal or a veggie burger with tomato soup or green beans. My vegetarian son likes either peanut butter on mini bagels at school or quesadilla with vegetarian refried beans and cheese at home.

Afternoon snack is usually 1-2 pieces of fruit.

Dinner could be pasta with red sauce, a bean dish, veggie burgers, or vegetarian chili always with salad and maybe another vegetable. I do eat fish occasionally, usually salmon, with baked potato--usually on Sunday night. Something more elaborate when I feel like cooking might be vegetarian lasagne.

As a would-be vegetarian you might wonder what we'll be eating on the holiday. We like Tofurky, and this time I'm going to buy the whole Tofurky meal including the gravy. I usually make a special casserole called Chili Rellenos. Healthy it is not, because it is full of muenster and monterey jack cheese, along with whole chili peppers from a can and some milk and flour to form a custard. Delicious. I've also made a good vegetarian shepherd's pie using tempeh for the ground meat. We'll have all of the usual sides such as stuffing and mashed potatoes. If I didn't like Tofurky so much, I'd probably find a recipe for a grain loaf for the main course.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

well... I probably shouldn't give you a sample of a typical day's intake for me, because my diet can be pretty whack. (I tend to eat around my school & sleep schedule, instead of eating to boost my metabolism. ..which usually means eating one meal a day, in the evening.) (yeah, I know-- my timing is all wrong. )

but anyway, I can give you a list of my favorite foods to give you some ideas...


i liiiike:
fruit salad (with mango, banana, stawberries, kiwi, and grapes), Jamba Juice smoothies, california oranges, pineapple, raw spinach/cucumber & tomato salads, steamed broccoli & carrots, stir fry with tofu, edamame, chick peas, couscous, falafels, vegetable soup, vanilla soy milk, mozzarella veggie cheese (very occasionally), lentils, green beans, kidney beans, baked beans (without bacon), peas, sunflower seeds, trail mix, raisins, almonds, cashews, sushi (vegetable rolls), yogurt, tabbouleh, andddddd...pretty much everything else. haha.

I don't cook very often though.. so my standard meal is a basic salad that is probably 5 times the size of a salad that a normal person eats. (like- I use an entire cucumber. and half a head of lettuce. for myself. ...it's definitely not a side dish.). I always fall back on that when i don't feel like thinking about what to make... but there are plenty of creative combinations that you could invent.
my mom has always been a fan of eating "salad sandwiches" -- pita bread stuffed with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and sweet vidalia onion salad dressing. you could also do that with spinach wraps.

brown rice and miso soup are really filling, too.

and you could still eat certain kinds of breads... and garden burgers...and stuff like that.

I don't think you'll have any problem finding food to eat.
I always forget that meat is even a food group. ...it seems so foreign to me...

Even for a confirmed meaterian like me....all this sound lovely!!

But I still want a bacon sandwich!!

G

[Ecstasy]

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

sweet vidalia onion salad dressing

This stuff is so good.

[gettingskinny]

Today I have had:

-Smoothie (I juiced some organic apples, but it in the Vitamix w/frozen banana, pinapple slices and spinach). YUM

-Kombucha

-Raw Flax Crackers

-Brown Rice and Tempeh w/soysauce, garlic and red pepper

-Vegan cookies (b/c they are yummy)

-Raw Cheese

-Dinner....???

[Jennihul]

I did vegan Fit For Life so there were rules...

Breakfast was as much fruit as I wanted until noon.

-Smoothie with half a banana, five strawberries, half a peach and ice and
water in the blender. (7:30am)
-Half an apple at about 9:30am
-a pear at about 11:30am

Lunch would be from a drive to a health food store

-steamed kale with garlic
-brown rice
-roasted veggies with maple glaze

Dinner was usually a big mixed salad from the grocery salad bar or pasta primavera, or a pile of three kinds of steamed veggies, or veggie paella after my 3 mile walk.

Snacks were like carrots and hummus, or celery and almond butter, a fruit if three hours had passed since dinner or lunch.

I basically ate all day long, within the rules of Natural Hygiene.


Jennifer

[ScottJMurray]

I was vegan for about half a year, just as an experiment. It went something like this:

Breakfast
I'd have some cereal with this stuff called Rice Dream, which is made of... well, rice. I'd have some corn flakes, or Crispix, cheerios, something like that. I'd eat a piece of fruit with it.

Lunch
Mostly rice and beans. I'd eat a lot of lentils. I'd make little bean tortilla-burrito thingies with sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes, onions. I would stir-fry, or have a peanut butter sandwich. I'd eat a lot of peanut butter actually. More fruit. Maybe some kale.

Dinner
Stir fry, more rice, more beans. Soy milk / rice dream. Lots of veggies, broccoli, carrots, celery, big salads with lots of delicious fresh veggies.

Snacks
Fruit! Peanut butter. Nuts and seeds. Berries. Raisins. AND SMOOTHIES! With strawberries, bananas, peaches and rice dream. Mmmm, rice dream.

Most of the veggies I ate were uncooked. Rarely did I cook things. It was really a rice and beans type of diet. I also did eat a great deal of nuts and seeds to keep my protein intake up. I did also lose 15 pounds within the first month. Wow.

[JimOfferman]

(mostly) vegetarian since april

Breakfast (or rather, the first thing I eat):
"American" tripple chocolate, bread, an apple, fresh orange-banana juice and coffee

Lunch:
Cheese sandwiches, fruit (banana, apple, pineapple, pear), water

Dinner:
Quiche with broccoli and cheese or a spinach-cream pasta or a vegetable soup or something down those lines. Occasionally I'll eat fish, usually salmon. And if I'm particularly lazy, dinner'll be some pre-made pancakes - just nuke 'em and eat 'em

Snacks:
Fruits, cashews or mixed nuts, cucumber, sweet pepper chips, breads, chocolate, liquorish

[Minsc]

Not really a vegetarian, but my diet is mostly plants:

-2 liters water, red tea + stevia, and mineral water.
-100g whey isolate, 30g 80% rice protein
-Walnuts, hazelnuts, and ground flaxseed (lots of them)
-Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, pomegranates for fruit. (300g berries or one pomegranate)
-Raw or hard-boiled egg. (I try to limit hard-boiled to 3/day, but as many raw as possible)
-Kale, cucumber, celery, lettuce, carrots, peas, nori.
-Red kidney beans, pinto beans, great northern beans. (boiled, around 400g?)
-Vitamin D3 which also has some retinol, and B12. Also a bit of fish oil.
EDIT: That's over two days of eating at an even rate.

Although when I'm sick I'll eat lots of fruit and white tea(like 6 cups at a time).
I could also eat bigger fruit, nuts, tea, ect, anything else as a snack.
And kefir but I won't eat milk or cheese since I can't get it raw.

I guess I could change the diet to either have more fruit or raw meat.

[Jennihul]

Originally Posted by ScottJMurray.

I did also lose 15 pounds within the first month. Wow.

I lost 18 lbs the first month too. In fact, I started the diet to help with my heartburn, which it did a phenomenal job at but then my clothes started falling off.

Jennifer