Considering a vegetarian diet. Looking for examples...

[dmauder]

Hi All:

Just recently, (yesterday in fact) I decided to do a 30-day trial vegetarian diet to see how it makes me feel. My reasons are many, some of which are:

1. Health reasons - want to feel my best and get energy back
2. Ethical - watched lots of PITA videos and I LOVE animals
3. Environmental - Have been hearing/reading about how a vegetarian/vegan diet actually helps with global warming and many other things.
4. Have been reading lots of stuff on this forum about it (that has resulted in TOTAL information overload and more questions/doubts than when I started)
5. Decided to start reading The China Study. I'm only on chapter 1 right now, but it's very interesting so far.

Anyway, I'd be curious to see some examples of daily food intake for those of you who have been eating vegetarian and/or vegan for a while now. I'm concerned about B12, dhe, protein, etc.

I'd be especially interested to see Steve post his "typical" daily diet since he's been eating this way for so long and seems to have had great success with it.

Thanks!

Dave

[Erin Pavlina]

I'll post a typical day's meals for you. We're vegan, though, not vegetarian.

Breakfast: whole grain toast with almond butter and a soy yogurt.

Snack: small handful of nuts

Lunch: Vegan turkey and avocado sandwich with mustard, lettuce, tomato and onion. Salad with dressing. Fruit for dessert.

Snack: Fruit

Dinner: Tomato risotto, green beans in a thai peanut sauce, herb crusted cutlets with barbecue sauce.

Snack: air popped popcorn and some grapes

Hope that helps.

Some other dinner options include sweet potato curry, veggie burger, cashew paella, corn creole, enchilada casserole, spaghetti with marinara, vegetable quesadillas.

Other breakfast options: whole grain pancakes or waffles, whole grain cereal, veggie bacon and tofu scramble.

[escapee]

1 ) You can simply feel the best by eating only the real food (whole grain, vegetable, some fruits, grass fed animal product, deep sea fish and etc) and maintain active physical lifestyle .

5 ) The book focuses too much on cholesterol, protein and saturated fat as the main causes of chronic diseases but ignore the critical contribution of sedentary lifestyle, refined carb/sugar, alcoholism/smoking, damaged vegetable oil/trans fat, oxidized cholesterol due to overcooked meat in shaping the modern diseases . The intention of the book is great, save a bunch of animals by eating a whole food vegetarian diet but the science is ... hmm ... questionable.

I suggest
The Skinny on Fats for better understanding of the positive roles of cholesterol and saturated fat have on human body.

Before 1920 coronary heart disease was rare in America; so rare that when a young internist named Paul Dudley White introduced the German electrocardiograph to his colleagues at Harvard University, they advised him to concentrate on a more profitable branch of medicine.

Why was heart disease so rare before 1920 ?

[Andrew Brunelle]

I guess it is more of a question of finding alternatives to replace your meat in the diet, which I guess is pretty obvious. I find that nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, make for a tasty snack if you are craving some sort of meat and they will fill you up as they are high in fat and calories (mostly good fat). It is a complete lifestyle change, so it may change even more aspects of your life and it is an ongoing process, so take this one step at a time. I am not a big fan of soy, unless it is organic, and tofu is not something I would eat if left to my own decision. More fruits and veggies is another great substitution.

[dmauder]

Wow - some great responses and suggestions already! Thanks!

Erin: Thanks for posting a typical day of food intake! I understand you and Steve are vegans. I'm still deciding whether or not I want to go that far or not. I'll probably decide after my first 30 days. In the mean time, I was planning to consume 2-4 raw free-range eggs per week mixed into my fruit smoothies. I figure that might give me the B12 and some added protein. I've read Steve's posts (and other stuff) on the protein myth, so I do understand animal protein is not really required in our diets.

Yesterday (my first vegetarian day), I had a fruit smoothie for breakfast (banana, strawberries, blueberries, oatmeal, ice and water), lunch was a bunch of raw veggies and fruit (peppers, tomatoes, carrots, orange, apple), and dinner was a large bowl of brown rice with stir fried veggies in an oriental sesame sauce. YUM!

Today, I had oatmeal with real maple syrup and raisins for breakfast. 10am snack was an apple & a banana. I'm planning to have a large assortment of cut up veggies and hummus for lunch. 3pm snack will be assorted nuts, and not sure what yet for dinner.

As I said, my main concern in doing this is the potential B12 and dhe deficiencies I've been reading about. What do you all do, if anything, to make sure you get enough B12 and dhe?

Escapee: Thanks for the info on The China Study and the other book recommendation. I'll check it out!

Andrew: Thanks for the advice on meat substitutions. I don't really anticipate a huge problem giving up meat. I do love fish, but I'm not upset about not eating it anymore. And nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, etc) are some of my favorite things to eat - so that should be easy! Yes, I know, cashews are actually legumes, right?

The biggest dilemma I have is.... If I decide to stick with this partly for ethical reasons, I'll have to decide what to do about my beef jerky business.

Dave

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by dmauder

As I said, my main concern in doing this is the potential B12 and dhe deficiencies I've been reading about. What do you all do, if anything, to make sure you get enough B12 and dhe?

I have heard that Brewers Yeast is a good source of B-12. You can add a few tsp to your smoothies, or cook with it in mind.

[escapee]

I believe there is no real B12 in plant food/yeast but useless analogues B12. Not only that analogues b12 is useless but it also competes with the real B12 in absorption process so the safest choice seems to be methylcobalamin B12 supplementation. This is well supported by Veganoutreach.com

[Erin Pavlina]

Not brewer's yeast. Nutritional yeast. Totally different.

We drink fortified rice milk that has B12 in it, along with calcium and vitamin D. Some of the juices we drink also have a full day's supply of B12. It stores well in your system.

Don't worry about protein. As long as you are eating enough calories you'll be fine there.

DHA... omega 3 fatty acids... walnuts, flaxseeds, fortification. If you're eating eggs, I think you're okay.

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Not brewer's yeast. Nutritional yeast. Totally different.

My mistake. It's been a few years since I was a vegetarian.

[dmauder]

I already ran into my first bump in the vegetarian road...

Our cafeteria at work here usually has veggie platters with hummus but they were all out today. My next best choice was a salad, but those included shredded cheese, along with 1/2 a hard boiled egg and little bits of ham. I picked off as much of the cheese & ham as possible but I ate the egg.

This could be a little harder than I imagined...

It's probably best if I just start packing my own lunch. A big romaine salad with lots of other veggies is all I really need for lunch.

Dave

[Erin Pavlina]

When I worked in the corporate world I usually brought my lunch. Was easier, cheaper, and healthier. Sometimes I would eat in the commissary (Fox Studios) and was suprised to see they offered vegan boca burgers and even vegan desserts. It was wonderful!

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

When I worked in the corporate world I usually brought my lunch. Was easier, cheaper, and healthier. Sometimes I would eat in the commissary (Fox Studios) and was suprised to see they offered vegan boca burgers and even vegan desserts. It was wonderful!

Yes, I think that's going to be the only safe way to go, at least Monday-Thursday. On Friday, it's a bit of a tradition that we all go out somewhere. But most restaurants have vegetarian dishes on the menu these days.

Hey wait a minute.... I can't think of any "regular" dessert that contains meat!

Sorry.... I think I know what you mean -- dessert without eggs or milk, right?

Dave

[Erin Pavlina]

Yeah finding a dessert without dairy products is difficult unless you're at a vegan restaurant. But occasionally they do pop up in the darndest places.

[toasterwater]

Ive been a vegetarian for about 6 months now, and ive got to say that if i can do it, anyone can. You see, im in the military, and i live in the barracks. I'm stationed in japan, and dont have a car. This leaves my only practical source of food at the chow hall. Its really not that difficult, i just make most of my meals with lots of side dishes. Its amazing how most entrees are meat, but there are enough instances of potatoes, veggies, etc. to do the trick. Plus i always get a salad, soup (if there is a meatless soup offered that day) and fruit with my meals. The hardest meal at the chowhall would have to be breakfast. they mostly have sausage, eggs, and all that other non-vegetarian/vegan breakfast stuff. I usually just tough it out and get what i can, settling for a small breakfast (tater-tots, muffin and fruit on the average morning).

Anyway, just another testimonial for you, so stick in there. Besides, when you get used to it, you dont really miss eating meat.

Oh, and all this business about not getting enough of this obscure mineral, or enough of that protein... I just dont worry about it. Maybe im eating unhealthily because i dont get enough of this or that... but like i said, I've been eating this way for about 6 months now, and i havent felt any negative side affects yet. One thing that does kinda nag at the back of my mind is the calcium deal, cuz i dont drink milk either (not that i will turn down a food if it has been made with milk... if i was to try to be fully vegan in my current situation, i would look like a starving ethiopian in a week) but im just going with the theory that most mammals dont drink milk in their adult lives, and im pretty sure they dont all have osteoporosis.

Congrats on your decision, and good luck!

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by toasterwater

Oh, and all this business about not getting enough of this obscure mineral, or enough of that protein... I just dont worry about it. Maybe im eating unhealthily because i dont get enough of this or that... but like i said, I've been eating this way for about 6 months now, and i havent felt any negative side affects yet. One thing that does kinda nag at the back of my mind is the calcium deal, cuz i dont drink milk either (not that i will turn down a food if it has been made with milk... if i was to try to be fully vegan in my current situation, i would look like a starving ethiopian in a week) but im just going with the theory that most mammals dont drink milk in their adult lives, and im pretty sure they dont all have osteoporosis.

Thanks toasterwater! I appreciate the encouragement.

I was in the Navy and can't imagine trying to eat meatless in the chow hall! I guess if you're determined, it can be done (as you've proven).

I'm only officially on day 3 of my vegetarian regimen and I feel fine so far. I had a little "oops" yesterday with that salad that had egg, cheese, & ham on it, but I picked most of it off. Last night, I started feeling a little bit of detox effect already. Body aches, headache, etc. I'm not cutting out the caffeine yet or I might not be able to bear the headache pain.

This morning was a birthday celebration for the boss at work. Of course, we had the usual donuts, muffins, bagels and juice. I'm happy to say I avoided ALL of it. I stuck with the oatmeal/raisins and assorted fruit I brought from home.

One of my coworkers made an interesting statement after the little celebration. He said, "I wasn't even hungry but I did an obligation eat anyway." What a great way to articulate how/why many people eat junk... They feel "obligated" because the food is there and everyone else is doing it. This, of course, applies to eating bad stuff in general, not just vegetarian/vegan stuff.

As far as the calcium thing you mentioned, you'll be happy to know that many veggies contain calcium. I did a quick search and found this in a WebMD article:

Calcium From Veggies

An 8-ounce glass of dairy contains about 300 milligrams of calcium. But if dairy isn't your thing, you can get your calcium from vegetables.

These vegetables have the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk:

* 1½ cups of cooked kale
* 2¾ cups of cooked broccoli
* 8 cups of cooked spinach


8 cups of spinach? I think I'd be STUFFED after that!

I haven't consumed milk for many years, and I eat very little other dairy (mostly yogurt and a little cheese). Once in a while, I have a little milk on cereal, but I never drink the leftover. I just get whatever comes along on the spoon with each bite. I'm going to cut that out now too and see how I feel after 30 days.

Well, back to work.... I wish you the best in your vegetarian ventures!

Dave

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by dmauder

Thanks toasterwater! I appreciate the encouragement.

I was in the Navy and can't imagine trying to eat meatless in the chow hall!

Me neither. I tried to turn down the chicken fried steak once, and the Chief MS acted like I insulted his family. That was quite possibly the worst food that I have ever had the misfortune to attempt to choke down.

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

Me neither. I tried to turn down the chicken fried steak once, and the Chief MS acted like I insulted his family. That was quite possibly the worst food that I have ever had the misfortune to attempt to choke down.

LOL! I hear ya' on that! There was something (can't remember the dish) they used to serve on the ship called "Sh*t on a Shingle". It was VERY appropriately named!

And you're right, the cooks would take offense if you didn't want their wonderful "food".

Anyway.... I really need to start exploring all the cooked vegetarian dishes out there. So far, I've basically been eating 100% raw -- fruits, salads, oatmeal, nuts, seeds & a variety of cut up veggies. I'm sure it will get a little more exciting once I start looking for all the vegetarian products available at the supermarket.

My only concern with that is I think you can pretty easily fall into the trap of eating "processed" foods even though they are labeled vegetarian and presumably healthy for you.

I just downloaded the free PDF from veggie123.com which looks like it has a lot of practical advice on how to stick to a veg*n diet.

Dave

[WanderingOak]

One thing you might want to look at is the 'More With Less' cookbook, put out by the Mnenomites. It is only about 50% vegetarian, but it does have some good ideas in it.

[m0vingon]

The More with Less cookbook is wonderful!

I am following a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. I can't live without cheese I concentrate on buying grains that are high in protein. It makes life much easier. I eat kashi cereal with soy milk every morning, that meal is totally automated for me. For a morning snack I usually eat cottage cheese and an apple. Lunch is often a bean or lentil soup and a piece of what they call "fibre loaf", but I call bread. Sometimes I'll turn that bread into cheese toast. In the afternoon I have fruit or veggies and a pita with hummus. Dinner varies greatly, sometimes I make vegetarian lasagne, spaghetti and mushroom meatballs (for the kids), or bean burritos and always a big salad.

I don't miss meat at all. I feel better and get hungry less often on a vegetarian diet.

[dmauder]

Well, I've been eating a vegan (mostly raw) diet for a week now, and I gotta tell you.... I honestly don't miss meat one bit. In fact, the thought of eating it right now actually repulses me.

Yesterday for lunch, we went to Salad Galley and I ordered a huge vegetarian sandwich on wheat bread. It was DELICIOUS! I almost couldn't believe it didn't have meat in it. I also had some sort of garden broccoli pasta salad which was pretty darn good too!

Today, I took a day off of work so I've been searching through the fridge and cupboards wondering what to eat for lunch. I ended up cooking up some organic whole-wheat spaghetti noodles and put some mushroom/herb/garlic spaghetti sauce on top. With that, I had some perfectly steamed carrots, onions and asparagus. Wow! It tasted awesome!

I'm looking forward to continuing this way of eating for the remainder of my 30 day trial. But in the end, if I'm enjoying it this much and feeling this great, I suspect this will become a new way of life for me.

It actually feels really good doing it for health, ethical and environmental reasons. To me, it all just makes good sense.

BTW, I'm halfway through The China Study book. What an eye-opener that is!!!

Dave

[JAlvy]

Hello Erin,

A quick question on your typical days meals. Do you ever have any problems getting enough calories? I see you spread things out over 6 small meals, but for the snacks it doesn't seem like there is much calorie content in them.

I'm sure you probably do, but I'm reading Tom Venuto's "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle", as well as "The Food Revolution", and I'm trying to find a way to synthesize all this content.

I like the consistent energy that comes with small, spread out meals, but just wanted to make sure the meals aren't TOO small.

[dmauder]

I just attempted to make hummus for the first time, and it damn near killed me! Presumably from using fresh pressed garlic versus roasted garlic as the recipe called for. Is roasted garlic less potent than fresh?? Whew!!!

If anyone has a good hummus recipe (with or without tahini), please post it here so I can try again. And if there are any obvious "gotcha's" like with the garlic or whatever, please let me know.

I'm eating my hummus anyway, but WOW is it strong! My wife won't want to get near me for days!

Dave

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by dmauder

I just attempted to make hummus for the first time, and it damn near killed me! Presumably from using fresh pressed garlic versus roasted garlic as the recipe called for. Is roasted garlic less potent than fresh?? Whew!!!

If anyone has a good hummus recipe (with or without tahini), please post it here so I can try again. And if there are any obvious "gotcha's" like with the garlic or whatever, please let me know.

I'm eating my hummus anyway, but WOW is it strong! My wife won't want to get near me for days!

Dave

I make my hummus by putting cooked chickpeas in a food prossessor with lots of raw garlic, and salt, and that is all, and I love it!

Really you can make your hummus any way you want, as long as you have chickpeas. Hummus is actually the Arabic word for chickpeas. If you don't want the garlic you can try red chillies, or bell peppers, or anything you like as a substitute.

I would use chickpeas and salt as a standard "base", and after that you can experiment with adding what you like.

Edit: Also, roasted garlic is very much less potent that raw...though for that to be true you have to roast the pieces whole, and not cut.... they actually have a sweet taste...if you believe me.