Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-27-2008, 07:36 PM   #1  
Future Derby Girl
Thread Starter
 
magicalstasia's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 67

S/C/G: 225/223/135

Question vegitarian

My sophomore-junior years of high school I was a vegitarian, and I loved it. My parents we kinda supportive...kinda not. (I can understand their view though, I mean your 16 year old wakes up one day and declares they will not eat meat, it weirds out any carnivorous parent) So I am considering that choice again. I will be out of the house in May and I have been thinking about it alot.

I guess what I need is advice. I have health problems that make me watch my carbs and eat lean protein. What are alternative foods that are high protein low fat. The other thing I need advice on is how to deal with friends and family. I come from a community that sees vegitarians as "hippies" or fantics.
magicalstasia is offline  
Old 02-27-2008, 07:44 PM   #2  
Finding My Bliss
 
SoulBliss's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: California
Posts: 2,916

S/C/G: Fit & Fat!

Height: Tall & Strong, Baby!

Default

Vegetarians have so many options!

Are you eating a very low carb diet or just not wanting processed ones?

Protein powders such as soy and hemp are great for low carb diets. If you don't like soy, whey protein powders are popular with many.

Many people like eggs and light cheeses.

It may suprise you to know that even broccoli has protein!
SoulBliss is offline  
Old 02-27-2008, 09:25 PM   #3  
Junior Member
 
loveyourlife's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1

Default

Hey first of all let me say that I think it is awesome you want to go veggie or are thinking about it! There are many options that vegetarians have one really good source is the students vegetarian cookbook. you should be able to find it at any bookstore. It has a lot of great recipes that are easy to make with ingredients that you probably already have! Some good sources of protein can be beans such as fat free refried beans, tofu( great in stir fry), lentil soup, and there are many imitation meat products. So have fun trying new things!
As for your family understanding one thing you can do is explain to them why you want to be vegetarian. If it is for animal rights reason you can show them different websites that talk about all of the horrible things that animals go through just so we can eat them! You can also have them watch Earthlings. It is a very powerful film you should be able to find it online. Good luck with everything!!
loveyourlife is offline  
Old 03-08-2008, 04:26 PM   #4  
Bewitchin' in the kitchen
 
mauvaisroux's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 11,506

Default

Hi magicalstasia,

Here is a link to the 3fc vegetarian section. There is a lot of good advice and recipes to get you started there. Also lots of nice 3fc'ers in that section who would be able to share their experiences with you.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=121
mauvaisroux is offline  
Old 03-10-2008, 03:09 AM   #5  
Junior Member
 
Jero's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Fargo, ND, USA
Posts: 10

S/C/G: 200/198/115

Height: 5'4"

Default

Magicalstasia-
Wanted to let you know I got your PM but since I have yet to make ten posts on the site I think maybe you didn't get it?? Wasn't aware that that was a rule until I tried sending you a reply! Anyways, I wanted to tell you I would love to try the buddy thing! If you are up for it, I think it would be cool to message each other once every day or every other day with a "report" on how we were that day. let me know via PM if you think that is a good idea, meanwhile, I will work on posting a few more times...

Also, coincidently, I have been a vegetarian for 10 years, so I'd be more than happy to give you any advice needed!

-Jess
Jero is offline  
Old 03-23-2008, 08:05 AM   #6  
Member
 
SugarSpunSister's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: northern California
Posts: 42

S/C/G: 240/185/115

Height: 5"3

Default

Great choice Magicalstasia, good for you!
Whilst there are numerous good reasons to go veggie aside from moral ones - greenhouse gases (a recent study reported that more damage is caused to the ozone by production of meat than by cars), animal cruelty/poor conditions, and of course health. Human bodies are not meant to eat meat: carnivores have short intestines so that the meat can pass through them before it decomposes, whereas herbivores have long intestinal tracts so they can properly munch down the roots and veggies. Guess which one humans have? Uh huh. Makes a bit more sense now why beef disagrees with people so much.
But, obviously there are less icky ways of adovacting vegetarianism! However, I must disagree with the suggestion that the best thing to tell your family is that it is for moral/cruelty reasons and definitely do not show them any videos! I have learned first hand - when I was 11 I wrote a school essay "10 Reasons To Be Vegetarian". It was well researched, intelligent, and thoroughly impressive for an 11 year old. My teacher, although giving me an A+ on the piece, totally flipped out on me and got downright aggressive. You know why? HE didn't want to become a vegetarian. People do not like to be confronted with the simple fact that something they are doing and enjoy doing is morally and physically WRONG. Eating meat is fun and they enjoy it, they don't want to stop. Although you may just be trying to explain yourself, they will have trouble seeing that because they will be caught up in the confrontation within themselves.
Honestly, I would recommend that if your family sees it as 'hippy' or 'crazy' to be veggie, explain to them that you are doing it for health reasons and leave it there. And hey, you can even use this forum as an excuse 'oh, I've been getting support from this weight loss forum online and these women who lost loads of weight are all vegetarian.' (feel free to show them my photos! I did with lots of spinach salads! hehe)
If you feel the need morally to convince them of the virtues of vegetarianism, I would say teach by example. Make them yummy veggie foods and then point it out after they have raved about it. There are plenty of great dishes, even in all restaurants, which do not contain meat, it's just silly to think otherwise!
As for protein, many people voice concerns about this but I have been veggie for 16 years and my sister for her whole life (34) and no problems. We don't do anything special, but our diet includes legumes (beans, lentils, anything in that family) and tofu (PM if you want some suggestions for cooking it, I know a lot of people have issues with it, but you have to know you've got to marinate it, because without any liquid seasoning it is quite tasteless). Also, nuts - when I started dieting I began to have raw walnuts and almonds as a snack, often with dried apricots or prunes. It's really yummy and especially good because the walnuts will help with hunger. It is good to have some if you are feeling peckish before cooking and want to put off your hunger for your meal (peanut butter also works for this!). Raw nuts are recommended for dieting, as any kind of salted or seasoned will do you little good because of the oil - but all kinds of nuts are great for protein!
SugarSpunSister is offline  
Old 06-09-2008, 08:50 AM   #7  
Senior Member
 
PhatPhoenix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 590

Default

I come from a long (unbroken in fact) line of farmers on my mum's side, but didn't really get much opposition when I turned veggie, years ago - the odd remark but of course, the boot's on the other foot all these years later when all the meat eaters are 3 stone heavier than me, and puffing and panting going up a flight of stairs, or doing up their shoelaces! (Kind of the reality shut them up in the end!)

We used to raise our own poultry and I grew up with seeing animals killed as a routine thing and to be honest I have no problem with that - just don't like the industrialisation of the process, factory farming, etc or the hypocrisy of people who eat meat but don;t even know how the wring a bird's neck... I also don;t have time for sentimental veggies and vegans, either, though.

Foodwise it's easy in the UK as we have a lot of meat replacement products like Quorn and you can get Tofu and soya-mince on every single high street in every single health food shop. I'm aware it's not as easy elsewhere. I think meat replacements are handy at the start, but eventually many veggies move on from it a bit too - it's familiar and keeps you in the comfort zone to start with, but there's no real need to eat anything that replaces or looks like meat.

What you need to keep an eye on is your protein levels and for that I massively recommend Fitday.com - I aim at 50g protein minimum per day and use Fitday not just to keep track of calories, but more importantly, my protein levels. It will figure out for you what you're getting via nuts, pulses, dairy which is hard for you to figure out otherwise.

My bro is a carnivore and said to me how did I know I was getting enough protein and was very taken aback when I said I could tell him precisely - what meat-eater would know how much (or little if we're honest) protein is in their meat which is mainly fat and water and not much real meat anyways? I'm willing to bet a sensible veggie can have a higher and better quality intake of protein and automatically by not eating meat and its by products you're factoring out a whole bucketful of saturated fat that even 'lean' meat is full off - fat in meat that is solid at room temperature goes straight to solid inside your arteries too! Again, the proof is in the realities - my bro is only 5 years older than me but nowhere close to as fit as me, and all I can put it down to is the amount of meat he eats.

Last edited by PhatPhoenix; 06-09-2008 at 08:54 AM.
PhatPhoenix is offline  
Closed Thread


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:19 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.