A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:I need help becoming a lacto-ovo vegetarian... any suggestions/tips? I'm a really picky eater as well... don't like spices, or herbs =P.... I want to really cut all meat from my diet, except for fish occasionally, but how do I do this without damaging my body? Reply to this Question
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (22 November 2008): Actually, provided you replaced it correctly, you could cut all meat out of your diet straight away with no ill effects (plenty of people do - "overnight conversions" to vegetarianism are not uncommon).
However, if you do feel that's a bit too much for you all in one go, I would suggest that you start by cutting out red meat (beef, lamb etc) first, and see how you get on for a couple of weeks, begin to experiment with pulse based meals (like lentil casserole, or bean soups) to try and find out which ones you like - have at least two - three entirely meat free days a week.
Follow this by cutting out white meats (chicken, turkey etc), replacing them at some meals with meat substitutes such as quorn so you notice the difference less, but also beggining to add more vegetarian recipes to your repertoire - trying new dishes, and seeing which ones you feel could be a regular part of your life (this will involve considering things like difficulty, cooking time, and freezer friendliness as well as whether they suit your tastebuds!). After about six weeks, you should easily be able to have five meat free days a week and barely notice the difference. Some days you may have no animal produce at all - make sure you take account of the nutritional guidance you should have read up on.
Finally, cut out the fish - if you haven't got there already.
Hey presto - veggy diet in less than two months!
A
reader, anonymous, writes (22 November 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionwell thanks to all of you for your advice....but still one question is in my head....how do I START? I can'y just cut ALL meat from my diet today, or can I....will this have any side effects? oh, and I also forgot to mention that I dont like nuts either....told yah I was picky hah...oh and lacto-ovo means you've cut all of the meat out of your diet, specifically red meat, am I right? but still continue to eat other animal products such as cheese and eggs etc. again, thank you for all of you suggestions, as well as concerns, much appreciated =]
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (22 November 2008): I recently got a factsheet from my doctor that clearly said that most vegetarians are in fact healthier than average, because they tend to pay more attention to their diets than omnivores.
This should encourage you, but shold also be a bit of clue - the answer is in learning about the nutritional content of food and planning your meals so they are well balanced (this is something most people don't bother to do, even if they eat meat!)
A veggy diet can be very healthy indeed if you fill up on wholegrain carbs, pulses, unsalted nuts, fresh veggies, tofu and the like. It can however be very unhealthy if you live of chips and processed cheese!
My first piece of advice would be to learn to cook from scratch. Don't rely on veggy ready meals, or processed stuff full of sugar and salt. Buy yourself a couple of good vegetarian cookbooks and start experimenting with the different recipes. If you like quorn or other meat replacements, by all means use them in traditional recipes such as spaghetti bolognese, or shepherds pie - most meat replacements have a good protein content, and are low in fat, so aren't a bad thing to have in your diet.
Next - be aware of things that can be missing from a veggy diet and good ways to make sure you get enough:
Iron - popular wisdom says that veggies should be deficient in this, but in fact reported cases of iron deficiency anemia are no more common in vegetarians than the rest of the population. Make sure you eat some every day as your body can't store it that well: good sources include chickpeas and other pulses, brown rice, wholegrain bread, peanut butter, fortified cereals, tofu, and green leafy veg (like cabbage or spinach.). Vitamin C helps with iron absorption, so make sure you eat plenty of fruit too.
Protein - Most people eat more of this than they really need - but to help keep up a good intake, eat tofu, pulses (such as beans and lentils - buy canned if you're too lazy or busy to soak and boil), eggs if you're going to eat them, and diary produce (dairy can be fatty, so best not to over-rely on it)
B12 - Can be an issue for strict vegans, as it is only found in animal produce (and yeast extract - but you'd need to eat a lot of it!). Vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy regularly generally don't have a problem, but if you're concerned, it is possible to buy supplements in most chemists.
Calcium - again, not normally an issue if you consume dairy regularly. If you don't, green veg (broccolli particularly) and certain nuts and seeds are a good source.
This is really just general advise. I would really recommend you speak to a nutritionist, or at least read a good book on basic nutritional principles to help you understand what your body needs and how you can fulfil those needs within your preferences, whatever those might be. As a vegetarian you are already better off than someone who lives off burgers and pepperoni pizza. Most people have diets that are restricted in some way by their preferences, and yours should not be any different - you just need to learn to work within it.
(Incidently I have been vegetarin since the age of twelve and had no health problems in relation to it. In fact I am slimmer, more active, and more energetic than most people my age - I'm not saying this is necessarily a direct result of avoiding meat, but it definetly hasn't done any harm!)
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male
reader, Danielepew  +, writes (22 November 2008):
 I'm with my dear Birdy. Our bodies need food of animal origin. The problem with absolute vegetarianism is that one or two vitamins, I forget which ones, can only be obtained from animal foods, so you become deficient in those vitamins and when you notice the damage there is just nothing to do.
Eating lots of vegetables and fruits is healthy, but a steak once in a while can't do you harm. What's wrong with some chicken and fish?
Granola, on the other hand, tastes like s... well, you know how it tastes; and please join me in my effort to destroy every container of soybean milk on Earth. I always get the goosebumps when I hear someone say how healthy it is, without any reference to how it TASTES.
You can find this information...
"For starters, where would we get our protein from? Vegetables may have lots of vitamins and minerals but they don't have an ounce of protein. What good is protein? Well, protein is where we get our greatest source of the B vitamin complex group. Strict vegetarian diets are greatly lacking in these vitamins which in turn lowers our energy and basically makes us unable to get through our day because of severe anemia. Vegetarians are also lacking in minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. Calcium deficiencies lead to all sorts of problems, not the least of which is osteoporosis later on in life."
... here: http://ezinearticles.com/?Risks-Of-Vegetarianism&id=516012
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A
female
reader, birdynumnums +, writes (22 November 2008):
 I would wait until you are 20 or so to take this kind of step. It is a delicate balance when you are any kind of vegetarian, and women in particular have to make sure that their bone structure and musculature is really fully formed before embarking on something as tricky as being any kind of vegan. Your body may well carry a few children in the future, and That is hard on our bodies! It's especially important to have really strong bones when you are female, because we lose more bone density in old age, because of menopause. We can lose HUGE amount of our bone structure. SO, unless you are determined to make yourself informed and vigilant, becoming vegan when your body hasn't quite stopped growing yet is something that I would be wary of, even if you feel strongly about it. We need to be as strong and healthy as we possibly can! And personal tastes and beliefs aside, we are actually meant to have a wide variety of foods. Our teeth are proof of that because we have teeth designed for Both meat and vegetables. Of course, even if our intelligence and morals do a lot to influence HOW we eat, nature did design us to be both carnivorous and vegetarian, so keep that in mind. This is the advice that I would give my daughter if she were considering the idea, even if I supported her ideals. XXX
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (22 November 2008): Lacto-ovo? Never heard of one of those. Does that mean you only want to eat eggs and dairy products or something?
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (21 November 2008): You need to get enough protein from eggs, nuts, beans, lentils, tofu etc. and enough iron from green leafy vegetables. I'm a veggie so I know. Contact the vegetarian society, who have a website, and they can give you lots of recipes and you can join it too. They have local groups so you can also meet other vegetarians in your area who will give you more ideas.Don't try to go it alone as if you don't eat the right things instead of fish and meat you could make yourself ill.
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