# I hesitate to ask, but



## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

is anyone here a vegetarian? Today my doctor informed that I am now a vegetarian. He took me completely off beef and pork. I can have chicken once a week, if it's broiled or baked. Fish once or twice a week. The rest is to be whole grain breads and almost no pasta or simple carbs. Lots of fruits and veggies. I need help to figure out how to do this! My income doesn't run to 2 grocery lists and my menfolk will not eat like this. I know that I won't get enough vitamins just eating the veggies I make with their dinner. Does anyone have any suggestions for the short term? I'm getting a cookbook, but I need ideas for the next week or so, and I have NO fresh veggies available until I go shopping! (my garden drowned.)


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## Pink_Carnation (Apr 21, 2006)

Well my first idea is to tell the Dr. he is wrong...however I assume it has to do with health and such so you might want to pay attention. Meatless chili comes to mind if you have beans and canned stuff for it. Egg salad sandwiches maybe. 

Longer term you might be able to do stir fry and add the meat after yours is cooked.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Lots of things can be cooked and meat cooked ,added seperate ,especialy stir fries 

some thoughts 

hole wheat pasta , a bit chewier than the kind you are used to 

if they have steak and potatoes you have 2 potatoes with yogurt and a extra serving of vegatables 

am i a vegitarian , no , but if you eat fish and chicken once a week niether are you really i did try it once for a month no it wasn't my idea and after i got over the 2 weeks of my body getting used to it who would have thought quitting meat cold turkey would make you cr-p your self stupid for 2 weeks or maybe it was the sudden influx in ruffage. it wasn't that bad but considering most of my meat was venison and already ultra lean i didn't see the point but orders is orders.


the good news is that rice and hole grains them selves are fiarly inexpensive the processed or boxed , preprepaired ones are very expensive and if you ask most nutritionists are defeating the purpose anyway 

not saying you would get much variety but you can make rice and beans for one person for a week for about 2 bucks 

can we ask what the medical condition is that made your doc say no meat , high collesteral or something like that

making bread you can get the hole grain hole wheat and not break the bank , same for granola

for the next week rice and canned beans , canned vegies or lots of grains like oatmeal , grits , pancakes 

what did they say about eggs


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## glazed (Aug 19, 2006)

So your doctor went from suggesting Atkins to vegetarian? That is a huge jump in opposite directions! A complete 180!


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Mama Crow, this is a different doctor. That doctor retired. 

The worry is that my blood pressure is way too high, I might be diabetic and I am morbidly obese. I am 5'4 and weigh 218. In 6 months of walking, I've only lost 8 pounds. My family has a long history of heart problems, diabetes and cancer. He wants to get my body in a more healthy condition, from the inside out. 

He says if I get off the meat and eat a close to vegetarian diet, I will lose the weight faster and still be healthy.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I am not a vegetarian but-----

Turkey meatballs in spagetti sauce, used as a filling in a hot meatball sandwich?

If you make the meatballs yourself you can avoid the salt.


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

turkey isn't veg 

I think the idea of preparing a meal then adding meat for the men (or better yet letting them add their own meat off the grill) and adding a bit of protein is a good idea.

I was veg for years (but I really like and seem to crave meat). You really need amazingly little alternate sources to stay balanced. I'd use dairy, nuts, legumes if I was you. 

here are a couple of links you may find helpful 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/hq01596

http://en.chatelaine.com/english/food/article.jsp?content=20050705_122113_5948

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/vn/change_to_vn.php

I'm on dial up and didn't wait for the second page to load - if it hasn't changed it is a great resource!

Good luck and good health!


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Oh, yes.

The library is FULL of cookbooks, and you can rotate them to build up a bunch of recipies!


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## Quiver0f10 (Jun 17, 2003)

I am a vegan and eat a low fat, high fiber plant based diet. Try this site for info on a healthy vegan diet: http://www.drmcdougall.com/

Here is the free plan while you wait to get the book from the library:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/free.html

You can also visit the message boards for info and help along the way:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/index.php

I get a lot of my family's favorite recipes from here:
www.fatfreevegan.com

HTH!


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I don't eat much meat--my mother made 1lb of beef/chicken/fish into dinner for a family of 8--meat was served at only 1 meal--I've pretty much adhered to my training for the last 55 years. What about cheese? I'm a carrier of PXE--very rare--my mother had a full blown case and died from the effects. I cannot take calcium supplements or drink much milk or eat much ice cream but for some reason cheese agrees with my "constitution" which is good because I really love cheese. (BTW, I also get "thundering" thighs when I walk or jog; "build lean muscle"--my eye!)


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## stormwalker (Oct 27, 2004)

If you like spices- look at Indian recipes. Turmuric (one of their most common flavorings} is being considered as a cancer suppressing agent. I love lentils, which are used frequently in Indian cooking as well, and they are a very good source of protein. They're also quite inexpensive.


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

I'm vegetarian. I hate to say this, but it may be best for your menfolk to adopt the same diet, for the sake of their own heart health and longevity. it will be very, very hard for you to maintain your diet while feeding them the same as always. It isn't just the meat your doc wants you to change, sounds like it's the whole picture.


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

My husband and I have been trying it for a week today. He's doing well, I on the other hand feel awful! I have no desire to eat meat or anything I just feel like crud. My system is not adjusting well. I spend way too much time in the bathroom I have to force myself to eat not because I dont like veggies but because I have completely lost my appetite.. I have been focusing on not loading up on empty carbs while doing this. Lots of veggies, a little fruit some beans and pasta twice during the week. Oh and I gained 2 lbs.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

dixiegal62 said:


> My husband and I have been trying it for a week today. He's doing well, I on the other hand feel awful! I have no desire to eat meat or anything I just feel like crud. My system is not adjusting well. I spend way too much time in the bathroom I have to force myself to eat not because I dont like veggies but because I have completely lost my appetite.. I have been focusing on not loading up on empty carbs while doing this. Lots of veggies, a little fruit some beans and pasta twice during the week. Oh and I gained 2 lbs.


The REASON that there are so many different diet plans is because all of us have bodies that work differently.

I would say that your current diet is not working for YOUR body, though it might work for someone elses!

You feel lousy and you are gaining weight: it is time to change your diet.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Almost a year ago I gave up meat for health reasons...I have since lost 41 lbs. (I'm wearing clothes I haven't worn since 2000).
My son and husband have been real supportive and have even gone veggie every other day (my husband has now lost 20lbs.)
At first it seemed like it would be hard to feel satisified but that hasn't been the case, there are so many more food possibilities that as a meateater I would never have considered or even imagined.
I've gotten pretty creative with Textured Vegetable Protein/Meal Starter (my son says that if I use that everyday he would leave the darkside of meateating altogether). Just about anything that requires meat can be replaced with TVP...well except for a slab of steak ~lol~
We have rice once a week and pasta maybe once in a week and a half, other than that ALL of our sides are fruit or veggies.
Dr. McDougall's newsletters, recipes and articles have been very instrumental in the changes we have made in our dietary lifestyle.
Tonight my guys are having BLT's and Tomato soup, I'm having a sandwich of sauteed Mushrooms, onions, garlic with lettuce, tomato and avocado....Looking forward to dinner!!!!


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## Quiver0f10 (Jun 17, 2003)

dixiegal62 said:


> My husband and I have been trying it for a week today. He's doing well, I on the other hand feel awful! I have no desire to eat meat or anything I just feel like crud. My system is not adjusting well. I spend way too much time in the bathroom I have to force myself to eat not because I dont like veggies but because I have completely lost my appetite.. I have been focusing on not loading up on empty carbs while doing this. Lots of veggies, a little fruit some beans and pasta twice during the week. Oh and I gained 2 lbs.


 
What are you eating for carbs? You need GOOD carbs such as oats, brown rice, white & sweet potatoes, quinoa, whole wheat breads etc and they will all fill you up and keep you feeling well. I couldn't live off of veggies, fruit and a bit of beans.


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

Terri said:


> The REASON that there are so many different diet plans is because all of us have bodies that work differently.
> 
> I would say that your current diet is not working for YOUR body, though it might work for someone elses!
> 
> You feel lousy and you are gaining weight: it is time to change your diet.


She's only been on it a week or two. Detoxing and adjusting to a diet and lifestyle change takes longer than that, IMHO. I would give it another two weeks, drink plenty of water, exercise, and see how you feel then.


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## Quiver0f10 (Jun 17, 2003)

Helianthus said:


> She's only been on it a week or two. Detoxing and adjusting to a diet and lifestyle change takes longer than that, IMHO. I would give it another two weeks, drink plenty of water, exercise, and see how you feel then.


I agree. I would keep at it but try some adding some variety and most definitely good carbs such as in my post above.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

my doc took me off ALL red meat for 30 days (the month is up today) It has been hard but my trigl. dropped from 544 to 320 and total chl. from 203 to 160 so it did work the only other thing I changed was I started walking 30 min. a day. It is hard to make a lifestyle change like that, I will be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way.


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## Grandmotherbear (May 15, 2002)

i'VE TRIED VEGETARIAN DIETS 3X- for health (cholesterol) reasons- and weight control. Bad news, each time I gain 30+ pounds in a month. I also get sleepy and lose mental alertness. Guess I have carnivore genes.
You need a certain amount of protein for manufacture of lean muscle tissues, blood cells and antibodies. Soy and quinoa are the only sources of complete proteins besides meat. You can mix and match grains and beans/pulse and dairy to obtain complete proteins.
One thing I did as a welfare mom was to switch my breadmaking formula to the Cornell Triple Rich Formula- for each cup of flour start with in the bottom of the cup 1 teaspoon Soy flour, 1 tablespoon wheat germ, and 1 tablespoon dried milk solids. Then fill up to the top of the measuring with flour. This increases protein quite a bit, inexpensively. I used it for bread, pizza crust, and noodles.


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## PonderosaQ (Jan 12, 2004)

If it is of any encouragement to you the only time in my life that I was a normal weight was when I was a vegetarian. After I re-married it became an issue and caused fights at the dinner table "what he ate wasn't good enough for my family" or so he nastily said. In the end I gave up and starting eating like he and his son did. Biggest mistake of my life. I have been battling overweight ever since. Hubby is away this week , kids are grown and I'm enjoying my veggie dishes again! Not sure why meat affects some of us that way as I don't eat fried or high calorie meats but my weight goes up. Good luck.

PQ


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## Quiver0f10 (Jun 17, 2003)

Grandmotherbear said:


> i'VE TRIED VEGETARIAN DIETS 3X- for health (cholesterol) reasons- and weight control. Bad news, each time I gain 30+ pounds in a month. I also get sleepy and lose mental alertness. Guess I have carnivore genes.
> You need a certain amount of protein for manufacture of lean muscle tissues, blood cells and antibodies. Soy and quinoa are the only sources of complete proteins besides meat. You can mix and match grains and beans/pulse and dairy to obtain complete proteins.
> One thing I did as a welfare mom was to switch my breadmaking formula to the Cornell Triple Rich Formula- for each cup of flour start with in the bottom of the cup 1 teaspoon Soy flour, 1 tablespoon wheat germ, and 1 tablespoon dried milk solids. Then fill up to the top of the measuring with flour. This increases protein quite a bit, inexpensively. I used it for bread, pizza crust, and noodles.


There is plenty of protein in a vegetarian diet. The RDA is for protein is .8 grams per kilogram of weight. This means an average woman weighing 150 needs 54 grams of protein, far less that the typical 100+ grams most americans now eat.

All foods, including vegetables, grains, potatoes, beans, lentils etc have protein. Studies have shown that food combining is no longer recommended and not necessary as long as you eat a healthy, varied diet through out your day.

As with any diet you can eat an UNhealthy vegetarian diet or you can eat a healthy one. A healthy vegetarian diet inclues lots of whole foods such as of whole grains(brown rice, oats, quinoa, barley etc) and starches( white & sweet potatoes etc), lentils, beans, veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts and so on. An unhealthy vegetarian diet would include lots of processed foods such as soy hot dogs, fake meat burgers and "chicken nuggets", fake cheeses, pasta, french fries, white rice and so on. Potato chips are vegetarian, but are not healthy.

The closer to food in its natural state the healthier you will be. I have lost 100#s by eating a low fat, high fiber plant based diet.


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## mommagoose_99 (Jan 25, 2005)

Ninn, I am afraid your doctor has doomed you to failure. Vegetarianism is done best by easing yourself into it. I was a vegetarian during college back in 1970-1974. One of my daughters is a veg head currantly. I have lost 18 pounds in 15 weeks just by moving around more and eating smaller amounts of food. I know it is not a big or quick loss of weight but I feel better losing slower than I did on Atkins. I lost 53 pounds in 3 months on Atkins and my hair fell out and I felt weak. I started out at 248 pounds and now I am 230. I am working 8-10 hour days in my Market Garden. I feel better than I have in years and my attitude is happy inspite of my Breast Cancer scare last week. Ease into this veggie diet gently and feel better.
Linda


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

For pasta, many folks do not like whole wheat pasta, it tastes like wet cardboard. After being diagnosed with celiac disease 5 years ago, I have been using brown rice pasta. It is far superior in taste to whole wheat pasta, and it is a whole grain. Tinkyada is a good brand, and Trader Joe's is very good also and cheapest in price. So you don't have to give up your pasta. Most days, I have been eating vegetarian with occasionally rotisserie chicken or seafood. The pounds do come off better, the thing is to really fill up on the vegetables and get some exercise.


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## Step (Aug 4, 2005)

By the time someone becomes insulin resistant... a vegetarian diet without eggs and fish and high in starch food, is wrong!! Grains no matter how whole they are, if too much is eaten, are not good especially if they are ground! The Atkin's diet isn't much better because, aside from being too high in fat, too many of the allowable food also have sugar added. Plus, it's important to eat a 'balanced' diet with a variety of food. 

The RDA's recommendations changed around 2005.. following The World Health Organization's recommendation changes in 2001. These recommendations are for 'healthy' people, not people who have metabolic issues and says something to that effect if you read it. 

Unfortunately, most doctors are not well versed enough in food science to be making diet recommendations other than to a dietician! 

Ninn, you want complex carbs in the form of vegetables and some legumes, nuts and seeds. Most vegetables, contain some sugar/starch carbs, so the deeper the green color, the better off you are. 

Limit your fruit and grains to no more than 2 servings each, each day and best if you limit them to one each day, especially if your eating a potato, a winter type squash with your meal or other high sugar veggies such as tomatoes, onions, carrots and root type vegetables. 

Most bread, crackers and cereals have some type of added sugar... make your own without the sugar. Most 'no added' sugar foods, do have sugar added, it's just not sucrose, so save your money if you have been buying them. 

You want lean 'unprocessed' animal protein, which means no bacon, ham, bar-b-que or deli meat. You should be eating 3 oz of protein at each meal and an egg can be substituted for one, if you eat eggs. Plus, not only should you be eating 3 meals a day, you should also be eating 2-3 snacks, every day, whether your hungry or not, in order to keep your blood sugar more stable. 

If your glucose is elevated, foods such as Kefir and vinegars have shown to reduce it, plus cinnamon and cloves might aid in that as well. 

Do not shop the aisles at the supermarket;
Packaged food should have only one ingredient listed - the food your buying, with the exception of enzymes/culture for cheeses. If you do buy pasta and grains.. do not buy ones that are 'enriched'. You do not want food that says 'natural flavors'. Sugar is lurking in/on many foods and are listed as 'other' names on the list of ingredients, if listed at all! The FDA doesn't require 2% or less of any GRAS ingredient to be listed. 

Other foods you can no longer buy: No condiments; bottled salad dressings, catsup, mayonaise, jarred gravy/sauces, pickles, relish and most mustards. Check your ingredient listing. You can eat condiments - but you need to make them without added sugar. 

Someone mentioned in a previous post....Protein rebuilds our body (or muscles)!! Carbohydrates do not built muscle, etc. because they are an energy food! We need 'complete' proteins for them to do their job in rebuilding our bones, muscles, connective tissues and so on, and if not, might be utilized as carbohydrates instead and/or stored as fat. 

Both Carbs and Protein have approx. 4 calories per gram. Fat has approx 9. 

For most of us... when we've eaten enough protein and fat to satiate our physiological needs for the day, we no longer crave them and will get nausious if we eat too much. Not so with carbohydrates, which digest quicker and is why we get hungrier, faster. 

Plus, carbohydrates create an insulin response and foods that contain fructose, don't even get digest in our stomach beyond a small amount, but rather gets digest in our liver and turns into a fatty liver and/or triglycerides. 

Protein, fat and fiber may slow the digestive process of carbohydrates, but it doesn't stop it and aside from the insulin response, when our energy needs have been met, those extra carbs get stored as fat in our body. These same carbohydrates' digestion actually starts in our mouth and just recently there was an article about the same foods that are bad for our teeth, are also bad for our body. 

If you have medical insurance... do yourself a favor and find a RD familar with carbohydrate sensitivites..


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Ninn, it has been 3 weeks. How are you doing?


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## lilygrower (Jun 12, 2009)

I have tried a veg diet a few times and gained weight, I was eating way too many carbs! So now I do portion control and no convience, boxed or frozen foods. Much cheaper and healthier without all the additives. Check out vegetable cookbooks as well as vegetarian cookbooks at the library. How about middle eastern cooking? I was convinced I had a problem with my thyroid as I have not been feeling well for years, Dr said no, but diabetes runs in my family and I have been taking medicine and working on losing weight for that. I have been undergoing some tests for something else when another dr found out I had a cyst on my liver and a fatty liver. I did some research on that and found out that that has been my problem along and am going to question my dr as why she didn't also look into that as I had every symptom. My aunt has it too and my family calls her the orginal "earth mother". She has always grown, cooked and eaten natural and organic foods and she has a fatty liver. Fatty liver should be looked at by anyone struggling with their weight and diagnosed with diabetes. Anybody tried the eating by blood type diets? I have read the good, bad and ugly on it, but wondering about some real experiences?


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## keyhole (Dec 2, 2008)

Ninn you will get more vitamins and minerals from fresh veggies than you will ever get from the processed foods that americans have come to love these days!!!

I wish you good luck, it's not as hard as you might think and your health will improve immensely!!!


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