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Nutrition Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to nutrition, a balanced diet, calories, cholesterol, diet and disease, food preparation, vegetarian diet, and vitamins and minerals.
lactovegan - my response to you!
by micaela27, Jun 20, 2007 11:43PM
sorry for hijacking your post below. ignorance is bad enough, but ignorance coupled with arrogance is the worst!
to answer your question...
i am assuming you don't eat eggs since you don't have an "ovo" in your screenname :)
with the elimination of all meats and eggs, it's especially important to watch your protein intake. you can absolutely stay healthy and eat a well balanced diet if you're vegetarian, but you need to choose foods wisely.
to keep your protein high enough, choose 2 or 3 servings of these type of foods: peanut butter, tofu, nuts and seeds, beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, pinto, navy, etc) and/or soy protein replacement foods like veggie burgers and other veggie meats (i personally really like Yves and Lightlife myself... the Smart Deli bacon is great!!). if you have any problems with your thyroid, though, you should watch your intake of soy, as the phytoestrogens in it can affect your thyroid hormone levels in a potentially negative way.
keep your fruits and vegetables high!! you want to incorporate at least one in each meal, and add them often to your snacks throughout the day as well. the gold standard (and large FDA campaign) is "5 a day"... and it's a worthy goal to aspire to!
make sure your grains count when you eat them... so put away the Wonder Bread and Rice Krispies and go for higher fiber, denser grains. whole grain bread, fiber-rich cereals, whole wheat pasta, brown or wild rice, etc... will not only be kinder to your body when it comes to blood sugar regulation (denser grains are metabolized slower and therefore enter the bloodstream more evenly and promote satiety/feeling of fullness for longer) but will give you a great regulation of intestinal functioning.
for dairy foods, keep the cheeses to a moderate level and drink lowfat or skim milk. our bodies as adults don't require the higher fat milks that children and toddlers do. yogurt is a great way to get your calcium intake as well, and if you go with a brand that has LIVE and ACTIVE cultures in it (these two words are very important! you need both!) you will do your intestines another gigantic favor by promoting a healthy presence of "good" bacteria (the lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidus, reuteri, etc). dairy foods should be 2-3 times daily also (counting all dairy sources... including yogurt and cheese)
my personal philosophy on food causes me to choose organic as much as possible, and also to avoid things like high fructose corn syrup, nitrites and nitrates in cured meat products, sufiltes in dried fruits and wines, any and all artificial sweeteners (including splenda and the sugar alcohols like sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol), MSG, preservatives, pesticides, chemical fertilizers and hormones (in dairy especially!)
i tend to be a food nazi when it comes to my shopping list :)
oftentimes, vegetarians tend to remain within the bounds of a healthy weight range due to the typically lower fat lifestyle that being veg affords. i'm wondering whether you have actual weight loss goals, or if you're more concerned with eating an adequately balanced diet??
let me know and i'll give you more info as requested!
to answer your question...
i am assuming you don't eat eggs since you don't have an "ovo" in your screenname :)
with the elimination of all meats and eggs, it's especially important to watch your protein intake. you can absolutely stay healthy and eat a well balanced diet if you're vegetarian, but you need to choose foods wisely.
to keep your protein high enough, choose 2 or 3 servings of these type of foods: peanut butter, tofu, nuts and seeds, beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, pinto, navy, etc) and/or soy protein replacement foods like veggie burgers and other veggie meats (i personally really like Yves and Lightlife myself... the Smart Deli bacon is great!!). if you have any problems with your thyroid, though, you should watch your intake of soy, as the phytoestrogens in it can affect your thyroid hormone levels in a potentially negative way.
keep your fruits and vegetables high!! you want to incorporate at least one in each meal, and add them often to your snacks throughout the day as well. the gold standard (and large FDA campaign) is "5 a day"... and it's a worthy goal to aspire to!
make sure your grains count when you eat them... so put away the Wonder Bread and Rice Krispies and go for higher fiber, denser grains. whole grain bread, fiber-rich cereals, whole wheat pasta, brown or wild rice, etc... will not only be kinder to your body when it comes to blood sugar regulation (denser grains are metabolized slower and therefore enter the bloodstream more evenly and promote satiety/feeling of fullness for longer) but will give you a great regulation of intestinal functioning.
for dairy foods, keep the cheeses to a moderate level and drink lowfat or skim milk. our bodies as adults don't require the higher fat milks that children and toddlers do. yogurt is a great way to get your calcium intake as well, and if you go with a brand that has LIVE and ACTIVE cultures in it (these two words are very important! you need both!) you will do your intestines another gigantic favor by promoting a healthy presence of "good" bacteria (the lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidus, reuteri, etc). dairy foods should be 2-3 times daily also (counting all dairy sources... including yogurt and cheese)
my personal philosophy on food causes me to choose organic as much as possible, and also to avoid things like high fructose corn syrup, nitrites and nitrates in cured meat products, sufiltes in dried fruits and wines, any and all artificial sweeteners (including splenda and the sugar alcohols like sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol), MSG, preservatives, pesticides, chemical fertilizers and hormones (in dairy especially!)
i tend to be a food nazi when it comes to my shopping list :)
oftentimes, vegetarians tend to remain within the bounds of a healthy weight range due to the typically lower fat lifestyle that being veg affords. i'm wondering whether you have actual weight loss goals, or if you're more concerned with eating an adequately balanced diet??
let me know and i'll give you more info as requested!
Post Comment
You post very well and I like that you try to be all organic -- me too, but very expensive with a family
stevia is great for you... the fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in them are great prebiotics... an important precursor to probiotics that you ingest in foods like yogurt. both are very good for your gut health!
thank you for the compliment! i appreciate it.
have you looked into an organic food co-op for your produce? that's a great way to keep the cost down and keep the fresh natural stuff coming year round! plus it supports local farmers, a practice i wholeheartedly support!