And how much is recommend?

One can only eat so many beans right? And most people don't like tofu. How do you get enough?

4/24/2013 9:35:58 PM

not a vegan/vegetarian but some good sources include: quinoa, oatmeal, hemp protein powder

4/24/2013 9:40:42 PM

4/24/2013 9:45:27 PM

Girlfriend is a pescetarian, so fish, beans, quinoa, cereal, etc...

4/24/2013 9:47:20 PM

^^ Nice thx.

Also if anyone has any recipes, especially for protein bars, please share!

4/24/2013 9:47:29 PM

^^^yep, that's a great visual. Plus, I do utilize some protein powder and make shakes as well.

im not strictly vegetarian though (i'll eat meat if we go out to eat or we are at someone else's house and that's what they are making); however, it is not part of my daily diet.

[Edited on April 24, 2013 at 9:49 PM. Reason : ]

4/24/2013 9:48:15 PM

^ So if you go out for lunch you avoid meat? You don't cook steaks or chicken at the house? How many times per week do you think you eat meat?

[Edited on April 24, 2013 at 9:50 PM. Reason : sry being nosy]

4/24/2013 9:50:33 PM

I'm trying to incorporate a few plant base meal a week.

I do like the first two on that chart very much, so I think I can do it. The rest I don't care for.

4/24/2013 9:55:56 PM

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=519276&page=11

[Edited on April 24, 2013 at 10:34 PM. Reason : m]

4/24/2013 10:33:54 PM

Quote :

"^ So if you go out for lunch you avoid meat? You don't cook steaks or chicken at the house? How many times per week do you think you eat meat?"

I very rarely go out for lunch during the work week. I pack my breakfast and lunch. Occasionally my friends and I will go out for lunch but no more than once a month. And no I don't really do any cooking (not my thing at all, I don't enjoy it) but we don't have any chicken or steaks at home. All vegetarian meals.

If i DO go out to eat during the work-week with friends, usually it is a place that doesn't have exciting meat free options (a local burger joint or sushi or something) so I'll end up getting something with meat there. But lunch isn't very often like I said.

Typically, we might go out to eat dinner with friends once a weekend and depending on where we go I'll eat meat. We have a lot of great veg options in our downtown though.

So, sorry for rambling. I had sushi this past Saturday night. Before that, the last meat I had was probably Saturday the 13th I had a Lobster burger (might seem strange I remember...but it's easy when you don't eat it often haha). I'd say it averages out to once a week between things like a catered lunch at work, eating out with friends on the weekend, going to someone's house for dinner who doesn't know I'm veg, or going out to lunch with friends. etc. Essentially my diet is mainly vegetarian but I'm not high maintenance about it and still enjoy a good burger, bbq sandwich, sushi etc. on a limited basis.

[Edited on April 24, 2013 at 11:18 PM. Reason : ]

4/24/2013 11:16:00 PM

Wheat gluten is good stuff to help with vegan meals.

Pasta/rice dishes.
Quinoa is awesome
Get some vegan/veggie frozen foods

Peanut butter is your best friend.

I know you asked for protein. But that's pretty much what I eat all the time.
Make some bean chili with the fake meat stuff. Stews. All that jazz.

Goto earth fare and try their soy nuggets. Whole foods has some good veg food to try to get an idea if what u may like. Then replicate at home.

4/24/2013 11:33:21 PM

Do you call yourself a vegetarian around people when you're eating sushi or lobster? Personally, I think people try to label their eating too much nowadays and I don't care what you eat or think you should have to explain it to anyone. But for people who are strict vegetarians, flexitarians and pescatarians are a big pain in the ass because everyone's like, "Oh, you're a vegetarian? Here's some fish. You don't eat fish? But vegetarians are allowed to eat fish. I know this guy ..."

4/24/2013 11:35:18 PM

hahah. Yes I know EXACTLY what you mean as far as not really caring about the labels but still being annoyed when people don't understand vegetarians vs pescatarian.

Most my friends pretty much know the drill though. They know I eat vegetarian at home and when I'm out I'm kind of 50/50. I never really announced it. People either found out by asking after noticing I ordered a dish without meat or people invited us over and asked if we had any dietary restrictions beforehand and I mentioned it but said I was fine with meat if they wanted too. My wife doesn't eat meat or dairy but eats eggs. So we just don't really label stuff since we aren't strict into any major category if that makes sense. But if people are talking about vegetarian or vegan dishes I'll chime in since I'm obviously pretty familiar with that.

One thing I will say, when I first stopped eating meat, my wife made me more meals with fake meat in it because she thought i'd like that. And while some of it is pretty tasty, I don't really need the imitation meat. I'm completely fine with a spinach and mushroom pizza or pasta, or a bean and sweet potato chili. We do use soy-based imitation meat some, but not as much as some people that try and make vegetarian clone meals all the time. I don't need to trick myself or anything; my wife makes tasty meals without meat and I get my proper diet so I'm happy

[Edited on April 24, 2013 at 11:45 PM. Reason : ]

4/24/2013 11:40:06 PM

yeah I don't get the imitation meat stuff either. You want to be healthy, but at the same time, you're putting wheat fillers and soy fillers back into your body. I don't know what the systemic effects are but it just doesn't sound good to me. I'd want to stick to the real foods on the chart for adequate protein guide.

For example this is what's in morningstar's "ribs".

4/24/2013 11:56:51 PM

I have no idea how much protein I eat.
I eat a lot of black beans, chickpeas (hummous), tofu, and peanut butter. I get a bit of lentils, rice, and spinach.
Beats the hell out of me if it's "enough." It gets me by and I'm not losing muscle mass or anything.

Quote :

"One thing I will say, when I first stopped eating meat, my wife made me more meals with fake meat in it because she thought i'd like that. And while some of it is pretty tasty, I don't really need the imitation meat. I'm completely fine with a spinach and mushroom pizza or pasta, or a bean and sweet potato chili. We do use soy-based imitation meat some, but not as much as some people that try and make vegetarian clone meals all the time. I don't need to trick myself or anything; my wife makes tasty meals without meat and I get my proper diet so I'm happy"

That ties in with what I've noticed about veggie burgers. If you view them as trying to replace a beef burger, you're gonna be disappointed. They're not meat, they don't taste like meat. You have to accept them for what they are. Start to appreciate that it's a damn good black bean patty or mushroom and barley patty and you'll be a lot happier with it. It's not necessarily better or worse; it's just different.

I've found several of the meat substitutes to be pretty lousy. If they try to make it taste like sausage, it's gonna suck. Just give up on that and learn to work with the natural flavors of your veggies.

Although you can track down some good restaurants (especially chinese) who do a really good job with their imitation meat. I've had some with groups of meat-eaters who were extremely impressed with the soy meat. (Of course, general tso's tofu is damn good mostly because general tso's sauce is damn good.)

4/24/2013 11:58:14 PM

^^ That's why I stopped being a vegetarian. A trainer suggested I up my protein, and at first I did that with a lot of whey and soy products. I felt better (high-carb foods like pasta and bread make me incredibly tired, and they're pretty much what you get when you go places when you're vegetarian) but I hate eating fakey foods like that, so I decided to go back to meat after 15 or so years. I still very rarely eat beef and almost never eat pork, but I eat chicken, turkey and fish at virtually every meal. I still eat a ton of veggies, but I feel a whole lot healthier now than I did then. I still really like some of the veggie foods (chick nuggets and Morningstar sausage, primarily) but don't think I've had any in a year or more because I don't really eat processed stuff.

I don't want this to read that I think everyone would be healthier eating meat. It seems to work out very well health-wise for some people, but I was not one of those people.

4/25/2013 12:13:51 AM

Yeah, eating the processed veggie meat substitutes every meal is no healthier (possibly unhealthier depending on what someone's meat source was) than eating meat.

If someone wants to eat vegetarian, it is MUCH better to not try and find stuff to fake meat all the time. Like tl said, the best is to just view a black bean burger in isolation. Like when I had that Lobster "burger" a couple weekends ago, I wasn't expecting it to taste like a burger. It was good for what it was. That's the view I've always had with vegetarian sandwiches like black bean burgers, mushroom patties, etc. I don't expect them to taste like some meat counterpart; they're just their own separate meal. If someone wants to be vegetarian but is expecting to just replace meats with fake-meat every meal, they will probably be disappointed not any "healthier" or both. It is very easy to eat unhealthily with more alternative diets if you don't know what you're doing.

If you go veg, base your meals around whole foods and just mix in the soy-based fake meats sparingly when you want to change the texture up. And, in my opinion, unless you have a big moral obligation against EVER eating meat, don't be afraid to eat meat now and then. There is no vegetarian police that are going to persecute you I don't crave meat on a regular basis at all, but if a meat dish sounds appetizing I go for it.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 8:38 AM. Reason : ]

4/25/2013 8:37:13 AM

^ So why do you avoid meat, since you obviously don't have a problem eating it? I'm not criticizing or anything, just curious why you do what you do.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 11:07 AM. Reason : V well sure, but I'm wondering why. it doesn't sound financial ]

4/25/2013 11:01:59 AM

^sounds like it's just his preference, but vegetarian diets are more economical (well, not ALWAYS)

4/25/2013 11:04:29 AM

For a while My go to lunch was quinoa + black beans and some chia, all doused in sriracha. It was ok.

4/25/2013 11:22:14 AM

^^^ a small part of it is definitely that it is more economical, but part of it is convenience and part of it is health.

We don't need to be cheap with the food or anything but it is definitely more economical for us to not have to worry about buying quality meat.

The biggest reason: My wife's diet is mainly vegan (she does eat eggs so she is not truly vegan) and she doesn't eat meat period for a few reasons (more so the industry practices as they relate to hygiene and health than animal rights if that makes sense). I don't like cooking so she prepares nearly all of the meals. She kept making meat for me for a year or so after she stopped eating me. She eventually asked me if I cared if she stopped buying and cooking meat since it was only being made for me and it was more of a hassle for her when preparing our meals to make 2 completely different ones. I said I had no problem trying it, especially since she made all the meals. Seamless transition and I never really missed having meat in my diet (that's the convenience part - since she does the cooking). I don't really crave meat. If I'm at a restaurant and see a tasty item on the menu I'll get it. But I never just crave meat randomly.

For the health side though, I feel more comfortable getting mainly whole ingredients like veggies, beans, etc. than meat. I agree with her on a lot of her opinions, but I don't mind eating meat now and again as long as I'm not eating it on a regular basis. Also, I honestly do feel better since I stopped eating meat on a regular basis. Less sluggish after meals, digestive system is incredibly regular, and I really don't miss meat.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 11:24 AM. Reason : ]

4/25/2013 11:22:55 AM

Quote :

"That ties in with what I've noticed about veggie burgers. If you view them as trying to replace a beef burger, you're gonna be disappointed. They're not meat, they don't taste like meat. You have to accept them for what they are. Start to appreciate that it's a damn good black bean patty or mushroom and barley patty and you'll be a lot happier with it. It's not necessarily better or worse; it's just different."

This x1000.

I am nowhere near a vegetarian and frankly, never will be (although my meat intake is way lower and veggie intake way up since meeting my wife). However, my wife eats mostly vegetarian dishes and occasionally throws in chicken or fish when we are out. I refused to eat veggie burgers for a long time but now I actually like them a lot. Made some just the other night. They really are great so long as you don't compare them to a hamburger.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 11:28 AM. Reason : 0]

4/25/2013 11:27:29 AM

Quote :

"I am nowhere near a vegetarian and frankly, never will be (although my meat intake is way lower and veggie intake way up since meeting my wife). However, my wife eats mostly vegetarian dishes and occasionally throws in chicken or fish when we are out."

this, since my wife is a "pescatarian" (primarily vegetarian who eats seafood on occasion)...i have almost completely eliminated process meat, the exception being the occasional hamburger

otherwise, i eat mostly fish or whole cuts of meat (and more of the former than the latter)...i don't really ever crave meat, but that's probably because i DO still eat it (once every 3-4 weeks?) and still eat fish and seafood...so i don't actually feel like i'm giving anything up

really, vegetarians don't really have that hard a time getting protein...vegans have fewer options

4/25/2013 11:54:05 AM

pescatarian?

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 12:06 PM. Reason : ]

4/25/2013 12:06:26 PM

yeah, i misspelled it...i'll leave it, anyway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 12:08 PM. Reason : link]

4/25/2013 12:07:51 PM

I just find meat (beef/poultry/pork) sooo delicious. I don't think I could ever give it up. Over this past weekend (Thursday through sunday), I had: duck curry, filet, carnitas taco, braised pork shoulder, fried chicken, grilled chicken, and bacon. And all of it was absolutely delicious.

I dig veggies, starches, and fish...but giving up meat would be EXTREMELY tough. I don't think I have it in me.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 12:13 PM. Reason : .]

4/25/2013 12:09:25 PM

ha i didn't know you misspelled it

4/25/2013 12:09:37 PM

Quote :

"I just find meat (beef/poultry/pork) sooo delicious. I don't think I could ever give it up. Over this past weekend (Thursday through sunday), I had: duck curry, filet, carnitas taco, braised pork shoulder, fried chicken, grilled chicken, and bacon. And all of it was absolutely delicious. "

i, too, find meat to be delicious...which is why i could never give it up

but now that i restrict myself to less processed meats and eat it less frequently, i find that i enjoy it MUCH more...i thought i'd miss it, given the frequency with which i ate it, but i don't

it also teaches you to be more creative (or, rather, try new things) with veggies and fruits...and i now find vegetables more flavorful than i thought they were before, and a lot more flexible

as someone who enjoys cooking, it's actually a lot of fun trying to do different things with vegetables

*shrug*...to each their own

4/25/2013 12:14:34 PM

Being a vegetarian for health reasons is silly, and almost dumb. Humans are omnivores and thrive on a diet of meats, fruits, vegetables, with a healthy dose of daily movement.

For ethical reasons, that's debatable and generally a difference of opinion.

4/25/2013 12:26:09 PM

if youre eating animal muscle tissue at any point how can you call yourself a "vegetarian"?

is it to sound unique or different? I would say that "I am an on a restrictive diet based on vegetarian food sources" or somethin like that

This is why i dont understand the complaining i this thread about people not "understanding" what it means to choose these diets. Its not because they are somehow dumber than you are it is because its fucking impossible to label your inconsistent diet.

i can understand, like, if you are becoming vegetarian for some reason like direct health issues or moral and reigious reasons and you are struggling to stick to it because while you want to restrict your diet you still LOVE the taste of meat. Thats just life and change is a process. But these people that call themselves vegetarians or vegans for years yet you catch them planning a meal of animal product...im sorry you cant call yourself a vegetarian and expect people to not be confused or god forbid offering you a piece of fish.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 12:31 PM. Reason : e]

4/25/2013 12:27:43 PM

^ That's the problem I was trying to identify for people who are complete, strict vegetarians. Even if they aren't inconsistent at all in what they eat, people are likely going to regularly try to serve them things they don't eat because of the people who call themselves vegetarian and eat them anyway.

Quote :

"as someone who enjoys cooking, it's actually a lot of fun trying to do different things with vegetables "

cooking and eating meat doesn't preclude you from experimenting with fun vegetable dishes, though

4/25/2013 12:37:19 PM

^^If you're referring to me, I don't label myself a vegetarian (I don't label myself anything diet related) ever, but I will join in a discussion on vegetarian diets because I eat a primarily vegetarian diet so I can still relate.

I don't label myself anything in regard to my diet though, but I will use terms to help describe it if someone directly asks me.

But I do agree that actively calling yourself a vegetarian and still consuming meat is silly.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 12:51 PM. Reason : ]

4/25/2013 12:49:51 PM

Quote :

"Being a vegetarian for health reasons is silly, and almost dumb. Humans are omnivores and thrive on a diet of meats, fruits, vegetables, with a healthy dose of daily movement. For ethical reasons, that's debatable and generally a difference of opinion. "

Hey, I agree with you in a perfect world that there's nothing wrong with eating meat. For example, if I lived on a farm I'd raise my own chickens for eggs and to kill and eat for example. The "health" side my wife is worried about isn't so much the health of eating meat period, but the rather the health of eating the meat that has been shipped to store under the mass-produced quality conditions. (I agree with her to the extent that it would be nice to not have some of the common processes common in mass-produced meat, but also understand that mass-production of food is nearly a necessity for our society these days so I don't have as much of an ethical stance against it). Does that makes sense to you?

She eats eggs that we get from a co-worker who raises his own and she had chicken at my sister's house for dinner when they killed some of their own chickens. But buying nothing but locally grown, higher quality meats can be expensive and kind of a pain versus something like veggies so she just sticks to not buying meat.

I haven't averaged more than one serving of meat a week for a few years and I can't say there have been any drawbacks for me. It's all just personal, passive choice though. We're not vocal about it or actively against it or anything close to that.

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 1:08 PM. Reason : ]

4/25/2013 1:03:35 PM

Quote :

" I haven't averaged more than one serving of meat a week for a few years and I can't say there have been any drawbacks for me. It's all just personal, passive choice though. We're not vocal about it or actively against it or anything close to that."

Do you even lift bro? jk

On a serious note, do you strength train? How much lean body mass do you carry? Have yo had your testosterone levels and or a blood panel checked recently?

IMO, health is based on levels of inflammation. Control inflammation and expose yourself to the good types, and everything seems to work well. Diet can influence inflammation dramatically, but a lot of it is contingent on activity, sleep, and stress handling.

4/25/2013 2:26:56 PM

^ That sounds like some hippie liberal bullshit right there.


How does a vegetarian get your B-vitamins?

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/its-the-sugar-folks/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome

Quote :

"Being a vegetarian for health reasons is silly, and almost dumb."

Indeed. There are plenty of places to get ethically raised meat in an urban center. In the past two years I ate about half my meals meatless, but this year started consuming massive amounts of sausage and other fatty meats. I also routinely make huge piles of sautéed spinach and cabbage with cheese or butter and soy sauce on them. I was shocked to find I lost about 18 lbs and have lower cholesterol.


[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 2:55 PM. Reason : a]

4/25/2013 2:53:36 PM

Protein is never a problem in the US. I enjoy a wide variety of different sources- beans, legumes, eggs, quinoa, whole grains, Greek yogurt, cheese. We eat soy products occasionally, but I burned out on those a long time ago. As long as you eat a balanced diet, complete with quality fruit, vegetables and grains that aren't processed, you should be fine.

Vegans need to supplement their B-vitamin complex and monitor their iron and calcium intake more than worry about protein.

Sorry, this topic has asked to death.

4/25/2013 3:00:16 PM

Quote :

"^ That sounds like some hippie liberal bullshit right there. "

It's not. Inflammation is the root of all pain, sickness, and suffering. It's how your body responds to stress. Swollen knee from injury? That's inflammation. Allergies? Inflammation.

Most health markers (LDL cholesteral, blood pressure, C-reactive protein levels) are at some level checking for inflammation.

4/25/2013 3:01:18 PM

Additionally, I'd never say my diet was the cause of any premature fatigue for endurance sports. I just did a sprint tri on Saturday and placed 3rd in my age group, so it doesn't seem to affect speed either.

4/25/2013 3:04:27 PM

I had a delicious lentil and goat cheese salad this past weekend. I think we'll be eating a lot more lentils in our household in the future.

4/25/2013 3:06:36 PM

Quote :

"cooking and eating meat doesn't preclude you from experimenting with fun vegetable dishes, though"

i never said it did...i implied that not eating crap-quality processed meat (which tends to be pretty flavorful due to high amount of fat and additives/preservatives) encouraged me to do more with veggies...they have become a main dish instead of a side and i likely wouldn't go to the effort if i were eating meat at every meal

again, to each their own...i haven't given up meat, and never intend to...i just have higher standards for the meat that i eat and as a result, don't eat as much of it

i'm certainly not criticizing vegetarians or anyone else...i was simply providing my experience

4/25/2013 3:28:25 PM

Quote :

"Do you even lift bro? jk On a serious note, do you strength train? How much lean body mass do you carry? Have yo had your testosterone levels and or a blood panel checked recently? IMO, health is based on levels of inflammation. Control inflammation and expose yourself to the good types, and everything seems to work well. Diet can influence inflammation dramatically, but a lot of it is contingent on activity, sleep, and stress handling. "

haha. I do strength train. I get blood work done 2x a year usually. Our company provides free blood work once a year and then I get a physical covered once a year with blood work through my insurance. I actually like the one they do through work better. It's laid out very well and tracks previous years as well so you can compare back like 3 years or so. All my levels are right in the deal range for what they test. I don't know that I have done a testosterone test though in a long time (they can test that with blood work right?)

My cholesterol has always been good, but my LDL actually dropped about 10 points 6 mos after stopping most meat consumption. However, I will note that a lot of stuff like this is anecdotal: peoples' bodies react differently to different things. It was the only thing in my diet and exercise that really changed during that time period, so I'd like to say that was it, but it obviously doesn't mean it would be the same for everyone else either.

I agree about the inflammation.

For lifting, I do upper body 3X a week, usually consisting of: flat bench (olympic bench), declined bench (olympic bench), shoulder press (dumbbells), wide-grip pull ups (body weight), chin-ups (body weight), seated rows (on a machine), dips (body weight). My legs are definitely lighter though. I do plyometrics one night a week and then dumbbell squats, calf raises, and lunges the other night with an inclined treadmill run. It's obviously not as rigorous as what you do, but my strength training is pretty good (for my size I mean, I'm a small dude. 5'8, 130lbs) because I started young and have stayed consistent. I'm at around 20 wide grip pullups and I can put up 6x 195 on my last set of flat bench. No real # measurements on legs since I'm doing bodyweight or dumbbell stuff these days.

My dad is 5'8 180lbs, short limbs and I'm 5'8 130lbs and long limbs (for my height). Very different body types But he used to train people years ago and was the strength and conditioning coach for the wrestling team at my HS. So I started early in HS and have always had a pretty good routine. Obviously he didn't have the same knowledge a lot of people have today but he still gave me a great base and I attribute most of my ability to stay strong and thin to that plus being somewhere between an ectomorph and a mesomorph. Which is perfect for me, because I like to stay in shape/be strong for my size but also like to stay fairly lean.

Also, once again I'd like to state that I do not think my diet is for everyone. I'm not trying to push this on anyone, nor do I think it is wrong/have any problem with people that eat lots of meat. Other people on this board give much better overall health info than I can provide. I'm just answering questions because people asked about my personal diet

[Edited on April 25, 2013 at 5:03 PM. Reason : ]

4/25/2013 4:57:40 PM

damn it, why don't you fit into my preconceptions of vegetarians that I can ridicule?????

4/26/2013 10:36:32 AM

Quote :

"Inflammation is the root of all pain, sickness, and suffering."

noap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease

4/26/2013 12:02:12 PM

^get that ridiculous science shit out of here.

4/26/2013 12:34:00 PM

^a definition for hypochondriacs

4/26/2013 1:56:25 PM

^^^Well, really, often overt disease caused by "germs" is immunopathology. Effectors of the immune system do cause inflammation which makes you feel sick.

Whether your food does or doesn't provoke this similarly to pathogens, I don't know.

4/27/2013 3:01:08 PM

Quote :

" I'm 5'8 130lbs"

COME AT ME BRO damn, I remember you shorter than that. (I'm 5'-6" ~145)

4/27/2013 4:46:12 PM

Haha. Yeah I felt like we were the same height.

4/27/2013 5:46:08 PM

I too have had vegetarian food.

4/27/2013 6:07:44 PM

I'm a vagetarian. I get my protein like a man. I eat raw steaks and raw eggs.

4/27/2013 8:31:59 PM