Veggies!

Good debate here.  I of course say go for it  

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=60331&start=1

Go for it!

It's been a little over a year since I gave up all red meat.  About a year and half since I've drank any milk or other cow products.  I've been completely vegetarian for about 5 months.  I can honestly say I've never felt better. 

It was a bit of work getting through the holidays with all the different family gettogethers.  Just have to be creative.

Good luck!  Your body will love you for it!

I became a vegetarian about four years ago after reading Fast Food Nation and I have never looked back. I feel great and it also feels good to know that it has a positive effect on the environment. My tip for you is to go to you local book store and buy 2-3 vegetarian cookbooks and one book on nutrition. Obviously you can find a lot of stuff online but I find it easier to reference a book rather than a laptop in the kitchen.

Once I decide to change my diet I did not know what to eat besides “salad”. What really helped me was to get some cookbooks right from the start. Too help you get started I have included a really simple, healthy and quick recipe for you.

Ingredients:
1 jar of Pasta Sauce. I get Newman’s Own sauce. It’s good and low in fat.

http://www.newmansown.com/product_list.cfm?cat_id=10

1 cup of Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) or Textured Soy Protein (TSP). This you will find in the bulk section of your grocery store. It has a yellowish/beige color. It actually looks and feels like bred crumbs. This is a super food. 50-70% protein!

Optional: Grated or sliced cheese

How to make it:
Simply pour the sauce into a pot. Then add the TVP. Mix it well and heat it up. It does not have to “boil”. Done! Remember that you are simply dealing with vegetables. All you need to do is to heat it up, don’t boil it. It should take no more than 5 minutes to heat it up. I serve it in a bowl and like to put a slice of Muenster cheese on top. I eat this 1-2 per week. It’s very filling.

When the TVP is mixed into the sauce it takes on the flavor of the sauce and it does not taste like soy, I promise. The texture is chewy and somewhat resembles ground beef.

In peace,
Jon

In short, beans.  And bean products, but the less processed the better, IMHO.  I also use hemp protein in my smoothies every morning for a little variety and a great nutty flavor, but try not to rely on this highly processed type of "protein" too much. 

Everyone always wants to know about protein . 

I would say that the 2 main dense sources are nuts and beans and you get it from these sources without any cholesterol and minimal saturated fat.  Beyond that you would be amazed how much protein is in veggies.  Romaine lettuce for example is comprised of around 20% protein.  It's really not hard to get protein in a veg diet.      

Hey there, kmarzano!  Do the grocery stores in Chicago not carry Silk brand soy milk (or other brands of soy milk, or rice or almond milk)?  That is by far my favorite brand of non-dairy milk and it's widely available where I live.  In fact, even when I lived in small-town Texas the regular old grocery store carried Silk soy milk.  Have a look for it -- it is the tastiest! (IMHO, of course!)

kmarzano - 2007-02-05 2:44 PM

element - 2007-02-05 3:49 PM

kmarzano - 2007-02-05 1:22 PM I live in Chicago without a car and there are no good health food stores that might have decent soy substitutes within an hour and a half trip each way on public transpo. I just don't have that kind of time available every week so until I get a car, I still get some from dairy I can buy at the local grocery store.

Hey there, kmarzano!  Do the grocery stores in Chicago not carry Silk brand soy milk (or other brands of soy milk, or rice or almond milk)?  That is by far my favorite brand of non-dairy milk and it's widely available where I live.  In fact, even when I lived in small-town Texas the regular old grocery store carried Silk soy milk.  Have a look for it -- it is the tastiest! (IMHO, of course!)

I can get the soy milk (which I've actually been drinking for a couple of years although I only recently went vegetarian) and I just found soy cheese that I'm going to try, but I can't find the soy yogurt or any egg substitute that's not made from real eggs. I just went vegetarian a few months ago though so I'm slowly finding my way!

It sounds like you're doing great!  I don't want to hijack this thread further, but I did want to mention that there are TONS of egg-free baking recipes, and scrambled tofu is absolutely delicious.  PM me for recipes.

Thanks for all of the input... I have decided to break for the new diet... effective  on Monday of next week.. (I have to down all the chicken I have in the freezer first lol..)

 My strategy prior to this in an overall diet is to maintain a 60-20-20 spilt on calories (60% carbs, 20% protien, 20% fat), which I have been pretty unsuccessful doing (end up around 55-30-15, heavy on fat, hence why I am switching my diet plans)... My calorie intake has been pretty consistent... between 2500-3000 per day, depending on how hard of a day working out I have...

Now... should I stick with that same plan? I mean, what does all of my soon-to-be veggie lovers do for a plan?

What VeganMan said!

If you need more details to formulate a sort of "plan" for yourself, I'll give you an idea of what my hubby (Global) and I strive to eat every day.  I say "strive to eat" because it's a TON of food, and sometimes we like to stray from the plan in social situations, as a treat, or just for fun.  Most of the time I'm not even able to get all this food into my stomach in one day's time, but these targets really help me get a lot of variety and generally make good food choices.  As well, I try to list my meals in my BT log, so you can certainly look there for ideas.  I'm very happy to share recipes that sound good to you.

So, without further delay, here is what/how EACH of us (i.e., Global or I) tries to eat every day:

1 lb of fresh, raw veggies

1 lb of cooked, non-starchy veggies (the more green ones the better)

At least 4 pieces of fruit

At least 1 cup of beans/legumes/tofu

1-2 oz of raw nuts and seeds, plus some flaxseeds

Choose starchy vegetables over whole grains, and avoid refined grains

Minimize use of added oils in cooking and instead try to get healthy fats from whole foods (like nuts, avocado, etc.)

ETA: This eating plan is adapted from one published in the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a medical doctor specializing in clinical nutrition.  Though (unfortunately) advertised as a weight loss book, it is in fact an EXCELLENT resource on plant-based nutrition and I highly recommend it.  Just ignore all of the weight loss propoganda on the cover.

Very cool to see veggie triathletes!! Been a vegetarian my whole life and very healthy. The only thing that I wasn’t so readily aware of when I started working out was that I wasn’t getting enough protein in. And the protein supplements these days have gotten much better (taste and nutrition wise). My goal tends to be opposite from most in that I’m trying to put on lean mass and so I’m never really concerned about calories and such (just a bit weary on the trans fats and all.) Most people already covered the finer points but just some more side-stepping:

1. Eating habit is definitely a key point. Eat throughout the day (5-6 meals and healthy snacking – fruits/nuts, etc.). One can then tailor it to their goals. A cool phrase I came along somewhere:
“Eat for sustenance, not substance.”

2. If your goal is to reduce weight then I would decrease the amount of (simple) carbs towards the end of the day (again depends on your schedule) after 6 pm or so, when one tends to be sedentary.

3. If you haven’t already done so….cut out all the sodas and any of the other sugary (high fructose corn syrup) stuff. Soda is one of the worst things you can put in your body, but people are such slaves to commercials. Water, is ultimately the best liquid.

4. Regarding soy protein, it is healthy, but it has been noted to produce estrogen. (So perhaps the males may want to keep that in mind…or not. Lol.)

5. Popping a multi-vitamin wouldn't hurt either (again...iron-free can be optional depending on your needs.)

Just like anything, our eating habit is just another active process, and I always stress self-education in anything. If you don’t know about something, then find out before it goes in your body --- “you are pretty much what you eat”!!

I haven’t read through the whole thread but I plan to pick up the recipes mentioned as I’m always looking out for some good veggie recipes. (Consequentially, if anyone here is into working out to gaining muscle mass, I will be much obliged to get any recipes that you find useful – feel free to PM me.) But, eating veggies doesn’t have to be so bland. Search on different recipes based on others types of culinary cooking.
[Such as Indian food, which “spices” up things a lot and can enlighten your taste buds.]

Just a quick thought on fast-food. Not all can be bad. I love Taco Bell and getting pretty much anything there without the meat is more or less decent. It’s got good amount of protein due to the beans (I’ll refrain from any jokes associated…ok ;-). One can be smart when ordering and customize the order. Of course stay away from the fried stuff, but once in while that Mexican pizza is just irresistible. I’ve had enough practice, this is all you gotta say: “The whole order, minus the meat, plus beans. Thank you.” Haha.

In the end, this is a nice disclaimer I think:

“No animals were sacrificed as part of this triathlon training!!”

- Supa

--- Ah..hahah....that's a good one. Never came across that one. slick!!

[BTW...that disclaimer was my own rendition off of other such disclaimers. ]

Stitch26.2 - 2007-02-09 6:52 PM Interesting thread, not a vegetarian myself, more like veggiepreferian as I don't exclude meat, BUT... was surprised to notice no one mentioned the incredible load of protein you can get from dairy products. I checked protein in a ton of foods around the house once and the milk and cheese products beat out the beans, nuts, and meat by a long shot! (beware the fat and cholestorol content of these however, so use in moderation!) Low fat milk actually has HIGHER protein content, so that is an alternative

I think the reason is that some in this thread are vegan. Being a vegetarian myself I rely heavily on dairy products as a source for protein. My favorite is low fat cottage cheese. As a personal preference, when buying dairy products I always try do make sure that it does not comes from animals that have been administered rBST.

Down with Monsanto!