Medi-Studies info for Vegetarians and Vegans

Do you think if I become vegan I will lose weight?
My favourite foods are all dairy…I eat way too much yoghurt and milk and cheese
and if ice-cream is around I devour it immediately.
What do you think?
Also, I don’t really like meat.

Look, fine it’s hard to get protien, but veganism is freakishly healthy. Vegans on average weigh 20 pounds less than meat eaters. There are so many things in meat that are terrible for you. Mostly veganism is ethical; I prefer going to bed at night knowing that no pigs (some of the smartest animals in the world) are having their hears, tails and teeth cut off on my behalf (its a very common practice in the US, they don’t want the animals to resort to cannibalism and eat each others tails off [cannibalism
is common in factory farms])

I know all of us have different metabolisms, are a different age, different exercise routines, and we all have a different story of how and why we became vegan/vegetarian. But for those who have been a vegetarian/vegan for a while, how many pounds have you dropped? I’ve been a Vegetarian for less than a week, I’m hoping to be skinnier than I’ve ever been, but I mostly did it for the health and humane benefits.

My story is, that my life up until recent I’ve never really had any health problems, rarely even get sick. But this summer I had a kidney stone, which if you have ever had is just terrible and unbearable pain, it’s a nightmare. So after an ER visit to see what it is and I found out, over time I eventually passed it. I still didn’t change up my diet too much though just because I’m in the process of growing up and need had to learn by myself over time (I’m 21 now). Since high school I have gained about 30 pounds, though some of it is good weight, for instance more natural muscle growth, my trapezoids are quite bigger than they used to be, though even in high school I had a little extra, I never have been able to see my ab muscles.

But then just a few weeks ago I had the kidney stone pain again, though with experience from the previous kidney stone I was more prepared and drank more water to ease it up and control it, so after that day I haven;t had the pain since I’ve been drinking almost nothing but pure water. Around the time I got the most recent one I was around 185 pounds, I’m not sure exactly what I was eating during that time from then to now, but I know I wasn’t eating foods high in sodium or calcium. Now I weigh 175 pounds, I have been eating a Vegetarian diet for a few days now, and already my body is feeling better and my conscious is free as well.

Just to give you an example of my meals so far in my early stages while I’m still learning about nutrition and trying to expand my vegetarian meals I will name what I’ve been eating.

Breakfast: apple slices, a small orange, peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread, some fresh lettuce, an 8 ounce glass of milk (2% milk, because it’s what I have now. But I’m going to move to skim milk or soy milk) and some water.

Lunch: Today I had Green Grapes, Fedachini alfredo (noodes with some small carrots, and chopped up fresh lettuce mixed together), a slice of bread, and water.

Dinner: Somewhat of the same type of foods, probably in a different mixture. Most likely with an 8 ounce glass of milk and some water.

I drink water all day long of course, although it’s pretty irrelevant since it’s 0 everything.

So with all that said, I appreciate any help!
Thanks for the answers toward the weight loss part, silly me I’ve been so caught up in nutritional needs I somewhat forgot the basic principle of just simply using more calories than you consume. I will leave this question up however for any meal or nutritional tips. Also I’m not looking to get big and huge like most guys are, I will just happy to retain muscle and get be lean, it’s easier on the bones with less weight to walk on over the course of the day, and my lifetime.
Thanks for the meal tips too.much, I’ve come across some of these suggestions on the internet, except for the eggplant I haven’t come across yet. But now I know, also I do try to keep in mind about wasted water, I used to turn all the lights off in my house that my family would leave on until I found out our power company was powered by windmills.

@Thatgreenguy health is the main reason I opened my eyes toward being a vegetarian no doubt, I want to have a healthy body and keep it that way before it’s too late and one day I end up on a bunch of pills for problems that could have been prevented, like so many older people. But now that I’ve done it for a few days and see it’s not that hard to make the jump, I now just don’t like the sight of meat anymore. I love animals and always have, and I love the environment. Contributing toward saving both by changing my diet makes me happy as well. But I do know what you’re saying, so many people can’t stick to one

Strength train. Lose weight, gain muscle, be healthy, whatever. Do this. Read Starting Strength and do the program. Also, some interval training (high intensity for you, if that means walking faster, do it, with some more moderate recovery in between) will help. As well as walking for a minimum of an hour a day, in addition to an hour of heart pumping exercise.

Of course, drinking water helps. Have you done the pee test to see if you’re drinking enough? It should be a pale yellow, not dark/neon yellow, and not clear. If it’s clear, you’re drinking too much, which is not only unhealthy (you’re drowning in your own cells), but is a waste of water (the water exiting, flushing, tp, washing hands, etc). If you’re passing the pee test with flying colors, you should really go back to your doctor for what’s going on.

As for diet: I take it you want to be lacto-veg? Also, more vegetables. You had lettuce and a bit of carrots. Aim for 4-8 servings of veggies a day, more toward the 8. Different colors, like red peppers, yellow squash, purple eggplant. It’ll also help with your weight loss. My mom ate salad for dinner for a week and lost 2 lbs, without feeling hungry, without exercise (she was on bed rest). Your fruit intake is good, as you’re getting lots of whole grains. More beans. Beans are high in fiber, zinc, iron, and protein. Much healthier than getting your protein from dairy. Eat fat. Fat is good for you. Healthy stuff like coconut, avocado, unroasted nuts, unroasted seeds. It’ll keep you full, even if it double the calories per gram of carb or protein.

I need some vegetarian recipes that my anti-vegetarian roommate will like. So, something that she will not be able to tell that there is no meat. Does anyone have any ideas?

No offense but I would suggest: A) cook what YOU like, and, B) find a new roommate.

I’ve been vegetarian for 40 years and have many times lived with non-vegetarians; but only with ones that respected my right to be who and what I am (just as I respected theirs). Besides, unless she is only a child, let her cook her own food if she doesn’t appreciate your efforts!

I don’t eat a lot of meat at the moment, but next year I’m going overseas to mid-Asia in a ger where they eat LOTS and LOTS of meat. I’m not a preaching vegetarian and I’m not going to say no, because meat is their way of life, but.. will it be really bad for my health to go from hardly eating meat, to suddenly having it every day almost 3x a day? (They eat friggin’ sheeps heads for breakfast!)
( I have to eat meat once/twice a week at the moment – for my growing body)

Sorry but I just had to comment on this:

"um…most Asians live a largely vegetarian lifestyle."
Gers are form Mongolia and around there, they are herders and eat almost entirely meat.
"Meat there is incredibly expensive because it isn’t subsidized like in the West."
Once again, people who live in Gers are herders and eat almost entirely milk and meat. Research before you talk.
"If you want to eat meat, do so, but don’t say it’s because you’re headed to a place where people’s diet is even MORE plant-based than where you live now- that’s pretty stupid"
Same: they eat MORE meat there. Did you even read the question or do any research?

To answer your question:

Anyway, you might feel a bit sick after a short time but your body will soon adapt to the meaty diet. People can live fine like that, the people there are proof. You just might have a unpleasant adapting period is all.

I will be traveling over to Guatemala this summer for three weeks and I am staying with a host family. I am a little worried when it comes to food. I am a vegetarian I will eat no type of meat, fish, chicken or seafood. How many options are there for vegetarians down there?

Not to worry. Most host families have cooked for vegetarians. I was told an average of 25% of the students at my language school were vegetarians. Plus they just don’t eat as much meat there. My family only ate meat with half of their own meals. You may have to help them with the concept of complementary proteins.

That said, the restaurants are pretty bleak, especially if you’re vegan. They will have one or two of three options. Overcooked spaghetti with tomato sauce, a salad, or a veggie plate which will contain a large spoonful of each of 5 or 6 different veggies and half a boiled potato. I tended to avoid the salads unless I was sure the restaurant was sanitizing the produce properly, i.e. upscale restaurant in a tourist area. If you eat cheese you may find a few more options. There are many restaurants that serve comida tipica or traditional food. Here you can always order black beans and rice which is a staple food of Guatemala but never listed on the menu. On the plus side, I lost 15 lbs. in the five weeks I was there. If you’re going to Quetzaltenango, there’s a decent restaurant called Taste of India that has several dishes to choose from.

Don’t eat food from the street vendors.

I’m making a pasta with a creamy tomato sauce and the recipe calls for shrimp but I’m a vegetarian. I’m making it for other people (but I’d like to eat it too), is there something I can replace the shrimp with that will add to the flavor so it’s not missing something?

Use mushrooms. Choose a flavorful type like chestnut mushrooms, then saute them before adding them to the recipe. You can saute some chopped onion with them too. The mushroom and onion will give lots of flavor. You might also like to serve a simple green salad on the side.

Next time you could try something like a vegetarian lasagna:

http://www.grilledvegetablerecipe.com/Grilled-Vegetables/easy-grilled-vegetable-recipes/vegetable-lasagna-recipe.php

If you want to add a contrasting color to your pasta recipe, you might like to add some green beans or peas along with the mushrooms (or instead) and perhaps serve parmesan on the side so people can add their own.