I have always had this horrible habit of not eating enough or eating too much at one time, or skipping breakfast etc... I need to work on that! Anyway.. It never became too much of a problem until I became vegetarian. I have these horrible stomach pains where I want to just lay down and on my recent days off, that's what I have been doing. I am thinking that I am not getting enough nutrients....Well balanced meals... any suggestions?

Can you post a general day or two of eating?

This is going to be soooo bad...

Yesterday: 2 orders of Nachos.
Rice with tapatio sauce
pudding
silk milk
granola bar
fruit roll up

today so far:
Boca nuggets
broccoli alfredo
pudding
water

I think you should drink more water (like 8 cups a day) and maybe have yogurt instead of pudding. You need to eat more fruits and vegetables, I'd recommend canteloupe w/ cool whip if you're sittng in front of the tv or grapes if you're at work. You should try to get in more whole grain too. All general mills cereals are now whole grain, so snack on some kix or eat some raisin bran. I think you're not eating enough and you're definitely not getting all of the nutrients you need into your body.

I know .. I know! I'm so bad with that.. Yeah I usually drink at least a bottle of water a day.. I forgot to list it the other day, but as far as food goes I am so sporadic.. My stomach hurt so bad I had even thought I was pregnant! :surprised Another veggie friend of mine who has been doing it for 3 1/2 years said she was sick for a few months when she first started and the doctors didn't know what was going on. Mine didn't either... He said it's probably a stomach flu, but it's lasted for over two weeks so I doubt that... Since I've posted I've eaten a granola bar and a bowl of cereal and drinken a glass of water.

Thanks for the advice.

Gosh, yeah. My stomach would hurt too if I ate a junk food diet like that. Yikes!

You need fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, healthy fats (nuts and some oils).

Getting plenty of fiber might help your stomacheaches some. You can get it from all the foods I mentioned.

what Mollygoat said.

I had similar problems for a while (before I went vegetarian), I would frequently skip meals and end up feeling really, really ill. I've learned to take time in the morning to prepare healthy snacks for me to eat throughout the day. I've also learned to pay attention to *how* I'm willing to eat more fruit and veggies. For example: If I just bring an apple with me to work, it will most likely not get eaten. I'm not a big fan of eating a whole apple off the core. However, if I bring in an apple cut up in quarters, I'm more likely to eat it.
You might find it helpful for a while to sit down and make a menu-planning list for the week (or day, if you want to start out slower). Make sure to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Or try just having lots of healthy snacks throughout the day.
Take some time and think about how you like your fruit and veggies prepared.

Go out, buy yourself a cook book (I recommend "How it all vegan" and "Garden of vegan" by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Bernard) and start cooking!

Seriously... just from the two days of food you posted, it looks like you have a "junk food" diet.

One thing I try to do is add health to the junky stuff sometimes... like, I love veggie dogs, so I'll have one on a whole grain bread with vegenaise, alfalfa sprouts and green onions, for two servings of vegetables. Or, I'll have nachos, but make them at home using organic, non-hydrogenated unsalted corn chips, smothered with diced tomatoes, green onions and salsa (for 2-3 servings of vegetables).

But variety is pretty important, so get a cookbook like the ones above (which I guarantee you are full of good recipes that WORK) and teach yourself how to cook. Soon it will be second nature.

today i had fresh choice which is pretty good.. salads pastas and etc..
granola bar, silk milk, water, thai noodles with tofu, an apple, a side salad, veggie soup, a bowl of cereal.

You're getting there :up: You make me proud!

today i had fresh choice which is pretty good.. salads pastas and etc..
granola bar, silk milk, water, thai noodles with tofu, an apple, a side salad, veggie soup, a bowl of cereal.

This sounds a bit better. :D

To get myself to eat healthy I like to make simple large portions of things and then keep it in the fridge so I can have leftovers.

Example meals:

Mix up some whole wheat pasta with some marinara sauce, smartground sauteed with onions and garlic, chopped veggies and nutritional yeast.

Quick stirfry with tofu, loads of veggies, and a sauce of soy sauce, garlic powder, and hot sauce (yum, had that last night. ;))

Cook up a batch of refried beans and some spanish rice (really easy to make, I'll give you instructions if you want. :D) Buy some tortillas, some veggies, salsa, and you can have burritos, taco salad, etc. for a few meals.


I tend to find that if I keep really easy fruits in the fridge like grapes, strawberries or other berries, chopped apples or melon, or plums (mmm my fave) I just snack on them throughout the day.

I basically try to sneak in veggies any place I can: on my sandwiches, in my sauces, dipped in some hummus throughout the day, etc.

But yeah, the most important thing is just to make sure you get lots of legumes, some nuts, a variety of whole grains, fruits, and veggies.

Hope you start feeling better soon. :) I agree that your tummy pains are probably due to eating so much unhealthy food.

This sounds a bit better. :D

To get myself to eat healthy I like to make simple large portions of things and then keep it in the fridge so I can have leftovers.

Example meals:

Mix up some whole wheat pasta with some marinara sauce, smartground sauteed with onions and garlic, chopped veggies and nutritional yeast.

Quick stirfry with tofu, loads of veggies, and a sauce of soy sauce, garlic powder, and hot sauce (yum, had that last night. ;))

Cook up a batch of refried beans and some spanish rice (really easy to make, I'll give you instructions if you want. :D) Buy some tortillas, some veggies, salsa, and you can have burritos, taco salad, etc. for a few meals.


I tend to find that if I keep really easy fruits in the fridge like grapes, strawberries or other berries, chopped apples or melon, or plums (mmm my fave) I just snack on them throughout the day.

I basically try to sneak in veggies any place I can: on my sandwiches, in my sauces, dipped in some hummus throughout the day, etc.

But yeah, the most important thing is just to make sure you get lots of legumes, some nuts, a variety of whole grains, fruits, and veggies.

Hope you start feeling better soon. :) I agree that your tummy pains are probably due to eating so much unhealthy food.

Where do I get smartground at? The grocery stores I have been to so far dont have them.

Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Vitamin Cottage, Wild Oats, your local coop (support it enthusiastically if it exists!) in the same section as the tofu, seitan, and tempeh. It's a refrigerated section. Don't be afraid to ask store personnel for help finding this section.

TVP bloomed in hot spiced water will also work in place of smart ground and if you can't find TVP, then just either throw in more veggies (as is the case with the marinara) or use cooked brown rice. If you have beans on hand (either canned or home cooked), you can use them, too.

Ditto what the others said. :D

Where do I get smartground at? The grocery stores I have been to so far dont have them.

You'll probably have better luck finding the Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles (Boca makes some too but MF seems to be more widely available). It comes in a bag and would be found with the veggie burgers. I know Wal Mart has them. Really all it is is ground up veggie burger so if you can't find them just nuke a veggie burger, dice it up, and throw it in.