Hi. For those who haven't read it yet, my name is Allison and I am only 13 years old, but am interested in becoming vegetarian.

I can not become vegan because of health problems, but as long as I maintain healt I will be fine with vegetarianism.

I have never had tofu. However, from adult vegetarian or vegan friends, I have learned that tastes just as good as the real thing. My main problem is some recipes I have found have tomatoes as a main staple, and I detest tomatoes.

A few questions, feel free to give seperate responses.


1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?

2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?

3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?

4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?

1. I would say dive right in and see how you like it. Some people find giving up meat hard, other's don't; but keep in mind there is a whole world of fun, exciting foods waiting to be discovered.

2. I usually get my health food store's store brand of organic tofu-- that would be 365 brand from Whole Foods Market. Plain tofu doesn't really taste like anything. It's kind of like bread or rice-- it taste like whatever you put with it, which means you can make it into almost anything, from a salad dressing to lasagna filling to chocolate pie.

3. It's very easy to get enough protein as a vegetarian. And anyway, there's no such thing as protein pills-- those are the stuff of science fiction. However, there are protein fortified drinks and shakes. But you don't need them. there's plenty of protein in a healthy, varied vegetarian diet.

4. At age 13, there's pleny of time for you to learn to like tomatoes. I didn't realize I liked them until I was 30! but now I know how great thery are. I bet one day you'll realize it too. In the meantime, you certainly don't have to eat tomatoes... I guess unless your mother makes you! There are too many great recipes to post in direct answer to your question, but if you browse the recipe forum, you'll find soem good ones.

BTW, I've written tips on several of these subjects in this thread:
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=47062&page=4

1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?

Everyone is different and you should do what you're comfortable with. I dove right to being vegan from being omni and had no trouble with it. But there are many that prefer to take things one step at a time because it works better for them. Only you know what is best for you, but don't be afraid to go into it slowly if that is what you need.

Expect a lot of people around you making comments. This is something you'll have to deal with. When family and friends found out I went vegan they loved to give me their (usually wrong) advice about stuff. Or they love to mention of weird or different it is. Expect a lot of this. If you ever need support dealing with it veggieboards is the perfect place :)


2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?

I normally buy nasoya, but that is usually out of convenience. I don't really have a favorite and will try just about any kind.


3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?


Protein is not a problem. Just make sure you're eating a healthy balance of foods and include whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, nut butters and other protein sources. If you eat enough to be full and your diet is varied chances are you'll also get enough protein.

If you're still eating dairy and eggs those are both very high protein sources.

I've never heard of protein pill, but many people do take multi vitamins. If health is a concern of yours (it sounds like it) then it may be a good idea to look for a multi vitamin. Not all of them are vegetarian so read the labels. Many will say "suitable for vegetarians" right on them.


4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?

You might want to get some cook books. Some good ones that I like are

How it all vegan
vegan planet

Also for health tips you may be interested in

becoming vegetarian/vegan

http://www.vegweb.com is an excellent online source of veg*n recipes, check it out.

Thank you for these. I probably will dive right in. I guess I thought since there are calcium pills, energy pills, vitamin A, B, C etc. there would be protein. My bad.

One more (seemingly) ignorant question: Are chickpea balls actually meat? Like, could I still eat falafel with lettuce, pita and chickpea palls? Or am I right that because it has the word 'chick' in it it's meat?

Thank you for these. I probably will dive right in. I guess I thought since there are calcium pills, energy pills, vitamin A, B, C etc. there would be protein. My bad.

One more (seemingly) ignorant question: Are chickpea balls actually meat? Like, could I still eat falafel with lettuce, pita and chickpea palls? Or am I right that because it has the word 'chick' in it it's meat?

Chickpeas are beans are are therefore not meat. Falafel :lick: is veg*n.

Yes! *punches air* Thank you for letting me know.

I probably will dive right in. I guess I thought since there are calcium pills, energy pills, vitamin A, B, C etc. there would be protein. My bad.
Protein is a macronutrient, like carbohydrates and fat. It's called a macronutrient because you eat relatively large amounts of it for energy as well as for its nutritional value (although I should note protein isn't nearly as good a source of energy as carbohydrates and fat). Back in the 50's the idea of a protein pill was quite popular in science fiction, and some people even theorized that in the future people wouldn't even eat food anymore-- they would just pop a few pills and get everything they needed. But most people need somewhere between 30 and 80 grams of protein a day, and if you crammed that much protein into a pill, it would be the size of a tennis ball or bigger-- you'd never be able to swallow it! Eating food is a much more appetizing way to get your protein anyway, don't you think?

I'm so glad you're interested! :)

1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?
I dove in all at once. I just realized I couldn't eat another piece of meat, but I guess that's part of my personality, really. There's no right way to do this; just do what you feel you can sustain for long-term lifestyle.

2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?
What ever brand is at the store. Really, I don't think the brand is important. It's more how the tofu is cooked.

3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?
I can keep up my protein intake without pills. Most people get more protein than is needed, actually. I do, however, take a one a day vitamin.

4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?
No tomatoes!! *is shocked*
Try this recipe and I bet you'll like the tomatoes. Maybe, possibly. :)
http://soup.allrecipes.com/az/ntPgsChwdr.asp
If you want, substitue margarine for butter and 1/2 and 1/2 for the cream. It's great.

Hi Allison!

1. I dove in to vegetarianism all at once, but it really is up to you how you approach it - if it's easier to cut out one type of meat at a time or slowly increase the number of meat-free days you have a week that's fine too.

2. I tend to buy Cauldron foods tofu. Purely because it's the most easily available brand. However, I'm in the UK so it might not be much help to you!

3. Like the others have said, protein shouldn't be a problem at all. Just make sure you're eating a balanced diet as much as possible. Soya is pretty high in protein though - so if you love tofu then you should be ok! Though obviously you shouldn't completey rely on one type of food - beans are great and you've already mentioned you love chickpeas too.

4. There are loads of recipes on Veggieboards. You may also find you can make veggie versions of your old favourites by replacing meat with mock meats or whatever. And don't worry about the tomatoes thing - I don't like them either. I'm 26 and have got through ten years of being veggie without a worry! I will eat tomato based sauces (eg pasta sauce) but not keen on the chunks (though lately I will eat recipes with tinned, chopped tomatoes if there's only a little and the chunks are pretty small!).

1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?

I think you should do whatever it is that will help you stick with it the longest. You could start out hardcore but if it means you get burnt out and quit then that's no good.

2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?

They taste about the same to me.

3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?

I don't really worry about it too much. I'm 32 years old though and highly doubt I'm not getting enough protein. It would probably be a good idea for you to take a multi-vitamin. You might want to get vitamins specifically labelled "vegetarian" since a lot of them are coated with gelatin.

4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?

This is my favorite easy to make recipe...

Mock Tuna Salad

· 2 cans (16 oz each) garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
· 1 tbsp lemon juice
· 4 tbsp Veganaise
· 5 tbsp pickle relish
· 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
· ¾ cup onion

Add garbanzo beans, lemon juice, Veganaise, and nutritional yeast to blender. Blend thoroughly.

Finely dice ¾ cup onion. Add onion and pickle relish to the other ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Refrigerate. Serve on bread.


Nutritional yeast is sometimes hard to find. If you have a health food store with bulk bins they should have it.

We have a lot of recipes in our recipe section, http://www.vegweb.com is a good place to look too.

Well, it is my first full day. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was. At school, I had no cravings for chicken even when I had to walk right past it. When people asked why I wasn't getting it, I matter of factly said 'I don't believe in the torturing and killing of animals for food.' and walked off.

I've actually felt better today than I have in years. Both morally, and physically, I feel like a better person. One full day done, a lifetime to go!

Congrats on Day 1!
If your family's cool with you messing around in the kitchen,try some new recipes to keep you inspired and interested. Focus on the cool stuff you can add to your diet and you won't miss the stuff you took out. :)

Congrats! How wonderful! :)

Great job,

It starts with one day at a time.............

1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?

i did a long-path transition--about 6 months. then, it was no cravings and no problem when i finally decided to go vegetarian.

2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?

i don't eat tofu. i don't eat many soy products. the only time i eat soy products is if i'm out to eat. There is more than enough food in the world that soy isn't necessary for any vegetarian or vegan (some people are also soy sensitive). you can eat beans, nuts, and seeds, grains, fruits and veggies, and if vegetarian, eggs and dairy products to meet all of your nutritional needs.

3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?

there is no such thing as a protien pill, to the best of my knowledge. As a lacto-ovo vegetarian, i get more than enough protien.

i do not take any pills like multivitamins. my diet is diverse in foods and nutrients, and therefore it isn't necessary (for me; others needs may be different).

4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?

you'll have to find your own. i make a lot of things without tomatoes--usually soups. lentil soup, potato leek soup, cream of broccoli soup. i make quiches (egg pies) that don't have tomatoes. i make pasta with pesto sauces and cream sauces. i eat lots of stir fries (thai, chinese, japanese, etc). I also make curries. There are plenty of tomato free options out there, no problem.

I'm just curious what health condition would make you unable to be a vegan?

Anyway..
Go about it however you feel comfortable. I just stopped eating meat one day. Everyone's different.

I usually buy Nasoya tofu, and usually light firm (its enriched with a bunch of things too). However, I prefer Seitan over Tofu for protein stuff. Some people also enjoy Tempeh (i'm not one of them!). TVP can also be used in place of ground beef, and there are tons of mock meats if you like that sort of thing as well. Not all vegetarians eat/like tofu, and it isn't a necessary part of the diet. You should make sure you're getting plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts though, as well as healthy fats.

Tomatoes aren't in everything. Do you not like tomatoes in any form? My sister and my bf both don't like pieces of tomato, but like things with tomato sauce or tomato broth (i.e. spaghetti with marinara sauce, pizza, bean soup). There are tons and tons of recipes out there without tomatoes, and you can alter recipes to suit your taste. I personally avoid onions because they don't agree with me, and often just add in other veggies in place of onions. At this point in my life, I don't like asparagus, artichokes, or brussel sprouts, but I'll still try them at least once a year to make sure that I still don't like them!! Tasting things different ways periodically may change your mind about something you didn't think you liked.

At the moment, no, I won't eat tomatoes in any form, but I do try periodically.

A severe calcium deficiency runs in my family. I need the dairy. There are other things I could do, but I still wouldn't get enough, unfortuneately.

Hi. For those who haven't read it yet, my name is Allison and I am only 13 years old, but am interested in becoming vegetarian.

I can not become vegan because of health problems, but as long as I maintain healt I will be fine with vegetarianism.

I have never had tofu. However, from adult vegetarian or vegan friends, I have learned that tastes just as good as the real thing. My main problem is some recipes I have found have tomatoes as a main staple, and I detest tomatoes.

A few questions, feel free to give seperate responses.


1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?

2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?

3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?

4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?


Personally I found taking one thing out of your diet at a time works best. Depending on your favorite foods and lifestyle, what you cut out of your diet first is up to you. For your second question, I don't really have a favorite, I get whatever I can :)
I think I get enough protein but some people on VB have suggested I get more, but it shouldn't be a problem for you as long as you get protein enriched foods/drinks.
Cooking vegetarian meals isn't any harder than cooking meals with meat in them (as long as you have the right foods)
VB has a big recipe forum, and I have found some very tasty recipes there.:nana:

Yes, I know, I have a habit of posting after everyone's gone away, but I'll answer you anyways.
1. Dive right in! That way, no regrets, and if you find that you aren't getting enough of something, you can try slowly giving the foods up or introducing healthier things into your diet.:vebo:
2.Um...Brand? I don't know exactly what it is, but I haven't noticed a difference between brands, just buy the right type/texture for how you want to cook it. Some people claim to eat it straight from the container :spew:, but you'd have to ask them what type/texture.
3. Definetly. Just eat what you like, especially if you like nuts, nut spreads, soy products, etc! As a vegetarian for 4 years and an (attempting) vegan, I actually get more protein than most of my omni freinds.
4. That's funny, I've almost never seen veg*n recipes w/ tomato. Though I've never gone recipe hunting...Some protein-ish things to add to your meals, eat as a quick meal, or have as a snack are
a) Peanut butter on toast(peanut buttered before you put in the toaster). Only works with a toaster oven, but YUM!:lick:
b) Tofu berry shake. Basically, throw 6 oz of pineapple juice(about 1 can), 1 banana, 4 oz (1/2 cup) SILKEN tofu, 1-1.5 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into a blender and puree until smooth. You can experiment with other fruits and add sugar to taste.
You should have no problem going veg at 13- I know many people who went veg at 9 and have been ever since! For recipes, check the Student's Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond. Way easy yummy recipes! Oh, and the Vegetarian Manifesto (dunno the author) is a book on veg*nism for teens, it has good nutrition etc advice. Boy, that was a long post!

Great job! I hate when people find out I am a vegetarian... they think I am just kidding or joking around or lieing. Then they make fun of me. It sickens me that people would actually do that...

Stay strong. And don't let other people try to change your mind. You beileve what you want to and even though it's hard don't let other people bring you down. I wish when I first started being a vegetarian I found this forum or another one like this... that would have really helped.

Hi Allison,
Congrats on going veggie. I'm just curious - are your parents supporting your decision or are you basically on your own? No reason for asking, just curiosity :D.

I'm pretty new to vegetarianism (lacto-ovo) - been only at it about a month. However, I was veggie about 10 years ago for 9 years so in a sense I'm coming back to it. I'll try and answer your questions as best as I can.

1. What are your experiences? At the moment I am at the process of becoming vegetarian. Should I dive in all at once, or start off slow?
I basically dove right in, but then, one of the reasons I switched was because I was getting digestion problems eating meat (especially pork) and meat was starting not to appeal to me.
2. What is your favorite brand of tofu?
Mori-Nu is the one I buy. It's usually found in the produce section in the organic veggie section. It's silken tofu, so it's pretty soft but I buy the extra firm tofu and it works for me. I don't eat too much of it, though - usually just in tofu scrambles in the morning.

3. Do you find you are able to keep up your protein intake, or do you need to take daily pills?
As many have mentioned here, there are a lot of outlets for veggie protien. This was the hardest thing for me because I came off of being a low-carber for 3 years and got into my head that meat is the only way to starve off hunger pangs. But I'm finding that combining foods - rice and beans, potatoes and cheese (a little of the cheese), tofu and veggies - gives me enough protien.
4. This one is a bit tougher. I am learning to cook my own meals. I can do pretty much any of it. Forget I am 13 for a second. Imagine I am an adult, and have free rein of the kitchen, and all nessecary cooking abilities. What are your favorite vegetarian recipes with limited to no tomatoes in them? Do you have links so that I could print them out?
Since I'm a grad student, I don't have a lot of time to cook during the week (although I cook during the weekend for the whole week) but one thing I do do a lot is tofu scrambles. Usually some kind of veggie or combo of veggies (shrooms, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, etc.) sauted in a little oil, then add 3-4 oz tofu (mushed with a fork) and then some soy sauce and ginger. That and a slice of organic whole wheat bread with nut butter or honey and it's a nice filling breakfast or lunch.

Hope that helps!

Tam

I did not switch off to veggie for like a year. For a year, I was cutting out different meats and what not. I wasn't even trying to become a vegetarian, I just thought I didn't need them and didnt really care for it. People thought it was crazy that I just didnt quit all together, but it made it a heck of a lot easier. I was only eating turkey and chicken when I first quit eating it all together, so I only had to give up turkey and chickon. For like a month I would start just eating chicken and turkey or something like that. But, its your decision.

Hi! Just to let you know, I detest tomatoes, and I'm 28. Mushrooms too. Never liked them and I probably never will, but I still became a vegetarian. These boards will be a great resource for you, good luck!

My new favorite recipe: Enchilada Paste (from Vegetarian Times -- I recommend you get a subscription!)

1 can (12 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 chipotle peppers (from a can - sometimes they're labeled chipotle chilis), chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pulse all ingredients in a blender until they form a chunky paste. Spread on a whole-wheat tortilla (you won't have to use the whole thing of paste). Top with chopped peppers, corn, beans, veggie cheese, whatever you like. Cover with a second tortilla and toast 2 minutes on each side, in a frying pan over medium heat. Yum!

Hey WillowDancer!! SOOO much congrats on your decision! I just want to let you know though that I think you have a very very big misconception about dairy!

A lot of what we learn about calcium comes from schools. Not surprisingly, the dairy industry pays for a lot of our nutritional information in school. The dairy industry also pays for "experiments" that show how it lowers ostereoporosis, etc. The truth is the exact OPPOSITE! Dairy is high in animal protein, which actually KEEPS the body from absorbing calcium! That's part of the reason why countries that eat the most dairy actually have the highest rates of osteoporosis!

I think that you are much better off getting your calcium from fortified soymilks and orange juices, as well as green leafy vegetables and such. You would probably notice a really big IMPROVEMENT in your health if you cut out dairy and replaced it with soymilk and cereal and other calcium-enriched foods! If you have any questions, please PM me - I'm totally happy to answer them. :)

Again, good job! I'm so proud of you in your transition to veg*nism!