Vegetarian - Allergic to soy & More Q's

[Daveman]

Hey guys, I'm new here and I am very glad I came across this site, as I am newly vegetarian and need some pointers, if anyone is willing to help.
First off, I've decided to be vegetarian, but still have dairy products and such. This would be different if I wasn't allergic to soy, but that's not the case so it doesn't look like it will change soon (Although I am allergic to dairy too, just not as strongly).
Basically I'm wondering if anyone has any pointers for being a vegetarian or if someone could link me to some useful sites to get up and going, that'd be great.

I came into being a vegetarian because I think it to be aweful how we get the meat to eat (I mean, humans are killing animals just for our tasteful satisfaction for the most part..)
I then read up and saw how there are amazing health benefits, as long as I can recieve my protein and balance my diet sufficiently. How should I go about doing this?

We have protein shakes which I actually like; about 50g in a serving and I have about 1/2 a serving after excercise, and I have a protein bar with 15g, neither deprived from animals and ''vegetarian-approved"
I forgot to mention, I am 16 years old and got into this only about a week ago, so I'm sorry that I'm sort of blind-sighted on being a vegetarian as a whole. I know it's something I want to do, and I would like to change it into a lifestyle I can live with and eventually pass on to my children.

My parents support it, and told me if I cut down on sugar and eliminated soda, they would buy me vegetarian based meals and such. Lucky for me I drink maybe two sodas a month at most and don't eat candy even as much, so it won't be too difficult, but it will be healthy in this approach as well.

Thank you guys!
-David

[Tesseract]

Hi Dave, welcome to VB and congratulations! :hi:

I suggest starting by browsing these two threads:
Recommended Reading (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=26749)
The Tip of the Day Thread (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=50249)

I'd also suggest hopping down to your local library and seeing what kind of books on vegetarianism and vegetarian cooking they have. If you're wondering what to eat, browsing some cookbooks will help you get a feel for what's out there and what vegetarian meals are like. You can also browse the recipes in the recipe forum here or on any number of vegetarian cooking websites. www.vegweb.com and www.vegcooking.com come to mind. And don't forget to browse the forum, lurk a while in the discussion threads if you want, or jump right in. There's lots to be learned here.

It's great that your parents are willing to support you-- that will make things MUCH easier. We have many, many teens here who have to cope with living and feeding themselves in hostile households, and believe me, it's no picnic.

Getting enough protein is a snap-- you probably don't even need protein shakes and protein bars if you eat a balanced diet. So don't feel you HAVE to use them as a source of protein. There's plenty of vegetarian protein to be had. (But if you just like them, that's fine too.) You'll see when you read the Tip of the Day thread.

Yes, you can be vegetarian without soy. While soy is a yummy and versatile food, it's certainly not necessary, and we have any number of people here who are either sensitive to it or just don't like it. I'm fairly certain we have a number of soy-free vegans, too (people who don't use ANY animal products, including dairy and eggs), so there's no reason you can't consider reducing or cutting out dairy, too, since you're sensitive to it.

Lemme know if you have more questions.

PS: Here's a current thread on soy-free, gluten-free foods (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=55981) as well.

[troub]

One of my favorite proteins has to be Hemp Seeds. They taste great, and just 3 Tbsp is 10g consisting of 10 essensial amino acids; 2.0g Omega 3; 7.0g Omega 6; 1.7g Omega 9; Calcium; Vitamin C; and Iron.
Sorta expensive though... but recommended!
Filling too, surprisingly.

[Gita]

It is great that your parent support it David, here's some more links:

http://www.goveg.com/?c=126
http://www.vrg.org/index.htm
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n215/ai_17082618
http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue1/vj2006issue1weight.htm
http://www.scienzavegetariana.it/rubriche/cong2002/vegcon_B12_en.html
http://www.notmilk.com/protein.html

[courgette]

One of my favorite proteins has to be Hemp Seeds. They taste great, and just 3 Tbsp is 10g consisting of 10 essensial amino acids; 2.0g Omega 3; 7.0g Omega 6; 1.7g Omega 9; Calcium; Vitamin C; and Iron.
Sorta expensive though... but recommended!
Filling too, surprisingly.


I really love hemp seeds too (as well as hemp oil) and use them in everything...salads, stir fry, bread, etc. They are so good for you. Just got my mom to start using them (she just decided to go vegetarian).

[Trueveggie14]

Free Vegan starter Kit. (http://www.veganstarterpack.com)

Free Vegetarian Starter Kit (http://http://www.goveg.com/order.asp)

Congratulations on becoming vegetarian. How wonderful that your parents are supportive. You might want to try Rice Dream rice milk. It is very tasty, soy-free and vegan. I know many omnis that prefer it to cow's milk.
You could also try almond milk, but since you already have identified 2 allergies, you may also be allergic to nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews etc..) Hopefully you are not allergic. These are packed with protein, vitamins and essential fatty oils that we need.

[codemonkey]

You really don't have to focus that hard on getting enough protein. Just try to eat a good variety of whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, stuff like that) and veggies and beans and fruit and you'll be good to go.