[musicmaker]

I became vegetarian and now am ready to go the next step. However, I am 50 years old and wondered if I need the protein from eggs and dairy or if I can go ahead and get enough from other vegan foods. Also, do I need to take any additional supplements? I have been steadily losing weight since becoming vegetarian and have not had any kind of cold or flu in ages and my fibromyalgia symptoms and hypoglycemia have totally disappeared. I really don't think I will have to read loads of labels because I only use whole unprocessed foods for cooking. I make beans and rice from scratch at the weekends and make my own veggie burgers. The only processed foods my husband eats are veggie hotdogs and I will have to read those labels to see if they are vegan. Living in the UK means we can't get things like boca burgers unfortunately. I can hardly wait until we can move to the US.

 

[kpickell]

You should have no problem getting the protein you need on a vegan diet. In fact you might be surprised just how much extra protein you're still getting without the eggs and dairy. You can record all the food you eat onto a site like fitday.com and it'll compute it for you.<br><br><br><br>
The one supplement you will need however is vitamin B12. Some foods are fortified with B12, such as certain brands of soy milk, but most vegans find it easier just to take a daily B12 vitamin.<br><br><br><br>
If you're losing too much weight (I couldn't tell if you were saying the weight loss was a good thing or a bad thing), then you need up the amount of calories you're eating and eat more calorie-dense foods.... and cake. Vegan cake'll do it.

 

[YxSyk]

Yea take B12 since you won't find it in any plant foods. I'm taking a multivit. every other day + B12 once everyday w/ one of my meals. I'm not vegan though but kind of, the only animal product i eat is milk, but I guess that still makes me a vegetarian lol.<br><br><br><br>
But yea, soy milk is nice, try those that are fortfilled with b12 and iron etc.<br><br><br><br>
Good luck!

 

[derwenna]

You don't need eggs or dairy to get enough protein, just do a bit of research on nutrition and you'll find it's not difficult to get enough protein from a vegan diet (beans, pasta, lentils, nuts, rice, bread, quinoa, soya mince, chickpeas, tofu... to name a few). Most people eating standard western diets actually eat way more protein than their body needs.<br><br><br><br>
As others have said, the only nutrient you can't get from plant foods is vitamin B12, but you can eat fortified foods or take a supplement for that. I read recently that people over 50 should take B12 supplements even if they eat meat, as our bodies become less efficient at absorbing it as we get older.<br><br><br><br>
As far as I can tell, we have as many veggie hotdogs and so on in the UK as in the US. From posts on here I got the impression that it's easier to find vegan processed food in the UK, though I think it depends where in the US you are. Linda McCartney sausages are vegan and found in most supermarkets, and there are quite a few other brands that are also vegan but not so mainstream, you'd probably need to go to a health food shop or Holland and Barrett to find them.<br><br><br><br>
Best of luck with going vegan, it sounds like you're already seeing the benefits of cutting out animal products from your diet. Do a bit of research about nutrition, get hold of some cookbooks and enjoy! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">