[Richard]

I'm not a vegetarian. My girlfriend is. I'm fine with becoming a vegetarian to keep her happy (though I doubt I'm ever really going to think of myself as a vegetarian), but I enjoy cooking, and have no idea how to cut meat and eggs out of my recipes. If it was one or the other, I think I could adjust.

What sort of substitutes can I use for eggs when I bake, and what should I be sure to include to make sure I'm getting complete protiens? I vaguely recall from high school physiology class that barley and some other grain would provide a complete protien, but I can't remember what the second one was.

Last question: My job includes a lot of physical work, and I'm built like a truck. No offense intended to anyone reading this, but the only vegetarians I've met have all been thin as a rail. Should I be concerned about things like muscle loss? I'm an aircraft maintainer, and the lightest piece of equipment I work with is 60 pounds.

 

[Phoenix Days]

No, you will not lose muscle from being vegetarian.

 

[luxdancer]

I have a funny story about muscle - I knew a woman who was skinny as a reed, but she could move heavy equipment like nobody's business, so don't judge someone's physical capability on appearances.

As for egg substitutes - they have commercial egg substitute mixes, like Ener-G. You can also use ground flax seed, applesauce, mashed bananas, a blend of baking powder and baking soda, variations upon variations (I'd stick with commercial mixes for a beginner baker). Scrambled tofu with a pinch of Eurasian black salt tastes exactly like eggs (it's the sulphur, I think) and you can use that in your savoury dishes. I think you can also make some pretty spectacular tofu quiche-type dishes.

Protein: Don't let the anti-soy people scare you, unless you have a specific allergy, tofu and tempeh are fabulous places to get protein. If you are not a celiac, vital wheat gluten has alot of protein as well. Other than that, experiment with things like amaranth, quinoa (that boasts a "complete" amino acid profile), lentils, beans, nuts and seeds, teff (a kind of grain used to make injera, an Ethiopian flatbread and considered a good source of protein). Getting a "complete" profile of amino acids is just a matter of eating a variety of foods throughout your day.

 

[.Goth-Alice.]

Something to point out.
If your girlfriend is a Vegetarian and not Vegan then she will probably still eat eggs.(lacto-ovo) Unless she wants to cut them out, which is great.
Vegetarians dont eat meat,fish or by products like geletan. Vegans do not eat meat,fish,eggs or dairy.

If you let us know where youre from aswell, that will help. US and UK foods differ in how readily available they are

 

[m00ch]

Mike Tyson isn't skinny as a rake. nor Carl Lewis, nor Dave Zabriskie, nor Rob Bogwood. Recently titled Germany's strongest man Patrik Baboumian, is also vegetarian.

It's a myth that vegetarian people are skinny and weak. I've known a lot of skinny and weak omnivores too. I'm no Mike Tyson, but I'm hardly wasting away as a vegan

 

[penny79]

Do muscle resistance exercises and weight lifting, eat enough calories w/ whole foods, and you'll maintain or increase your muscles.

Not all veg*ns have great muscle size and tone, but don't forget that working out and being fit isn't important to everyone. You can't really judge an ethical vegetarian who doesn't work out as the end-all/be-all of what a veg looks like. You could have an omnivore who works out like crazy but only intakes 1200 calories a day - they also aren't going to build great muscle size.

 

[Richard]

Thanks for the advice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Goth-Alice.

Something to point out.
If your girlfriend is a Vegetarian and not Vegan then she will probably still eat eggs.(lacto-ovo) Unless she wants to cut them out, which is great.
Vegetarians dont eat meat,fish or by products like geletan. Vegans do not eat meat,fish,eggs or dairy.

If you let us know where youre from aswell, that will help. US and UK foods differ in how readily available they are

I asked. No eggs. Dairy products are fine, which is good, because soy milk gives me indigestion.

 

[Fatman]

Just make sure that you are not trying to make a change that is not going to work for you.
Better to be upfront with her and gradually try to become Vegi* than to jump in and pretend to be ok with it.

 

[obankobi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatman

Just make sure that you are not trying to make a change that is not going to work for you.
Better to be upfront with her and gradually try to become Vegi* than to jump in and pretend to be ok with it.

This. Though it is quite nice of you to do this for her, it might cause problems down the road, you know? Something to think about.

 

[keltic dave]

Its not hard at all to switch to being a vegetarian since you said you're quite muscle then you just make sure you beef up the meals with beans, lentils, chickpeas all are very high in protein and since you still drink milk then you don't need to worry about B12 as you get that from milk and dairy products.

I was quite a big meat eater and I've successfully changed completely to being a lacto-ova vegetarian I wont go the whole hog and become vegan though.

 

[Clueless Git]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

I vaguely recall from high school physiology class that barley and some other grain would provide a complete protien, but I can't remember what the second one was.

Quinoa?

Already covered but dont buy the thing about veggies being weak.

Apparently a lot of the Ironman Triathletes find a raw food vegan the best. Found this link to the website of one of them; http://www.brendanbrazier.com/bio/index.html

 

[peacefulveglady]

Veggies are people too and we are all sizes , so is meat eaters are all sizes.

 

[smiling]

Rather than use your same recipes with the meat cut out, try some that were designed just for vegetarians. Veggie web is a good site for that. Chili is a good thing to veganize. I like Boca grounds in mine and add beans and roasted corn, then serve it over brown rice. I also find that Indian dishes are very hearty and there are many, many veg dishes that are Indian. Asian stir fry with tofu and brown sauce over rice is also very hearty and filling, and flexible. My husband is a big guy who works out and is athletic, and he eats vegetarian with a ton of vegan meals.

 

[azerea_02]

First off, you are amzingly sweet to not only be trying to change your diet for this girl you like, but you're doing reasearch on your own about it too. It really shows you want to make her happy. I do agree with those who said make sure it's a change you're willing to make for yourself and not JUST her, ya know? You don't want any resentment building up down the line!

First off, let us tell you right away that there is nothing you can get from meat that you can't from a veg*n diet. Even b12! (marmite, nooch, fortified foods/beverages...). As for protein...that's been baffling me about everyone ever since I discovered the 80/10/10 theory. Also, have you looked into Dr Campbell's reasearch? Protein is neither more nor less important than fat is in your diet. And plus...it's in EVERYthing you eat. Sure, maybe not "whole" proteins like is found in meat, but all essential amino acids are found in plants. It's even better for your body to consume seprate amino acids than whole ones. Your body doesn't use whole proteins in the same state they come in. It actually needs to break it down and reconstruct it to make new chains of amino acids that have different functions in the body. So by consuming amino acids seperately is making it easier on your body to make and use proteins!

But your protein powerhouses, if you must worry about it, would be in whole grains and legumes. Avocados are pretty good too.

I strongly believe your muscle mass won't be affected by your diet. Only if you change your exercise routine would it change. And since your day to day work requires physical exertion, I don't how you would have any problem!

And don't underestimate the power of google! Tons and tons of veg*n recipes!

Best of luck and yay for her! She's lucky to have a sweetie like you!

 

[*AHIMSA*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by azerea_02

nooch

She means nutritional yeast; Red Star in the US is fortified with B12 and has other nutrients.

 

[Fatman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by keltic dave

Its not hard at all to switch to being a vegetarian since you said you're quite muscle then you just make sure you beef up the meals with beans, lentils, chickpeas all are very high in protein and since you still drink milk then you don't need to worry about B12 as you get that from milk and dairy products.

I was quite a big meat eater and I've successfully changed completely to being a lacto-ova vegetarian I wont go the whole hog and become vegan though.

Same here, all I ate was meat. never ate a veggie. just meat and bread.. potatoes if they were fried or mashed.
I dont even know why I went veggie, I just did. It was thanksgiving last year and I looked at the bird and the ham on the table and something just clicked, I could not eat it, so I loaded on the carbs and left it alone... I have not had meat in any way shape or form since that day..

And Im loving it.

 

[Property Is Robbery]

Attachment 16564

^ That is wonderful for baking

or use silken tofu for pretty much everything else

Edit: Sorry about the pic size. It's called ener g egg replacer

 

[whisper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Property Is Robbery

Attachment 16564

^ That is wonderful for baking

or use silken tofu for pretty much everything else

Edit: Sorry about the pic size. It's called ener g egg replacer

Also ground flax seed...3 Tbl water mixed with 1 Tbl flax works great in place of each egg, plus you get the added benefit of omegas.

 

[Mrs. T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whisper

Also ground flax seed...3 Tbl water mixed with 1 Tbl flax works great in place of each egg, plus you get the added benefit of omegas.

Flax and Ener-G don't necessarily work in everything, though. They've worked in everything I've tried to veganize except brownies. Mine turned into an oily mess. I love this brownie recipe with a cup of chocolate chips added to the batter. I also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23281.0

 

[whisper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs. T

Flax and Ener-G don't necessarily work in everything, though. They've worked in everything I've tried to veganize except brownies. Mine turned into an oily mess. I love this brownie recipe with a cup of chocolate chips added to the batter. I also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23281.0

Yep, brownies were always the one pain-in-the-butt thing I couldn't get to work with the flax. But it works great for cakes, cookies, muffins, etc.