Is it possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet without eating tofu or quorn?

I'm considering becoming a vegetarian when I move out of home for university. I don't like the taste of quorn or tofu but I am uncomfortable with cooking meat. I don't like nuts or seeds either.

If I just eat a lot of iron rich vegetables is that going to give me a healthy vegetarian diet?Is it possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet without eating tofu or quorn?
Why are you uncomfortable cooking meat? Is it the feeling of the meat? Then wear gloves... Chicken is so easy. Just a boneless, skinless chicken breast takes about 30 minutes in the oven. Some salt and Pepper and it's actually pretty good.
Of course. They don't eat that stuff in India and they; healthy, and the rastafarians in Jamaica don't either, and they're healthy.

Eat spinach, peanuts in granola, trail mix and cereals, and almond butter in stuff like cereal bars, cakes and breads, you can eat the nuts without actuall yeating nuts..

Legumes are good- lentils, chickpeas, dal, split peas, fava beans. Loads of food has protein and iron.
Pumpkin, yellowpeoers, yams, sweet potato, coconut , avocado.Is it possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet without eating tofu or quorn?
As long as you eat lots of pulses, beans and lentils you should be alright. You are right about eating ltos of green leafy vegetables: they should give you the iron you need. Try to have lots of dairy products too: milk, cheese, yoghurt. That way you should get the calcium. But you will definitely need beans, pulses and lentils to give you the protein you need, otherwise you could have health problems.



Also, you can buy dried soya to replace minced beef. It's like the quorn version but dried, you soak it in water (do NOT eat it raw) and then add it to a bolognaise, shepherd's pie, lasagne, etc. It's much cheaper than the quorn version, and lasts much longer.



A good recipe is:



Can of mixed beans, drained

Can chopped tomatoes

Half a bottle of wine (or one of those mini bottles if you can find one)

Vegetable stock cube

Soy sauce

Vegetables (I tend to use half a red pepper, half a carrot and half an onion but you can use whichever veg you like)

Vegetable oil



Cut the veg into cubes and fry for 5 minutes in vegetables oil

Add chopped tomatoes, mixed beans, 100ml stock, the wine, and a splash of soy sauce.

Turn the heat up and simmer until all the liquid has drained away.



Add to cooked rice, pasta or couscous.
You can eat beans for protein, or lentils or chickpeas. Bean stew, bean soup, beans on toast, baked potato with baked beans, pasta with veg and lentil sauce, houmous, bean salad, veg and chickpea crumble.

Of course, if you are not going vegan then dairy products have plenty of protein in. However its best not to rely too much on cheese as it is high in cholesterol. There are other meat substitutes other than quorn, realeat do soaya mince and so do most supermarkets do an own brand version, these can be used to make bologneise, cottage pie or whatever.



Quorn and tofu both have the potential to taste bad or good, depending what you do with them. I made a delicious choc and ginger torte from silken tofu the other day! Crush gingernuts for the base, whizz up the silken tofu (it comes in a tetra-pack box and the brand is mori-nu) add melted chocolate and chopped stem ginger, mix it all up and spread over the base. Chill. Mmm. For stir fries you need to use a different type of tofu, it is a darker colour and more grainy texture. It's texture improves if you freeze it overnight and then defrost it. Then you need to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Sprinkle with soy sauce or a marinade of your choice, then grill it in clices before adding to stir-fry or salad. I know you say you dont like tofu but so many people dont know how to do it properly and if you do it wrong its not so nice.



Good luckIs it possible to have a healthy vegetarian diet without eating tofu or quorn?
Definitely! There are lots of vegetarians who aren't fans of meat substitutes or nuts.



Dark, leafy green vegetables are full of iron. Many of the vegetables already listed are nutritious ways to get protein along with minerals and vitamins. Consider taking multivitamin supplements.



See this article I've written about vegetarian protein sources:

http://www.recipes-for-vegetarians.com/v鈥?/a>



While I have listed meat substitutes as one source, there are many others.



Look into meeting with a nutritionist or dietitian to help you come up with a healthy, vegetarian diet that will work for you. My university has one that offers free services for students. Your university may also have this service.



I hope this helps!



Linda from Recipes-for-Vegetarians.com
You don't need to eat tofu. But, it is very good for you.



To the uninitiated, plain tofu is not very appetizing, I agree. However, like Andrea says, the beauty of tofu is that it can be so well-hidden in your food that you might not even be able to tell that it's there.



Have you thought about eating soybeans, popularly known by their Japanese name "edamame?"
Yes. You can eat only fruit and vegetables and get all nutrients. Raw diet is very healthy but you have to learn all about it and eat all required nutrients. Tofu is not on the list.



But you can learn how to make delicious tofu. Tofu does't not have good taste on its own. If you learn how to cook tofu then you can make delicious meals.

http://besttofu.blogspot.com/2011/01/how鈥?/a>

Key thing is to use good organic and fresh tofu. And then before cooking it you must drain/press/dry fry all existing water out of it to make room for new taste to get in. Then you can put in in your favourite marinade and do whatever you like with it. The end result will be fantastic meal.
Iron
Sweet potatoes, brown rice, oat meal, cereals, spinach, broccoli, and other green vegetables are high in iron. Beans are also great for iron, as well as having lots of protein. You can make hummus and spread on pita breads, or dip pita chips in. Avocados are really healthy.

I doubt you can hate the taste of quorn or tofu. You can do so much with them, and you can also cover up most of the taste with what you're cooking them in. Keep on searching around for something you like.

You can use protein powder, fruit, a little bit of milk, and some flax meal to make a healthy protein shake. The shake will also contain flax meal, which has Omega 3s. A lot of vegetarians don't get Omega 3s, and flax seeds contain enough Omega 3s.


EDIT: There is nothing "unhealthy" about soy products. There are myths on that it can cause cancer, lower sperm count, or even cause thyroid problems, but they aren't true. Go to this website to learn more about the truth of soy products.
http://www.thefactsaboutsoy.com/
Of course! :) eat lots of protein enriched foods like beans (i love chickpeas, and are wonderful in moroccan dishes with cous cous) and eat nuts as a source of fat and protein too, i like almonds :) theres great vegan and vegetarian food shops everywhere just google to find one near your area, for example there is a holland and barrett store near me that does vegan ready meals that are delicious!! :)
I can't live without tins of chickpeas and a bag of lentils. Spinach and other green leafy vegetables are rich in iron. But having just iron rich vegetables doesn't mean a healthy diet. You need a balanced diet of all the nutrients e.g. vitamins, minerals, protein, etc
Absolutely! I don't eat those things.



What you can eat for iron instead is beans or lentils or chickpeas or grains or certain vegetables (lots of things). If you don't like nuts do you like peanut butter or almond butter? If you don't like those then that's still okay too.
I've been a vegetarian for 8 years, I don't eat quorn or tofu because I don't see a need for them and I'm pretty sure I'm quite healthy.
I dont eat that stuff and im doing fine :)
Soy products have been used for centuries as a source of protein. However, only products that have fermented soy beans in them are properly useful for providing protein. Soy beans have many substances that can be harmful. The main one is an enzyme inhibitor that prevents the protein and some of the amino acids being digested.

Fermented soy foods are tempeh, miso, soy sauce. Tofu/bean curd is not a fermented soy food.

Soy beans also contain phytates which prevent the uptake of various minerals including calcium, zinc, iron and magnesium - fermentation or slow cooking is the only way to remove these phytates.

So... I would say don't worry about tofu and try tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food. It can be marinated prior to cooking but it also takes up sauces well during cooking (unlike tofu). It is also much firmer than tofu and therefore more versatile.

As for Quorn, the less said about that the better. It is rubbery and tasteless and there is no need to have it in your diet. You'd be better off eating more mushrooms instead.

Regarding your aversion to seeds and nuts - these foods contain valuable vitamins and minerals for vegetarians and even a small serve is beneficial. Try some really grainy bread with your favourite filling. Try a breakfast cereal like muesli, topped with some freshly cut fruit. Try making some different nut butters - you can make them in the blender yourself, just put the nuts in and whiz until it's like peanut butter. Assuming here that you like peanut butter, perhaps make a batch that is predominantly peanuts but add some almonds, brazil nuts and sesame seeds to the blend.

Good diet is all about moderation and variety. Certain foods trigger non-beneficial enzymes in other foods to dissipate, some foods are perfect partners for others insofar as they form more complete essential fatty- and amino acid combinations.

In summary, forget about the tofu and Quorn and try to branch out and find grains, seeds and nuts that agree with you. And keep up the high volume of fresh fruit and veg.

Edit - oops! Sorry to hit you with such a long answer, but I hope you got this far! And I hesitate to supply yet another tedious link, but this one is really worth a quick read: http://www.rheumatic.org/soy.htm

Further edit - I have just looked at the website suggested by xAndreax (thefactsaboutsoy). It is a lightweight non-scientific advertorial site that makes vague statements about everything and has been created by a pharmaceutical company that, coincidentally, makes and sells soy supplements.