Vegetarian diet??

I'm a vegetarian. What's a good healthy diet for me?Vegetarian diet??
uh vegetables, fruits, beans, tofu you should do some research. Being a vegetarian is a lifestyle not a diet
Because you are not consuming meat your options for protein has been reduced. You can however increase your peas and beans intake. Soy carries a fair amount of protein, so tofu, vege chunks and linkets will substitute well. Remember that even though you are vegetarian you still need a balanced diet, so keep your green leafy veges to a maximum. Calcium intake is the other issue, I will assume you do not take dairy. Find a soy drink that has been enriched with calcium. Keep in mind that the two nutrients that vegetarians become deficient in are protein and calcium so be on the lookout for products that contain them.Vegetarian diet??
A healthy vegetarian diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. See these sites for more info:



Veg sources of protein, iron, and calcium:

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc鈥?/a>



Veg food groups:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f鈥?/a>



Veg menus:

http://www.vegcooking.com/veganMenus-1.a鈥?/a>
well practicly anything besides meat and all. if ur not drinking milk or eating dairy products then u need to take extra calcium. :]Vegetarian diet??
well come to the world of vegetarian thanks because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks:)

Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.



Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.



Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.



A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.



Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.



Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.



Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.



Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.



Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.



Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.



Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.



ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:

More %26amp; more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.



1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.



" Source: Seventh day Adventists study



2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.



3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A %26amp; C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.



4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.



5. LEES OBESITY %26amp; LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy %26amp; provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.
You can eat loads of vegetarian foods that have all th iron and protein you need.



here are some sites, to get you started



http://www.vegsoc.org/info/iron.html

http://www.vegetarianteen.com/

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/teennutriti鈥?/a>

http://www.healthycookingrecipes.com/veg鈥?/a>

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/3002-be鈥?/a>



http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
The internet is a wonderful place to get tons of recipes and information. The only problem with that is that the information might not be completely accurate but by checking several sources it should be easy to differentiate fact from fiction. Also there are many, many books available.
If you are new to vegetarianism, you may need to actually have a talk with a nutritionist (if you go to school or college, you may have access to someone with a degree in nutrition). At the very least, you'll need to do a good amount of research - ideally with books, not the internet, which we all know can be very misleading - but meanwhile, here are a few simple rules before you get swamped by a bunch of specific ones.



The bulk of a vegetarian diet is vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. If you're not a "pure" vegetarian (vegan) you can eat eggs and dairy, too. These are good sources of protein but even if you're not vegan you shouldn't overdo them - a little bit of dairy a day and a few eggs a week is best.



Tofu is great but don't overdo that, either - it shouldn't be your only source of protein. Processed fake meats (such as Morningstar brand) can be useful but it is unhealthy for them to comprise a large part of your diet. The best way to get protein is to combine a grain with a legume, such as:



- beans and rice

- chili with rice (or bulgar wheat, etc)

- whole wheat pasta with a bean dish or nuts

- whole wheat bread with peanut butter

- oatmeal with nuts (my favorite in the morning!)



Those are just a few examples to give you an idea - don't worry, there are LOTS of options! Try some new grains you may have never had before, such as quinoa, millet, and bulgar wheat, which are extremely healthful and delicious!



Mostly, just remember to eat a lot of vegetables, snack on fruit and nuts/seeds, and eat lots of healthy grains (oats, brown rice, etc). If you want to be a vegetarian who is both happy AND healthy, get yourself a few great veggie cookbooks that also give health tips. A classic is the Moosewood Cookbook, but there are many other wonderful books out there. Good luck!