Comments on: Im a beginner vegetarian,and I need some help. Could somebody just fill me in on a few things about being one?

By: Keyne R

Keyne R — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

Is soda pop an animal?

By: billyandgaby

billyandgaby — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

There are a lot of variables.

Vegetarians, by defenition do not eat meat. They do eat eggs, fish, milk and anything else that is not actual meat.

The rules are not set in stone. You can eat what you are comfortable with. Soda Pop is vegetarian as it contains no meat. If you are worried about your health, consider staying away form anything processed. There are lots of web sites with vegetarian info on them.

http://www.vegetarian.com

Good luck

By: LJ

LJ — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

no soda sorry… read those labels and learn what the ingredients are made of or where they are derived from. soda has animal product in it like most candies, processed foods, gelatins, ice creams….

here's some sites to get your started…

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/

http://www.goveg.com/

http://vegweb.com/

http://www.thevegetariansite.com/

http://www.vegsource.com/

http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

this is a small start to a big endeavor.

the whole thing about vegetarians who eat eggs, milk, dairy products is crap, they're not vegetarians so look into that also.

and yes dear soda is made from animals… you'd be surprised what has animal product in it. so read labels and get educated about things like additives, processed foods and some 'fake meats' some soy vegan products claim to be vegan but have dairy in them.

By: bajakid2001

bajakid2001 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

Congratulations on making a good health choice. For some information and vegetarian cookbooks I would go to your local Adventist Book Center (ABC). Most Seventh day Adventists are vegetarian. there you can get meat analogs (made from soy and some even taste like the real thing). My favorite is Stripples (Breakfast Strips is another name for them). They are just like bacon. I think if you click my name you can email me and I can send you 2 recipes that I really like.

Soda is okay to drink.

By: nvstreet

nvstreet — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

if you are no longer going to be eating meat, make sure you read up on what vitamins you might need to be taking as a substitute for those vitamins you'll be missing that only come in certain meats. if you stop eating meat and don't start taking vitamins, it could make you weak and ill.

By: badgers735

badgers735 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

Like someone else said, there are different types of vegetarian, but assuming you are a "standard" vegetarian, you won't eat meat, poultry or fish, but will eat dairy and eggs – thats what I'll base my answer on You should look for gelatin – a lot of food products contain that, and it is also called "gelling agent" (although if it says "gelling agent pectin" that is ok because it means that it is plant derived. Also, buttermilk is a dairy product that is sometimes made with gelatin – it usually will just say buttermilk, so you won't know if it contains gelatin or not – I just avoided it completely (I'm vegan now so I avoid it all anyway). Carmine and Cochineal is an ingredient made from crushed/boiled red beetles and is often in red drinks/food, it also has a number (I don't remember what it is, but you can look it up) that stands for the ingredient, but the number is different in the US and in England, so depending on where you are, you will find a different number. Shellac is also made from an insect, so you should avoid that, and it is also called glazing agent – it is found in a lot of medicines. That is all I can think of right now, although there are lots more. Hope this helps a bit, Good Luck!!

By: Sara M

Sara M — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

My friend gave me this list of not-so-obvious ingredients to look out for. This list comes from a Vegetarian Times article. It's not exhaustive, but it's a good guide.

Gelatin
* frosted mini wheats
* starburst
*skittles
*planters dry roasted peanuts
*lucky charms

Lard
* pillsbury pie crusts
* ortega refried beans
*bush's BBQ baked beans

Carmine (cochnieal extract or carminic acid – beetles)
* dole's peaches in strawberry all natural fruit gel
*yoplait thick and creamy lowfat strawberry yogurt
*tropicana orange strawberry banana juice
*wegman's fruit cocktail
*kikkoman sweet & sour sauce
*some applesauce, fruit drinks, puddings

Isinglass (protein from fish air bladders)
*guinness stout
*bass ale
*foster's lager
*boddingtons ale
*some sam adams

Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol (additive made from fish oils or oil from sheep wool)
*some milk and margarine
*florida naturals fortified orange juice
*america's choice milk
*horizon organic milk
*promise light margarine

Rennet
*denmark's finest dill havarti
*tine jarlsberg semi-soft part-skim cheese
*president fresh goat cheese
*francesco rinaldi's tomato, garlic and onion pasta sauce
*classico four cheese pizza sauce
*these are ok: horizon organic cheddar, boar's head colby, land o'lakes mozzarella, organic valley monterey jack and check out cheese.joyousliving.com/Default.aspx

Pepsin (a clotting agent from pigs' stomachs)
*used in some cheeses and vitamins

Stearic Acid (a fatty substance from pigs' stomachs, or from cows, sheep, or dogs and cats euthenized in animal shelters)
*used in some chocolate and vitamins

Cetyl Palmitate (waxy oil derived from sperm whales' heads or from dolphins)
* used in some margarines

Urea (comes from urine and other "bodily fluids")
*used for "browning" some baked goods, such as pretzels

By: kERI H

kERI H — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

"A" is very ignorant. No, you don't eat JUST vegetables.

You can have fruit, nuts, nut butters, soy foods (and they are delicious, although they sound nasty) such as edamamme, tempeh, tofu and seitan. Soy milk is delicious. While it does not tastelike cow's milk, the flavored ones DO taste like melted ice cream. Silk is the best brand.
And Galaxy foods "Veggi shreds" are the absolute most delicious cheese alternative…..and it actually does taste like lower-fat cheese.

Some veg's eat dairy and/or eggs,Vegans do not.

"Quorn" has alot of absolutely Delicious products (a bit expensive, though) that taste very much like meat, chicken, etc and "Amy's" and "Morningstar Farms" make yummy foods too.

If you want to know more, Buy the book "The Complete Idiot's guide to becoming Vegetarian"

It answers almost any question you have and gives tips, meal ideas and even has a product directory.

Be leary of soups…make sure they are made with vegetable stock or vegetable broth

And unless you are thirsty for pork flavored soda…I think that is save (but high in sugar)

And make sure you get enough B12

By: pink_vengeance

pink_vengeance — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

One thing that many people don't realize or understand is that there are different types of vegetarians. Each individual vegetarian has his or her own personal reasons for choosing their diet, and these reasons determine exactly what foods they eliminate. Although a few different reasons and motivations are described in the Why? section, below is just a brief definition of each type of vegetarian.

Total Vegetarians eat only plant food. They do not eat any animal foods, including fish, eggs, dairy products, and honey.

Vegans not only omit all animal products from their diets, but they also eliminate them from the rest of their life. Vegans use nothing from animals, such as leather, wool, and silk.

Lacto-Vegetarians will include dairy products into their diet of plant food. exsept eggs

Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians eat both eggs and dairy products.

Pesco-Vegetarians include fish into their diets.

Pollo-Vegetarians eat poultry, such as chicken, turkey, and duck.

By: al l

al l — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:44:17 +0000

The protein scare is the biggest misconception about vegetarian diets. There are quite a bit of misconceptions so here are some web sites I think will help. The first is a list of vegetables with protein and how much the second are calcium sources in raw veggies. The third is an article about B12. It is actually a microbe found in soil and is abundant in seaweed, tempeh, miso, and root veggies. The last one is a list of foods with iron and how much.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

http://health.rutgers.edu/factsheets/iron.htm

http://www.carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

Don't let people try to sway you and trust me they will but this is your decision and no there's. Any arguement that they come up with has been put to shame before so if you have any questions or need clarification feel free to ask them here.