Vegan or Vegetarian?
Okay so for Lent I gave up meat. I don’t know when Easter but so far I haven’t eaten any meat. I want to completely eliminated meat intake from my diet. I’m 17 years old. I guess i’m still a growing girl. Anyhow is there such thing as a vegan vegetarian. I eat cheese and i eat fish. What can I eat to substitute for all the meat I plan to not eat for the rest of my life? Furthermore, am I too young to become a vegan or vegetarian? I DON’T LIKE SOY at all so what can i eat substitute for other nutrients I am loose from distancing myself from meat. Can I eat white bread or wheat bread? My ideal diet is eating beans, rice, broccoli, fried bananas or plaintains, nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc), and eating other foods. Will my bones become brittle? Am I at risk of osteoporosis (however you spell it)? I heard osteoporosis is a disease that effects people of European & Asian descent. I’m not mixed with either.
Anyhow is there such thing as a vegan vegetarian?
Not exactly. A vegan is a vegetarian whose diet is the strictest of all forms of vegetarianism. Veganism is also a lifestyle whereas vegetarianism is a diet.
Neither vegans nor vegetarians eat fish however. Neither eat any animal flesh.
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you can eat what ever you want besides meat if you are a vegetarian.. veganism however is completely different.. i am 14 and i am a vegetarian so all i can say is your never to young lol! try this site it helped me get on the right path when starting my new life style/diet
There is no age limit to being/becoming a vegetarian. I was a complete vegetarian (not vegan, my family and I still ate eggs, meat, cheese, and honey), until I was 15 and my family decided to add poultry and fish to our diet. That being said, as a vegetarian, you do have to be more in tune with your nutritional intake. Even more so as if you decide to go vegan.
Sources of protein and B vitamins will be the biggest challenge to your new vegetarian-ness, so beans, nuts, eggs, and dairy products like yogurt and cheese will become your go-to protein sources. I would also suggest getting a B vitamin shot from your doctor just to make sure that you are getting those very important nutrients. (Note that the B vitamins and calcium are particularly important for women in child-bearing years.)
Commercial white and wheat breads should be fine, once again, if your don’t go vegan. But be careful of the lure of the carbs as it is way to easy to fill up your newly-veg-head diet with pasta, breads, and rice and loose site of getting the protein your body so desperately needs while you are growing.
Check out this link to compare and contrast vegetarian and vegan food pyramids:
http://www.vegsource.com/nutrition/pyramid.htm
I would probably stear clear of vegan-ism until you have stopped growing and have a few years of practice balancing a vegetarian diet successfully under you belt.
I am not a vegan or vegetarian myself, and never will be, however, I’ve known a few “vegetarians” that only eat fish (along with beans, nuts, etc).
Though strictly speaking, vegetarians don’t eat any flesh those that I have known who eat fish say they do it for health reasons. At least one person I knew has said they tried to go 100% off meat, but didn’t feel healthy after going 100% meat free.
Also, if you go strictly vegan you’d need to be aware of what your fried bananas were fried in. As a vegan, animal fat would not be acceptable (and wouldn’t be acceptable to many vegetarians either).
Q1: is there such thing as a vegan vegetarian?
A: A vegan is a strict vegetarian, that is a vegetarian who have chosen not only to avoid meat and fish, but also all other animal products, such as milk and eggs, and who also avoids buying non-food animal products such as wool. (If you eat fish you are not a vegetarian.)
Q2: What can I eat to substitute for all the meat I plan to not eat for the rest of my life?
A: Eat beans, lentils, nuts and seeds (incl. bread) and make sure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables, especially dark green ones such as spinach and broccoli. If you are planning on eating dairy products they also contain protein, but contain a lot of “bad” fat compared to non-animal sources of protein.
Q 3: am I too young to become a vegan or vegetarian?
A: I don’t think so. Assuming you have thought through your reasons for changing your diet, and are prepared to read up on vegetarian/vegan nutrition and how to have a balanced diet, I think you will be fine. The main thing to look out for is that you don’t end up eating just carbohydrates and fat! (Pasta and cheese sauce, chips and gravy and that kind of thing.)
Q 4: I DON’T LIKE SOY at all so what can i eat substitute for other nutrients I am loose from distancing myself from meat. Can I eat white bread or wheat bread?
A: It’s not essential to eat soy. Soy beans are popular in vegetarian foods partly because they contain all the essential amino acids we need, but other beans, seeds and vegetables contain some amino acids, so provided you mix different types of food and eat a varied diet you will be fine.
Bread is fine, just look at the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t contain animal fats (and if you are planning on going vegan, look out for eggs, milk and whey).
Q 5: Will my bones become brittle? Am I at risk of osteoporosis?
A: Not more than your average meat eater – and possibly less, if you stop drinking milk. Studies suggest eating animal protein can actually increase the risk of Osteoporosis, because it contains a lot of acid, which is bad for your bones.
I hope that helps – and best of luck!
I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian, but I basically follow the ideal diet that you have described in your question. It sounds to me like you are trying to find the best diet to maintain the health of your body naturally. For me, that has been the alkaline diet. I became familiar with this diet during my quest to reverse my osteoporosis, and it’s working! To get all the details, you can check out my website: OsteoDiet.com.