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| Fri, 11-18-2005 - 11:48pm |
Hi Everyone!
I haven't been to the board in a while. I'm working a lot now, and things have just gotten really hectic around here. Anyway, for those who don't remember me my name is Kristen. I'm 27, and I have 3 kids. I recently became a vegetarian because of some health problems. I wish I could say that everything is going good but it's not. The main problem I'm having is instead of eating meat, I'm just loading up on other stuff such as extra dairy, carbs, etc. I'm still drinking tons of diet soda everyday, and I'm just not feeling good. I had to go see a specialist today to discuss whether or not I needed an operation (luckily I don't), and ironically enough his main suggestion to me was to insist that I become a vegetarian and stop eating meat. I informed him that I already did that 2 months ago, but that I'm not feeling any better. He asked me what I was eating and I confessed that I'm eating a lot of cheese, bread, pasta, basically instead of eating the healthy high fiber foods that my doc wanted me to eat, I'm just loading up on junk. I'm also not drinking water like I'm supposed to. Not to mention that I'm completely stressed out, and I'm very busy with work and the kids which doesn't help my eating habits. I'm exhausted all the time, and I get constant migraine headaches which I know is diet related. I know I need to start drinking water, and I promised my fiance today (he was at my appointment with me) that I would drink my water, but I know I need to change my diet too. Anyway, I need to know how to start taking some of the dairy and pasta away without going into withdrawals...LOL! I love cheese, and I love bread so I know it's not going to be easy. I don't want to go completely carb free because a little bit of bread and pasta isn't going to hurt me, but I need to start eating more vegetables and high fiber foods in order to help with my medical problems. I guess I'm just back for some support and encouragement. I also forgot to mention that I'm the only vegetarian in my house, so that makes it even harder to find healthy food instead of fast, frozen food that isn't very healthy. Anyway, I really need to do this! My doctor told me this is the only way I'm going to get better so I need to start taking better care of myself.


Hi Kristen,
It sure is hard to make the transition to "healthy " vegetarian eating....and it also a big challenge when you have a family and they are not eating the same way that you are.
BF and I just realized the same thing.....that we have been eating way too much cheese, pasta, bread, rice and potatoes and very little vegetables and fruits.
We have talked about it and decided that we will try to eat more raw foods.
This is our plan....I don't know if you want to try this too but I thought I'd share and see if you like this idea. We plan on starting this Tuesday next week. ( i do my grocery shopping on Monday)
Breakfast and morning snacks: Coffee and Fresh fruits only
Can't give up the one cup of good coffee in morning just yet.
Lunch and afternoon snacks:
Large fresh vegetable salad using lots of different types of vegetables and interesting dressings.
We both work and take our lunches to work so I need to find us containers that won't leak the dressing!LOL!
Dinner:
Start with a special "Green Lemonade" that we make in our new juicer...it has celery, apples, romaine, kale, lemon and ginger...we'll drink this while dinner is getting prepared.
This is where we will still be eating some cooked foods like baked potatoes and yams, brown rice and certain types of noodles (BF may have Celiac's so we're staying away from gluten too!) along with another salad or some lightly steamed vegetables or soup.
Dessert and treats:
70% dark chocolate...this stuff is really good once you get used to it... a small hunk is very satisfying :)
Holidays and Special Occasions:
These only happen once in a while and we'll just eat what we feel like having and not stress out about it.
I hope this works...I'm sure that it will be much healthier that the way we have been eating and we've been vegetarians for a few years!!
No more fake meat and tons of cheese!! it's too expensive anyways.
I'll be on the lookout for fresh fruits and veggies that are in season to keep within the budget.
Let me know what you think.
Nathalie
hey there, congrats on going vegetarian!
one of the things that i did to help stop myself from filling up on junk and/or over processed prepared junk foods is to simply not have it in the house at all. same thing with cheese and other dairy products.
if you have control over the grocery list, perhaps you can find quick meal alternatives when you shop. i buy frozen veggies by the bag full, they're usually on sale and they keep well (obvisouly LOL). they're easy to prepare in any dish, and they cook faster than any meat product out there ;)
next time you make a pasta dish try going lighter on the pasta, and heavy on the veggies, just throw the frozen ones into the water with the pasta. its one pot cooking ;). instead of using cream sauces, try pesto and garlic sauces. they're light, easy and healthy for you.
also make sure you always have some sort of sweet fruit on hand for those candy cravings ;)
and last but not least, you should meet with a nutritionist to help speacalize your vegetarian diet so you can make sure that you are getting all of the nutrients you need to be healthy and happy. make sure you're getting enough iron, protein, calcium, potassium etc...
as for drinking the water, well...tahts going to take sheer will power LOL. exersizing regularly will also help you feel better. even if its just walking down the street and back (with yur dog, three kids, neighbours kids, you get the idea). when you feel physically empowered, you will be more likely to want to eat and drink whats healthy foryou too.
good luck and i hope you start feeling better!
Im sorry your feeling so yucky!
Hugs to you, Kristen!
Changing your diet can be hard. I was always uncomfortable with the concept of meat- even as a toddler I ate the veggies with no trouble and had a fight with the meat. I went vegetarian when I went to college (today happens to be my 27th birthday, btw) where it was easy because the dining centers were great, but when I had to come home (health issues) it was hard to get things settled. And when I was diagnised with a condition where my body thinks something in wheat is dangerous and somehow ends up attacking my colon when I eat it... Giving up wheat, barley, and rye was hard, too.
My advice? Take it one week at a time. One day at a time. Decide that this week you will eat one more serving of vegetables/fruits a day. Just one. Nothing else. You can worry about the dairy and so on next week. Then each day just figure out how you will fit in that one change. Can you add some frozen veggies to a recipe? Have frozen stir fry veggies on rice for supper (the Moosewood cookbooks have some great sauces- one cheese and one with soy sauce, ginger, and such, that we love on vegetables)
One way I keep thack is using the USDA's www.mypyramid.com, which lets you put in what you ate and computes how you did, gives you a rundown on what food groups you got enough of and what you didn't (and again, you can just try to worry about one of the factors at a time!) and gives you a nutritional breakdown. When I get most of my protien from dairy I'll get a sad face in the "meat and beans" group, but the next page will estimate how many grams of protien I got (calculate 0.4 grams per pound of weight) so I know how I really did! And I have a baseline of how I was doing at the start, so it gives me a view of where I am and how far I've come. That helps.
And feel free to come with any questions or vents you want. Most of us don't live with other vegetarians and we all can use help with nutrition.
Meanwhile, good luck and take care!
People saying you look healthy doesn't men your symptoms aren't valid. Just because some physician didn't listen doesn't mean it's all in your head. Just because there is no definitive test yet doesn't mean the disease doesn't exist. You know you body- trust yourself!
Happy Birthday Jaseann :o)
Listen sweetie, being a vegatarian does not mean you eat pasta's and carbs and dairy all the time. It means you eat vegetables and fruits. The carbs and dairy are accessories. A little bit goes a long way too. Also you should cut the soda down to 1 a day or 1 a week( what a nice treat). I say that but I am not a soda drinker, lol. I drink mostly water durig the day, and 1 cup of coffee in the morning. You might find water tasteless. I would add a slice or two of cucumber, lemon or orange to make it easier on your palet.
I would also encourage your adorable childeren to help in preparing dinner. Make meal time fun. It is important not a burden. We need food, and we need to respect food.
My goodness you sound like you are slammed w/ responsibility. Maybe you and your husband could alternate days cooking to give you some free time?
It is a hard move to become a vegetarian too. Maybe start small and work your way into it by eating 3 meals aweek veggy and 2 non-veg.
Good luck
Let me know if you need recipes or suggestions.
jeannie-marie