Vegetarianism (Page 2 of 2)

Beans, whole grains, FRUITS, VEGETABLES, tofu, seitan, and excersize, and maybe vitamins. Make sure to eat a balanced diet , getting a relatively balanced intake of foods and nutrients is healthful.

lately i have been eating a good amount of homemade hummus (thanks to my father ) and it is delicious, as well as nutritious. I am a vegan for moral reasons, i simply love animals, and do not want to hurt them. The FACTORY FARM is one of the most evil devices imaginable, and is the main reason i abstain from dairy products as well (if you have never heard of or researched the factory farm,  i suggest you do some important research, google?). I very occasionally eat some shellfish and dairy, if it is a treat from someone. Neway, im glad she has decided to do this, more love for the animals!

by the way, google is quite useful for this type of info, including recipes 

also, FRESH foods are very nutritious and healthy. Not to say cooked food is neccesarily bad, but fresh foods are unadultered and contain full nutrition, some of which is lost in the cooking process (including pastuerization).

In general also, avoid processed foods. The idea that vegetarians and vegans are endangering their healths is a myth, what is almost always occuring is someone eating foods that do not nourish you in the first place, such as bleached and proccessed flours and sugars (white bread and high fructose corn syrup are common examples).

Also, i forgot to mention in the original list, drink PLENTY of fresh water, pure as you can possibly get or afford. I personally am supplied by my generous father with spring water, which is all i drink, besides occasional fruit juices. Buy natural spring water in bulk (make sure it is natural spring water, not all bottled water is actually from a natural fresh water source, some such as "dasani" brand and others are simply purified tap water being sold for a similar price), i believe a gallon size container is a little more than a dollar! If you cannot afford that, buy some sort of water purifier contraption, which i suppose is better than regualr tap water, which is unfortunately loaded with harmful chemicals such as chlorine, and (in most places) fluoride. Then again, tap water is still definately better than soda, which is simply carbonated tap water with high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors.

Hope my advice is appreciated!

And also, about balanced protein intake, i read that eating whole grains and beans will provide the body with a balanced protein intake, though i cannot verify this at the moment (seems to be working well for me ). Also google! try "vegan protein" . I just did and the first two websites are very useful! Here is a link to the first one http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/protein.htm .

My friend has been a vegan for some time now, perhaps 1.5 years.  He asked me to post because he feels he is lacking "something," feeling a bit low on energy from time to time.  We know some people hold views that multi-vitamins are bad for the body and so are wondering what he can take in terms of vitamins and supplements to make his diet whole from what he lacks by being a vegan?

Jedi, what exactly is your friend eating? Vegan diets can be unhealthy, and indeed they often are. Tell him to eat plenty of veggies - if he isn't already - rather than filling up on bread, cereal, etc. If he's eating lots of soy (eg. tofu, soy milk, many processed vegan foods) he may be suffering from hypothyroidism, as soy is known to inhibit thyroid hormone. That would explain the lack of energy.