Is Eating Your Greens Enough? (Health Issues for Vegetarian)

Name: leahslad

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Product:	Health Issues for Vegetarian
Date:	03/09/01 (137 review reads)
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Advantages: Doesnt necessitate the killing of animals, Can be healthier than meat eating diet

Disadvantages: You have to take all the flak from meat eaters, Some people with certain medical conditions may need to eat meat to live - but most of us dont!!!!!!!!!

I've been a vegetarian for over 16 years now and that means that since the age of 4 I haven't eaten any meat. To help tell you my story I have seperated this opinion into my personal story and what I went through with my family and also the bare facts about how to be safe - for those who are maybe the parent or a new vegetarian. I hope it helps.

MY STORY:

Before anyone has a go at my parents saying they forced me into it, they didnt. I was taken on a school trip to a slaughter house (which raises another ethical question at the age of 4!) and saw enough there to put me off meat forever. I was even able to sneak away from my group and accidentally stumbled into an area where pigs were being given electric shocks in order to numb their pain when their heads were sliced off.

When I refused to eat my meat my mothers first comments were 'you're not leaving the table until you have finished'. I stood my ground and 6 hours later they finally realised I wasnt going to budge (that and I fell asleep in my dinner!).

This occured twice more although the times I was made to wait did get shorter, before my mother finally caved in and just piled up more potato and greens on my plate.

I ate like this for about 2 weeks before my mother began getting worried. She may be an ogre sometimes but my mother was definitely caring and intelligent and she could see my paler complexion and was getting worried.

Her first reaction was to try and get me to eat meat again. She pressed as hard as she could but I wouldn't budge and making me sit at the table again only failed them. She got so worried she phoned the school who promptly informed her that I was a 'troublesome child' and 'refused to eat properly'. Looking back on this comment I am quite surprised, especially as I was reported as a 'hard working and highly intelligent child with the potential to be a high achiever in every sub
ject'. Still, you cant expect everything.

As a last resort my now extremely anxious mother went to the doctor and asked for me to be sent to a psychiatrist for councelling to get me out of this 'phase'. He refused but it was this crucial meeting that allowed me to become who I am today, and quite possibly saved my life.

The doctor told my mother all about vegetarians and how their number was growing, especially in students and that although I was a young case, I was highly intelligent even at that age to understand what went on. He gave her some numbers and some vague advice about what I should be eating. He made it plain to her that potatoes and greens wasnt enough, a vegetarian can eat safely but this is not a variety, you have to make up for the lost meat.

HOW TO BE A HEALTHY VEGGIE:

As you can tell from 'MY STORY', just eating more potatoes and greens at mealtimes isnt enough. You will need to take some care into what you eat and variety aswell. This is easier than it sounds and here are some ways to get round it aswell as some tips for dangers to look out for.

The first thing you need to be aware of is what a vegetarian is. A vegetarian is not a vegan and there is a simple difference. A vegetarian won't eat any animal but they will eat animal products (such as milk and eggs), a vegan simply wont eat anything from an animal. Vegans have a much harder time staying healthy and you will need to seek some very specialist advice on this one.

What you need to remember is that to stay healthy you need 'Fat, Carbohydrate, Sugar, Protein, Vitamins and Minerals'. Getting the first three wont really be a problem. Carbohydrates are in potatoes along with starch, sugar is in almost anything you care to mention (and you can always slip one in your tea) and fat - well we all know how much fat is around!.

Protein is perhaps one of the more important ones though. By cutting
meat out of your diet you will find that protein is missing. A lack of protein can cause 'Kwashiorkor', a disease that is rearely seen in the developed world. Perhaps what we see more often are 'Kidney Failure' and 'Osteoperosis' which are caused by eating too much protein. With this in mind it is important not to overcompensate for the loss of meat protein.

Most people will try to replace their protein levels by eating lots of eggs and cheese but this isnt necessary and can be dangerous. While it is essential that you eat cheese and eggs (almost), you should really try to get the extra protein from beans (yes baked beans from a tin do count here) and pulses (kidney beans etc..). Its a proven fact that one of the most protein rich meals you can have is baked beans on toast with a layer of marmite on the toast and cheese sprinkled on top - you cant beat it as two slices of toast and a full tin of beans will give you 100% of the protein you need for the day!

This doesnt mean you should just eat a plate of beans on toast each day though, things arent quite that easy. Beans are high in one type of protein but low in another, which is contained in rice. This means that if you have beans on toast in the morning and rice in your evening meal you will balance it out and be as healthy as possible.

There are actually seven different types of protein and you need them all in order to stay healthy but dont panic just yet. Doctors ahve shown that if you eat a variety of foods then your body will compensate for the lack of any one amino acid (protein) for up to seven days. Basically if you eat beans once a week, rice once a week, cereals once a week and nuts once a week you should be ok. Obviously you need them more than once a week but dont worry if you go a few days without eating any rice for instance. Rice everyday just gets boring anyway.

Vitamins are our next most important stop and are of high valu
e to vegetarians. You need to make sure you have the right vitamins in your diet or you may suffer some rather large side effects. These are true for meateaters aswell, so you can let them know and show off your knowledge.

Vitamin A is our first stop and is essentail for healthy skin and eyesight. If you dont get enough of it then you will soon find yourself with irritable eyes and you'll be very grumpy. Dont mistake this with being woken up too early though! You'll find it in foods such as oranges and green vegetables.

Vitamin B is the next one and is vital forproper digestion and making red blood cells. This is one where marmite comes into its own. There are 4 different types of Vitamin B and marmite has them all, so try spreading it on toast or in sandwiches or just about anywhere you can think of. If you dont like marmite then just try eating things like Bran (ie bran flakes), peanuts, Mushrooms, broad beans and green vegetables.

Vitamin C is the next stop and is vital to good health as it is essential for our immune system. Excessive coffee drinkers, smokers and people on the contraceptive pill need more of this than others and you wil find it in most fresh fruit and vegetbles. It is extremely high in things like broccoli and spinach although you will find high levels in foods such as cabbage, cauliflower and strawberries too.

Vitamin D is a weird one and you may well laugh when I tell you how you get it, but its essential to aid our absorbtion of calcium and phosphorous. In Britain it may be harder to get (joking) but all you need to do is make sure your hands and face are exposed to 20 minutes of daylight a day. Thats right, 20 minutes sunlight. Simple. For those who work nights, eating an egg gives you the same amount.

By eating a variety of the above you will also find you get most of the minerals you need although drinking milk is never a bad way of getting calcium, a glass a day keeps the
docotr away but 3 pints will leave you in hospital! Just be careful not to overdo it.

So theres the essentials. If you mix your foods and create dishes full of various ranges then you will find that you can live an even healthier diet than most meat-eaters. A vegetarian diet will usually contain less fat and protein and so will lead to less chance of obesity and kidney failure. Just remember to look after yourself and be careful about what you eat. I know enough from my years of experience that I dont have to think of it any more, I just vary what I eat from day to day and thats kept me healthy enough to pass my exams with straight A's and prove myself a good sportsman by running marathons. Maybe I had that success in me but nobody can say being a veggie has led me to underachieve and it wont make you underachieve either, if you do it right.

Below I have some sample ideas for great foods to eat in order to get your variety.

RECIPE IDEAS:

* Beans on Toast is one of the best recipes going. Simply plomp them from the tin into the pan and heat through for about 4 mins. Put them on 2 slices of toast (which you have already spread a thin layer of marmite over) and dump some grated cheese on top. Delcious, easy and highly nutritious, especially full of protein.

* Cereal. This may seem silly but cereal in the morning is a great way to get a lot of vitamins and minerals. Bran flakes and Shredded Wheat are best although even coco-pops have added vitamins and iron these days!

* Vegetable Stew. Put simply you boil as many varieties of vegetables that you can find and then when they are cooked, stick em all together and add gravy granules to the water until its as thick as you like it. Serve hot and enjoy the vitamins and minerals this highly nutritious meal provides. Two bowls and you've probably had your 5 portions of fruit and veg for the day too! Marvelous.

* Linda Mccartney Foods. These
are well loved by many vegetarians and are meat alternatives. You can get vegetarian sausages and pies and just about anything you ever wanted. Just look in the vegetarian section of your tesco freezer (or whichever supermarket you go to) and you will find a whole array of veggie delights to sample. They're all good for you and can act as a straight swap for meat in a meal where you add veg and potatoes to it. They are expensive (although cheap compared to meat!!!!) so watch out if you are a student on a tight budget!

* Cheese on Toast. The title says it all really.

These are some very simple ideas and just simple ways to spice up the most basic meals. I have written other opinions on vegetarian foods (such as gourmet Vegetarian menu's) which contain more complex recipes. IF you do want to try some more though, please consider buying one of the following two books. Although I have other cook books I have found these ones to be of most use and they also explain everything I have above in more detail.

*The Teenage Vegetarian Survival Guide by Anouchka Grose (retail at £3.50)
*The Student Veggie Cook Book by Carolyn Humphries (retail at £3.99).

Both are available in all good bookstores along with many other veggie books. Just remember that being veggie doesnt mean being ill, it just means changing your diet!

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