Okay, here is my issue...

I decided to become vegetarian not long after my sixteenth birthday. I hate to admit it, but my interest in the beginning was purely Beatles related. I had recently discovered the Beatles music, and upon finding that Paul McCartney is veggie, I was intrigued. In my defense, though, I did my homework and found out all the information and actually made the switch for animal rights and for health reasons, not because Paul made it cool. LOL. In spite of my parents' belief that vegetarianism was a phase I would quickly outgrow, I maintained that decision for nearly four years. I switched back to meat nearly a year ago when I got married, and I've regretted it ever since. The main reason I did go back to meat is because, since I was doing a lot of the cooking for my meat-eating husband, as well as working a full time job, making two seperate meals became tiresome. Also, and this may be too much info for some of you, but we were trying to get pregnant and I never had a regular period. I could go six to eight months and just never have a period. Needless to say, this made it difficult to get pregnant. I heard somewhere that lack of protein could cause your periods to be extremely irregular, so I switched back to meat to see if it helped. It has helped a little bit. I still have irregular periods, but there isn't nearly as much time between them. To make a long story short, I suppose the reason for this thread is to ask these questions: Does lack of protein actually affect your menstrual cycle; how easy is it to supplement protein (as a teenager, and the only vegetarian I knew, I don't think I did a very good job of this); and can you please wish me luck as I try to get back to being veggie? Thanks bunches.

Much love, Chel

 

Protein is a lot easier for vegetarians to get than people think... lots of things make up a complete protein; beans, rice, nuts.. if you just eat a lot of incomplete proteins you will make complete proteins... plus most if not all fake meat products have a lot of protein... Even in my nutrition class my teacher said that vegetarians don't really have to worry about getting enough protein, more they need to worry about vitamins and minerals. Plus most americans eat way more protein than is needed. So I suppose it may or may not be the problem with your periods. But you should research this stuff and see if the period-protein thing is even true!
And I of course wish you good luck in trying to get back to veggie & getting pregnant!

 

though i LOVE the beatles too and im a vegetarian i dont think you should do it unless you believe in it and dont do it to copy someone do it for yourself and animals..... it is more like a non-violent protest against hurting animals and making yourself happy then some fad! but if you really love yourself for what you are doing and its what you really want more power to you!!!

 

i completely agree with you

 

never had an issue with regular cycles and like others have said, getting protein is pretty simple for vegetarians. I'd suggest getting your thyroid checked as this is often what causes menstrual issues. Also what is your weight like. Many overweight people have irregular cycles due to excess hormones stored in the fat. this is also another reason not to eat meat since you have toxins and hormones that will affect your body. Also if you're the cook in your house you have the choice of what to cook in my opinion. Make a veggie meal and tell your husband if he wants meat then he can cook a steak up as a side.

 

I had extremely irregular periods myself (I'd go 8 months, 11 months, 3 months...I never knew when I'd get it). The only way I was able to become regular was by going on the pill, but since you're trying to have a baby, I guess that's not going to help you! haha.

Ok, since I can't help with that problem, I'll address the vegetarian/protein issue. I've actually discovered that since becoming vegetarian, I get more protein that I probably ever did when I ate meat. I calculated my daily protein intake the other day, and it was almost double of what a person needs in a day! haha. I'll tell you what I eat and maybe that'll help you a little.

For breakfast, I have a big bowl of Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk. That alone gives me about 35g of protein right there. For lunch, I'll have Ezekiel bread (completely organic, made from sprouted grains, no preservatives) with Naturally More peanut butter (less sugar than regular PB, and has added flaxseeds and flaxseed oil that offers omega-3's). That probably gives about 14g of protein. For snacks, I'll have fat-free plain yogurt (about 11g of protein) and almonds (about 6g in a serving). Just between my breakfast and lunch alone, I'm getting at least 60g of protein, and that doesn't even include dinner.

So yeah, anyone who gets on your case about not getting enough protein if you're a vegetarian can shove it, because that's proof right there that it doesn't have to be true. If anything, vegetarianism has made me more aware of what I put into my body and has made me really make sure I'm getting proper nutrients.

Just read labels, choose your foods wisely, and you'll be fine. You don't need to eat animal flesh for protein. There are so many good foods out there that offer amazing nutrients in healthy and loving ways