new to being a vegetarian.....hoping for suggestions?

i have thought and tried to become a vegetarian for some time now, and finally took the next step. I was just wondering if there is any protein vitamins or anything i need to take, or anything of that sort. thanks for the help

peace & love

 

Taking a multivitamin or two will never hurt. But it is especially important that you get your protein. Dairy products and things like eggs tend to have a lot of protein (I think?), but soy products especially have a high amount of higher-quality protein. Try tofu or soymilk.

I don't think that typical vegetarians have problems with vitamins though ... correct me if I am wrong. I'm vegan myself, and never made the step to vegetarian first, so I only know how to be vegan, and protein and vitamin B-12 are very important for me. =P

 

Ok! That's awesome! Vitamins? Meh....who needs em'?

Lol, nah...um, I just take an iron supplement everyday...that's not to say you need to....it depends on what ya eat....all I'd be worried about is making sure you get enough calcium and protien (dairy products....as said before...) and yur iron which you can get from supplements or stuff like spinach and beetroot....yutta yutta yutta annnnd vitamin b-12.....which I think you can also get along with yur iron supplement....not sure what foods you can get it from though.....

And yeah! I hope that I wasn't confusing, lol.

BTW, Hikaru, I love yur sig! That's a mad quote!

 

It is said that the older you start with sometimes like that, the more time your body will need to adjust. I was about your age when I became a vegetarian, I stop pretty radically with eating meat.. I had a lot of hair loss untill I started taking vitamine B's.. I'd suggest you take at least those to ease into it, since your body will have to get used to a different lifestyle. A vitamine complex will do as well and there are even special ones that are specifically for vegetarians.

I heard that vegetarians can get problems because they lack taurine intake? Does anyone have any info on that? It's only found in meat as far as I know, although you can buy it as a supplement as well (for example, they add extra taurine to cat-milk).

 

Thanks Agnes Fey! I have a slew of good quotes, but that one kind of stands out pretty nicely. =)

velvet: I haven't heard of having a problem due to lack of taurine, but ... what was that about hair loss? I'm currently (as you can see from my image in my signature) growing my hair out, and tying it back pretty often now, letting the front hang down to the sides. I've been noticing that a lot of my hair seems to have become "brittle," and it likes to break very easily whenever I comb through it (which is regularly), and the broken strands stick out in odd places. I wonder if there is a correllation between that and B-12 ... though I have seen many non-vegans with tied-back hair that have the same problem, and my grandmother (who is a cosmetologist/hairdresser and has many, many years of experience in that field) told me that it's normal to see that happen.

Any advice? More B-12, perhaps?

 

Ahhhhh... long haired guys!

Ok, this is maybe more about taking care of long hair than about veggieness.. but indeed, just hang in there with the B vitamins!

The problem with tied back hair is that the thing you tie your hair with (what is it called in english, elastic?) can hurt your hair if you tie it in the same place everytime.. also, forget about hairproducts.. if you want something extra for your hair, soak it in olive oil and leave it like that for a while before rinsing it out.. be prepared though that it takes a LOT of shampoo to get all the oil out! Further, cold water (think rain) is better than hot water when washing it, it closes the hairscale thingies and makes it shiny. Try not to brush it too often and never use a blowdryer or brush it while it's wet. My hair almost reaches to my butt now and it is still pretty thick and in fair condition. If you want something for the split ends, use a little coconut oil, you can buy it in shops where they sell afro-hair products. It smells wonderfully!

I found a website a while ago about this, especially directed at men.. I'll try to find it.. good luck in the meanwhile!

 

Ok.. this seems to be a messageboard for longhaired guys, to discuss their hair (how metrosexual.. teehee):

http://the-light.com/longhair/

Here is a website from a barber with info on hair/scalp problems, esp. for men:

http://debdenbarbers.co.uk/scalp_probs.htm

Hm... can't find the website I was talking about.. but this'll get you going.. good luck!

 

I've been vegan for a decade and really don't even focus much on any health considerations, and have felt fine; I don't think people need nearly the amount of protein the protein companies would have us believe

 

Hey, awesome, thanks! I'll give those a try.

Don't use a blowdryer? Why would that matter? Since I'm in a college dorm, I usually just stick my head under the hand dryer (haha, yeah, I know, don't comment on that ... I'm a typical college student!), and let the water drip off little by little. I don't see how that can be bad. And I don't especially notice a lot of hair being combed out afterwards; usually, just a few strands.

And I'll start using cold water, and probably even try that olive oil thing a few times. =) As for shampoo, all I use right now is this odd product called "the Master's Miracle," and all it has in it is calcium, potassium, magnesium, ash of dedecyl solution (foaming), water, and cold pressed avocado. And it works MUCH better than any shampoo I've ever used that had things with long, unpronouncable words in them. =P

 

Hey

The blowdryer is said to make your hair too dry and fragile.. think natural.. rain water, fresh air... Yeah ok, that's kinda hippy.. I don't do the cold water thingie.. but I heard that blowing your hair dry isn't too good, same as dying it.. ah well.. just experiment a bit, see what works for you.. all hair is different

And yeah.. that sounds very college-y.. hehe.. hm.. I don't even have a blowdryer now I think of it.. hehe

 

If you are becoming just a vegetarian, not a vegan, you probably don't need to worry about protein or other nutrients. Eggs and dairy will provide plenty. Just try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Green leafy stuff is great for iron. And like people have said a multivitamin is probably a good idea for everybody. Also, if you are interested in soy alternatives, there are a few that are very good (that's coming from an extremely picky eater too). I reccomend morning star farms Chik'n nuggets, and sun soy vanila soy milk. I've been a vegetarian for 3 years and I am not really health concious at all, but I haven't had any major problems. You should be fine. Good luck with sticking to your new dietary choices!


P.S. Using a blow dryer too much does tend to dry out your hair. It makes it frizzy and brittle.