Vegetarian , cravinngg everything bad.

[Nickv0195]

So i'm only 14 but since i was 10 i've never been a big meat eater and never really ate unhelthy food , i've always liked fruit and pretty much every healthy thing. So i just recently became a vegetarian becuase i couldn't eat something know that it was tortured just for me to enjoy, so i started the last day of June, and since then i've been craving every unhealthy thing in my house , which i heard a lot of vegetarians gain weight after thehy stop eating meat which is something i don't want to happen . So i know a lot of you guys are vegetarians so i was just wondering if you know any healthy things to eat that are filling and obviously with no meat in it that i can eat ?

 

[cindyv3737]

I will eat more filling meals to help squash the cravings. Beans are my go to filling food. A small black bean salad (black beans, chopped tomato, chopped avocado, diced red onion, fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt) will always fill me up.

Cravings take about a month or two to go away. It just takes time.

 

[Luci]

i love pastas but that isnt always a "snack".

a few snacks that i eat are:
*obviously fruits and veggies
*crackers- i recently bought Special K "tomato and herb crackers" cuz i crave that marinara taste a lot
*popcorn and salsa (hey, im still on my college student budget, i buy cheap/easy things)
*my favorite: pita bread and hummus! i swear, thats a meal for me

somehow i thought you were asking for snack ideas but i just re-read your post and see that youre just asking in general. since you just became a vegetarian, i suggest you speak with your doctor or a nutritionist. most of the time vegetarians crave certain foods because we're lacking a specific vitamin from our meals. make sure you eat 3 meals a day with smaller snacks in between. you crave unhealthy things cuz you want that "hunger" feeling to go away. i still experience it every now and then but once i make something, im fine.

go to a bookstore near you and browse vegetarian cookbooks. are you parents supportive of your decision? i ask this because i assume theyre doing the majority of the grocery shopping and some foods arent always cheap. i say this cuz i hate spending $4 on hummus that only lasts me 2 sittings (i eat a lot of it), but its the one thing ive allowed myself to splurge on.

i really suggest seeing a nutritionist. you cant just feed your body for the hunger to subside. like you said, thats why vegetarians often gain weight.

 

[Luci]

I will eat more filling meals to help squash the cravings. Beans are my go to filling food. A small black bean salad (black beans, chopped tomato, chopped avocado, diced red onion, fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt) will always fill me up.

Cravings take about a month or two to go away. It just takes time.

you just made me hungry for beans....omg i love black beans. with roasted corn. and peppers. and avocado.

see...cravings lol

 

[cindyv3737]

you just made me hungry for beans....omg i love black beans. with roasted corn. and peppers. and avocado.

see...cravings lol

OMG that sounds so good. I think I will be making that later on.

Nick I agree with Luci. See a nutritionist, take a look at books. LAY OFF THE DAIRY! Dairy is the reason most vegetarians gain weight. Cheese is filling and good. Not to mention fattening.

 

[Jeanette]

What you have to ask yourself is "What am I really craving?"

I was a vegetarian for a while and I loved it. I developed some medical complications and had to start eating meat again.

Basically, when I was craving meat, I was actually craving salt. I know that it sounds weird, but my body wasn't getting enough. I started eating different kinds of sauces, chick peas with soya sauce and spices that was baked for a half hour was my favourite!! I would make sure that you are eating a wide variety and having enough intake of what your body needs. When I would really be craving meat, I would make myself some latkas and I would be in heaven...
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Latkes-104406

Are you a lacto-ovo vegetarian? I found that easiest to transition to.

 

[danakscully64]

which i heard a lot of vegetarians gain weight after thehy stop eating meat which is something i don't want to happen . So i know a lot of you guys are vegetarians so i was just wondering if you know any healthy things to eat that are filling and obviously with no meat in it that i can eat ?

Honestly, it's typically the opposite. Unless you live on processed carbs and eat bad, then you'll either lose or stay at your weight (if it's healthy). The others have given good advice, but I also wanted to recommend Veggieboards (.com) to you. I've been a vegetarian for almost 6 years and that site helped me stay on track at the beginning.

I LOVE to cook and use Food.com, Allrecipes.com, theppk.com, and cookbooks like Veganomicon (all Isa books), and The Joy of Vegan Baking. It's never too soon to learn how to cook.

Breakfast: Kashi cereal, oatmeal, whole grain bagel, hash browns with soy crumbles and ketchup (my favorite meal), pancakes, waffles

Lunch/Dinner:
-Canned/Homemade Soup
-Mock Tuna (drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then mash them well and add Vegenaise/mayo, S&P, relish, and a little bit of mustard)
-Taco Salad (salad with soy crumbles, tomatoes, guacamole, beans, chips)
-Eggplant parmesan
-Eggplant Lasagna
-Vegetable Lasagna
-Portobello Mushroom Burgers (broil/grill mushroom caps)
-Lentil Loaf (my favorite dinner ever, had it tonight)
-Vegetable Stew
-Amy's Kitchen frozen meals are AWESOME, especially the Black Bean Tamale Verde, Veggie Loaf, and Baked Ziti

Snacks:
-Nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts)
-Chips and Salsa (Tostitos Multi-Grain are SO good and my fav salsa is Mango Peach)
-Pita Chips with hummus (I like Sabra Pine Nut)
-Raw veggies with vegan ranch (I can give you a recipe)
-Peach, Banana, Apple, Orange, Berries,
-Baked Potato with A1 or margarine
-Fruit smoothie (frozen fruit, banana, soy milk or real juice, and ice)

I try to avoid things like crackers because they usually have enriched flour, corn syrup, and numerous ingredients I can't pronounce. I never feel satisfied after I eat them.

To name a few. I can give you as many recipes as you need

 

[caiti]

I am not a vegetarian and most likely never will be (no willpower for one) but one thing I love to make that's actually one of the rare healthy things I eat is pasta salad. It's wicked satisfying. I usually use that tri-colored rotini but rotini is key. Penne might work too. I chop up some green and red peppers, brocolli stalks (I hate the floret parts), calliflower, carrots, peas, maybe some corn, I hadn't thought of corn until now. I very lightly coat italian dressing on it all, I hate when people put too much all I can taste is the dressing. It's awesome...

...I am very very hungry right now.

 

[AZChins]

I want your recipe for vegan ranch! Also, your Lentil loaf...what do you put in it? I have about 10 lbs of lentils to use up and I may as well make something good out of it.

 

[Riven]

I'm not a vegetarian either. If we aren't supposed to eat animals why are they made out of meat? Anyway, not all animals are tortured, you need to stay off sites that begin with P and end with A....

But I do want to reiterate that cravings are usually caused by lack of something in your diet. You need to learn to properly balance your vegan desires with your body's needs. Adding a basic multi-vitamin will probably help too, but it's best to get as many of the nutrients from your food.

 

[danakscully64]

I'm not a vegetarian either. If we aren't supposed to eat animals why are they made out of meat? Anyway, not all animals are tortured, you need to stay off sites that begin with P and end with A....

You're made out of meat too *licks lips* I'm not going to get into the debate, but there's a lot about the industry people don't know about. A lot. Debeaking, castration, being boiled alive, things like that are very common. There are also health and environmental reasons to make the switch. Food Inc and Fast Food Nation are great movies.

 

[danakscully64]

I want your recipe for vegan ranch! Also, your Lentil loaf...what do you put in it? I have about 10 lbs of lentils to use up and I may as well make something good out of it.

I use this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/best-vegan-ranch-dressing-132916 (plus some dill, sometimes even BBQ sauce. I love BBQ ranch)


This is the Lentil Loaf recipe I use: http://www.food.com/recipe/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really-33921


I always use these modifications: Add celery and saute it with onion before adding it to the mixture, no salt added to the lentils, instead of all tomato/spaghetti sauce, I use half BBQ sauce, and instead of egg (I don't buy them), I use Ener-G egg replacer. Lentils are so yummy.