Does anyone know this for certain?? (Eggs and fish)?

Because I'm a vegetarian, I'm finding it a bit difficult to get protien and iron into my diet, especially since I can't cook tofu (after numerous times I still can't do it) and I don't like other soy products.



However, I do still each eggs and white fish (and drink/eat dairy products).



How many eggs can you have without it being a health problem? I asked a doctor about having 2 a day and he said it was fine because I don't have cholesterol problems, yet when I ask others, they say only a few a week. Is it ok to eat 2 a day?



Also with fish, I was also told that you can only eat it a few times a week. Is it actually ok to have every day? Or at least every second day?



With fish, I would usually each Hoki, Baramundi or Blue Grenedere (can't spell the last two) which has either been steamed or grilled.



Any tips on increasing my protien and iron intake without supplements (which I will probably end up taking anyway).Does anyone know this for certain?? (Eggs and fish)?
Eggs are fine in moderation - you probably don't need to eat more than one a day, and yes, if you alternate egg days with fish days you should probably be just fine. Two a day is probably a bit of overkill unless you're a weight-lifter ;)



You can gain protein from non-meat sources quite easily (eg legumes). This doesn't need to be soy - you can also eat more: lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas, nuts etc and you should have no problem with protein (though you may get more gas) ;)

You can also get various types of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) from health food stores.



Iron is a different (and more difficult) problem. Most vegetable iron is non-chelated, and therefore not in a form that allows the body to absorb it. eg, most people will recommend that you eat spinach for your iron... but sadly the iron in spinach is actually almost inaccessable by the human body. You would have to eat many kilos of spinach to get the iron equivalent of a single, small piece of steak.





If you're able to stretch your vegetarian-boundaries to an occasional meal with lean red meat (or even chicken), you'd do your irons levels a world of good. Obviously this is only if you're doing it for reasons of taste, rather than religious or moral reasons.



If you are unwilling/unable to modify your vegetarianism, iron supplements will be the way to go.



If you are female (and especially if you are pregnant), you will really need to keep a close eye on your iron levels. I'd then suggest getting your haemoglobin levels checked and possibly chatting with a dietitian.Does anyone know this for certain?? (Eggs and fish)?
You might want to reconsider vegitarian status if you really dont want supplements cause the best thing you can do is eat meat
Vegetarians do not eat fish.. you are a pescatarian.

Fish are animals too..

You don't need any suppliments, just eat stuff like:

-nuts

-peanutbutter

-beans

-tofu

ect.

Goodluck!, and I hope you make the decision to be a full vegetarian or a vegan :)

%26lt;3Beccah Melecka
I actually had a health question like this in relation to eggs. Eggs are absolutly fine so long as you just eat the whites (whitch taste better) leaving out the yoke (yellow part). I hear you can only have 3 eggs a week with the yoke(becaus eof high cholestrol) . Its good that you are eating fish, aside from that you could allways just buy tofu pre-made. I personally ADORE silk milk WITH vinella extract (they even have chocolate silk milk. I'm addicted.) . Also a little looking around the net for vegitarian products/recipies would be a really good start.
You could replace some of your egg intake with an egg white substitute. I mix a regular egg with some substitute. Regular fish is fine as long as you don't eat too much of the fish which can have high mercury levels. Fish with high mecury levels(tend to be predators) include shark, tuna, swordfish, grouper, tile fish and mackerel.
I've eaten an average of 3 eggs a day for two weeks at a time before. The cholesterol in eggs is mostly HDL, meaning it strengthens your artery walls and is good (as opposed to LDL, which everyone worries about all the time). I had no problems with it; I expect you won't either.



I ate 25 eggs in an hour and a half one time, no lie. I was going for a record and people were filiming it, etc... point is, I didn't die. Worst that happened was my stomach hurt because I was stuffed, and spent a long time in the bathroom afterwards.



The advice about only eating fish a couple of times a week is due to the fact that fish can store mercury and other pollutants in their fat, or acquire parasites, in many bodies of water. If you catch you own wild fish on Lake Michigan (for example,) you shouldn't eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 3 days because you could get mercury poisoning. Really, though, it's a matter of where the fish you eat come from. Wild fish is healthier than farm-raised in almost every case, but the fish from the cleanest water will contain the least toxins. Also, smaller fish tend to have more flavor and have less likelihood of carrying parasites (if you do indeed catch your own).



Beans and rice also contain amino acids (building blocks of protein). The two together make a ';complete protein,'; meaning that neither of them contain all the amino acids, but together they fill in the gaps and contain all of them. Pistachios, almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadamias, and pretty much any kind of nut has good protein content (as well as healthy fats).



As for iron, lentils and spinach contain a ton. I also think that beans have a fair amount in them, but not as much as either of the other two.



Hope I helped!
For a start, you're not a vegetarian. Please know the difference between a vegetarian and a pescetarian.

Soy is not the only meat alternative out there.

Try gluten steak, apparently it's quite nice (there should be recipes easily obtained on the Internet).

Portobello mushrooms are known as the ';steak'; of the mushroom family and are packed with protein and good for you too. Try them in any dish you would normally use meat for.

If you like it, falafel is a great addition to meals as well.

Some commercially available replacements that I enjoy are Sanitariums ';Veggie Delights';, although they are a bit expensive.



Or you could try any of the following:

-Do you own research seeing as you have the Internet.

-Go to a bookstore. We don't live in the dark ages and most will have Mediterranean or vegetarian cookbooks.

-Substitute fish for beef or chicken. After all they are all meat.

-Learn how to cook the damn tofu.

-Try rice milk instead of soy milk (or almond milk).



As for the eggs, I wouldn't recomend more than one a day as they have high levels of cholesterol.

According to some studies done recently, white meat casues more cancer than red. I don't know whether it is true or not.
I eat very little meat as well, and my iron is in the normal level without trying. Have you been told that you're low in iron or are you just being cautious? From memory, the real issue for vegetarians is B12.



Try fake meats. I won't give you brand names because I'm not sure where you're from, but there are heaps of vegetarian bacons, sausages and patties that are very high in protein and the kind of nutrients that are typically in meat. Legumes of all kind are very good, as are nuts (except peanuts, and only in moderation), soy and dairy products. If you don't like soy, still try different brands because some don't taste too ';soy-y';. I really hate some types of soy but love others.



You don't need meat to be healthy!