Question for vegetarians, please?

So... I'm having a problem. I've stopped eating meat, because it makes me sick. I started meditation and spiritual study, and I now (for a reason I can't explain) have overwhelming guilt when I eat meat. It makes me physically ill to think that an animal was mistreated and suffered fear and pain so that I could eat it. I don't miss meat, but am having problems... My hairdresser just said my hair is breaking off and even asked if I had stopped eating meat.





Apparently, I'm not getting enough of something. Is it protein? If so, does tofu have protein? Where do you find it and how do you cook it? I don't see it at the grocery store. I've been trying to eat eggs (I feel fine eating those and buy free range) and eat peanut butter once a day.


Other than that, it's fruit, veggies, salad, pasta, and soup. I'm really clueless on what to eat to stay healthy. I went to Borders, but the selection of cookbooks was limited and the ones they had were really complicated recipes... I need some easy stuff for just every day.





Any cookbook or vegetarian book suggestions? Please help with tofu/protein issues. Many thanks.Question for vegetarians, please?
I know you didn't ask about this specifically, but I have some experience to share with you. I myself practice meditation for spiritual purposes. My parents practiced meditation before me, but one of the rules that we have to follow before learning how to meditate was to adopt a vegetarian diet. This is because a vegetarian diet is more pure and our karmic burden will not be as heavy; killing, whether directly or indirectly, is bad for our souls. Because you are practicing spiritually, it could be your soul/conscience telling you that you should not eat meat. Our essence is love.





You should get a vegetarian starter kit:


http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/





Yes, tofu has protein, and so does seitan, tempeh, and nuts, beans, and other legumes. The vegetarian starter kit will help you a lot so you know what to eat and get ideas for recipes! =)





And check out my answer to a similar question about getting enough nutrients, etc: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…





By the way, here is some information about eggs; they are not always cruelty free, the majority of the time: www.humanemyth.org





EDIT:


It may not be a good idea to consume eggs, other than the treatment of the hens. According to what I have learned, eggs have a very negative aura about them, and it is not reccomended for us to eat them.


';It also involves of half-killing, even though it's infertile. And also it has kind of quality to have a tendency to attract negative power. That's why many people of the black and white magicians field, or many voodoo people - so-called voodoo - they use eggs to draw some of the entities from possessed persons.';-Master Ching HaiQuestion for vegetarians, please?
Hi there,


Try this link:


http://www.ivcooking.com/


Indian cooking is wholesome and will take care of your protein deficiency. Also try having soy milk, yogurt and beans





You'll be fine.
I had the same problem. You need to eat lots of nuts. Maybe as a snack or in a protein bar. You should also take vitamins every morning. It's very important to get your protein.
If your hair is suffering you may be missing out on zinc - very important for skin, hair and nails. You can find it in broccoli and fruits.





Protein is a likely culprit, you could consider upping your intake of nuts and seeds - these are a good source of protein and also contain vital oils.





Finally, iron is extremely important for vegetarians, especially women. Make sure you get lots, leafy green veggies are good for iron, like spinach and kale. Hope this helps!
I'm pretty sure tofu has protein. You should also try eating protein bars. Try Balance Bar or Zone. They have 14-15 grams per serving. Which if I'm not mistaking, is about 1/4 of your daily requirement. You could also try buying Morning Star products. It's fake, meatless ';chik'n'; that's made out of organic soy.


I have recently become a vegetarian, too. My hair is breaking off, and I'm not sure if it's because of my not eating meat. It was already pretty damaged. I straighten it everyday and get it permed.


I suggest you keep up with your iron level, by eating foods such as spinach, nuts and greens (If your iron level becomes low, your circulation becomes poor during cold weather and your fingers and toes can freeze.). Sorry I can't give you a big list. My doctor told me that I need to look up how to live a healthy vegetarian lifestyle, unless it won't be safe anymore.


I don't know about the recipe part. I'm sorry.


But I do wish you luck![[:





P.S. Check out this article on iron. I would check out the whole website. It's the Morning Star products I was telling you about.[[:


http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/veg…
well...you can eat any morning star products, or boca...morning star is veggie patties and stuff...boca is soy..
This website should help you out!





http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan…








By the way, the animals eggs come from are still mistreated.
I have a feeling that it's not because you don't have enough protein.


Meat-eaters actually get somewhere around 10 times as much protein than you really need, so you're good. (Sorry, forgot the link to the news article on that. You'll just have to trust me on it.) If you're still worried, eat more dairy/tofu/nuts but I think you're fine.


Tofu, eggs, cheese, nuts, and many more foods have protein.





I think the reason behind your hair issue is because of the stress you have mentioned earlier about thinking of the mistreated animals and such. The guilt is usually normal. It'll feel big for a while, but it'll go down and down when you finally realize you can't stop this mistreatment and just have to let it be.


From what you say, it sounds like this guilt is building up a lot of stress. And what does stress cause? Headaches. Hair Loss. Lots more stuff.


I'm not a doctor on how to treat it, but I would suggest that if it doesn't stop, see some kind of dietrician, or doctor.





As for cookbook suggestions, search up ';Top 10 vegetarian cookbooks'; on google, you'll get lots of great books.





Good luck! =]
Hi, I've been vegetarian since the beginning. Do you eat wheat bread? Don't eat white and have organic peanut butter. WHy? Because it's healthier and is less ';meaty.'; Have you tried indian food before? Go onto Yellowpages.com or something (because I don't know where you live) and look up ';Indian Resturants'; and stuff like that. They will give you a variety of different foods to get used to and you can go from there. I'm sure you have a Walmart nearby. Try buying Whey Protien. They taste good to me, but my older brother doesn't like it. It comes in different flavors and gives you ALOT of energy. If you work out, it'll help you with that and it shows many different kinds of helpful effects. Have more carrots for your eyes, before they become weak and get some Johnson Baby Oil and rub it on your scalp. Keep it on for the night and the next morning, wash your hair and it'll make it healthier, silkier and less hair loss. Better than Baby oil is Coconut Oil. I suggest to go to indian stores and/or resturants and see what they suggest, as well.


I hope I've helped you! You've made a very good choice! Nice job!


Don't forget to choose your best answer!!





~Amanda~


Age 13
Well even if you are a vegetarian you need to have protein. You need to fill that space that is used to meat. What I mean is, don't just eat what you usually eat minus the meat. You need to add something. Also you can buy a vegetarian cookbook at a lot of stores. Walmart might have one, but try a book store first, like Barnes and Noble or Walden Books. I have like three friends that are vegetariens and that's what they told me. Hope this helps.
I've been a vegetarian for 2 1/2 years now, and I'm becoming weak and tired. I get along fine through the day, but my mom put me on these iron pills. I'm 12 and I take them every other day.





http://www.naturemade.com/ProductDatabase/prd_prod.asp?tab=Products%26amp;section=2%26amp;productid=55


(the bottle of pills is in the box btw)
Brittle hair can be a symptom of many things, the only one which is diet related would be an iron deficiency. This would only be a possibility if you had changed your diet many months ago, as it takes quite some time for iron stores to become depleted.





Iron is found in beans, peas, whole grains, spinach, tofu and dried fruit. (Consume it with a source of vitamin C to improve absorption.)
If your the kind of person who doesn't like to cook, there are amy's products which are vegetarian.Some of there food really isn't good but I personally like their pizzas and their soups. For protein, you could eat eggs, beans, tofu, nuts, and certain grains are good sources. If you have extra time, one night you could make vegetable soup with your favorite veggies and that would last you 2-3 dinners and take you an hour to make or less.
The best book I've seen is ';Becoming Vegetarian.'; Very straightforward and informative. Websites are good, but it's useful to have a physical reference handy.





The same authors wrote ';Becoming Vegan.'; Find both books on Amazon.
there are many things to eat i am not sure but i feel like you. I can't stand the people around me eating meat. i am only 12. i am a boy. but i can't stop them or the slautorhouses
That was my situation also. I was semi-practicing Buddhism around 16-18, and at 17 I just became utterly overwhelmed with guilt one day. Out of no where. So from that day forward I just never ate meat again.