And adding to this, it's best to just have a slice of pizza with a side salad. It's hard to have the right amount of veggies stay atop of a slice of pizza without toppling over!

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Other things I love are the jumbo veggie dogs, on whole wheat buns or just bread, but I like to put fun ingredients on it like sauerkraut and olives.... mmmm and of course mustard. These are good snacks, although you may want to add a bit of veg on the side.

Another favourite is veggie Phad Thai, kinda the same as the veggie shelpherd's pie, but I like a lot of well cooked and flavoured tofu (I like to use the firm kind with seaweed) as well as ground round. Add whatever veg you want and serve with the sauce that you like best (peanut, plum, spicy), but (unless you have nut allergies) you have to put a sprinkle of nuts on the top as a garnish.

Being vegetarian is really easy as long as you try to eat a variety of foods. Eat complex carbs, fruit in the morning and whenever you crave sugar, veg all day long and moderate amounts of protein. Unlike what a lot people will tell you, most people eat WAY too much protein, more than the body can possibly use. Protein inhibits the absorption of key minerals, like calcium. This is why milk is a useless source of calcium.

You will find that a lot of people that "went vegetarian" did so in college and did so for many reasons including the fact that it was cheap.
They suddenly found that they started to feel really shitty, because A: Kraft Dinner is not food and B: Pasta and Pasta sauce with no veg is not well-balanced food. Mix that with massive amounts of stress and alcohol and no wonder their bodies revolted.

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Really? My family Doctor, child nutrition books and the got milk campaign claim otherwise?

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Whoever said money doesn't buy happiness never purchased enough shoes.

The got milk campaigns are sponsored by the dairy industry! And the dairy industry has a big part in what ends up in child nutrition books as well as even teaching doctors. (And doctors don't learn much about nutrition usually).

I eat dairy (I am dating a Swiss man - how could it possibly work out if I didn't eat cheese and chocolate on occasion ) but I don't fool myself into thinking that cow's milk is in any way a food group for humans.

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This is totally OT and probably not related to being veggie, but I just found out I'm vitamin D deficient.

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Most Wanted: TR Green Rainbows! 26/27

Yes, this and also the fact that these industries are heavily funded by your government (and your tax dollars) and it would be political suicide for any politician to not support these industries. Anyway, my point is not to bash milk, it is more to make people aware that they should look for other sources of calcium.

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How much sun do you get daily? It is recommended to have half an hour of sun every day. People who have more pigment in their skin are more prone to have vitamin D deficiencies (according to the recent studies I have read). Vitamin D is very important to fight cancer and obviously maintaining healthy bones. You will get this mostly from fortified foods, however a suppliment is definitely advised.

I am not sure what is available in America, but Jamieson vitamins are pretty much the only Vitamin company that do not source any of their ingredients from China. This is why they are my supplement company of choice.

ETA: Jessani, this topic is very important to vegetarians too, because the highest sources of Vitamin D are in fish.

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i think it is related, as i am D deficient as well. i take a suppliment daily now

brody, i'm definitly going to check out that company you recommend, i'm in need of a new multivitamin. if i can't get them here, you wanna send me some!?

^Probably not a half hour now that I'm at work 10-12 hours/day.

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Most Wanted: TR Green Rainbows! 26/27

You just converted me to Jamieson!

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Yeah totally, I would be happy to. They are made in Canada, so they would be so stupid to not supply to a 300 million person market right next door.

The megavim or super vim are excellent multivitamins.

And Jessani, Yes, this is probably your problem. When it is sunny out, try to take a walk on your lunch break, especially if you are working those long hours, and try a supplement.

ETA:


Here is a link: Jamieson Laboratories - Products - SupplementsI just found on their website: For locations outside of Canada please contact international@jamiesonlabs.com

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Actuallly, that is very much related to being veggie. I started writing about this in my previous post about B12 but deleted it since I thought it was extremely OT.

I've planned a lot of vegan meals and the only nutrional substance that I've had a hard time getting appropriate levels of is vitamin D. Unless you want to eat ridiculous amounts of fat, it's hard to get the right amount of vit D in a vegan diet.

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Don't sell me anything!
Except perhaps TR Johnny Super T Dk Laguna sz 25... or COH Avedon Atlantis with Octopus, yes?

Yeah, if you are vegan, fortified foods (cereals and soy products) are basically your only food sources and sunlight. A supplement is totally necessary for well-being. It should also be noted that one should be careful not to take too much vitamin D. You can overdose on Vitamin D and be especially careful of too much Vitamin A.

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This is not surprising. Check the sunscreenFAQ notepad on MUA: http://makeupalley.com/account/vn.as...eenFAQ#vitamin

I take vit.d daily.
(Edited to add- this is a common problem, not only with vegans)

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If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

^ That is interesting. I don't wear sunscreen, but I was thinking about that moments ago. Thanks for the link.

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Don't forget, even when not wearing sunscreen (which you always should!!) you very probably don't get enough vit.d (not enough sun...).

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If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

I'm not a vegeterian (yet) I would like to be but I really don't like veggies that much either.

I cannot agree more with kate though, morningstar everything is dELICIOUS! The burgers, the chikn nuggets, all yum. My favorite so far are the chicn nuggets.
Taste exactly like chicken except no worries of bumping into any bones or cartilage (sp?)

I want a facon lt now! Lol. Thanks, brody. I emaild them. There also seems to be a couple online canadian pharms that will ship to the US, but I don't know how reputable they are.

^If you're worried, I'd be happy to hook you up also... you're covered on AF!

I'm not vegetarian, but I don't eat a ton of meat and I do eat a fair amount of meat substitutes... I'm definitely going to check out a couple of those cookbooks recommended - I'm always looking for more ideas!

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*Lisa*
Do want: Frye Veronica Slouch in Dark Brown, Sapphire or Cranberry in a 6.5, preferably cheap.

Hum, I might be looking for someone to get me vit. D as well.
My doctor was going to write a scrip, but after all the scary chinese contamination scandals (toys, pet food, BABY formula), I'd rather it not have any sources from there.

He said I was at risk b/c I don't eat dairy & wear a high PPD sunscreen & am dark-skinned.

Nutritional yeast is a legit source for B12, right?

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If you let me know which Pharmacies, I can let you know how reputable they are.

A few I saw there was shoppers Drug Mart/ Pharmaprix
Jean Coutu and others.

I am sure you will find a good retailer in CT, especially considering your proximity to the CDN border. I bet they may have them in healthfood stores.

Also, I am not sure that they are the ONLY company that does not source from China, but they are the only ones readily available here. Considering the massive consumer and health consciousness of (well a lot) the American public, there must be another company.

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I found this:

B12 and vegetarianism

The ability of a strict vegetarian diet to supply adequate amounts of B12 remains controversial, despite increasing evidence in support of vegetarianism and its nutritional adequacy. The controversy is fueled by two somewhat divergent schools of thought. One school emphasizes the fact that most animals, including humans, are capable of storing long-term supplies of B12.

In humans, these stores may last for twenty years or longer. Given this potential for storage, a daily requirement for B12 is regarded as highly unlikely.

A second school of thought, however, points to the unreliability of plants as sources of B12. For strict vegetarians who eat no animal products whatsoever, this unreliability may pose a problem. Since no plant is capable of making B-12, the amount of B12 in plant food depends upon the relationship of the plant to soil and root-level microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, molds, and fungi) which make the vitamin. Cultured and fermented bean products like tofu, tempeh, miso, tamari and shoyu may or may not contain significant amounts of B12, depending upon the bacteria, molds, and fungi used to produce them. The B12 content of sea vegetables also varies according to the distribution of microorganisms in the surrounding sea environment.

Unfortunately, reliable nutrient analyses are often unavailable for consumers of these products, and labeling for B12 content is not required. In general, tofus, tempehs, and sea vegetables tend to be more consistent sources of B12 than misos, tamaris, and shoyus. Depending upon the medium in which they are grown, brewer's and nutritional yeast can also be significant sources of B12 in a strict vegetarian diet.

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I love Morningstar's products as well - and I agree with Kelly, no bone fragments, fat or cartilage to worry about woo hoo!!!

I'm not a vegetarian, but in addition to pasta you may want to try cooking with more grains and such; I love cooking with lentils, quinoa and pearled barley.

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Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. ~ Oscar Wilde

ive been a vegetarian for about 18 years now...started out when i was born. hmmm all i gotta say is rice, soy sauce, an egg, some broccoli, and your set. btw, you need a rice cooker for your rice to be tasty.

not much to being vegetarian....just go to any vegie restaurants and ask them for the best thing! haha also, going to chinese vegetarian restaurants will yield the best tasting food =QQQ

/end semi-rant

I absolutely love Morningstar. Boca burgers are disgusting, in my opinion.