Verified answer

-Greek yogurt especially, it's my #1 for non-meat protein

-Protein rich cereal and oatmeal (like Kashi brand stuff)

-Milk, yogurt, cheese

-Nuts (almonds, pistachios, pecans, etc)

chocolate milk -not the powder kind)

-Protein enriched pasta

-Protein shake (looks and tastes like chocolate milk -not the powder stuff)

Hope this helps! ^_^

You say you've thought a lot about it, but have you bothered to learn anything about basic nutrition? Just the fact that you refer to "protein substitutes" makes me think not.

Protein is protein, whether it comes from an animal or plant source it's the same nutrient. I'm glad to hear you didn't plan to just use a lot of fake meat as part of your new diet, but please learn what you're doing before you make such a significant lifestyle change-your parents will be impressed and no doubt more supportive if they see you've put some effort into this decision. There are a lot of good websites.

You can substitute either beans or cheese for meat in hundreds of dishes-caution:cheese is very high in fat and calories so use it more like a condiment than a replacement for meat. Beans, whole grains and of course veggies will be the bulk of your new diet-nuts and low fat dairy will also be useful.

Good luck to you.

Protein is not what you only need to worry about if you want to be a vegetarian. I personally find iron and calcium the hardest to worry about.

I think you need to understand vegetarian nutrition, not just protein. This is a great website to look at: http://www.vegnutrition.com/ Show this to your parents as well!

Calculate how much daily protein intake. From, your age, I would guess it is about 40g but a more accurate way to calculate it is to multiply 0.8 and your weight (kg). eg: Sara weighs 50kg. 50 x 0.8= 40g. Therefore Sara needs 40g of protein everyday.

Foods high in protein are 1 cup of lentils (18g of protein), 1 cup of black beans (15g), chickpeas (12g), baked beans (12g), 1 cup peas (9g), 1 cup Quinoa (9g), 1 serving Tofu (11g), handful of Peanuts (8g), Sunflower seeds (8g), 1 oz cheddar (28g), 1 egg (6g) etc... Remember that carbohydrates like rice, bread, potato have protein (about 1g, or less) as well, not too much but it all adds up! Try to have brown bread, brown rice as there is more protein and iron in them.

You mention that "tofu is not good for girls". This is only a myth and there is no real evidence about it- even so, it is only when you eat a lot of soy products. I would suggest to eat in moderation, don't eat more than 3 servings of soy products a week. Besides, things like steak and pork is not good for your health as there is a lot of cholesterol, fat- causing many diseases like cancer, strokes, heart attacks etc.

A few little tips you should consider as a vegetarian:

- Don't eat much "fake meats" as these are highly processed and not good for you- don't eat more than 2 servings a week.

- If you start to feel sick, don't assume "the vegetarian diet is unhealthy". The problem I first had is not getting enough iron. So, I started taking lots of seeds, leafy green vegetables and beans (which are full of iron).

- Unless you cannot absorb certain nutrition, like B12 (some non-vegs need it to) , you do not need any supplements in a vegetarian diet. You are still taking in animal products which contain almost the same nutrition in meat.

- Eat lots of vegetables and protein sources (mentioned above). Don't eat too much carbohydrates and dairy- a mistake many ex-vegetarians do.

- Experiment with vegetarian food. You may come across a few vegetarian food that you will not like, but it doesn't mean "all vegetarian food is disgusting". Just keep trying till you find something you like.

- Don't jump into vegetarianism. First only have one vegetarian meal a week, and keep building that up. That way you will find vegetarianism easier.

- There is no big difference in being a meat eater or vegetarian- just without the meat! You have ate pizza, pasta and cheese sandwiches- all in which are vegetarian.

- Keep researching about vegetarianism- I will assure you will learn new stuff about the diet everyday!

Good luck! if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask any further questions on yahoo answers! :)

Protein is not a concern for vegetarians- that's a myth.

What the body actually needs are amino acids, the building blocks of protein. (When you consume protein, it has to be broken down into amino acids before the body can use it.) Most amino acids are made by the recycling of old tissues. Of the ones that must come from food, all are easily obtained from plant sources. Every fruit, vegetable, nut and grain has amino acids.

As long as you consume enough calories, you're getting enough protein- even if you eat nothing but potatoes all day.

What you need is not "protein substitutes" but protein. All humans need protein, which comes from food. Nothing is good for you to eat a lot of, including soy. We need variety. Some of the most protein-dense vegetarian foods are in the legumes category: beans, peas, nuts, lentils. Grains, especially whole grains, are high in protein. Most vegetables have a good amount of protein.

Um, unless you are starving to death you are not and will not be deficient in protein.

period. this protein belief is a myth. I suggest consulting a dietician to allay your parents fears. I think everyone should do this anyway.

But, raw nuts, things like chickpeas, spinach, beans and lentils and brown rice, whole wheat all have protein. If you are drinking milk and eating eggs this is honestly a non issue. As far as the soy issue, you would have to eat a lot of soy to be affected thus.

hi :) i'm sixteen and that i grew to alter right into a vegetarian basically decrease than a year in the past and that i myself recommend it! you experience a lot greater greater healthy and the cows/chickens/pigs will actual thank you for it! A vegetarian can consume/drink eggs and milk. A vegetarian does not consume any product which an animal has been slaughtered for. you may properly be thinking of a vegan who does not consume any product from an animal which contain milk and eggs. basically tell your mum which you incredibly prefer to! tell her you hate the way animals are killed and then supply her a itemizing of nutrition she ought to purchase you the subsequent time she is going on the weekly grocery forestall actual do no longer ought to take pills for no longer eating meat/fish/gelatin. as long as you're eating a balanced nutrition plan, comprehensive of vegetables, fruit, dairy and the occasional chocolate bar, you would be healthful What I do recommend is making constructive you consume numerous protein that is contemporary in seeds, nuts and meat strategies like Quorn and Linda McCartney (I actual recommend the final kind! They nutrition is scrumptious and a hundred% vegetarian). as quickly as I grew to alter right into a vegetarian, I lost numerous muscle via fact i did no longer consume sufficient protein so as long as you do have a stability nutrition plan, decide for it! desire this facilitates :) .

It's smart of you to limit your soy intake.

You don't just replace the nutrients in meat by eating a vegetable. Protein is made up of amino acids....not a specific nutrient like vitamin B12. Your body makes some amino acids; the rest must come from your diet. Meat, eggs, dairy products contain all the amino acids needed for complete protein; most veggies only contain some of them. You should eat a wide variety of veggies every day (not every meal) so your body can combine them into the complete protein it needs.

You should be careful to get enough iron, too. Iron in meat, eggs, dairy products is called heme iron and it's much easier for your body to absorb and use than the non heme iron in veggies. Low iron supplies can lead to anemia and you don't want to get that.

Omega 3s are difficult to get as a vegetarian. Some people will tell you to eat flax seed. But it's alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and you also need EPA and DHA. It's not healthy to have an imbalance of ALA and DHA. If you're going to eat eggs, they're a good source of DHA. Otherwise you might consider a supplement (pill).

Vegan registered dietitian Jack Norrisl recommends ALL vegans and some vegetarians supplement (pills) their diet for B2, B6, B12, iodine, vitamin D, calcium, zinc and DHA.

As you can see, becoming vegetarian isn't simply giving up meat and eating mac and cheese. Staying healthy will require some research and planning on your part. Good luck....

Oh here we go, people eat TOO MUCH protein, it's how come most Americans are huge and are sized like 14year olds at 12.

soy milk, tofu, it;s 1000x times healthier than meat= it has no animal fat like beef and pork.

Lentils

chickpeas

pinto beans

black beans

peanut butter

almonds

granola

soymilk

okra

green beans

yoghurt

dairy cheese

soycheese ( no animal fat)

black eye peas

split peas

Animal fat gives girls higher rates of breast cancer.

http://www.vegalicious.org/recipe-index.html

There is protein in most foods but especially soya, nuts, beans and lentils and dark green vegetables. Many people overdose on protein, we need far less protein than most people think.