Posts by sunnyd52789

People who are saying soy isn't healthy are nuts!  I know the big soy scare is some AWESOME SENSATIONAL FAD right now (omg everything causes cancer!!), but my Japanese grandmother has been a vegetarian here whole life with soy as her main source of protein and she's 94 and still partyin.  I'm a vegetarian and I was raised on a Japanese diet and soy and seaweed are my main sources of protein.  I'm in great shape and in perfect health.  A favorite meal of mine would be boiled tofu with soy sauce, ginger, scallions and sesame seeds with brown rice and vegetables on the side.  Also, fermented soybean (natto) is unequivocally a ridiculously healthy food.  

Anyway, if soy scares you, I suggest trying soba, hijiki or konnyaku as an alternative source of protein.  Soba has all the amino amino acids that meat has, plus antioxidants.  Hijiki is full of minerals and fiber and is delicious simmered with some soy sauce, mirin, diced veggies and thrown over some brown rice.  

I don't know if you've heard of konnyaku, but it is a noodle made from yam that literally has no calories- however, I think it is an acquired taste for most people (it's squishy!) but I love it. 

Good website for veg food:

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/we ight_loss_diet_plans/diet_meal_plans/vegetari an_meal_plan

101cookbooks.com

http://www.justhungry.com/2007/01/konnyaku_an d_shirataki_ojftmhy.html

I've been a vegetarian for a couple years now, and I agree that becoming a vegetarian doesn't necessarily help you lose weight.  However, I think there are tons of vegetarian protein options that are WAY healthier than meat ever will be (and will help you lose weight!) I'm kind of a health freak so sorry for writing you this novel. 

I suggest trying some of these:

Tofu (obviously): Great source of protein and not a lot of fat.  Edamame always a good idea too.  

Soba: Japanese buckwheat noodle that's a "perfect protein"- it has all the same amino acids as meat, it has tons of fiber and it's SUPER healthy.  It might take getting used to the unusual texture but it's one of my favorite foods.

Quinoa: Latin American staple grain, also a "perfect protein" and a good replacement for rice.  

Farro:  Really yummy ancient grain to use in salads.  

Nuts: Almonds!!! I really like Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds (Dark Chocolate or Cinnamon Flavor).  Obviously you get protein (and iron!) from nuts, it's 160 calories a serving and the bottle is labeled with ounces so you know how many servings you're eating.  It's a perfect snack to get protein, especially if you didn't get protein with one of your main meals.

Hummus/Chickpeas:  Hummus is also another really good snack to get protein from, just use celery or carrots instead of pita chips if you want to keep it healthy.  Also, falafel can be really good for you if you make it yourself and bake it instead of deep-frying it, and it's full of protein.  

Eggs: Eating a lot of eggs obviously isn't healthy, but it's a good source of protein and iron so if you want to eat eggs you can eat a hard boiled egg or make an omelette with egg whites and maybe one whole egg.  

I don't know where you live and if you do a lot of cooking (I live in NYC so vegetarian stuff everywhere), so some of these foods might be hard to find, but regardless of where you live you can definitely find nuts (almonds are the lowest fat and they are healthiest raw and in moderation), hummus, tofu and soybeans so I think those are good snacks even if you are not getting protein in your meals.  

Another important thing (and this might be a reason NOT to become a vegetarian) you NEED to get enough Iron, especially if you say you feel tired and depressed already.  Iron deficiency makes you very tired, so either make sure you eat a lot of leafy, dark green veggies (spinach, kale, seaweed- another really good healthy source of protein!) or take a multivitamin/iron supplement.

Anyway, being a vegetarian and still being healthy doesn't mean giving up pasta, you just need whole grain! A favorite quick meal of mine is boiling some whole grain pasta and throwing in some frozen vegetables with the pasta (broccoli, spinach, asparagus) for the last five minutes, then heating up a can of diced tomatoes and seasoning it with basil, red pepper flakes, lemon pepper etc.  It's low cal, no fat, you get plenty of veggies and just make sure you snack on something sometime during the day that had protein in it, even though whole grain pasta has a little protein.  

the whole hard liqour has less calories thing is not very true- it's more like 100 calories for a full shot so the same as light beer.  It just might get you drunk faster.  Also, the problem with drinking on an empty stomach is that you might get drunk faster than you wanted to, and then once you lose all sense of control you're more likely to start drunk eating. And if you drank on an empty stomach, you'll probably be more hungry and end up giving in to the drunk munchies much easier--and drunk people usually like to eat things like pizza and fries etc.  And drinking on an empty stomach makes it much more likely for you to black out. Working out hard during the day before is a probably a good idea, and then get some protein in your last meal so it'll keep you full.

Okay, this is not to be rude, but more as a reality check.  You look anorexically skinny, and not in an attractive way.  If you gained a few pounds, you would not look so gangly, awkward and starved.  I don't know if this is a cry for help or a sadistic method of raising your self-esteem.

And I agree with everyone else that you need to see a health professional if you really think food is "disgusting".  It shocks me a little that you can't percieve that as an obvious sign of anorexia yourself.