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Asked by nadiafrenchx to Damien, Suzi, Tim on 23 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by ruthenium.
Question: I want to become vegetarian but will i get enough protein?
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Suzi Gage answered on 23 Jun 2011:
Hi @nadiafrenchx and @ruthenium
Great question! I stopped eating meat when I was about 19, but I still eat fish.
There are plenty of non-meat foods that contain protein though – tofu, TVP, eggs, cheese, dairy products, beans, grains, nuts and seeds.
Hope this helps. But be considerate to your Mum who has to cook your food! I stopped eating meat after I left home, because I didn’t want my Mum to have to change what she would make us for dinner!
Why do you want to become vegetarian?
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Tim Fosker answered on 23 Jun 2011:
Hi @nadiafrenchx and @ruthenium
I have been a vegetarian since I was 12 years-old. Suzi is right that you can get your protein from other sources, but it does take some thought. Things like soya beans are what are called complete proteins, meaning that they contain a large number of the essential amino acids that the body can’t make itself. There is a brilliant index to tell how good the protein source is according to how easy it is to break down and the amount of essential amino acids it contains. The scale is called the PDCAAS – you can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDCAAS
I hope that helps 🙂
Comments
nadiafrenchx commented on :
I don’t like the cruelty to animals and it’s too expensive to always buy organic meat! I think i will just be pesketarian and eat fish not meat.
Tim commented on :
Good idea!
Suzi commented on :
Ooh Tim I didn’t know you were veggie! Cool! Meat is overrated! 🙂
Tim commented on :
I agree. I think a large proportion of academics are vegetarian, vegan or pescetarian – I know loads of vegetarians at work. Although being veggie in Northern Ireland isn’t easy if you want to eat out sometimes. 😀
marybarry commented on :
I’m a pescetarian because it’s healthier but do fish suffer/ treated badly?
Tim commented on :
There was always a hot debate about whether fish felt pain, but since 2003 there is good evidence that they ‘can’ feel pain. That doesn’t mean that they do when they are caught. It may depend on how they are caught. I really don’t want to put you off eating fish.
I think everyone is entitled to choose what they eat and whether they want to be pescetarian, vegetarian or vegan – people shouldn’t be made to feel guilty.
My wife and I have baby due in October and we haven’t decided what to do about their food yet, both me and my wife are vegetarian, but we want the baby to choose for themselves, unfortunately babies aren’t born with the knowledge to make an informed decision.
Suzi commented on :
Interesting, so your wife stayed veggie during the pregnancy? It’s not something I am thinking about yet but I was wondering whether I should start eating meat again if I ever got pregnant…I guess as long as you get the enough proteins then there’s really no difference between eating meat and not. Congratulations again on having a baby on the way, it must be so exciting!
Tim commented on :
Yep being veggie and pregnant isn’t that hard if you already know enough about nutrition to be a healthy veggie. Being pregnant when vegan seems harder, but we have friends that have done that fine – you just need to think carefully about balancing what you’re eating. Thanks for the congrats – yep it is really exciting.
Suzi commented on :
Hi @marybarry Some people think fish suffer less because they don’t have the same kind of nervous system to mammals. However I think it’s hard to say objectively whether an animal is suffering. Generally fish die by being ‘suffocated’ out of water. It’s hard to know whether this causes them pain or not. What do you think?
marybarry commented on :
Thanks for the replies! Even though I don’t know if fish do feel pain when they are caught, suffocation is not a nice way to die- but I wasn’t healthy when I tried being fully-vegetarian so I will eat fish for now..