Vegetarian need help with meal ideas

[elite78]

I'm a vegetarian, I do eat eggs and on occassion I'll eat fish. Please give me some meal ideas for induction phase.

I travel a lot and not able to cook. Please give me any ideas!

Thanks
ensive

[Miss Phode]

Well, I don't think soy is necessarily healthy, but...there are soy meats and cheeses out there, and of course, you know about boca burgers. Check these for carb counts, and check the ingredients for sugars. Otherwise, learn to love eggs! Make yourself veggie casseroles, fritatas, omelettes, etc. The ingredients are: your favorite veggies, eggs, cheese. Only the methods of preparation are different.

Can I ask, are you vegetarian for health reasons? Or for the animals. I'm formerly vegan, and just curiousl

[not2late]

If you eat eggs and fish, you're in luck. There are plenty of food options for you by including these two animal products in your meals.

Travel-wise, you can stick with the "basics" as anyone else on Atkins should be doing when eating away from home. Eat broiled or grilled fish--no breading. Avoid sauces, unless you are sure it contains no starches/flour/grains/sugar. Most hotels will serve eggs. If you can, you might to carry an electric coffee pot with you so you can boil water in your hotel room. Most convenience stores sell a dozen eggs, so you can hard boil them and carry them for a quick snack/meal. You might also want to stock up on cans or packets of tuna, sardines, mackeral, salmon. Again, these will give you something to eat if nothing can be found that's appropriate for you.

Tofu is the only soy product allowed during the Induction phase. It's the "soy cheese" referred to in the cheese footnote of the Induction Acceptable Foods list. It's also mentioned as acceptable for Induction in the Dr. Atkins' New Carbohydrate Gram Counter. DANDR 2002 doesn't limit it's daily use, but Atkins Diabetes Solution limits it to 3-4 ounces daily. I'm guessing the limitations are due to the recent concerns about soy, particularly its connection with thyroid suppression.

Anyhow, check out the local Asian supermarkets. Some of them sell a product called "tofu puffs". They do require some refrigeration, but if you can find them, they will provide a good snack food.

It's possible for a vegetarian to do Induction. However, I would advise you to move onto OWL as soon as your 14 days are up. OWL has a wider variety of food that would be more nutritionally complete for you. And don't be fooled by the unfounded rumor that if you move onto OWL you'll stop losing weight---not true. Remember, OWL is an acronym for "On-Going Weight Loss".

[tickletussler]

Hi Megs,

I know we've had a discussion on tofu once before, but I've had a think since then...

I was wondering how is tofu classified as a "soy cheese" or a "cheese" for that matter? I was thinking about how tofu is made, and it has just about no fat compared to cheese (or even proper soy cheese), it has varying degrees of carbs (depending on what country you're in) and it can't really be classified as "dairy" ie people with reactions/allergies to dairy won't necessarily have the same reactions to tofu?

Cheers.

[not2late]

Hi Megs,

I know we've had a discussion on tofu once before, but I've had a think since then...

I was wondering how is tofu classified as a "soy cheese" or a "cheese" for that matter? I was thinking about how tofu is made, and it has just about no fat compared to cheese (or even proper soy cheese), it has varying degrees of carbs (depending on what country you're in) and it can't really be classified as "dairy" ie people with reactions/allergies to dairy won't necessarily have the same reactions to tofu?

Cheers.

Tofu used to be called "soy cheese" in the 60s-80s in the US. It was called soy cheese because the process of making tofu is similar to making dairy cheese. I guess calling it "soy cheese" sounded more familiar than calling it tofu or doufu. I have some vegetarian cookbooks from that era that called it "soy cheese". Nowadays, the vegan companies market a "soy cheese" that is in imitation of aged dairy cheeses. But in the "old days" soy cheese was tofu.

When you make dairy cheese, you start off with some kind of milk (cow, goat, sheep, etc.) A coagulant is added (like rennet) and the milk is heated. The proteins and fats in the milk "clump" together to form curds. And a watery product, the whey, is formed. The curds are removed from the whey, salted, packed into forms, cheese mold is added and the cheese is allowed to age. Cottage cheese in the most "pure" form is just the curds and the whey (the stuff little Miss Muffet was eating on the tuffet).

When you make tofu, you start off with soy milk. A protein coagulant is added to it, to form curds. The curds are separated from the liquid and are pressed into a form. The curds are weighed down until most of the water is removed and the result is the tofu.

As for the limitations Atkins Diabetes Revolution book puts on tofu, I think it has to do with the recent concerns about soy and its effect on thyroid function. Supposedly soy can suppress thyroid function---which for a dieter is the worst thing to do because a low functioning thyroid causes you to gain weight rather than lose it.

[tickletussler]

WOW Thanks Megs for all that info :yes it's pretty fascinating, esp as I've always thought of soycheese as an imitation cheese product. And it makes sense :yes that the firmer the tofu, the more carbs it would have, whereas silken/soft tofu has higher water content and therefore less carbs.

Thanks again Megs!

[gocat]

When you make tofu, you start off with soy milk

Seeing as tofu cheese is allowed on induction, does that mean soy milk is allowed. If so, how much. I find cream even half/half is too rich.

gocat

[Elizellen]

Seeing as tofu cheese is allowed on induction, does that mean soy milk is allowed. If so, how much. I find cream even half/half is too rich.

Afraid not - it comes in on the legumes rung of OWL.
I think 'soy cheese' is allowed because it is made like cheese.

[not2late]

tofu is different than soy milk because with tofu, most of the carbs have been removed. Tofu is almost all soy protein, very little carbs. Soy milk is a combo of carbs and protein.

[John_Morse]

Beef..... Pork..... mmmmm!

Why would you want to avoid scrumptious BEEF and PORK.
Or Chicken, or Turkey. ???
The only vegetarians who really loose weight are the extremely obsessive compulsive ones who resist all forms of Animal foods including Butter, Eggs, Milk. You can usually spot them, their skin is dry and they are all drawled up, their body really needs the Animal Protein, not to mention the FAT.

[Moochiecat]

There's room in the world for all of us, vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike. :yes

[tickletussler]

Re: Beef..... Pork..... mmmmm!

Why would you want to avoid scrumptious BEEF and PORK.
Or Chicken, or Turkey. ???
The only vegetarians who really loose weight are the extremely obsessive compulsive ones who resist all forms of Animal foods including Butter, Eggs, Milk. You can usually spot them, their skin is dry and they are all drawled up, their body really needs the Animal Protein, not to mention the FAT.

Some vegetarians have TRIED eating beef, pork, chicken or turkey, but they don't like the taste of it.

Others do it for religious reasons eg Hindus don't eat beef, muslims don't eat pork or anything that's not halal, Jews don't eat anything that's not kosher etc etc

Elite can EASILY get enough fats from eating eggs, omega-rich fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, using olive oil, eating rich nuts like macadamias

Put it this way, I see many vegetarians who eat the foods that Elite does, who are healthy, have glowing skin and hair and are full of energy! It doesn't mean I would personally enjoy being a vegetarian, but there are many others who do.

[John_Morse]

There's room in the world for all of us, vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike. :yes

Oh, but of course there is, I'm not saying that. People make bad choices everyday.
But I'd like to see how your going to do ATKINS without meat :sarcasm

[not2late]

There's room in the world for all of us, vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike. :yes

Oh, but of course there is, I'm not saying that. People make bad choices everyday.
But I'd like to see how your going to do ATKINS without meat :sarcasm

It can be done. There's an FAQ in the FAQ forum of the board that addresses vegetarians and Atkins. You'll just have to substitute vegetable protein for animal protein. Since protein only comprises about 30% of your daily caloric intake on Atkins, substituting vegetable proteins isn't that hard to do. In place of butter, use vegetable or nut oils, such as olive or coconut oil.

Granted it's a bit rough for Induction, but when you move onto OWL, the food choices open up. In fact, I recommend vegetarians to move into OWL as soon as the 14 days are up because OWL is more nutritiously sound for everyone (vegetarian and not).