Vegetarian Myths

[Momma_Halo]

Many times I have been told I am not giving my body the vitamins it needs. I don't drink milk and I don't touch red meat. And if I do have chicken, fish, or cheese. It isn't a lot and maybe twice or three times a month.

The myth is you HAVE to eat meat to get your protein.

Fact: No you don't. You can actually get more protein from vegetables than meat.

• One cup of cooked soybeans (29 gms of protein), lentils (18 gms of protein), black beans (15 gms of protein), kidney beans (13 gms of protein), chickpeas (12 gms of protein), veggie baked beans (12 gms of protein), pinto beans (12 gms of protein), black-eyed peas (11 gms of protein), peas (9 gms of protein), spinach (5 gms of protein) and broccoli (4 gms of protein) should all be eaten

 

• Four ounces tofu (11 gms of protein) and firm (11 gms of protein) should be eaten
• http://www.massgrown.org/high_protein_vegetables.html

Myth:

You need to drink milk to get calcium.

Fact:

Vegetables are high in calcium to where you don't have to drink milk or eat cheese.

http://www.citracal.com/Calcium/Foods/Vegetables.aspx

Do children need meat?

It's hard to compete against fast-food kids' meals--salty, fatty food, served quickly, in a bright, exciting place--and they come with toys! It’s no wonder trips to fast-food restaurants have become the pinnacle of gastronomic delight for most preschool children in the United States. But here, in these fast-food restaurants, children miss out on important nutrients and fill their tummies (and arteries) with things they don't need. We need to be very clear about what they need and what they don't in order to avoid being knocked over by the junk food current.

Children do need whole grains. They do need fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. They do need a source of calcium for their growing bones. They do need healthy sources of proteins, either from fish, poultry, eggs, and meat, or from plant sources. These foods give them the vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients they need to build high-quality bodies.

http://www.drgreene.com/21_191.html

As a child I would eat nothing but vegges and my mother fought me to eat meat and when I did I would become sick. When I would drink milk I would break out in acne.

Silk soy milk has their PLUS version that offers a lot of vitamins that you need as well. So I drink a lot of that.

For many children who don't want to eat their meat but they want to eat their vegges. To push meat on them you are pushing something their bodies do not need. There is a reason they don't want it and maybe parents should start to educate themselves about those reasons and even other ways to get around the meat and still give them their vitamins.

Meat is not the only way to survive and you shouldn't worry about your infant, toddler, child, or teen who refuses to eat the meat. I started out not eating red meat as an infant. And I had a very good reason for it.

[ivansmom07]

Jul. 5, 2009 at 9:29 PM

Excellent...voting up.

 

[Momma_Halo]

Jul. 6, 2009 at 12:21 AM

Awesome! Thanks :)

(Original Poster)

[aurorabunny]

Jul. 6, 2009 at 2:06 AM

Great post!

I can tell anyone for a fact that I am SO much more conscience of our nutritional requirements (and therefore more aware that I am making sure to meet them) now that we are vegans.  When we used to have a crappy diet a few years ago I couldn't have told you how much calcium, protein, etc that we ate every day or probably even how much we needed.  Yet it's always those type of people who want to tell me that they're sure my child isn't getting proper nutrition.  Gah.

[Momma_Halo]

Jul. 6, 2009 at 2:16 AM

I know what you mean. I admitted to going on a diet and kicking out meat almost completely and some mom's would give me "helpful" advice on how I need to eat chicken once a week or I won't have the proper nutrition.

I was fed a lot of these myths by my family and I seriously thought I needed to get special vitamines and much more.

And then I will hear of mothers freaking out that their children are refusing meat and ask how they can force their child to eat more meat. And I want them to know that their children are ok if they don't eat meat and how they can make sure they get the recommended vitamins.

I was just like you with my diet. Before this I didn't know how much of what I was getting... now I know where I stand on the whole calories and vitamins.

(Original Poster)