[Lauralee]

Is anyone here a vegetarian? Meat has been really turning me off lately, but I eat it for lack of any other ideas. I was wondering if it is possible to have IBS and eat vegetarian. I know a lot of us have problems with veggies, so how does this work?I don't think I could do vegan. I need my dairy, eggs and fish, its the other meat I have (mental) problems with!

 

[Guest]

I was a strict vegetarian for about 2 years. It did a few things for me:1. It gave me even more gas than I've ever had2. I became more depressedI think the depressed part happens because there is something in animal protein that our brains need. Read about it somewhere?The gas is no doubt from all the extra fiber and vegetable protein..... the soy especially does me in.But I know others who are vegetarians and swear by it... stating it gives them lots more energy. So I guess maybe as individuals, we need to just try it and see what it does for us?Good luck

 

[*Luna*]

A healthy vegetarian diet can be a very good thing for you. There are so many health benefits to eating less meat. And many people like me do it for other reasons as well.The key to a good veg. diet is to get away from the concept that you have to have meat at every meal, and that vegetarian dishes are things like salads adn plates of vegetables. Yes those are things we can eat, but you have to eat other things too! I eat a LOT of pasta... And some other cultures tend to have more vegetarian dishes. I like to eat couscous, hummus, falafel, etc.I'm not much of a cook, so I cheat by buying vegetarian foods like Near East brand couscous with other stuff in a flavor packet. I have some easy vegetarian cookbooks I'm eager to try recipes from.An easy veg. meal I love is stir fried veggies and tofu with rice.Sorry I'm not being more inspired with this post right now. We have had a few threads in the year and a half I've been on here that discussed vegetarianism. I remember one had lots of tips for new vegetarians.

 

[Marier]

Lauralee - you can start by cutting red meat from your diet. This is what I've been doing. I just basically eat white meat chicken if I eat meat at all. Like Luna, I eat lots of pastas. For BBQ's I'll throw on a Boca Burger with the other hamburgers. Once you get going on it, it becomes pretty easy.

 

[Lauralee]

I had actually stopped eating red meat for a very long time until one day I had a craving for a burger and ate one and have been eating it ever since. I cringe every time I do it, too!I think I will cut back on the meat gradually and see what happens. Luna, I will do a search for those other threads.Thanks!!!!

 

[Guest]

I do have to admit that there IS something about beef that my G.I. tract finds very intolerable. I go out of my way to buy organic. At the moment I'm making a batch of barbeque with 3 pounds of it. The organic chickens I buy are just like the ones I remember back home on the farm... even better... and I never waste a morsel of it... I make hotdishes and soups from whatever is left. I drive over an hour to get them farm-fresh.It is interesting that my Siamese cat begs for the organic meats that I prepare.... but doesn't seem to like the regular meats from the local supermarket....(antibiotics and growth hormones)As a whole.... I don't eat large quantities of meat. My mainstays are cereals, pastas and breads as well as lesser known forms of popular grains such as orso and couscous. But I do eat some meat.... more chicken than anything.Fish is something I only like once in a while and it must be very fresh.Does shrimp qualify? Love that stuff !!

 

[CkatGo]

I was a vegan for a long time and never really went back to eating meat on any regular basis at all. I stopped the vegan because i was getting tired all the time. I probably was not doing it right. There are tons of alternatives to meat and the diet, vegan or oval-laco veggie, that you can choose and certainly not boring. search the internet, i found my best receipes there. start small, elimating the most obivous meats first (ie: varity meats, hot dogs, etc) after a few weeks and you are in the habit, elimate red meat, after a few weeks and you are use to it, chicken,and so on...it becomes alot easier and the people in your life will handle it better too, which when trying to do something like this can be the biggest hurdle (particilarly if they are big meat eaters) hope this helps!!!

 

[bonniei]

The good thing about being a vegetarian is you get a lot of fiber which can help with regular bowel movements

 

[enja]

I think being a vegetarian is pretty easy depending on what your taste in food runs to... I know this may not be good for some IBS'ers, but I love Mexican food, Indian food, Chinese food... there is a TON of vegetarian stuff in those cuisines. I am not much of a cook, so when I am not eating out, I usually have either a veggie sandwich, or a salad w/ beans, veggies and cheese for lunch, and then something like vegetarian chili or pre-made indian dishes for dinner... I make quesadillas with black beans and spinach a lot... love falafel, or hummus and pita... lots of stuff. I never liked fish, but recently I've started eating tuna and sushi again (I am a vegetarian for animal lover reasons, and though it's probably hypocritical, I don't feel that bad about killing fish

) and I love sushi.... What area of the country are you in? It's a lot easier certain places. For instance I just moved from San Francisco to NYC and there's much less vegetarian food here

enja

 

[Lauralee]

I live in Oklahoma, beef country for sure. There isn't a whole lot of ethnic or vegetarian cuisine around where I live. I really wish there was a Whole Foods Market around, but there isn't, just regular supermarkets with limited selection!

 

[enja]

I remember I was in Oklahoma visiting relatives, and asked at a restaurant if they had anything vegetarian, and the waiter said, "We have chicken..." lol. That's too bad there's no whole foods or anything, but you should probably still be able to do stuff like rice and beans, veggie stir fries, etc, as long as it's not too "exotic"...

 

[Mike NoLomotil]

I just came back froma loong road trip which included driving to Oklahoma City. MAN do you all have a lot of...LAND!!!...out there. I mean LAND!!! Talk about being able to absorb some the immigrant population of Southeast Florida!!!!

MNL

 

[anxiolytics]

I have been a strict vegetarian since about age 11, and I stopped eating tred meat at about age 4. I did not get IBS until this year, but I have noticed that since then I have to be really careful with the vegetables I eat and howe they are prepared. If they are cooked, "dead" vegetables I'm OK, although I can't eat broccoli at all anymore. (It's definitely harder to be a vegetarian now that I have IBS, but I find eating in general is hard w/ IBS, vegetarian or not.)I have since incorporated soy and it creates gas, but it provides much-needed protein. I also make falafel at home a lot (ground chick peas, spices), and I bake it so as to avoid the fat of frying, and make pita sandwhiches with it. Cous cous and pasta, as mentioned previously, are great staples as well.It is too bad you don't have a natural/whole foods store as you can get a lot of ideas from strolling the aisles...however, the internet can help. I would definitely suggest that you check out a website like http://www.healthy-eating.com which might help you get you started if you are interested. Meat is very hard to digest for most people, but others swear by its health properties. I personally think if you can get enough protein, you are OK. Also, you'll need to pay attetion to food additives if you want to avoid animal products completely: lard, animal fat, etc. can be found in some processed foods. You might want to check out the site http://www.vrg.org,[/URL] the vegetarian resource group. It has excellent information on health and vegetarianism.I hope this helps.

 

[Lauralee]

Thank you for the links Caroline! I will read and see if I can find a way to incorporate this into our lives without a health food store near by. I have two very picky children who would also benefit from a healthier diet.

enja, chicken is considered vegetarian in OK. What are they made of, peas?

MNL, yes, we do have a lot of LAND here. That is not necessarily a good thing because all the land makes it harder to find what I want like a decent store!

 

[Jane1721]

I have two comments here, the first one being on topic (vegetarianism). I have become a vegetarian since altering my diet to control my IBS. I didn't really do it on purpose, but the only animal product I can tolerate is chicken...and then I saw a bumper sticker that said, "I won't eat anything with a face." Um...no more chicken for me! What I wonder is, do we REALLY need meat to get our protein, since the animals who ARE the meat eat only plants?! I eat a lot of soy, and thankfully I can tolerate legumes in small amounts (with rice). And since we're all commenting on Oklahoma...I LOVE Oklahoma! I'm sure I'm the only person out there saying that too! I drove half of Route 66 in April (Chicago to Amarillo) and OK was my favorite part! (well, eastern OK...western OK made me mad and a tornado hit while I was driving, so I have a vendetta against that part of the state now! lol) Sorry to ramble...Jane

 

[Valeriekn]

Hi Laura,I'm glad you brought this up. I haven't wanted to eat meat for a long time, especially red meat. Chicken usually does not agree with me. I love fish. I don't have as much of a guilt trip with fish.But I agree, the thought of meat turns me off too. I can eat salads and plenty of them. I like tofu burgers. They taste great with the mixes and are filling. No one else in my family likes them, so it makes it hard when everyone else wants meat.Well, not much help here, just wanted to let you know I'm going through the same thing.Valerie