Vegetarian....

luvuhunny · Tue May 06, 2008 4:15 pm

Okay, first off, I have ctrl F'd alllllllll over this board to find out if there is info on vegetarians, but can't find anything, so PLEASE forgive me if I have missed the place these questions can be found!!

Obviously this diet calls for alot of protein that comes from meat (i.e. animal products), but what counts as a "protein" if you don't eat animal product? The reason I ask this is because, as a vegetarian, I have found ways to get my protein (i.e. tofu and other "fake" meats, beans/legumes, nuts and seeds, and veggies), so that isn't the issue. My main question is, what do I count as my protein and as my veggies? Like if say, I have (this would be a normal meal for me, nothing special for SB) a salad with lettace, tomatoes, cucumbers and ranch dressing and have a grilled portobello mushroom cap on the side for more protein....doesn't this meal, according to the SBD just contain Veggies and fat? Like I don't have the combo of fat and protein that he talks about in the book, does that make sense?

I am just kinda confused because I get a LARGE portion of my daily protein from veggies that I eat (they have more protein than most people think), so do I need to make sure to add tofu or other meat substitues, or am I okay getting the protein source from my veggies and/or beans/legumes? Any input is helpful!! Thanks!!

Kimboroni · Tue May 06, 2008 6:43 pm

Well, SB doesn't really call for "a lot of protein that comes from meat (i.e. animal products)," although that's the easiest way for us meat eaters to get our protein. It's supposed to be a good balance rather than protein heavy. As long as you're getting all of the essential amino acids, I wouldn't worry about what the food catgeories are.

RedRox · Tue May 06, 2008 7:29 pm

There is a list of alternative protein souces in the P1 foods list if that might help. Also there is a sticky thread for vegetarians at the top of the SB Experiences forum here. The link is here: http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63137 Unfortunately I don't know that anyone who used to contribute is still around, but maybe you can at least find some useful info? Burdle's beans thread (you guys interested in bean recipes?) might be a good resource too as she is vegan due to health reasons. It's a sticky thread at the top of the Recipe and Food forum.

Also you could try the Search function at the top of the page with keywords like "vegetarian" and "vegan" and see what pops up. It's really a sucky search feature though so just warnin' ya! If you can use the boolean "and" to find multiple relevant keywords in the same thread it works a little better so maybe try a search like: "vegetarian and menu" or "vegetarian and protein" without the quotes and see what pops up?

As Kim says, I think the goal is to find a balance of good fats, proteins and carbs in each meal and most snacks and you probably have a better handle on that than most perhaps because you are more sensitive to what foods actually do contain proteins.

good luck!


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