Vegetarian diet, running and protein

[Gina O]

Wow, this new stuff will take some playing with to get used to!!!

Anyway, on to my question.... I continue to run, have started going to Curves for Women which is mainly hydrolic machines (for most, an aerobic workout, but I am hoping to tone and/or build a little) and am attempting to eat a vegetarian diet (with eggs and cheese). A coworker/friend (who does not exercise or eat right and smokes, so is not someone I would consider my healthy living guru :) ) is concerned that I am not getting enough protein, because there are certain parts of proteins that can only be found in meat. I counter with the argument that I am eating cheese and eggs so I should be okay, but even after extensive research on the internet today I am still not sure.

Any words of wisdom from those I do consider my healthy living gurus???? (meaning all of you on this board!!!!) Gina

[cindyluwho]

I've been vegetarian for about 10 years now. I think I was not getting quite enough protein or calcium for awhile, but adding soymilk to my diet has given me an extra little boost of protein and calcium. Quinoa supposedly is a complete protein so that might be something to try. Of course, beans and whole grains are good too. I think if you eat dairy products and eggs and keep an eye on your protein intake it should be ok. You might want to go see a nutritionist though--he or she should be able to tell you if you are deficient in your protein intake.

[SusanMac]

Isn't it funny how people who don't eat healthy, often have a lot to say about how others eat?!

Although I'm not vegetarian, I don't really eat much meat, and am always wanting to make sure I get enough of the right minerals, etc. You might want to check out www.runnersworld.com. They have a regular nutrition column and have had a lot of good articles in the past about ensuring you get the right food to maintain healthy running. It's pretty common to find runner's who are vegetarian, so hopefully they'll have some good info for you.

[LGBurns]

You definitely do not have to eat meat in order to get enough complete protein. Other things to worry about not getting enough of when you are not eating meat are B12 and iron. However, if you are eating dairy and eggs you should be fine on that count. Other good sources of complete protein are: tofu, nuts, and beans and grains (and you don't have to eat them together, just in the same day--so if you had oatmeal for breakfast and a bean burrito for lunch you've got your complete protein, even if you don't count the milk on the oatmeal or the cheese on the burrito). Your friend might want to consider that smoking leeches your body of important nutrients and that large amounts of red meat combined with smoking is a recipe for heart disease--the number one killer of women in America. Sorry, I get a bit nasty when uninformed, unhealthy people try to freak healthy people out about their healthy habits. :rolleyes:

[Gina O]

Thanks to all for the information. I found a fabulous article on the RW website that was just what I was looking for.

As for my friend, I am glad to find he was misinformed. I probably would not have paid much attention to him, but he mentioned it twice, and seemed genuinely concerned. I am sure he was well intended, just misinformed. I constantly harrass him about the smoking, and I have inspired him to actually do a tiny bit of exercising lately. Gina