vegetarian nutrition

Question
i recently realized that i don't do the whole tofu and stir fry thing like a lot of vegetarians i know. my normal day starts with honey bunches of oats with soy milk, i have fresh or dried fruit and maybe some carrots mid morning (sometimes i drink a women's protein shake with soy milk - not the "get buff" kind of shake), lunch is normally some kind of meat substitute such as quorn or morningstar with veggies (normally peas, green beans, brocolli, or carrots), carrots and almonds are normally my mid afternoon snack, and dinner consists of either peanut butter and whole grain waffles or bread, or pasta. i normally try to get in another serving of veggies after dinner and i eat fruit throughout the day. am i leaving things out? is this healthy at all?

Answer
Thank you for contacting allexperts.com I hope that I can assist you with your question.

Overall, it's really not that bad. You're not eating meat and you're not eating/drinking dairy, so that is two big pluses in your favor.

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that, unless the product is labeled as organic, or "GMO FREE" that as much as 80 percent of the soy products contain genetically modified soy.  This is especially true of Morningstar Farms (unfortunately, because Grillers is one of my favorite products).  I would strongly suggest that you make certain that any soy product you consume is NOT genetically modified.

Secondly, because your diet is somewhat limited, I would suggest good quality supplementation to ensure that you are getting the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other vital nutrients. Even if you were to consume more vegetables to reach your RDA (or beyond), most produce in the USA has been grown is severely nutrient-depleted soil.  Therefore obtaining trace mineral such as copper, selenium, manganese, etc., is very difficult if not impossible. Consult with your trusted health food store to determine which supplements would be most beneficial to you given your current diet.

Overall, I would say that you are doing it right.  Keep up the good work. Please make certain you supplement your diet with lots of fresh, pure water to keep hydration up and assist in removing toxins from the body.

Thanks for writing. Take care.

Tasha

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