Questionnaire for Vegetarians

Hello, I am doing a school research project, and need to survey one or more people. If you would like to answer the questions here, or email me at jefwic@hotmail.com it would be greatly appreciated.

Name ________________
Type of Vegetarian ______________

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?


Thanks for your time,
Jeff

 

Name: Nova
Type of Vegetarian: Lacto-ovo

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?
3 1/3 years
2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?
Some just say "cool" and others proceed to tease me, but mostly people are cool about it
3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?
If meat ends up in your food anyway... even if you get new food, you've still contributed to the "consumption" and throwing away of meat.
4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)
Living in a dorm at college, it's hard to know what food has the nutritional stuff I need, but I let my body tell me what it needs and am pretty healthy
5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?
Add lots of spices!
6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?
I have never actually done that; mostly I make things that don't take more than 15 minutes to prepare

~Nova

 

Thank you very much Nova!

 

Name- Michael Brothwood
Type of Vegetarian- Lacto-ovo

1. How long have you been a vegetarian? - 6 months

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian? - they are cool to begin with, little jokes now and again

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants? - never that much choice, i have problems with food anyway, so don't eat out that much

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories) - huge gaps in diet, i don't really make sure i eat everything i need, i don't get much iron

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians? - i do not, i use the internet for hints

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes? - i don't usually make that much food, i survive on mainly fruit and veg alone

 

Name: Fifty9 (This is an alias, I prefer to remain anonymous)
Type of Vegetarian: Vegan (strict vegetarian)

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?

I have been vegan for about six years

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?

Usually the topic doesn't come up, but when it does the responses depend on the given situation. One friend of mine, whom I have known for two years, just found out I was vegan a couple weeks ago. He was surprised, as are people who find out immediately. This may be because I do not fit their stereotypical mold of what a vegan should look like. I'm a big, muscular guy who isn't pale or smells of patchouli (I'm more of a Dr. Bronner's "Hemp Peppermint" kind of guy) . Vegans come in all different packages, and we all chose this lifestyle for our own reasons. Of course, I always get bombarded by questions from meat eaters who think they know it all. They soon find out that I am not only an athletic vegan, but one with a better education than theirs. Unfortunately, I also get such responses as, "Oh, you're a vegan, really? I have family in Vegas". I usually just tell people that I am a strict vegetarian to avoid explaining the definition of vegan, but that's probably a mistake since it's important to make the word understood by the masses.

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?

There are a surprising number of fully vegan restaurants all around the world, especially in major cities. When I go out to non-vegan restaurants, I try to choose ones that would have an easier time accommodating me; usually the ethnic restaurants are the best choices. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, Indian, Ethiopian and other ethnic restaurants have a very easy time making vegan meals because their diet is mostly centered on plant foods to begin with. Restaurants are very accommodating and willing to serve polite customers.

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)

I face no problems because a vegan diet is not deficient in anything. One common misconception is that meat, dairy, eggs and other animal foods contain required nutrients, but this in completely untrue and has no scientific merit. I will address each of your examples to show you what I mean.

Protein: First of all, it's important to note that plant foods contain protein. The biggest mammals to walk this planet are all vegetarians, and have no problems meeting their protein requirements eating nothing but plants. Elephants, bulls, rhinos and the like are excellent examples. According to the scientific literature, a healthy human diet derives 2.5% of its calories from protein. Typical with minimum requirements, the World Health Organization looked at this research and doubled that figure to make a recommended amount of 5%. This way they don't exclude people with higher protein requirements, such as people recovering from injury. The percentages of calories from protein in plant foods is as follows: oranges and rice are both 8% protein, potatoes are 11% protein, corn is 12% protein, legumes are between 26% and 28%. I gave more information about this on The Hip Forums. You can locate that thread at (post # 11; Name = Fifty9) http://hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129787&page=2

B12: Vitamin B12 is the only valid criticism of a pure vegetarian diet. It's not a problem since it is quite easy to get B12 on a vegan diet without the aid of vitamin supplements, and many foods are fortified with B12 anyway. It's important to note that B12 is not synthesized by animals, but is made by specialized bacteria that live in the bowel of animals and humans. B12 can be found in soil and on vegetables, but due to an irrational fear of bacteria we live in an overly-clean society. Vegetables are thoroughly washed, we use antibacterial soaps, antiseptics and other such things that kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria. Living a more natural lifestyle around animals and nature would not pose a B12 deficiency problem. So, B12 is not an argument against a vegan diet being unnatural, but a problem of living an unnatural lifestyle. Further, in the very unlikely situation that you actually do acquire B12 deficiency (you would be hard pressed to find such cases in the scientific literature), it is easily corrected and reversible by taking some B12. Weighing the consequences, I would rather risk B12 deficiency than heart disease.

Iron and calcium: Both of these are minerals, and like other minerals they come from the soil. Minerals are dissolved in the wet soil, absorbed by the plant's root system, and brought up into the stems, leaves, flowers and fruits of the plants. It is quite easy to get all of your iron and calcium needs met on a vegan diet, without the risk of iron toxicity and the accompanied fat and cholesterol associated with animal foods. I gave more information about calcium on the following thread (post # 26; Name = Fifty9) http://hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126165&page=3

Calories: If by calories you mean energy, then there is no problem. Remember, your body's main and preferred source of energy is carbohydrate, and there are no carbohydrates in meat. Top athletes have to be near vegetarians because the energy they need is not found in chicken or beef, but instead potatoes, rice, pasta and wheat. You think Lance Armstrong gets the energy he needs from turkey breast? No way, according to his chef, Lance opts for a giant bowel of pasta with tomato sauce to supply the energy he needs to finish the race.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?

Legumes and tofu taste fine to me, but if you don't like these foods then you don't have to eat them. I love tofu, but I don't eat it very much because it is naturally high in fat, and therefore I think it's better suited for special occasions or moderate consumption. Beans, peas and lentils make excellent curry's, burritos, tacos, sandwich spreads, salad toppings and are delicious over rice.

I prefer a healthy diet over one simply devoid of animal products. This means I don't eat vegetable oils, refined sugars, refined flowers and other processed foods. I opt for their whole food variant, so I eat brown rice instead of white, or whole wheat bread over white bread. Therefore, I recommend cook books that reflect this way of eating. All of the McDougall cook books are very good, and "Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure" by Lorna Sass for a great book about pressure cooking.

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?

It depends on what kind of cook you are. If you like to plan ahead then soaking the night before or starting a slow cooker (crock pot) early in the morning might suit you pretty well. I am not much of a planner unless it's a special occasion, so if I want beans I use a pressure cooker. I can start with dry pinto beans and have an entire pot fully cooked in about 45 minutes total. Depending on the size of a bean, cooking time will vary. Black beans cook faster then pinto beans do, and lentils cook extremely fast, like maybe 15 minutes. A pressure cooker is an excellent tool to have in the kitchen, especially for people who like to cook delicious foods very quickly. It's faster than a microwave in many instances, with much better results.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. But please, if you are doing a report on a vegetarian diet then be sure your information is accurate. Most likely, anything negative about vegan diets is false since the benefits have been well supported in scientific literature.

 

Thank you very much for all your help. I have collected enough information for this project, and will hopefully present my findings as accurately as possible.

Thanks for your time,
Jeff

 

*edit

 

Name __SARAH______________
Type of Vegetarian ____VEGAN__________

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?
1 year
2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?
It depends who they are. Some people say "cool!" or "wow, that's really nice. I could never do that though". Once in awhile you get the defensive person who says "Oh, I love meat."
3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?
It's hard to know what the ingredients are in the dishes, and there usually isn't much variety for vegans at restaurants. I also get kind of grossed out by seeing friends and family gush over meat dishes...
4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)
I've never had a problem. I get enough of everything without even trying. I feel much healthier than when I was an omnivore.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?
Mmm, tofu is great with all kinds of sauces. I like sweet and sour tofu, or curry tofu. Tofu is plain and doesn't have a taste of its own really, so it tastes like whatever you put on it. Legumes are always good. I put chick peas on my salad sometimes. I like putting refried beans on a tortilla.
6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?
I never soak my own legumes. I buy them in a can if I'm making them. But usually I eat in the cafeteria at my college, so the beans are already cooked.

 

Name: Sage
Type of Vegetarian: lacto-ovo

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?
Since June 2003

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?
They usually don't make a big deal, just sort of 'oh OK, whatever'.
Most will swear blind they could never live without meat.
I often get asked if I eat fish

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?
None really, I live in England it is very veggie friendly. There is always something I can eat.

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)
I really don't worry about that. My diet hasn't changed that radically, as I was healthy before. So it's all good.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?
vegweb.com is my fave site for recipes.

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?
I just buy them canned

 

I know the project it over, but this is interesting...keep it coming guys...

 

I know it's over but i want to fill it in.LOL

Name _lebekia(yer i know! its my real name)________
Type of Vegetarian fruititarian(i'ld check the spelling of that ha)

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?born it ..fruititarian for 5 years

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian? They tell me i'm already skinny and dont need to lose weight!

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants? I don't..there are so many restraunts that will have food to sort out my needs

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)erm to be honest with you i don't. I do make sure i eat a range of foods though.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?marinate tofu and bung it in a stir fry.

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?i thought u just put it in water for 8 hours..i usually put it in water and goto school cook it when i get home. what else do you do with them?

 

Name : Corvuspirit
Type of Vegetarian: there are types?

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?

10 years

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?

polite curiosity

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?

i rarely eat out, due to the fact that there is no vegetarian restaurants nearby

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)

protein shakes, supplements

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?

freezer to microwave store bought meals

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?

i don't

 

Name: Bhaskar
Type of Vegetarian: Lacto vegetarian

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?
Since birth.

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?
Some are curious or cynical, but most people are accepting and respectful, not making a big deal of it.

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?
Lack of choice is my most common problem. But if the restaurant is chosen wisely, that isnt an issue.

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)
No problem.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?
I use a lot of Indian cooking, which is very complete and rich in terms of taste. Legumes and tofu... stir fried with vegetables and coconut and seasoned with garam masala, or raw in a salad (tofu may be lightly fried) with chat masala, onions. lemon and cilantro.

Books: The Joys of Vegetarian Cooking by Tarla Dalal.

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?
I use a pressure cooker. For particularly stubborn varieties a little baking soda does the trick.

Good Luck!

 

Name: Jlivan

Type of Vegetarian: lacto-ova vegetarian

1. How long have you been a vegetarian? 9 yrs

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian? wow, so you don't eat any meat or why do you not eat meat.

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants? I have actually had no problems at restaurants. They might look at me funny if I suggest to take out the meat on something but usually they are cool w/it.

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories) I think eating too many calories might be a problem. Or a lot of carbs, I love pasta so I need to add more variety of foods to balance out.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians? Well, I don't like to cook that much so anything simple and fast is good for me. I just recently started Tofu, and just the simple stuff like the tofurky is good, I just slap that stuff on a samwich or cut it up into salads.

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes? Well, I wash my veggies but not too much into soaking them, I just rinse them off under tap water and rub some of the spots.

 

Name _Zinka_______________
Type of Vegetarian __Lacto - Ovo Vegeterian____________

1. How long have you been a vegetarian? 11 months.

2. How do people react when you tell them you are a vegetarian?
Differently, some say it's cool, some of them understand my reasons and support me in my choice, and some think I'm weird or think I do it to be a rebel or something.

3. What types of problems do you have when you eat in restaurants?
I rarely eat in restaurants, almost never.

4. What problems do you face in making sure you get the correct balance of nutrients? (i.e. protein, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and calories)
Than God, haven't had any health problems so far.

5. Do you have any tips on making legumes and tofu more appetizing or good receipe books for vegetarians?
Not really, I combine food I think could taste good together, my mom helps alot. I don't have much time to cook, I eat whatever I have at the moment, as long as it doesn't have anything to do with meat.

6. How do you make the time for preparation of legumes which require hours of soaking before incorporating into receipes?
I never prepare it like that, it only takes around 15 - 20 minutes.