# Vegetarians?



## Jane (Dec 18, 2015)

Any other vegetarians? I've been vegetarian for almost a year now. I seem to be a rarity in this field, in my area. Lead to quite the teasing with some of my preceptors.

I had a difficult time finding things other than salad to take with me on the truck. Nor can I rely taking anything that needs to be warmed up, since my only access to a microwave is in the EMS lounge at the hospitals. As for eating out - after a certain hour, there are absolutely no options in my city for vegetarians besides gas stations. Does anyone have an ideas for things I can take that will be easy to eat, don't require warming, and will keep for 12 hours shifts?


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## MS Medic (Dec 18, 2015)

I'm a vegetarian. I tend to have to bring my own meals. Eating the standard fast food fare doesn't work.


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## Jane (Dec 18, 2015)

Nope, it doesn't. Nor do I trust fast food restaurants not to cross contaminate my food if there is a vegetarian option.


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## MS Medic (Dec 19, 2015)

Really don't worry about any "cross contamination." I'm not that particular about it. It's not that much of big deal to me.


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## Jane (Dec 19, 2015)

I'm only particular about it because I don't want meat to accidentally get into my system and I have an adverse reaction to it. I had a vegetarian friend who unknowingly ate something with chicken bullion in it. She became sick as a dog, vomiting. Now I'm slightly paranoid.


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## COmedic17 (Dec 19, 2015)

I am not a vegetarian, but the salad bar/pre packaged salads at whole foods and trader joes are pretty good.


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## COmedic17 (Dec 19, 2015)

Jane said:


> I'm only particular about it because I don't want meat to accidentally get into my system and I have an adverse reaction to it. I had a vegetarian friend who unknowingly ate something with chicken bullion in it. She became sick as a dog, vomiting. Now I'm slightly paranoid.


If you have only been vegetarian for a year, your not going to have a severe reaction if a tiny piece of meat gets in your food. If it's such a small amount to the point you can't visually detect it, I really doubt anything is going to happen at all. I don't eat fast food, but every one in a blue moon I'll cave, and I just get a stomach ache. The worst thing it's going to do is if you eat a lot of something you don't normally consume, is your stomach isn't going to be thrilled about trying to digest/comsume something it's not used to. I can guarantee you eat a lot of things unintentionally that you don't realize on a pretty regular basis ( little bugs, tiny traces of meat, etc).


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## MS Medic (Dec 19, 2015)

I've been one for 19 years and I'm not particular. I've only had a reaction a couple of times and that was at points where I was really broke and had to eat what someone offered or go hungry. At those times, I actually ate a full meal of it. If you just get a little grease or small amount of meat, you will be fine. Your friend's case probably had more to it than consuming more than a little chicken broth.


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## MS Medic (Dec 19, 2015)

Keep in mind that with some people there is the psychosomatic aspect as well. I've met people who make such a big deal out of the vegetarian thing that they accidentally consume a little meat and then turn it into such a big deal, they actually make themselves sick. 

I'm not saying your friend did that because I don't know them but it is a possibility.


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## Jane (Dec 19, 2015)

I'm not finicky about some things. I've knowingly consumed gelatin and non-vegetarian rennet. I try my best to avoid it, but sometimes it's unavoidable.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 20, 2015)

Is it just the meat you can't stomach ? How about seafood ? There's a plethora of easy to make things that aren't meat-based, can survive a full shift w/o a reefer and don't have to be heated.


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## MS Medic (Dec 20, 2015)

For those of us that are vegetarians, sea food is considered meat. Vegans take it a step further by not eating dairy, eggs, and even honey if you want to go to extremes.


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## MS Medic (Dec 20, 2015)

For me, I just cook meals at home and bring to work.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 20, 2015)

MS Medic said:


> For those of us that are vegetarians, sea food is considered meat. Vegans take it a step further by not eating dairy, eggs, and even honey if you want to go to extremes.



Gotcha. So eggs are a go unless you're a vegan, nice. In that case, a veggie casserole is probably the best, other than that I'd go for grilled vegetables with a side of grains (rice, barley, buckwheat etc). Can share a few recipes if people are interested.


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## MS Medic (Dec 20, 2015)

Since my wife and kids aren't vegetarians, I tend to cook meals normally but just have had to learn to use spices for vegetables that are side dishes rather than meat or fat as a flavoring. I just had to ruin a lot of meals experimenting.


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## MS Medic (Dec 20, 2015)

A good place to start is online or vegetarian cookbooks that don't require lots of specialty ingredients from the health food store. Unless of course, that is your thing.


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## redundantbassist (Dec 20, 2015)

Jane said:


> Nor do I trust fast food restaurants not to cross contaminate my food if there is a vegetarian option.



Huh...??


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## MS Medic (Dec 20, 2015)

She is referring to things like cooking on a flat top next to someone else's meat and grease or small pieces of meet getting into her food.


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## Jane (Dec 20, 2015)

Qulevrius said:


> Is it just the meat you can't stomach ? How about seafood ? There's a plethora of easy to make things that aren't meat-based, can survive a full shift w/o a reefer and don't have to be heated.



Nope, I don't do any meat or seafood.


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## redundantbassist (Dec 20, 2015)

MS Medic said:


> She is referring to things like cooking on a flat top next to someone else's meat and grease or small pieces of meet getting into her food.


I understand what she means, I just find it incredibly ridiculous. If she follows a vegetarian diet for health reasons, or even due to medical issues, a very small amount of grease on her food will have no impact on her health whatsoever. It just makes no sense.


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## CALEMT (Dec 20, 2015)

It makes no sense to me to climb to the top of the food chain just to eat carrots. But I digress. 

To the OP, is there anything preventing you from taking a cooler/ice chest to work? I'm the polar opposite of vegetarian but I regularly bring food to work that requires it to be cold. I'm not the biggest fan of eating out (trying to save a dollar or two) but I will if I'm lazy and don't bring food. Obviously it's going to be harder to eat out when you're a vegetarian, but I recommend bringing a decent cooler to work. You get to choose what food you bring, you'll always have your lunch in the rig and not risk rolling the dice ordering food then getting a call, and it's cheaper/healthier than eating out.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 20, 2015)

MS Medic said:


> A good place to start is online or vegetarian cookbooks that don't require lots of specialty ingredients from the health food store. Unless of course, that is your thing.



To be honest, all one needs is a good grocery store with reasonably priced produce. Unless you go for 100% organic, in which case you're stuck with farmer markets and stores like Trader Joe's. Speaking of which, TJ's carries an absolutely *****ing pasta; there are two varieties, one is a brown rice + quinoa and another is spinach + bell peppers + beet. They're on the pricey side @ $3/bag but 100% worth it.


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## Jane (Dec 20, 2015)

I can definitely take a cooler and store it in one of the outside compartments. I've seen others do it. I was just looking for ideas of things to take with me, besides salad, that doesn't need warming up. (Also not hired on yet, but I definitely plan on taking lunch with me to save money) 

When I was doing clinicals, I usually ended up taking baggies on baby carrots to munch on because I was at a lost to what I could bring. Plus I had preceptors who were finicky about where students stored their stuff. So bringing a lunch box along with my back pack was sometimes challenging.


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## Qulevrius (Dec 20, 2015)

Jane said:


> I was just looking for ideas of things to take with me, besides salad, that doesn't need warming up.



Chop/dice an onion, bell pepper(s), portobello/shiitake mushrooms, crush some garlic, grate some carrot and ginger, boil some green beans, add some bean sprouts. Cook a pot of pasta (your choice). In a large, deep bowl blend 2 eggs & dump in the prepped veggies. Put the cooked and drained pasta on top (I rinse it with cold water too, to remove the broth), add spices to taste (I usually go with some simple seasoning), some curry if you like it, some grated cheese of your choice and sprinkle everything with soy sauce. If you fancy oriental food, try the Island Soyaki sold @ TJ's, it's soy sauce based and has sesame seeds in it. Mix everything with your hands and put in a casserole. Let it sit in the oven uncovered for 20 min @ 400F, take out, mix it, put in again for another 15-20 or til the pasta starts browning, take out, mix, rinse and repeat til ready. Leave it sitting on the stove for a few hours, let it breathe and cool down. Take it to work, it doesn't spoil and doesn't need any warming up (recommended though).


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## Jane (Dec 20, 2015)

That sounds yum!


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## Qulevrius (Dec 20, 2015)

Yeah. I'm not a vegetarian and usually put shrimp and tuna in it. Have to take more than I can eat with me, because when I open the food container my partner always gives me the big puppy eyes and I have to feed her too


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## Mya (Feb 4, 2016)

Snack foods are the way to go in my opinion. Seasoned popcorn is amaaazing. I went through a salad phase haha and I'm not in it anymore but usually I'd cook a variety of foods. Squash is good hot or cold. LENTILS are a godsend. Pita chips. Fruit. Grain based snacks usually contain no animal products. Salads can be beefed up with quinoa, nuts, and other grains if you still want salads. Just add a nice dressing to keep things interesting! Cold buckwheat noodles with carrots...there's so many options!


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## Qulevrius (Feb 5, 2016)

Mya said:


> Cold buckwheat noodles



Buckwheat is my side of choice. It's not called a 'poor man's quinoa' for nothing, the caloric value is incredible. Pearl barley is also great. I do grilled veggies as well, just chop some, toss on a tray and put in the oven, it's ready in 25-30 min. Like you said, the options are endless...


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## Mya (Feb 5, 2016)

Qulevrius said:


> Buckwheat is my side of choice. It's not called a 'poor man's quinoa' for nothing, the caloric value is incredible. Pearl barley is also great. I do grilled veggies as well, just chop some, toss on a tray and put in the oven, it's ready in 25-30 min. Like you said, the options are endless...



I loooove putting sesame oil and either a little hoisin or fish sauce on the buckwheat noodles after I've cooked them in garlic. I feel like buckwheat noodles are so underrated!


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## Qulevrius (Feb 21, 2016)

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## daysquad (Mar 20, 2016)

Nope, I'm not a vegetarian but I do like eating vegetable salad. It's quite easy to prepare  and requires no cooking at all.


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## SeeNoMore (Mar 22, 2016)

I'm a Vegan. It's not the most convenient pairing with EMS but perfectly doable. I tend to bring meals and the supplement with stuff like fruit , granola bars, etc. If I feel like a less healthy option Ill usually get Chinese food.

I try not to eat a ton of prepared Vegan food as it's expensive and you end up eating tons of soy (I just get tired of it) but it can be easy for lunches. If you have a Trader Joes or Whole Foods you can buy prepared sandwhiches , salads, deserts etc that's pretty easy. But of course somewhat expensive.


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## Chad (Mar 23, 2016)

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!


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## OGMedic (Sep 20, 2016)

This is a little weird but there's a new science out about eating to suit your blood type and keeping with your ancestral needs.  It seems that each blood type was evolved due to the diet that your ancestors had and now your body does best when eating that same diet.  It makes sense to me.......  I'm A+ and I just started the A diet and although skeptical, it does seem to be working.


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## luke_31 (Sep 20, 2016)

OGMedic said:


> This is a little weird but there's a new science out about eating to suit your blood type and keeping with your ancestral needs.  It seems that each blood type was evolved due to the diet that your ancestors had and now your body does best when eating that same diet.  It makes sense to me.......  I'm A+ and I just started the A diet and although skeptical, it does seem to be working.


Sounds like another fad diet to me


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## dutemplar (Sep 22, 2016)

I try to avoid eating vegetarians whenever possible.  They seem extra chewy, and kind of bland on flavor.  The definitely need a lot more salt and seasoning.  Although thinly sliced, and sauteed in garlic butter, then they arent too bad...


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## IA Undercover (Jun 18, 2017)

Have been for about 10 years give or take. Can't remember it was so long ago.

Never really an issue except you might get some crap from your partner about it.


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## Pond Life (Jul 10, 2017)

I am the opposite - I just tend to eat meat and fish as I find my body accepts it. I do occasionally eat veg but it's out of politeness rather than desire/needs. Salads actually make me ill - D&V.
My wife is vegetarian and we seem to get along well as far as meals are concerned. Respect each others needs at the  same time indulging out own personal desires.
I too find it difficult to find decent food while on shift - huge amounts of processed meat out there. Very difficult to find healthy meat in a take away option. Night shifts in my county are particularly bad. Nothing open after 22:00 - other than Mac D which I think most people would avoid no matter what their diet habit may be.


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## PJCB53 (Jul 13, 2017)

I'm mostly plant-based (strict vegan 90% of the time), and I rarely have access to a microwave or other way of heating up my food during my shift. I cook all in one day off for the week, for example this week I made stuffed peppers and 8-ball zucchini and scrambled tofu with chorizo lentils and corn fritters. All that is decent cold, which is helpful. I make a mashed chickpea mock "tuna" salad that I pack and eat on savory rice cakes with greens and grated carrots. I bring cashews, hummus, pretzels, etc. I don't care too much for salad so I try to find stuff that I can eat cold (or warm) and will pack as much nutrition and energy as possible. I also make sure I have a strong meal before work, usually a quinoa-based veggie burger on sprouted bread/bagel with tomato, red onion, nutritional yeast, greens, sometimes refried beans. 

If I'm really in a pinch and have no food with me, I look for Subway, Wendy's or Starbucks during my shift. All have passable vegan options, if not desirable.


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## Uclabruin103 (Jul 18, 2017)

7-Elevens have never given me a problem for using their microwaves if you do want some heated food.

I love making some burrito bowls: rice, beans, corn, tomato, Herdez avocado salsa, and whatever else you want. I can eat that warm or cold and it's really filling. 

I'm trying to eat at least one vegetarian meal a day. Another good one that I love is a vegetarian quesadila. Tortilla, vegan cheese, onion, scallions, mushrooms of your choice, and some delicious Herdez avocado salsa for dipping. Cook the mushrooms with grass fed butter and some salt to get some flavor and the moisture out, then cook the onions. Put it all in the tortilla and cook. So good.


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## marian (Aug 17, 2017)

I've been a vegetarian for over half my life and it's never really a problem for me but I live in California so there's plenty of places to get food w/o meat. 

That being said, I'm too broke to buy take out so I normally take my food to work (PB&J, beans & rice, etc.) and eat it cold because the microwave at station is rarely clean and it heats unevenly which annoys me to no end. 

And honestly, on shifts shorter than 24 hours, I don't really get hungry on shift. I load the hump in the am with oatmeal, a couple bananas, and a salad and I'm good to go for up to 12-16hrs provided I've got access to coffee and water.


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## Emily Starton (Jun 23, 2018)

Im also a vegetarian and im proud of it. Although it is really hard for me to find food outside xD


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