I am not banded yet, but am doing some research while jumping through insurance hoops.

I am a vegetarian and just wondering what it has been like for banded vegetarians. Is Protein an issue? What about eating the veggie meats and tofu? Has it been a good experience? Any input helps....

Thanks,

I've been able to eat meatless protein (meat substitutes) and tofu without problems. If you eat dairy and eggs it will be pretty easy to get enough protein, otherwise you will just have to get creative with tofu, legumes, and the like. Eggs are great protein so if you eat those you will be fine. I happen to eat fish now too, so I don't really worry about it, but for years I didn't (17 years actually) and I still got plenty of protein. You might have trouble with some of the Morningstar Farms products getting stuck (not just that brand but others, Boca etc), but I haven't. Just depends on how tight & how picky your band is. You'll be fine, just be careful about where you get your protein from.

I am vegan and doing fine! If you drink soymilk and tofu along with you vitamins you are going to be fine!!! One thing to be careful of is alot of vegetarians eat a lot of breads and rice which after banding was very difficult for me personally. I actually pretty much gave up on bread. The key is to eat slow. Chew a lot. I have a ton of great recipes if you ever want them. If you send me your email I would be more than happy to send them to you. All are high in protien do to the fact that my daughter who is 3 is also vegetarian so I am always making sure she gets enough protein. Hope this helps!!

Another thing that can be helpful is if your surgeon has a nutritionist. Ours was really good about suggesting things that fit my diet restrictions and were band friendly.