Do you guys have any tips for a new vegetarian?

Question

I've been a vegetarian for 5 days now after watching videos on what they do to animals. I always thought they got meat from large farms somewhere in Arizona, where hundreds of cows were scattered among acres and acres of green land. But now, the reality sunk in. Never shall I place my lips on meat that was taken from a chicken/cow/pig that was beaten to death, tormented and the usuals. So any tips?

Answer 1

Protip:  Don't eat meat.  That's it.

Answer 2

Congrats! The first week is always the hardest, i suggest getting some books on the subject and gain some new veg friends! Ive been veg for 6 months now and boy do I feel so much healthier! You will be so happy also to see results in everyway possible :] Good Luck!

Answer 3

Add food coloring to mashed potatoes and shape them like various cuts of meat. Use plaster of Paris to simulate bones.

Answer 4

if you really, really don't want to eat meat, you should watch the movie earthlings. it's narrated by Joaquin Phoenix (he plays Johnny Cash in Walk the Line). watch it once you'll never want to eat meat again.

but careful it's EXTREMELY graphic.

good luck!

Answer 5

yeaa

eat meat substuits morning star is my favert brand

if you get a hardcore craving watch a vid like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqV...

dont eat less then your only hurting yourself

good luck

Answer 6

Well done.Do not be too choosy.Do not eat too much deep fry food.Take more veges and fruits.Take a bit of nuts and tofu is good.

Answer 7

I don't know why Crystal got a thumbs down, but she's absolutely right... there are meat brands out there that practice environmentally responsible meat farming and work very hard to avoid causing their livestock any pain, discomfort, or fear.

That being said, vegetarianism is a great choice! It's healthful, satisfying, and much easier on the environment. You can reduce your carbon footprint significantly just by giving up meat.

It is hard at first. You miss the foods that you loved. For me, the stuff I miss most is my dad's "mince." We created a vegetarian rendition using veggie crumbles, but it still isn't the same. (It's good, though, and that's good enough for me.)

Anyway, you might wind up eating some unhealthy stuff for awhile... cheese pizza, fries, etc. Don't worry too much about it for the first couple of weeks. For the first few weeks, give yourself some leeway. You seem like you want to cut out flesh pretty badly, so you could focus on that. If you go into the hidden ingredients now, you might get overwhelmed and throw in the towel. If you really want to go whole hog (har har), go for it. Just be prepared for finding more restrictions than you were planning on.

I would suggest investing in some fake meat, especially when you're trying to eat in a group/with your family; it's kind of nice to be able to eat the same thing as them, even if yours is made with TVP instead of ground beef.

If you have veggie friends, enlist the help of one of them to find good restaurants and recipes. If you like ethnic cuisine, go out (tonight!) for Indian or Thai. Vegetarian dishes there are a dime a dozen and the food is great... flavorful, rich, filling... mmm (curry craving!).

Other than that, in the long term, be sure that you're not replacing meat with eggs and dairy. They're not that much better (on any level, really, unless you shop carefully) and it's kind of a crutch that you won't want to depend on. Also, be sure that you're getting enough fruits and vegetables. That sounds weird, but you'd be surprised at how much pasta and bread you might wind up eating. Try to have at least one meal a day that is based on produce.

Lastly, have some fun with it and don't beat yourself up too badly if you make a mistake. Good luck and be well. :-)

Answer 8

get books talk to people who are vegetarian get a clear mind view as to why your vegetarian and keep focused and understand it and do your research as well as think of joining local groups that either deal with the environment or animal rights (sierra club WWF etc. not necessarily PETA)

some really good links that have it all there where you need it are



http://veggielinks.com/becomingavegetari...

http://veggielinks.com/linkexchange.html

http://www.britishmeat.com/49.htm

good luck and stick to it

Answer 9

salad salad and more salad

Answer 10

I was raised vegetarian, so I don't relate to the meat cravings.  I think if you are solely doing this because of cruelty to animals, perhaps you could look into the meat brands that do not practice this.

Answer 11

I don't think the issue is so much the "meat cravings" as "where am I going to get my protein source?" Well, I am not a believer in dairy (did you know that almost all humans are mildly allergic to it, and that we were never supposed to eat it in the first place?), so I suggest eating things like raw nuts, beans, peanut butter, etc. I eat fish, too, and that is a wonderful source of omega-3s as well. Good luck!

Answer 12

Well when I turned vegetarian I found it very easy so I don't think that I can really give you advice on cravings. But a good tip to help you maintain a healthy diet is make a check list for each day and eat everything that is listed on it, like 5 fruit and veg, and a ounce of nuts etc. I think that it is a great way to keep yourself healthy! Just eat everything listed there and you should lead a healthy lifestyle. Of course you have to do some research on what food to put on it.