Going Vegetarian, Some Help Please!?

Question

Hi, I want to become a vegetarian. Do you guys know of any tricks to make the transition easier? Any recommendations are welcomed. Any recipes books I should consider? Any tips from someone who also made the change later in life? Any regrets?

Anybody who has nothing to contribute regarding the questions just shut up and go bother someone else, I dont need to hear or care to know your opinion about how God's creatures were meant to be eaten.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Here are some web sites with some great vegan/vegetarian food.

http://silksoymilk.com -chocolate and chai flavors are good

http://amys.com

http://organicfoodbar.com

http://gardenburger.com

http://yvesveggie.com

http://sunshineburger.com

http://rightfoods.com

http://veganstore.com -they have chocolate!

http://nakedjuice.com

http://www.cedarsfoods.com/

http://bolthouse.com

http://naturespath.com

http://turtlemountain.com -vegan ice cream and yogurt

http://goodkarmafoods.com - vegan ice cream

http://fruitabu.com

http://clifbar.com

http://www.pacificfoods.com -has good almond milk

Here are some good recipes:

Stir fry- You need cut up tofu, soy sauce, olive oil, steamed veggies, and cooked rice

Get a frying pan and coat it with olive oil. The put the tofu in the pan and brown each side of it. Next, add the veggies. Add a little soy sauce and put in the rice. Mix everything up and then let it sit on the stove, occasionally stirring it to make sure it doesn't burn. After about a minute and a half of that put it in a bowl and enjoy!

Hummus- chick peas, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and any other spices/seasonings you like

Puree the chick peas. Then add a little lemon juice, paprika, pepper, and other spices. Then stir. Serve with a pita, with cucumbers, or on a veggie wrap.

Favorite Classic Pancakes

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup soy milk

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix in the soy milk and oil, and with a fork or wire whisk, combine just until the batter is smooth.

Pour cup batter onto a hot, oiled griddle. When bubbles form in the center of the pancake, flip. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm while you make remaining pancakes. Serve warm with maple syrup or fruit syrup.

Here are some snack and dinner suggestions:

Snacks:

Celery with peanut butter

Apples with peanut butter

Pita with hummus

Raisins

Amy's Apple Toaster Pops

All natural popsicles

Natural Valley bars

Clif Bar

Fruit Leather

Silk Chocolate Soy Milk

Naked Juice

Apple chips

Dinners:

Tofu Stir Fry

Amy's Pizzas

Amy's entrees

Sandwiches made with Yves meatless deli slices

Tofu Scramble

Gardenburgers

Natural Oven's bagels

Dr. McDougall's Soups and Noodle Soups

Soy Cheese Quesedillas

Veggie Wraps

Lentils with Wild Rice and Veggies

Whole foods is a great store for vegetarians/vegans, so I recommend grocery shopping there. You also can get a lot of the things I listed above there.

Answer 2

there is a big myth out there

"being vegetarian means i will eat boring foods my whole life"

it is so not true

this is my moms restauraunt and we make delecious vegetarian food http://www.theveggiegarden.com/vgMenu.ht...

the fish we make is not fish

but tast jjst like fish

the meat of ours taste just better than real meat

our food provide more protien than any meat =]

asian food provide a amazing number of vege meats http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetari...

Answer 3

Hello!

Congrats on your choice. I think you will find the vegetarian lifestyle to be fulfilling and rewarding both spiritually and physically.

As far as the transition is concerned, I've heard that the majority of us make the switch in one of two ways:

A- Cold Turkey. One day, just cut off meat and never look back. Or -

B- Gradually. Choose the animal that you eat the least of and cut that out of your diet first. Then the next week, choose another meat and cut that out. Keep going until you're down to your favorite and you can wean yourself off of that.

Soy meats make the transition easier too. You can always use chick'n strips in stir fries or tacos, soy "ground meat" in spaghetti and chili...you get the idea.

I don't really have one particular cookbook that I like more than another. I have a ton of them and I like them all. Perhaps you should check out an arm load of them at your local library. That will give you a good idea about various recipes and staples. Then you won't have to buy them all. :-)

I don't know that you mean by "later" in life...I made the change when I was in my early 20s and I sort of consider that "later". I don't have any regrets!

I accept emails - write if you need!

Good luck...HR

Answer 4

Hey, i became a vegie about 3 months ago, and i have stuck to it with ease, but i promise you before that time i was worried about not getting enough protein, or eating boring foods, but its great and i iwll tell you why.

The vegy alternatives in supermarkets are bloody tasty, and in my opinion taste better and feel alot healthier then most of there meat counterparts. For home dishes i eat pasta, rissotto, pizza, plenty of mixed vegatable salads and cheese with bread. I have lost alot of fat and just kept the good weight. Also bear in mind most Asian food actually contains no meat at all, and in my opinion thaifood is the tastiest and healthiest asian food you can get. If you worried about protein loss, remember that cerial, eggs, beans of any kind contain alot of protein. Also the soya products in shops contain much more protein then the meat alternatives, and most of the time a h**l of alot less fat.

Apologies for the dodgy grammer im at work.

Answer 5

Hamburgs, steakes, roast, bacon, pork chops, chicken ,turkey, just keep saying this over and over,

Answer 6

good for you.  it's a healthier diet!  

i would suggest:

*taking vitamins, just to be safe.

*learn how to work tofu!  it can do lots of things like thanksgiving dinner or smoothies!

*use soymilk when you can. it has more protein

*find out which beans you like (protein again), & try to incorporate them in more meals.

*don't be afraid to ask for veggie meals when they're not offered, like at weddings or fancy restaurants.  i've found that the chefs like to make things off the menu (they can experiment) & these meals seem to be better than what's offered, according to meat-eaters sentiments!

*not being picky.  being veg will make you picky enough.  if you go to your bf's mom's & she makes kale for you, just eat it.  & watch out for bbq's!  don't always expect veggie kabobs & baked potatoes.  i've eaten my share of baked bean & corn sandwiches!

good luck!

Answer 7

This is a great choice you will be ver much healthier if you stay away from meat as long as you make sure you get your protien you can eat nuts and beans for protien eggs some vegetarians still eat eggs because there are different types of vegetarians some still eat turkey chicken and fish while staying away from beef and red meat some stll eat eggs and milk but stay away from meat period and some just eat fruits and vegetables which is very healthy I turned vegetarian and stuck to it for 2 years its a good lifestyle choice just balance your diet with a good source of protien

Answer 8

At the very beginning, avoid restaurants as much as possible, unless they are veggie restaurants or have tons of good veggie options.  It is SO hard at first in a "normal" restaurant.  Also you will be very hungry at first!  Make sure to get a good variety of food so you won't get bored, and always have vegetarian friendly snacks around.  I think for the first month I had a bag of trail mix with me 24-7.  Definitely look up vegetarian nutrition, and get a good vegetarian vitamin.    Other than that, I'd look at www.vegweb.com or www. goveg.com for recipes.  http://www.veganwolf.com/ is a GREAT site to help you stock your kitchen (I'm not vegan but it does have great tips).  I do most of my recipe searching online, and yahoo answers tends to have a ton of people on it with really great recipes too!

Answer 9

First off, I am a vegetarian, so no meat-eater comments from me!

I suggest starting out lacto-ovo (you can eat dairy and eggs) and slowly cutting out meat. I quit eating meat cold turkey and found out it gives you cramps. Going from a normal diet to a diet full of fiber (which is what vegetarians have) can give you slight stomach pains. Which is why you should ease youself into vegetarianism. Or jump in. Whatever!

There are alot of fake meats out their. Personally, I find most of them disgusting but lots of people love them. Test some out! It makes transitions a lot easier. (I like to make tacos and such with TVP).

Also, you need to think... Am I going to be a healthy vegetarian or a junkfood vegetarian? When people first get into vegetarianism it is super easy to be a junkfood veg. Eat lots of fruits and veggies and try to make different meals everyday.

Also be careful when reading ingredients. There are tons of things to look out for. Gelatin, glute, rennet and I think sorbic acid are all made from animals. Always read the ingredients.

I love http://www.vegweb.com . It is full of recipes!

I have no regrets, except for not going vegetarian sooner. If you ever wanna talk, email me. I can answer your questions as best as I can! ([e-mail])

Goodluck!

Answer 10

hey There,

i made the transition about a year ago, and could not be happier. While I just went cold turkey all at one on meat, and then seafood a few months later, my advice would be to become a pert of the community. For instance, i watched videos on the PETA site which depicted the butchering of animals, and the gross conditions in which they lived. Also, i read their list of reasons to become a vegetarian, food suggestions, etc. Another great site is goveg.com, and of course, go to a site like freshdirect.com, and explore a bit, and see what options are truly available to you!

However, everyone is different. My advice, however, would be to ween yourself off of meat carefully by the things you could live without most (i.e. you like chicken most, so stop eating beef and seafood first)...As you do this, and find new recipes and alternatives, it will be easier to make the final transition. Also, try to go to veg-friendly reatsurants- the few times that I ate seafood was b/c I was in a space where it was between salad and crab. shrimp,etc.

Feel free to message me with more suggestions, or just to "buddy-up" for support!

Good luck!

Answer 11

when I became a vegetarian I just cut cold turkey (ironic huh..lol) anywho it's alot more easier that way and it takes wayy less time to make the transaction.