New Vegetarian. .?

Question

I was a 'vegetarian' in my teens, somewhat sporadically, and now i have made the decision to convert to vegetarianism for good. I have done a lot of incredibly disturbing research, and made this decision based not only on the health benefits, but on the moral standing too.

I just wanted to ask, how am i likely to feel in the next few days without having eaten meat. Will there be a withdrawel process? I am completely committed; but it pays to be prepared you know.

Thanks all :)

Answer 1

I decided to become a vegan after doing the lovely research you speak of...that was a bit too tough, so I decided even just being a vegetarian would make a difference. I felt fine and never looked back!

Just get ready for having to explain to people why you are a vegetarian, it gets trying after a while...*sigh*

Answer 2

Congrats! =)

Some new vegetarians find themselves craving meat. If you do, try meat alternatives, such as Quorn products (not suitable for those who avoid eggs).

http://www.quorn.com/

How will vegetarianism affect you? Well provided your diet is balanced you'll have more energy. Better skin is a plus!

Answer 3

I think everyone is different. Some people find they miss meat but I don't know about withdrawals. Honestly I went from omni to vegetarian cold turkey... (pun intended) LOL. I'm now vegan, I thought it was harder to go vegan though, I miss cheese.

Answer 4

Based on my experience, there wasnt a "withdrawal" symptom. Some people experienced abit of shaking and foul odor on their mouth and sweat on their body, its because the body is detoxifying. If it happens to you, dont worry that much. Also, on the first few days and weeks, eat lots of veggies and fruit. It will really help with the shaking thing.

Congrats. Long live the vegetarians and vegans. By the way, im a vegan.

Answer 5

I'm a recent vegetarian & I found the transition quite hard despite never having been a voracious meat eater as an omnivore (ie. I used to only eat meat a few days a week). In fact I even found myself craving meat for a while -- though this may not be typical, from other reports I have had.

What I can tell you is that it's really important to eat a wide variety of foods which are both healthy and tasty - I've eaten out more (a bit more than I should) while I have been re-educating myself to cook vegetarian meals. Eating a wider variety of nations' cuisines worked for me as a kind of diversion therapy and made the absence of meat less apparent. There are some wonderful vegetarian dishes as I'm sure you know!

The other tip I can provide - take a daily multivitamin (at least for a few months) ! Please, as the difficulty I have experienced has been in part caused by not getting my nutritional needs completely right - especially as a craving can be a symptom that you are lacking something. It can take time to develop a feel for this - iron for instance can be easy to neglect from a vegetarian diet; if your not careful.

And to repeat some of the best advise I have been given - make sure you go at your own pace! Don't be afraid to take it gradually if you feel that it is right for you. If you need to ween yourself off meat to give it up for good, then remember that this is best in the long run. Celebrate your success and every meal you can enjoy meat free!

Answer 6

I'm like you. I gave it a try a few weeks ago and so far so good. My husband is still a commited meat eater and my children occassionally eat some meat too. I do most of the cooking and I find that whenever there's a roast chicken in the oven I start getting cravings. It's getting better with time and hopefully it'll stop altogether soon.