Vegetarian

[[Marieke]]

Hey everyone,

I´d like to have some advice.
I eat a lot of meat, but lately I actually don´t like it that much anymore.
Sooo, I wanna become a vegetarian, and how do you guys do it. What do you eat instead of meat.
And what should I eat to keep myself healthy and and stuff..
So yeah, let me know if you have any advice or tips =)
xx

[Frau_Peppernose]

Hey there,

I have been a vegetarian (on and off) for about 4 years and have been vegan for a few months.
Just like you, I was really overwhelmed in the beginning about what to eat instead of meat but once you get used to eating differently and trying new things it is really really easy, trust me!
First of all, if you find it hard to make the transition, you could try some of the many meat substitutes. While some are really good, most of them do just not taste like real meat. So, if you expect to find something that tastes exactly like steak or chicken, you might be disappointed.
What I love is trying to add a lot of vegetables to my meals and experiement a little here and there. You can look at some veggie-blogs for inspiration and I think both Ellen DeGeneres and PETA have more information on how to make the transition. (I'm not sure if "making the transition" is the right expression here but I'll use it for lack of a better term.) Just try to have fun with it, try some new stuff and see what you like (and don't like).
As for being healthy: if you keep eating lots of veggies you should actually be fine as most people don't really have issues as long as they keep a well-balanced diet. Anyway, some people struggle with iron deficiency or are worried about their protein levels. As for protein, nuts and legumes are a great source while leafy greens have lots of iron in them.

I hope this helped a little.
I'm not really an expert but if you have any more questions, just let me know!

[LaurieCQ]

I've been a vegetarian for 3 years now and for 16 years before that, chicken was the only meat I ate. It was a personal choice partly because of environmental reasons, partly because I don't like the taste of meat, and partly because I don't like the thought of eating animals. Now I eat lots of other proteins like eggs, dairy, legumes (chickpeas, black beans, edamame, etc.), and peanut butter. I was initally a little worried about my protien content so I started tracking it on http://www.thedailyplate.com until it reassured me that I was getting enough without protein powder, tofu, and other substitutes (I still eat/drink those occasionally but don't love them). The only time I sometimes miss meat is at restaurants when there's sometimes not a lot of vegetarian choices (salads get a little tiring after a while). Overall, I just feel cleaner in my eating habits and I think I'll be sticking with it for years to come. Good luck!

[LaurieCQ]

Oh and I'd also recommend taking a multi-vitamin and/or B12s.

[dpkeller]

Definitely take a multivitamin, and If you are in need of extra protein (which everyone is always worried about with vegetarians), eat Chobani nonfat greek yogurt or "think thin" bars! Also a lot of the meat substitutes contain extra protein, I LOVE all of Amy's organic stuff, they even make awesome meals that you can just pop in the microwave! but it can get a little pricey. just make sure you get enough of all the other food groups and you should be set. there are tons of blogs out there to help you out! good luck!

[SabrinaPaige8]

hi i'm new to HG. the posts on going vegetarian caught my eye.
i am about 90% vegetarian as of the last two months. i highly
recommend KimberlySnyder.com. she is an amazing wealth of
knowledge and ideas on how to eat vegetarian/vegan. i also
recommend her book Beauty Detox. hope you find her as
helpful and inspiring as i did

[bonesfanatic]

Hey there!
I'm a vegetarian. The best thing you can do is transition slowly so that your body has time to adjust to not having meat. While medical specialists will recommend taking multivitamins, I've never taken a multivitamin tablet since I became a vegetarian and all my levels are perfect. It just depends on the person. As others have said there are a lot of meat substitutes you can have that taste really, really good! (matter of opinion I guess) Remember too, if you're serious about vegetarianism and you don't want to consume any animal products (I don't mean vegan - I mean things like gellatine/gelatine etc) you'll need to consider that there are some products that use animal rennet and thickeners made from other animal products. Being a vegetarian is difficult at first but it's a good lifestyle choice and it helps the environment so, so much! You could consider buying a vegetarian recipe book. I have one with loads of recipes that I got for just $5 from my local post office!
Good luck! xx

[Alyx Duarte]

Yes! Come to the vegetarian/vegan side!
I personally love tofu! and there are plenty of other sources of protein such as tempeh, seitan, beans & legumes, even almonds! ChooseVeg has countless recipes, and information on swaps you can make to transition to a vegetarian diet (http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-substitutes.asp)
...Becoming a vegetarian/vegan is not only beneficial towards your health, but you could save up to, if not more than, 100 animals a year! That is truly amazing.

[HoLLIs]

Yes yes yes! I'm a vegetarian first for moral issues and last for health. and it has been...great! I have been for like 5 years. But you should no doubt do research first. I didnt. I just jumped right in, which was not one of my smartest moves for reasons conserning knowledge of the diet. Vitamins are vital. They say vegetarians have stronger immune systems then carnovoires, but...I'm not 100% on that theory. We are lacking in our diet thats why we must remember our daily supplements and when we dont take them...then talk about an ugly ride. But aside from that...I mean I can still eat everything I've always eatened but without guilt. So yeah good luck, and please please please stick to it And there are so many cool websites and book and organizations dedicated with this lifestyle which can make it so much easier if you do get fustrated because it can be a dificult commitment, surprisingly not for me. This is the first and only thing I have ever stuck to without second thoughts, but thats a whole other thread