Contemplating Vegetarianism

glamazonnadiamarie1990

I have been recently learning about the meat industry and nutrition in general and I am contemplating becoming vegetarian, starting with cutting meat down to 1/2 portions a week.

However I am not a big cheese person, or a huge mushroom fan and I am struggling finding recipes that are vegetarian and not based on these products

Can anyone help me? Any advice, especially from vegetarian converts is greatly appreciated

Laurend224

Look as some vegan websites, no cheese there. ohsheglows.com, nomeatathlete.com theppk.com, fatfreevegan.com. www.vegweb.com. There are tons!

Sarauk2sf

Do you eat meat substitutes? There are a lot of decent ones out there (well, not really for bacon and definitely not for fish).

Look into seitan and quorn. You can just use these and make recipes with meat - just swap out. Also, look for recipes that include soy/tofu.

Main thing to be careful with if you do become a vegetarian is to make sure you get a good amount of complete proteins and keep an eye on your B12 intake (as well as iron and Vit D). Nutritional yeast is a good add to meals as it is usually fortified with B12, as is soy usually.

There are a bunch of sites out there with good vegetarian recipes. For example:

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/vegetarian/

glamazonnadiamarie1990

Brilliant thank you I have started introducing meat substitutes but pretty new thing to be honest. Hoping to try some vegetarian restaurants for ideas too. Research head on!

Sarauk2sf

glamazonnadiamarie1990 wrote: »

Brilliant thank you I have started introducing meat substitutes but pretty new thing to be honest. Hoping to try some vegetarian restaurants for ideas too. Research head on!

Welcome. It takes a bit of trial and error to find what you like - there are some awful meat substitutes and vegetarian recipes out there, but there are also some good ones.

You can also often find some good stuff at local farmers markets, although that will depend on where you live. I also find a good selection at my local 'hippie' grocery store - I am kind of spoiled as I live in a very 'alternative/vegetarian' location.

Other things you can do if you are not too worried about protein for that meal, are stir fries, pasta dishes etc - if you want protein, just throw whatever you prefer in. Indian food is usually good too - but I am a terrible cook so do not even attempt it.

glamazonnadiamarie1990

We have plenty of options living in Manchester Lots of vegetarians and vegans. My partner loves stir fries that is one of the few vegetarian meals he will get on board with haha

TheDarkestStar87

I've been a veggie for almost 10 years now. I like quorn as a substitute but not really use it too often. If you're not a fan of cheese, try stir fries, curries or soups
packed with lots of veggies and flavours. For salad fillers, try salads based on different grains (bulgur wheat and couscous are my staples) to help keeping you full. For protein try nuts and eggs, but watch out for the high cal and fat (handful of walnuts in salads is nice for example). Other than that, browse your local health food store for meat alternatives and dare to try out some unknown fruit and veg, you never know what you'll discover.

lemurcat12

I'm not vegetarian but used to try and eat meat (including fish) only 3-4 days per week. Beans are a good option (and lentils cook quite fast). Also, if you don't mind meat substitutes I assume tofu is okay, and adding some to a vegetable dish like a stir fry will boost the protein. Also check out 101 cookbooks. It's a nice site with great photos and many vegetarian recipes.

Sarauk2sf

glamazonnadiamarie1990 wrote: »

We have plenty of options living in Manchester Lots of vegetarians and vegans. My partner loves stir fries that is one of the few vegetarian meals he will get on board with haha

I moved to the States 16 years ago, but am from London originally. Even though I moved to the San Francisco area, which is very vegetarian friendly, there is still a much better choice in the grocery stores in the UK. When I go back to visit I actually go to the stores looking to see what they have and getting all jealous. For example, they do quorn here, but only the basic stuff - the range they have in the UK is really extensive in comparison.

glamazonnadiamarie1990

We are very lucky, a colleague was in France and literally the only veggie option she could have was broccoli and she was served a whole plate of steamed broccoli they all thought she was mad! I work in a nursery and the menu is very vegetarian friendly too so that will be a big help. I can't stand tofu but so far tried quorn mince and 'chicken' pieces and meat free meatballs and enjoyed all those. Just need to introduce it to my diet regularly now. Our area has a huge Caribbean community and this has resulted in local shops with a ton of different pulses: should put those to good use!

drabbits3

good websites--Smitten Kitchen, Delicious Dishings, We are not Martha, Cookie and Kate.

KardioKim

Go for it! I've been veggie for half my life. Options are so much better than they used to be. Lots of good info here.

saraarassara

I also don't eat meat, and agree with all the suggestions so far. Especially to watch your iron and b12. I was feeling tired all the time and found that making sure I got some leafy greens in every day helped with that.

Sarauk2sf

saraarassara wrote: »

I also don't eat meat, and agree with all the suggestions so far. Especially to watch your iron and b12. I was feeling tired all the time and found that making sure I got some leafy greens in every day helped with that.

Also getting enough Vit C helps the absorption of non heme (non meat) iron.

snorkizzle

I spent the last few months eating entirely veggie (no longer). If you are a vegetarian will you eat eggs and fish? if so this makes it a lot easier. I'd check out some Indian/Nepali/Thai recipes. There are a lot of easy vegetarian dishes that have a ton of flavor. The curries are great but there are plenty of easy dishes like egg fried rice/noodles etc that have plenty of calories in them.

Also do you dislike all cheese or only some types?

emdeesea

I can only tell you my experience. I went to vegetarianism last year from April through to about August, mostly for moral reasons. I watched my protein intake, my iron, ate meat substitutes, etc., lots of green leafy vegetables, and I still ended my experience feeling like complete crap and having no energy, which went away as soon as I reintroduced meat back into my diet.

The best advice I got was from a trainer who said that some people's bodies just can't adjust, and I'm one of them. I really did give it my best shot but by the end I could hardly get out of a chair to do my workout without feeling drained of everything. So I've compromised by eating meat raised by local farmers.

krawhitham

This is where I get all of my veggie recipes: http://www.thugkitchen.com/

RodaRose

I live cheaply and easily by making beans or lentils in the crockpot.

Docbanana2002

Sounds like you might benefit from cookbooks and websites for vegans, since they will all be dairy free. My favorite is ohsheglows.com.

melimomTARDIS

my diary is open, and I am vegetarian. Feel free to look around! I try to eat protien with each meal, and I limit dairy and eggs (but I do eat them).

Edited to add- i do take a vitamin with iron, as I rarely reach the RDA through diet alone. I think a multivitamin is a good idea for vegetarians, especially if you are just starting.

Another edit- I have read that shooting for 20g of protien at each meal is a good number.

Jpedno

I eat a lot of eggs (from a coworker who raises them free range & happy), beans and lentils. Lentil tacos are great. I also try to eat fruits and veggies seasonally - lots of roasted veggies this time of the year. Mexican food, Asian food, and Indian food are good go-to meals as well. Just got huge thug kitchen cookbook and I love it so far.