Transcended. Vegetarian help please!!

placeboaddiction

I've transcended. I'm an empath. I can't bear the thought of eating meat anymore. Anyone vegetarian? I want real people advice. What do you wish people would have told you day 1? What do i need to know? Like the basics other than.. "don't eat meat!!"... Any advice on diet? like.. how to get the nutrients and what I'm losing? Just.. i need to know. Theres the internet... and I know this is a branch of it...but I don't know where to even start. The starter sites are too basic, and I honestly.. am still digesting all this. This has been a huge awakening for a cold scientific mind. But.. I dunno.. I feel the energy of the meat..and its sadness. I can't eat meat for spiritual reasons...

Thanks in advance

kristinadalba

I was a major meat eater two years ago.on my birthday I picked up this book on a whim called "Skinny *****es" I know it sounds shallow but the book was entirely about the veg slash vegan lifestyle.id recommend picking it up.I was vegan for a while and still to this day drink soy milk,avoid cheese and meats...can't handle the mental images I get.
If you allow yourself eggs,make sure their organic and not caged.if you be regular eggs your getting the hormones and the stress that chick had...sounds weird I know
Try. Soy milk tastes better anyways
Chick peas,beans,broccoli,quinoa ,etc contain protein etc.
The trick is to plan ahead,know your options and schedule.look up recipes and health food stores.hope this helps

Emilie04444

Welcome! I would start as slowly or quickly as you need to. You have time. It's really easy and you can start by just not eating meat. Not sure how you eat now.

My meals- Breakfast Cereal, fruit, soy milk .. Lunch- salad, or chili, or any plethora of sandwiches. Dinner- Pasta or beans and rice and tofu. Snacks apple or other fruit or veggie.

Since you are a guy, you need to eat more. Most sites that I have seen, just double the grain, or protein. 2 veggie burgers instead of 1, etc. I think you are making a great choice. Even to this day, I struggle. I want to eat eggs, but I don't believe that cage free is really that. Or just the idea of eating flesh, even eggs, bugs me so I throw them out. But just go as far as you have to and as slowly as you need to. No one is perfect. Just listen to your body and adjust your diet accordingly.

One thing I wish I knew is that it is not a competition. Everyone makes mistakes and ppl thrive on calling you out. I've stopped giving a *kitten* what ppl think which helps. You may go to a restaurant that cooks beef burgers and veggie burgers on the same grill. What do you do in that situation. What do you do, lol. I've even had ppl say what type of vegetarian doesn't eat veggies if I go out and order a burger and fries instead of a salad. They don't know that you haven't eaten fries is a month. I used to question my commitment, but you only need to worry about yourself.

Also don't become a cheese head. I used to live on grilled cheese or pizza and cheese has so much calories and fat, it makes you gain weight and clog your arteries. Plus it's been proven to be addictive.

You need to buy a book or search the internet for some sample meal plans. Good luck!

epie2098

I've been vegetarian for about 6 years now. My diary is open to friends, so feel free to add me and see what I eat each day. I just got diagnosed with celiac disease, so consider this fair warning that I'm currently figuring out how that will work for me. My blog is veggiebentolove.wordpress.com, and I've been blogging my lunches and most snacks for over a year now - lots of ideas!

A great resource is vegetariantimes.com, and they have an awesome starter kit: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/vegetarian-starter-kit/ as well a bunch of links on the PCRM website: http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vsk/vegetarian-starter-kit

You may find that you crave meat every once in a while. It's okay to have some, but my experience was that I got stomachaches after eating even a little. It's also absolutely okay to admit that some people have a hard time being vegetarian full-time. My husband feels weak after a few days with no meat, so he continues to prepare his own and add it to whatever veggie meals I make for us both.

youngcaseyr

Kudos on your decision! If you've made the decision for purely ethical reasons, you might want to check out veganism, as well (egg producing hens are eventually killed once their egg laying starts to wane, male chicks are killed cause they can't be used to lay eggs, and baby cows that are born in order for the dairy cows to produce milk are immediately separated from their mothers at birth and then sent to veal farms to be killed). But becoming vegan or vegetarian is a process and you don't have to do it overnight. Move at your own pace so you don't get frustrated and give up. Start by replacing little things; instead of meat, try beans and rice (to get your complete protein) or quinoa, which is already a complete protein (it's a lot like rice, but it is a smaller grain). Add more fruits and veggies to your diet- fruit in the morning and early afternoon, and veggies in the afternoon and evening. There are a lot more protein sources than most people are aware, and a lot of vegetables have protein. I recommend staying away from the super-processed alternatives which usually try to imitate meat but are full of artificial ingredients. I do, however, recommend looking into Bragg's liquid aminos, which is great in the place of soy sauce, but provides your essential amino acids and B vitamins, which are typically found in meat. Nutrutional Yeast is great in the place of cheese. You can get almost all of your essential vitamins and minerals from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that you might otherwise get from meat, but it helps to look up the individual benefits of specific fruits and veggies to know exactly what you're getting and what you might be missing by NOT eating certain plant foods. I've lived a cruelty-free life for the past 9 years and it only gets easier, especially if it is something you truly want to do and are invested in it as a lifestyle.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I've been vegetarian for 14 years. I take a multivitamin made for vegetarians because it's high in things hard to get on a vegetarian diet. I eat sooo many egg whites for my protein. It's important to watch carbs on a vegetarian diet. It's really easy to eat too many carbs and not enough fats and protein on a vegetarian diet.

Make sure to read the ingredients on things. Don't eat anything with gelatin, glycerin, stearic acid, etc. on it unless it specifies it's from a plant source. Try to make your own food when possible. It just makes things easier.

StheK

I wouldn't worry about going full vegan until you get the hang of vegetarianism. This is a BIG change- ease into it on your own time, and cut things out/try new things as gradually as you need to in order to do it in a healthy/sustainable way. I don't have a lot of other advice for you because I was raised vegan and never needed to make that switch- but I wish you the very best of luck and I'm glad you've decided to make the change!

zoodocgirl

I'm mostly veg and the little meat and fish I do eat is /sustainable/pasture/humanely raised. I was all veg for 15 years before realizing that I wanted to support the local farmers who are doing things the right way. I realized that my abstaining from meat is not going to influence animal agriculture to stop or change, but paying a premium for really humanely raised meat does turn the heads of other producers. I own two backyard chickens so I eat their eggs frequently and a fair bit of grass-fed cheese (no liquid dairy milk for me purely bc it makes me ill).

Anyway what I wish someone had told me on Day 1 is not to fall into the trap of processed meat substitutes as much as possible. It was such an easy and convenient way to get protein, but it's all frozen processed crap and sodium and half the time worse for the environment than the meat it's trying to replace. I would rather eat less protein and eat more real food than resort to cramming a bunch of processed protein bars/supplements/etc. just to meet what I think are unnecessarily high requirements on this site. Of course this will depend on what your fitness goals are (bulking, etc.). I do most of my shopping at the farmer's market and then supplement with staples at the store.

Quinoa is great nutritionally, but if you're a socially conscious person, you may want to research the economic issues it's creating in Latin America. I do a lot of garbanzo beans. I'd eat more black beans if I liked them but I don't. Moderate amounts of peanut butter. GREEK YOGURT (the real kind) - Trader Joe's nonfat greek yogurt has like 22g of protein for 120 calories or something insane. I add it to everything.

colourkitten

I've been a veggie (no meat fish or eggs) for 47 years and I've always been chubby. Now I am moving away from a carb heavy diet and even I'm finding eating enough protein to be a challenge.

But I have discovered Hemp protein. It's unflavoured with a slightly nutty flavour and I sprinkle it on nearly everything.

Vitimin B12 as a supplement is a must and I agree a slowly slowly approach is probably best.

placeboaddiction

Thank you all. This information was great! Done with 1 day. Had a place called happy hut for lunch. It was a vegan place that chagred us. Eggs will have to be grey area. Treated different per company for thought. Protein is hard. Foun my self starving a lot today. What an amazing day!

nleighp

First off- congratulations! The choice you're making can be a difficult one for many reasons, but ultimately it's rewarding and leads to a lot of great health benefits!

I've been vegan for nearly two years and started as vegetarian (which only lasted about two months). I disagree with people that say, "Get the hang of vegetarianism first," in that if you're ready to eliminate those things from your diet just do it! My transition between veggie to vegan came naturally and quickly, do what feels right for you.

That said, reading all the blogs I could find and studying recipes is what's made it the easiest for me. Learning how to cook meat, dairy and egg free can be a daunting task but the internet has a wide range of resources.

And as a personal plug, here is my blog, feel free to check it out!

http://willowandthyme.com

ldrosophila

You will feel better. I know my soul felt lighter when I was a veg head. I really miss the lifestyle.

First, get a good multivitamin there are several vegetarian and vegan brands out there

I would think nutrients that you will be missing:

B12-some school of though says that if you eat "dirty" vegetables that you can obtain it from the microorganisms in soil. There is debate on whether 1. it's clean-think manure animal and human 2. if it is even bioavailable to humans without first being digested in a ruminant gut (i.e. cows and other animals eating it). Nutritional yeast which is pretty good and taste likes cheese has some B12 and that maybe more bioavailable to humans. Fortified sources of vegetarian "meat', soy milk, almond milk. A good multivitamin

Iron-Fortified sources of vegetarian "meat", soy milk, almond milk. Iron is also found in dark green leafy plants like spinach, broccoli, kale. The only issue with this type of iron is it is not readily bioavailable to humans in the plant form. Our bodies better absorb the blood or heme form of iron. However, there is a way to increase the absorption. When ever you eat a green leafy plant make sure you combine it with a source of vitamin C it becomes available to humans. Think a spinach salad with strawberries or kale and a lemon sauce.

Protein-Complimentary proteins a lot of native cultures have been doing this for centuries. Basically plant proteins lack either one or the other essential amino acid making them incomplete. The best way to get a complete protein is to combine plant protein so think beans and rice, lentils and wheat, nuts and beans, beans and seeds, seeds and grains, nuts and grains.

Calcium-Fortified sources of vegetarian "meat", soy milk, almond milk. Dark green leafy plants but beware some contain oxalate with is binding. Soy yogurt, tofu, beans, almonds, and calcium-fortified foods.

Zinc-soybeans, cashews, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

pjstudev

I am also working to remove red meat from my diet as much as I can. Great responses and advice.

AlexisJ330

I really enjoy cooking and use vegetarian/vegan cookbooks to help meet all the nutritional values. They help provide well-rounded meals.

You are more than welcome to add me as a friend.

deb3129

You are not losing nutrients by being vegetarian, you are giving your body a lot more!! My advise would be to watch out for the processed vegetarian stuff. While there is a lot of it, and some is really good, and convenient, it is still processed junk, and should not make up the biggest part of your diet. Whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, that's where it's at!

jennadelane

Congrats! I can't eat meat for ethical reasons either. The one thing nutrient wise that I want to mention is B12. I became deficient in this vitamin after several years of being veg, since its not really found in plant based foods. My doctor put me on a sublingual supplement and now my levels are great. Low levels make you fatigued and can lead to neurological and psychiatric problems.

Also, here's a couple decent sources for veg protein info (last ones the best):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/vegetarian-protein-sources_n_1539928.html#slide=1013355
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitnessResource/super-healthy-vegetarian-protein-sources/story?id=16477525
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/25-vegan-sources-for-protein.html

Also, a great recipe site that has a lot of vegetarian recipes is skinnytaste:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/vegetarian-recipes.html

And this MFP thread has a LOT of links to other recipe sites, both vegan and vegetarian:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/683419-websites-like-skinny-taste

Best of luck!

syedsaad

I am a vegetarian but now i think i should have been told not to be one .... as meat is also a important part of food .... but its your life your choice

luckynky

Welcome to the club! I've been vegetarian since March. Watch the carbs and stay away from all the processed foods (as someone else stated). In addition, this is one of those areas where you really need to look deep inside of you and decide what is best. For me, I don't have a problem consuming dairy and eggs. But I have cut down on dairy (I drink almond or soy milk) and I buy cage-free eggs (preferably from a local farm).

There is so much information out there and there are a lot of, what I like to call, "extreme eaters." And I mean no disrespect, but I have found that there are limitations on what I can and cannot do with foods. I tend to go what I think is the middle way-- doing what I can to do less harm to animals and the environment while still maintaining some sense of sanity. I'm a mom and a wife to a meat eater on a tight budget. I make compromises sometimes-- for instance, we eat a meat substitute once or twice a weak to make my husband happier. Last week my husband made breakfast and cooked the eggs in the same pan he cooked his goetta. I ate it anyway and was grateful that he cooked and even made a vegan sausage substitute for me (in the same pan as the goetta). This is life, in all of its glorious imperfections.

So the best advice I can give is: If you really want to be happy, enjoy being on this path but remember to love yourself and the people who walk beside you, no matter how imperfect we all are.

HappyElizabeth

You are not losing nutrients by being vegetarian, you are giving your body a lot more!! My advise would be to watch out for the processed vegetarian stuff. While there is a lot of it, and some is really good, and convenient, it is still processed junk, and should not make up the biggest part of your diet. Whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, that's where it's at!

This is so true!!! Being a vegetarian does not necessarily mean healthy. I've been a vegetarian for 42 years, and there is just as munch junk/processed vegetarian/vegan food as regular food.
Also, take it easy and be flexible. My family are all "flexitarian" and it works great for them.

FeatherBoBeather

I recommend this book a lot.. because it is seriously great- check out Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson. You won't regret it.. even though the recipes omit ovo-lacto products the food always comes out absolutely delicious!

I would also say watch out for processed vegetarian foods. (I've been a vegetarian since birth.. so I've eaten them plenty) and they are chock full of sodium.. and some contain extra-chemical-looking ingredients which kind of gross me out. If you do try out some of the options, I'd say my top three are:

-Garden Burger Original
-Tofurky Gourmet Sausage (each link packs 29g of protein)
-Tofurky Deli Slices (all Tofurky products are non GMO btw, if that matters to you)

Now... my fiance who is an omnivore really enjoys Morning Star products. I suppose they are a good transition from meat, however, they are high in sodium, processed/filler ingredients, and are made with GMO soy.


I totally recommend learning to make your own hummus (so yummy and great source of protein), eating plenty of nuts/seeds.. and cook with lots of beans/legumes.

[Edited to add- Oh! Don't forget to take a good multivitamin. :-) Just in case you're not sourcing all you need from pounds of veggies every day, I definitely recommend taking something with all the B's. ......Also- forgot to add that LightLife brand SmartDogs and their other products are yummy, usually low cal and made with non gmo soy.]

clasherclasher

I've been veg for a while now and eat mostly vegan... since this is a dieting site I'll share my relevant experiences. I wish someone would have told me to go easy on the soy products a few years ago, I used to drink a lot of soymilk and eat a lot of tvp and tofu. I'm not anti-soy by any means but it was giving me a lot of gas and bloating... same with fibre, I was eating 80g a day if not more... thankfully I never ended up in hospital 'cos of it but was more familiar with the toilet than I'd have liked.

I wasn't gaining much weight with this kind of diet so that was kinda nice about being veg* but I had very low energy levels and trouble sleeping too. I think I was just eating too much grains and not enough fats and protein... it was easy for me to justify gorging on pizza since I would tell myself there's no hog fat on it or anything so it's all right to gobble down half a pie.

As a cook I'd advise learning how to make seitan and make whatever kind of faux meat you like (e.g. grind up seitan and make it into sausage/burgers) if you want something to satisfy the meat tooth... it's not something that I really ever crave anymore but I enjoy the textures of stuff like seitan and commercial soy meat since I grew up eating meat. Homemade stuff can be high protein (mix protein powder into the gluten flour) and you can tweak the taste with marmite or other fake meat flavourings are out there on amazon.

I just discovered coconut yogurt since it can work as a sour cream sub, even mayo in salad dressing and still has a lot of richness and no chalkiness. Silken tofu can also be blended into mayo with an immersion blender... easier to make low-fat mayo with olive oil or whatever you want.