Day 3 of being vegetarian...tips and support please!

uleliaam

I was also going to recommend the Thug Kitchen cook books. I'm vegetarian, nearly vegan, but my boyfriend (who I live with) is a big meat eater. We struggled for a year or two cooking different meals, or having the same but no lump of meat for me, and it got very boring, and time consuming, very quickly. I bought him the thug kitchen book though, and he loves those recipes, and often eats vegetarian with me now. We just finished eating a meal from there which as I was cooking it he said 'that smells really meaty', and it did, but it was fully vegan. It might be a good one to try rather than meat substitutes?

cwolfman13

Fat_Fighter87 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

If the 1200 is new, I'd assume it is likely to be that, but if you are low on fat or protein that might be a problem. It's quite likely you don't need to be that low, and if you are exercising or active you will want to eat more for sure. If you want to give your stats we could comment.

I'm not 100% plant-based, but I'm moving that way (maybe) and trying to eat that way at the moment, and have done it at times in the past (Lent, and an experiment in November). I'm enough of a volume eater that I usually feel super satiated, although I need to make sure I'm including enough fat.

You don't need meat alternatives, although I personally enjoy tofu and tempeh (and don't really think of them as meat alternatives, just a different form of legume). Do you include other foods that have a decent amount of protein, like beans and lentils? Also, eggs are great if you are still eating them.

We have a vegetable and fruit challenge going elsewhere (Challenge section) that you might enjoy too.

What specifically are you eating?

I have been on and off MFP for a while and not really struggled with 1,200 calories until I cut meat out.

Hoping to go raw vegan at some point but for now I am eating the meat alternatives until I have learnt more about what foods to include, recipes etc. As a huge meat eater this was a big step for me to cut it out so in order to maintain this change I want to do it gradually. I am still eating eggs although in moderation (I used to eat them every day!)

See my above comment on another poster as to what I have been eating the past few days

I would think raw vegan would be holy hell if you have IBS...not to mention there's nothing wrong with cooking your food and many vegetables and other things release more nutrition when cooked.

USAMcK

I was vegetarian for 8 years with minimal faux-meat products. Just focus on whole foods like veggies and grains and dairy. I like greek yogurt, eggs, and cheese for protein.

One of my favorites was a veggie scramble. Just a bunch of broccoli or spinach or whatever you like mixed with egg whites and one whole egg. Season as desired. Top with salsa.

I like olive oil, nuts, and avocados for fats.

Baby carrots are great.

I like making crispy tofu. Just get the extra-firm, drain it, press it between paper towels, cut it into small cubes, put it in a pan with some oil til crispy. Takes a good while. Then add whatever vegs (cooked separately to limit the amount of water on the tofu) and sauce you like. We do tamari, honey, lime juice, and grated ginger with some red pepper flakes.

Big salads are awesome, too. Vinaigrettes are easy to make from scratch and lower on calories.

Roasted beets are insanely good. Separate the leaves from the stalks and the stalks from the bulb. Peel the bulbs and chop, and discard the peels. Sautee the bulbs til al dente, add the chopped stalks til al dente, turn off the heat and add the chopped leaves with a pat of butter. Salt and pepper. Serve. Honestly delicious. Goes well with a side of saffron basmati rice.

Hope these ideas help!

EDIT: Do you still eat fish? I liked salmon, tuna, and shrimp. If you eat all those above, you'd be an ovo-lacto-pescatarian.

Zulu87

I've been a veggie for 26 years and pescatarian as of late.
I also have ibs so I understand how it can be hard with the fibrous proteins that a lot of plant based proteins are.
I use a type of seaweed called kombu that can help with the digestion of beans, you put it in while cooking! It doesn't add any weird taste!
I also try to balance out when I have super fiber rich foods and not throughout the day. Like a big salad for lunch means I'm not gonna the high fiber later in the day. Obviously what type of IBS means it will be different for everyone, I've got ibs-D.
I've found a great probiotic helps and knowing what triggers your symptoms.
It can take awhile to find what works for you! Good luck!