Giving up Meat

melitsace
melitsace Posts: 42 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have slowly been giving up meet since August. I gave up red meat and starting today, all meat together. I have never been one to really enjoy any bean recipes, but I am willing to give it a try!! If you know any great vegetarian dishes or ways to get more protein, please share!!
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Replies

  • sagetracey
    sagetracey Posts: 607 Member
    I'm curious as to why you have given up meat.
  • clocklady
    clocklady Posts: 111 Member
    Vegetable chili with bean of choice (or no beans), quinoa, chickpeas in indian dishes are one of my favorites, nuts (in moderation), Black bean burgers are yummy.

    Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole: http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/03/24/vegetarian-enchilada-casserole/

    Vegetarian Jambalaya: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/vegetarian-jambalaya/detail.aspx

    "Hamburger Helper": http://thepeacefulkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/vegan-hamburger-helper-style-recipe-and.html

    Mini quiches with zucchini, carrots, and Parmesan are good if you aren't trying for vegan. Even my picky kids eat those!

    I can recommend some good cookbooks too if your interested.
  • melitsace
    melitsace Posts: 42 Member
    Well, I gave up red meat because it really just seems to not be that great for my health. It's been tied to cancer etc. Then, I just decided I wanted to give up the rest of it and really focus on getting a lot more veggies into my diet. I don't know if I will keep it up forever, but I just needed to shake up my diet a bit so I can lose some more. : )
  • melitsace
    melitsace Posts: 42 Member
    Thank you!!!
  • nikkikickinfat
    nikkikickinfat Posts: 12
    Hi I am 20 weeks post op from the RNY and a vegan i am down 144 pounds from 369.2. I have been small before and I am happy to be back to clean eating. I have a set 12 week plan in place goal is to be healthy...:smile:
  • melitsace
    melitsace Posts: 42 Member
    Great job!!!
  • tashazzz
    tashazzz Posts: 18
    I've been vegetarian for four and a half years and I never found it hard to stick to. Have you ever tried Quorn? They have replacements for chicken/turkey/ham/beef etc etc so you can eat the same meals as you normally would and just replace the meat.

    I love to make spaghetti with chopped peppers, quorn 'chicken' pieces, mushrooms and jamie oliver tomato and chilli sauce - unreal. haha.
  • FitAtFifteen
    FitAtFifteen Posts: 51
    I'm a vegetarian as well. :D Well, it's for the animals rather than my health...Though health is a great reason as well.
    http://www.vrg.org/ is usually what I look at.
  • nikkikickinfat
    nikkikickinfat Posts: 12
    -thank you. I am just really trying to fight this. I lost a lot but still have a lot too still lose 1 pound at a time
  • melitsace
    melitsace Posts: 42 Member
    Thank you!!
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    Wow props to you!!! I could never give up meat,I love thick juicy meat
  • tidmutt
    tidmutt Posts: 317
    Well, I gave up red meat because it really just seems to not be that great for my health. It's been tied to cancer etc. Then, I just decided I wanted to give up the rest of it and really focus on getting a lot more veggies into my diet. I don't know if I will keep it up forever, but I just needed to shake up my diet a bit so I can lose some more. : )

    Totally understand where you are coming from, I've considered a juice fast, drastic calorie reduction etc. in order to lose weight, but don't cut out meat for your "health". Those "links" to cancer are simply not proven, they are nothing but correlations which mean essentially nothing. By all means increase your vegetable intake, eats loads of vegetables but eat some meat too, your body will thank you.
  • melitsace
    melitsace Posts: 42 Member
    I've lost 101 but I still have 109 to go!! And you are right 1lb at a time : )
  • blueyegrl
    blueyegrl Posts: 248 Member
    Here is a "starter" list of veg proteins to help you out...I also have a list of cookbooks I could suggest, and also there is a vegan group and vegetarian group on MFP, you might find some answers there too! (I'm a vegetarian (for three years now) and just about vegan, about 95% of the time, though going for 100%!)

    Protein in Legume: Garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, soybeans, split peas

    Protein in Grain: Barley, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, ouinoa, rye, wheat germ, wheat, wild rice

    Vegetable Protein: Artichokes, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, green peas, green pepper, kale, lettuce, mushroom, mustard green, onions, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, turnip greens, watercress, yams, zucchini

    Protein in Fruit: Apple, banana, cantaloupe, grape, grapefruit, honeydew melon, orange, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon

    Protein in Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, cashews, filberts, hemp seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts (black)
  • nikkikickinfat
    nikkikickinfat Posts: 12
    Congrats!!! I know I am doing all I can do and that is the best I can do. I workout hard and stick the plan get my 60 grams in of Prot, and 60 ounces H20 and 90 -120 mins of workout 5x's a week
  • melitsace
    melitsace Posts: 42 Member
    Wow!! Thanks : )
  • nikkikickinfat
    nikkikickinfat Posts: 12
    due to my gastric bypass I can 't eat a lot of things. I purchased a WLS cookbook for WLS patients. I was a vegan many years ago for 7 years, but just happy this surgery got me back on track
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I am not meat free but I did start incorporating more meat free dishes. I did go meat free for awhile but didn't maintain it.

    Here is a good website that gives you a lot of info on how to eat a balanced diet and recipe suggestions. So much information including restaurant info for you.
    http://veg.ca/content/view/26/56/

    I also bought Get Healthy Go Vegan by Dr Neal Bernard book. He also covers basics of eating healthy and meat free with recipes. As noted it is vegan but I enjoyed all the recipes I tried.

    My favorite vegan blog, I bought her newest cookbook but haven't tried a lot so no reviews on it
    http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

    A few recipes -
    Loved this, I put chicken in this for my other half.
    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1124/moroccan-tagine

    My favorite stir fry (tons of other recipes on this site)
    http://www.ivu.org/recipes/chinese/five.html
  • nikkikickinfat
    nikkikickinfat Posts: 12
    For me, I don't like meat etc anymore and with my new pouch I had to go 4 months without it so I just don"t want it in my diet anymore. I am also back to migraine free
  • kaleas
    kaleas Posts: 200
    You'll have a lot of people tell you that you need to eat meat, but becoming a vegetarian 7 years ago was one of the best choices I had ever made. I stopped having as many intestinal problems, and it made cooking at home more adventurous and in turn, sparked my love of healthy eating.

    This will be similar to what others have said but, here's how I've managed.

    You can still eat eggs, and get a lot of protein from them, as well as cheese and milk.

    Please try and stay away from all the "fake" meat products such as Boca and Morning Star. They're chalk full of sodium and they're really not that great for you. If you enjoy cooking, there are tons of recipes online for making your own. Here's one of my favorites.

    http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2008/03/homemade-sausages.html

    You can use his recipe for almost anything and really play with it.

    Tofu can take the place of the meat in many of your dishes. Pan seared tofu with onions and mushrooms, served with A1 can become a delicious steak. Summer time makes for great grilled tofu and corn on the cob.

    Come winter, instead of Chicken Noodle Soup, you can make Veggie Noodle Soup using Imagine Brand No-Chicken Broth, which mimics Chicken Broth. I will use tofu pan fried with poultry seasoning as the meat, and then follow the recipe normally.

    Please feel free to friend me and/or message me if you need any websites, recipes, or help!

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