Any Vegetarians Out There??

ChelseaGoneAwry

I have been considering becoming a vegetarian for some time now, both because the vegetarian diet is healthier, and also because as a member of PETA for the past 5 years, I don't believe I should be benefiting from the inhumane treatment and slaughtering of animals when I could survive perfectly well without meat.

I've been eating vegetarian for almost a week now, and I'm already feeling so much better! It's amazing how replacing meat with fresh veggies can make you feel so rejuvenated. While researching the diet, I was warned that I would experience major meat cravings, but I haven't at all. Every time I look at a piece of dead meat, all I can picture is the dirty, horrifying environment it came from, and I have to look away in disgust.

Anyway, I was wondering if there are any other vegetarians on here who have tips about how to get enough protein and vitamins normally provided by meat into my diet? I know that just cutting out meat isn't healthy, and you have to substitute those vitamins and minerals with something else.

I would love some feedback!

elm2008

I think you'd be surprised what has protein in it. A lot of veggies and fruit have protein (although not huge amounts). You also need less that what you probably think.

Here are some good protein sources:
greek yogurt, eggs/egg whites/beaters, cheese, cottage cheese, beans, quinoa, breads/grains, protein powders and bars, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, edamame, seitan, nuts, nut butter, special k protein cereal, tofurkey/morningstar/etc products... I'm probably forgetting a few things but that is mostly my go to list.

As far as other nutrients and vitamins, I find I get a ton of Vitamin A and C. I get a lot of A from veggies and C from fruits (although this isn't always true, I just find it better to think of it that way in my head). calcium and iron is where I lack since I don't really eat dairy. I get my calcium from almond milk, my protein powder (use sparingly), cottage cheese, and greek yogurt. My iron is usually a little low but cereals tend to run high in iron as well as veggies like spinach. I take about 20mg iron supplement when my levels on here are low.

I'm sure youll get a lot of responses here. there's also a vegetarian group on here if you'd like to join.

shaynak112

I know that just cutting out meat isn't healthy, and you have to substitute those vitamins and minerals with something else.

YES it is healthy to cut out meat!
I've been a vegetarian since September. Honestly, I think chicken and burgers taste delicious - I eat Veggie Patch "fake" chicken nuggets when I crave chicken and I eat veggie burgers.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, and beans. Chickpeas are AMAZING. I have started to eat some tofu too. What else ... I eat rice, oats. Potatoes are good to eat too (I don't really like them personally though).
For dinner today, I had some potatoes (my boyfriend wanted them lol), zucchini, and lightly breaded tofu ... soo delicious!

ChelseaGoneAwry

I'm sure youll get a lot of responses here. there's also a vegetarian group on here if you'd like to join.

Where can I find the vegetarian group?

ChelseaGoneAwry

YES it is healthy to cut out meat!
I've been a vegetarian since September. Honestly, I think chicken and burgers taste delicious - I eat Veggie Patch "fake" chicken nuggets when I crave chicken and I eat veggie burgers.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, and beans. Chickpeas are AMAZING. I have started to eat some tofu too. What else ... I eat rice, oats. Potatoes are good to eat too (I don't really like them personally though).
For dinner today, I had some potatoes (my boyfriend wanted them lol), zucchini, and lightly breaded tofu ... soo delicious!

I've tried fake meat, and I just can't eat it. I'll give tofu a shot, though. I've never had it before, and it's one of those foods that people cringe at when you bring it up, so I've always assumed it was gross. But I'll definitely give it a try!(:

_VoV

YES it is healthy to cut out meat!
I've been a vegetarian since September. Honestly, I think chicken and burgers taste delicious - I eat Veggie Patch "fake" chicken nuggets when I crave chicken and I eat veggie burgers.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, and beans. Chickpeas are AMAZING. I have started to eat some tofu too. What else ... I eat rice, oats. Potatoes are good to eat too (I don't really like them personally though).
For dinner today, I had some potatoes (my boyfriend wanted them lol), zucchini, and lightly breaded tofu ... soo delicious!

I've tried fake meat, and I just can't eat it. I'll give tofu a shot, though. I've never had it before, and it's one of those foods that people cringe at when you bring it up, so I've always assumed it was gross. But I'll definitely give it a try!(:

You can be vegetarian and never eat fake meat at all. Beans, nuts and many grains are rich in protein, fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins. I also have to say the world of vegetarian convenience foods is huge--if one brand doesn't impress you, don't give up.

Vercell

I dont eat alot of meat if I do its fish or chicken twice a week, I would like to give that up to. You can easy get protein in beans, tofu, nuts, so many different ways.

elm2008

YES it is healthy to cut out meat!
I've been a vegetarian since September. Honestly, I think chicken and burgers taste delicious - I eat Veggie Patch "fake" chicken nuggets when I crave chicken and I eat veggie burgers.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, and beans. Chickpeas are AMAZING. I have started to eat some tofu too. What else ... I eat rice, oats. Potatoes are good to eat too (I don't really like them personally though).
For dinner today, I had some potatoes (my boyfriend wanted them lol), zucchini, and lightly breaded tofu ... soo delicious!

I've tried fake meat, and I just can't eat it. I'll give tofu a shot, though. I've never had it before, and it's one of those foods that people cringe at when you bring it up, so I've always assumed it was gross. But I'll definitely give it a try!(:

I honestly was the pickiest eater before going veg but now I eat so many different things. I would have never tried greek yogurt, beans, tofu, and even the thought of anything that resembled a burger made me want to throw up. I personally am not really a fan of the fake meat. Occasionally I'll throw in fake turkey slices or chik'n slices just as something different but it's expensive and not something I enjoy. I love using tofu though. there are so many ways to use it. I usually buy an off brand organic firm tofu just because it's cheap ($2). Sometimes I crumble it and put it in a salad or in with my eggs. The best way for me is to freeze it and squeeze out all the liquid. From there you can marinade it, bread it, use it exactly like chicken. My grocery store has I think deep fried tofu and it is incredible but I've never been able to make it myself. I definitely at least recommend trying it when it has the water drained, you may like it. Try to be open.

The group is called Happy herbivores. it should be near the top of the list, I think.

jcperkns

I am also looking into becoming a vegetarian! I still live with my parents so I think it might be hard since my mom does a lot of the cooking and we do eat a lot of meat. One of my good friends is one and she loves it. She recommended to me to try to cut out one meat at a time instead of completely cutting it out at once to help with cravings. I am going to start with beef since its my least favorite then in maybe 2-3 weeks start cutting out pork, then poultry, etc.

Also a question for any vegetarians/vegans: what do you do at functions where the main dish has meat in it? If someone takes the effort to make a meal, I don't want to be rude and not eat it but I also don't want to eat meat. Just load up on sides?

elm2008

Also a question for any vegetarians/vegans: what do you do at functions where the main dish has meat in it? If someone takes the effort to make a meal, I don't want to be rude and not eat it but I also don't want to eat meat. Just load up on sides?

Yeah, eat the sides. I don't really think people would think you're being rude. It's not really shocking these days to not eat meat. If I'm out with friends, they usually all know that I'm not going to eat the meat. If it's something major (ex: I went out of the country and had to let the tour guides know I was vegetarian), you may want to let them know ahead of time.

1smemae94

I am also looking into becoming a vegetarian! I still live with my parents so I think it might be hard since my mom does a lot of the cooking and we do eat a lot of meat. One of my good friends is one and she loves it. She recommended to me to try to cut out one meat at a time instead of completely cutting it out at once to help with cravings. I am going to start with beef since its my least favorite then in maybe 2-3 weeks start cutting out pork, then poultry, etc.

Also a question for any vegetarians/vegans: what do you do at functions where the main dish has meat in it? If someone takes the effort to make a meal, I don't want to be rude and not eat it but I also don't want to eat meat. Just load up on sides?

That's a good way to start that way your mom has time to learn some new recipes, or you learn to cook something for yourself. If I go somewhere that meat is the main part of a meal, I fill up on sides. It's easy and normally really tasty. If you know before hand that you're going somewhere, you can call before hand and ask them if they can make something that you can eat. Most people accommodate dietary preferences really well.

But make sure that once you're all the way veg that you watch out for chicken and beef broth in cooking.

As for the OP, protein is found in so many foods. Whole wheat bread, rice, fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, fake meat products, etc. Just try different brands, and different foods.

Best of luck!

MrsFolk

Mostly pescetarian here. I stay away from land meat for the most part, I eat fish regularly though Tonight we had soy burgers for dinner, awesome! It feels great to know your eating something better. Every time I used to eat land meat, I cringed - I honestly have no problem eating fish though

bluefox9er

I have been vegetarian my entire life..i have never ever eaten any meat or fish in my 45 years. I eat a very varied diet, indulge in junk food ( which is why I'm here!).

Please feel free to add me/ check out my food diary.

CatholicWifeMother

Get a good vegetarian cookbook. I suggest "The Vegetarian Family Cookbook" by Nava Atlas. It's available on Amazon. Atlas not only includes some great recipes, but also a lot of background on eating vegetarian well! I have about 2 or 3 books I go to regularly. The Internet is also a great source for recipes. Tons of vegetarian foods have iron and protein, so no worries there.

I would also take supplements. I take a good multivitamin.

I have been eating plant-based for about 15 years. Not only do I find meat unsavory, but also I object to factory farming. I find it cruel as well as gross!

Explore your options! It's fun and tasty and yes, healthy, to boot!

daniellepants

Hihi! I'm a vegan, and you can easily get enough protein from tofu, tempeh, beans, Luna bars, and a whole lot of other things. Basically anything with calories will have some protein. Since you're just becoming a vegetarian, I'd say to buy Morningstar or Boca imitation meats c: Morningstar is vegetarian, but not vegan. But Boca has vegan products. And they're made from soy, so they have a lot of protein. They helped to ween me off of meat when I became a vegetarian. Amy's is good, too. She makes lots of frozen vegetarian and vegan meals that are really good for you.
And here's a fun fact-meat eaters usually get twice the recommended amount of protein! So unless you don't eat enough, it's hard to not get enough protein. But if you don't, you can always check health stores for supplements without fish oils and other stuff from animals.

Hope this helps!

KangarooJoey

I too am in the process of becoming a herbivore. Mainly for my personal ethical and environmental reasons - not that i think meat eaters are 'bad' thats not what it is about at all, just something that sits right with me. Dont get too tied up in labels ie 'I am a ....' just educate yourself and make choices to eat a wide variety of unprocessed whole foods and you will find it easy to get the nutrients you need. Keeping up with your logging in the food diary really helps. It can be a gradual learning process. Use the internet it has a HUGE source of information easily found and also pick up a few books.

My turning point (where i really started to think about what i put in my mouth) came about when i read Peter Singer - The Ethics of What we Eat - check it out. I still eat meat when i am being lazy ( Ihave to cook 2 meals in this house if i want a meat free meal) but i find that this happens less and less.

Dont forget to look into herbs as well for nutrition, nettle tea is a good one for iron for example.

TanzaMarie

I am (more or less) vegan. I do it for my health not so much for the animals - though that is a happy benefit. But since I gave up meat for my health I don't cringe when I see it on a plate. Sometime I'll smell BBQ chicken and it will smell amazing, but when I walk away from it, I'm over it. For me, since I don't eat meat, when someone makes soup with chicken broth - the only way I can describe it is that it tastes dirty. I've had a bite of meat here and there, but it's always just a bite because it's never as good as I remember it because my tastes have changed that much in the 7 months I've been eating this way. And I know this is a bad idea, but if you're really struggling and want to go to McDonalds or something, go and get french fries. Half the time you just want junk food.

My parents, who I live with, are still omnivores but they have drastically cut down on their meat and dairy. My mom even LOVES Morning Star bean burgers and Quorn's meatballs and naked chick'n cutlets. I should also say that we're Italian and she makes homemade pretty much everything. The meatballs aren't as good as hers, but they serve their purpose. But anyway, she doesn't cook special food for me. But she does make sure that whatever sides she makes are things that I both like and are jam packed with nutrients. But, we eat a fair amount of pasta with tomato sauce, pizza sans cheese or with Diaya shreds, Mexican and Chinese/Thai/Japanese food all the time. I almost never have just a salad.

If you need help navigating, feel free to add me. I've gotten pretty good at veganizing my normal food without eating "weird food" or imposing on anyone else's diet too much. Oh...and when I bake - no one can tell the difference.

LittleMissClaireBear

Ive been veggie now for about 3 months, and id never ever look back, i feel soooo much happier now i no im contributing to helping the suffering of animals !! If anyone wants to share diaries etc, feel free to add me

ChelseaGoneAwry

I've been thinking about going vegetarian for the past 2 months. I think now that school's out, I'm going to start putting some elbow work into it ! I'm hoping to go vegan once I move out of my parents' place. (aka when I'm 18 lol)

I'm currently 18, and home for the summer from college. When I told my family I was becoming a vegetarian, they made fun of me, called me crazy and refuted every explanation I gave them! Expect the same from yours, if they're anything like mine.
Once you get to college, controlling your diet will be much easier, and you can avoid gaining the Freshman 15 by eating vegetarian or vegan!

ChelseaGoneAwry

I am also looking into becoming a vegetarian! I still live with my parents so I think it might be hard since my mom does a lot of the cooking and we do eat a lot of meat. One of my good friends is one and she loves it. She recommended to me to try to cut out one meat at a time instead of completely cutting it out at once to help with cravings. I am going to start with beef since its my least favorite then in maybe 2-3 weeks start cutting out pork, then poultry, etc.

Also a question for any vegetarians/vegans: what do you do at functions where the main dish has meat in it? If someone takes the effort to make a meal, I don't want to be rude and not eat it but I also don't want to eat meat. Just load up on sides?

My parents cook all our dinners, and my step dad was HORRIFIED when I started turning down his "famous" grilled chicken! I haven't had any trouble with cravings, like I said, because I'm so disgusted by the means that we GET meat! However, just in case a craving hits in the future, I keep pictures of animals in the slaughterhouse on my phone (It's gross, I know, but it works!)
My best friend has been a vegetarian since age 7, and in the past when we've gone to functions like barbecues she just eats the sides. Just don't make others feel like you're judging THEM for enjoying/serving the meat. You don't have to make a big scene about avoiding the meat - no one will notice that you're not eating it, especially if they know you're a vegetarian!

ChelseaGoneAwry

I have been eating plant-based for about 15 years. Not only do I find meat unsavory, but also I object to factory farming. I find it cruel as well as gross!

I feel the same way! I started doing a lot of research on slaughterhouses and was just completely disgusted, and now I just can't look at meat the same way!

hem8787

I've been vegetarian for about 8 years for ethical reasons. I started in high school. A major bonus is it really helps me maintain/lose weight. I did a fitness evaluation for work last year and the nurse said my bad cholesterol levels were the lowest she had seen in a long time and I was one of the healthiest people she had seen! She asked me how I keep it so low and it's because I have been a vegetarian for so long.
Becoming vegetarian took a bit of effort for me at first. You have to really learn what is in the food that you buy and order at restaurants. As in, you pretty much can't eat soup unless you make it yourself or buy it at the store and comb through the ingredient label. Chicken broth is in pretty much EVERY type of soup, even broccoli cheese which most people assume is vegetarian. Most restaurants even make their macaroni cheese and creamy pasta dishes with it. Look for gelatin in cereals, candies, etc. Feel free to add me, my diary is open!

Artemis726

I've been a flexitarian for over 15 years, some times going vegetarian for long stretches, but went back to having poultry a few times a week when I had kids. I recently decided to just go for it on my own, and have been completely vegetarian for 10 days.

I've always had a problem with protein, but if you eat dairy, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are great sources of protein. Eggs of course, though I don't eat them often myself. I also eat a lot of bean burgers (homemade from chick peas or black beans), and just tried TVP for the first time tonight (it was sooo easy to prepare and fabulous!). Protein powders and Special K protein plus for breakfast.

Good luck!

loristeck

You will feel soooo much better in everyway.... I don't like to get too opinionated about all of this because people tend to get offended and I certainly don't mean it. I've been vegetarian for about 4 years now and it's one of the easiest things I've done. There are a lot of GREAT supportive sites and books out there. Veganist by Kathy Freston - LOVE her, Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr, the China Study, the Beauty Detox (forgot auther) and anything by Joel Furhman. My niece is surviving a "fatal" brain tumor, has amazed and stunned her doctors, and it's largely due to feeding her body the right nutrients to fight it off through juicing and eating a plant based diet. Sugar feeds cancer and meat also turns cancer off and on "China Study". Your skin will clear up (especially if you cut out dairy which is horrible for us!). Good luck with it and feel good that you are doing something good for yourself, the planet and our animal friends.

Anna800

Also a question for any vegetarians/vegans: what do you do at functions where the main dish has meat in it? If someone takes the effort to make a meal, I don't want to be rude and not eat it but I also don't want to eat meat. Just load up on sides?

For church potlucks I tell the host before I come and offer to bring a dish, I find they always have something for me. For bbq I bring my own veggie burger in my purse. lol My female friend invited me over for dinner one night and asked me what I wanted to eat and I told her. If I'm going to a dinner party where I don't really know anyone, then I eat a whole meal before I go. Otherwise I've found myself starving and thus can't drink the alcohol at the party.

Anna800

Anyway, I was wondering if there are any other vegetarians on here who have tips about how to get enough protein and vitamins normally provided by meat into my diet? I know that just cutting out meat isn't healthy, and you have to substitute those vitamins and minerals with something else.

I would love some feedback!

The vitamins I take are spirulina and flax seed oil. I try to eat a lot of the superfoods from the list:
http://www.foodmatters.tv/content/superfoods

I buy them from this company:
http://www.navitasnaturals.com/

I drink protein shakes often, whey protein is not vegetarian, so I get this brand:
http://www.sunwarrior.com/product-info/classic-protein/

I eat nuts and tofu daily for protein. I use almond milk in my protein shakes where I get a lot of calcium from. If I don't add tofu to my dishes, I end up hungry and thus eat a larger portion of pasta.

Mandamanda93

Heeeeell yeah. If you want help with non-meat foods as you go along, you should check out the Happy Herbivores group Or just search for a vegetarian group and find one you like!

dittmarml

I'm a vegan, started two years ago when my blood sugar started going high and my doctor recommended that I read Dr. Neal Barnard's book "Reversing Type II Diabetes". I read it, kept reading, read more, changed my diet and haven't looked back. I LOVE it!

You can get all the protein you need from vegetables - beans, whole grains, broccoli (it's loaded with protein), and of course soy. I eat mostly beans and grains for my protein - used to do soy milk but have gotten away from it (much prefer almond milks) - there's also peanut butter, almond butter, etc.

I recommend taking a look at Barnard's "Turn Off the Fat Genes" - corny title for a book but lays out the basics - personally I follow Dr. John McDougall and Mary McDougall's recommendations on a plant based, no-added-fat/oil diet largely because they've published so many darn fantastic receipes! - so I also recommend their books or you can just Google "Dr. John McDougall" and you'll hit his website, which has many resources, a forum, and allows you to subscribe to a free newsletter that usually also includes recipes (no, I don't work for him!)

I should also say my targets are 75% carbs, 15% protein and 10% fat. I do fine on that; most adults do, but they do OK on other variations as well. I strongly recommend seeing a nutritionist who is expert in vegetarianism if you'd like help setting targets, rather than relying on the internet.

The trick is to eat a varied diet to get the nutrients you need, and "clean" - as little processed C**P as possible. In any given week I eat black beans, red beans, green beans, lots of greens (collards, kale, beet greens, mustard greens), brown rice, plenty of potatoes (I favor Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes but do the occasional Russet as well), whole grain bread (rye/pumpernickel), whole wheat tortillas, broccoli, salad (tomatoes, mixed greens, broccoli slaw, carrots, bell peppers, onions, radishes), dark chocolate (vegan), fruit (bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, oranges), take lemon and/or lime with my water...etc. When I started I ate alot of meat substitutes and I occasionally still get links or "vegan dogs" and mix them with baked beans when I'm harkening back to childhood, but that's rare. I don't eat much in the way of processed food anymore; instead I spend most of Sunday afternoon cooking up the weeks' food and munch to my heart's content, adding a potato or some rice or whole wheat spaghetti here or there. If I'm feeling a bit peaked and/or have done alot of exercise and want to spike up my protein I just use a soy-based protein additive/mix/powder in my morning shake.

The vegetarian group here is "Happy Herbivores" - I encourage you to lurk and take a look - and keep taking baby steps, make changes in your diet as you go - I think you're going to love it!

BJPCraig

There are plenty of vegans and vegetarians on here. Check in the "Groups" section and join "Happy Herbivores," "Team Vegan," "MFP Vegetarians" (the ones I belong to), or any of the (many) other veggie groups. Welcome to vegetarianism, and good luck!

ChelseaGoneAwry

There are plenty of vegans and vegetarians on here. Check in the "Groups" section and join "Happy Herbivores," "Team Vegan," "MFP Vegetarians" (the ones I belong to), or any of the (many) other veggie groups. Welcome to vegetarianism, and good luck!

Aw, thank you!

thinnnnnnner

I see that there are a lot of really great responses in here, so I guess I'm just wondering: how were you a member of PETA for 5 years and not a vegetarian?

Anyways, good luck. It's really not as difficult as every carnivore out there will lead you to believe. If you're serious about being veg, better get used to the "..so what do you eat?!" and "Where on earth do you get your protein?!". People can be so close-minded.