Help for a New (Mostly) Vegetarian
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MisterIncredible
Posts: 8 Member
After many years of studying, reading and weighing the pros & cons, last week I took the leap and became a vegetarian.
Well, mostly.
I plan to eat turkey for Thanksgiving and I may even have a hamburger once a year on my birthday, if the craving is still there. I may also eat poultry or fish a couple times a year (once again, for special occasions). I am, however, done with all pork products and red meat. (Except for the aforementioned burger.)
Okay, so maybe it's not technically a vegetarian, but it's quite a huge change for me. I have two grills, a smoker and a fire pit in my backyard and have used them to make numerous meals. (My specialty is pulled pork.)
I'm not writing this to try to get anyone to change my mind about my decision. I feel like it's the correct decision, based on numerous factors dealing with my health. (Not to mention the hereditary diseases that run rampant in my family due to poor food choices.)
What I need is a little support from those of you that have made the decision. Tell me that it gets easier. (This past week was hell.)
Most of my friends, after learning of my decision ask, "What are you going to eat?" And to be completely honest, I thought the same thing before I did the research. I just assumed that vegetarians ate only salads and "meat" products made of tofu. It's like we forget that there are other food groups besides meat and vegetables. Fruits are still game. Grains, pasta, nuts. I even plan to still eat dairy and eggs (although, just the egg whites).
Still, I want to enjoy food and if I have to base everything on salads and soy-based "meat" products, I can't see myself lasting long with this. Any suggestions, recipes, links or what not that has helped you other vegetarians out there would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Well, mostly.
I plan to eat turkey for Thanksgiving and I may even have a hamburger once a year on my birthday, if the craving is still there. I may also eat poultry or fish a couple times a year (once again, for special occasions). I am, however, done with all pork products and red meat. (Except for the aforementioned burger.)
Okay, so maybe it's not technically a vegetarian, but it's quite a huge change for me. I have two grills, a smoker and a fire pit in my backyard and have used them to make numerous meals. (My specialty is pulled pork.)
I'm not writing this to try to get anyone to change my mind about my decision. I feel like it's the correct decision, based on numerous factors dealing with my health. (Not to mention the hereditary diseases that run rampant in my family due to poor food choices.)
What I need is a little support from those of you that have made the decision. Tell me that it gets easier. (This past week was hell.)
Most of my friends, after learning of my decision ask, "What are you going to eat?" And to be completely honest, I thought the same thing before I did the research. I just assumed that vegetarians ate only salads and "meat" products made of tofu. It's like we forget that there are other food groups besides meat and vegetables. Fruits are still game. Grains, pasta, nuts. I even plan to still eat dairy and eggs (although, just the egg whites).
Still, I want to enjoy food and if I have to base everything on salads and soy-based "meat" products, I can't see myself lasting long with this. Any suggestions, recipes, links or what not that has helped you other vegetarians out there would be great.
Thanks in advance.
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Replies
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vegweb.com has thousand of recipes.0
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It is a very good diet that has been proven to be overall healthier for a person. I do suggest you ensure you get your daily intake of protein for sure though. It is quite important for weight loss.0
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Oh, man. It gets so much better! The more things you figure out you can eat, the happier you'll be! I make my own Seitan, which is jam-packed full of protein and way better on fat and cholesterol than meat. There are so many options out there! I'm not full veg, either; but I'll well on my way. See, I don't have any ethical qualms with eating meat, I just have issues with how the meat gets there. Oh, and I feel "lighter" since cutting out the critter.
Check out www.theppk.com and www.vegetariantimes.com
I also love Laurel's Kitchen, Moosewood Cafe and How to Cook everything Vegetarian for cookbooks.
Have fun!0 -
You will be amazed how good things can taste. My non veg friends always tell me that my food is so yummy they could be a veg. I have made chicken wing dip (with fake chicken that i put in a food processor). Yes, everyone thinks it is chicken. I love eating spicy black bean burgers with an onion ring and BBQ sauce. I love panini's with roasted veggies inside with lettuce and mayo (I use veganaise). There is just so much you can do that is so tasty. Good luck on your journey! Feel free to add me as a friend to help if you need any ideas.0
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You didn't say if you like to cook indoors or not... With all that grilling stuff in the backyard, I can see you grilling some veggies! Toss them with a little olive oil, sprinkle with your favorite herbs and spices, and you've got a great meal.
Also, lots of new vegetarians don't realize the importance of beans and lentils in getting all the amino acids you need. You will feel so much better if you include a cup a day - especially if you aren't eating much soy. (I don't think soy is the best food choice for us, personally.)
If you don't like to cook, you can learn to combine some canned and frozen foods and make some good meals. Trader Joe's has "Steamed Lentils" in their produce section, or you could use canned black beans. Just heat some boxed vegetable broth, add the lentils or beans, some frozen corn, some salsa or pasta sauce, and maybe some frozen spinach and frozen peppers. Add cayenne or your favorite spices. Serve it over Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, or cook up your own.
You will like being vegetarian if you give it a little time. Convenience foods are a little hard to come by for vegetarians, so you have to think ahead more and be prepared. Sometimes life gets so busy that I'm not prepared, so I make do with some nuts and fruit. I had to get over thinking it was some kind of crime to eat that way!0 -
Thank you all for the great links and suggestions. I am very excited about this because I know it will change the way I think about food.0
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I made a vegan lasagna the other day and brought a piece in for one of my co-workers- she lOVED it!!! There is soooo much food to eat. Check out theppk.com and ohsheglows.com (that is where I found the lasagna recipe). As someone else said, watch your protein intake. I supplement with protien powder (Vega Sport). Gardien makes an awesome veggie burger that gets greasy like a meat burger. But dont rely on fake meat products, try to eat whole foods. I did a ton of research when I went vegan and felt very prepared as far as nutirion requirements.
Stick with it, you will feel so much better. My body wasnt processing meat very well if you know what I mean! Since going "mostly vegan" I feel better and lighter. I have noticed that dairy is also affecting me so I am cutting that out as well and going back to vegan. Good luck!!!!0 -
Oh, man. It gets so much better! The more things you figure out you can eat, the happier you'll be! I make my own Seitan, which is jam-packed full of protein and way better on fat and cholesterol than meat. There are so many options out there! I'm not full veg, either; but I'll well on my way. See, I don't have any ethical qualms with eating meat, I just have issues with how the meat gets there. Oh, and I feel "lighter" since cutting out the critter.
Check out www.theppk.com and www.vegetariantimes.com
I also love Laurel's Kitchen, Moosewood Cafe and How to Cook everything Vegetarian for cookbooks.
Have fun!
Those are my two fave recipe websites!
Eating healtheir and slowly becoming vegetarian (I transitioned over about 5 years until I had no taste for meat anymore) brought on my love of cooking.
My favorite thing to do is pick up a new veggie at the farmer's market, something I've never heard of or never cooked before (or rarely anyway) and go home and google recipes.
Asian, Indian, Mediterranean and Mexican all seem to be easy to do veggie. Use tofu or seitan in stir fry's and lentils & chickpeas for the indian and mediterranean and black beans in mexican and you've got plenty of protein.0 -
Curries and stirfrys make great vegetarian meals. Tofu can be used in either, as well as beans like chickpeas!0
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It gets sooooo much easier! I know you mentioned you might treat yourself a few times a year to meat/meat products. But, you might be surprised when the time comes that you don't want them! I'm a vegetarian due to an opposition of the factory farming method in America, not health (although it helps that too).
While I know there's some debate over morningstar/boca/quorn products (some people think they're too "processed", others don't understand why a vegetarian would eat something that's based on a meat product - all of which I'm not going in to and would hope no one feels the need to berate me about), they are available as convenience foods and as items that might help curb some meat cravings during your transition. I once served the morningstar sausage patties to a family member who is a die hard pork fan and he had no idea it was vegetarian. My personal recommendations of those products: morningstar sausage patties, morningstar corn dogs (always use the oven for those bad boys), morningstar grillers original or griller's prime burgers, boca spicy chicken patties, and quorn chikn gruyere cutlets. These shouldn't be the primary items in your diet but I don't think it hurts to have them here and there. Also look into the veggie patch products that are typically in produce sections of grocery stores near the tofu. I love their falafel and their veggie meatballs taste pretty much the same to me once in tomato sauce.
I have fallen in love with Thai food more than before. I just order what I want vegetarian and they give tons of extra veggies in place. I'm personally not a big tofu fan but I might just stink at preparing it. I've also rediscovered the wonder that is the portabella mushroom! It's so versatile and yummy. My mouth waters at the thought of a portabella sandwich or panini.
Happy vegging!0 -
Hi there! I'm 26 now and have been a vegetarian for over 10 years. I do eat eggs, milk, cheese, but no red meat, chicken, turkey or fish.
It gets soooo much easier as time goes on and you won't have cravings for me at ALL after a while. My husband loves steak and chicken and I never once get a craving for those foods even when he's cooking them.
THere are some great links in here. Definitely check them out. Typically I'll eat hardboiled eggs for breakfast, salads for lunch (make sure you include beans for protein as some have said) and then I'll make vegetarian lasagnas, vegetarian chilis etc. for dinners. There's so many options and so much food available.
Anyone feel free to add me as a friend! 0 -
After becoming vegetarian, I have felt SO MUCH better. Seriously, one of the best decisions I've ever made.
What do I eat?
beans, veggies, rice, oats, fruit, nuts
I also eat veggie burgers and veggie sausages. If you get a good brand (Tofurky!!), then it really does taste the same. Honestly, I love burgers, I've always loved them. So delicious. But I don't like the fact that a cow had to die and likely be tortured just for me to get that yummy taste. Sooooo ... veggie burger! Amazing. I personally like the ones from M and M Meat Shops (sounds bad but they are my favourite, and the best price).
You can also eat pasta, stir fry, curry. All sorts of things. I have found some amazing recipes. If there is something that you really enjoy with a meat product, just google that recipe and "vegetarian" and I'm sure there is some sort of modification you can make!0 -
Bump for later.
I'm not vegetarian, but I get bored with food. A lot of these sites were really helpful. Just wanted to say thank you to OP. Now i have food to cook for ALL of my friends. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
I'm new at eating veggie too, and from time to time I do eat meat...but keeping it as rare as possible when it really is out of my control and then I make it minimal (twice in last month for example). Feel free to add me, I'm still trying to figure it all out as well. Right now my favorite site for finding things to make is happyherbivore.com0
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Wow! This has been a great help for me. Thanks for all the links, I already bookmarked them. I am also starting into the veg track. I don't have anything against meat, but I think its consumption should be limited. I am also off milk - I love almond milk - but I do love eggs and mean to keep them around.
I am taking this as an adventure, you should too. This site will help you track your protein consumption. That way you will know of the food you liked best, what gives you the best nutrients. Be careful that when you stop eating meat products you don't eat unhealthy - I mean lots of pasta, and cheese, and bread. I have seen people make that mistake. Go for the plant based food. Learn new recipes. Study and attack it. That's what I'm doing.
If you have any doubts about it, watch the movie Forks and Knives. It will bring you back to why you should eat more plant based products.0 -
I've been vegetarian for almost 12 years now. I grew up eating McDonalds, steak and ribs and enjoyed it all. It gets a lot easier. It's like anything else--you make the adjustments and then it becomes second-nature. I have no problem going out with friends and eating vegetarian at basically any restaurant. I really love the taste of veggie hamburgers and hotdogs (when you load them up with toppings, you really can't taste the difference).
Goveg.com has a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit with lots of resources.
And use the internet. You can find so many great veggie versions of the recipes you love.
Good luck!0 -
I'm in the same boat. I've recently made the transition (still eat fish, dairy and eggs), and needed to find some new recipes. Definitely going to go check out some of the sites mentioned here, thanks y'all! Also, OP, if you want a new (mostly) veggie buddy feel free to add me. Maybe we can recipe swap when we find something we really like! 0
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Welcome to the veggie world! I have been vegetarian for 5 years mostly for medical reasons but the more I see and read, there are some ethical reasons there too. I found when I stopped eating meat, my migraines were gone ... however, even if that wasn't the case, I would never eat meat again.
Then, the past 6 months, I have been doing an experiment. I have noticed that when I have a lot of dairy, I get more headaches than when I don't. So, I cut out dairy as well and my headaches are pretty much gone. So, my body must not process animal proteins very well. Up to this point, I do eat eggs, but plan on cutting them out soon.
It is not an easy process, but it is so worth it! For me, the hardest part is going to dinner with friends. There just aren't as many veggie/vegan friendly restaurants out there.0 -
You're what my vegetarian buddy likes to call a "Flex-etarian", which is what his GF is.
I am pescetarian myself (seafood as my only meat). There are days sometimes where I end up eating a vegetarian, and sometimes, vegan diet. I try not to over think it and just try to make healthier choices and just ask myself if I really need to have meat (in my case fish, or whatever I'm craving) today, or if I can just sub some mushrooms, lentils, extra greens - etc. And sometimes, I'll think, "Well, yes, I don't need to spend the cash to grill a tuna steak today - I'll just stuff some portobellos and grill those." Etc. ^_^
I used to have a hard time with Thanksgiving because I _loved_ turkey + all the crazy comfort foods. >_< But haven't had turkey in...4 years now? I'm perfectly good with vegetarian gravy + veggie stuffing, etc now.
There are some good sites with interesting recipes if you're in the mood to experiment:
http://ohsheglows.com/ (vegan)
http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/ (great vegetarian stuff here)
http://www.101cookbooks.com/ (natural foods, has vegetarian recipes)
http://www.healthygreenkitchen.com/ (green/clean living, has vegetarian recipes)
If you or anyone would like to add me - feel free. I'm always wanting to stalk diaries for food ideas to mix things up when I'm in a food-rut. 0 -
I am a Plant Strong eater, for a little over a year. I made a big change last year after reading The Engine2 diet! And taking a 28 day challenge, never went back, feel so fabulous all the time, much more energy, and no guilt about what i eat! Also lost 20lbs. Engine 2 has a great website as well, lots of hearty plant strong recipes. They also have a new cook book coming out this month called Forks over Knives. Anyone here can add me as a friend, I could also use some more plant strong friends, I get so tired of people asking me how I get protein!. Any way best of luck, and to your good health and great lifestyle change!0
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