New friends and Vegetarians!

I've got a lot more to lose than you but would love to become friends. I was a vegetarian for 4-5 years before getting pregnant and craving steak like crazy :sick:

After doing a lot of research I am heading back into my vegetarian ways, but loosely. I still plan to eat meat at least 2 times a week, if I feel inclined to do so. I just think as a country we are eating WAY too much meat. When I was a veggie before it was for ethical reasons. While I still feel the same, I am pursuing it more for my health now.

Jen

Hey there, I'm a mostly vegetarian and a food geek. I've done a lot of research on nutrition over the years and am a pretty experienced cook. Feel free to ask me questions anytime! Here's a link to a great vegan website: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/
Enjoy!
Eileen

My sister has been a vegetarian for over ten years, and while I've always admired her for doing so, my meat-loving teenage self could never completely get on board. As I'm in my mid twenties now, I've started to transition to eating less meat on a weekly basis and embracing my love for other proteins available, much to the chagrin of my meat and potatoes boyfriend. I've found a lot of success with trying out different recipes and researching meat/protein substitutes for common recipes...it can also be a fun way to try new foods and combinations!

Im proudly vegan for many many years!

Feel free to add

I'm Vegan if you wish to addme

Hi! I am mostly a vegetarian.. I know most people think in the lines of you either are a vegetarian or you are not but hey.. I have some pretty awesome healthy vegetarian meals. We eat vegetarian at least 5/6 days of the week

The best advice you can be given, from one veggie to another, is learn to make hummus and all will be well. Protein loaded with healthy fat. A fantastic workout food and great for weight loss and fat reduction (if that is your goal), although be wary of how much you eat as it can be caloric.

Some basic tips (based upon my beginnings):

- Don't fall into a salad trend:
Biggest mistake I made was assuming that salad was all I could eat

- Fake meats can be as unhealthy (and at times worse) than real meat:
I love a veggie burger as much as the next guy but I don't live off of them, and I don't touch any other form of veggie meats as most are sodium latent, processed, chemical catastrophes. I recommend, by the way, morning star black bean chipotle veggie burger

- Don't live off of soy and tofu:
Early on I downed soy milk. This was before research came out tying soy to (possible) hormone/estrogen issues. Granted, the reason I was drinking it was because I started vegan (before transitioning to vegetarian), I did learn to appreciate milk alternatives for their reduced calories and fat. None is better in my mind than almond milk. Try Silk's Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. Also, tofu? I love it in my eastern Asian cuisines (Thai, Chinese, etc.); however, it's not an everyday or an every week (sometimes not even an every month) food. There are so many delicious vegetables and fruits and legumes out there that you don't need to make tofu your main protein.

- Learn to appreciate more than the American standards:
Chinese, Italian, Mexican, etc. All really good, even in their Americanized forms, but, branch out. You can eat every day for months at the certain Indian places before getting bored with their vegetarian options. Thai curries will keep you warm on a winters night and cool on a summers day. Korean cuisine offers unique flavors and multiple vegetarian options, as does Vietnamese. Japanese is wonderfully healthy and heavily vegetarian and seafood based (Most sushi places have veggie sushi). Greek food has a multiplex of veggie options (at real greek restaurants, many are more a mixture of medi and middle eastern cuisine). Speaking of middle eastern - you can live for years eating off of Mamoun's (Village in NY) simple but tasty menu. Also, many Latin cultures, beyond Mexican food, offer a variety of vegetable based meals.

- Cheese is delicious but more caloric than you think:
When I left veganism it was because I missed having a hot slice from Brooklyn. What I learned shortly after was, as bad as that burger used to be for me, those two slices of cheese on top were doing an equal amount of damage. Now, I am a cheese proponent, but one has to be careful. A perfect example is Denny's Fried Cheese Melt. It sounds simple. Four mozzarella sticks fried and pressed between two slices of american cheese and two slabs of Texas toast. Now, we know it's not a healthy meal, but some health advocates and groups believe this sandwich may weigh in anywhere from 1250 calories to 1600 calories. And that's before the delicious seasoned fries are added. Hell, even a basic grilled cheese can account for 500 calories. Love cheese but be wary of it too. I always recommend feta and other goat cheeses. They are tasty, tend to be higher in calcium, and offer a different (and I think better) flavor than the cow milk cheese we are used to. Also, their strong flavors allow you to add less and get more.

- Count your calories:
As a vegan, I felt like I ate a lot, but dropped 40 pounds in 6 months, unplanned and unwanted. As a vegetarian, at the beginning I felt like I wasn't eating much, but I gained 20 pounds in 4 months (this had a lot to do with the cheese issue mentioned above). Don't judge food by it's weight (a rookie mistake). You may eat a huge bowl of delicious boiled spinach with a little olive oil, salt, garlic, and red pepper. You barely make it through that bowl and feel as full as can be. Well you may have only eaten a 100 or 200 calories depending on how much oil you used. Now, add pasta and sprinkling of cheese and you just turned that same spinach and olive oil dish into an 800 calorie meal. Count your calories to stay healthy.

- Lastly, Eggs are your friend:
Assuming you are going Lacto-Ovo (Ovo-Lacto) Vegetarian; eggs will make your life wonderful. They are cheap, protein rich, low in calories, have a higher ratio of good cholesterol than bad, and they can be prepared a million different ways. There is a part of me right now that wants to get into a Bubba shrimp rant about all the things you can do with eggs, but my post is long enough.

Good luck in this journey. It can be quite fun and rewarding. Vegetarianism can open your eyes to wonderful foods you would otherwise not eat because of our reliance on the standard fare we are raised on. And regardless if this is a life decision, or a temporary one, your new knowledge of food will always be something you use and appreciate for a lifetime.

P.S. Sorry for such a ridiculously long post.