Becoming Vegetarian

scotslass · October 2010

Hi there

This is brand new way of life for me, I have been a meat eater since I have been little and im 22 now. After long hard think I have decided it's right for me, I can't stand the taste or texture of meat in my mouth and it doesn't agree with my stomach so decided to cvut it out all together, now my problem is I understand you get protien from chicken etc, what would be good foods for me to eat, for protien?? has anyone decided that this was the way for them? did it work? pros cons?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Thank you so much
Lynsey :-)

la4et · October 2010

My 14 yr old daughter has been a vegetarian for over 1yr now- really a pain in the butt! However, if its works then so be it. I make sure she gets her protein from cottage cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, eggs. There is something called TVP -textured vegetarian protien, which can be added to chili, spag sauce, soups if you like cooking

maprotano · October 2010

You might want to visit the Vegetarian Times.com website, as they have a nice "getting started as a vegetarian" brochure. It's easier than you might think to lose the meat! Good luck in your new life as a vegetarian/vegan. :flowerforyou:

Hotbottom · October 2010

I was a vegetarian for years before I got pregnant and then craved meat so much again: I could have literally killed a sheep. So I have been eating meat since: 15 years!!! Ahhhh. I feel like you now, I want to cut it out of my diet again. If you do become veggi, eat proteins such as: nuts, tofu, dair, eggs. Get used to nut butters and Tahini. Beware of your B vits: as that is what can be difficult to replace. If I was you I would take a supplement to begin with.
I'm working on changing my diet again and at the moment if I do eat meat ( because I have a carnivores daughter and hubby), I will eat a very small portion: 3 oz with huge salad or mix veg.
For breakfast chop up a few pieces of fruit and add a tbs of nut butter and splash of honey or agave: mix it all up.
For lunch: lots of salads and steam veg or fried veg and 1/2 cup rice.
Dinners: soups, veg lasagnes, get into Chinese cooking and just stir fry a bunch of veg and tofu.

Tofu can be an interesting one: It should taste bland: that is the brand to buy! Then it's a great product to flavor, add sauces, even make devine chocolate chilli pies and mouses. Most people buy tofu and finds it has a weird taste and they think Tofu sucks. The reality is, they just brought the wrong brand!!! Like buying the wrong, cheap brand of a processed meat.

Oh by the way kefir: is FABULOUS!!!! you can buy starting packets in a healthfood store and use skimmed milk to make it. It tastes a bit fizzy and I add a spash of agave. It that provides you with B Vits and probiotics for your tummy.
Lets be buddies and support each other going veggi. Madcat is one of my feiends, he is good at support too. He's going vegan.

mburgoyne1 · October 2010

I've been vegetarian for about twenty years now, with two of my four children also vegetarian or vegan. This is the number one question we get asked, "Where do you get your protein?" My answer has morphed over the years, and now I answer a little flippantly, "At the grocery store, same as you!"

But seriously, we get our proteins from a number of sources, which by the way, are far easier for our bodies to absorb than the protein from meats - whole grains, nuts, tofu, seitan, tempeh (if you haven't tried tempeh yet, do!), and even cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage), spinach, kale, chard, etc.

There are lots of delicious recipes for you to build your "favourites" repertoire - anything by Mollie Katzen, the Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, anything by Sarah Kramer.

How's that for a start?

anang · October 2010

Hi, i became a vegetarian about 6 years ago and I'm 38 so I had to readjust a lot. Unfortunately I became what my husband called a carbatarian because he never saw me eat any vegetables when I first started because I didn't know how to do it right. I ate lots of potatoes, bread, cheese, because that's what they serve in restaurants when you are vegetarian, if you are lucky enough to find something on the menu without special ordering it. Anyway beware of the carbs when you first transition because I gained about 20 lbs, due to lack of understanding of the balanced eating I needed to be doing. So I started researching and have found lots of substitutes that at first took some getting used to but I love them now. And my 9 year old turned vegetarian around Nov of last year and loves most of the veggie products that I get. He actually asked me last night, "Are you sure you gave me the veggie hot dogs mom?" we have 3 meat eaters and 2 veggies in the household now.

) To help you transition from the meats to more healthy protien it might help to get some prepared meals, until you learn to cook the other protiens they can be a little tricky well I'll say different not really tricky. So I would reccomend going with some of the frozen veggie options they actually have started carrying them in the regular grocery stores now WooHoo. I like the Morningstar brands of just about anything they have, again the texture is different, but they try to make it close to real meat. So that may or may not appeal to you. They have veggie corn dogs, regular veggie hot dogs (though I would definitely have these will all the toppings in a bun), fake ribs, etc etc. These may or may not appeal to you, but try them they are usually made with a vegetable protien or a soy protein. If you go to a whole foods/farmer's market style grocer they can help you with the other types of foods to cook for your recipes. I just substitute our soy/veg protein "meat" with what my mother in law makes with real meat. It works everytime. I even make fake meatloaf with the soy products crumbles from Boca. :O) Good luck if you have any more ?s I'm happy to help a fellow veggie.

bsexton3 · October 2010

My wife and I were vegetarian during grad school, more from saving money than taste, etc. That was 25 years ago. We found a lot of wisdom in Moosewood Cookbooks. Some of our best recipes still come from there.

carl1738 · October 2010

There's dairy and eggs still to get your complete proteins from. Whey protein is still an option, too, if you're having trouble meeting your protein needs, unless you're going the full vegan route. If these options are not included in your dietary choices, there's always soy, nuts and seeds, and a wide variety of beans and legumes to get your protein from.

scotslass · October 2010

WOW!!

Thank you all so much for all your advice and info, i was worrying as I didnt know where to begin, now i have a list of all the things you have all wrote for me :-)

Thank you, I have been thinking of doing this for a while, It's not a choice i have made likely as I have been a meat eater a long long time and everyone around me is a meat eater, but going by how i feel after i eat meat I know its definately the right choice for me, plus I have had food poisoning countless time through meat which was a big strain on my mind and body, I LOVE cooking, unlike some 22 year olds who would rather just shove something in a microwave i like to cook lol im a mum aswell so I liek to cook fresh stuff for my little boy, so thank you all!!

I am looking forward to my new food journey :-)

Lynsey

frenchfri87 · October 2010

congratulations on making a choice to be vegetarian!! ive been one since I was 4 years old..

My favorite protein source is plain greek yogurt or nonfat/lowfat cottage cheese. Other sources include eggs, peanut butter, chick peas, legumes, nuts, seeds, protein fortified cereals/oatmeals, milk...

Soy protein is not something I am keen on but I know many vegetarians that get protein from soy milk, tofu, and soy "meat" products.

Another important thought when deciding to be a vegetarian is to make sure to start taking vitamin B12 suppliment and a vitamin D suppliment!!

LindaSueBakk · October 2010

I'm not vegetarian, but my son and daughter-in-law are. Chris has been a veg for 13 years (he's 29). When he started, he'd eat anything that didn't contain meat - some of it was very fatty and very unhealthy. I started changing some favorite family recipes. One of the best foods you can eat is beans. When I make chili or any kind of soup that contains beef, I simply replace the meat with a can of black beans. If you haven't eaten a lot of beans, it can take awhile to adjust but it's well worth it! Egg whites are good protein too and don't forget peanut butter - it contains fat but it's the healthy kind. You might consider the veg saying, "If it has feet don't eat" and keep some seafood in your diet. God bless.

its_B · October 2010

Oh so nuts are super helpful, but as a warning, I was a vegetarian for over 6 months, and I loved it because it suited my state of mind and personal opinions. However, I didn't do my research and ended up getting really sick. Reasoning? I didnt have enough vital vitamins in my system. I highly recommend that you go to a Health Foods Store, and talk to their vitamins/medicine person. They can help prescribe or suggest what vitamin supplements you should be taking now that you are cuting meat out of your diet

momtomalia · October 2010

I have been a vegetarian now for 3 years because of health issues. I feel so much better. Don't do it to lose weight, definitely do it for a lifestyle change. I agree with one of the previous comments, that carbs can become dangerous to a vegetarian if you don't know what you are doing. You start to think, ok I am not eating meat, so i am fine, but you are consuming tons of bread, potatoes, etc. I became that unhealthy vegetarian too. Also have something fresh/green in every meal. It has been challenging at times through my journey, but so worth it. I hope it will be worth it for you too. Best of luck!

KimSchnizleinWECHANGED · October 2010

I was a Vegetarian for a number of years in my Hippy-cultish yrs ... LOL!! The Vegetarianism was one of the few intelligent, healthy choices I made at the time. I was an Adapted Vegetarian because I ate fish (Pesci-Vegetarian). In fact, I'm about to swing back that way now. I eat very little meat that isn't chicken, and I still eat a lot of fish. The rest of my diet consists of probiotic foods, dairy, fresh fruit, and fresh vegies, nuts, and beans. I just began considering the switch back to a Vegetarian lifestyle yesterday, so your post coming at this time has given me reason to think deeper about this choice. Don't forget that you only need about 35-45 grams of protein a day, and that really isn't difficult to accomplish .... Brown rice, Tofu, Seitn, and Tempeh can help with protein ... As well as eggs, nuts, and other beans. I was/am a Lacto-ovo Vegetarian (eggs & dairy) who is also a Pesci-Vegetarian (I eat fish .... However, I only eat it about 3x/wk). A lot of very strict Vegetarians/Vegans give up coffee and all other forms of stimulants (I'm planning to keep my coffee). Since you didn't say, I just figured that you're planning on adopting the generally known and accepted form of Vegetarianism which does include dairy and eggs, but you'll want to add more bean sources. I drink Soy and Almond milk so my dairy is mostly cheese and yogurt. I also lean VERY strongly toward the Macrobiotic form of Vegetarianism which excludes refined and processed foods, no foods with preservatives ... My big drift away from that is the coffee.

Here are some helpful sites:

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm
http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/vegetarian_diets.html
http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/iron.html
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/f/Vegnutrition.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Feel free to add me as a friend if you want because I'd love to have a few friends who are adopting Vegetarianism as a new choice on their Journey, but if you delve into the Forum a little more you'll probably find a thread for Vegetarianism/Veganism as well.

KIM Good Luck!! Happy eating!

Emmalene123 · October 2010

QUORN and Linda McCartney and supermarket own brands meat free products are brilliant, i am semi vegetarian, I eat chicken and fish but very rarely, my boyfriend is completely vege, you can make all sorts of meaty meals with meat replacement foods, a delicious bolognase.shepherds pie/lasagna or moussaka can be made from quorn mince or linda mc cartney mince, its delicious! take a vit supplement at least to begin with, i take one most days and find i get ill far less than my meat eating friends and family, pulses like lentils and split peas are great for stews and home made soups. good luck let us know how you get on and what you find yourself eating :-) x

scotslass · October 2010

Thank you all for taking the time and effort to give me great direction and sites to look at for ideas...I love MFP for the fact that the support is AMAZING

I must say that I do like fish and was thinking of keeping this in my diet, I dont eat cheese as it has never agreed with me and I very rarely use milk if i do it is semi skimmed or skimmed but today whilst shopping i picked up some rice milk, is this okay to use?
I am doing this for a lifestyle change not to lose weight :-) but if weight loss happens in the process then fantastic but my main reason is meat really doesnt agree with my body and I am now at the stage were i can listen to what my body is telling me what itneeds and doesnt :-)

I will def speak to health store about suppliments as i want to make sure my body doesnt lack essential vitimans as I can get very sick with bad migraines (usually when i lack Iron and B12)

I have a great starting point of food all thanks to you guys! your amazing!!

Lynsey

crossarmant · October 2010

The topic of "OMFG WHERE DO YOU GER PROTEIN FROM?" is so over done and trite. If you eat a smart, healthy diet of varied fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole wheats, and nuts you will be just fine. It's a good idea to work the dairy out of your diet, especially considering most of the world's population cannot even digest lactose (The sugar within milk) past infancy. Anyways, the protein requirements for a normal adult is around 55-65g a day, the average American eats 2-3x that on average. Unfortunately the body cannot process excess protein and winds up processing it in the kidneys and secreting it out through the urine. However, the high protein content causes an acidic balance within the body, which is balanced out by leeching calcium out of bone matter. This is one of the reasons that despite Americans consuming tons more calcium than other countries, we still have higher osteoporosis/osteopenia levels than other nations. It's rather easy to get all the protein you need without trying as long as you don't eat only potatoes and refined white grains.

A few great sample dishes with varied nutrients and macronutrients: A stir-fry with tofu, mixed vegetables, and brown rice; a burrito on whole wheat tortilla with black beans, tomatoes, and onions (and whatever other vegetables your heart desires); a number of Indian chickpea recipes; hummus with some pita bread; natural peanut butter with ground flax on wheat toast, etc.

One of the great things that will come from being a vegetarian is that you will quickly learn tons of new foods and styles of cooking and appreciating foreign fare. There's a world of different foods out there, but most people only know beef, chicken, ham, potatoes, spaghetti, and some bland side vegetable. Excluding meat from your diet forces you to look around and learn new foods and cooking techniques; lest you be left eating pasta and homefries exclusively. Good luck in all your endeavours and learn how to explore all the great resources available online, just search vegetarian recipes and you'll learn tons of new meals (VegWeb.com, etc)

JillTwiss · October 2010

I haven't eaten red meat or pork in over 19 years and haven't eaten poultry in about probably 5. I don't make a conscious effort to eat protein and I never have a problem getting more than enough. You'd be surprised at how much protein you get from non-meat sources.

Iron is a much bigger concern, for me anyway. I've been anemic for a long, long time. I would definitely focus on iron. Of course, everyone is different and this is just my experience. My doctor has me taking three 65mg iron tablets per day. I got a lot better after awhile (I can tell when my hemoglobin's really low) and I stopped taking it a few weeks ago when I started making a concerted effort to eat Total cereal most mornings for breakfast. 1 cup is 133% of your daily iron (a serving is 2/3 of a cup).

JillTwiss · October 2010

And I don't know how you feel about soy, but soy milk has a good amount of protein in it. I like rice milk and almond milk better, but soy has more protein.

Becoming Vegetarian

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