Became a vegetarian today, help!

What a shame...the OP asked for help and advice, what did she get? The usual bollocks...

Vegetarians live an average of 7 years longer than meat eaters, and meat consumption is absolutely 100% linked to cancer and heart disease.

She wasn't asking for validation, she wanted some tips...simples.

ETA I live up the road from you! Saltaire here...small world.

I want to be healthy ad young looking for as long as possible that I should be!
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I am posting this for any tips and advice someone might have for me!

I actually sorta respect vegans/vegetarians more who do it out of their moral convictions rather than the generic "to be healthy" reasoning. I mean hell, if you want to go against nature and fundamentally change your life, might as well have a strong reason for it

There is plenty of evidence that a diet high in red meats is linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease & high blood pressure, which I happen to have neither...

Hey man, I hear old age is heavily correlated with a higher chance of heart disease and high blood pressure. Also I don't seem to have diabetes, sickle cells, cancer, brittle bones and a plethora of other diseases, but I'm not quite yet at the point where I attribute my miraculous condition 100% to my food choices

There are different types of vegetarians......

semi vegetarian- (me) one that cuts all red meats & fish but eats occasional chicken.

Lacto ovo vegetarian - a vegetarian that excludes all chicken, red meats & fish but includes all dairy.

Lacto- vegetarian- a vegetarian that excludes all red meats/fish & chicken as well as eggs and any product containing eggs but still drinks milk & eats cheese.

then of course, vegan... a vegetarian that excludes all animal products entirely.

BBC documentary of 'How to live to be a 100' and in that they introduced a community of 7th day Adventists, who had a higher then average life expectancy and aged better then the average American and one of the defining differences was that they ate a vegetarian diet, exercised moderately, and didn't smoke or drink.

I think this person just wants help making the adjustment to being vegetarian - it isn't helping to debate whether vegetarianism is healthy or not, or healthier than eating meat - that is for another thread I think. While there are loads of references in popular books and academic medical journals which point to vegetarians/vegans living longer and healthier lives, for instance the American Journal of Medicine says that 97% of heart attacks would be avoided by a veggie diet, among others, and The near-vegan diet designed by Dean Ornish in the 90's is the first ever to halt and even reverse heart disease, the list goes on - my point is that somebody is not wrong simply because they have left their references out, so let's give them a break and just answer their question.

I am 99% vegetarian and have been veggie for over 10 years, and if you need any help or advice on something specific, let me know. I have made veggie dishes tasty and desirable for even the most avid meat eaters. I recommend getting some great-looking vegetarian cookbooks, because if you are used to eating "meat and two veg" type meals, you may not actually know how to cook tasty vegetarian meals. Sure, there are fake meat products like soy burgers and tofu dogs, but what I mean is that you need to learn how to make good, tasty meals that started out vegetable - that aren't modifications of better-tasting meat dishes. I was eating vegetarian in Alabama for years before I officially became "vegetarian" - In my home, we just had so many good vegetables, we weren't really concerned if there was meat on the plate - we certainly didn't miss it if it wasn't there. My in-laws, for instance, cook me a hunk of "veggie meat" plus peas and potatoes. Other than meat, the only thing they know how to cook is fake meat. They cannot actually fathom a real vegetarian meal. So get yourself some great cookbooks, and in the meantime, look at this website for ideas:

This one is good if you are vegan, but it may be a bit strict for you at first, 'cause a lot of these recipes use fake eggs or vegan cheese - I just make them vegetarian by using real cheese, real eggs, real milk etc.

http://vegweb.com/

Also, it doesn't hurt to give this one a try, and search for "vegetarian" recipes (though maybe search for "healthy" "vegetarian) because these people can use butter and cream and stuff - remember if you use the recipes from this website, substitute healthier fats such as olive oil instead of butter; use low fat/fat free mayos and cheeses when you can, etc. etc.

http://allrecipes.com/