Becoming Vegetarian

Congratulations for many health reasons!

Vegetarianism is a way of life that will make your body more alkaline, less disease and illness. But do it with intelligence. Don't just become a carbanarian which was my mistake. Take over your own organic produce shopping and meal preparation. My mother thought I was crazy but finally got it. I modeled a new way of life for her and now my family has gone vegetarian without my forcing it on them. We all feel better. Note you will have to take a sublingual B12 supplement tablet for maintaining energy and it is only found in animal protein.

There is lots of information on the internet. Educate yourself. And simply with a smile refuse to eat the animal protein prepared for you. I never tell anyone I'm a raw vegan. I just live the life and kindly refuse what's not part of my diet. I usually always find veggies and fruit to eat, and if it's not there, I say I've already eaten and eat my salad later. Hope you love fresh dark leafy green salads and nuts and seeds because these should become a staple in your vegetarian diet.

Good luck.

Your admiring Liv ox :flowerforyou:

"The Everything Guide to Being Vegetarian" is a good place to start. It'll teach you about essential vitamins and nutrients that you could be missing now that you aren't eating meat, and ways of still getting those nutrients without the meat. Also, there are plenty of websites with vegetarian recipes. One of my favorites is cleaneatingmag.com, just search the word vegetarian and you have 15 pages of recipes to choose from.

Also, once you stop eating chicken (if you decide to do so), you'll need to be careful of products that are made with chicken byproduct or soups made with chicken stock. When you go out to eat, if you want soup, always ask the waiter/waitress if it's made with chicken stock. And check ingredients on packages, always. You'd be surprised what manufacturers sneak into your food. Beef flavored Ramen? Has actual beef powder in it, same with Chicken. If you already knew that I apologize, but not everybody is aware.

Also, when discussing with non-vegetarians your vegetarianism, don't let them batter you with "oh but meat is so good" and "how can you survive, are you getting enough protein?". Chances are, you'll get a lot of that. Just don't let it get to you. Kindly tell them that it's a personal choice and you're going to stick with it, but you don't have a problem with those that aren't vegetarian.

Vegetarianism is a way of life that will make your body more alkaline, less disease and illness.

Oh really?

Is this where we compare vegetarian-done-correctly with omnivore-done-incorrectly and conclude that vegetarian has all of these amazing health benefits?

How about I compare omnivore-done-correctly with vegetarian-done-incorrectly and compile an enormous list of obvious benefits? No, because that would be disingenuous, right?

What if I told you that vegetarian-done-correctly and omnivore-done-correctly were both similarly beneficial compared to either one done incorrectly? But I suppose it's hard to get zealous over that assertion.

Here's the thing - I have never tried to convince anyone to be a vegetarian. If people ask me questions about my diet, I am always happy to answer them. But I don't go looking for people to argue with or try to convince to change their ways. But you wouldn't believe the number of people who try to convince me to give up my veg diet. I don't understand it. Let me live my life and you live yours. I eat a very healthy diet and I feel better since giving up meat (like the OP, I started feeling ill when I would eat meat). Other people can eat whatever they want but leave me alone. I will do the same. (Sorry, needed a good rant due to the naysayers on here)

As for starting to eat veg, I recommend taking advantage of some of the great products in your freezer aisle. It is often easy to use them in the same things your mother cooks. For example, ask her to keep a portion separate for you and add soy crumbles instead of ground beef. Add frozen veg meatballs to your spaghetti instead of the meat ones. Eventually, you may decide to start making your own meatballs, like I have, but this is a great way to get started. There are so many products available that are healthy and can be substituted in the same meals that your mom is already making.

Be careful though - not all vegetarian things are healthy. Candy bars are veg, but they aren't going to make you feel good. Make smart choices that help you to feel good and contain lots of fruits and vegetables. Eat lots of beans and other legumes - they also make a great substitute for meat and are a great source of protein. Don't rely on pasta and bread as your source of calories - you will gain lots of weight and feel terrible.

When I went veg, I went to a couple local thrift stores (I was a student, I couldn't afford much more than that) and bought every vegetarian cookbook I could find. Some turned out to be better than others but it helped me start getting ideas of things to cook. You could also subscribe to Vegetarian Times or Cooking Light (which has a section of just meatless meals).

Another thing - don't feel bad for eating some chicken or fish right now. You don't have to go cold turkey on meat (haha) if you are not ready/able. Even if you start cutting it out a couple days a week for now, you are making a positive, healthy change, especially if meat is making you feel ill.

Good luck!

Step 1: tell everyone you come in contact with that you are a vegetarian

Why are people so threatened by people different than them?

Step 1: tell everyone you come in contact with that you are a vegetarian

Why are people so threatened by people different than them?

Oh it's not that, it's just that in order to be a proper vegetarian, you must let everyone know. Because the stereotype is the joke.

Step 1: tell everyone you come in contact with that you are a vegetarian

Step 2: Don't listen to people who are trying to be condescending about your health.

Step #4: don't confuse "stop eating meat" with "eating healthier" as they are not one and the same

hahaha
And yes, I had a friend that went vegetarian....she eventually had to give it up because she became severely anemic. I know some very fat and unhealthy vegans and vegetarians.

Word! me too!

I began eating mostly vegetarian in grad school simply because it was cheaper. I would eat meat when I was out, but never made it at home. A couple years later I decided to become vegetarian completely. In truth, I'm a pescatarian. I do eat fish, but it's very rare. Far less than once a week.

I suggest stopping buying meat (which may mean arranging your own meals) and maybe only eat it out for a bit.

I've found that my digestive system moves through more easily and I feel digestive lay much better. So, I think I'm here to stay. I do notice that it's not as wonderful when I eat too much fish.

As for recipes, there are sooo many good vegetarian blogs. Indian food is spectacular to eat because of the spicing. I never miss the meat. Stir fries are awesome. I ate a lot of eggs when I first started eating vegetarian because they were easy and cheap, but I eat a lot less eggs now. Smoothies are great. They would be gross with meat in them. Zucchini enchiladas are great! Use spices to create delicious new favors for yourself. Spices are a spectacular investment.

Step 1: tell everyone you come in contact with that you are a vegetarian

Why are people so threatened by people different than them?

Step 13: Lose your sense of humor