New to MFP! Looking for vegetarian support!

hey i've been a vegetarian for 14 years and have never been tempted to eat meat! it's great!

I've been vegetarian for 15 years and I think meat is gross. If you ever want ideas, feel free to look at my food diary, it's public. I do like some frozen fake meats though, but I don't necessarily eat them every day because although they are convenient for busy days, they are high in sodium (although not as high as a lot of their actual meat counterparts)

I've yet to give it up all together, I just need to suck it up and give it up!! ahhh i need more willpower!! How was your transition into the lifestyle?

Some of the fake meats may actually help your transition a little because it won't feel as much like you're giving up everything at once. Morningstar farms chick'n nuggets are great and veggie burgers as well. Also invest in a couple vegetarian cookbooks to look for new ideas and search some of the vegetarian recipe sites online, I've found some great ideas out there

Hey! I went vegetarian this past September. It has been great! I thought it would be really hard because chicken wings and cheeseburgers used to be my favorite food, but surprisingly I haven't had a single craving for meat since I stopped eating it. Some of the stuff I read about the meat industry absolutely disgusted and saddened me so I will never look at meat the same way again. I still eat seafood and some dairy products, though I try to avoid that as much as possible. Morningstar has some really awesome products and Amy's Kitchen has a lot of tasty stuff too. My biggest advice is to branch out and try lots of different things and eat as many vegetables and fruits as you can. When I first went vegetarian I ate pasta for every lunch and dinner. Talk about carb overload! Plus I wasn't really getting any protein so I felt like crap. But since I figured out how to plan meals that aren't based around carbs, I've never felt better. Also, I read somewhere that vegetarians need to take a B12 supplement because that is only found in animal products. Good luck with everything!

Try Quorn brand foods(found in the freezer aisle of Whole Foods, Kroger...) and veggie burgers. I am a vegetarian and I have never felt better! Plus my skin looks great. Try eating avocados, mushrooms...all that yummy stuff. When I used to eat meat I would feel terrible. My body just cannot digest meat well. I would feel uncomfortably bloated after I would eat a cheeseburger. I would suggest reading the book, Skinny *****. They preach a vegan diet, but a lot of what they say really opens your eyes. For example, the hormones, antibiotics they pump into those animals. Also, the living conditions of the poor animals. Usually before they are slaughtered they stuff all these animals in a small room and they are sitting in their own feces. Good luck!

You can do it! Just believe in yourself, stay strong, and don't beat yourself up if you slip and have some meat.

Hello, I'm new here too. Vegetarian for about 10 years (with a 6 month return to omnivorism somewhere in the middle). I was vegan for the last year, but now have returned to a ovo-laco vegetarian. Although my lifestyle is still about 80% vegan. Being vegetarian is surprisingly easy. After being vegan for a year I feel like I can do anything. Cravings actually do stop.

I'm happy to hear your making the change for ethics and not just health. It will make your transition that much easier. I agree with a lot of the other posts here, if you slip up don't worry too much. Some people can make the change over night, for others it takes time. You may decide in the end to not go all the way and still it some meat from farm raised animals. I'm sure what ever choice you make you'll feel good about it if your doing it for the right reasons.

If you want some good links to veg sites or book titles I have a ton!

(on the b12 issue. If you are just vegetarian b12 supplements aren't such an issue, but for vegan it is! if you want to make that transition).