Going Vegetarian - Tips?

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the whole reason I became one was from watching the exact same videos that Ellen watched when she decided to be vegan. It is called Earthlings and can be found on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4DJh-L7Ys if you watch it, be prepared to cry like you have never cried before. Although this is not true for all situations that animals are in it just made me feel like I didn't need meat to survive. I haven't had any cravings after seeing this.

make sure you eat legumes and things that are high protien...there is no reason for you diet to suffer a loss of protien, just actively look for protien rich foods...

there is so many ways to be vegetarian. basically eating no meat or chicken or fish. there is an alternative to anything you can think of. the other difference between vegetarian and vegan is eating no animal products at all. if you need help feel free to look at my diary anytime. im vegan. good luck. also, if you eat a lot of meat and dont eat anymore, you do drop about 10 pounds really fast, but only if you still eat healthy.

there is so many ways to be vegetarian. basically eating no meat or chicken or fish. there is an alternative to anything you can think of. the other difference between vegetarian and vegan is eating no animal products at all. if you need help feel free to look at my diary anytime. im vegan. good luck. also, if you eat a lot of meat and dont eat anymore, you do drop about 10 pounds really fast, but only if you still eat healthy.

ooh would you mind me following/friending you? i want to transition into vegan, i've been veg for 2-3 years

There's a RIGHT way and a WRONG way to do it!!! I've been a Vegetarian my whole life (lacto-ovo, I eat dairy and baked goods with egg, no straight egg) And there are people who can literally make themselves SICK from not eating right. If you're a meat eater now and are consuming 100g protein a day (typical) then to go to eating only 40-60 a day will make your body feel strange for a while until your body flushes the excess of proteins from your kidneys and liver and adjusts to the levels. That's really all a body needs instead of 100+g, that's just making your kidneys work harder. Plan to eat LOTS of wholesome veggies, I.E. vitamin rich foods, (yams/sweet potatoes are great sources) and eating raw nuts in small quantities, and subbing with things like the Morning Star brand or tofu. Watch out for the processed frozen soy/gluten products, many have high sodium. Eat Edamame (raw soy beans in pod) found in the freezer most places, or dried in the bulk section for making trailmix etc. Very high protein source. I consume nearly half my protein at breakfast because I eat greek yogurt (Chobani flavored) for few calories, zero fat and it tastes yummy, with a 1/2 cup Kashi GoLean Multigrain Cluster Cereal... also stay away from potato chips and other prepackaged frozen meal stuff... anything in a box like that will probably have LOTS of sodium!! Umm, what else... Get a good cookbook and empower yourself and your choices through knowledge. I love the "Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook" Barnes and Noble. It's very educational about what foods give you what and how to combine foods for max benefit. I still indulge in things like chocolate or a glass of wine periodically and am always within my calories. I eat cups and cups and cups of food every day, never feeling hungry, because I must eat 70% fruits and veggies, the rest are WHOLE WHEAT WHOLE GRAINS (pasta, bread, brown rice) and some dairy. I shoot for a minimum of 40g per day protein. (I'm 26yrs old, 5'9.5" tall female.) Best of luck! You can friend me so you can shoot me any questions you like.

Just make sure you get a lot of protein, iron, b12 and vitamin d. When I first became vegetarian I tried to find foods that were the same as what I would eat with meat, but just with an alternative. Mushrooms are a life saver! I make burgers, stuffed shrooms, Philly Cheese Steaks, so many things with them. I too watched a video, mine was "Meet you Meat" which made me never want to touch meat again, but I've always had a problem knowing I was eating a part of somethings leg. Just be open to new recipes and have fun experimenting! :happy:

congratulations on looking to go vegetarian.
i am also in the process in fully vegetarian as well i am a pescatarian (veggie that eats fish) now.

the only tips i can give you is try cutting out meat one day a week... when you feel comfortable doing that, add a second day of eating meat free and so on and so forth...

there are a lot of amazing meat substitutes out there that make it much more simpler now to become vegetarian. there is soy sausage, veggie burgers, soy hotdogs, ect ect! look around your health food section of your grocery store and you'll be surprised how many vegetarian options there are

good luck!
you can check out my food diary for ideas!

I was a pretty strict vegan for a year, but it didn't work out for me, but I'm hoping your journey goes better. I think the most beneficial thing I learned that whole time was this - do not rely on soy protein exclusively. I went a whole summer where I was eating a lot of those soy fake meats, and I went crazy. I've done some research on it, and there is some evidence that certain compounds in soy can act like estrogen in the body, so that threw my hormones all out of whack and turned me into a raging b*tch. It was bad. So, use them every so often when you really get a hankering for meat, but otherwise try to get your protein from legumes and stuff.