Wanting to become vegetarian

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LisaMarieee
LisaMarieee Posts: 176 Member
in Food and Nutrition
First of all, I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in. I apologize in advance if that's the case.

I was vegetarian a couple years ago but then I went back to eating chicken, fish and meat. I rarely eat meat right now and actually feel better (physically) on days when I haven't ate it so I'm thinking of cutting it altogether. I know there are so many vegetarian recipes that I can prepare (which I have no problem doing, I love cooking!) but I'm not sure what to look for when I go grocery shopping with my mother. She is not vegetarian but she said she'd support me if I went that direction again so that's not a problem.

What types of vegetables should be in the house? Any items I should look for in particular? (I'm from Canada, if that makes any difference.)

Any general advice for me?

Thank you. :smile:

Replies

  • jtns
    jtns Posts: 11
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    Feel free to add me. I'm a vegetarian planning to transition to a pescetarian. Being a veg is great! you will save 100 lives per year and lose weight in the process. I suggest you read
    The Vegonomicon
    Skinny *****
    Skinny ***** in the Kitch
    any of the Moosewood cookbooks

    if you do add me just type "vegetarian" in the friend request so I know who you are
  • LisaMarieee
    LisaMarieee Posts: 176 Member
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    Feel free to add me. I'm a vegetarian planning to transition to a pescetarian. Being a veg is great! you will save 100 lives per year and lose weight in the process. I suggest you read
    The Vegonomicon
    Skinny *****
    Skinny ***** in the Kitch
    any of the Moosewood cookbooks

    if you do add me just type "vegetarian" in the friend request so I know who you are

    Thank you!
  • tiggersstar
    tiggersstar Posts: 193 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/259690-hey-vegetarians-vegans-i-need-a-bit-of-help-please

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/250677-vegetarian-meals-for-meat-eaters

    try the above links that were started the other day :smile:
  • Adynata
    Adynata Posts: 128 Member
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    If you're already cutting back on the meat, then adjusting your diet shouldn't be too hard at all. You can get large amounts of brand name meat substitutes that taste great (and a whole bunch of god awful ones). You've also got versatile things like tofu, seitan, soy etc. for dishes that are not necessarily just East Asian. And of course your every day meaty vegetables like mushrooms - portabello or shiitake mushrooms if you can get hold of them.
  • rlmiller73190
    rlmiller73190 Posts: 342 Member
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    I'm a pescatarian (mostly vegetarian.. only eating fish occassionally). Feel free to add me to see my diary for any ideas. I have a really good cookbook just a regular vegetarian cookbook.
  • Uk_Yogini
    Uk_Yogini Posts: 167
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    http://www.thekindlife.com/

    Check the above link out. It's an awesome site with tons and tons of great info and resources. Good luck and welcome to the greener side :)
  • BeHappyNHealthy
    BeHappyNHealthy Posts: 37
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    Hey there! I'm a vegan and soon to be a registered dietician! I know a lot about what nutrients you need if you want to get in contact directly with me and I will tell you everything you need to know about what essential nutrients you may need to pay closer attention too. First off, props for going vegetarian! It's an admirable lifestyle and I wish more people would look into it. What grocery stores do they have in Canada? Where do you usually shop? Shoot me a message if you have any nutrition questions. I consider myself a little bit of a nutrition dork.

    With a carefully planned diet, you can get all the protein, vitamins and minerals in a vegan or vegetarian diet that you can in a meat-eaters diet. I wish more people knew that. :(

    Anyway, Add me! :)
  • Finding_Tina
    Finding_Tina Posts: 48 Member
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    I have been a vegetarian for many years (since 1991). We always keep beans in the house, garbanzo, black, pinto, alse lentils, peas, etc... they can be prepared in soups, mixed with something like salsa and served over brown rice..

    or in stir fry.. fresh or frozen vegetables.. whatever is your preference.. I'll also throw in a frying pan veggies, with some firm or extra firm tofu (press out the extra water with paper towels) and vegetarian teriyaki sauce. My husband (who loves meat) has even grown to eat this way, and my kids will too :) Much luck to you!! Oh, and feel free to add me if you like~
  • rosemadderv
    rosemadderv Posts: 25
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    Really, it's about finding some veggies you like. I'm a veg and have been pretty much my whole life, but I'm not the biggest fan of most veggies.

    I like yellow squash, and mushroom for adding to pasta- whole wheat pasta, some marinara and sauted vegetables makes for a really simple filling dinner, and you can add some mozz cheese to the top if you want.

    Snack's- carrots, cucumber, snap peas, bell peppers. All those are easy to just snack on.
  • dan76n
    dan76n Posts: 23
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    My wife is vegetarian and has a few apps on her phone that are very handy in the supermarkets. "Animal free" and "cruelty free" are the two I copied so if I'm shopping I don't get her anything she can't eat.
    They are very handy for me as I'm still learning the bad ingredients.
  • fridayjustleft04
    fridayjustleft04 Posts: 851 Member
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    Peta/Peta2 has a link on their site called the vegetarian starter kit; look into that. Good things to have on hand at home are veggies for salads, yogurt, and soy meat products, in my experience. At first, it's a little difficult if you're the only vegetarian in the house (when I first became one, my mom always "forgot" and never bought me food), but it gets easier with time. Feel free to add me, and congrats/good luck on your decision!! :happy:
  • LisaMarieee
    LisaMarieee Posts: 176 Member
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    You've all been so helpful! Thank you so much! :flowerforyou:

    I usually shop at Superstore, Walmart and Save On Foods. I recently found out today that Walmart has amazing fresh produce and it's cheaper than Save On Foods (where I usually shop), so I think I'll be going there more often. I'm very enthusiastic about this, it sounds like it'll be easier than I thought to transition. :bigsmile:

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