Thinking about becoming a vegetarian, but scared! Need advice!
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I am not a vegetarian but decided to eat less meat due to finances. I find it a bit cheaper but I'm not buying a lot of premade meat replacers, tofu, vegetarian frozen dinners, etc.
It was helpful for me to make a list of all the meatless meals I already enjoyed. Some recipes with meat that I liked I can just leave out the meat or substitute beans. Doing it that way it wasn't really like giving up anything just eating more of different things I liked.
You could gradually increase the number of meatless meals you eat each week. I try to do 3 or 4 meatless dinners each week.
Dry beans, lentils, eggs, rice, pasta, potatoes, onions, carrots, and oatmeal are cheaper basics that you can build a lot of meals with.
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Like others have clarified, you can be vegetarian and still eat eggs and dairy. Vegans don't eat that, vegetarians often do. There is also the pescetarian option (still eating fish/seafood in addition to eggs and dairy, but no beef, pork, poultry). My husband has been doing that for 14 years with no issues. However his diet is super healthy at times and not very healthy at other times...being pescetarian, vegetarian, or even vegan is no guarantee of health.
If you don't like it, you can always stop and/or adjust later.
I ate a pescetarian diet for 1 year in hopes of losing weight from the change. This was before I joined MFP. I think I did eat a little healthier overall but I only lost 8 lb in that year, and I had 100+ to lose, so it definitely wasn't magical in that sense. One of my husband's friends did it and lost 70 lb in a year. That guy was a huge consumer of bacon and beef, and he went from twice-daily fast food super size meals to home cooked pescetarian/veggie meals. I was more the type to eat meat 2 or 3 times a week, usually lean beef or a chicken entree, so the change wasn't as drastic for me (which disappointed me). I eventually went back to occasional meat eating (about twice a week normally).
I have no idea about your motivations and expectations but the worst that could happen is you'll change your mind. Good luck with whatever you decide!0 -
I recommend you don't go vegetarian immediately, and try out eating meat only on weekends first. Mediterranean diets have very little meat overall, and are much more healthy. I went vegetarian for 6 months, and never felt so weak with all the vitamin deficiencies I was getting... even hair loss! And for allergy reasons I couldn't take vitamins, so I felt like crud. If it's for ethical reasons, good luck, & make sure you're getting the proper vitamins is all I can say.0
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As a vegetarian for two years and now vegan, I can tell you there are SO many options. Honestly, when I was a meat eater I was bored because I would just cook the same things over and over.
Becoming a vegetarian would open up new opportunities to try something you wouldn't have in the past.
You must keep in mind though, that if you're trying to lose weight as a vegetarian, it may not happen so easily as people make it out to be. I remember when I first became a vegetarian I would load up on unhealthy snacks instead of real food because I had no idea what I was doing. I was kinda scared like you.
I suggest getting into cooking. When I did that all of my previous health problems started depleting because there was a balance.
Also, you may have to take B-12 supplements. Something with the way vegetables and fruits are planted/harvested make it that there isn't any in them. It's a myth that only animals have that vitamin, because B-12 is literally from the ground.
Sorry this post is all over the place! I hope it helps you and your decision!0 -
Be afraid....be very afraid......0
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Becoming a vegetarian at first is hard, but you'll adjust pretty quickly. You can maybe start by cutting out meat, besides fish. That helped me a lot. You should give it a try and see!0
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I've been vegetarian for 29 years, and for 10 of those I was vegan. I don't take any kind of supplements, and just aim to have some protein in most meals. I've never found it difficult, though I probably do read food labels more than some people do. When I became vegetarian in the 1980s there was very little pre made vegetarian food available (such as quorn, or supermarket branded burgers and sausages) so I ate lots of pulses, tvp, and food from the health food shop. These days there is a huge range in most supermarkets. Some vegetarians rely heavily on these types of foods, some don't.0
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You don't need to take supplements for B12 if you're vegetarian; eggs and/or dairy produce will provide it. If you're vegan you do need to find a source of B12.0
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I agree with the no label thing; incorporate more meatless meals if you like (and all meatless if you find you enjoy that way of eating). I would suggest not proclaiming that "you are now vegetarian". Others (and yourself) may view it as a failure if you go back to eating meat. However, incorporating more meatless meals into your diet works no matter how many of them are actually meatless. And fewer people will give you crap for a meal where you do want some meat.
And definitely don't be scared of the lack of variety. There are tons of vegetarian options, and you've been given some great resources already.0 -
It's an easy blood test if you're worried. I get my levels tested every year and have always been fine on a complete crap diet. Everyone is different. Supplementing is a good idea though.0
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I ate about 300 chickens in 2015 and more than likely three or four cows am very healthy and in great shape may I ask why you want to quit eating meat?0
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Michael190lbs wrote: »I ate about 300 chickens in 2015 and more than likely three or four cows am very healthy and in great shape may I ask why you want to quit eating meat?
hmm maybe cause its their personal choice? such a crazy concept? As if "health" (subjective term) is the only reason to not consume meat.
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I became a vegetarian as a teenager and was for a long time. I went omnivore for my second pregnancy. Now I am eating a vegan diet. Nothing to be scared of, especially if you eat dairy and eggs. As others said you can reduce meat. Or stop and go back if you want. I am eating a vegan diet now. Could be forever. Or not. Doesn't really matter. I can't anticipate the future. I'm doing well on a vegan diet. And got an app to locate restaurants called Happy Cow. There are a couple groups for vegetarians/vegans on mfp and on Facebook (that I learned about from mfp). I have food intolerances from a medical injury. But, if I could, I would want to still eat eggs.0
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Speaking as someone who's been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 41 years (yes, since 1974), I don't think there's any reason to fear lack of variety or getting bored with the food. (Others on the thread have expanded on why that's so; +1 to what they said).
The thing I'd urge you to think through is the social logistics, if you're going to be a fully adherent vegetarian (i.e., never eat meat). Examples: Meat-eating friends ask you to their house for dinner. What do you say? Your whole family is eating a traditional holiday dinner, and of course you're going. What do you do? All your co-workers are going to a steakhouse (or German restaurant, or any other place that isn't very veggie-friendly). Do you go? You're getting into a serious relationship with someone who may be The One, but s/he is a major meat'n'potatoes eater. How does this work?
There are good answers to all these kinds of scenarios (so don't get all mad at me, other vegetarians!
Believe me, I know a dozen ways to handle them gracefully.).
The point is, navigating the social side of vegetarianism in a non-vegetarian culture is, IMO, one of the kind of annoying parts of vegetarianism. If you can deal comfortably with this part, I think you're all good to go. Being bored with the food isn't an issue, IMO - there are so many interesting foods to try, so many interesting vegetarian cuisines from around the world to experiment with.
If I had it to do over again, knowing what I do now, I might choose "nearly/mostly vegetarian" over "vegetarian" purely for convenience. (This will not be an attractive option if there's an ethical/moral reason for you to become vegetarian, of course.) I'm not going that route now because at this point, frankly, meat just seems kinda icky.
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socioseguro wrote: »You can eat less meat without becoming a vegetarian.
If you continue eating cheese, eggs and milk then you are NOT a vegetarian.
You are confusing vegan with vegetarian. Milk, cheese, and eggs are vegetarian - they are not vegan.
I never have figured out what the big deal about going without meat was about - or about why vegetarian restaurants have to serve fake meat when there are so many wonderful and delicious meatless foods that don't pretend to be mostly tasteless fake dead animals.0 -
I never have figured out what the big deal about going without meat was about - or about why vegetarian restaurants have to serve fake meat when there are so many wonderful and delicious meatless foods that don't pretend to be mostly tasteless fake dead animals.
+1 . . . Yes, yes, yes. Sooo much *this*. The fake meat is (mostly) just awful.
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socioseguro wrote: »You can eat less meat without becoming a vegetarian.
If you continue eating cheese, eggs and milk then you are NOT a vegetarian.
You are confusing vegan with vegetarian. Milk, cheese, and eggs are vegetarian - they are not vegan.
I never have figured out what the big deal about going without meat was about - or about why vegetarian restaurants have to serve fake meat when there are so many wonderful and delicious meatless foods that don't pretend to be mostly tasteless fake dead animals.
Agreed! Fake meat is awful and I break out in hives. I like real food (vegan).0 -
I never have figured out what the big deal about going without meat was about - or about why vegetarian restaurants have to serve fake meat when there are so many wonderful and delicious meatless foods that don't pretend to be mostly tasteless fake dead animals.
+1 . . . Yes, yes, yes. Sooo much *this*. The fake meat is (mostly) just awful.
ive had tempeh wings that were pretty on point but the fact that i knew i was eating fake meat was some how more digsuting then just eating boneless wings ha.
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