Vegetarian Diet Transition

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  • ClareMillsRoberts
    ClareMillsRoberts Posts: 28 Member
    Hey, I'm a pescetarian and my main advice to you would be to become well acquainted with your spice cupboard! Cooking without meat can take a little getting used to for a lot of people because they are used to the meat imparting a lot of flavour to a dish and in particular providing a rich/savouriness (umami) that can be difficult to replicate. I use things like marmite (yeast extract), hendersons relish (a bit like Worcestershire sauce), soy sauce and dried mushrooms (and the mushroomy stock from soaking) in soups, stocks, gravies and stews. Veggie curries are brilliant and can be really filling and healthy just be confident and experiment with spices. Another tip would be to get away from the idea of meat having to take centre stage in a meal - for instance we quite often have a roast dinner which is essentially all the trimmings - roast potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings, steamed veg, gravy - without the meat, or a "full English breakfast" with eggs, beans, toast, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns and veggie sausages. Meat replacements can be a good way of getting more protein in your diet, I prefer frozen soya mince to quorn mince as it has a more substantial texture. Good luck!
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,251 Member
    There are so many options for you to choose from, OP. When it comes to faux meats, I prefer to either use Gardein brand or make my own seitan. Check out my obsessive Pinterest boards (scroll past all the cardmaking & papercrafting to get to the recipe boards): https://www.pinterest.com/jenniferarent/
  • taylorwatson1
    taylorwatson1 Posts: 30 Member
    vegan4lyfe2012 wrote: »
    There are so many options for you to choose from, OP. When it comes to faux meats, I prefer to either use Gardein brand or make my own seitan. Check out my obsessive Pinterest boards (scroll past all the cardmaking & papercrafting to get to the recipe boards): https://www.pinterest.com/jenniferarent/

    Thank you, I'll definitely have a look through! ☺️
  • Former_chubby_momma
    Former_chubby_momma Posts: 686 Member
    Im a vegan and make my own veggie burgers, they're both more cost effective and healthier. Literally just shredded zucchini, black beans, steel cut oats, and ground flax seasoned with steak seasoning. I make like 50 of them for $10 of ingredients and freeze.

    Anyway try Yummly, it's an app that provides tons of recipes to fit any dietary restrictions. It's fantastic.
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    chubby_momma wrote: »
    Im a vegan and make my own veggie burgers, they're both more cost effective and healthier. Literally just shredded zucchini, black beans, steel cut oats, and ground flax seasoned with steak seasoning. I make like 50 of them for $10 of ingredients and freeze.

    Anyway try Yummly, it's an app that provides tons of recipes to fit any dietary restrictions. It's fantastic.

    I'd love that recipe for the black bean burgers!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    cushman5279 wrote: »
    I'd recommend sticking with the egg whites and maybe some fish here or there.

    What plant do fish come from?

    I know quite a few vegetarians who also consume eggs and dairy...what plant do eggs and dairy come from...they also don't feel the need to go around calling themselves octo-lacto vegetarian, they just call themselves vegetarian. Also, in many cultures and religions, fish is not meat and would be perfectly acceptable in a vegetarian diet.

    As to the OP, my wife and I never fully made the transition, nor will we. We started transitioning months ago with meatless mondays and then added other days...ultimately we decided that what we were doing was pretty good for us and didn't see the need to fully transition...we eat vegetarian 3-4 days per week..."meat" days are usually fish and sometimes chicken...we don't eat much beef, but I do enjoy a good steak or burger from time to time.

    I'd suggest just transitioning slowly and keeping an open mind as to what exactly you're trying to accomplish, why you're considering vegetarian, etc and whether or not a different WOE would work better for you. Also, if you're doing this to lose weight be forewarned...many of my vegetarian dishes are more calorie dense than my meat, poultry, or fish dishes.

    I'm curious. From which 8 animals do octo-lacto vegetarians drink milk? (cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, horse, yak ... I'm out of ideas. I sometimes see "tiger's milk" on food labels, but I've always assumed that was just a marketing ploy. ... Of course, there was that children's story in which the tiger chased the little boy around a tree so fast that he churned himself into butter... hmmm.)
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
    edited October 2016
    fishshark wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    I'm sure if you're not vegetarian then the fish thing seems like splitting hairs but when it comes up weekly in person, it's pretty annoying especially considering I didn't even eat fish before becoming vegetarian because it grossed me out. I can count on one hand the number of times I ate fish when it wasn't a fish stick broiled to an unrecognizable crisp.

    perhaps you should broaden your cultural horizons...

    I don't travel out of the country much so why? And after going to Canada and how it sucked trying to find food there, I'm not looking to venture much further as much especially in countries that don't speak English.

    if you're really asking why should you broaden your cultural horizons, then i have so much sadness and pity for you as a huaman being.

    It ain't free dude. Costs major $$ to travel. Kinda have other priorities before doing any of that. Not to mention I was constantly taking meds while in Canada because it was hard to eat. I have ibs I have to be careful.
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