Tips for a new vegetarian

jnhu72 · February 2012

I have to give a meat due to an allergy. I have ate meat all my life (21 yrs!) so I was hoping someone had some tips to switching to this way of eating. I can not eat any type of meat including fish but I can eat dairy-not sure about eggs since I don't eat to many of them. Thanks for any help!

jnhu72 · February 2012

Anyone??

jowings · February 2012

Hello there! Sorry to hear about your allergy : /. I was a vegetarian for about five years and my S.O. is currently one : ). Hmmmm tips...make sure that you are getting enough iron and protein! Protein can come from multiple sources (tofu, beans etc.) so make sure that you are incorporating a little bit here and there into your diet. For iron, I would encourage a multivitamin but there are also plenty of iron rich veggies (try picking dark green leafy ones).

If you aren't that big into cooking, you can certainly find frozen foods that accommodate a vegetarian lifestyle like Morningstar and Gardein. They both create foods that are tasty and easy to prepare and you can usually find them in any traditional supermarket. .

Morningstar: http://www.morningstarfarms.com/msfhome.html
Gardein:http://www.gardein.com/index.php

I am not great at cooking, but I really enjoy simple recipes and here are some of my favorite sites:

So good and Tasty (Vegetarian recipes): http://sogoodandtasty.blogspot.com/

Closet Cooking: (General "Easy" recipes and he has some great Veggies ones!) http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/07/roast-asparagus-and-caramelized.html

Fuss Free Cooking: (Gerneral "Easy" recipes with a Veggie specific section) http://www.fussfreecooking.com/

Hope that helps, and feel free to message me if you have questions

.

hypersensitiveb · February 2012

Well opinions differ on it and it can be a little more expensive but there are a lot of veggi meats out there to help you transition . But it can be as easy as eating what you normally eat but just excluding the meat. There are a lot of vegetarian cook books and web sights out there to check out the only thing is a lot of them complicate thing with lots of ingredients or things you never heard of. Start off easy, there are a lot of foods like Mexican, Chinese, Indian , and Italian that already are veg or can be just as good with out meat. There are a lot of sources of non animal protein out there like nuts, beans soy so just incorporate those into your diet and you should be fine. Good luck!

kittenmitton · February 2012

You want to make sure you're getting an adequate amount of protein, B12, and iron. If you eat dairy products, you shouldn't be too bad on the B12 front. Make sure you don't get too much iron because you don't want to end up with hemochromatosis or something like that. I would recommend lots of beans (especially lentils, but mostly because they're delicious), tofu, tempeh, seitan (you can try TVP if you want, but I've found it's not really that great and it's kind of difficult to find in some places). Peanut butter is good. There are lower calorie peanut butter alternatives out there (but even if you use only a teaspoon of peanut butter, which is quite a bit for me, it's only around 50 calories - and that's non-reduced fat peanut butter). Other nuts and legumes are good too. You want to make sure you're getting all your essential amino acids, so don't just stick to one type of bean or nut. Like jowings said, Morningstar and Gardein make a lot of tasty products, as does boca, tofurkey, and yves.

You probably don't really have to be concerned about vitamins and minerals if you eat things like fortified breakfast cereal with some soymilk for breakfast (or snack or lunch or dinner). My cheerios alone have 50% RDV for iron and 25% RDV for B12, while my soymilk has 10% RDV for iron. This version doesn't have B12, but Silk soymilk has 50% RDV for B12.

5 hour energy has 8333% RDV for B12, but you'll pee out over 8000% of that, so it's not worth it.

arnie900 · February 2012

I've been a vegetarian for more than 15 years and I've always been able to do it in a healthy and well-balanced way, but it takes some work. Just remember that just because it has no meat doesn't mean it's healthy. Always check labels.

Restaurants: You can always ask for something that's not on the menu or ask for something customized. But you'll pay the same if you have something taken off, so ask for the meat on the side and give it to whomever you're with.

Recipes: Try Vegetarian Times or Better Homes and Gardens for good recipes. There are so many products out there that you can almost always substitute for meat. If it calls for chicken or fish, you can substitute tofu easily. And vegetarian crock pot recipes are great too!

Speaking of substitutes: There are so many products out there that are great meat substitutes. But again, they're not always healthy, so always read labels. I like Quorn patties to substitute for chicken, tofu for fish and chicken, there's ground crumbles that's like ground beef. And they're all packed with protein so try to add it to every meal. I'm constantly looking for ways to get more protein. And summer is fun because you can still grill using fake dogs, sausages and burgers. And tofu does ok on the grill too, just watch it so it doesn't burn. Check the organic produce sections at the grocery store and the freezer/organic freezer section to find this stuff. There's a ton to choose from!

Dairy and eggs: I eat a good amount of dairy and eggs to make up for protein, but I have to watch my cholesterol, so I can't go overboard. Chobani yogurt has a ton of protein and low cholesterol (and yummy too!). Fat-free dairy is definitely healthiest.

Make sure you eat your dark-colored veggies to get iron, too. Do your research online and buy some books to help you relearn how to balance all your food groups. It's amazing how leaving out one thing (like iron) can totally take a toll on your health, so you need to make sure it's well-rounded.

And a good tip for anyone: Take a daily multivitamin to try to make up for anything you might be missing in your diet.

damnedlady · February 2012

Hi! I've been a vegetarian for about 7 years now. I am one voluntarily, and it's one of the best descisions I've ever made.

To make the transition easier seeing as you don't really chose to do this, it can be a good thing to try substituting your meat with similar items: beans, lentils, tofu, ready-made burgers, "sausage" etc. When it comes to these ready-made products, they are higher in protein and lower in fat than the meat versions! So that's a good thing

But to be a satisfied vegetarian, I encourage you to read a lot of material on vegetarianism/veganism and cooking. You can find TONS online, but I would buy some cookbooks as well. The important thing is to find something that inspires you. I loved changing the way I think about food: I now start with what I want my food to taste instead of "what kind of meat and what sidedishes".

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, I take a multi-vitamin to be on the safe side. But aim for variation and aim for eating the rainbow in vegetables. Their colours indicate what they contain of stuff that's good for you! Make sure you eat a lot of vegetables + grains + beans/lentils/tofu +fruits and berries.

Confirmation that you're on a good path in several aspects: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html

You're doing good for your health, the animals and the planet! Good luck!

jnhu72 · February 2012

Thanks everyone!

MdmAcolyte · February 2012

Meanwhile... Since Im sure you are jonesing for it.... You can get that "meat" taste from portabello mushrooms (marinate in vegetable broth if you cant have chicken broth or beef broth), and sauteed zuchinni is "meaty" too.

I know you said you were forced into this, but there is a ton of vegetable options that you can make and combine in a billion different ways that you could never do with meat options (with the exception of the Tur-dur-key). Are you allowed seafood? It might not be so bad afterall

jnhu72 · February 2012

No seafood or meat broths

xraychick77 · February 2012

Hmmmm tips...make sure that you are getting enough iron and protein! Protein can come from multiple sources (tofu, beans etc.) so make sure that you are incorporating a little bit here and there into your diet. For iron, I would encourage a multivitamin but there are also plenty of iron rich veggies (try picking dark green leafy ones).

.

sure....i would not take a supplement...there is no reason anyone should be taking an iron supplement unless a doctor has said too..the only reason you'd take it is if you have had blood testing done, and you are found have a type of iron deficiency.

as any nutritional diet, a balance is key to getting all your nutrients..you dont have to worry about not getting enough protein or iron. if you eat a balanced enough diet you'll get all that and all your nutrients. whole grains, legumes, veg, fruits and nuts and you'll be fine.

my advice..read all the labels on the foods you buy..anything with gelatin, or animal flavor has animal parts in it. gelatin is usually ground up fish bones (sometimes beef bones)..lots of soups contain animal broths. and when you eat out..make sure what you eat is vegetarian friendly..some things are cooked on the same place as meat, or fried with animal stuff. some things even if its vegetable based has been cooked in animal broth.

porffor · February 2012

I agree about the B12 needed, but am with the above poster about Iron - not needed if you eat well. If you're concerned you could get checked every 6 months or so to be sure for a while but I've only needed iron at the later stages of my pregnancies and stopped immediately after.

Depending where you live, you could try growing your own veggies, very rewarding way of supplementing your diet! and a bit of personal investment will get you eating new things.

i use replacements but have a few favourites, be careful about ready meals as with any they are not good for you - if you look at the fat content its usually much higher than the meat ones due to them putting cheese in EVERYTHING. :ohwell: That is a habit with restaurants too - becareful you aren't given meat by accident; gravy, sauces and even chicken has arrived on my plate when I've ordered veggie.

Learn new ways of cooking veg if you are not keen on what you've had before - I hate sprouts but love them roasted with a bit of coconut! lol

Tips for a new vegetarian

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