new to vegetarianism -help!!!
equestrian4lyfe
Posts: 1
so im on my 2nd week of vegetarianism and i need some healthy items to add to my repertoire of food, any suggestions?
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Replies
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This is my first week, and I'm absolutley loving it. I love planning what I will eat during the week as well :-) Finding a lot of great vegetarian recipes online that are quick and easy!0
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I've never been vegetarian, but we did reduce our meat meals to about three a week a few years ago, so we eat 18 meat-free meals per week (and that is also poultry and fish-free). I got a great vegetarian cookbook (no point recommending it as it is a NZ book, but check out some local ones that are recommended) and I spent some time flicking through and finding meals we would like.
Our diet and dinner repertoire exploded when we dropped a lot of the meat, and we eat all sorts of bean and legume dishes now, as well as egg dishes and vegetable based mains. It was the best thing I've done to spice up our diet.
Good luck - my main recommendation is a great cookbook with lots of purdy pictures.0 -
I would suggest going to allrecipes.com! They have some great vegetarian recipes:
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-recipes/main-dishes/vegetarian/main.aspx
I personally like spaghetti squash with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Here's another interesting recipe that I haven't tried out myself but it looks good:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/avocado-and-orange-sandwich/detail.aspx0 -
i've been a vegetarian 22 years, really you cant get much healthier than vegetables! i personally love stir frys and veg chillis and stews, the veggies arn't gonna hurt your cals its what you put with it! since being on here i've learned to control my portions of rice etc and up my veggies keeping me from feeling unsatisfied at meal times.
soups are great too v low calorie and filling.
feel free to add and i'll be happy to share recipies x0 -
I'm having some meat free meals but I'm not a vegetarian... I like egg foo yung like chinese takeaway does, but I make mine healthier, have spinach or broccoli in mine too, mushrooms, onion, peppers, tomatoes.. rather than beansprouts... and drizzle a little sweet chilli sauce on top before serving!0
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I am not a veggie, but i was raised vegan. and was a veggie in high school. so i know a lil.
tofu + basil + mozzarella= awesome high protein vegetarian breakfast. So do green smoothies.
tofu/vegetable curries are great for dinner (look into some Indian recipes, many of them are vegan/vegetarian)
i also recommend you try meat replacement items like Seitan <---- which you can use just like chicken.
another good tip is to explore your spice/seasoning section. finding new ways to flavor the same "safe foods" keeps things exciting.
Also, if you see something strange in the fruit/veggie section BUY IT. Bring it home and look up a recipe for it. Keeps things fresh.0 -
I'm a newborn vego (2 months tomorrow) and I'm loving it!
I pretty much live off fruit, yoghurt, stir fries, curries, wraps, salads, weet bix, veggie bakes, eggs, veggie bolognese, veggie noodles, there's a heap of variety! I've just discovered quorn fillets as well which are amazing!! Be mindful of your protein, iron and b12 levels but if you're eating a balanced vego diet it shouldn't be too hard. Google some recipes and check out your supermarket's vego (refrigerated and frozen) sections. Dont be afraid to try something new
Good luck!
Edited: My take away treat is thin crust vego pizza. Not hugely bad for you in reasonable quantities either0 -
Hi, I am vegetarian (I don't consider myself as a vegan, but the only animal food that I eat is cottage cheese and greek yogurth, because of the protein).
I eat a lot of seitan, raw vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts, beans, chickpeas, cottage cheese and sometimes tofu. At lunch I sometimes eat whole wheat pasta or rice. I put a spoon of extravirgin (is it correct in English? ) olive oil over my veggies every day.0 -
I was vegetarian for years but went back to meat when I struggled to keep...something up. I presume iron,, but i atea very balanced diet so it was hard to say.
just saying, going back to meat is hard... it tastes trucking disgusting when you first try it again and i found it hard to digest for a long time.
i agree with the above poster who said get a good simple recipe book,. it's a different way of eating - expect to want to eat way more, especially at first, but try NOT to fill that gap with extra carbs or cheeses. fill the gap with piles of veggies, and get used to the idea of eating these larger portions in order to keep your nutrition up.
if you ever get tingly, light-headed, dizzy, etc (this happened to me around my period) consider the option of eating a bit of meat (depending on your reasons for going vego, of course, if it's ethical, not much you can do - so see a doctor). i used tuna for this every so often.
as someone else said, indian cooking is a great inspiration, particularly because they use a lot of pulses. red kidney bean burritos or nachos are a simpel meat-replacement place to start. I also liked to cook tomato-y veggies pastas. zucchini, carrots, olives, and i went heavy on the eggplant and mushrooms where i might normally add meat. tofu burgers... omg. marinate tofu in soy sauce and lemon, or buy simple pre-marinated. veggie pizzas.
foods to go nuts with are nuts, pulses, grains, seeds, egg, (eat maybe a bit more cheese and milk that normal, but not toooo much), mushrooms, leafy greens....peanut butter, tahini, hommus. and keep your vitamin C up to help absorb iron (i think... i've been eating meat for about 3 years now, so a bit rusty...still can't cook with meat though)
the best thing about veggies is that most of them go together really well, and you can invent your own 'what is left in the fridge' dishes really easily. call these stews/slops, mix in pulses (lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc) and serve with rice. or fry them up with asian greens, soy sauce, etc, and call them stir fries. or add canned tomatoes and serve with pasta.0
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