Hi there, I just became a vegetarian. Its been about 3 weeks now. I got tons to learn so im hoping to find some yummy recipes here and not think of MEAT! I eat everything but not meat. Im stil debating if should eat fish or not. I got some tofu in my fridge any ideas what to make?

HI, I'm Debbi, a 35 yr old stay at home mom to three boys. 11 days ago I watched the movie "Eating" by Joel Fuhrman and it changed my life. I have since read "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell, which helped to reinforce the idea that being 100% plant based is the way to go. I do not consume any meat, fish, dairy products or eggs. I was eating egg whites in the beginning, but have since convinced myself that I do not need them either as they are still animal protein even if they are cholesterol free. Surprisingly it has been an easy transition for me, like I said, the movie changed my life. My husband is on board too, although he never watched the movie with me. I think that he enjoys that I am actually cooking a well planned out meal and not deciding what to make an hour before he gets home. Let's just say that we had more than the occasional dinner of hot dogs and mac n' cheese...lol My 16 yr old is doing o'kay. I'm transitioning him more slowly, but he likes to joke that I went out and found the diet that removed all the food he loves the most...lol My younger boys, 4 and 6, are harder, they seem to be addicted to meat. I left to go shopping and my 4 yr old said "Don't forget to get bacon and sausage. I have managed to find a hummus recipe that he likes and have been sending that as a sandwich filler instead of meat with success. It's crazy, I look in my freezers and all I see is meat. What the heck am I going to do with it all. I thought that maybe, once we are doing this a little longer, that I'll make a nice Sunday meat dinner occasionally. we'll see. I'm sure all the boys, big and small, will love it, but I'm not sure I'll eat it....lol

I've been trying to find some recipes for replacements for stuff like sour cream and mayo, but I found an awesome tofu-mayo recipe that can be used as sour cream too, perfect. I also found one for whipped 'cream', but haven't tried it yet.

I'm so happy I found this site.

hi, i'm Matt. i'm not realy a vegetarian, yet. i'm working towards it. i have not eaten any meat in 3 days. i'm trying to switch to more of a plant based diet like in the engine 2 diet. not so much for ethical reasons, more for health reasons and weight loss for me. i have felt a lot better the last few days so we will see what transpires. nice to meet you all and cant wait to learn from you all.

Hi Veggie Friends!

I sure understand what Margie is talking about because I live in Louisiana...nuff said. Anyway, I'm excited because my husband just decided last month to be a vegetarian after we watched the film "Forks Over Knives". It simplifies my cooking and my life and makes me happy his health is going to improve from this choice. Anyway, I heartily recommend this award winning documentary endorsed by Dr. Oz to everyone, especially if you have family members who are devoted to being omnivores.

Hi everyone I have been a vegetarian for almost my entire life. I never really liked meat, I think I tried chicken once when I was a kid, fish I never even tried couldn't get past the smell. Although I'm a vegetarian that doesn't like veggies too much. I only like lettuce, tomatoes and onions (once in a while), everything else I don't like things like beans and peas, broccoli, squash you named it and I don't like it. I had a very carb oriented diet for the longest time. Thanks to veggie burgers and hotdogs which I love i get the rest of the veggies that my body needs, although they are processed, it's better than nothing, besides they are only 100 calories each.

Hi Geyser! Good to meet you and all the other friends who are in this forum. I'm also moving from vegetarian to vegan and have been introduced to delightful cashew cheese. Seems like there's a whole world out there of good eating still to discover even though it may seem to some that we've shut the door on what tastes good...

Besides vegan choices, I'm also playing with ways to incorporate raw foods into my diet and have been amazed at the energy I feel when I eat more of them. e.g. I just started digging into the cookbook "I Am Grateful" which has terrific, heathful, vegan recipes for things like chiles rellenos, marinated veggies and chocolate mousse and I found a delicious recipe for raw oatmeal. Pardon me if I seem to gush but I get pretty excited about the possibilities for our health and the health of our planet myself while also enjoying the pleasure of eating satisfying, beautiful and invigorating food. There's no turning back for me and I'm happy to support anyone who wants to explore what it's like to walk down this road...

Please consider adding me as a friend.

Hey there!!!
i have been vegetarian for 30 years this month. i have struggled with my weight yoyoing for the last fifteen years, but eapecially since i gave up smoking 9 years ago. I have already lost 41 llbs in the last 12 weeks on a veg low carb high protein diet - this is my first time ever turning my carbs upside down and i am amazd that i am losing so much weight!!

Would love to hear any ideas you have regarding veg low carb etc etc.

xxB

Hi there! I've been vegan for 14 years and was vegetarian for four years before. I made the decision when I was 8 to be vegetarian because I didn't believe animals were food. And when I was 12, I learned about chickens being bred with no beaks and no legs because they would go crazy and peck each other to death in coups. So... vegan it was! I'm trying to get back to being a "healthy vegan." After so many years, I've found so many ways to still eat crap! haha

Hi, I'm Mary. I read "debborable's" intro post, & decided this must be my group. I've been nearly vegetarian for about 4 years, and struggle with feeding a meat lover and myself. Would love to hear tips on how to accomplish this while working full time.

Campbell's "The China Study" motivated me to limit animal protein in my diet. I see it as a process, and am careful not to claim to be truly vegetarian. I don't freak if some food are made with some egg, cheese, or chicken broth. I do eat fish once a week or so, and pizza or calzones once a week. I would eat a small serving (1-2 oz) of pork or a meatball on special occasions, but find this happens less & less.

I'm fairly happy with my weight, & work out to gain strength & balance, & to prevent injury. Looking good & having energy feels , good, too!

I became a vegan on the same path you're following. I started to gradually reduce my intake of animal products and then, more and more, lost interest in them until I became fully vegetarian. After three years of that, I became vegan. Now I'm working on a raw diet because I feel best on raw plant foods. My husband has gradually been doing the same thing and he became mostly vegetarian 5 months ago after seeing "Forks Over Knives". Before that we had a deal: I would cook vegetarian food at home and he would eat animal foods when he ate out if he really wanted it. Reduced stress for me in the kitchen...especially because he said my vegetarian meals were tasty and satisfying.

Feel free to add me as a friend. Best wishes!

Hi everyone

I have just joined and would like to make some new friends. If you want to know a bit more about me I have just braved my first blog: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LilacDaffodil/view/newbie-405903

Looking forward to getting back into my favourite clothes and maybe making some new friends :flowerforyou: