Any Vegetarians out there?

GrooveMachine96
GrooveMachine96 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everybody!!!


I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian, BUT I have no idea exactly how to begin!

Could you give me any tips on what foods taste like meat, or are just yummy?

If you guys have some of your own stories on how you gave up meat, or how you dealt with

it I would HIGHLY appreciate it =D

Thanks!!

Replies

  • mrs_kurz
    mrs_kurz Posts: 185 Member
    Hiya, Vegetarian here.

    As regards food's that taste like meat I'm not sure... quorn and cauldron products are both great.

    In terms of yummy food... oh where do i begin?! Halloumi cheese, rice, butternut squash, feta cheese (basically any cheese!!) you could eat fish i guess, some vegetarians do, I don't really but only because I don't overly like it. I eat tuna sometimes and make some nice fish cakes with A tin of tuna, chopped spring onion, juice of half a lime, 1tbs of soy sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 egg. Mould into 2 patties and fry. They're amazing!
  • Fay84Vegan
    Fay84Vegan Posts: 225 Member
    I was a Vegetarian for 20 years i'm now a Vegan

    The Quorn products are really good as the take your average 'normal' meals and make them Vegetarian

    FYI a Vegetarian does NOT eat fish someone that does is called a Pescetarian!
  • Erin1619
    Erin1619 Posts: 6
    I am not a vegetarian and I eat the morningstar chickn patties- I like them wayyy better than chicken. I recently converted my roommate- try them out!
  • Tall_E
    Tall_E Posts: 182 Member
    You might want to join the Vegetarian Group or the Happy Herbivores Group. I'm a vegetarian and love it. There are endless yummy foods that have nothing to do with animals and are based on fruits, vegetables, nuts, greens, legumes and whole grains. Choose your favorite cuisines (Mexican? Lebanese? Italian? Cajun? etc.) and I bet you can find meatless dishes in all of them.
    I would suggest starting by just trying a few meatless days a week to begin making the change. I gradually cut out things like beef, then pork and chicken, and finally seafood over a period of years. One day I woke up and realized I had reached the point where I was a vegetarian and it was easy to continue because I'd gotten used to slowly refiguring my food and my life without animal products.

    There is protein in every living thing so as long as you eat enough calories you will get enough protein. So I recommend that you don't get into a mindset of thinking you have to have a meat substitute for your meals to be complete. Focus instead on eating a variety of foods and a variety of colors in your foods and I think you'll get it.

    Good luck!
  • mjeffers2
    mjeffers2 Posts: 6
    I completely agree with the previous post. I started with Meatless Mondays and gradually moved into being a vegetarian. I found that I was still consuming too much dairy and I completely cut that out. I'm currently vegan right now and the biggest issue is eating out. I have to research everything before going to a restaurant. But I found that I love tempeh, seitan, and tofu (if prepared correctly) and it has totally made me not miss meat at all.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    i have been a vegetarian my whole life..and YES that means NO FISH,too..lots of great vegetarian friends on MFP, please feel free to add me.
  • natalietowens
    natalietowens Posts: 45
    Quorn products sometimes contains eggwhites
  • caitles14
    caitles14 Posts: 89
    Hi there! I've been a pescatarian (I still eat fish) since August. For me it was easier to just quit cold turkey (no pun intended...hehe), but it was pretty easy because I never ate a lot of meat to begin with anyway. So if you eat meat regularly (like every day), I would suggest diminishing the amount slowly. As far as what I eat instead of meat, I don't typically buy any of the 'fake' meat products...I tend to rely on beans (black beans and chick peas are my favs), Greek yogurt, and peanut butter for protein. I do like a good veggie burger tho...the Morningstar spicy black bean ones are the best!

    Good luck on your meatless endeavors :)
  • TKHappy
    TKHappy Posts: 659 Member
    I have been a vegetarian for 13 years, my diary is open if you want to take a peek....maybe get some ideas. :) Starting off slow is good advice. I am not a huge fan of the imitation products so I mostly stick to beans, nuts, tofu and veggies! Happy Eating!! :)
  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
    I'm a Pescetarian, but I limit fish to twice a week generally. I've never tried any of the meat replacers so I can't help you there. My best advice is to pick up some cookbooks. I like Power Foods and Food Light. They have meat recipes included with vegetarian recipes/options but it will help transition you into not eating meat. I don't have ANY vegetarian cookbooks, but my favorite vegan cookbook is Vegan With a Vengeance. I stopped liking the taste of meat so it was relatively easy for me to give it up. You can also check out the recipes at www.vegetariantimes.com. I like making recipes from whole foods. We eat a lot of beans. And I have become a master of tofu. Haha. Feel free to add me/message me if you want any tips.
  • tiggersstar
    tiggersstar Posts: 193 Member
    hey,

    I have been veggie since I was a teen. I have brought my daughter up veggie. when she went to play at mates and their mothers would panic, saying they didn’t know what to give her to eat, I just used to say, do whatever you are doing, but don’t add the meat. sounds simple, but its stopped people stressing. if you make pizza, don’t add meat as a topping, if you make pasta don’t add meat and use a veggie sauce and so on. it’s not hard to not eat meat. if you live in the uk there are loads of alternatives in every shop and most places do a veggie option if you eat out.


    :flowerforyou:
  • StoryGirl9
    StoryGirl9 Posts: 37
    I am a Pescetarian and have been for 5 years. Currently, I am on a month long cleanse where I am vegan, gluten free, sugar (or artificial sugars) free, caffeine free, alcohol free. I find that I get plent of variety with both actually. We eat lots of beans and brown rice or quinoa, lentils (veggie "meatloaf" from lentils is good), pastas, lots of veggies, snacks of nuts or fruit and nut butter, smoothies, steel cut oats. Normally eggs are staple for us as well as good cheese. We like whole grain breads and lots of soup. Being vegetarian is definitely easier (particularly when going out to eat or going to a friend's house) than vegan (IMO). I am able to get tons of protein. I try not to buy too many of the processed meat replacements, but I do like the tofurky deli meats on a sandwich..
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    I totally agree with Tiggerstar ^^^

    I try to eat everything I loved as a meat eater, but just tweak it so I don't have any meat in it.

    Steak and potatoes - fake meat patty and potatoes

    Pasta with meat sauce - pasta with meatless meatballs

    Nachos - no ground beef, or fake beef, or beans, or extra cheese

    Pizza - no meat - tomato and mushroom is perfect

    Chinese food - stir fry vegetables, rice, vegetable eggroll

    The possibilities are endless!
  • WhitneyAnnabelle
    WhitneyAnnabelle Posts: 724 Member
    I'm a vegan if you'd like to add me :)
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
    Here's a good thread for some vegetarian meal ideas. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/523632-what-do-your-meatless-meals-look-like-photo-thread
  • fuzzyslipperz
    fuzzyslipperz Posts: 49 Member
    I'm a vegetarian (4 years) and I *love* quorn when I need a meat substitute. There's also seitan, which you can make yourself at home - much cheaper this way. I occasionally eat the soy stuff, but I switch it out with other things. I also use a vegan protein powder. I have pet chickens for eggs (and entertainment) so there's a ton of protein using eggwhites!

    (No, I don't eat fish either.. )

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