Becoming a Vegetarian

I've been a vegetarian for almost four years now, and I recommend it to everyone. It's been proven that people who don't eat meat are less likely to die from cancer, heart disease, and things like that. Now, since I'm a vegan (I don't consume any dairy products) I'm way less likely to die from all of that, so it's pretty nice. Some things that I would definitely recommend in order to stay away from those meat cravings is to just try to replace every meat product you've eaten with a vegetarian option. You can have spaghetti with veggie "meat" balls, you can have pancakes, veggie sausage, and veggie bacon. I'd recommend eating the veggie breakfast foods with syrup, because they normally taste a little awkward to me.

After the first week of not eating meat, I started to realize how strange it was that people actually eat meat. I picture the whole animal, and then I picture how that whole animal became this piece of meat that you're now consuming. It just really grosses me out. Another really great thing that I found out recently, is that you can marinate and bake tofu to make it taste exactly like barbeque chicken. The yummy taste that I always thought was the chicken part of the barbeque chicken was actually always the sauce and the crispy burnt taste of the skin, both of which you can replicate with baked tofu.

Congrats on becoming a vegetarian and good luck.

One more thing I'd recommend, actually, is start reading your food labels. A lot of things like gelatin, chicken broth, and other animal products get put into things that really don't seem like they'd need any kind of animal products in them.

 

Being a vegetarian is definitely a challenge for meat lovers. And yes, I am one of them. The idea of giving up chicken, beef and fish makes me want to cry. I know being a vegetarian is probably better than consuming flesh. I just can't wrap my mind around it.

 

I gave up meat about ten months ago, and I have to admit that I haven't looked back since. There hasn't even been one occasion where I've thought that I wanted to eat meat, because I know the reasons that I have made my decision, and I absolutely know that they are worth sticking to, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind. You should find some vegetables that you enjoy eating, and learn how to season them to add plenty of flavour. This is what made things the easiest for me, and now I don't even think about it - I just don't eat meat at all.

 

Congratulations on making the change, I've tried it myself twice already but I sadly didn't manage to keep at it for more than a couple of months; I think I just didn't know that many vegetarian recipes so I just got bored of food and went back to eating meat... I'm bound to give it another try soon
Hope you manage to stick with it, good luck.

 

Vegetarian's still drink milk and eat eggs do they not? Vegans don't eat or drink ANY animal products. I say, as long as you get your milk and eggs from a reputable source and not from the horrendous meat industry, you'll be ok. Then you won't be eating meat and you'll be getting the milk and eggs from a place where the animals aren't sick or in pain every day just to give you food. The point is not to cause suffering and death to the animals. I would be a vegan at this point, but my family still eats it and they go to a local farmer where they know the animals aren't suffering at all, they're quite happy. So if you do go back to meat, I beg you to at least get it from a farmer.. the meat industry is the worst kind of low and the animals go through the worst kind of life just to die in horrible ways to give you a few minutes of satisfaction. That is a guilt trip by the way lol, but I would do anything to shut these places down and give the industry back to the farmers where it belongs.

 

I have been vegetarian for nearly 30 years and there is more choice now than ever. Stick to the foods you like, I make a big pasta bake with lots if veggies and portion it out so it lasts a few days. I also have as a snack tofu turkey with houmous as a sandwich snack, full of protein and fiber.

I do eat eggs, so I make sure I have protein each day or a garden burger with a mix of vegetables. I also like vegetable soups which can be bulked up with your own veggies and made into a chowder.

Baked potatoes are also a good source of fiber and you can add toppings to them or eat with some mayo or butter. I like sauteed mushrooms with onions and some peas on the side.

 

I'm thinking of becoming a vegetarian but the difficulty is that when you smell the aroma of something cooking, you just can't help taking a bite. But I suppose it takes a lot of persistence to be able to get what you want. You guys would think me crazy but getting to be a vegetarian for me is more of taking a step towards switching to a clear liquid diet so these suggestions might help me get closer to attaining my goal.

 

Interesting read in this thread. Right now I can't imagine myself ever becoming a vegetarian since I love meat too much, but as age creeps in I can't ignore the health benefits that a life without meat can bring. The one thing I fear, like Denis mentioned above, is the temptation of the smells. Most people cook meat, and the smell is powerful (and delicious), how will I handle that? The prospect of a cheaper, healthier life - maybe that will be enough to keep temptation away.

 

I still like the smell of roast chicken and bacon being cooked! I eat smokey bacon, prawn cocktail and barbecue flavored chips as most of them are vegetarian. It is just the flavors which don't taste anything like the actual products.
I don't miss eating it, but the smells don't put me off. Sometimes it is good to have a meat free day, just to see how you find it and when eating out, sometimes it may be the safest option!

 

About a year or year and half ago, I decided to go vegan. The vegetarian route was an option because I'm lactose intolerant. I can't drink milk or eat cheese. I was surprised at how easy it was for me. I was never a big meat eater, but I thought that I would miss it.

About 6 to 8 months ago, I started having problems with thinning nails. So I decided to add meat back to my diet. The problem is that I don't really have any desire to eat meat at all. I have since found some supplements that have been helping me.

My tips are just to go cold turkey. Many of those processed soy products are made from GMO soy. Most (98% or 99%) of soy in the US is GMO. Choose only organic soy. You can make some very tasty vegan/vegetarian burgers out of garbanzo beans or black beans or lentils. There are many vegan "meat" flavors that you can add to dishes. You can use "chicken spices" to make a delicious chicken burgers too. Use spices and herbs to make your meals tasty.

There are lots of delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes on the web. Do you have any friends that are going this route? They maybe able to provide you with some tips and recipes.

Good luck on your journey.

 

I have heard to add a lot of beans and nuts in your diet if you don't eat meat. Also, I would add in a lot of dark green vegetables like spinach and kale into your diet. That way, you would be getting the proteins and minerals like iron that your body needs. I don't eat a lot of red meat. I don't like bacon, but I love pulled pork sandwiches. I don't think I could ever be a vegetarian. Good luck to you!

 

I've tried a number of times, especially over the last 3 years or so, but could never seem to stick to it. I just grow tired of eating so much pasta and starches, and even when I am eating meat substitutes, those too make me feel like I am eating even more starches, since they are often used as fillers in those as well. Plus I start consuming more cheeses to make up for my meat cravings, which is not good for me either. A grilled chicken filet would be much better for me than several slices of cheese, or a big bowl of mac and cheese.

I tried buying a whole bunch of meat substitute products for everything from breakfast "sausage" to veggie "burgers" to fake BBQ "pork" riblets. The one thing that starts annoying me right away, is they all have this same underlying smell to them, I guess it's the soy or some chemical they use as an ingredient in them, it sort of reminds me of chalk dust or something, that drives me nuts. Every time I heat the items up and cook them I smell it.

I can usually get by for a few days, eating a lot of black beans and rice and quacamole, as well as pasta, and fresh veggie sandwiches. I will also eat a lot of fake burgers and fries too. I think the longest I've lasted is about a week. It will start with breakfast, and by then I will be so sick of having home fries with my eggs in the morning, and I will be craving some bacon or sausage. Then by dinner I will be craving a steak or a bucket of chicken wings, and I'll ultimately cave in.

 

I have been a vegetarian for 23 years. I can't recommend anything to you that will stop your craving for meat, other than having a look at how animals get tortured and "processed" before they become sausages, steaks, burgers, etc.
Perhaps it will change your perception about eating meat.

 

I used to be a pure vegetarian growing up. I never liked not could I tolerate the smell of any meat. I used to get constant headaches and never could figure out why. After several years of different testing a and medicines, I was told I needed to eat red met. My body was lacking severely what meat provides out body. It took me several months to cough it up and eat meat but I did. I do not eat alot of meat now but I do eat some.