Vegetarians Advice Please!!?!
Thanks in advance
x
Answers: I'm going vegetarian for Lent. Is it easy? Or hard? When it concerns sweets or drinks what can't i eat or drink? I know i can't have gluten but what else is there that i can't have?
Thanks in advance
x
Gluten is vegetarian, are you thinking of gelatine ?
You have to avoid all meat, fish, poultry and slaughter by-products.
Its the by-products that might cause a bit of effort if you are new to this.
If you eat processed foods, such as ready meals, sauces, soups, frozen products etc, you would be best sticking to those that say "suitable for vegetarians"
Learning the source of many ingredients takes a bit of time and expereince. And once you start looking at all the E numbers and complex ingredients quoted on packaging it becomes near impossible to remember the surce of them all.
There are a few symbols about - the veggie society grain of wheat tick mark is one, but many manufacturers have thier own.
And for some reason, they all think vegetarians have brilliant eyesight ;-)
Remember to include a variety of foods, eat eggs ( although if you are giving up for lent you might also exclude those as per Christian doctrine ), plenty of dairy.
Why not browse through the new veggie information on this website, it'll only take half an hour and give you lots of advice.
http://www.vegsoc.org/newveg/
Best of luck with it, i hope it suits your purpose and you learn something from it.
As well as switching to a veggie diet for lent, why not commit to take some time to learning about why people are veggies ?
The resons vary per person and include animal welfare, religion, environment and health.
Gluten is not an animal product. It comes from wheat, so you're o.k. there.
Indeed, very easy.
No animals, by-product.
Go for everything else!
As a vegetarian life is not difficult if you are comfortable cooking . Given that there are about half a billion vegetarians on this earth, recipes should not be difficult to come by. The supermarket shelves have lot of vegetarian stuff. About restaurants.... It is a different story depending on where you live. I have been in parts of Texas and Arkansas where I did not have too many options. All said and done, the toughest part will be fighting the craving for a steak dinner well done or medium rare :-).
I'm guess that you're going ovo-lacto vegetarian (still eat eggs and dairy) so it wont be that hard.
Gelatin is in all kinds of processed foods and candy, so keep an eye out for that one. The obvious, being all meats, fish and chicken included.
Do some research on recipes, I am vegan and just love the way my dietary choices make me feel, but I do put in some time researching the amount or nutrients I should be getting (everyone should do this).
Learn about protein, fiber, sugars, fats, vitamin content and what they do. And as Michael H said, why not do a little research on why people are veggies.
Great choice for lent....and good luck!
The ease depends on how dependent you are on eating flesh daily. There is a big difference between vegetarians and vegans, the latter being more restrictive. As a 75% vegetarian myself, I can say that going completely vegetarian for a month or so is relatively easy. Once again, it depends on your overally consumption of flesh.
It's not hard when you are already a vegetarian. But if your doing this for lent then it could be difficult for you. Because you are used to eating foods that involve meat products. They make vegetarian burgers and they taste pretty good. You can put them on the grill like you would a regular burger. There are alot of foods out there that you can eat but you just have to look. Try a healthfood store if you have one in your area. They're a big help too.
Going vegetarian is hard. At least it was hard for me. I have tried 6 times to become one but, I just can't stay away from some meats like fish or bacon. So it doesn't make me an official vegitarian.
The only thing you cant eat is meat. Unless you are going for the total vegan. Then, you can't eat any animal bi-product (including milk, jello, ect.), use anything tested on animals, and things made from animals (meat, perfume, leather, ect). But that is another story.
And yes, you can eat gluten.
If you have any more questions about being vegan/vegitarian...I know all about it so just e-mail me =D
Good luck.
<3Malorie.=X
That's a great thing to do for Lent. It's not too hard to go vegetarian. Just cut out meats, gelatin, and cheeses with rennet. You may want to consider cutting out whitened sugar as in many cases it is whitened by filtering it through crushed animal bones from slaughterhouses. Gluten is vegetarian & vegan so you CAN have gluten products. If you want more advice and a guide to what you should eat, pick up a copy of "Skinny B*tch" and maybe even the companion cookbook, "Skinny B*tch in the Kitch." Good luck!!!