I need help going total vegitarean?!


Question: I need help goin vegitarean how do i start and how do i tell my parents? what kind of food should i eat? please give me all the information i need on being/becoming a vegitarean


Answers: I need help goin vegitarean how do i start and how do i tell my parents? what kind of food should i eat? please give me all the information i need on being/becoming a vegitarean

Check out these sites for lots of tips on going veg:

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/
http://vegcooking.com/makingthetransitio...

There's no right way to become vegetarian... some people do it overnight, and others take a few weeks or months to slowly transition. You could start by making a list of your favorite meals and recipes, and figure out how to turn them into vegetarian versions. (For example, pasta and meatballs --> pasta and Nate's Meatless Meatballs).

A healthy veg diet includes fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. There are also tons of faux meats that make it more convenient to replace meat. Here's a list of popular products: http://vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

About your parents, I'd print out some information about vegetarian nutrition to show them that you're making an informed choice. These are good ones to show them:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc...
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...
http://pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_...

Also when you talk to your parents, try to find out what their concerns are and address them. If they're worried about health, offer to see a nutritionist. If they're worried it will mean more work for them, offer to help with meal planning, shopping, etc.

Good luck!

There are different types of vegetarians. NO vegetarians eat animals (no cows, no pigs, no chickens, no turkeys, no fish, no lobsters, no clams -- no animals!), and they also do not eat foods that have been derived from animal flesh (chicken or beef broths or gravies, gelatin, which comes from boiled connective tissue).

Lacto-ovo Vegetarians eat dairy and eggs and honey
Lacto vegetarians will eat dairy and honey but no eggs
Ovo vegetarians will eat eggs but no dairy or honey
Vegans do not eat dairy, eggs, or honey

Before you speak to your parents, do some research into how you will continue meeting your nutritional needs without meat. They will probably be most concerned about protein and iron, so do some research into that. Plan a menu for yourself, including nutritional information, and show them the balanced diet you plan on eating. They'll probably also be concerned about how difficult it will be for them. Help them to plan meals and help to cook meals to take the pressure off.

You could request a free vegetarian starter kit from PETA at http://www.goveg.com/order.asp. That will give you lots of info and some recipes and things to get you started! Good luck.

Get your self some books from the library or book store on vegetarianism. This will show them that your doing your research.
If possable find an adult that both your parents and you know who is a vegetarian to talk to them.
A Vegetarian eats eggs and dairy products along with vegetables. I'd start with that. Maintaining a healthy vegan diet is hard until you have your own kitchen and can do your own shopping.

the other day I ate these apple and spinach sausages.

It's difficult becoming vegetarian (I don't know this myself, as I've been one all my life, but I've heard from others), as your body may have cravings or have difficulty adjusting to the lack of meat. You may also become less healthy if you don't replace the nutrients you get from meat and fish, so ensure you eat lots of vegetables with iron in, like broccoli and spinach, as well as eating nuts, beans and pulses to keep up your protein intake. Obviously, eat LOTS of fresh fruit and vegetables, and it's easy enough to modify favourite dishes like curry, spaghetti bolognese, fajitas, etc to not include meat by using meat substitutes. Some of these are really good, like Quorn chunks and mince, but you can get dodgy varieties out there (I once had some vegetarian bacon..urgh). There are ranges of entirely vegetarian food if you don't want to cook from stratch every night, such as the Linda McCartney one. Supplements are a good idea, so buy a good multi vitamin with iron, just in case you get a bit low. Your parents should be fine; if they dislike the idea of having to cook twice at mealtimes (if they cook for you) then you should be prepared to cook your own dishes, and tell them this. If you explain your reasons they should be ok with it, if they're moralistic (if you're doing it, say, just because a friend is, they might be less willing to accept you). Just calmly and clearly explain it to them. There are PLENTY of vegetarian cookbooks out there and online recipes if you're unsure of what to cook. You'll be a pro in no time! Good luck!

DONT EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS!!!!!!!!!!

First off it's vegetarian. I told my parents at the age of ten, that I thought it was wrong to eat animals and that I would no longer be eating meat. At first they were skeptical about the diet for such a young child, but once they read into it they found it was not only okay, but it was actually a lot healthier. They started buying more vegetarian items and less meat. You can pretty much eat everything you can now, just check the ingredients for animal products such as gelatin, gluten (unless it's wheat gluten), ect. You can get a lot of info at peta.com and peta2.com, if you have other questions feel free to email me: eeekitsskate@yahoo.com

Well, just go up to your parents and say it straight out. Tell them it is healthy too.

Here are some web sites with some great vegetarian/vegan food.
http://amys.com
http://gardenburger.com
http://yvesveggie.com
http://sunshineburger.com
http://rightfoods.com
http://veganstore.com -they have chocolate!

If you have a dog here is a site to get vegan dog food: http://www.v-dogfood.com/


Here are some good recipes:


Stir fry- You need cut up tofu, olive oil, steamed veggies, and cooked rice

Get a frying pan and coat it with olive oil. The put the tofu in the pan and brown each side of it. Next, add the veggies. Add a little more olive oil and put in the rice. Mix everything up and then let it sit on the stove, occasionally stirring it to make sure it doesn't burn. After about a minute and a half of that put it in a bowl and enjoy!


Hummus- chick peas, lemon juice, paprika, black pepper, and any other spices/seasonings you like

Puree the chick peas. Then add a little lemon juice, paprika, pepper, and other spices. Then stir. Serve with a pita, with cucumbers, or on a veggie wrap.



Here are some snack and dinner suggestions:

Snacks:
Celery with peanut butter
Apples with peanut butter
Pita with hummus
Raisins
Amy's Apple Toaster Pops
All natural popsicles
Natural Valley bars
Fruit Leather
Silk Chocolate Soy Milk
Naked Juice
Apple chips

Dinners:

Tofu Stir Fry
Amy's Pizzas
Amy's entrees
Sandwiches made with Yves meatless deli slices
Tofu Scramble
Gardenburgers
Natural Oven's bagels
Dr. McDougall's Soups and Noodle Soups
Soy Cheese Quesedillas
Veggie Wraps

Whole foods is a great store for vegetarians/vegans, so I recommend grocery shopping there. You also can get a lot of the things I listed above there.

You made a great decision to become vegetarian! Be sure to watch out for gelatin.





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