Advice on going vegetarian anyone?!
I am transitioning to vegetarianism!. #1 for animals and #2 for health/weight loss!. I love vegetables but I am afraid in order to compensate for not eating meat I will gravitate toward carbs which I do not want to do because I want to keep my blood sugar down and lose weight, etc!. I mean if you think about it you could eat pizza and spaghettios daily and call yourself a vegetarian!. I want to eat healthy but I dont want to feel deprived and hungry all the time!. I like veggie burgers but the other fake meat I have tried so far was gross!. Suggestions!? Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
There are so many ways to ease into veggeism!. Here's a short summary: Vegetariantimes!.com has lots of great recipes!. I've been semi-veggie for over a year now, (lost 10 lbs the first month) and have never wanted for new, wonderful stuff to make & eat!. I have an advantage in that I love to cook, and try new recipes, but I know a lot of folks don't!. I've even (almost) converted my meat & potatoes son-in-law with some of the stuff he's eaten at my table!.
After reading "Skinny B**ch, it changed how I looked at comercially-prepared food and doing what I could to contribute to the plight of abused animals, by not supporting the industries that abuse them - not buying their products!.
My personal rules of thumb:
I eat NO
1!. processed food (read labels for chems)
2!. animals with a face, except seafood (somehow, crab, shrimp and seafood in general doesn't bother me, but I'm hypocritical in that respect)
4!. milk or milk products (too much pus, antibiotics & hormones) Soy and rice milk comes in lots of different flavors, and works in all recipes!. Substitute tofu and tofu products!. (bless Trader Joes) (Tofutti chocolate ice cream is to die for)
I DO eat:
1!. fruits & veggies of all kinds
2!. lots of beans and the like (sheesh, the flatulence at first was horrible)
3!. lots of tofu products (not bad, as long as you don't expect it to really taste like bacon, ham, etc!.)
4!. whatever I'm served at friends
5!. poultry on occasion like Thanksgiving, or I'd be eating by myself!.
6!. I do eat eggs, as long as I can get the naturally-nested, cage-free kind!.
If you think you'll implode if you don't have a taste of meat, go ahead! After several months, I think I could have slit my wrists if I didn't get a morsel of meat - any meat in my mouth!. I went & bought one of those ready-roasted chickens and savored every greasy morsel!.
The best tip: don't become a food nazi of any kind!. You become a drag to people if you become preachy or holier than thou!. Just do everything in moderation, and gradually find a niche that works for you!. There are so many vegetarian sites I could steer you to, but I'm sure you'll find them yourself, if you want to do this!.!.!.
It took awhile to find what worked for me - it's worth it!.
Good luck and a healthier, kinder future!Www@FoodAQ@Com
After reading "Skinny B**ch, it changed how I looked at comercially-prepared food and doing what I could to contribute to the plight of abused animals, by not supporting the industries that abuse them - not buying their products!.
My personal rules of thumb:
I eat NO
1!. processed food (read labels for chems)
2!. animals with a face, except seafood (somehow, crab, shrimp and seafood in general doesn't bother me, but I'm hypocritical in that respect)
4!. milk or milk products (too much pus, antibiotics & hormones) Soy and rice milk comes in lots of different flavors, and works in all recipes!. Substitute tofu and tofu products!. (bless Trader Joes) (Tofutti chocolate ice cream is to die for)
I DO eat:
1!. fruits & veggies of all kinds
2!. lots of beans and the like (sheesh, the flatulence at first was horrible)
3!. lots of tofu products (not bad, as long as you don't expect it to really taste like bacon, ham, etc!.)
4!. whatever I'm served at friends
5!. poultry on occasion like Thanksgiving, or I'd be eating by myself!.
6!. I do eat eggs, as long as I can get the naturally-nested, cage-free kind!.
If you think you'll implode if you don't have a taste of meat, go ahead! After several months, I think I could have slit my wrists if I didn't get a morsel of meat - any meat in my mouth!. I went & bought one of those ready-roasted chickens and savored every greasy morsel!.
The best tip: don't become a food nazi of any kind!. You become a drag to people if you become preachy or holier than thou!. Just do everything in moderation, and gradually find a niche that works for you!. There are so many vegetarian sites I could steer you to, but I'm sure you'll find them yourself, if you want to do this!.!.!.
It took awhile to find what worked for me - it's worth it!.
Good luck and a healthier, kinder future!Www@FoodAQ@Com
While I am not a vegetarian, I do live with and cook for one!. So unless you intend to give things like eggs and dairy, it should not be a problem!. Eggs have lots of protein as do milk and cheese!. Soy protein is a poor substitute for meat!. While they are both protein in the base sense, they are not the same and soy does not provide certain vitamin, amino acids nor complex proteins found in meat!. Human are meant to be omnivores!. If you have blood sugar problems now, it will be very difficult to regulate them on a vegan diet!. I tried and was sick most of the time!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Eat beans and other high protein items such as nuts!. Be advised that you will need other dietary supplements to get the essential nutrients found naturally in meats and meat by-products!. If you don't, the you will lose the ability to think rationally, and will also be undernourished physically!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
you wont be hungry all the time you actually feel full after eating vegetable because of all the fibre which take a long time to digest!. And when it takes a long time to digest it means alot of use of calories that you've ate convert into energy!. so you wont gain any weight because there is no extra calories!. plus you have to do some running to lose weight!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
Veggie burgers really arent gross!. dont worry about thinking about carbs!. some things you can enjoy while being vegetarian are:
veggie burgers
baby carrots
hummus
salads
corn
peas
etc etc!. one thing u should ignore is avacado cause it has tons of carbs and fatWww@FoodAQ@Com
veggie burgers
baby carrots
hummus
salads
corn
peas
etc etc!. one thing u should ignore is avacado cause it has tons of carbs and fatWww@FoodAQ@Com
It wont help with your weight loss!.!.!. continuous exercise will!.!.!. the body needs meat!.!.!. face it or not humans are oomnivoresWww@FoodAQ@Com
I think the biggest mistake people make when making the switch to vegetarianism is overeating dairy and egg products!. Carbohydrates are fine, so long as you eat mostly complex carbohydrates!.!.!.that means cut out the white! White bread, white rice, white pasta!. It's okay once in awhile, but the majority of your bread intake should be whole grain bread, ditto with pasta!.
You don't have to love veggie burgers and tofu to be a successful and enjoyable vegetarian diet!. There are plenty of options!. I would recommend you try to experiment with some different grains like bulgur, quinoa and millet!. If you combine any of them with some of your favorite steamed veggies you have an almost instant vegetarian meal!.
also play with pasta!. I really like the Barilla plus whole grain pasta, It comes in a variety of shapes and pasta is a great base for a lot of different "combinations"!.
Don't shy away from beans either!. Garbanzos, kidney, navy, pinto, black-eyes!.!.!.the variety is endless! And beans, like pasta, lend themselves to a lot of experimentation, and they taste great hot or cold!.
Omelets are another vegetarian mainstay!.!.!.herbs, vegetables, different cheeses, grains, pasta and beans are all delicious omelet fillings!.
If you aren't crazy about the commercial veggie burgers you've tried, try checking on line for a recipe that interests you!.
Now, personally, I'm not a vegetarian!.!.but I do eat mostly vegetarian, and limit my meat intake to once a week!.!.so officially I'm a demi-vegetarian!. That might be an option for you as well!. Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
You don't have to love veggie burgers and tofu to be a successful and enjoyable vegetarian diet!. There are plenty of options!. I would recommend you try to experiment with some different grains like bulgur, quinoa and millet!. If you combine any of them with some of your favorite steamed veggies you have an almost instant vegetarian meal!.
also play with pasta!. I really like the Barilla plus whole grain pasta, It comes in a variety of shapes and pasta is a great base for a lot of different "combinations"!.
Don't shy away from beans either!. Garbanzos, kidney, navy, pinto, black-eyes!.!.!.the variety is endless! And beans, like pasta, lend themselves to a lot of experimentation, and they taste great hot or cold!.
Omelets are another vegetarian mainstay!.!.!.herbs, vegetables, different cheeses, grains, pasta and beans are all delicious omelet fillings!.
If you aren't crazy about the commercial veggie burgers you've tried, try checking on line for a recipe that interests you!.
Now, personally, I'm not a vegetarian!.!.but I do eat mostly vegetarian, and limit my meat intake to once a week!.!.so officially I'm a demi-vegetarian!. That might be an option for you as well!. Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Those are both great reasons to become vegetarian! I love 15 lbs!. when I made the transition!. Usually I eat cereal with soy milk in the morning, maybe with some fruit and whole wheat toast too!. Then for lunch I usually go out to eat because I am working!. I usually get a big veggie burrito (whole wheat tortilla, lettuce, tomatoes, chips, guacamole, onions, corn, black beans, rice and mango salsa) that in itself is tons of nutrients from ever food group!. For dinner I usually have a big bowl or veggie soup, with bread and fruit and veggies!. I try to drink a lot of soy milk and juice regularly!. I am actually vegan so you could add in a lot of different varieties if you were only going vegetarian!. I would actually recommend reading a really good book that talks about what is good and bad in your diet and why!.!.!. it is really funny too, it's called "Skinny *****" by Freedman and Barnouin!. It might really help clarify what is good and bad in the vegetarian aspect and for losing weight!.
Hope I could help!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Hope I could help!Www@FoodAQ@Com