Tips On Going Vegetarian?!
Is there any personal (or not) tips about becoming a vegetarian, that I should know about!? Or even good books to look up, about how to become a vegetarian!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
I have been a vegetarian for many years and the one thing that I have learnt is that you have to be creative and plan your menus well if you want to have a good and healthy veggie lifestyle!. It can be done, but you have to do your research and be prepared to change your outlook on 'food' and how you cook and how you ensure you are eating a balanced diet!.
as a starting point, you must remember that there is NOTHING in meat that cannot be found in a good and well balanced vegetarian diet so dont let anyone tell you that you are missing out on protein and iron - that is, quite honestly, bullsh*t
one of the best websites for people who want to go from being meat eaters to vegetarians is
http://www!.vegsoc!.org/
you dont have to become a member or give your details or anything like that!. this is one site that really helps people like you, i would suggest you go through these links and i hope you find them useful, they give you recipes, advise, what to avoid, how to transit, what foods are good!.
http://www!.vegsoc!.org/cordonvert/recipes!.!.!.
I would also recomment you read this one :
it gives a good indepth view of the nutritional aspect of being a vegetarian - how to make sure you get all the necessary protein and other nutrients from a veggie diet!.
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/food/vegetarian_and!.!.!.
once you have done your research you will have to start planning what you eat for your meals and how to keep your food varied, interesting, tasty and something that you can really look forward to cooking and eating!.
here are some great ideas and websites and i dont want to give you too many, but in the coming days if you google them, there are practically thousands of websites with good veg recipes!.
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/food/recipes/databa!.!.!.
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/food/recipes/databa!.!.!.
also a great website :
www!.tarladalal!.com
there are free recipes on this website as well as new recipes being uploaded on the main page every week - oh and all of Tarla's recipes are vegetarian - she has sold millions of copies of her books and I have loads of them - her recipes are simply fantastic !!
good luck and i am sure you will LOVE being a veggie just as much as I do !!
Www@FoodAQ@Com
as a starting point, you must remember that there is NOTHING in meat that cannot be found in a good and well balanced vegetarian diet so dont let anyone tell you that you are missing out on protein and iron - that is, quite honestly, bullsh*t
one of the best websites for people who want to go from being meat eaters to vegetarians is
http://www!.vegsoc!.org/
you dont have to become a member or give your details or anything like that!. this is one site that really helps people like you, i would suggest you go through these links and i hope you find them useful, they give you recipes, advise, what to avoid, how to transit, what foods are good!.
http://www!.vegsoc!.org/cordonvert/recipes!.!.!.
I would also recomment you read this one :
it gives a good indepth view of the nutritional aspect of being a vegetarian - how to make sure you get all the necessary protein and other nutrients from a veggie diet!.
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/food/vegetarian_and!.!.!.
once you have done your research you will have to start planning what you eat for your meals and how to keep your food varied, interesting, tasty and something that you can really look forward to cooking and eating!.
here are some great ideas and websites and i dont want to give you too many, but in the coming days if you google them, there are practically thousands of websites with good veg recipes!.
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/food/recipes/databa!.!.!.
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/food/recipes/databa!.!.!.
also a great website :
www!.tarladalal!.com
there are free recipes on this website as well as new recipes being uploaded on the main page every week - oh and all of Tarla's recipes are vegetarian - she has sold millions of copies of her books and I have loads of them - her recipes are simply fantastic !!
good luck and i am sure you will LOVE being a veggie just as much as I do !!
Www@FoodAQ@Com
yeah if you are going vegetarian try not to eat meat!. Seriously though i think you shouldn't get to caught up in the whole substitute/nutrition/healthy side of things a lot of people confuse vegetarians with healthy people or think we need special diets to remain healthy this is just not true, there are also a lot of vegetarian cook books and websites, but you don't need that, just by some fake meat (or don't) and add it in place of where you usually put meat in your meals, as long as your diet is not restricted too much then you should be absolutely fine, so many people forget that a meat eater is just as likely to have a dietary deficiency as a vegetarian! check the labels of EVERYTHING (the fun part) and sit back and watch as you rise to the moral high ground!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
First off, congrats for putting vegetarianism under consideration!. You will feel healthier and better with yourself now that you're not eating meat!. : )
Here's some health tips:
--> Make sure you get lots of protein!. Eggs, fortified soy milks, protein shakes, nuts (almonds, peanuts, etc!.), beans & lentils, and seeds are the best sources!. Enjoy tofu and other mock meats in moderation!. For more info, check here: http://www!.vrg!.org/nutrition/protein!.htm
--> Zinc and Iron can be obtained from other sources, like the ones listed above, beans, whole breads, fortified cereals, fruits, and vitamin supplements!. For more info, check out these pyramids and charts: http://www!.vegsource!.com/nutrition/pyram!.!.!. (vegetarian)
http://www!.vegsource!.com/nutrition/pyram!.!.!. (vegan)
http://www!.vegsource!.com/food_groups!.htm
--> Here are some nice nutritious meal plans: http://www!.veggiemealplans!.com/
--> Being sedentary could also cause problems, vegetarian or not!. Whenever possible, try to be active and not to couch slouch whenever possible, or find a leisure exercise you really enjoy!.
Talk to your doctor about your dietary choices, he will give you better health tips than anyone ever could!.
Secondly, there are two ways in which you can make the jump into vegetarianism:
1!. Just flat out stop eating meat abruptly!. This is more challenging if you're a lot of a meat lover, so maybe it's not recommendable for your case!.
2!. Slowly make the transition!. Go without any red meats (cow, pork, lamb, etc!.) for a week or two, or more if you want!. Then get rid of the white meats (chicken, seafood, etc!.)!. In these first few weeks, try to avoid dead animals when possible and don't be tempted by the smell, which is the biggest catching weakness!.
This second one gives your body time to adapt!. After about a month of cutting out all meats, you should be getting experienced!. After you get the hang of it, you decide if you want to take the next step to veganism, which will take some further work and planning!.
If you don't, work on avoiding the meat!. As I've said before, it all comes down to willpower!. Whenever you're tempted, remind yourself why you're being a vegetarian or think of whatever got you interested into the diet!. Mock meats are always great transition foods, along with tofu and tempeh!.
Other pointers:
-->when you're starting, take one meal a week in which you normally eat meat and substitute by a vegetarian meal!. Then gradually increase your number of vegetarian meals a week!. Try something different each week for variety and to build up a repertoire of veggie meals!.
-->It is VERY important that you eat foods gih in proteins, since sometimes the lasting cravings are a signal that you are missing something, which in this case would be protein; therefore, you begin craving meat!. keep you protein levels up to avoid unnecessary physiological cravings!.
After a while, the meat will stop appearing pleasing and you will be disgusted by the time you decide to cave and try it and trust me, you won't bear it!. That makes it a whole lot easier, because liking meat is a force of habit, not an instinct!. Once you break the meat-eating habit, you will feel free!.
Good luck with everything! :DWww@FoodAQ@Com
Here's some health tips:
--> Make sure you get lots of protein!. Eggs, fortified soy milks, protein shakes, nuts (almonds, peanuts, etc!.), beans & lentils, and seeds are the best sources!. Enjoy tofu and other mock meats in moderation!. For more info, check here: http://www!.vrg!.org/nutrition/protein!.htm
--> Zinc and Iron can be obtained from other sources, like the ones listed above, beans, whole breads, fortified cereals, fruits, and vitamin supplements!. For more info, check out these pyramids and charts: http://www!.vegsource!.com/nutrition/pyram!.!.!. (vegetarian)
http://www!.vegsource!.com/nutrition/pyram!.!.!. (vegan)
http://www!.vegsource!.com/food_groups!.htm
--> Here are some nice nutritious meal plans: http://www!.veggiemealplans!.com/
--> Being sedentary could also cause problems, vegetarian or not!. Whenever possible, try to be active and not to couch slouch whenever possible, or find a leisure exercise you really enjoy!.
Talk to your doctor about your dietary choices, he will give you better health tips than anyone ever could!.
Secondly, there are two ways in which you can make the jump into vegetarianism:
1!. Just flat out stop eating meat abruptly!. This is more challenging if you're a lot of a meat lover, so maybe it's not recommendable for your case!.
2!. Slowly make the transition!. Go without any red meats (cow, pork, lamb, etc!.) for a week or two, or more if you want!. Then get rid of the white meats (chicken, seafood, etc!.)!. In these first few weeks, try to avoid dead animals when possible and don't be tempted by the smell, which is the biggest catching weakness!.
This second one gives your body time to adapt!. After about a month of cutting out all meats, you should be getting experienced!. After you get the hang of it, you decide if you want to take the next step to veganism, which will take some further work and planning!.
If you don't, work on avoiding the meat!. As I've said before, it all comes down to willpower!. Whenever you're tempted, remind yourself why you're being a vegetarian or think of whatever got you interested into the diet!. Mock meats are always great transition foods, along with tofu and tempeh!.
Other pointers:
-->when you're starting, take one meal a week in which you normally eat meat and substitute by a vegetarian meal!. Then gradually increase your number of vegetarian meals a week!. Try something different each week for variety and to build up a repertoire of veggie meals!.
-->It is VERY important that you eat foods gih in proteins, since sometimes the lasting cravings are a signal that you are missing something, which in this case would be protein; therefore, you begin craving meat!. keep you protein levels up to avoid unnecessary physiological cravings!.
After a while, the meat will stop appearing pleasing and you will be disgusted by the time you decide to cave and try it and trust me, you won't bear it!. That makes it a whole lot easier, because liking meat is a force of habit, not an instinct!. Once you break the meat-eating habit, you will feel free!.
Good luck with everything! :DWww@FoodAQ@Com
Find a group or other people who are vegetarian, it really helps, especially when it comes to learning about new things to cook!.
And I know this seems obvious!.!.!. but take it one day at a time!. It took about 2 months for me to get over cravings, and then after that I didn't even notice that my diet was "different" or "unique", I just feel like everyone else!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
And I know this seems obvious!.!.!. but take it one day at a time!. It took about 2 months for me to get over cravings, and then after that I didn't even notice that my diet was "different" or "unique", I just feel like everyone else!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
I'd suggest ordering a starter kit!.
And it's fairly easy to find meat alternatives (Boca and Morningtstar Farms makes pretty good stuff, I've also heard Quorn is really good)Www@FoodAQ@Com
And it's fairly easy to find meat alternatives (Boca and Morningtstar Farms makes pretty good stuff, I've also heard Quorn is really good)Www@FoodAQ@Com
1) Dont eat meatWww@FoodAQ@Com