Tips for becoming a vegetarian?!
I'd like to switch my diet to completely vegetarian!. I'm so used to eating whatever I want whenever I want, that I don't really know where to start!. I'm going to the market tomorrow to shop for food !.!.!. I was wondering if someone could just point me in the right direction to start out!.!.!. Maybe link me to a vegetarian diet plan that I can follow with simple recipes!.!.!. Or share your own vegetarian recipes!.
I still want to eat dairy products and eggs!.!.!. Just no meat!. I'd appreciate any knowledgeable input!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
I still want to eat dairy products and eggs!.!.!. Just no meat!. I'd appreciate any knowledgeable input!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
There are a lot of sites that discuss vegetarian diets and recipes!. One such place is WebMD!. Gosh, even my supermarket Wegmans has a spot for vegeterarian recipes on it's website!.
As for going vegetarian after a life long habit of eating whatever you want whenever you want, you may want to consider easing into a total vegetarian diet!. For one thing, you probably want to stay away from all the snack foods and go towards whole grains, fresh or frozen vegetables, fruits, beans and other legumes, and soy-based products!. That's a lot for your digestive system to get aclimated to if you have not been eating that way all along!.
One thing that I did to get myself away from so much meat products was to substitute the vegetable and soy based frozen crumbles, patties, and links instead of using hamburger for sandwiches and pasta-beef goulashes (maccarone and beef in a tomato sauce), and also for chili!. The texture is not quite beef but it helped me change the way I eat !.!.!. which was gradually!.
Tofu is really good to eat in that it has no actual flavor of it's own so it takes on the flavor of the ingredients it's cooked with!. I love to use cut up pieces of it in the stir-fry dishes I make for quick dinners!.
The health-food section of your supermarket will probably stock a lot of different soy-based (Tofu) products you can try out!. Gosh, they even have a soy-based ice cream !.!.!. but if you are still going to use dairy products and eggs, I'd suggest you use that instead while you are working on changing to being a vegetarian!.
I've been doing it for several years now and still eat seafood as well as the dairy and eggs but in limited amounts!. also, I am not a 'purist' so if I am a guest and someone serves roast beef or turkey/chicken, I go ahead and eat it, i just limit my portion of it and fill up on the side dishes which are usually good vegetables!.
Good luck!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
As for going vegetarian after a life long habit of eating whatever you want whenever you want, you may want to consider easing into a total vegetarian diet!. For one thing, you probably want to stay away from all the snack foods and go towards whole grains, fresh or frozen vegetables, fruits, beans and other legumes, and soy-based products!. That's a lot for your digestive system to get aclimated to if you have not been eating that way all along!.
One thing that I did to get myself away from so much meat products was to substitute the vegetable and soy based frozen crumbles, patties, and links instead of using hamburger for sandwiches and pasta-beef goulashes (maccarone and beef in a tomato sauce), and also for chili!. The texture is not quite beef but it helped me change the way I eat !.!.!. which was gradually!.
Tofu is really good to eat in that it has no actual flavor of it's own so it takes on the flavor of the ingredients it's cooked with!. I love to use cut up pieces of it in the stir-fry dishes I make for quick dinners!.
The health-food section of your supermarket will probably stock a lot of different soy-based (Tofu) products you can try out!. Gosh, they even have a soy-based ice cream !.!.!. but if you are still going to use dairy products and eggs, I'd suggest you use that instead while you are working on changing to being a vegetarian!.
I've been doing it for several years now and still eat seafood as well as the dairy and eggs but in limited amounts!. also, I am not a 'purist' so if I am a guest and someone serves roast beef or turkey/chicken, I go ahead and eat it, i just limit my portion of it and fill up on the side dishes which are usually good vegetables!.
Good luck!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
*Hugs*
Anyway!.
Mushrooms
Beans (black,red,pinto) They all work
Eggplant
Frozen soy products!.
Fruit smoothies!. (V8 Fushion products are great)
You could also make your own and use soy milk!. It tastes so much better!.
Be safe and read the ingredients!. Even some cheeses contain rennet from inside the cows stomach!. So here's a list of cheeses that are okay for you to eat!.
http://cheese!.joyousliving!.com/CheeseLis!.!.!.
If you feel like ever having meat in a meal, just remember that there are plenty of vegetables you can substitute for this!. I've already names eggplant, but you could also use zucchini and squash, or big Portebello mushrooms!.
http://www!.veggiemealplans!.com/
Try these meals =)
Happy Eating!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
Anyway!.
Mushrooms
Beans (black,red,pinto) They all work
Eggplant
Frozen soy products!.
Fruit smoothies!. (V8 Fushion products are great)
You could also make your own and use soy milk!. It tastes so much better!.
Be safe and read the ingredients!. Even some cheeses contain rennet from inside the cows stomach!. So here's a list of cheeses that are okay for you to eat!.
http://cheese!.joyousliving!.com/CheeseLis!.!.!.
If you feel like ever having meat in a meal, just remember that there are plenty of vegetables you can substitute for this!. I've already names eggplant, but you could also use zucchini and squash, or big Portebello mushrooms!.
http://www!.veggiemealplans!.com/
Try these meals =)
Happy Eating!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
Best place to start is knowing where it is that you want to be!. In this case, you want to be a vegetarian!. So read up and know what it means to be a vegetarian!. If you need help with the diet, talk to your doctor about it or ask them to refer you to a good dietitian or nutritionist (many insurance companies require this to have it covered)!.
Buying fresh is always best!. But with the economy the way that it is, if you can't afford that, then frozen would be second best, canned third!. Buy good quality fruits and vegetables!. To save money, many times a farmers market is going to be a better choice!. If you don't have such in your area, then shop the grocery sales ads!.
I also suggest making sure that you have a good stock of spices that you might find that your going to want!.
There are many 'mock' meats out there that in some ways is similar to the meat that you are used to eating!. Many have found that by adding this to their diet that it helps them forgo meat products!. So you might want to buy some of those as well!. I prefer "Boca" and "Lightlife" but that doesn't mean that you will find them to suit your personal tastes!.
If you like to cook, your going to find many sites online that have recipes that you might find that you want to try!. I also am a strong supporter of going to the public library and checking out cookbooks!. Great way to find out if it is a book that your going to actually find to be useful, not to mention it saves you money by not buying books that in the end you find out don't suit you at all!.
There are a ton of sites out there that I could give you that you can find using a simple search engine on your own!. I personally go with the approach my doctor supports (she is vegetarian) and haven't really felt the need for using such sites!. Again, this is a personal choice that you will make that suits your own personal lifestyle and choices!.
If you need any help, just post an additional comment and I will add to what I have already written!. Hope this helps with making your first step in a positive direction to the choice that your making!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Buying fresh is always best!. But with the economy the way that it is, if you can't afford that, then frozen would be second best, canned third!. Buy good quality fruits and vegetables!. To save money, many times a farmers market is going to be a better choice!. If you don't have such in your area, then shop the grocery sales ads!.
I also suggest making sure that you have a good stock of spices that you might find that your going to want!.
There are many 'mock' meats out there that in some ways is similar to the meat that you are used to eating!. Many have found that by adding this to their diet that it helps them forgo meat products!. So you might want to buy some of those as well!. I prefer "Boca" and "Lightlife" but that doesn't mean that you will find them to suit your personal tastes!.
If you like to cook, your going to find many sites online that have recipes that you might find that you want to try!. I also am a strong supporter of going to the public library and checking out cookbooks!. Great way to find out if it is a book that your going to actually find to be useful, not to mention it saves you money by not buying books that in the end you find out don't suit you at all!.
There are a ton of sites out there that I could give you that you can find using a simple search engine on your own!. I personally go with the approach my doctor supports (she is vegetarian) and haven't really felt the need for using such sites!. Again, this is a personal choice that you will make that suits your own personal lifestyle and choices!.
If you need any help, just post an additional comment and I will add to what I have already written!. Hope this helps with making your first step in a positive direction to the choice that your making!.Www@FoodAQ@Com