Im a beginner vegetarian/vegan. what do i eat?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It's probably easier to be a vegetarian at first because then you can still eat dairy and eggs.

You can eat vegetable stews and soups, like pea soup (make sure it doesn't have bacon in it, etc) or make your own pea soup.

You can eat veggie burgers if you're out or buy meat replacement "hamburgers", "ground beef" etc (usually made from soy.

vegetarian curry or vegetarian burritors or tacos (beans and rice instead of ground beef).

You can have pasta with sauce as long as it doesn't have meat in it- if you are vegetarian you can still have fettucine alfredo and the like.

Mushroom loaf, granola and cereal (with milk, or if you are vegan, almond or soy milk), ovaltine, soda pop, beer, a lot of candies are vegetarian or vegan. Fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, yogurt, protein bars, smoothies. Omelettes without meat (if you are vegetarian). Vegetarian quesadillas. Vegetarian stir fry. Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato melts, toast with peanut butter, cottage cheese...

If you're a vegetarian, pretty much anything with no meat in it. If you're a vegan, you have to look a bit harder and plan your meals a bit more to make sure you are getting enough iron (if you are a vegetarian or a vegan you should eat foods rich in vitamin C when you eat iron rich foods- non-heme iron is harder, generally, to absorb than heme-iron which is iron that comes from meat). You don't want to become anemic or just eat junk food or you'll get sick!

So stews, salads, vegetarian or vegan "burgers" or sandwiches, cereal, oatmeal, water, juice, soy foods, nuts and lentils... you can also buy or borrow books from the library that have vegetarian and or vegan recipes and meal ideas. The peta website also has ideas on basic, easy vegetarian and vegan ideas. If you want you might want to join peta and get points, help animals, etc...

I used to be a vegetarian but had to stop because my body for some reason would not absorb non-heme iron (no matter how much I ate and even taking supplements like floravit, pills, etc and eating with vitamin C made no difference)... I hope to someday become at least a vegetarian again.

You can also make smoothies and "milkshakes" that are really healthy with soy milk, protein powder, dessert tofu and fresh vegetables. Try to take a daily vitamin and make sure you are getting enough iron and other vitamins and minerals! Try to eat a lot of fresh, raw food.

Good luck!

Was a vegetarian, liked it and there are lots of things to eat. You just need to sit down and make a list and try to eat a variety of things so you don't get bored. Consider keeping a food journal so you know you are eating a wide variety of things and if you start feeling really tired (exhausted) and become pale, get tested for anemia. Iron shots can help some people if the supplements don't.

You can buy some spinach or kale. You can use that in a salad or cook it by boiling slightly or in olive oil. If you use spinach in a salad, you can add some mandarin oranges, or just plain oranges. Some brown rice and beans would be good. If you use beans from a can, rinse them off to get rid of the liquid they're in. If you still eat milk and eggs, you can get some of those. Get some all natural peanut butter and whole grain bread. Get various vegetables and fruits. Some examples of sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, lettuce for salads, tomatoes, peas, broccoli, blueberries, apples, oranges, avocados, and many others. You can buy some hummus or make your own, and use pita chips to dip them in. You might also want to buy some nuts. A vinegar for dressings is good, like white wine vinegar. You can buy whole grain pasta and buy crushed tomatoes to make your own sauce. Cheese if you still eat it. You can buy some meat substitutes, but they're processed and might make you want meat still.

Well, I have much to offer for vegetarians but not so much for vegans. Here are some meal ideas for you, and good luck, it is admirable.

- bean burritos with tomato, onion, lettuce, sour cream, salsa and guacamole
-sweet potatoes with cinnamon and a dab of butter
-vegetable pizza
-spinach salad with tomato, onion, feta with balsamic-vin dressing
-grilled portobello mushroom burger with your fav cheese, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion.
-spanakopita
-whole grain pasta with pesto
-mushroom ravioli
-couscous tossed with sauteed mushrooms, olives, onion, cayanne and olive oil
-steel cut oatmeal with your favorite berry
-and i love trader joe's non-dairy coffee creamer.

Vegetables and pulses

salads of carrot or cucumber or anything you like, with some salt and lemon juce sprinkled on it

Probably a lot more than you thought you could.
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/eat.html

meat fish eggs crustacians, all the good stuff.