Any VEGETARIANS out there?!

Being a vegetarian has its good and its bad. One of the thing you want to make sure is that even though you are a vegetarian you are still getting the vitamins, proteins, and carbs you need. Yes I said carbs there is good carbs and bad carbs. Eating a slice of pizza or two in a sitting gives you good carbs but eating 5 slices of pizza in one sitting will give you bad carbs (because you will be taking in more carbs than you are using which will in turn could lead to weight problems) I am not a vegetarian but at the beginning of the 2008 year I decided to give up all things pork and it has been one of the best things I have ever done. What ever you choose do make sure your body is prepared for it giving up meat all at once can do a lot of harm to your body. If you choose to give up meat ease it out of your diet. If you eat 4 pieces of chicken this week, then eat 3 pieces next week, two the week after and so on. What ever you choose to do, do it wisely and Good-luck.

I'm 17 as well, and just completed my first week as a vegetarian :) I did it for animal rights.

Its hard to make recipes because my family eats meat (I assume yours does too). There are tons of great recipes online though, and even great pre-made stuff. For breakfast I usually have a high fiber cereal with fresh fruit, or oatmeal. Lunch is usually some kind of veggie or peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, or a whole wheat pita with hummus. Dinner can be anything from rice and beans, a veggie burger, vegetable soup and multi-grain crackers. Just get creative! You can always have whatever your family is having and substitute the meat for tofu, beans, etc. I haven't tried tofu yet though (LOL).

Good luck!

what did when i became veggie was that i slowly weaned myself off meat until i wasn't eating any at all. just replace all your meat with veggie alternatives e.g. Quorn. yup, you'll loose weight, become fitter and healthier, your skin will look better, it ends up being cheaper than meat and you'll live longer. :)

I turned 18 last summer and I went cold turkey last October. I've had occasional slip-ups, but overall it's quite easy. Usually for breakfast I have either oatmeal, pancakes, cereal, a slice (or three) of fresh banana zucchini bread, or even leftovers. For lunch I usually make a salad, pasta of sorts, quesadilla, fajita, or something entirely different. Dinner is the same. With food, anything is possible (except animals).

Oatmeal for dinner? Preposterous! I think not! Mac and "cheese" for breakfast? That's absurd! Go for it!

To be honest, I despised cooking when I was an omnivore because of how limited my mind was toward food. I thought, "Okay, well, how can I make food without using meat?" Silly, I know, but I never liked touching raw meat so I either made pasta, ramen, or cereal all the time. When I went vegetarian it was like a veil had been lifted. New culinary doors opened and I finally began enjoying food on a new level. My mom bought me plenty of vegan cookbooks, one of them being 1000 Vegan Recipes. It's an effing amazing book. Look into it!

TL;DR Vegetarianism has given me a new outlook on food. Now I cook. 1000 Vegan Recipes is a good book. Vegweb.com is also nifty.

Vegetarianism is not that difficult, although I would make sure you talk to your doctor before making any definite decisions, as there could be other health factors at play here that you might need to take into consideration first.

As far as meals go, all of my typical breakfast foods are vegetarian anyways: hot or cold cereal with milk (could substitute soy or almond milk if you wanted to avoid dairy), a poached egg or two on toast, english muffin with natural peanut butter, whole grain french toast/pancakes, etc... and a piece of fruit. I find breakfast easy.

When it comes time for lunch, I love whole grain crackers and raw vegetables with hummus, a nice bowl of homemade soup (broccoli is one of my favourites... I add curry!), cold veggie pizza (homemade the night before with whole grain crust & part-skim cheese), leftover stir-fry (one of my favourite all-time meals), etc... and usually a piece of fruit.

For dinner, I love stir-fries, just because you can add about anything to them. I don't think I ever make the same one twice, and there are tons of vegetarian protein options. You could add tofu, tempeh, quinoa, eggs, nuts, beans, legumes, etc... there are so many options! Also, baked tofu bites (search the recipe on allrecipes.com) are delicious as a main dish or as a simple snack to keep in the fridge.

Just make sure you get lots of fruits, vegetables, & whole grains every day, along with enough protein and calcium, and you should be fine. Good luck!