I just became a vegetarian...I'm curious if any vegetarians might have advice to share for a newbie?

Question

I am curious about how hard it was for other vegetarians to switch and any health concerns or advice experienced vegetarians might have. I love to cook and found an abundance of recipes, so I'm not worried about the food part of it, more about nutritional aspects. How supportive were friends and family who did not want to become a vegetarian?

Answer 1

I have to be carefull i get a enough iron as i am prone to anaemia (i was even as a meat eater though) so make sure i have lots of brasicas (cabages etc) in my diet as well as nuts. Eating a balanced diet is essential, but you will find that when you are a vegi and stop focussing on traditional 'meat and two veg' meals that it easy to eat a range of different foods and therfore nutrients, without even realising it.
Personally i like the meat replacement products but rather than looking at them as meat substituates i see them as products in their own right. (people never seem fussy about tofu, yet can get on their high horse about Quorn, in my eyes you use them in the same way and they are all just different types of food).

some people, especially those i work with can be funny with me about me not eating meat and crack jokes at lunch, but i reccon thats because they cant get their head around anything which is even remotely different to what they normally eat. most of the time i just laugh and ask if they would like the recipe. It does annoy me that any time i get ill, people automatically asume its because im vegi. I fail to see the link between steak and the immune system but there you go! i just ignore it but it still grates on my nerves a little.

good luck with it though and remember to look out for hidden non-vegi ingredients in pre-made foods, like animal fats in biscuits.

Answer 2

Well I was raised vegetarian, so I guess I should know a lot about it. First off the nutritional aspect in most a myth. If you eat healthy, lots of whole grains and soy products. You will get most everything you need. Also you need to look into complete proteins, most non meat products only have some of the enzymes you need, but combine two or more non meat products and you can get all you need.
secondly is the iron, whole grains have a lot, check out Cream of Wheat, 60%.
The hardest part is eating out, though it has gotten a lot better then when I was a kid, and the bigger that city the better it will be.

I now eat meat on a regular basis, but I don't think I even tasted meat till I was 10 years old. And even now, I don't eat chicken much. mostly beef and pork. And I hardly ever keep meat in the house. Just out of curiosity, why are you giving up meat?

One more thing, we never eat fake meat growing up, YUK!!!! If you wan't meat...eat MEAT!! It's that simple.

Answer 3

To be honest with you, friends and family members thought that I was some kind of a wierd freak or something, and that's because they just aren't used to it.
I can tell you that I am, however, having the last laugh on them. They have become morbidly obese, and at best their health is only ok. I had a check up recently, and my doc says that I was in fantastic shape, in spite of the fact that I am considered to be underweight. You see I am 5'10" tall and weigh 143 pounds. I do a lot of jogging and walk my dog daily and as well I drink several bottles of bottled water daily.
I guess that, getting back to your question, people just aren't used to seeing someone who is healthy.
By the way, GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! I guarantee you that in know time at all you will feel super.

Answer 4

Attitude is the key. Everyone eats vegetarian (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pasta, ...) If you act like a snobby, arrogant, I'm better than you all vegetarian, you will get the "you are a freak" treatment that you deserve. I am a proud vegetarian and proud to not shove it in other people's face. We will gain more followers when as a group we stop being so g**damn arrogant!

Answer 5

There are several books out on vegetarian diets. Diet for a New America by John Robins has some health information if you have questions.

Answer 6

It won't be hard. I was a vegetarian for 3 [plus] years and I am vegan now. My Mum bought mock meats and everything else was fine. Even though the majority of my family is omnivorious, I am fine.
If you think you might develop a deficiency, even though it's more common in vegans, ask and talk to your doctor.

Answer 7

It is very hard to be veggie person all the time. It takes practice but if you are detemined to stick to veggies to stay healthy and live longer than im sure you can do it.