New Vegetarian?

Question

Ever since I was little, I never really felt comfortable eating meat, but my whole family are meat eaters, so I am too. When I was eleven, I decided to become a vegetarian, but after a week my mom was worried I wasn't getting enough protein, so she made me start eating meat.
I'm now 17, and I just watched some PETA videos about cruelty to chickens and pigs and so on, and I had my last straw with it! I can no longer be a part of something like that.
The thing is, i don't want to get into the whole tofu thing either, because i'll be the only person in my family who is a vegetarian. So, any ideas on how I can keep a balanced diet without meat? If someone could give me a smart daily meal plan that'd be great.
For right now, I still eat things containing eggs, and milk... but who knows, that might change soon too.

I just ordered the free "Vegetarian Starter Kit" from PETA. so hopefully that will help!
And the brown rice suggestion is awesome. I love rice!
Another thing I'm kinda feeling weird about... is I'm the cook for my family. Since i've cooked chicken and beef all my life (i havent' eaten pork since I was 11 so i never make it) what do I do? Should I ask my mom to cook that part of the meal, and I'll make the rest?

My mom makes this really good tortilla soup. It has 2 types of beans, a lot of vegetables. and then you eat it as well with a tortilla, or put rice in it if you want. So I know thats one good recipe for teh winter. And that meal, i literally almost eat every day anyway.
Since so far i'm still eating eggs, i figure I should probably try and eat some type of egg for breakfest.

Answer 1

Hi, dont get discouraged! I think both of us experienced sth similar. I didnt like meat either but i ate it until i was 17. Ive just turned 19 now and i already have some veggie experience. It is proven that veggie diet is very healthly if it is balanced. My mom was afraid as well but than she spoke to our doctor and she told ive made a right decision. Id suggest to buy or borrow some books about nutrition, maybe ask specialists on some trustworthy website what amount of certain substances do you need as you are probably still growing and developoing. You ndont need to calculate exact values, however be sure you eat various things. Have soya one thay, than rice another day, next day pasta, than legumes...etc. Eat nuts and various seeds too. Dont forget about fresh fruit and veggies, drink plenty of water.
Here are some links that can help you if you have no idea what to cook:

http://vegetarian.allrecipes.com
http://dmoz.org/home/cooking/vegetarian....
http://dir.yahoo.com/society_and_culture...
http://www.meatout.org/recipes.htm......
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/index.html...... http://www.eatingvegan.com
http://www.vegsantabarbara.com/......
http://www.tazarat.com/recipe.asp......
http://www.theppk.com/recipes
http://www.veganmeat.com/recipie.html.....
.http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack...
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/....
http://vegweb.comhttp://vegkitchen.comhttp://Ve...
http://www.vegcooking.com
http://www.vegancooking.com
http://www.veganchef.com
http://www.vegan-food.net
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/kitchen.htm...
.http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~veggie/recipes/...
http://www.veganconnection.com/recipes/i...
.http://www.coolvegan.com/food.html......
http://www.geocities.com/ambhagat/recipe...
http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery......
http://www.catteacorner.com/recipes.htm....
http://www.randomgirl.com/recipes.html.....
http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes.htm...
http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/specials%20a...
http://www.darwin2k.com/chris/recipes/.....
http://www.aboverubies.org/health/cheese...
http://www.supervegetarianguid...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theferalve...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vegetarian...

Ive found veggie diet to be tasty, creative and i feel much better. I had a preventive checkup recently and everything is ok, i dont miss anything!
Good luck

Answer 2

Read Diet for a New America by John Robbins.

Also here are some tips:

1. Start out using some basic substitutes for the meat you are used to in foods where you won't even notice - ground meat replacements are available in the frozen food sections. For items like chili and spag sauce you might be able to get the whole family to go along.

2.Buy some veggie burgers. Try out different ones there are so many out there now and find the ones you like the best. You can have these on nights when you need some protein.

3. Buy some re-fried or black beans to eat if you family has a taco night. Buy some other legumes(baked beans, etc) to have some protein.

4. Another good legume is lentils quick and easy to cook up great in either chili or just cooked up, smashed and mixed with bbq sauce and cheese.

Answer 3

Vegetarian

Answer 4

Rice and legumes make a perfect protein. Stick with brown rice because it's got more nutrients.

You know, we have three vegetarians in my family. My auntie always cooks up something veg for family gatherings. Most times the meat eaters gobble it up.

For instance she made a "meatloaf" entirely out of various kinds of mushrooms and root veggies. The meat eaters didn't believe it was all veggie.

You might as well do the tofu thing. Help your family eat better. El Burrito products are great too.

PS: I put a link below to the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. It's the best Vegetarian Advocacy there is!

Answer 5

I too transitioned from a carnivorous lifestyle when I married a vegetarian. It's actually not very difficult at all, epecially when you are ethically inclined to change. There is an FDA vegetarian food pyramid, just look it up on any search engine. You basically just need to get your protein from things like beans and legumes, eggs (if you are still eating those), and tofu. Tofu is soooo good when you learn how to prepare it correctly. There are also some grains out there like quinoa that are a complete protein and are mighty tasty too. You can make some yummy smoothies with protein powder. There are a great many possibilities and many websites dedicated vegetarianism and veganism. Try www.theppk.com, www.vegweb.com, and www.recipezaar.com. You are what you eat, so do this for yourself and don't let people freak you out. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Well I am a new veg too so I understand that it can be hard to be living with people that eat meat every day. Trust me when I say that the best thing is to tell your mom/dad it helps in the long run. Then you can tell them that there are many substitutes for meat out there. Morningstar Farms, Boca, and Amy's... are some of the best out there. They are a little pricey but they are perfect substitutes. I am twelve and I had been thinking about being a vegitarain for a while then when I told my parents (on my b-day) they were okay with it.
It was a big change because I never really realized how attatched I was to meat. But now I find that it is easier to not eat meat than it was!!!

Answer 7

My daughter has always had a natural dislike for meat, and has eventually completely phased it out entirely. While the rest of us do eat meat, we support her and try to help her find options whenever possible. Talk to your family and if tofu is the way to go, they should be cool with it. If not go your own way and do what you have to do. There seems to be a lot of support and advice on here, so use that too.

Answer 8

Don't get discouraged! I don't know many other veg's either. You've come to the right place. Search the Internet, you'll find plenty of good recipes. You can also eat out at restaurants. For example, at Applebee's I order the Oriental chicken wrap without the chicken. They look at you a little funny but, who cares! Good luck!

Answer 9

I hate tofu LOL

Protein can be found in almost everything. The best sources are nuts, beans and whole grains. Take a look at the vegetarian food pyramid and you'll be fine.

Answer 10

Check out www.pcrm.org go to the Veggie starter kit.pdf file.
Don't let people scare you, A Vegetarian diet, or a Vegan one for that matter, is perfectly healthy for all life stages. This is according to the American Dietetic Association, and also the American Medical Association. It's not hard to be a veggie either.

Go for it, once your family sees that your serious and informed they may even join you.