Im thinking of becoming a vegetarian....?

Question

any suggestions on how to make that transition easy. Yeah i eat meat...but im more of a cheese and potatoes type of gurl! Im pretty sure i can do it. The only thing is....im also anemic...so i need a good source for protein. please give me good suggestions only! thanks

Answer 1

YAY! What an exciting turning point in your life. One tip is to not become discouraged! I've been a vegetarian for over a year now and its an amazing thing.

You can find protein in just about anything, especially in diffrent kinds of nuts. What you really need to look for is Iron <- if you are anemic. (I am as well) I'd take a supplement untill you start to figure out what diffrent foods have which vitamins. Also keep an eye on the B-12 vitamin, its very important to your mind (and you are currently getting it from your meat) you can find that in fortified soy milks or again in a multivitamin.

I'd suggest picking up some morningstar farms or other fake meats. Pasta is also a tasty veg treat. another tip is if you cant already LEARN TO COOK. here is a website for fabulous veg. recipes www.vegweb.com

If you ever need any advise feel free to email me. I'm routing for you!

Answer 2

I think you got tons of good advice here. I just want to add a few things. Someone said stay away from this if weight loss is a goal. I agree! There probably is some truth to that carb nonsense and vegetarians consume tons of yummy carbs. Kit-Kat said Iron. Is there some kind of home testing kit you can use to monitor your iron? I take a veggie iron suplement but, I can't say for sure that it's as effective as the animal sources. You can get pleanty of protein from dairy sources. I've been using whey powder for a while. You can find it in the supermarket these days or go with cheese, yogurt, eggs

As for the transition, the hardest thing is to leave the typical "western" (assuming) recipe mentality. Check out some vegetarian restaurants. My personal opionion is that vegetarian cooks are the most creative. If you have an Earth Fare or Whole Foods type grocery near by check out there prepared foods sections for some creative veggie ideas

I wish you luck. I look forward to the day when people stop wasting precious resources on cows.

Answer 3

Isn't anemia a lack of iron? Not protein? Anyways....

When I went veg a little over a year ago, I went NUTS on the Morningstar Farms "fake meat" products. Basically, they have it all... "steak" strips, chik'n strips, nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, sausage links & patties, bacon... EVERYTHING. And it's really good. You can use it instead of meat in most of the recipes you make now... which makes the transition really easy.

Only thing is... you cook "fake meat" differently than meat. I've found that pan-frying rarely works. I always either microwave it (times are listed on the box) or cook it in the oven. Also, if you're adding it to a saucy food, add it right before serving. If it sits in a sauce too long it gets mushy. But if you cook it by itself, then add it.. it's great!

Also, check out the vegetarian section on allrecipes.com. They've got some great stuff!

As far as protein goes.. the fake meats have almost the same nutrient content as real meat (check out the package though as I'm sure it varies by product). There's a lot of other sources out there as well... but if you have problems like anemia, it would be best to consult your doctor or a dietician or nutritionist before changing your diet too severely.

Answer 4

You can take supplements for iron. Try to take the supplement when you eat so you have an easier time absorbing it. Feel free to go to a doctor for advice. Most doctors will tell you that going vegetarian is very good for your health. If you feel uncomfortable, consult studies done on the topic, and they will confirm that vegetarianism is quite healthy.

My advice when you're first starting is try to find and join the vegetarian community in your area. Make some vegetarian friends. They can help orient you to the vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the area and give you good recipes. Do try fake meats such as Boca and Morning Star Farms, but don't rule out eccentric vegetarian sources of protein until you've tried them (i.e. hummus, tempeh, protein bars).

Another thing to consider is that most of the foods you eat now you can still eat. When having family over for dinner you can still cook spaghetti or fettuccine alfredo if they have a problem with your new lifestyle. Vegetarianism isn't as far away from eating normally as most people assume. On the reverse side, it is difficult at first. Making sure you have enough protein in the beginning will be key in assuring that you don't fall back into eating meat again. If you mess up once or twice at first, don't give up. Good luck!

Answer 5

One thing that I always have on hand is a Luna bar. There totally vegetarian and have 10 grams of protein in each bar. I'm out of town and in hotels a lot so they're great when I've eaten poorly all day. Lentil soup is a wonderful, hearty source of protein, along with black beans. Hummus is probably my favorite food and it is made with chickpeas/garbanzo beans which are not only loaded with protein but also vitamin b12. Make sure you take an iron supplement too! I'm vegan so I have a tough time getting all of my protein and calcium since I'm away from home six days at a time. One of the things that I started doing was putting protein powder in some of my foods. I usually make instant oatmeal and put the powder in it. You can get plain or different flavors. I personally use GenSoy Protein Shake powder with strawberry banana flavoring and its okay. the vanilla is good to. The average female needs about 50 grams of protein per day, more if you're athletic. Albert Einstein was a vegetarian so just think of the possibilities!

Answer 6

if you're not going vegan, dairy is a good source of protein. i also get a lot of my protein from bagels and peanut butter. protein shakes are also good if you like them, but some have animal products in them so read the ingredients. as for the transition, i know it will be no problem! start by replacing one type of meat, say steak, with a different food. then eliminate more and more until you are a vegetarian! and don't worry if it takes a while, you are doing the right thing. =) your body will be healthier and think about all the lives you're saving! congrats and good luck.

Answer 7

I am surprised/confused by

"I was a vegetarian for years but I had to resume eating meat when I learned I could not eat soy anymore and also I developed diabetes"

-- I think that person's problem is unrelated to having been vegetarian...

And, re. all that 'eat soy' -- eat it only if you actually like it. Can't stand it, myself, and have no problems not eating it. If you're more cheese and potatoes, stick with that sort of thing; throw a salad with chickpeas on your plate to round it out. You do still need good sources of proteins, but for the moment, 'easy' might be to just stick to vegetarian protein sources you already like without learning how to like fake meats, which (a) I think are awful, and (b) do not strike me as an appetising substitute for the real thing for a recent convert. If you like Tex-Mex food, great; see what you can do with all those beans and cheese. (Taco Bell is pretty popular with vegetarians, I notice.)

Agreed re. 'anaemia is about iron, not protein' -- do you like spinach? Ask your doctor about what supplements might be appropriate, if one's indicated.

To make it easy, well -- don't go nuts on all those 'curried lentils with tempeh'-type recipes right away. Go through your favourite recipes and see how you can fiddle them into being vegetarian -- if meat is a minor ingredient, just pitch it; if not, mushrooms make a decent substitute in a lot of recipes.

It is, for example, possible to make "Hamburger Helper" into "Sautéed Mushrooms, Peppers, and Onions Helper."

Several recipe sites have an option to search for just the meatless recipes; try http://www.epicurious.com/, and the BBC has a fairly good veg section: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/vegetarian_and_vegan/

Veg Society's new vegetarians page:
http://www.vegsoc.org/newveg/index.html
...that looks fairly sensible. Avoid the radicals; I don't think anybody looking for an easy transition is really encouraged by stuff like PETA's brand of "go eat flavourless vegan junk food, or else you're a horrible person."

Answer 8

I am also anemic, but I am a healthy vegan. My suggestion to you to make the transition easy is to find replacements for "meat." Start eating more soy-based products, like veggie burgers and veggie hot dogs. These will help you switch to the diet. Eventually, you can rely on beans and nuts if you choose not to rely on soy for protein. Protein sources are beans, nuts, vegetables, and soy. Going vegetarian is easy - you will only make it difficult for yourself. Check out www.veggieboards.com for tips and support! Good luck!

Answer 9

What the heck is Anemic?
Fake Meat Recipe: Can Pumpkin, Cereal (oats & wheat Germ) soya sauce & seasoning mix all together.. you can make imitation meat balls, imitation sausages and fake meat loaf.
For fake bologna.. slice large beats thinly soak
in soya sauce and fry in oil! Fake Bacon.. slice yam or carrots in strips and soak in soya sauce and fry in oil. It don't taste like the real thing but these recipes are pretty close to the taste of real thing. to fool meat eaters put a little vanilla in the oil you cook the fake meat in!
Eat alot more fruit.. the enzymes in fruit are similar to the enzymes in meat but there's no chlorestoral with fruit! The needing of alot of protein is a myth propagated by the Food Companies of course! They all know fruit is best that's why it's so expensive! Vegetarians
should really be called Fruitaterians but then that word Fruit was taken in to gay useage so
may as well stick with the Vegetarian label even though fruit is more important that Vegetables for Vegetarians.. Vegetables are important too.. Kelp is good for making gravy
Also you can use soya sauce for that too! There's also mushroom gravy! I see from others than Anemic is lack of iron in the system!
All red vegetables and fruits contain iron. Also dark green vegetables too! For B12 naturally
made dark brown honey. Or Demara Sugar.
Or Brown Beats! Brown beats have less iron cause of the B12 in them! I suggest eat 3 red beats in raw form daily that will build up your iron in the blood.. also drink green tea this
will make the blood accept the iron more easily.
Lots of antioxidants are in green tea! Oolong tea is a type of Green tea!

Answer 10

Hello Jacky
This is the better idea that you have in your life. Try slowly. The soy is a good source of protein. If you make the transition you will be very happy and plenty of peace. Congratulations.
I am vegetarian for a long time and I´m very well. kss