being a vegetarian?

Question

hey guys. I am becoming a vegetarian now, and i was wondering HOW TO DO IT? I mean i am totally new to this so i need to know everything about it.
i also was wondering if vegetarians are skinnier

Answer 1

www.goveg.com is a good website with the info, they will even send you a free packet to tell you how to start. I find it quite interesting. You wont starve, people are afraid of what they dont know, You will be able to get all of your nutrients and vegetables just as a meat eater is.

Answer 2

Just because you switch to a vegetarian diet doesn't necessarily mean you'll be skinner. If you are after loosing weight, you will still have to watch the portions, fat intake, etc. However, if you do watch the food you do eat, your general health does increase. As a vegetarian for a few years now, I find that I get sick less than my meat-eating counterparts. Frankly, I just feel better not eating meat.

But becoming a vegetarian isn't an overnight process. I found that when I started to eat a vegetarian diet, I craved the "old" foods. Working gradually to cut the out the restricted foods seemed to handle these craving best. Eventually I got to the point where meat just wasn't appealing anymore.

Also, as a new vegetarian, you'll find that there is a lot to learn about your new eating habits. Where you got vitamin B-12 before is no longer in your diet. It will be important for you
to take a vitamin while you "learn" you new eating habits.

Answer 3

There is a very simple answer. Stop eating all meat, all fish and anything with gelatine in.
You will get plenty of protein etc from everything else as long as you're having a balanced diet.
No - not all vegetarians are thinner - unfortunately plain chocolate and most crisps and rather a lot of cheese (!) is vegetarian. So you still need to watch your fat intake etc like everyone else. But you're making a very good start by cutting out meat. If you have a healthy veggie diet, with loads of fresh (preferably organic) fruit and veg, drink loads of water and make sure you keep up your "good" fats (hemp oil, flax oil etc), you'll find you have clearer skin, shinier hair, more energy within quite a short time.
For lots of help and inspiration on going veggie, look at the Vegetarian Society website (link below). It's invaluable.
Welcome to a healthier, more cruelty-free lifestyle.

Note to Donna below - there is no such thing as a demi or semi vegetarian. The poster has stated she wishes to become a vegetarian. I would hope that he/she has already done at least the basic research and found that in order to do so, he/she cannot eat ANY animal, meat, fish or otherwise.

Answer 4

There are a couple of things you need to be sure you get enough of. One is protein. You should study up on the best sources. One good supplemental source is Spirutein. It is a good source of soy protein and a lot of other nutrients.
Another thing is fat. You need some every day. Find out what the healthy kinds of fat are, also the unhealthy ones so you will know what to avoid. Women need a certain amount of fat on their bodies to be healthy.
Make it a habit to read the labels on the food packages before you buy.
Get yourself a Food Guide that tells you what nutrients are in different foods. Learn what nutrients you need every day and how much you need.
Before you decide to be a vegetarian, make sure that you like to eat vegetables and fruits, also beans, whole grains and nuts.
Browse through a Health Food Store. See what is available. Ask the clerks about foods that are new to you. Don't be afraid to try something new. Check the book section for recipes and other info.
Learn to make your own soups. Give bread baking a try, too. You can try some new whole grains in it.
You can get a lot of info on the internet about all of this too.
Have fun with it!

Answer 5

Note to person above: I insist, there is such thing as a semi-vegitarian. These people often claim to be vegitarians though this isn't true. People who don't eat red meat have become so common that semi-vegitarian is the name that's been used to describe their diet.
I'm a vegetarian. What type of vegetarian do you want to become? A semi vegitarian (no red meat), a full vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs), or a vegan (no dairy products, meat or fish).
Yes, vegitarians are generally less overweight than the general population because they don't get all the fats from meat. This is a fact. There is always a risk that you will become iron deficient, so you can take iron pills, or eat lots of spinach, lentils, tofu, beans. You can find lots of recipes based around these foods.
www.justgreatrecipes.com/appetizer-vegetable.asp
www.fatfree.com
www.anarchy.com/~chaos/recipes.html
These are some good sites to start from. Good luck!
By the way, many scientists believe that humans were originally herbivores because our bodies aren't made to digest meat. Digesting meat wears out our digestive systems and so vegitarians often have happier, healthier bodies. If you eat a balanced diet, there is no reason to be deficient in anything, or feel weak.

Answer 6

Just dont eat any meat and you'll be fine.Vegetarians are relatively skinnier because in order to have a balanced diet you have to eat a different variety of foods, and vegetarians can't eat any meat.Vegetarians aren't THAT much skinnier but still skinnier.Just be sure to eat a variety of foods ( besides meat ).





Good Luck! -Nadia A.

Answer 7

Well, they say vegetarians tend to be 15 lbs. lighter than non-veg people. Just stay away from the veggie junk food and you'll be okay. Just because it's in a health food store does NOT make it healthy.

Other than that, whether you're ovo-lacto veg or vegan, you'll be doing yourself a favor. Vegetarians tend to be healthier when they are following a balanced diet than those who are non-veg. Find some good recipes and start cookin'.

I'd recommend the book Cooking with Peta book for a beginner. You might even be able to find it at your local library and check it out for free. PETA also has a nice list of veg foods at fast food restaurants.

Bon Appetit!

www.goveg.com/order.asp ~~ veg starter kit

www.vegpledge.com ~~ veg starter kit, when you complete(on your honor) a 60 day pledge, you get 6 mons. of Vegetarian Times magazine FREE!

www.vegweb.com ~~ veg recipes

www.happycow.net ~~ worldwide veg restaurants

Answer 8

There are two good books to read:

Becoming Vegetarian
http://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Vegetarian-Complete-Adopting-Healthy/dp/0470832533/sr=1-1/qid=1170012901/ref=sr_1_1/702-6706804-7837627?ie=UTF8&s=books

Becoming Vegan
http://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Vegan-Complete-Adopting-Plant-Based/dp/1570671036/sr=1-2/qid=1170012901/ref=sr_1_2/702-6706804-7837627?ie=UTF8&s=books

Nothing can beat personal experience, but these books will get you on your way.

I've met both fat and thin vegetarians. That really depends on how much you exercise compared to your intake, and maybe even hormonal balance too. It’s easy to be a vegan, but is it easy to give up junk food and processed food? One can be a vegan and still be eating a very unhealthy diet and thus be totally imbalanced, overweight, high blood pressure, and so forth. So, it’s all good to be a vegan or vegetarian for the good of the planet and the animals etc., but also try to keep in mind that health is very important no matter if you are consuming animal products or not.

Answer 9

Go to a site like Vegnews and they will give you food for thought and look at the obvious no meat! Then choose if you want to eat eggs or cheese or milk. their are company's you can check that will make sure the animals are taken care of while you are learning what to eat if this is your purpose animal rights. If not eat whatever you like other than meat just to get a feel for what you are doing. then if you want to give it all up than you want to be a Vegan this is no meat cheese,milk,or eggs,or animal By-products. Its not so easy to make the switch from meat to
Vegan unless you have a whole lot of discipline?

Answer 10

OK now that you have now become a veggie person it is important to get your protein and vitamins. It is very important that you include the vitamin b12 and protein in your diet!! You don't have to eat meat to get these important supplements. You can get the protein by eating beans and other types of veggies. I'm sure you can take protein as a vitamin pill also. b12 is a vitamin you get when you eat meat, and you need it in your diet or you can get quite sick! You can get b12 in a vitamin form with other b vitamins.

seaweed is a good source of protein (I think...you will need to research more on that) and I believe mushrooms are also.

Answer 11

Boy that must be tough for you... trying to decide the difference between what is meat and what is a vegetable. HERE'S a CLUE... If it walks around,and has fur or feathers... IT'S ANIMAL!!! If it's stationary, grown in the ground and has to be harvested... IT'S A VEGETABLE!!

Here's another clue...Meat is found in the MEAT department... Vegetables are found in the PRODUCE department.

How to do it? I recommend two ways... 1) Eat only vegatables...2) Don't eat meat.

And by the way, Elephants, Hippos, and Rhinos are VEGETARIANS... Do they look skinny to you??