Im Trying to become a vegetarian.....any tips?

Question

well i saw ALOT!!!!! of animal curelty video's on Peta's website and i took the challeneg of becoming a vegitarian....im going to try this for a month to see if i can do it....possibly longer......i will still include dairy but does anybody have any tips to help me stay the course when im feeling the ugre to indulge in meat?

well i saw ALOT!!!!! of animal curelty video's on Peta's website. I was absolutley disgusted with the horrible treatment those animals went through. So i took the challenege of becoming a vegitarian....im going to try this for a month to see if i can do it....(possibly longer)......i will still include dairy but does anybody have any tips to help me stay the course when im feeling like eating meat?

Answer 1

Good decision! And remember, it's not only because of animal cruelty, it's also better for yourself and the environment. Animal agriculture causes 85% of the world's methane emissions, lots of soil erosion, and uses up far more water than cultivating fruits and veggies.

The people who say the videos about animal cruelty are all fake haven't seen some of it in real life like me! Seeing chickens bred for consumption helped turning me into a vegetarian, it's plain horrible.

I personally grew into it gradually, because back then there weren't any vegetarians where I lived. I started eating less meat and one day after eating meat in the evening felt sick and had nightmares the whole night, which cured me completely!

I think the most important thing is your psychological mindset. If you think of not eating meat as deprivation, you might find it hard, but if you think about it positively, i.e. the colours and flavours of fruit, vegetables and herbs, the health benefits, the new adventure of finding recipes (and there are VERY tasty ones, believe me!), you'll feel inspired.

And always think of yourself as vegetarian. Even if one day you fell for tasting a piece of bacon, it doesn't mean that you've failed and are a meat eater again!

Answer 2

My initial experience of becoming vegetarian was that I only ate whatever was being served, minus the meat. That left me unsatisfied - not knowing what was out there. Over time, I've come to know and love some amazing veggie foods, which replaced most of the meat temptation.

So, I would encourage you to explore some new foods and enjoy! Don't focus on what you "can't" have, but on all the amazing new food you can have. Maybe your meat-eating friends might even enjoy your new foods too!

So, here are my tips:
- buy some great vegetarian cookbooks and try some new recipes
- check out some vegetarian restaurants in your area (even Indian and Thai food, if you're not familiar with that yet)
- hang out with other vegetarians at meal-times occasionally
- look into any local vegetarian groups or potlucks planned in your area
- at big events (barbeques, Thanksgiving, etc) make sure to plan ahead and have some sort of "special" veggie food for you so you will not be left wanting meat.

Answer 3

There is lots of "fake meat" out there. Morning Star makes some good stuff. and the Yves hot dogs are okay.

If you want to do it - you will. It's not that hard if you're doing dairy. Cheese is a great protein. Also - beans are good. You can eat some really yummy Mexican dishes as a vegetarian.

I've noticed that a lot of the urge to eat meat is just the texture. Mushrooms have kind of a meaty texture. Get one of those big ol' portobello mushrooms - and put some "Liquid Smoke" on it -along with a slice of Monterey Jack. YUM!!

I've been a vegetarian for about 10 years now. I'm really stupid when it comes to tofu. I've never figured out how to fix it and it always pretty much just rots in my fridge. There are some awesome vegetarian restaurants - and they are GREAT at making soy and tofu taste like meat.

Good luck!!

Answer 4

Giving up meat is really easy. Especially when you think about it in terms of psychology. I read this paper that said it's the "savoriness" of meat that we like. not the meat itself. We cover it up with herbs, tomato sauce and the like. So when you crave meat, make savory tofu or a savory grilled portobello.

If you think you want a steak, marinate a portobello in Soy Vey teriyaki sauce. Then grill it or broil it. Yum Yum.

Many nations use avocado as meat substitute. I'm rather fond of grilled portobello and avo "burgers."

Fake meats can be a good transition aid. Just know that in the long run they are as loaded in chemicals and things your body does not need as the meat from factory farms. So don't rely on them.

Get some books. Books that appeal to you. Recipe books as well as basic "how too" books. They're handy when you're feeling weak.

Find a support system. Even one or two people who are there for you will be of great help. Be sure your support system isn't negative. When I went veg, I had two vegetarian friends. Both of them were jerks. They nagged me for every little thing. So I blew them off and went solo.

Do a search for articles by Bruce Friedrick. I heard him speak at the Farm Animal Forum last year. He's very supportive. And super smart.

Make Veg Source your homepage. It's loaded with tips.

Keep up the good work!

Answer 5

The biggest thing to remember, is that like any diet, if you fail, don't beat yourself up too much. Simply start again at the next meal. If you are craving something that someone else has, ask for a bite of it. That should help to satisfy your craving, but keep you from going completely crazy.

The longer you stay away from meat, the less your body will crave it.

In the meantime, you can also try 'mock meats'. The Morningstar Farms chicken nuggets are quite good - better than many real chicken products. Boca burgers can help satisfy hamburger cravings, and some of the hot dogs aren't too shabby.

Answer 6

Think of the reasons why YOU are choosing to go veg. In this case, animal rights is an issue for you (and rightfully so). So, whenever you think you crave meat, picture in your head what YOU would have to do to obtain your own meat. Would YOU be able to go and slaughter the animal yourself, and then put it on your plate yourself? If you couldn't go to the grocery store and just buy it already prepared, but instead had to butcher the animal yourself...well I hope you wouldn't be able to do that. Picture what the animal would go through to satisfy your craving. It's not worth it. If you have to pay someone else to kill the animal for you because you couldn't do it yourself, then don't do it at all!

Answer 7

yea, just be happy with being a vegetarian and you won't want to eat meat, I am a vegg, and I work at a pizza place and I handle cooked meat all day, and my hand stinks, i hate the meat juice, it really makes me want to get another job, but I never want to eat the stuff no matter how good it looks cause er, after a while you just don't want to eat it, I can't eat it if I try. I never tried but I know my body will reject any cooked meat by puking.

tips: have backup food ready, always have extra food you can eat as a meal or as a snack, so you won't go hungry. remember get backup food always

Answer 8

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Answer 9

CAPTAIN AND SUGAR PIE ARE LIERS. as far as PETA goes, they have NEVER killed an animal or a person...duh. and to answer your question try eating fake meats: Morning Star brand for fake chicken meats, Boca brand for bigger meats (burgers, ribs), and Smart brand for smaller things (bacon, ground beef, hot dogs). there are tons more kinds of fake meats too. most of them taste a LOT like real meat (not so much the hot dogs). good luck and dont let buttheads like captain discourage you. at school i punch people who try to insult me. almost forgot. if you eat fake meats they give a lot of protein so you should be fine on that. and try taking a mutivitamin.

Answer 10

there is a veggie equivalent to almost every meaty food you might crave. veggie hot dogs, corn dogs, sandwich 'meat', chicken nuggets or strips, bbq 'ribs', gardenburgers, bocaburgers, veggie ground 'beef', veggie chili... god, i'm making myself hungry.

taper off the real meat and begin experimenting with comfort food equivalents. there are a ton of different types of meat substitutes (tofu, texturized soy protein, seitan (wheat gluten), mycoproteins (like "Quorn"), and then "meaty" veggies like mushrooms and whole grains and legumes.

also, try new ethnic foods -- there are so many societies that have mastered delicious vegetarian food without playing the "meat replacement" game. Indian food is fantastic -- vegetable kofta, curries with paneer (farmer's cheese), novel preparations of every vegetable ever. Ethiopian red lentils are to die for. Mediterranean food - hummos, baba ganoosh, dolma, grilled veggies, falafel, tabbouleh. There are a good number of Vietnamese restaurants that are pure vegetarian, although it is often with fake meat (but damn is it good). I could go on forever, there is so much good food to keep you vegetarian. Good luck!