I need help switching to vegetarianism!?

Question

I want to become vegetarian, so I need to know how I can still get non-meat protein. Also, are there any other ways to have a healthy, balanced, but still vegetarian diet? And is fish considered meat or not? I don't think that I'll be an extremely strict vegetarian, but I want to abstain from meat.

Answer 1

A handful of nuts per day is the perfect amount of protein. Beans and legumes are excellent sources of protein as well. Plus there are meat substitutes like Morning Star Farms, Quorn and Boca products.
Just as important as protein is iron. Some great sources of iron are green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale.

Fish IS a meat. If you eat fish you are not a vegetarian. BUT, cutting back to just fish (and dairy and eggs) is a great step toward a vegetarian lifestyle. I believe that it's too difficult to jump from omnivore to vegetarian in one leap. If done too quickly can result in frustration and often times people will quit and never try again. Cut back to fish for a month or two, or whatever is comfortable, then cut out fish when you are ready.

Always remember that cutting out a food at first can be hard, if you slip up, just get back up, dust yourself off, and keep going.

*You will only become gassy from vegetables if your body is not used to eating healthy. If you are a healthy person, you will not experience any gas. If you change your diet from garbage foods to healthy food, you might experience gas, but only for a short period of time. The reason is that meat stays in your system for up to 7 years and vegetables and beans help clean your digestive system out. Gas is your body purging rotting foods. Veggies don't rot in your colon, only meat does.

Answer 2

Hi
Let me begin by saying, good for you!!
This is a pretty popular question, which is awesome because more and more people are trying to stop eating dead animals. I have put a lot of thought into it and have a collection of thoughts here: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-GXLd3H0hc6klMFe3HeGqSDn7SVlgijZ53gHnrrlGNoFgNut5?list=1

There is a link for help becoming a vegetarian at the bottom. I included a list of books and helpful websites and tips for anyone who might be struggling.

There is also a link to vegetarian protein and iron sources, how much we need in a day, and a an article about the protein myth and how meat-eating Americans are getting far too much and how getting too much can really hurt you.

There is also a link to why vegetarians to not eat fish (in short, vegetarians simply do not eat animals, whether they swim, walk or fly) and the effects of people who call themselves veg while eating animals.

That is if you want a personally-written answer.

Another awesome website you can use as a resource is the Vegetarian Society. http://www.vegsoc.org

GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 3

It is totally up to you how strict you want to be. Technically, yes fish is meat. Anything that has a mother and eyes is meat. But, some people choose vegetarianism for health reasons, and they keep fish in their diet because some types of fish are good for you. But you can get the benefits of fish from vegetarian sources, like flax seed oil.

Protein is not hard to get for a vegetarian. In fact, meat-eaters usually eat too much. You can get protein from tofu, or soy products, as well as things made out of TVP (textured vegetable protein). Those vegetarian meat substitutes are made out of either soy or tvp, and so they have protein.

There is protein in milk and cheese, and eggs. So if you're not going vegan, you can also get protein that way.

The best way in my opinion, besides the soy products, is legumes. They are very good for you, are high in fiber, and very high in protein. You might enjoy experimenting with some Indian recipes, which have very tasty bean recipes. My favorite is Masoor Dal, or Mung Dal. These are very healthy and have more protein than most meat.

Answer 4

Well if you dont want to be a strict vegy at the mo, then you dont need to wory about sweets and stuff that contain gelatin, animal fat. i calss my self as a vegy, and i eat fish, but i am actually pescetarian. You can just cut down the amount of fish you have, but most think that it is not vegy as it is a dead body.

Getting protein and iron is easy. Go to www.viva.com for great recipes and ideas and answers to q's that meat eaters will ask you!!! (havent met a vegy who hasnt been asked them!)
protein-
eggs-high sourse of protein, make sure you have about 3.
cheese
baked beans
soya products
nuts and seeds.

iron-
green vegys
tomatoes

hope that helps, and just remember to replcae the meat you are having in your diet.
good luck, and remember you are doing it for the best!

Answer 5

Protein is in everything. Google the vegetarian food pyramid. Vegetarians do not eat animals and fish is an animal.

Answer 6

I personally don't consider fish meat, and the religions don't either (no meat fridays but still allowed to eat fish). But some people do and automatically expect me not to eat fish.

Nuts, beans, and eggs are in the meat group as well. So you can still get iron from eating those items. Taking an iron pill might help you too.

Eat plenty of grains, fruits, veggies, and dairy, and you should be fine.

Answer 7

Fish Is Meat. Just dont think about it. Im a vegetarian. And im happy and feel better than i did when i was eating meat. If you meat your not a vegeterian.

Answer 8

If you want to eat fish then it's up to you, there are different "levels" of vegetarians. Most people would say that fish is a meat, but if that's something you want to eat then eat it.
Nuts,Legumes, and beans are a good source of protein as is soy.

Answer 9

there is a big difference between a vegetarian and vegan. as a vegetarian you can have fish, eggs, cheese and other animal products. it just depends on the purpose of becoming one. vegans are very strict no meats, fish, eggs, or dairy products what so ever.
it all depends on what you are going for.

Answer 10

REMEMBER YOU EAT NOTHING THAT WAS ONCE ALIVE
so remember no candy no sweets
stuff that tastes bad you will all ways be looking for something to eat
you will lose your sense of humor you will become very pale skinny you will start getting sick more in the winter time then the summer time.
You will start to lie and when some one asks dose that taste good you lie and say WOW IT":S GREAT
there are no Vegetarians in heaven you should remember that
Soy has 1/3 the grams of protein that meat has

so you are going to have to eat three time as much that means that you will use three time the amount of toilet paper that I use that means that the lumber jack will have to cut down three times as much trees down and then chain saw will be running three times as much and global warming will start three times faster. My god child save the earth go eat a fish sandwich or some shrimp scampi
sure is getting hot around here