vegetarians...some tips?

Question

ive been a vegetarian for a while now...and just wanted to hear some tips, secrets, recipes...etc.
how do you stick to the habit?
what do eat to get the same amount of protein?
do you do it to save animals, slim down, or just dont like meat?
what do you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner?
do you take supplements?

...tell me about yourself and your decision to be a vegetarian...

Answer 1

First, I'm actually vegan, but as for sticking to a habit...it's just that, a habit. I have virtually trained myself to be disgusted by meat/eggs/dairy, and I am so used to reading ingrediants that I don't even think about it.
To get protein, I eat soy products a lot, and I try to eat a substantial amount of nuts and, less succesfully, beans. I also take multivitamins specifically for vegetarians when I remember to...
I definately do it to save animals. I want to do all I can to improve the gruesome lives of animals living in factory farms and in labs, and I want to prevent them from being slaughtered. Obviously, I alone cannot save the earth's animals, but I certainly do not want to be encumbering the effort.
For breakfast I always eat some form of cereal (usually Kashi) and soymilk. Lunch is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on school days), carrots, applesauce, nuts, and oreos--this is not what I have every single lunch, just an average. Dinner ranges from spaghetti and veggie balls, to corn/beans/couscous/soy cheese in a tortilla, to tofu and vegetables in soy sauce, etc.
As I said, I take supplements when I remember, but only about once a week. However, I recently went to the doctor and they told me I was doing great in terms of nutrient levels.
As for my decision, I'm not really sure when it hit that eating meat was wrong, but once I had made up my mind I was passionate about the cause. Now I've started and Animal Rights Club at school, and am active in volunteering in support of animals. The only thing I oppose when it comes to animal rights is PETA, but I won't get into that.
Overal, it's been a great decision for me, and I've found a ton of new foods that I really love.

Answer 2

Being veg*an requires a commitment to not eating animal products. It's not really a "habit" per se. You make a decision and you stick with it. If you fall off the wagon, you get right back on it.

Breakfast, I usually have Whole Soy & Company yogurt with some granola. I take a multivitamin at breakfast.

Lunch and dinner vary greatly. I'll sometimes have a couple of packets of Emergen-C (a vitamin supplement you stir into water) in the afternoon, but not always.

As for protein, unless you're eating a junk food diet or you aren't getting enough calories, you will get plenty of protein. Protein deficiency is practically unheard of in industrialized nations. Even vegans get more protein than they need.

I'm vegan for a number of reasons.

Answer 3

Being a vegetarian isn't a habit. It's a state of mind. Here are some tips.

Remind yourself why you became a vegetarian.
Post a really disgusting video to help you.. like this- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM3Ue-2Mi3Q

Here are a few recipes that taste just as good. The asterisk(*) will mark the subsitute that is used for the meat.

Unsloppy Joes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
8 kaiser rolls

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic: saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, tomato paste, vinegar, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Stir in kidney beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes.
3. Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each kaiser roll; set aside. Hollow out the center of each roll, leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells; reserve the inside of rolls for other uses.
4. Spoon bean mixture evenly into rolls and replace tops. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Burritos

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

There are so muck more.. And there are many reasons to become a vegetarian. I chose it because I saw how sick it was. Ask yourself these questions. Would you slice a huge chunk out of a cow and eat it raw? Would you go to your dog or cat and bite off part of it? Here's a really effective one- Would you eat an innocent baby crawling on the floor? No? But you'd eat an innocent pig trotting around.. Just keep willing yourself. You'll eventually stick.

Answer 4

I don't like meat, so I didn't miss it much. I'm kind of repulsed by the thought of eating meat now.

I eat alot of wheat, and beans. I also eat eggs and drink milk occasionally.

Breakfast:
1 glass of water
1 glass orange juice
cereal fortified with flaxseeds and soy milk or wheat waffles
and your everyday multivitamin
Sometimes I eat an egg

Lunch and dinner are always different, but occassionally, I get lazy. I just have a veggie burger with mustard on those days. lol

Recipe: Sorry, no measurements, but you don't really need them
Portabella mushroom lightly painted with butter or olive oil inside and out.
Spoon some diced tomatoes inside the mushroom. Flavor them with oregano, basil, and garlic.
Cover with fat free mozzarella.
Bake in the oven at 450 degrees until the cheese is lightly browned on top! Yum!

Recipe 2:
Tomato juice, spinach leaves, diced tomatoes, zucchini slices, and kidney beans. Mix together and flavor with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Recipe 3: This kind of takes practice to get everything to hold together well.
Cooked oatmeal (kinda stiff) or an egg, cooked spinach leaves, broccoli, peppers (red, yellow, green, or a combination), chopped onions, and water chestnuts mashed together in a bowl. Flavor with garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Patty into burgers, and cook in the oven, in a pan, or on the grill!

Answer 5

Hi Noneofyorbusiness (Interesting log on name).

I've been a Vegetarian for nearly 30 years. The Seventh-day Adventist church promotes healthful living. There are tens of thousands of Vegetarians in the Adventist Church. I never feel alone as a Vegetarian. I have many friends who are Vegetarians and we strongly support each other by sharing healthful tips, recipe's, restaurants, Health Seminars, and Christian fellowship.

I attended one of many Adventist Colleges and their total meal plan for four my four years was total Vegetarian. I never saw one piece of fried chicken served in the school cafeteria. That helped greatly. The vegetarian food came in great variety and it was good.

My wife and children are all Vegetarian. I met my soulmate on the College campus. We have a great life together. God brought us together.

Answer 6

you can look on the internet for foods that are rich in protein and iron if you dont think you're getting enough.

i like to balance eating veggies and different types of beans and just a variety of foods.

I have actually made a bunch of vegetarian recipes myself such as fried chickpeas, veggie chili and wraps. I have a whole bunch of them, so if you are interested get in touch with me and i would be glad to help.

Answer 7

I found that I feel better after being vegetarian, physically and spiritually.
I take one multi-vitamin supplement everyday.
I eat lots of nuts, tofu, fruit and vegi smoothie, vegetable soups, whole wheat pita or pasta, etc. And if I feel like dessert, I'll eat sorbet.
I can eat more food without gaining weight.

Answer 8

Tips? We'll why not smile at her and say hi.. start with the basics. Don't act like a jerk and be Macho, girls hate that. Just be yourself, If she doesn't like you then move on. Plenty of fish in the sea. Hope this helps, Cheers,

Answer 9

I am a pescatarian because I want to stay healthy and to save animals lives. Foodnetwork.com has some recipes and facts. Also, peta2.com has some interesting info and you can send some e-mails to your friends w/ some facts.

Answer 10

Every time you look at meat, think of how they killed it and all of the blood. That will ruin your appetite for meat. The crops we eat is okay, they don't kill and keep blood.