New Vegetarian?

Question

I've officially declared myself a vegetarian, and I could sure use some tips for the long run! Thanks!

Answer 1

dont eat meat

Answer 2

1. Make sure you reaserch what you are doing. (I can see you've already started that!) Also, look at the ingredients in your food. Do they have gelatin in them? Whey? Some seemingly harmless foods have animal products in them.
2. Use peanut butter, nuts, beans, and other foods for extra protein. I also take iron pills, which I reccomend. Make sure you get enough vitamins now that meat is out of your diet
3. Try replacing some of your old meat-filled favorite meals with new ones- just replace the meat with cheese or tofu!
4. Talk to your friends and family and especially make sure your family is OK with it. This will greatly affect your family, so talk to your parents about how you plan to manage meals.
5. Celebrate! You are now helping the earth in more ways then most people know! You are helping tortured animals from the food, as well as slowing down global warming, helping take a stand against world hunger, and keeping our forests up. Being a vegetarian effects so many aspects of the world- it's amazing when you think about all the things it can do!

Answer 3

Congratulations on your decision.

1) Don't worry about protein. Most people, even vegans, get too much anyway. Too much protein means you lose calcium, and it taxes your kidneys. Eat a good variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts, and you should be fine.

2) www.vegweb.com is a great all around resource for veg*ans (that's an abbreviation, by the way for "vegetarians and vegans")

3) Find a vegetarian society in your area or at least a Meetup group.

4) To find restaurants in your area: www.vegdining.com and www.happycow.net

5) Get used to reading labels.

Answer 4

I've been a vegetarian for 14 years (vegan for 10). I would say, get a cookbook right away, especially if you're not a good cook yet. My favorites are "Vegan With a Vengeance", "Vive Le Vegan", and "Vegan Planet", but there are hundreds out there. There's also a website called vegweb.com that has hundreds of free recipes.

People will "haze" you and try to pick fights, but just ignore it. I've heard the same dumb jokes dozens of times over the years, and I'm sure you will too. Just focus on the food.

If you do a search on "vegetarian potluck" in your area, you'll probably come up with something. There's one in my area once a month, and about 40 people come. It's lots of fun and the food is great.

For holidays, bring an entree for yourself and just smile at anyone who hassles you. Your family will get used to it in a few years. (My parents went vegan 4-5 years ago, but before that they used to give me a pretty hard time).

Answer 5

I think the best advice I could give you would be to learn to cook vegetarian and/or vegan dishes. Don't be afraid to experiment with new ingredients but at the same time keep it simple in the beginning and build on your experience as time goes on.

There are plenty of recipes online that you can try so you don't have to spend the money on a cookbook right away.

Here are a few website links to get you started: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=vegan
http://www.vegan-food.net/
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/
http://www.vrg.org/recipes/

I hope that helps. And congratulations!

Answer 6

Congratulations! I haven't been veggie for long so I don't have a whole lot. However, I would definitely reccomend reading Becoming Vegetarian. It's very informative and has a ton of nutrition info. You should also check out some online sources if you haven't already.

Answer 7

There is several makes such as Quorn that have food that look and taste just like meat, but without the animal dieing and it is extremely healthy.
Without the bones and veins, you can choke on!
Becoming a vegetarian means that you will have less diseases generated by animal flesh.
But I persist you to make one exception to it and eat fish.
Fish is not meat (and fish don't live it to much anyway, they just swim around, etc, etc. Whereas land animals do have a living purpose and do not move around for the sake of it).
Fishandvegetarian diets are the best, I have it myself, for four reasons:
1. Oily fish, and normal fish is good for your brain.
2. I don't like cloggy meat.
3. Vegetables are good for you.
4. No animal had to suffer.
The best thing about becoming vegetarian, is that you can eat a veggie burger (I don't like that one's with actual veg in it, I like that ones that are just like meat but aren't) or other veggie meat, like veggie sausage or lambless.
And you don't need to eat actual vegetables that taste like plain vegetables (if you get my drift).

Please keep this material for future references.

Answer 8

Check out vegcooking.com for some awesome recipes. Also, if your going out with friends, Chipotle, Moo Moo's Burger Barn, and Burger King have veggie burgers.

Answer 9

Find some good, hearty, filling vegetarian dishes. We don't want you falling away! Congratulations (from a meat-eater!)
:D

Answer 10

eat beans b/c u are missing out on almost all the protein you have been getting. also take vitamins, b/c being a veggetarian can really harm your health if you dont get your nutrients.