Meateater here who's considering being a vegan for a week or two to see how i will feel. Need some suggestions

Question

I been really thinking about it & have seriously considered of giving up meat for a week or two & eat only veggies during that time. I have read stuff about how Vegetarians feel more healthier than those who eat meat so i want to at least try it out & see if i will feel any different during that 1 or 2 week period. Any suggestions of some good veggie food to eat during that time? If i do feel healthier i may consider eating less meat. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Answer 1

Quite honestly, if you drastically change your diet in such a short period of time you may find yourself feeling worse and it may give you a sour disposition on becoming vegetarian and/or vegan.

First, you need to plan ahead. Figure out how you will get your protein and all other such necessities through non-meat foods. (I'm a huge fan of fat free refried beans for my protein kick.)

Second, you may find good ideas by looking at fasting methods. There are many sources that will give suggestions on how to prevent exhaustion and how to deal with the detox of your body.

Third, towards the end you may actually feel better and want to keep on with it. Keep in mind that for the first while your body WILL technically be in at a level of detox. There are some teas that can help you with this (Yogi Tea is a good brand), but also be careful that you do not become dehydrated as tea is a diuretic (sp).

Finally, realize that you do not have to deprive yourself of yummy things! Find a health-food / organic store around you and have at it!

Good luck! :)

Answer 2

The best tip I can give you is to not go off the deep end and only eat carrot sticks. A few people I know have tried to become vegetarians and failed because they didn't know what to eat. Just eat what you eat now, without the meat. I know it sounds simple, but a lot of people don't think it can't be done. If you want to have a burger... make a veggie burger. If you want pizza... order mushroom and jalapeno (with no cheese if you're trying vegan). If you want burritos... make bean and rice burritios.

As far as restaurants are concerned, the easiest ones to get vegetarian food at are Mexican and Asian restaurants. Surprisingly, another good place for vegetarians is steakhouses, because of the giant baked potatoes and other veggie side dishes. Fast food is a little harder, but Taco Bell has 1/2 lb. Cheesy Bean & Rice Burritos, Bean Burritos, Pintos & Cheese, etc. (but I think Bean Burritos without cheese are the only vegan option).

When I first became a vegetarian, I ate a lot of pan-fryed veggie burgers and my favorite dish is still black-eye peas with jalapenos and diced tomatoes.

As with any diet change, it will take a little getting used to. The question says "vegan" and the additional says "vegetarian", so I'm not sure which one you want to try. I would recommend you slowly phase out meat, try vegetarianism, and then try veganism.

Answer 3

As others have said you need to plan out you food intake ahead of time. Many people who are new to being vegetarian or vegan decide one day to just stop eating meat(I did), and then do not know what to make. Doing this you will either begin to feel worse(since you are not eating right, since you don't know what to eat), or will not eat properly(eating only veggie burgers, etc) and get tired of it.

What you should do is make a meal plan for breakfast lunch and dinner for one week at a time and then go shopping for the ingredients.

Answer 4

I did it for about a year.. To be honest. I didn't feel I became any more healthier. I can say my food bill had went down quite a bit.. It's just a different life style. I still did the diary and cheese, but the egg, I used egg product. Meat of course was soy..

Answer 5

My husband and I, who have been lifetime meat eaters, are now nearly vegetarian. This has happened slowly buy just cutting back on meat portions. We have just slowly shrunk the size of our stomachs and require much less food. When we eat out we share a meal. We eat when we want to but just much less.

At present we eat a small amount of chicken breast and fish weekly. It has really been very easy. In my case it has dropped my cholesterol about 50 points. In his case it has been to help keep his a1c in control. That is a test for 3 month sugar averaging for diabetics.

We never said we would Never eat it we have slowing just lost most interest. Good Luck on your experiment. You may need to take B complex and iron pills to replace the iron you are missing.

Answer 6

Lowering intake of meat is a healthy choice.

We've cut meat out of our diets for periods of time to lose weight.

I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but

My mom lightly flours mushrooms and fries them in a cast iron skillet. To me that takes the place of a meat.

she also use to take corn muffin mix and drop it in to oil heated in a cast iron skillet. It's kind of like flat hushpuppies.

I use to have a recipe for veggie burgers, not the kind you get at the store...

Kidney beans, onions, green peppers, an egg and little flour, (we added bbq sauce)

Mix it all and fry like a burger.

We also did it with blackeyed peas.

I know people laugh at beans because they give you gas,
but
beans have the protein and fiber you need.

I know this is a meat, but not a meat that most meat eaters eat: TUNA

People laugh a tuna also, but it has the Omega-3 oils that are really good for you.

You can make tuan patties like some people make salmon or makerl patties.

My mom mixes cornmeal, flour, and mustard in with marerl to make makerl patties. (you can sub. tuna) the mustard cuts down on the fishy taste.

Then fry them in canola oil.

Answer 7

Tuna is not vegetarian, much less vegan.

You must carefully plan a diet to cover all of the nutrients you'll be missing from meat such as protien and iron. There are plenty of vegetable things you can eat to cover those nutrients

The most important thing is to have it all planned out though.

Answer 8

Please remember that veganism is a lifestyle, not just what you eat. Vegans don’t wear leather, fur, or wool, buy products from companies that conduct non-required animal toxicity tests:
http://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/companiesDoTest.pdf
Or frequent zoos, rodeos, circuses, or other places where animals are held in captivity or forced to perform.

Also, it’s about economics. It doesn’t matter if you give the chicken on your chicken salad to someone else. The restaurant gave you that chicken, and are going to have to buy more to replace it. Economically, you might as well have eaten it.


My favorite staple is burritos: tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole, salsa, jalapenos...mmmm.

Answer 9

Be ready to feel hngry as your body will process the veggies much faster want to be chugging away on meat.

Little and often to manage the hunger which will pass (although Pauls Weller is quoted as saying after reverting to carnovirism that he was tired of being hungry for 12 years). Nuts and dried fruit.

More gas, more energy (esp after meals) is what you should primarily notice.

Answer 10

Try some veggie burgers. You can find them in the frozen section of any grocery store. There is a meat substitute for almost everything. You can also replace the meat in recipes with the veggie burgers. For instance, you could follow your normal meat loaf recipe using crunched up veggie burgers instead.