Converting to vegeterianism...what is there to eat 'sides meat?

Question

Due to certain health reasons, I have to eliminate wheat and meat from my diet. I also have to eliminate junk food and soft drinks.

So my question is--what can I eat that'll fill me up? I'm gonna miss not being able to eat stake or pizza or....*sigh* so what can I eat? I need a list. I'm completely new to this so any and all advice would be very helpful. Usually I eat things like spaghetti or hamburgers...what do I eat now? How do I keep myself from starving???

aa, I'm also lactose intolerant.

>//< and I hate tofu. Can't make things simple can I? *sigh*

Answer 1

Instead of spaghetti how about eggplant parmesean. You can replace your regular burger w/ a veggie burger. Tofu stir fry is also yummy.

Answer 2

There are many delicious faux meats available at health food stores like Whole Foods and many mainstream grocery stores. They don't taste exactly like meat, but have a similar tastes and textures. I'm not sure which of these are wheat-free, but here's a list:

Beef Substitutes:
Gardenburger Flame Grilled Burgers
Boca Original Vegan Burgers
Morningstar Farms—Better ’n Burgers Veggie Burgers
Morningstar Farms—Grillers Burger Style Recipe Crumbles
Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Steak Strips
Nate’s Meatless Meatballs

Pork Substitutes:
Yves Original Jumbo Dog
Lightlife—Smart Bacon
Lightlife—Gimme Lean Sausage Style
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Breakfast Links
Yves Veggie—Canadian Veggie Bacon
Lightlife—Smart Deli Country Ham Style
Gardenburger Meatless Riblets
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Hot ’n’ Spicy Veggie Chili Dogs

Chicken and Turkey Substitutes:
Gardenburger Flame Grilled Chik’n
Gardenburger Buffalo Chik’n Wings
Nate’s Chicken Style Nuggets
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Chick’n Burgers
Tofurky Deli Slices
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Turkey Slices
Boca Chik’n Patties
Boca Chik’n Nuggets
Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips

(Personally, my favorites are Nate's Meatless Meatballs, Tofurkey deli slices, Boca Chik'n Patties, and Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips)

Making the Transition:
http://vegcooking.com/makingthetransition.asp
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/

Recipes:
http://www.vegcooking.com/searchRecipes.asp
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp
http://www.cok.net/lit/recipes/

Good luck!!

Answer 3

If you don't like tofu, you maybe haven't had it fixed right. Check my profile for tofu tips to avoid mushy tofu. Or try tempeh, an Indonesian food made of fermented soy beans.

There are wheat-free pastas, such as rice or quinoa pastas. I've also heard (but not yet tried) a product called tofu shirataki (www.tofushirataki.com). It's pasta made of tofu. So you can use that for spaghetti with crumbled tofu or veggie crumbles.

The Vegetarian Loaf Studio is a website where you can plug in the ingredients you have on hand and it will give you a recipe for a veggie loaf.

BTW, my understanding is TVP is made of soy, not wheat. But check the labels.

Answer 4

Well it is hard at first but there is plenty of alternatives. There are veggie burgers and a brand called Boca burgers that are very good. I eat Chinese food a lot look for stuff with bean curd or tofu in it. Usually all big food chains now have a meatless section that sell vegetarian products like bbq ribs nuggets, fake chic paddies and so on.. look at walmart. You can buy soy crumbles that lloks and has the texture of meat that you can use to replace almost any meal that you would use meat in like spaghetti or hamburger helper. Look for the Garden Burger brand foods they are the best.

Answer 5

Umm... there's a whole world of food out there.
Endless varieties of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts... it's never ending.

Pizza? Just make your own healthy pizza instead of that crap you are currently eating. You do know that they don't pile on that petroleum byproduct fake cheese on pizza in Italy as they do in N. America. They only sprinkle a little parmesan, and that's it. Pizza is supposed to be about the bread, not the toppings.Anyway, what I mean is, you don't need the cheese, and most pizza is made with fake cheese anyway (I used to work for a pizza place).

Anyway, spaghetti... there's no meat in spaghetti sauce in Italy either. Tomatoes, basil, olive oil, pinch of sea salt...

Burgers? Well, I guess you could try all those fake meat products like Yves. But the really tasty stuff is made in Asia, so check out the Asian markets -- you can get all kinds of you'd-never-know-the-difference fake meat/seafood/etc. products.

Start eating some whole grains, like rice, millet, but quinoa is really the tastiest grain I've ever had... really good. Can cook all grains in a rice cooker. Easy.

Head to the library and get some recipe books... hit the net -- only billions upon billions of recipes on the net.

Dairy -- you don't need it. All those billions of people in Asia don't consume dairy for a good reason... we are humans and humans are mammals. After breastfeeding is over, there's no need for it.

Answer 6

Do you have to eliminate All meat? Can you still have fish?

If you can sushi is filling. You can make your own pizza, you can I think get gluten free pizza crusts at specialty shops and make veggie pizza or if you want meat on it some of the Morningstar brand in the frozen section you could add some of that to it, they have meatless sausage.

Alot of people have conditions now where they can't eat wheat so they are starting to make more wheat free things, sometimes you have to go to specialty stores or the health food section of stores to find things that taste good. Or you could look on the internet for some tasty meals.

Answer 7

You can still have spaghetti an burgers! Use Quorn mince for Spag, you can get meat free sausages and instead of burgers, have veggie, mushroom or bean burgers.

There are plenty of meat alternatives. Pulses, tofu and of course veg. Things such as chickpeas, borlotti beans, are easy to turn into a stew, hummous or a curry!

If you are only veggie and not vegan you can still eat dairy products, such as eggs, yoghurt and cheese! Experiment or gradually phase it out. You will soon discover a whole new world of flavours and textures!

Answer 8

Eliminating meat and wheat at the same time will be hard since most meat substitutes have wheat protein in them. If you are eating packaged/processed foods be sure to avoid things that say "seitan" "gluten" "vital wheat gluten" or "textured vegetable protein" (TVP). These are wheat based. There are a few wheat free veggie burgers- Sunshine burgers are vegan and wheat free. Depending on where you live it might be hard to find them. Try natural/health food stores. Trader Joes and Whole foods are available in lots of areas and cater to the wheat free/meat free crowds. Mom and Pop natural food stores are best if you can find them in your area.
Depending on how strict you need to be there are certain things you need to look out for- soy sauce (wheat free tamari is available, also Braggs Liquid Aminos). Lots of salad dressings have wheat gluten in them. Annie's Naturals has many gluten free options. Refried beans (often have animal fat in them- go with whole beans instead).
The best wheat free pasta is Pasta Joy. It is made of brown rice and does not get mushy like most gluten free kinds.
Eat lots of nuts and seeds and learn to cook with them. Beans and rice are filling and there are lots of ways to dress them up. Use quinoa instead of rice for a more complete protein and more fiber. Lentils are filling and lentil stew or chili is very nice in the winter. Corn tortillas are not the best for burritos (they break) but make good quesadillas, if you are still eating cheese, or cheese substitutes. Depending on your reasons for these dietary restrictions you may need to worry about keeping your calorie intake up. I do this with peanut butter and avocados. I add one or the other to almost every thing I eat- it's amazing how versatile they are.
LARA bars are a good wheat free energy bar. They are available online for about $1.20 each. They are made of dried fruit and nuts, Cherry Pie and Chocolate Coconut Chew are my favorites, Cashew Cookie if I don't want something too sweet or am in the mood for "protein food". Adding BBQ sauce to tofu, veggies, tempeh, potatoes, sweet potatoes (my favorite) or anything else you can think of will sate the need for meat, just make sure it doesn't have wheaty soy sauce in it.
You are going to have to start preparing most of your own food. Good luck!

Answer 9

Well, if you went to a doctor and they told you you must cut certian things from your diet, usually they provide a list of foods to avoid.
Other than that, organic fruits and vegetables, rice, beans and whatever else you fancy will work. And as far as feeling full, when you give your body the fuel it needs, it won't tell you to feed it. Cutting soda and junk food out of you diet will help for your body be able to tell you what it really needs.
Good luck in your new lifestyle!

Answer 10

Um...I'm a vegan and eat pizza and spaghetti all the time. And I've never even tasted tofu.

I don't know what you like to eat, but my favorite is burritos-
tortillas, rice, beans (NOT meat-based), guacamole, salsa, and jalapenos. Easy to make, and tasty.

FYI-- I've been vegan my whole life and have always eaten food that makes omnis drool, and enjoy full meals in any restaurant, so I think you'll survive.