I want to become a vegetarian?

Shaun Rapkowicz: Here's a great article that has helped me:How to Become a Vegetarian, the Easy WayWhile being a vegetarian isn’t for everyone (and neither is Pamela Anderson), I talk to lots of people every day who tell me they’d like to become vegetarian, but it seems like it would be too hard, and they don’t have the willpower.But becoming a vegetarian, for me and for many others, is the easiest thing in the world.If you’re not interested in becoming vegetarian or vegan, please skip this post (and don’t flame me in the comments). But I’ve had numerous people, just in the last week or so, ask me to post about becoming a vegetarian, as I seem to have become a poster boy for vegetarianism (move over, Pamela Anderson!).So in this post we’ll look at some suggestions and tips for becoming a vegetarian without too much difficulty, and some reasons you might consider it.Why Become Vegetarian?Again, let me state that vegetarianism isn’t for everyone. If you are ! fanatically devoted to meat (and I was at one time, so I understand), you might not be interested. If you already eat healthy, or you’re not interested in your health, you might not be interested.But there are some reasons, for the rest of us, to consider it (and these are just a few â€" see these 49 reasons or these 21 reasons for more):Cut the fat. While meat provides a lot of protein, it also provides a ton of fat â€" especially saturated fat. Which means that by cutting out meat, you’ll be cutting out a lot of bad fat, and replacing it with things that are probably not only lower in fat, but that contain some good fats. This greatly reduces your risk of heart disease, and in fact numerous studies have shown that vegetarians tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, as well as hypertension, diabetes, cancer and other diseases.Less food poisoning. Food poisoning gets millions of people each year â€" and many of them from meat, which is a good breeding ground for har! mful bacteria, especially if not stored, prepared or cooked ex! actly right. Cut out meat and you lower your risk of food poisoning (especially if you also cut out eggs and dairy, but that’s optional). Reduce the suffering. You probably don’t want to hear about the horrific treatment of animals that are raised for food, even before they are slaughtered for our benefit. But suffice it to say, there are great amounts of suffering involved, and by cutting out meat, you are reducing your involvement in that. Help the environment. There are actually numerous ways that the meat industry harms the environment, from a waste of our resources (animals raised for food eat enough grain to feed the world), to a waste of fuel, to the pollution caused by their waste matter, and much more. Read more about that here. Help your weight loss. It’s possible to be vegetarian and eat very unhealthy foods, including Coke and fries and fried stuff and pizza and chips. But it’s much more difficult. Studies repeatedly show that vegetarians are slimmer and! are less likely to be obese than meat eaters. If you’re trying to lose weight, being a vegetarian can be a good part of your program. Get more nutrition. In general (though not necessarily), vegetarians replace meat with more nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and so on. If you do that, you will be getting more of the nutrients your body needs, giving you better health, less illness, and more energy. 20 Tips for Becoming a VegetarianSo, if you’d like to become a vegetarian, without too much trouble, here are my suggestions:Have good reasons. If you just want to become vegetarian for kicks, you probably won’t stick with it for long â€" not because it’s hard, but because any lifestyle change or habit change requires a little bit of motivation. You need to first think about why you want to become vegetarian, and really believe in it. The rest is easy. Read up. Before starting anything new, I tend to read as much as possible about whatev! er it is that I’ll be doing. I suggest you do so with vegetarianism. ! Check out a couple of good books from the library (or better yet, borrow from vegetarian friends). And there are tons and tons of good sites on the Internet. One of my favorites is GoVeg.com. Find good recipes. You don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of new cookbooks, although that’s certainly an option. But again, there are many great recipes online. Try GoVeg.com … another favorite of mine is Post Punk Kitchen (also see their forums). In fact, it can all be a little overwhelming … but don’t worry, you don’t need to decide on anything. Just look through the recipes, take note of a few that look really good, and decide to try a few of them. You have the rest of your life to test out other recipes! Try one recipe a week. My suggestion is just to try one new vegetarian recipe a week. If you like it, add it to your collection of staple recipes that you eat on a regular basis. If the recipe isn’t that great, try another next week. Soon, you’ll have a good list ! of 5-10 great recipes that you love to cook and eat. And really, whether you’re vegetarian or meat eater, that’s probably all you really eat on a regular basis anyway (for dinner, at least). Most people only have 7-10 recipes that they cook regularly. Once you have that many vegetarian recipes, you are good to go. Substitutions. Also try your regular recipes that you love, but instead of using meat, use a meatless substitute. So if you love to eat spaghetti or chili, for example, substitute a ground-beef alternative from Bocca or Morning Star and just cook it the way you normally would. There are alternatives for just about any kind of meat, and some of them are quite good. You can go on eating what you normally eat, but meatless. Start with red meat. I suggest a gradual transition into vegetarianism … although you can do it all at once, I’ve found that for many people, a gradual transition works better. There’s no need to give up all meat at once. Try a few new r! ecipes, maybe eat one vegetarian meal for the first week, two for the s! econd, and so on. If you do this, start with red meat, as it is typically the least healthy. Then the other meats. After a couple of weeks of going without red meat, try cutting out pork for a couple of weeks. Then cut out chicken, the seafood. With this two-week approach (and you can even make it 3 weeks or a month for each stage if you want to go more slowly), you’ll hardly notice the difference. I’ve found that I don’t crave meats anymore, although I did for about a week. Consider dairy & eggs. Vegetarians vary widely on this, so there’s no mandate to give up dairy or eggs if you’re giving up meat. Do what feels right for you. But if you go meatless for awhile, and want to try to go a little further (in terms of health, the environment, and helping animal suffering), consider these foods. For one thing, they are often high in saturated fat, especially compared to soy alternatives. It was easy for me to give up eggs, as I’ve never been a huge fan, but transiti! oning to soy milk took a few days to get used to … although I can’t stand the taste of milk now. :) Think about your staples. A useful exercise is to make a list of foods you regularly eat, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts and snacks. Not meals, but ingredients. And then think about vegetarian alternatives, and make a new list. For example, instead of eating chicken in a stir-fry dish, you might try tofu. With a new list of staples, you should have no trouble stocking your fridge and pantry. All in one go. Some people prefer to give up meat all at once. While this takes a little more determination than the gradual solution I advocate, it’s not that hard, really. Just prepare yourself by taking some of the steps above (finding recipes, substitutes, a new list of staples, and reading as much as possible), and then give it a shot. It should only take a few days to get used to it, and then you’ll have very little trouble after that. The only issues you’ll have t! o work out, once you’re used to going without meat, are things like e! ating out, eating at others’ houses, and other similar issues. Read on for more on these. Adequate protein. One myth about vegetarianism is that you don’t get enough protein. Actually, meat eaters usually take in way more protein than they need. Protein requirements for the average adult are lower than people think. If you eat a varied diet (not just junk food, for example) that includes vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, soy protein and the like, you will be fine. It would hard to create an eating plan where you’re getting inadequate protein (the junk food example would be one). Another myth is that you need to eat different types of protein within a single meal (or even a single day) to get complete protein from plants … actually, as long as you eat varied proteins (such as those listed above) over a few days, you’ll be fine. And soy protein is a complete protein, just like meat. Junk food. Again, you can be a vegetarian and be very unhealthy, if you eat junk food! . Being a vegetarian is not a license to eat junk food (although you can probably indulge yourself a little more often now that you’re not eating meat). Try to stick with fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, soy protein, low-fat dairy and other nutritious foods for the most part. Ethnic food. One of the great things about becoming a vegetarian is that it often spurs people to try new and interesting ethnic foods (or reminds them of foods they love but don’t eat much). Great vegetarian dishes can be found all over the world, from Italian pasta to many Indian dishes to spicy Thai food to Chinese, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Mexican, South American and more. It can be interesting to do a series of theme weeks, trying vegetar...Show more

Rufus Plough: Cheese pizza is satisfactory. Vegetarian chili (sans meat) is satisfactory. Vegetarian lasagna is superb. Mashed potatoes with vegetable gravy...Tacos! Nachos. Something I love is a meatball sub with out the meatballs! - simply the marinara sauce, cheese, mayo and sizzling peppers. I'm no ! longer satisfactory with the nutrients aspect of being vegetarian, however I do understand what tastes well. :)

Anibal Katayama: The definition of fresh fruit has different meanings depending on context.

Eulah Hugill: I found this website and it's pretty basic and it might be a bit young for you, but I found it useful:http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/...

Lady Laflin: PLEASE READ THIS!!Well its your choice if you want to become a vegetarian, I don't force my belifes on others, But yeah I'm a vegetarian I've been since I was 14 and I'm 16 now & I feel so much more better. Well Me & My sister are vegetarians, I turned vegetarian at 14 she turned vegetarian at 15 and the rest of our family eat meat, my mom only eats a little bit though like just chicken and fish. My 2 aunts are vegetarians too :) I am planning on growing up my children vegetarians aswell.Once you stop eating meat you get so used to it.. one day i watched something about killin! g animals for meat on youtube and I thought omg, I just realized animals are killed for meat!!?!? I cant eat it anymore, I didnt touch meat since! I don't eat meat or fish or eggs. Just like us, animals weren't born to die. No one deserves to die to provide food for another while there are plenty of alternatives to a carnivore's diet, I think thats wrong. I've never ever thought about going back to meat! Vegetarian Quorn meat is just as nice as ordinary meat!For more info on going vegetarian please watch these show on youtube!http://youtube.com/watch?v=P_C1EtT9lkI

Mitsuko Manne: When you decide to be a vegitarian you dont get as much protein because of the lack of meat. So I would advise a meal with lots of bean or some type of tofu.Tofu is a great substite because it can taste like meat.I suggest this recipe. completely vegitarian and it kinda tastes like meat.INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)1 pound tofu, plain or seasoned 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon oliv! e oil Add to Recipe Box My folders: DIRECTIONS1) Drain tofu and cut ! into slices or cubes, depending upon your recipe. Place in a shallow dish, and coat with barbeque sauce. Cover, and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. 2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook with a small amount of sauce, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Return tofu to the baking dish. 3) Bake in preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes....Show more

Kaley Lappas: Google the vegetarian food pyramid to get a great idea on what to buy.

Asa Soho: Well, firstly, the protein thing is a total myth. The human body does NOT need to consume protein, since it creates protein from amino acids. When you consume already constructed protein chains your body needs to first disassemble them into aminos, then reassemble them into usable proteins, so you are forcing your body to do twice the work. Where do you get aminos? Fresh fruits and veggies. So stock up on lots of fr! esh greens, fruits, and veggies, and make awesome salads, and smoothies, and things of that nature. My favourite is a "green" smoothie: Bananas, juice, pineapple, avocado, kale, and hemp seed nuts. You can substitute any juice really, and add whatever fruits happen to be seasonal in your area. I sometimes put in tomatoes, or parsley, or ginger, or turmeric.Check out these links:http://www.runningraw.comhttp://www.animalaid.org.ukhttp://www.viva.org.uk...Show more

Monty Sieloff: Hi , I have been a vegetarian for two years ! It does make you you healthier choices ! Going to McDonald's and getting a salad instead of a greasy cheeseburger with fries ! It's hard to find things to eat sometimes ! I eat vegetable soup , and veggie sandwiches . Really just go to the store buy lots of veggies , some grains and you can make sooo much ! From veggie stuffed peppers , to just your basic salad .There are many things you can make with just Veggies ! I don't know if that was much he! lp , but I tried ! :)...Show more