So, I'm thinking about going vegetarian...

I was a vegetarian for about six months a whopping five years ago. It was a personal challenge, really. But then Superbowl came around with the ribs and...WELL, you get the picture.

So, I'm thinking about trying it again, not only for losing weight (because what girl doesn't?) but for the obvious health benefits.
But thinking back to my past vegetarianism, I realized how many vitamins and proteins I was missing out on by going veg.
I don't want to deprive my body and get disorders or some form of malnutrition from missing out on essential nutrients that can be found in meat.

Would anyone care to recomend healthy, calorie-friendly substitutes for meat products?
And go ahead and throw in some pro-vegetarian comments, if you wish.
I'll need some serious moral support, considering I live in Meat-and-Potatoes, USA.

Thanks!

Hello Cheslee,

I am vegetarian and have never ate any kind of meat or egg in my life. There are plenty of good vegetarian choices like Tofu, bean sprouts, brown rice, multi-grain breads, whole grain pastas with lots of veggies like broccoli, carrots, zucchini, asparagus.. and a sprinkle of hurbs...

If you like little bit of spicy food, you will get tons of healthy vegetarian recipes. Try these links:

http://www.ivcooking.com/

http://food.sify.com/

Vish you all the best for your challenge. :)

Don't forget Amy's meals and Morningstar Farms, and Boca! There are so many alternatives. Eating dark leafy greens is important and I reccomend learning to like tofu (if you don't already). I go to www.epicurious.com or www.allrecipes.com for recipes. I collect them if you ever need a good one. Once you get into the swing, being a vegetarian is so easy...and so guilt free. Please let me know if you need anything else!

I keep my eye on these two recipe blogs:

101 Cookbooks (veggie)

Vegan YumYum (vegan)

They both have regular updates and offer interesting and balanced foods.

In terms of getting protein, it's easier if you are veggie as you can eat dairy produce. If I'm feeling particularly like I've not had enough protein, I'll have a poached egg or two on toast!

Veggie or vegan, you can also get protein from nuts. You don't have to have nut cutlets/burgers/roasts, you can incorporate them into pasta sauces or a salad, or just have them as a snack food (mmmm, pistaschios).

Don't feel obligated to eat fake meats like the stuff from morningstar, vegi-deli or Quorn in order to get the protein, but do use them if you want to make a meaty recipe and can't think of a good veggie replacement. I make my meat-eating other half meals such as sweet potato pie or enchilladas using Quorn and he doesn't mind. I do always tell him it's fake meat though - bear in mind some people are allergic to Quorn, so you should never pretend it's real meat!

The other key issue is vitamins and minerals. Even the best vegetarian diet will struggle with a couple of the B vitamins (e.g. B12) and iron. Unless you really love kale! Rather than struggle and stress about it, try having a daily multi-vitamin pill. A lot of vitamin pills are now vegetarian, so you can get a general one rather than the more expensive vegetarian options (I'm on one from Boots in the UK as iron is the thing I struggle to get enough of). See this thread for suppliment options in the US.

I've been veggie for 18 years (21 years without red meat, 19 without white/pork and 18 without fish) and it's only as hard as other people make it. But they're not you, and you can get all the nutrition you need without eating meat or fish. If you're worried, maybe phase yourself off the different meats and fish: then it is less noticeable to others and you also know you are still getting all the nutrition you need. Over time you'll see that cutting out this meat or that fish is not causing you health problems and you can develop the confidence to turn fully veggie.

 

moosifer, eggs are fetal chickens, that's not veggie, thats definetly animal.

 

Corvaequeen, eggs are actually not fetuses unless they are fertilized. In that case, there would be a baby chicken in the egg when you eat it open. Although Vegans do not eat eggs, vegetarians can and do. I guess it all depends on individual preference.

I just found out today that I'm allergic to the sulfur in eggs. xD So it's really not going to be an issue much longer.

 

 

THANKS FOR ALL THE ADVICE GUYS! :] 

It sounds like you're on your way, but I just wanted to point out that if you eat a wide variety of plant-based foods, you will not have a problem getting all the protein you need.  The fact of the matter is, if you're following a healthy vegetarian diet (i.e. as long as you're not eating all pasta and oreos or something similar), it is much easier to get all the nutrients your body needs in a day than if you're eating a standard american diet.  The idea that a vegetarian or vegan diet is more likely to lead to malnutrition than a meat-eating diet is propoganda that's been peddled since the victorian era.  The 4 food groups are more about marketing and profits than reality.

Check out the book Eat to Live to learn how to eat a proper vegetarian diet.  :) 

Cheslee, How are thing going with you. You can try out some Indian Food at Indian Vegetarian cooking Although Indian desserts is high in calories but other indian food should be good to enjoy.