So... I Just Became a Vegetarian

[Stevo_s]

yea i went vegetarian for half a year just to see if I could do it (cold Turkey). and it is really easy people make a big deal out of it but its just awesome! But considering where I live its really hard to stay that way I would eat the same thing over and over again. And it may just be me but ever since I went veggie I cant taste meat at all. It lost all flavor I guess when you trade it for other things its not that big of a deal.
My tips:
Seriously eat different things never stick to one sort of meal too long.
Try all sorts of different veggies and try your best to get used to the ones you don't like.
That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[Rayansaki]

If your only goal is to have a healthier lifestyle why not just change your diet without turning full vegetarian? Both the options require only a change of diet, and vegetarian is by no means the healthiest diet around, and will probably be the hardest to adapt to.

1 year ago I was pretty much in the same situation as you, and I was also overweight (don't know if it applies), and within one year I am a lot healthier, and average build. I only stopped eating fast food and deep fried stuff, and replaced the "comfort food" days with Sushi/Sashimi days. I still eat fast food and fried stuff every now and then, but instead of 8-9 meals a week its 2-3 meals a month.

 

[BonsaiK]

I would like some tips.

Firstly, don't write off tofu. Tofu has no taste of its own, it's all about how you cook it, and what you cook it with, it'll take on the taste of whatever sauce you're using or ingredients you have prepared. Texture also varies wildly depending on what you do with it. I cam make tofu feel and taste like potato chips, or I can make it like scrambled egg, or cheesecake, or chocolate pudding... it's called to-FU for a reason. There are as many ways to cook it as there are foods on the planet and it's a total artform so don't let one/a few bad tofu experiences put you off it. Not many people know what to do with it, it's the cooking you hate not the tofu itself.

If you substitute your traditional meat with one source of vegetable protein, it probably won't be enough to fill the void. Try combining two forms of protein in each meal, i.e nuts and egg, or mushroom and beans...

Asian cooking is great for vegetarians.

 

[matrix3509]

I'm well aware of that book, though since I heard it takes place in the fucking early 1900s (or around there) it's completely useless, as well as opposite to what my true reason for becoming a vegetarian.

From your OP I gathered you became a veggie because you didn't like how some kid died from E. Coli and the way animals raised for slaughter were living in their own bodily fluids and whatnot. So uhh... how is that the opposite reason? The Jungle goes into decent detail about the slaughtering process.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

From your OP I gathered you became a veggie because you didn't like how some kid died from E. Coli and the way animals raised for slaughter were living in their own bodily fluids and whatnot. So uhh... how is that the opposite reason? The Jungle goes into decent detail about the slaughtering process.

You completely 100% misread my original post.

 

[MercurySteam]

Just a quick addition, I will not, nor will I ever, eat tofu.

I hear that!

 

[Darkenwrath]

Just a quick addition, I will not, nor will I ever, eat tofu.

In that case you'll need your protein from somewhere else, meat analogues are actually close enough to the main thing that you will actually never need meat again if you can keep it up. Mushrooms as well. Try not to eat too much fibre the results can be... unpleasant same goes for fruit. Oh and watch your iron levels in your blood as well or you can get anaemia. I always enjoyed Caesar salad, without meat that's a good base course. Look at Indian food as Hindu's are usually vegetarian as is a large proportion of the country because of the whole sacred cow thing.

 

[rabidmidget]

Why not just buy free-range meat, it would have much less exposure to germs

Also a well-made greek salad dressing is delicious if you experiment

 

[Turbowombat]

This thread and the argument of "vegetarians are healthier" are bologna (pun intended). Vegetarians are only healthier because they are more conscious of what they eat by necessity. No study has ever been done contrasting both a normal vegetarian and an equally health conscious omnivore. Why? Because the vegetarian would lose by simple mathematic principles.

The diet of a vegetarian is exclusive whereas the omnivore isn't. Where X equals all options available to a vegetarian the omnivore has options equal to X + Y where Y is some positive integer representing all possible healthy choices which are not exclusively vegetable. It is impossible to say that there is a causal relationship between being vegetarian and being more healthy, only that there is a correlation. You would have to make the case that there is absolutely no health benefit to any meat anywhere to anyone for any reason to show otherwise, and these data do not exist.

 

[Callate]

-snip-

It's comments like these that I can do some real good with. I'm glad I made this thread. Not only am I getting some good support, but great tips like these are really helping me understand my new lifestyle. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your input. Thanks.

Glad it was helpful. Best of luck.

 

[lockeslylcrit]

Tofu is delicious if you know how to cook it. Make some stir fry, add in some soy sauce and some stir fry sauce, and you've got yourself a delicious meal. Or just plop in some tofu chunks in a ramen bowl or make some hot and sour soup.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

This thread and the argument of "vegetarians are healthier" are bologna (pun intended). Vegetarians are only healthier because they are more conscious of what they eat by necessity. No study has ever been done contrasting both a normal vegetarian and an equally health conscious omnivore. Why? Because the vegetarian would lose by simple mathematic principles.

The diet of a vegetarian is exclusive whereas the omnivore isn't. Where X equals all options available to a vegetarian the omnivore has options equal to X + Y where Y is some positive integer representing all possible healthy choices which are not exclusively vegetable. It is impossible to say that there is a causal relationship between being vegetarian and being more healthy, only that there is a correlation. You would have to make the case that there is absolutely no health benefit to any meat anywhere to anyone for any reason to show otherwise, and these data do not exist.

Not going to reiterate about why I'm going vegetarian again. Everyone is so one track minded on this subject that I'm getting tired of hearing the same damn things over and over again.

 

[rod_hynes]

I always thought that vegetarians who pretend to eat meat are silly. I mean if you don't like meat. Why eat imitation. TOFU bugers and whatnot. NEW RULE- Those who don't eat meat can't pretend their food is meat. No tofurkey, no veggie burger!

 

[WolfThomas]

Yeah, well, I don't actually believe in evolution. I don't believe that some ignorant scientist can tell me all the facts about the history of the earth that they claim to have. And for the sake of restoring the peace, I say the same about religion as well.

But this topic isn't about evolution, so I'll just say that this is the most natural diet I think I've ever been on. It's been about 5 days, and I've been eating better than I have in years. This really feels like the right move for me.

You don't believe in evolution? I mean kudos for going vegetarian I've tried and given up before, but...really?

 

[Turbowombat]

Not going to reiterate about why I'm going vegetarian again. Everyone is so one track minded on this subject that I'm getting tired of hearing the same damn things over and over again.

The true purpose behind my vegefication is the goal of a healthier lifestyle.

Perhaps you should iterate it better the first time?

 

[ottenni]

One tip, Falafel. Its delicious. That and good luck.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

Not going to reiterate about why I'm going vegetarian again. Everyone is so one track minded on this subject that I'm getting tired of hearing the same damn things over and over again.

The true purpose behind my vegefication is the goal of a healthier lifestyle.

Perhaps you should iterate it better the first time?

Again, one track mind. Your misconceived assumption is that I was saying that vegetarianism would be healthier for everybody. Wrong. This is something for me specifically due to my previous diet. You didn't even consider to ask "how" it would be healthier despite the fact that I explain it right after I say, "The true purpose behind my vegefication is the goal of a healthier lifestyle." Did you even bother to read the sentences after that?

"In truth, in between breakfast and dinner, I find myself on campus surrounded by bacon burgers at the cafeteria, or the KFC down the road, or the fact that there is a Five Guys right across the street, only a minute walk from the biggest burger this side of Connecticut. It's not just at school either. My dinners are always specifically meat, and I barely ever get a decent amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet. I love salad, yet I never find it to be worthy of the main course in my meals, treating it only as an optional side."

Fact: I don't eat well when it comes to eating meat. Fact: My diet consists mostly of meat, which I just told you is not healthy meat. By cutting myself off of meat, I now treat my fruits and vegetables as the main course of the meal rather than just an optional addition.

I'm getting myself back on track when it comes to my eating habits. I don't ever get a decent amount of fruits and vegetables, if any at all. Just ignoring fast food chains isn't enough. I need a complete diet change in order to get myself back on track. Going vegetarian for a little while is a good strategy for this. I can't believe I actually had to recap something that was just on the next sentence.

 

[dark-amon]

It's healthier with regulear exercise than restricting what you eat. Maybe you should have considered about taking 5 hours out of your week for that instead of turning your lifestyle atround?
And about all the shit the industries do to the meat, you think the green stuff is untouched?
If you want real healthy food you should go to a local place that dosen't take in groceries from larger industries.

 

[latenightapplepie]

I would like some tips. Anything you guys can give me to help me along with this endeavor of mine. I know I'm being vague, but that's because I don't know much beyond the "don't eat meat" part. I figure this is a good discussion thread.

It's going to be difficult for you. Just sayin'. I turned vegetarian maybe eight months ago. It was relatively easy because I didn't like the taste of meat to begin with, and because I was willing to eat tofu. If you're doing it for health reasons, then you're going to need a lot more willpower to stop yourself eating meat. At least, more willpower than I need/ed, because I don't enjoy the taste of any food that much and am therefore pretty much able to eat healthy stuff that supposed tastes bad.

I'd suggest seeing a doctor or nutritionist, although I've never done that myself; for all I know it could be a massive waste of time. But certainly get as many simple vegetarian recipes as you can, I know I should be getting them - I'm just too lazy, and I have a mother who cooks for me.

Also, keep your eye out for rennet and gelatin(e). Those are sneaky non-vegetarian-friendly ingredients that you may or may not want to steer clear of.