Vegetarian Chicks - want to become vegetarian but need some help!

For years The thought of becoming a vegetarian has always crossed my mind but easily been forgotten at the sight of a good steak or a good hamburger.. Well the more and more I learn about the cruelty these poor animals are put through the guiltier and guiltier I feel! I'm all about animal rights! I'm always so against declawing, tail docking, ear cropping, etc,, but then I sit there and eat a steak! eww. gross! I'm contributing to the murder of poor animals! I feel like this makes me a hypocrite.

I told my husband eating meat was like premarital sex it sounds good feels and tastes good in the moment but then you feel dirty afterwards..LOL

anyways I just don't' want to be that person anymore... I have decided to do it gradually because so sadly I LOVE the way meat tastes! however I HATE the feeling I get after I eat it and I HATE the way it looks. I'm getting to the point I can barely prepare meat or even walk through the meat isles at the store.

I'm going to start by cutting out red meat.. then maybe in a month or two cut out pork, then poultry, and then sea food.

I don't believe I can go vegan. completely I need eggs, cheese, and dairy, and honey. but maybe I will I'm still undecided about that..

what i need help with is how did you do the transition? did you slowly cut it out too did it work for you? what veggie products taste the best? because i have tried a boca burger and HATED it! I also HATE TOFU.. this is going to be difficult for me but I just feel I need to! but I need some advice desperately from some one who was like me at one point "LOVED" meat but hated the thought. What Vegetarian products actually taste good! you know other type where you could never even tell it was vegetarian. I tried morning star corn dogs and they tasted just like regular corn dogs to me!

I can't actually say I loved meat. But anyway, I didn't cut out meat gradually. I just did it. Seems easier to me. It's funny, the one thing I still wanted and missed was bacon. I became vegetarian a little over a year ago, and it's only in the last few weeks that I realized it doesn't sound so great anymore. Yay for that, finally ;)

Well I used to love meat and I slowly started eating more vegetarian meals. I ate lots of beans and I bought a cookbook (Vegan with a Vengeance) and started making more veggie meals. It took me a year of being vegetarian before I even attempted to cook tofu and still I only eat it rarely. I also didn't think I could become vegan but I wasn't even fully transitioned to vegetarian when virtually overnight I went from occasional meat eater to vegan. I always say it is the best thing I ever did.

So my advice is go to the library and see what vegan/vegetarian cookbooks they have. I also do recommend Vegan with a Vengeance, even if you never go vegan.

As for burgers, the sunshine burgers are awesome and health is wealth is pretty good and Dr Praegers masala burgers. I never really cared for the burgers that tried to resemble beef burgers but the chicken type burgers tend to be pretty decent and the all veggie type burgers as well. If you wanted a beef type burger, I've found the best are the soy boy okara burger and Amy's has a pretty good one as well.

I was never much of a red meat or pork person. I mostly ate ground turkey and seafood, even a chicken breast was too close to the real thing for me to be ok putting in my mouth.

DH on the other hand loves his meat. To make the transition easier for him when I finally got tired of 2 meals every day, I gradually introduced meatless nights for him, and cooked really yummy vegan dishes. I did veg meals every other night, then 4-5 days a week, then 6 days, until he realized one day I hadn't cooked meat for him in ages.

I suggest vegan cookbooks also. Vegan with a Vengeance is spectacular, it's sitting on my PC desk right now. Vegan Fire & Spice is also a regular in my house. DH doesn't miss the dairy in any of the recipes, but it's also easy to add cheese etc to a vegan recipe if you find you're missing dairy.

As far as veggie burgers go, making my own has worked the best for me. However, Trader Joe's Masala burgers are super yummy, and I like Morningstar Farms varieties also. The MS are DH's favorite, and he really enjoys the occasional night when I am way too lazy to cook, and dig in the freezer for a burger. He's also fond of sneaking MS Farms mock riblet things into the cart at the grocery.

We don't eat a lot of tofu, because I'd rather eat beans and veggies, but I'd suggest playing around with different ways of preparing it before you write it off totally. You can get a block for a couple of bucks and try it several different ways. I prefer it baked, DH prefers it cubed and stir-fried until it's browned on the outside. To get a better texture out of it, freeze it, thaw it, then smoosh all of the water out of it between two towels. A pot or a couple cans on top of it speeds up the process.

i went vegetarian nine years ago, while i was in high school and still living with my family. i didnt particularly love meat, i just ate it because thats what my mother cooked - mostly chicken, sometimes mince dishes or sausages. when i decided t stop eating meat, my mother told me she respected my decision but she didnt have the time or money to be cooking two separate meals every night so if i wanted to do it, i had to do it myself. so i did. i dont remember it being too difficult because i already ate a lot of pasta and that is too easy to modify to vegetarian, but the smell of cooking meat did tempt me once or twice within the early months. now though, i dont even have to give it a second thought. i havent eaten meat in so long that i really dont care to and have never considered doing it again.

it took me a long time to enjoy tofu and learn to cook with it. im still no master but a couple of things that may help:
- tofu is essentially a sponge for flavour and will absorb whatever you put with it. i get my 80s-style marinade on and let it soak before cooking with it, i like to make skewers with vegies and tofu marinated in olive oil, lemon pepper and thyme. its also really good with satay sauce.
- if the texture gets to you, try a dish where it is crumbled, "scrambled tofu" for example is delicious, easy to make and hard to get wrong.
- you can crumb cubes of tofu and shallow fry them until they its crispy on the outside and use it for any dishes where you would have previously used cubes or strips of meat. the texture of this is really nice too.
- try chinese tofu dishes when you dine out so you can get more of a feel for it. i would probably steer clear of the more japanese firm tofu soup style dishes until you have acquired a taste for it, but the chinese puffy style tofu is yummy!

in the end, if you dont like tofu you dont have to eat it! its not mandatory for a vegetarian diet although it is a good source of protein and doesnt give me as much gas as beans hahahaha.

I recently went back to eating meat after over two years of eating vegetarian to appease my family, and my body just blatantly said, "no, no way, not gonna do it." Now I'm mostly vegetarian BUT not true vegetarian, I do eat fish (pescitarian). Like any kind of lifestyle change, it's hard to do and slip-ups will happen, but I think your plan is pretty sound. Beginning with tofu, I think, is easier in shakes and desserts with silken tofu, it's like a thick yogurt or pudding. I'd recommend The Veganomicon as a really good starting place and like nellie said, Vegan with a Vengeance (really good breakfast recipes in that one). Foodwise, making your own burgers tastes best, but Amy's does have some fantastic ones (Amy's also has fantastic EVERYTHING imo, btw).

So here are a few suggestions.

1. If you didn't like Boca burgers, try the Morningstar Spicy Black Bean burger. I'm telling you - it's DELICIOUS! Plus...super healthy. Low in calories and loaded with protein and healthy veggies. Put that baby on a whole wheat bun with pickles and I'm tellin' ya, you'll never miss hamburgers.

2. If you don't like tofu, you don't have to eat tofu. People look at me like I'm insane when I tell them I hate tofu. A vegetarian who doesn't eat tofu?!?!? Um, yeah! But I will say that if you haven't had it a lot, just give it another chance or two. Try cooking it in an entirely different way than you've had it. Ya never know.

3. Mushrooms. When you cook mushrooms, they become very hearty and almost meaty. They actually add a very beefy flavor to dishes.

4. I second a lot of the opinions above - buy a vegetarian or vegan cookbook. That should give you a good start.

5. I don't necessarily think gradually cutting it out will make much of a difference. It's probably just dragging out the inevitable. If you feel like you want and need to be a vegetarian, then my advice is to just do it. Just make sure that you're replacing it with tons of protein from beans and nuts (peanut butter = heaven). You can do it! I don't think you'll find it as difficult as you think since you have such a moral pull away from meat.

Good luck, and follow your heart!

I went "cold turkey" (pun intended) off meat when I was 15 or so. I think I ate pepperoni once and that was it.

Now they have fake-eroni and fake-on and tofurky and veggie burgers etc etc. :D

Hello!

I am fairly 'new' to vegetarianism myself, although it feels like I've been this way forever. My goal *is* to become vegan eventually, by gradually replacing foods that I know or find out aren't vegan.

I didn't really have a transition period to becoming vegetarian. It just hit me one day that I didn't even like meat and I knew it wasn't good for me and I am ultimately in charge of what goes into my body. I know it's not like that for everyone, and it certainly hasn't been easy dealing with OTHER people who seem to take it personally that I don't eat meat.

I don't think I can be too much help, but I do understand where you're coming from. It's big change at first but it gets so much easier and it's DEFINITELY worth it!

Really, you need to try different brands. There's a lot of variety out there and everything tastes a little bit different. One company's deli slices might be heaven and another company's might taste like slime. I haven't found a veggie burger that I like, and I find that I don't miss them so I just don't eat veggie burgers. You don't have to eat something just because it's available.

As everyone else said, a vegetarian cookbook will make all the difference. You'll be preparing the food from scratch too which is infinitely healthier than processed 'fake meat'. Once you start cooking and find core recipes that you'll make again and again you might find that you don't want or need the replacement meat products. :)

If you have an ipod or listen to podcasts (they're free!!), I highly highly HIGHLY recommend "Vegetarian food for thought", a podcast by a lady name Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. She is vegan, but doesn't try to push it on you, and she has tons of tips for living vegetarian in a non vegetarian world, as well as health information. There are quite a few episodes about animal suffering, so you can read the descriptions on her website and avoid those if you're not ready to hear about that yet. (compassionatecooks.com)

Good luck, if you have any questions, totally feel free to ask, I can try to answer them :) You can do it! :carrot:

I don't like most meat substitutes. About the only ones I can handle are Morningstar Farms veggie corndogs (and even last time they tasted funky, so maybe no more of those...) and Morningstar Chix patties. Overall, they're full of things that my body doesn't need any more than meat.

I DO like a lot of the gardenburger veggie patties - not the ones that mock ground beef, but the ones that are chopped veggies, rice, grains.

Mostly, we just skip the 'meat' and eat everything else.

PS - How many ways have you tried tofu? If it's not pressed out and seasoned, it has a totally different structure and taste. It's a very unique, yet versatile ingredient!

I was vary wary of meat substitutes at first and really I still rarely eat them.

Funny thing is I just learned how to sautee tofu! It is so good. Crazy, took me 2 years to figure it out.

Also, freezing tofu gives it a different/meatier texture as well.

I went cold turkey (no pun intended) and not have had any problems. I have decided that tofu and meat replacers are not for me. I've tried various brands and cooking methods and I can't seem to even swallow it. I stick to veggies, fruits, grains and whatever else I need to get my nutrition in...but very little pasta and breads.

I was always a girl who loved meat and decided to become a vegetarian for many of the same reasons you listed. I thought it was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever do and after several failed attempts of slowly reducing the amount of meat I ate I decided to go cold turkey. It was shocking how quickly I lost any appetite for meat. After a solid month of being a vegetarian I just didn't want to eat it anymore.

I think it's best to not try to go for the meat substitute products right away. It's really important to discover/rediscover natural foods. I personally eat a lot of salads, hummus, beans, and lots and lots of fruits and mushrooms.

And I agree that before you swear off tofu forever you should go to an authentic chinese restaurant and order some. I would never even touch tofu before I went to China, but when tofu is cooked properly it has an absolutely fabulous texture. I would get cravings for it before I even became a vegetarian.

I was ovo- lacto vegetarian for about four years when I was in my twenties...From a humain point of view, it is still totally right for me, and if I had to kill what I eat I certainly would be vegan today... now....for the rub..when I was vegetarian, I was eating alot more carbs and I think I packed on alot of weight because of it...Does anyone have menu suggestions that could help with that ?

Never mind...just saw more info above...

I'm in the same boat, though I kind of quit cold turkey the other day. So far, I haven't given up dairy or eggs (though I rarely eat eggs anyway). I have always felt uncomfortable about eating animals but I did it anyway, but I've read a lot lately about factory farming and when I read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer the other day it was kind of the last straw. I'm too grossed out, honestly, to eat any more animal flesh! I don't know if I'll feel that way forever, but I hope so.

My problem is that I really hate beans. I haven't had tofu that often, but since it pretty much takes on the flavor of however you cook it, I should be able to work with it. But it seems like EVERY vegetarian recipe has beans in it. I really want to like beans, so I'm going to try some recipes and be open to it but I'm 38 years old and have never really found a dish with beans in it that I liked, sadly, so prospects aren't that good!

LisaMarie - How about hummus? Have you tried a chickpea faux tuna salad? How about soup with pureed white beans as a thickener?

Roasted chickpeas are good, here is an awesome recipe! The taste isn't beany so it may be a good start:
http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/tamari-roasted-chickpeas.html

Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers Rock! I had these tonight for dinner and will again tomorrow on my salad. They have so much flavor for the 120 calories.

Hiya!
I've been a vegetarian since I was thirteen ~ so four and a half years now!~
and at first i was totally lost for good food ideas too; so here are my healthy suggestions~
The Linda Mcartney range do alot of burgers, saussages, etc~ Not so healthy, but they taste nice enough~
Aunt Bessie range make a realistic tasting toad in the hole ^^
You get ALOT of quorn products: mince for a spag bol, spehards pie. Pieces of "chicken" for a stir fry, hotdogs, burgers, cumberland saussages.
And I've seen alot of individual brands make very nice southern fried chicken, chicken popcorn, chicken nuggets etc etc.

Now:) for more healthy things:
Mushrooms are a lifesaver! In ommlettes, on their own as a side dish, in soup. They're versatile and delicious.
Veggies (bit of an obvious one here) Babycorn, courgettes, cabbage, spinach, brussel sprouts, carrots, runner beans, broccolli, all delisiouc fried or boiled.
My personal fave dish is a goog veggie stirfry, very low on cals and delicious:
~Cut up babycorn
~Brocolli
~Snapper beans
~Carrots
~Courgette
and add a little soy sauce, it's super yummy and comes to about 200calories IF that. Plus it's hot and filling :)

I am 41 years old. I have been a vegetarian nearly 22 years. No meat of any sort including seafood. I was vegan for about 17 years.

I am from Texas and I STILL get weird looks when I try to order something and tell them to take the meat out. These people and their meat. I have been married 15 years to a country boy who has to have meat and potatoes at every meal. No, I am not kidding. It's good that he likes to cook, though. My kids are not vegetarians either. My daughter eats a lot of what I do (she's 8) but she likes her chicken.

There are a ton of vegetarian cookbooks out there and I own many of them, but don't ever even look at them. Really, I think the recipes are weird and way too many products I never buy or don't want to go to the store and find. I just make or buy things that I like WITHOUT meat. Seriously, just make what you want and don't put meat in it!

Word of warning: If you are going veggie thinking that you will automatically lose weight, be careful. Cheese enchiladas and nachos don't have any meat in them, either! You can substitute the meat in recipes with soy-type "meats," but it might make your stomach a bit crazy. Gas-producing!

I love bean burgers. I love beans, salads, raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts, making my own pizzas, frito pie (with vegetarian ranch beans, no meat). Lots of stuff out there.

If you think it's cruel, then stop eating meat. But as my mom said over 20 years ago: "If you're going to stop eating meat because you think it's wrong, then you can't wear your leather boots!" I know she said that to dissaude
me from going vegetarian, but it backfired. I then stopped wearing leather, silk, wool...
At what point is it not cruel?

GOOD LUCK!:D

I have slowly converted, and only eat even fish on a rare occasion. If I am in a hurry, I grab a Amy's dinner, which for frozen are a delicous organic alternative. Moosewood has some great vegetarian recipes too, if you have time for that. My life is very, very busy, so quick meals or Amy's is all I can do for now.

I'm still meatless after about a week and a half. I haven't had a chance to really try any new recipes (I have a 17-month-old, so it's a bit tough to cook anything complicated at this point because I have no extra time). I'm living on peanut butter, vegetable soup, cheese and crackers, salads, and a lot of pasta at this point. I want to make my own hummus but I bought some roasted red pepper hummus that's very yummy so I'm eating that with pita chips or veggies. I really really wish I liked beans more -- I'm going to have to try to find easy recipes that make them taste good. I definitely need to get some more protein in, because I've been quite hungry all the time, but part of that is because I'm still nursing and nursing makes me VERY hungry!

LisaMarie - hummus is beans so that is a start if you like hummus!

This casserole is one of my all time favorites:
http://www.hsus.org/farm/humaneeating/recipes/entrees/chickpea_broccoli_casserole.html

Here is another good one:
http://www.recipezaar.com/Creamy-Chickpea-and-Tahini-Casserole-56818

Yep, Nelie, I can trick myself into thinking hummus isn't actually beans so that's always a good choice for me!! Thank you for the recipes! :)

Hello!

I distinctly remember making the transition to vegetarianism. I was in my early teens, and in culinary class. We had to watch videos of animals being slaughtered (it was very important to my teacher that we know where ALL of our food comes from, even if it's messy.)

I came home, and made the announcement that I would not be eating ANY more meat. Honestly, the transition was only difficult for the first week, at the most. There are SO many wonderful, flavorful foods! After eating things like raw foods, fruits, hummus.. Meat just seemed bland and boring. I never had another bite, for years. Believe me--it is NOT as hard as everyone thinks it is!

I'm with you--I HATE Tofu! I've never liked it. I find nice replacements to be an assortment of beans, nuts, and 'fake' meats (fake chicken is the best!) During the summer months, I would grill red bell pepper and portabella mushrooms instead of meat--YUMMY!

Currently, due to some health issues, my doctor and I decided to try having me eat meats again.. And it has been a MUCH harder process. I can't stand the smell, the texture.. It's horrible. I get violently ill with red meats. Chicken is about all I can stomach, and even that is pushing it! Hopefully soon, I will be able to revert back to Vegetarianism.. I miss the foods!

I also hate tofu and you do not at all have to eat any tofu in order to get your protein in.

Beans, lentils and other legumes and nuts are fine protein sources as well as some of the cheeses if you're ovo-lacto.

Yes, the Morningstar Black Bean burgers are great! And I've had some that were made with portobello mushroom, I'm sorry I don't remember the brand name but they were very good!

There's a book called Becoming Vegetarian that might be helpful for you.

The other recipe books I like are really dated, lol! Susan Powter's "FOOD" book helped her readers transition into vegetarian or more meat-free eating in stages and has some good and protein-balanced recipes in it. And my vegetarian bible when I was a teen was Diet for a Small Planet which is still in print but is more than just a recipe book.

Good luck with pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle!

For me a transition was never hard. But then again I'm lacto ovo (I eat eggs and dairy), and I do eat a lot of meat substitutes (like Morning Star Farms, Quorn, etc.) I like them all.

The best advice I can give is this: I figure you're on the 3 fat chicks board because you have weight to lose, like me. Find an eating plan you can stick to, with foods you will enjoy eating. Someone on this thread mentioned that being a vegetarian doesn't automatically make you thin, and I totally agree. I think she mentioned, nachos and cheese enchiladas as examples!

Because I have insulin resistance I am on an eating plan called The Insulin Resistance Diet. This is perfectly suited to my lacto ovo vegetarian ways, and there's a huge variety of food for me to choose from. So it works for me. Find a plan that can incorporate vegetarian foods that you enjoy, and you're well on your way!

I believe that any form of healthy vegetarian diet, whether it's vegan or lacto ovo (like mine) has so many benefits over a meat eating diet, for anyone.

just an update! I have cut out all Beef and Pork for two month straight now! and I couldn't be happier. .the sight of beef makes me sick now! I miss pork bacon a little there's just something about it.. I tried veggie bacon and it smelled good but it was gross! so I've tried turkey bacon and it is pretty good.. most things I used to get in beef or pork has a turkey substitute so that's been good for me.. My next phase will be cutting out poultry.. not sure when I'm going to give that a go but I'm just so happy I've cut out the beef and pork and I don't miss it at all! I've also only started buying cage free humane certified eggs to eat and Soy milk instead of regular milk! I'm little subtle changes but I'm doing it and I feel good about it!

On the bacon, my veggie friend says that dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in Braggs amino acids is way better fake bacon than soy bacon.

On the bacon, my veggie friend says that dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in Braggs amino acids is way better fake bacon than soy bacon.
If you added a little liquid smoke to that, it's even better!

I prefer to make it with tempeh though, or tofu.

I've been a vegetarian for a year and a half, and I also HATE tofu. HATE it. Good substitutes are TVP (textured vegetable protein) and tempeh (amazing!!!). Tempeh with rice and veggies is awesome, and TVP in a burrito is also phenomenal. Black bean burgers are great.

The one thing I swear by and eat probably 3-5 times a week is the Subway Veggie Max--it's a veggie patty sandwich that ends up being 325 calories (with cheese!!) for a 6-inch.

For me, it wasn't hard because I never ate red meat or fish and was never crazy about poultry. If you love meat, all I can say is BE STRONG!!!

And whenever you want meat, pull up a picture of a puppy and ask yourself if you'd eat it. They're the same as cows!