Hey everyone--im new to being a vegetarian and was wondering if anyone knew where i could find a list of everyday items that qualify for a vegetarian diet. I dont care for soy milk too much but im going to try and maybe do half soy and half 1% milk and then reduce the 1% milk. I heard that kelloggs poptarts are ok as long as they dont have frosting. These are the kinds of everyday foods I need to know about. I have been considering going vegetarian but realizing the treatment of animals it was just the push I needed. Kimberly

well what do you eat on a regular day?

this link may help you . . .

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=121

Okay, here is a list:

Grains
Whole wheat breads
whole wheat pasta
oats
rye
brown rice
barley
millet

Legumes
soya beans
soy products
kidney beans
peas
lentils
bean sprouts
peanuts
chick peas

Nuts
sunflower seeds
sesame seeds
tahini
cashews
almonds
hazel nuts
coconuts
walnuts

Sources of iron
whole grain breads, flour and cereals
potatoes
green leafy vegetables(broccoli, spinach, kale)
Brussels sprouts
peppers(green, red, yellow)
prune juice
dried apricots and raisins.

And here is a link to some great vegetarian and vegan recipes:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=150

And here is some help with grocery shopping (includes store brands):

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90394

Thanks for the links..Ive been kind of run down lately and im thinking maybe its a lack of protein in my diet. It was sooooo hard not to put that piece of bacon in my mouth this morning when i was making breakfast. I made it thru the whole day and totally proud of myself. I was wondering if anyone had a brand of ground "beef" that they liked. I want to make chili and want to try something like this. Do most of you still eat dairy and eggs? Thanks Kimberly

What animal products are you planning on leaving in your diet? (just so i could give you ideas) I am Vegan so I dont eat meat, dairy or eggs. I have used Boca's "ground" it worked well, my hubby even ate it. try not to use frozen stuff too often bacause of the sodium. and if you plan on going Vegan, make sure you read the packages of even the Boca and veggie burger stuff, some still have animal products in it. (found this out the hard way. lol) there is a TON of stuff you can eat. I make up alot of my own meals. lol. and a ton of desserts that you can still make. about the protein, it is hard for even a vegan who has NO animal products not get enough protein. beans, nuts and soy all have protein. I dont like Soy milk either, i use rice milk in my ceral but I do LOVE chocolate soy milk. lots of sugar, but mmmmm it is good. lol. GL with this. you are doing a great thing for the animals and the enviroment.

I like Yves veggie cuisine products. They have ground round that is quite good.

oo i just started a thread in the food forum if you guys wanna check it out... its called "fake meat recipes"

Welcome to the club Kimberly! I still eat some stuff with egg and dairy in it, slowly but surely I’m trying to eliminate most of that. I like soymilk, but a lot of people who don’t like it enjoy oat milk. I’ve never had it but it might be something you want to try. I’ve used the Boca ground burger before and like it quite a bit. It’s great for chilis and “meat” sauce for pasta. As mentioned before beans and legumes are great low-fat sources of veggie protein, you might also want to try replacing rice or other grains with high-protein quinoa. There's also tempeh, seitan, tofu, etc. experiment and see what you like. Good luck!

you might want to get a cookbook while you are starting out. It really helps to see all the different stuff you can do. When I first started eating veggie I loved the Beyond the Moon cookbook. The Moosewood cookbook is a total classic and you can probably find it at your library.

If you are struggling with feeling that you are giving up stuff I would recomend eating more ethnic food. It is simple to eat veggie and have Mexican (totstadas, quesadillas, burritos, etc), Indain, Chinese, Thai, Japanese etc.

For chilli I usually use lentils because I try and stay away from processed fake meat products and soy.

For breakfest I have been making wonderfully filling smoothies with fruit, nut milk, frozen bananas, and supplements like bee pollen, hemp powder, and flax seed. The first two are really great sources of protein.

Other things that you might want to consider for protien, beans, whole-grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. I wouldn't stress out about it if you are eating lots of green veggies!

Good Luck and Congrats!

fikustrees - you are absolutely right! I recently went out for Indian food while taking baby steps towards becoming a vegetarian and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

We ate with another couple and they ate the same things my husband and I did but ordered one chicken dish which they ate between the two of them.

DH and I loved our meal, felt completely satisfied and were happy that we were able to stay on our plan.

We had Greek food the other night and I ordered the pikalia platter which is a vegetarian appetizer dish - it was loaded with dolmades, spanokopita, hummus, tabouleh, pita bread and Greek salad - I was stuffed and I felt like I had a healthy meal!