Hey...

I'm new here...this is my first post ever. And I'm hoping that some of you may be able to answer some questions I have.

I'm just switching to a vegetarian diet because I've really lost my taste for meat. Just doesn't appeal to me anymore. And the odd thing is I have a friend who is going through the same thing. We are both farm girls so its not like we just figured out where meat came from but it just doesn't taste or smell good anymore. We are both 31 and thinking there may be an age connection? Have any of you experienced this?

And...more importantly. For those of you who have significant others who are not vegetarian how do you deal with meals? I have no problem cooking meat...I just have no intention of eating it. But what sort of meals do you make to accomadate this? My husband will eat meatless sometimes but he is not going to go without longterm. I really have no desire to cook two meals every night though. I have some ideas of how to deal with this but I'd love to hear what others do.

Thanks!
Casey

Well, congrats on making what can turn out to be a very good choice for your health! You can easily make veg meals and have meals for your hubby/family with only a little modification.

What kind of things does he like to eat?

Lasagna, tacos, burritos, chili etc. can be made veg and you can have a fry-pan of whatever animal product he desires going on the side or baking in the oven!

Feel free to ask any questions and you'll find people here are very helpful.

Congratulations on going veggie! I can’t say I’ve ever heard of anyone losing a taste for meat in connection to a certain age, but I can definitely relate to finding the smell of meat unappealing. I never had much of a taste for meat and stopped eating it by the time I entered high school. I know some people have issues fitting the veggie lifestyle in with families/significant others that are omnivores, but with a little planning and experimentation I think you’ll be able to figure out something that works for everyone at the table. I never learned to cook meat and am not comfortable handling it (I have to avert my eyes and rush though the meat section at the grocery store…gives me the creeps), and my boyfriend doesn’t cook much so he just has to settle for only eating meat when we eat out. He doesn’t seem to mind.

Good luck and please let us know if you have any questions!

I do most of the cooking. Usually I cook something veggie, and my husband cooks a side of meat if he wants it. It's not hard for him to microwave a sausage.

Personally, I don't cook meat... in part because of ethics, and in part because of the eww factor, so I'm not sure what to tell you if you do all the cooking.

One thing to watch out for is the inclination to go out to restaurants. Hubby and I did that a lot when I went veggie, so that he could have the meat he craved. Just warning you, so you can be aware of that trap.

Good luck!

well... I don't live with any omnis, but I work with a client in her home (I'm supportive services to a woman with disabilities) and sometimes I help her with preparing and cleaning up after serving meat. Sometimes I don't know how to help her, because I was raised almost entirely without meat, since my family was vegan while I grew up. Thus, I don't know how to answer questions about checking if meat is spoiled or if it's ready and cooked enough, since I've never cooked it. I'm worried about this in the future, in fact, because suppose I get married later down the line and I end up with someone who doesn't want to go veg all the time. I'm not sure how I would learn to adapt to seeing meat on the counter every day.

Also, another thing is what about cooking utensils and surfaces? I know some veg*ns who are so sensitive they won't eat something if it's touched things that are also used to make meat dishes. I'm not sure I'm THAT extreme, but I certainly won't touch something that hasn't been cleaned off already... I won't share utensils... and I'd want to have separate cutting boards... meat separate from vegetables and tofu, etc. ... I think that's what they do in restaraunts anyway, isn't it?

If you are LUCKY they separate foods and animal products! It's standard food handling procedures but so is not touching your face, smoking, eating etc. while cooking and I've seen those things happen with regularity too. People do disgusting things in food prep...makes me not want to eat out when I think about it!

I am as strict a vegan as you are likely to ever meet;I don't even eat where animals are served as food. I have had so many depressing experiences when I used to be more flexible about that rule, that I found ot so distressing I had to reevaluate what was important to me. Why do we eat out? Convinience, pleasure, socialization...It got to the point where there were so many hassles, so many mess ups with my order or a simple lack of suitable foods that I decided to just stop trying to eat where animals are served as food. It got to the point where is wasn't pleasurable, for many reasons.

I'm lacto ovo veg & my husband is a meat eater. He'll eat veggies meals with no problem. Here are some examples of dinners I make....

Veggie lentil stew with cornbread
Lasagna with green salad and steamed string beans
Enchiladas with black bean salad
Coconut curry veggies and brown rice
Veggie stir fry
Build your own tacos
Stuffed bell peppers
Carrot ginger soup with homemade croutons
Falafel & Greek salad

Also, I have a meat cooking tip for vegetarians. I've never cooked meat and eaten it. I've only cooked meat for others. And, I only buy organic, free-range meat from my local Whole Foods. Anyway, I've found a simple meat thermometer an extremely valuable tool. It tells you when the meat is done! There are marks for pork, poultry, beef, etc and when the line gets to that point, the meat is done! You just have to stick the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and leave it in for the duration of cooking.

Good Luck!