Want to Become a Vegetarian... Seeking Doper Wisdom

Cafe Society
21

I’ve known a couple of people who started out by giving up meat for a month–“just to see what it’s like”. One liked her new vegetarian lifestyle, one decided he could be vegetarian, but he’d only be happy if he had a wife who was a good cook. (Yes, we rolled our eyes at him).

But I’d be inclined to suggest that there is nothing wrong with being mostly vegetarian, and that it is perfectly appropriate to make whatever portion of meat products you eat the meat products which bring you the most happiness, rather than the meat products which are the least “meaty”. A variation on the flexitarian approach, perhaps.

Cut back on your consumption of meat products that don’t bring you pleasure, make sure you get enough protein, watch your fat and starch consumption, and try a wide variety of meat substitutes. And, as suggested above, don’t replace that steak with a tofu “steak” so much as eat steak when you really want steak, but eat meals where meat is not a major focus frequently.

22

I was a vegetarian for about 10 years and I found the less you say about it, the better. People want to quiz you and then offer you ridiculous substitutes. (My former mother-in-law once presented me with a bowl of microwaved frozen plain mixed vegetables for lunch at the side of the pool, when she had made turkey sandwiches for everyone else. She is pretty daffy and I think her definition of ‘vegetarian’ was ‘eats only vast quantities of unsalted vegetables.’ I should have asked her if the concept of pimento cheese sandwich was a foreign one to her.)

My view may be colored a bit by these in-laws, however. My policy after a while became just to say ‘no thank you’ when offered meat. You’ll also find that people will want to serve you fish. (A confusion, I think, born of Catholics “giving up meat” and eating fish on Friday.)

At home, I was able to subsist nicely on beans and rice most of the time. I loved them and can eat them any day in all their variety. I ate quite a bit of blackeye peas since they’re my favorite. I also ate a lot of salads and vegetable cassaroles.

In regard to eating meat on special occasions or when it’s inconvenient to a hostess to say ‘no,’ I say go head and do it. If it doesn’t make you sick to do so, and if you’ll enjoy it somewhat, go ahead. You’re not doing this to prove anything to anyone, right? I, for example, never fully gave up pepperoni (though I did go for months not eating it) simply because I irrationally love it so much. :slight_smile:

Soups can also be your friend. I agree with Opal, I think mentioning that you can eat a lot of familiar foods already that don’t have meat in them – bean burritos are one example. Think about vegetable soup; just leave out the chunks of beef or whatever you usually put in. You’ll never miss it. Also (back to beans) I used to make a lot of split-pea soups, lentil soups or squash-based soups. Pizza is another easy vegetarian entree.

Breakfast is another source of inspiration. Make an omelette for dinner, using mushrooms and other vegetables for the filling, and have a can of blackeye peas on the side. (One of my favorite dinners.)

I also second, or third, getting a nice vegetarian cookbook. Vegetarian Times makes a good one, but the one I have is pretty gourmet. I picked up a little magazine-looking booklet in the checkout line when I first went vegetarian put out by Betty Crocker, I think, called Easy Meatless Meals. They are very easy and simple.

Good luck. I’d love to go back, but like DB my family is agin’ it, and I don’t have the energy to prepare their meal, and then mine.

23

I’m not sure I agree with that, actually. I’m not a vegetarian but have often gone on kicks where I’m trying to drastically reduce meat consumption… and personally all the “fake meat” options utterly gross me out. I’m happier eating something like a vegetarian chili that is bean-based, with veggies… or a casserole involving pasta and cheese… than attempting to use fake ground beef or whatever.

Tofu is fine if you like it and appreciate it for what it is (I don’t, personally).

A specific cookbook recommendation: Cooking from an Italian Garden - has great recipes that don’t scream “I’M A VEGETARIAN!!!”. I don’t use it nearly as much as I’d like. Unfortunately I have veg-UNfriendly kids - Moon Unit won’t touch anything legume-based, and Dweezil won’t go near cheese. So anything I cook from that cookbook will likely offend one (or both) kids and I’m not prepared to cook 2 or 3 separate meals.

Good luck and good for you!

24

Vegetarian for 25 years - and this is something I struggle with. I eat much too much carbohydrates, need to shed about 20lbs, but don’t know how to reduce carbohydrates and not starve on a diet that doesn’t include meat or fish. :frowning:

25

High-fiber vegetables in larger portions than you’d normally eat, and reduce the more “high-carbs”/high glycemic index/whatever ones like white potatoes and corn. Also use healthier fats like olive oil in reasonable amounts; this will help substitute for the craving that your body has for fat and its particular mouthfeel.

26

What’s so hard about being a vegatarian? Follow these easy steps:

  1. Stop eating meat.

  2. Talk about how wonderful it is to be a vegetarian, how great it is for the planet, and how every day is now full of sunshine as a result of not eating meat, to anyone that will listen, to the point that your meat-eating friends suddenly remember important dental appointments when they’re with you.

27

Better health for her and better dental health for her friends! It’s win-win! :smiley:

28

Agreed. I’ve never gone veggie (I, at times, don’t eat a lot of meat) but have veggie friends and relatives. And some of them would EASILY be healthier with meat in their diets - they’ve taken the meat out and eat tons of cheese, too many eggs, and lots of sweets (hey, cookies are vegetarian!). Others have managed to replace the meat in their diet with fiber filled veggies and whole grains, and have come out ahead. But if you look at whole wheat bread and think “ugh” and if the vegetable counter at the grocer isn’t filled with stuff you think is great, you may be in for a battle.

I also know a lot of “flextarians” - people who don’t eat much meat. A few have spouses who are vegetarians, but would not themselves choose the diet - and so have meat when out. A few who have cut down on meat. A few who just don’t eat “hunks” but will have a beef or chicken broth. That may be a good first step - just start cutting down and making more and more healthy meatless choices - that gives you the flexibility to choose the chicken breast instead of the vegetarian lasagna when dining out - which seems more in line with your goals.

ETA: My sister-out-law, the vegan, existed - at least from what I could tell during a Saturday at our house - on potato chips and tequila.

29

Another option for how you could cut back on meat gradually–eat X number of meals with meat per week/month. Over time, reduce X.

So, for example, you’ve decided that you want to eat an average of one meal that contains meat per week. In November, you skip eating meat for the first few weeks, so that you can enjoy your Thanksgiving Turkey guilt-free–and the leftovers as well. But if in July you crave bacon, go ahead and eat bacon. Even the occasional fast food burger or ball park hot dog is ok under this kind of scheme. And of course, when dining out, especially with friends or family you don’t want to offend, you can eat anything your little heart desires (so long as it’s on the menu*)

*Cute Story. While waiting for the waitress to come back and take our orders at the Italian Restaurant, members of my family were discussing what we were going to get. My niece–age 4–had been offered cheese pizza and seemed agreeable. And then she asked if when she was big like us she could order whatever she wanted.

With trepidation, my sister-in-law indicated that yes, she could, and inquired as to what Niece wanted to eat that day (thinking that she’d be happy to order ravioli or spaghetti, or even something not actually on the kid’s menu). Niece “Hot Dog!”

Niece got cheese pizza.

30

How is tequila vegan? Isn’t there a worm in there?

31

I work out a lot too and I don’t think I could survive without lean protein-egg white, chicken and fish. I’d say the first step would be to cut out red meat and focus on moderate amounts of chicken and fish.

Step 2, my personal opinion is that the healthiest veggie food is Asian. You could easily be vegetarian by eating lots of pasta and sugary red sauce. So buy some Asian cookbooks and invest in the spices. Salads are good but I don’t like them much for dinner (I eat one every day for lunch, however). Idislike bread (except for the fatty artisan stuff at restaurants I rarely eat at), like white rice (but not the calories or blood sugar spike afterwards) and cannot stand brown rice except with chinese food (also, I have a hard time cooking it). My carb of choice is chapati fortified with lite silken tofu. Whole wheat tortillas or pita seems like it would be a good sub if you don’t want to go to the whole route of learning how to make chapati.

One of my friends in law school was a vegan, with vegan husband and en suite vegan cat. She said it was years since she had eaten “American” food-she was a damn good at Indian/Middle Eastern cuisine. Southerner from North Carolina, btw! Anyway, it was always nice having them over and we used to trade recipes.

My biggest worry with all the chicken I ingest is the cancer risk. I still think veggies and veggie protein are the best for you but FUCK, I work out to the tune of 2 to 3 hours of exercise a day. I need mah protein.

32

No, real tequila is 100% agave, or agave and sugars. Certain types of mezcal contain a “worm,” though.

As others have mentioned, it’s very possible to eat an unhealthy vegetarian diet. My weight went up over 10 lbs over the last year just through a snack here/some takeout food there, and lately I’ve managed to get and keep nearly all of that extra weight off. The two vegans who I know comprise the healthiest person among the people I know (marathon runner and postal worker who walks his route) and the worst hypochondriac (this person switches between full-blown omnivore eating from Whole Foods, to macrobiotic, to vegan, but can’t seem to avoid cheating on any of these “diets”).

It should be noted, however, that the OP desires to eat vegetarian for moral reasons as well, and so though the flexitarian-recommending posts are meant well, they may not apply in this case if the OP sticks to that wish.

33

Thank you - I’ll try this out.

34

Not to turn this into a rant, but that ticks me right off. Cats are carnivores. They are not meant to be vegan. You can kill a cat very quickly that way.

So the difference between tequila and mezcal is that tequila is made from just blue agave? Noted and remembered.

35

In my experience, fake meats taste like shit. If you haven’t had sausage in ten years, maybe you can convince yourself that soysage tastes good, but if you’re used to the real deal, it’s just nasty.

There are lots of good suggestions here. I’d recommend buying Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It’s one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, and I’m not vegetarian. Her recipes are delicious–a far cry from the 1970s nutritional yeast and TVP stuff that you’ll find in many vegetarian cookbooks.

I’ll also second anu-la1979’s recommendation about Asian cooking. I eat meat 2-3 times a week, and on meatless nights, I’ll often cook stir-fries, curries or dahl. Satisfying and nutritious.

36

I think the flexitarian posts (at least mine) are an acknowledgement that a successful diet with occational meat may be better (physically and morally) than being unsucessful at being vegetarian. If she can go completely veggie (cold turkey or over time), more power to her, if she can’t, killing fewer critters to eat is possibly morally superior to killing more (and healthier, and more ecologically sound, etc)

37

Chillax, it was just a joke. They fed the cat Science Diet. But I call it the vegan cat because its name was TOFU.

38

I know a doctor who name her pair of cats Hifi (Hi-fee) and Lofa for “high fiber” and “low fat.”

Vegetarian cookbooks have come a long way from the '70s (although I still use some of the recipes from the original Moosewood Cookbook.) I’m not veggie myself, but I tend to buy more vegetarian cookbooks than any other type because the recipes are so imaginative and varied.

A lot of the recipes from the Greens restaurant series are downright elegant.

39

I was a pescetarian & it felt terrific for about 9 months. Then I suddenly hit a wall - felt awful, looked pale. I figured there must be something (amino acids?) in chicken/beef/pork that my body needs. I think we’re meant to be omnivores.

40

Ah. Carry on then.